A/N:sorry if this one doesn't flow as well as the others, i had a lot of trouble writing it. Only one more chapter to go!
The Destroyer
I took the Bifrost back to Jotunheim. It was a little unnerving now that I knew this was where I was supposed to be, and it looked awful—it almost made me grateful that Odin had taken me away from it all, which I hated fibre of my being. I would not feel grateful to him.
The first thing I did was shield myself and the Frost Giants here from Heimdall's gaze. If he knew what I was about to do, then he would certainly tell Thor's friends, and things would be so much harder for me. I walked along the same path back to the palace where I saw the King before. It was cracked still from the mess Thor had made of it, but snow had viciously fallen since then, and it just looked normal to me. Speaking of snow, it was falling at that moment, sticking to my face and covering my clothes. The doors to the palace were open, and I confidently walked inside—I couldn't let Laufey see me frightened again.
It was dark in there, and I could hear the wind from outside whistling through the cracks and holes in the walls as I walked deeper inside. Frost Giants almost as tall as Laufey stood in the shadows watching me, almost like they were expecting me to be here. Almost like they knew who I was… How could they, I tried to reassure myself. To them I'm just the traitor. Nothing more. Finally, the King came into view out of the darkness. He was sitting on a stone throne on top of a small pedestal. Well, small to them. He was eyeing me up, obviously recognising me from before. I sensed the rage inside of him. it was comforting to know I wasn't the only one who hated Thor.
"Kill him," Laufey rasped from his seat. I gave him a rueful yet amused smile.
"After all I have done for you?" A look of realisation crossed his face. That didn't take long—they were smarter than I gave them credit for.
"So you're the one who showed us into Asgard…" he muttered, a small smile on his face.
"That was just a bit of fun really," I replied, smirking. "To ruin my brother big day… and to protect the Realms from his idiotic rule for a while longer."
Laufey leaned forward with interest. "I will hear you…"
Yes. I had his interest. So far so good. I started to slowly pace across the room, making sure everyone there could see and hear me. "I plan to conceal you, you and a handful of your soldiers, lead you into Odin's chambers, and you can slay him where he lies."
"Why not kill him yourself?"
I snorted softly. "I assume the Asgardians would not take kindly to a King who had murdered his predecessor." Laufey tilted his head, and I got an idea. "Once Odin is dead, I will give the Casket to you," he stood up suddenly—that had certainly caught his attention, "and you can return Jotunheim to all its… uh…" I looked around the dark depressing room. "Glory," I finished with a reassuring smile. After a long moment of silence, Laufey's face broke into a grin.
"I… accept."
I grinned back, and I told him to come when the night is darkest, before swiftly turning back out of the palace. Once I was far enough away, I summoned the Bifrost and soon I was standing back in the golden room in front of Heimdall. He looked very serious and concerned—no doubt he tried to see what I was doing there.
"What troubles you Gatekeeper?" I asked, visually amused.
"I turned my gaze upon you," he said, just as I had suspected, "but I could neither see nor hear you. You were shrouded from me like the Frost Giants who entered this Realm."
I started walking past him towards the exit. "Perhaps your senses have weakened in your time of service," I suggested.
"Or perhaps someone has found a way to hide that which he does not want me to see."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He really just had to know everything. "You have great power Heimdall." I circled around the pedestal, and he followed me, with his eyes. "Did Odin ever fear you?"
"No."
"And why is that?"
"Because he is my King, and I am sworn to obey him." All amusement disappeared. Is. Am. He doesn't see me as a ruler. Yet another reason I hate him.
"He was your King, and you are sworn to obey me now," I said, my anger showing through my eyes. "Yes?"
There was a terribly long moment of unsure silence where he just stared at me, internally seething, knuckles going white on the Sword. "Yes," he finally said through his teeth. That was going to have to be good enough for now. I strode to the exit.
"Then you will open the Bifrost to no one until I have repaired the damage my brother has caused." I left him, internally screaming. Everything was going so, so well, and now he was suspicious, and who knows what he was going to do. Gods, why couldn't he just stay out of my business!?
I reached the palace once again and decided to go to my room. No one would see me in there; I wouldn't have to hide how furious I was. And I hadn't slept in a few days—not that I was going to. Too much stress. On my way, I passed Sif and the Warriors Three, but they didn't seem to see me, as usual, which only fuelled my rage. Everything was pushing me closer and closer to the edge of rationality, and if another thing went wrong, I was going to lose it. Once in my room, I collapsed down onto the bed and screamed into the sheets for a good ten seconds. I felt awful. I laid there, breathing deeply for a while—I didn't even know how long—before I heard a soft boom from outside.
My head rose from the bed, and I looked outside to see the Bifrost open and send a streak of rainbow out into the cosmos. Wow. It had barely been half an hour before he went and did the opposite fo what I told him to. Who would have he sent somewhere anyway? My mind drifted to the memory of Thor's friends walking past me out of the Palace. I let out an audible exasperated sigh. Of course, they were going to get him, which means he would find out the truth about what is happening here, and he would come back, and stop me. I picked up a glass and threw it at the wall with a yell. It smashed, pieces of glass shattering across the floor. Anger and resentment swirled about inside of me, the feeling so strong that I almost marched down to Heimdall and slaughtered him right there. But no, that had no strategy. I'd doing myself and the world a favour, but it would just be an act of rage. It was unlike me.
I took several long deep breathes and shoved the anger to the back of my mind as I tried to think of something to do. Stopping Thor's friends from bringing him back was now priority number one, but they have already left, and I need to be here when the Jötuns come, so someone else had to do it. I knew just the thing.
Walking past the Einherjar, I went back to treasury. I tried not to look at the Casket as I walked through and beelined for the cage where the Destroyer was kept. Now, lets see if it lives ups to its name. The cage was detailed, flooded with white light and bars with spike on them. Strangely thought, the bars never touched and just floated next to each other I front of the white light. I stomped Gungnir on the ground once, and the floating bars separated as the Destroyer menacingly stepped out. It was tall, just as if not taller than Laufey, covered in hard unbreakable metal, and layered with spikes. For a head, it just had a metal box with two vents jotting out at the side, and a long one down the middle. All three of those would open and light up, spitting out flames when I command it to. Thor may be strong, but fire could certainly hurt him.
"Ensure that my brother and his friends do not return," I almost growled. "Destroy everything." Something inside of it clunked as if in reply and it teleported down to Midgard without hesitation. Good, hopefully that was taken care of for the second time. Heimdall though, he could still cause some problems—I needed to get rid of him as well. Gods, why were there so many people out to get me? Couldn't they see that I just wanted to help!?
I certainly couldn't fight the Gatekeeper, that certainly wouldn't end well, but maybe I could use magic… I looked at the Casket. Time to see if I could use it. Cloaking it in my void, I left the room.
Rage fuelled my every step as I walked down the Rainbow bridge for the second time that day. I could see him already, standing there, holding the Sword, holding all that power, waiting for me. Of course, he knew I was coming. How dare he commit such treason when I explicitly told him—commanded him—otherwise? Clearly, oaths meant nothing to anyone anymore.
"Tell me Loki," he started before I could get a word out. So he was speaking first. "How did you get the Jötuns into Asgard?" Ah, so he was still clueless of it all. At least I had one thing against him. I rolled my eyes at him—he needed to feel foolish.
"Please, you think the Bifrost is the only way in and out of this Realm? There are secret paths in between worlds to which even you, with all your gifts, are blind. But I have need of them no longer now that I am King." My voice started to get audibly angry, but I seriously did not care anymore. I should be angry. "And I say, for your actions of treason, you are relieved of your duties as Gatekeeper, and no longer a citizen of Asgard." I had hoped that would've gotten more of a reaction out of him, but no. just the same as always, thinking—knowing—he was better than me.
"Then I no longer need to obey you," he said, before aggressively lunging forward with his sword swung up behind his neck. I guess the hatred was mutual. Before he could follow through, I quickly uncloaked the Casket and held it in between my hands, pointing it at him. I felt the awfully refreshing blue climb up my hands as I squeezed the handles tighter, unleashing the frosty power of it. Light blue, jagged ice shot out of it as it glowed, enveloping Heimdall in a cold cocoon of ice mid-roar. It spread all over his body with a satisfying crackling sound, freezing him in place, and my mouth opened into a small smile; this was beautiful. I kept forcing its power onto him for a little long than necessary—the ice started spiking on his back—before finally pulling back, breathing heavily.
Cloaking the Casket once again, I looked into his frozen eyes as the blue slowly disappeared. Was this it? Was he dead? Or could he only stand there, motionless, watching the Destroyer kill Thor while knowing there was nothing, he could do about it? Either one is fine with me. I thought about the Destroyer, and how that might be going? Surely, Thor was dead now, right?
It was weird to think about, him dying, leaving me alone. It wouldn't be much different really. But it was necessary for the good of Asgard. I headed back to my throne, the place where I really belonged, the place I had dreamed of sitting at for so long. The guards at the bottom of it were still standing there, and I walked past them, taking my seat there. From here, I could watch everything. Holding Gungnir tightly, I closed my eyes and looked through the eyes—not that it had eyes—of the Destroyer. As predicted, everything in that delicate town he was in was either on fire or broken, and Thor's friends plus four random Midgardians pathetically huddled together behind him as he slowly walked towards the metal beast. I watched it kick a car out of the way, also walking to Thor.
"Brother," he said. Huh, he knew I was watching. "Whatever I had done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to this… I am truly sorry." I was taken back. He really was oblivious to everything, yet still sorry. I chewed the skin on my knuckle, feeling very mixed emotions.
"Taking their lives will gain you nothing," he continued, still approaching the Destroyer, his long blonde hair waving in the wind. They both came to a stop in front of each other, and it opened the vents wide, golden fire glowing in the slots. "So take mine and end this."
This confused me even more. He wanted to die, just so some mortals and his friends could live? That was noble—too noble for him. something else was going on. I looked at the people, one of them had her eyes fixed on Thor, watching him with fear, compassion, and… love? She loved him? He had been there for all of three days, and all of a sudden, he's got maidens who are in love with him? I mentally scoffed. I shouldn't have expected any different.
Seeing him, so willing to die for these people, it made me rethink some things. Maybe Frigga was right, and Odin did this for a purpose. To make Thor learn to not be a selfish oaf. Maybe if he came back, he would be better, and let me keep the throne… It was farfetched, but as much as I hated him, I still didn't want my older brother to die, especially now that he wanted it too.
The fire from inside the Destroyer withered away and it turned around, and Thor smiled, like he always knew that I was going to do that, which promptly pissed me off again. I made it swing its hand around to slap him backwards with a loud crack. He flew through the air back towards his friends, and the girl who loved him ran forward, despite being urged back by the others. Thor hit the ground and tumbled for a few feet, his face and chest blood and burnt from where he got slapped. The girl crouched next to him and whispered things, but I wasn't listening anymore. He was dying, that's all I needed to know. I didn't have to see it.
An unfamiliar sadness filled the gap where the anger had been as I relaxed onto the throne. I shouldn't be sad, it was good he was gone, but it really didn't feel that way. But as a King—and as possibly the one good thing Odin ever taught us—a successful ruler had to do what was required, not what he wanted, and that was quite an accurate description of my entire life.
The Destroyer sensed something and turned back around to look at Thor, so I looked through it's view again and saw him standing up and alive wearing his regular amour, holding Mjølnir into the air while summoning a tornado covered in lightning. Great, so all you need to do to be worthy is die. Wish I had known that before. Every time I think I can stop being furious, something happens, and I just end up like it again, but even worse somehow. This time I almost wanted him dead, just so he would stop coming back. Three times! Three times I had to try to keep him banished, yet he still comes back!
I kept on watching begrudgingly, seeing Thor fly up inside his tornado and smash his hammer into the vents of the Destroyer, causing the fire to build up and explode inside of it. Pieces of the metal went flying everywhere as he dropped to the ground, walking towards his friends. Wow, it was that easy huh? I bet he thought he was so strong. I scoffed out loud and moved down the stairs and out of the room. Whatever. He was going to come here, so my last chance to fulfill my plan was to bring the Frost Giants here right now.
I hated how much I had to go down to the Bifrost now—it was getting annoying. Walking past Heimdall's still frozen figure and drove Gungnir into the shaft, aggressively turning it. I studied it while I waited, remembering what Heimdall had said earlier. I could unleash the full power of the Bifrost down onto Jotunheim and destroy it. That would certainly be a good way to get rid of them, instead of trying to single handedly kill them all like someone else did.
After a few moments, one by one, Jötuns started to appear, with Laufey last, all of them wearing thick armour and wicked smiles.
"Welcome to Asgard," I spoke, rage clear in my voice. Laufey grinned. We left two of the Frost Giants waiting in front of the Bifrost, just in case anyone tried anything, while Laufey, another Jötunn, and I travelled back into Valaskjalf. We walked in silence, but I could feel the anticipation in the air, and I had to admit I too was a little excited, but more anxious and angry. This could not go wrong.
