The whole group of Asgardians walked out of the vortex of the Bifrost, all but Odin and Thor battered, weary, and fearful.
Odin marched up directly to Heimdall's control system. Yanking out the sword and tossing it to its owner.
Heimdall inclined his head, backing out of the way of the party. He stood in a corner out of the way. His ever-watchful gaze on those before him while still on those in the Realms.
Thor looked behind him as the Rainbow Bridge faded and closed. "Why did you bring us back to Asgard? We could have defeated the Jotuns together."
The Allfather paid him no heed. Instead, he turned to Lady Sif. "Get Fandral to the healing room quickly. And take Sleipnir back to the stables."
She nodded. "Aye, my lord." She reached up for the war steed's reins, but the proud horse snorted at her and tossed his head, prancing off by his own accord. So the Lady turned to the Warrior's Three's aid. Helping them transport Fandral to the safety of the medical chambers.
"Why did you bring us back?" Thor demanded again. His tone intensifying for extra effort in being heard.
Odin finally acknowledged his eldest. "Do you not realize what you've done? What you've started?"
"I was protecting our home."
"You can't even protect your friends. How do you expect to protect a kingdom?"
"How will there be a kingdom if you are too afraid to act? Our people and the Nine Realms must know their new king will not be held in contempt."
The Allfather's gaze darkened. "That is not how a king should talk. You speak of nothing but pride and vanity. Have you forgotten everything you've learned? A king and warrior must also act out of patience, of cunning."
Loki lifted his eyes with renewed hopefulness. Those were two, of the many, qualities he was known for. Had their father finally seen the error of making his brother the next king? Had this misconstrued strategy of his actually worked?
Thor flung an arm out toward the Bifrost. "While you resort to being patient and cunning, the other Realms mock us. Your ways of old are no more. You would rather give speeches than keep Asgard from falling."
Odin's volume rose. "You are nothing but a vain, greedy, cruel boy."
The oldest son matched his father's tone. "And you are nothing but an old fool."
Loki glanced between the two, eyebrows lifting slightly. His brother had really dug his own grave now. And he assumed he would have to be the one to save him from it.
The current king of Asgard remained quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice dropped to a dangerously calm level. His expression turned grim. "I am a fool, yes. A fool to think you were ever ready to take the throne."
The god of mischief stepped forward. "Father, I—"
"Hngueh!" Odin roared, pointing a finger at the black-haired prince and stopping him in his tracks.
He startled. Took a step back with a dipped head. So his father wasn't pleased with him, either. This day would not end well.
"Thor Odinson, you have disobeyed direct orders from your king. Through your ceaseless arrogance and foolishness, you have unleashed war upon innocent lives." The Allfather plunged his spear into the Bifrost's control, and a portal opened behind his eldest.
Thor glanced behind him. Readying for battle.
Odin continued, the power of the Rainbow Bridge surging with his rage. "You are unworthy of this Realm." He tore a symbolizing piece of armor off Thor's chest. "You are unworthy of your title." Ripped the red cloak off Thor's shoulders. "Unworthy of the loved ones you've betrayed. I, Odin, remove you of your powers."
Loki stopped playing with the inside of his palm. He finally realized what his father was doing, and he wasn't sure whether or not to intervene. Odin clearly wasn't in a playing mood.
The Allfather held out his hand, calling Mjolnir out of the shamed prince's hand. "In the name of my father," a streak of lightning struck away half of Thor's armor, "and his father before," another streak robbed Thor of the rest of his armor, "I cast you out!"
Thor's eyes widened, the metal scales crumbled off of him. "Father, please."
A crack of thunder echoed throughout Asgard as Odin thrust his banished son into the waiting rainbow bridge. He then stared at the weapon in his hands. Took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Dropped his voice to a whisper. "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."
Mjolnir glowed with knotted runes on either side of it until they disappeared once the spell settled in.
Without hesitation, the ruler of Asgard hurled the hammer through the Bifrost.
Loki started for the door of the Rainbow Bridge, but the portal closed before he could reach it. He looked back at his father. "Please—"
"Silence," Odin bellowed.
He swallowed and backpedaled again.
"If I hadn't already cast out that failure of a slave, you would be with him."
His nostrils flared. Aura was not a failure. Nor a slave. But he couldn't say it aloud. He honestly wasn't sure if his father had even remembered sending her out of Asgard, but of course he had.
Odin began walking out with the gait of the powerful king he was. However, he suddenly whirled around and pointed at the remaining prince. "What were the orders I had given you?"
"To calm Thor down."
"So you deemed it wise to take him to Jotunheim instead?"
Loki's fingers slowly curled into themselves. "He decided that on his own consensus. I begged him not to go, but he would not listen to reason, so I alerted the guard to tell you where he led us. I assumed you would want to know because we both know how brash Thor can be."
The Allfather's one-eyed stare dimmed. "And you. You think you can lead a whole Realm when you can't even persuade your own brother from war? How are you supposed to keep enemies at bay? And you think you're so cunning."
His jaw set.
"You are no more worthy than he. At least he has the thought to take some kind of action, albeit wrong. You're pathetic attempt at words would lead Asgard into death and ruin."
He blinked and dropped his eyes to the ground. Like his father's favor of words weren't already leading Asgard into death and ruin. He slightly shook his head. "What else was I to do? I'm not allowed to use my magic on him. I—"
"I grow tired of your excuses. Your failed efforts of justification. You are not a child. Grow up and take responsibility for yourself. Speak to me no further until I decide what I want to do with you." Without another word, Odin left.
Loki's fists clenched and unclenched. He turned away so he couldn't see his father out of the corners of his eyes. What was he supposed to do? Regardless of what he had done, he would have been punished for one thing or another. There was no winning with his father. What did Thor have that he didn't?
Asgard.
He glanced down at his arm. Thor was Asgardian. But was he? Was he even from this Realm? Born to Odin and Frigga? Brother to Thor? Was he actually Loki Odinson?
Yes. He had to be. Why wouldn't he be? Why would he be a frost giant? It was simply his magic playing tricks on him. He simply didn't want to be in pain when touched by the frost giant, so his magic kept him from being in pain. There. That was a perfectly logical explanation.
If he was a Jotun, what would Aura think?
Aura….
His attention found Heimdall, who had resumed his normal post near the control panel. Although he had never once received an answer from the Guardian, perhaps he could get one now. He didn't know why he thought he could, but he needed some form of hope at the moment.
Silent steps carried him to the Gatekeeper. "Heimdall, can you still see her?"
"Of course," came the almost ethereal reply.
Loki inhaled a deep breath. "Can you please tell me where she is? I need to make sure she's okay. You know I've searched for her when I can, but I can't…I can't find her, and I-I'm failing her. I'm not sure why I can't locate her."
Heimdall kept silent, though his eyes blatantly swirled with his Sight. "No."
He sighed. Despair etched in his voice. "Please, Heimdall. I know we're not always on the best of terms, but I need to know. I need to know where she is."
More silence. Followed by his own sigh. "She does not wish for you to find her. She begs me every day to keep from telling you her location."
Everything within the youngest prince stopped. Heimdall may as well have stabbed him through all of his vital organs with the largest sword in the Nine Realms. He knew the Gatekeeper's words were true. Heimdall had sworn an oath to Asgard and to himself he would never lie. Besides, what would he gain from lying?
But how could Aura not want him to find her? She was his light, his love. His everything. He had been doing all in his power to restore her to Asgard, but now, now she didn't want him locate her? Why not? Why?
One of his hands aimlessly searched for something to brace himself on. His knees suddenly felt weak. His stomach knotted tighter than it ever had before. How…why…?
He finally found the doorway to the Bifrost chamber and leaned against it, barely keeping himself upright. Felt like he was going to be sick. Unable to wrap his head around why she would tell Heimdall every day not to spoil her location. He didn't understand why she wouldn't want him to come for her.
Had he taken too long? It was true each Realm possessed their own way of keeping track of time. What if months here meant years somewhere else? Had she been trapped in a place where years had passed? However, it was possible only days had passed for her.
Searching the stone floor of the Bifrost station, he accessed the deepest parts of his memories. Not the fragments dedicated for events he wished to forget but the sources of remembered information. There had been a text he read many years ago regarding the conversion equation of time for the various Realms. However, it still wouldn't do him any good if he didn't know which Realm she resided on.
What if she actually wasn't on one of the Realms? The universe was vast, and the Realms were nothing but a fraction of what actually existed. Perhaps that was why he hadn't found her yet. There was a chance she was nowhere near the Realms, outside of Odin's reach of power. He wouldn't put it past his father to have sent her elsewhere.
He attempted steadying his breathing with no prevail. Slammed a fist on the structure frame and ran a hand through his hair. How could he have been so stupid? His search had been too narrow. He couldn't stand the thought of her being lost in places she had never heard of before.
Maybe she told Heimdall not to tell him her location because she didn't even know where she was. No, she could give the Guardian a description. Not that he needed one, since he could see everything. After all they had been through together since childhood, how could she not want him to find her?
Did she think of herself as a burden to him? That had to be her reasoning. It was the only one that made sense. She didn't want him to find her because she didn't want him to go out of his way for her. She never liked when he went out of his way for anything, even flowers. Countless times, she lamented over simple flowers and trinkets because she feared he would get in trouble.
For a while, he had assumed she didn't like his gifts until she finally explained with a red face about how she was afraid he would get hurt because of her. Then he understood. She always cared more for his safety than anything else.
His eyes snapped up, and he pushed himself off the wall. His safety. That was the key. She was somewhere where she didn't think he would be safe if he came to it. Surely, that was the one. His safety had to be her motive.
But was she safe?
He pivoted, a new kind of fear pulsing his heart against his ribcage. "Heimdall, is she safe? Please tell me she's protected."
The Gatekeeper slightly turned his head to view the young god. "Aye. She is safe. She's living quite comfortably, actually. Her life currently isn't in any danger."
"Currently?"
"The winds of change blow rather frequently, I've found." Heimdall slowly returned to his position.
Loki's cheekbones became more prominent as he set his jaw. With Thor exiled, his father's watch would be ever more present on him. The only course of action would be to take the throne at this point. Yet, he couldn't do anything too brash. Somehow, he had to convince his father of his worthiness. Assuming Odin was his father.
His eyes subconsciously traveled back to his left arm, and his fingers clenched in response. Then he glanced over his shoulder, back toward the Guardian of Asgard. "Do you know who my birth parents are?"
Heimdall looked over his shoulder in turn. "Why do you ask me when you know already know for yourself?"
He gave a slight nod. He wished he didn't understand the cryptic message, but there was a sinking feeling in his stomach he couldn't ignore. One he hoped was his own paranoia and didn't prove to be the truth. If it did, it would most certainly explain quite a few happenings.
Of course, there was one way to find out his veritable heritage. A way to end the conflict in his heart and mind. Even if it only cause more. He steadied himself. As much as this new journey pained him, he needed to know. How could he be certain of his relationship with Aura if he wasn't certain of himself?
Loki's emerald gaze bore down the physical Rainbow Bridge and to the tall, gleaming palace. His nerves tingled with every step he took, but his determination didn't fade. Asgard's Vault waited for him.