Chapter Text
Sixteen
After learning the truth of what the gem was, Loki’s mood began to improve greatly. He still had many questions but he accepted he would never learn the complete story.
“You knew, didn’t you,” Loki asked Infinity the morning following his latest dream, “what the gem was?”
Yes, Infinity replied. Your father told us before he spoke to you when we were still captive of Thanos. We wanted to stop him from sacrificing himself in such a way but due to the arcane power binding us, we could not. He asked us not to reveal to you the purpose of the gem until he was ready. In time, his consciousness will fade from there and join the rest of his soul.
Loki inspected his latest work. He had fashioned a setting for the gem and he liked the way the silver cradled it. He strung a piece of leather through the eye before tying it around his neck. The gem settled directly over his heart.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said aloud. He was alone in his office so it wasn’t quite as strange as it might been for him to be talking seemingly to himself. They would have to work on a means of communicating aloud that didn’t make it appear as though Loki were conversing with himself.
Yes? Infinity inquired.
“I know you won’t bring anyone back from the dead but could you call forth their spirit? I think… I think I need to speak to Laufey.” Infinity remained silent. “If not, I know where father laid him to rest. He won’t reply but I could at least say my peace.”
What you ask, it is possible but are you sure this is something you want to do?
“I think I need to if I ever want to truly heal.” That didn’t necessarily mean he was in any great rush to do so. Knowing the opportunity was there helped but when Loki actually thought about speaking to Laufey his stomach would twist and fear would grip his heart. Maybe he wasn’t as ready as he had hoped.
In his dreams he and his father continued to talk and each said things which should have been said long ago. Loki was grateful for the opportunity and it helped to assuage the blame he felt for Odin’s death.
One other thing he was grateful for were for the memories his father was sharing with him. He was surprised, though glad, that Odin was sharing memories of Laufey as well. To see the Jötunn king as more than the monster he had become was both strange and heartbreaking. While he could not imagine being raised by Laufey and Farbauti, Loki now mourned who they had all once been.
Loki vaguely registered the sound of the Bifröst, announcing their visitor’s arrival. Tony and Jane had been making frequent visits to Asgard to study the technology and Loki, in what little free time he had, tried to explain the intricacies of seiðr. Jane still refused to believe magic was real.
“It’s open Tony,” Loki called at the randomized knocking on his office door sometime later.
“How’d you know it was me?” the inventor asked.
“You’re the only one who knocks on my door like that.”
“Fair point.” Tony rocked back on his heels looking like the cat who had caught the canary. “I’ve got something for you.”
“What?”
“It’s for you and Thor actually but I think you’re really going to like it. How’s the new government coming along?”
Loki resisted the urge to bang his head against his desk. “There are more councilors against us creating a diarchy than there are for. There’s even been a petition going around that I be sent to Jötunheim as its rightful king. I don’t know enough about Jötunheim’s culture or political climate so… that would end spectacularly. I also don’t want anything to do with it.”
“Jötunheim’s dark,” Tony said, “and you seem like you wouldn’t do well without sunlight. Plus it’s colder than hell. Antarctica’s practically a tropical resort compared to it.”
“It wasn’t quite that cold.”
“So I’m exaggerating a bit,” Tony replied with a shrug as he took a seat across from Loki, “but not much.” He swiped the uneaten apple from Loki’s meal tray before putting his feet up on the desk and taking a bite of the fruit. “You haven’t asked what it is I brought you.”
Loki pushed Tony’s feet from his desk. “I’m not sure I want to know.”
“Trust me, you’re gonna love it.”
“The maniacal grin on your face says otherwise.”
Tony rolled his eyes, bit to hold the apple in his teeth and pulled out a small electronic tablet from inside his coat. He handed it to Loki, “Check it out.”
Frowning, though curious, he took the device and began to scroll through it. His eyes widened in shock the more he read. When he looked back at his friend, Tony’s grin had only gotten wider. “This…”
“Told you you’d like it.”
“When… How…”
“Pep and I got bored one date night and Jay helped with the translation.”
“That doesn’t explain the how.”
“Apparently your dad’s birds do delivery. The books just kind of appeared.” Tony seemed to sober a bit. “I know the last few years have been insane, especially the last few months and you and Thor have both been driven crazy over the whole coronation thing. We thought this might help.”
It wasn’t perfect but Loki thought it could help in convincing the council of their argument.
“And if it doesn’t work out,” Tony continued, “you could always become Asgard’s ambassador to Earth. Fury actually brought that up not too long ago.”
“I’m sure that would go over wonderfully with Midgard’s governments.”
“You’d be surprised.”
Loki doubted that anymore. With the amount of surprises he’d had lately he almost expected it. “Do you want to come to the council meeting?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Together they left the office and ended up meeting Thor along the way. Loki gave the tablet to his brother to look over and Thor’s grin, which somehow resembled Tony’s from earlier, made Loki suspect they had been conspiring together. “This is excellent,” said Thor.
“Just wait until you see what I have planned for the reveal,” Tony said.
They entered the council chamber and waited for all of the councilors to arrive. Tony received the occasional strange look but no one objected to the prince’s visitor. Everyone sat around the long table once all were present and the meeting began again.
Prior to breaking for lunch, they had addressed the previous day’s topics along with the state of the Realm. Once the Councilor of Agriculture finished his report, Thor stood from his seat. “We have covered much today but we must still discuss the subject of succession. My brother and I agree a diarchy is the best course of action for everyone.”
“In all of Asgard’s history,” Councilman Ivar said, “it has never been done before. I continue to stand by my assertion that Asgard will not want a Jötunn on its throne.”
“And yet, a Jötunn has sat on the Throne of Asgard before,” Councilman Bjorn replied. “Prince Thor himself carries the blood of the Jötnar in his veins.”
“He is more Æsir than Jötnar.”
“I am also Vanir,” Thor said. “If you consider our parentage, Loki and I most likely carry the same amount of Æsir blood in us as we do Jötnar and Vanir.”
“He’s got a point,” Tony chimed in.
“No one asked your opinion mortal,” Councilman Ivar growled.
“Yeah well, I gave it anyway.”
“Tony is our guest at these proceedings and you will give him the respect a royal guest deserves,” Loki said.
Councilman Ivar’s smile was far from sincere, “My apologies prince.”
“Asgard has been without a king for some weeks now,” Thor continued, “and I know the people are anxious to see a new king on the throne. My father always told Loki and me that we were both born to be kings and I feel a diarchy is the way to bring his dream into a reality.”
“Prince Loki was meant to become King of Jötunheim.”
“Had I been raised on Jötunheim, perhaps that would be true,” Loki said.
“It was the destiny King Odin had planned for you.”
I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about a permanent peace through you.
From what his father had shown him of his memories, Loki knew those plans had never left Jötunheim’s soil. He was not about to let the councilman’s words affect him. “If you believe that then you never knew my father at all.”
“I’ve seen Loki’s official adoption records,” Thor said, “and there is nothing in there about him becoming Jötunheim’s future king. As a matter of fact, my father made sure Loki was placed in Asgard’s line of succession. If that hadn’t been true, you would not have made him king when I had been banished to Midgard. The rule would have fallen to the queen by default.”
Thor had been reading, Loki was so proud.
“There is nothing in Asgard’s law regarding succession to support a diarchy.”
“That’s where you would be wrong,” Thor said, the crazed grin from before returning. He gestured to Tony who pulled out a scroll from… Loki had no clue where, and with a flick of his wrist sent the rather long document unraveling across the table. Thor returned to his seat and folded his arms smugly, “I believe these are the laws you’re looking for.”
Loki knew the scroll had to contain the same information he had read on Tony’s tablet. As the councilors poured over the document he turned to Tony. “The reveal, huh?”
Tony put his feet up on the table and his arms behind his head, the smug grin from before returning. “Told you you’d like it.”
“You do have a flare for the dramatic.”
Tony laughed, “Well hello Pot, I’m Kettle.”
Loki shook his head, managing to keep his own smile mostly hidden. He waited patiently as the councilors read the scroll, taking time to more thoroughly read the same document on the tablet. Whoever had given Tony the research required to create the document had provided the inventor well. Had Loki had the time, and it explained where the tomes he’d been searching for had gone to, he knew he would have come up with something similar. Had this been another thing his father had put into motion prior to his sacrifice?
It took several hours for the councilors to read the document and take notes of their own but by the end of the day many of them had to, grudgingly, accept a diarchy was not only possible but beneficial to Asgard.
“I can’t believe that worked,” Thor admitted late that night as they lay before the burn pit in their shared common area. The view of the stars was unobstructed and somehow managed to amaze Loki. There had been a time where he thought he would never enjoy a starry sky again.
“I can’t believe I missed you conspiring with Tony this whole time,” replied Loki.
“You’ve been holed up in your office most of the time.” He stretched and rolled over, throwing an arm across Loki’s stomach. “You can’t keep yourself hidden away like that if you’re going to rule with me.”
“You don’t honestly believe the Curia Regis will agree with a diarchy, do you?” Loki asked.
Thor shrugged against him, “They would be foolish not to. You and I are both in agreement with it and if their only holdout is your heritage then… well they’re going to just have to live with a Vanir queen for the foreseeable future.”
Loki sighed and turned his eyes away from the expanse of stars. “Do you have any idea what would happen if the government completely destabilizes? We can’t do that to Asgard’s citizens. We have a responsibility to them.”
“I know that,” Thor replied, “but I also know they deserve a ruler worthy of them. If neither of us can put the care required of a ruler towards his people into ruling then what right do we have to be crowned? I know if I had to rule alone… I would not be the king Asgard deserves.”
Loki felt the same way about himself. “You will make a great king Thor,” Loki also had no doubts his brother would eventually take on the mantle he was born for. “I know you want me to rule with you but…” he sighed again, “sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t be better for everyone if I simply left Asgard.”
Thor sat up, wide and somewhat panicked blue eyes looking down at him. “Loki, you can’t—”
“I’m not saying that I am going to leave,” he reassured, “just that I sometimes think about how much easier it would be for you and mother in regards to the nobility if I wasn’t around to complicate things.”
“You don’t complicate anything,” Thor said. “Mother and I… neither of us want you to leave, especially after all we went through to bring you back home.”
Home… even now it felt like a novel concept but Loki knew it would always be there.
“You do keep things entertaining,” Thor went on. “I never really appreciated it before, not the way I should have. You’re my little brother and I should have protected you better. I should have seen there was something wrong with you from the start and not just assumed the worst because it was easier.”
“Back then,” which wasn’t all that long ago in the grand scheme of things, “I wouldn’t have believed any if it was real. Even after I first let myself touch mother’s seiðr and the bond created by the Scepter broken, I had trouble believing reality was reality.”
“But you know the truth now, right.”
Loki chuckled, “Yes Thor, I know all of this is real.”
Thor lay back down. “Good. Now I have a serious question for you. During our coronation are you really going to wear the horns?”
* * *
The following months were quite busy as preparations for a dual coronation were put underway. The Curia Regis finally recognized the merit of a diarchy, though not without some complaints. Along with those preparations were the formalization of a peace treaty between Asgard and Jötunheim along with a formal treaty between Asgard and the governments of Midgard. It was a lot to try and juggle all at once. On top of that there was Thor’s engagement to Jane Foster. On the bright side, their wedding wouldn’t be for another year or two.
The coronation, though was fast approaching, as in only a few minutes from now. Loki entered the alcove outside of the throne room and he felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. Thor paced the small space, his armor gleaming in the torchlight.
“Nervous brother?” Loki asked, a small smile playing on his lips.
Thor turned to him. “Terrified,” he replied with a laugh.
“Well this time there will be no Jötunn breaking into the Vault.”
“No, they’re all standing beside the throne.”
Loki hummed. He had yet to glimpse the throne room so he could only imagine how it appeared. He did know their Jötnar guests were going to be a sight for the Æsir in attendance as would the Midgardian delegation. He had no doubt that whatever Tony was wearing would leave an impression.
Thor sobered, “How nervous are you?”
Loki had better control over his expression so on the outside he appeared calm and collected. On the inside though… “Is it too late to make a break for it?”
“We’ll leave Asgard to Tony.”
Chuckling, Loki said, “He would enjoy that too much.”
“You have a point and besides, I don’t think Asgard is ready for Tony Stark.”
“The heads of nearly every noble here would explode.”
“Oh, well on that merit alone it would be worth it.” Thor took a calming breath, “So you decided on the horns, Cow?”
“Of course Feathers. We wouldn’t be us without our signature helms.”
“Fair point but,” Thor struck a pose, “I think I ended up with the better of the two.”
“You’re just jealous you didn’t choose them first.”
A tone rang through the room, signaling to the brothers it was time. “After you,” Loki said.
“No,” Thor hooked his arm with Loki’s, “together, side by side as we were always meant to be.”
Although Thor unhooked his arm from Loki’s they did as he said and walked down the aisle side by side with heads held high. The crowd cheered but this time Thor didn’t play to it. He kept his eyes mostly forward, glancing briefly over at Loki along the way.
Upon reaching the base of the stairs, both princes went down on one knee before their mother. To their left were Queen Farbauti and her sons as well as Uncle Freyr and Aunt Gerðr. To their right stood the Avengers and Director Fury.
With a gesture from Frigga the room became silent. “Thor Odinson, Loki Odinson,” she began, “Children of the Nine Realms and Princes of Asgard, you are here today to take upon yourselves a great responsibility.
“Today I bestow upon you the trust which comes with sitting upon the Throne of Asgard. Responsibility, duty, honor, sacrifice; all of these attributes are not something just to aspire to but are required for every King. You have both sacrificed much as Asgard’s princes, you must be prepared to do so again as Asgard’s Kings.
“Thor Odinson, Loki Odinson, do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?”
Together they replied, “We swear.”
“Do you swear to preserve the peace?”
“We swear.”
“Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourselves only to the good of all Realms?”
“We swear.”
“Then on this day, I, Frigga, Dowager Queen of Asgard proclaim you Kings of Asgard. Rise King Thor, rise King Loki and greet your subjects.”
They did so and when they turned around, the room erupted with applause. A flash from their left drew the brother’s attention and they turned their gazes to see Tony taking pictures. Loki was not the least bit surprised.
With the ceremony done, the crowd began to trickle out, many heading for the banquet which would begin shortly and last for the next several days. Loki was already exhausted and it hadn’t even begun yet.
Thor’s friends were quick to reach the group and congratulate him, all four barely sparing Loki a glance. He was not surprised by this in the least although from the glances Thor shot his way, along with how uncomfortable he appeared at having such attention lavished on him, it had not gone unnoticed by Thor. Loki tried to reassure his brother with a smile but it didn’t seem to help. Thor excused himself from his friends and made his way back over to Loki and their family.
“How are you two feeling?” Aunt Gerðr asked.
“Glad that’s over,” replied Thor. “The first time,” he shook his head, “I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have.”
“You have matured much since then,” said Uncle Freyr. “Working together I have no doubt you will bring great prosperity to all of the Nine Realms.”
“Thank you Uncle,” Loki replied.
“You two need to make your way to the banquet hall,” Frigga said. “The rest of us will meet you there shortly.”
They headed off, stopping occasionally to speak with a citizen or some noble. When they arrived at the hall the atmosphere was not quite easy going but neither was it quite hostile. The Jötnar and Æsir watched one another warily, something that hadn’t been noticeable at the ceremony.
Without missing a beat, Thor gestured to a group of Jötnar and invited them over to one of the tables. “Have you tried these Midgardian pastries? They are a delight.”
Loki, upon seeing the “pastries” Thor spoke of, was unable to resist the urge to face-palm. “Thor you,” he ran his hand down his face, “you did not import Pop-Tarts for the banquet.”
“What? They’re wonderful.”
“They—” He looked at the Jötnar. “I do apologize for my brothers’ lack of class. While Pop-Tarts are… tasty they are not quite high quality.”
“What would you recommend?” asked one of the Jötnar.
Loki looked the table over and realized they were all desserts. And you say I have a sweet tooth, Loki thought.
“Knowing my brother, anything either mint or chocolate,” Thor said.
“Chocolate?” several of the Jötnar asked, their eyes seeming to light up with excitement.
“I have heard tales of chocolate,” the first Jötunn said, “but I have never had the chance to partake of it. I hear it tastes like Valhalla.”
“It does and more,” Thor grinned while his eyes scanned the table. He found something for them to try, though mild enough that they wouldn’t become sick. The look of absolute wonder on their faces when the food touched their tongues had Thor’s grin widening.
With the ice officially broken between Asgard’s Kings and the Jötnar guests, the festivities properly went underway. Loki was glad to see the different races intermingling with one another even if there was still some wariness between the Æsir and Jötnar.
After several hours Loki finally excused himself and once he was in the quiet of the royal apartments he let out a sigh. It was less effort to use his seiðr to change his clothes than it was to do it by hand. He practically melted into the lounge before the fire. A glass of wine appeared in his hand and he savored a sip before putting the glass aside. The roar of the fire was calming and the warmth relaxed him even further.
“You are exhausted.”
Loki opened his eyes, (when had they closed?) and saw Infinity reflected in the fire. It was something they had been working on, allowing Loki and others to see the entity so it didn’t appear as though Loki was talking to himself. Infinity was outlined by the fire and somehow its swirling gaze shone through.
“It’s a good exhausted,” Loki said. “I can’t believe we’ve made it here. “
“Many battles have been fought and won,” Infinity agreed, “in many different arenas. You have more than earned your reward.”
“You’ve been quiet lately.”
The flames rose and fell as Infinity shrugged. “We did not wish to bother you and we did not want to interrupt your talks with your father. We know his spirit is fading from the gem.”
Loki had sensed it as well. While he did not know how much longer his father’s spirit would remain in the gem he didn’t want to waste what little time was left. He raised a hand to the pendant, the gem a warm weight against his chest.
“Something else weighs on your mind.”
“Queen Farbauti invited Thor and me to visit Jötunheim.”
“It is a wise diplomatic offer.”
“That’s not why I think she invited us. King Býleistr and Prince Helblindi asked as well.”
Infinity’s head tilted to the side. “We sense she wishes to know you as more than Asgard’s prince and king.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.”
“Which is why we believe she invited Thor as well, so you would be more comfortable.” Infinity watched him for a moment. “You do not need to do everything all at once beloved. There is no rush to embrace them as your family. The relationship you develop is entirely your choice. Do not do what you think others believe you should do.”
“Old habits.”
“One we wish you could break.”
Loki did too but it was not a habit he would break overnight, he would have to work at it.
“Something else is on your mind.”
Though Loki was tired and was looking forward to a good night’s sleep, his mind once again returned to Laufey. He had put all thoughts of Jötunheim’s former king from his mind while preparing for his own coronation and fine tuning the treaties between the Realms. Now that the coronation was over…
“Lately I’ve been wondering who Laufey would have been had he and father’s friendship not fallen apart. I’ve wondered who I would have been, Thor even. We most certainly wouldn’t be who we are today but… would we have suffered as much as we have?”
“There are realities which may hold the answers to those questions however one choice in any of those realities may lead to different outcomes as well. There is no single reality which holds the answers to every question you have.”
“That would be much too easy,” Loki agreed. “Also, while I do wonder, I don’t believe I really want to know those answers. I don’t want to mourn or regret what could have been.”
“There is no use lamenting the path not taken.”
Loki settled further against the chaise, “Agreed.” He took another sip of his wine.
“There is one constant among all realities,” Infinity said after a few moments of silence. Loki made a questioning noise and finished off his wine. “You and your brother are always together, one way or another.”
“No Loki without Thor.”
“And no Thor without Loki.”
Infinity’s visage eventually disappeared from the fire and Loki lay there for a time. A comfortable breeze blew in from his window and at some point Hugin and Munin joined him. Hugin settled on the floor beside the chaise and Munin decided Loki’s lap was the perfect place to lay down. Loki spent the rest of the night by the fire and in the calming presence of his father’s ravens.
* * *
Loki’s breath clouded as he breathed and he wrapped his cloak just a little tighter around himself. Snow crunched underneath his boots and, as he stood before the entrance to the cave, he wondered if maybe he was making a mistake. He stood there for a few minutes, contemplating the pros and cons of what he was about to do. In the end, his curiosity won out and he finally stepped inside.
Loki lowered his hood and he was surprised that, once he had stepped inside, the chill had dissipated. As a matter of fact, it felt almost spring-like within the cave. Ethereal light illuminated his way, reflecting off of the varying shades of blue which made up the cave. The path wove deep inside and as Loki walked he couldn’t help but admire the beauty around him.
Eventually the path widened, the ceiling rising far above Loki and in the center of the space was Laufey. Jötunheim’s former king lay on a limestone platform with his body encased in a clear ice. He moved closer to Laufey’s resting place and stepped up the small set of stairs. He let his eyes take in his birth father. Laufey was not as large as Loki remembered and his golden armor was adorned with sapphires, rubies and amethysts inlaid among the chains.
There was no evidence of the fatal wound Loki had inflicted and he found himself grateful for that. Writing in the stone near Laufey’s head drew Loki’s attention.
“‘Here rests Laufey Nálson’,” Loki read, “‘King of Jötunheim. May the Norns look upon you with good grace.’”
Beneath that inscription was another:
Lo, There do I see my Father.
Lo, There do I see my Mother, and my Sisters, and my Brothers.
Lo, There do I see the line of my People, back to the Beginning!
Lo, Do they call to me. They bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla!
Where the Brave shall live Forever!
“I thought it fitting,” Odin’s voice seemed to echo throughout the cavern even though it was only in Loki’s mind. “When we were younger, we swore we would enter Valhalla together. He had ceased to be the man I knew from those days but I continued to hold out hope he would return to the Laufey I knew long ago.”
“Did he?” Loki asked.
He sensed his father shrug. “I wish I knew. The part of my spirit which has already had entered those venerated halls has yet to meet him.”
Loki was not the only one who needed closure it would seem. Shimmering along the cavern drew his attention away from Laufey’s body, landing upon his spirit as it manifested.
Surprise, confusion and finally anger flitted across Laufey’s expression when his ruby eyes found Loki. “Odinson,” Laufey spat.
“Yes and no,” Loki replied.
“You betrayed me.”
“I never really intended to let you kill him in the first place. In all honesty, events should never have gone as far as they did. I used you for my own gain and you were more than willing to accept the offer I dangled before you. If I had known the deeper history between you and my father, I never would have done so.”
“I should have killed you.”
“Laufey,” this time Odin’s voice did echo through the cavern, “you don’t truly mean that.” Laufey whirled to face his former friend but before he could utter a single word, Odin continued to speak. “You know now what happened, don’t you? The lies we were both told.”
“It changes nothing.”
“Doesn’t it? Think of the damage that was done. Our families were not the only ones to suffer. Look at what those lies did to our children.”
“Your eldest became an arrogant fool and your youngest a snake.”
“And yet, our children are now Asgard’s kings.”
That gave Laufey pause, “What do you mean ‘our children’?”
“Look at him Laufey, really look at him.”
Loki felt his back stiffen when Laufey turned his gaze on him again. The giant’s brow furrowed in confusion before his eyes slowly widened with dawning realization.
“It isn’t possible,” gasped Laufey.
“I found him in the Temple after the battle had ended. I refused to leave him there to die but I also knew I had to keep his survival a secret from you. Frigga and I raised him as our own—”
“You planned to use him against me.”
You took me for a purpose, what was it?
Words echoed what seemed like so long ago. Loki wished he had handled the revelation of his birth differently, that he hadn’t lost his mind. Had he not been forced to take on the mantle of king at the time, perhaps he wouldn’t have spiraled so quickly.
“When we first met,” Loki said, “I had no inkling I was anything other than Odinson. It wasn’t until after one of your warriors grabbed my arm and my skin shifted that the questions started. Father fell into his sleep before he was able to impart the full story of what happened the day he rescued me.
“When I came to you later I was not entirely in my right mind. It doesn’t excuse what I did but I thought of you, of all the Jötnar, as monsters and if I destroyed you I could prove I wasn’t the same as you. I wanted to prove I was more than the circumstances of my birth.”
“Did you ever regret what happened to him?” asked Odin his old friend.
“How could I?” Laufey replied. “He was a runt. You know what would have happened had he been named as Jötunheim’s crown prince. We all would have been slaughtered.”
“And what of your queen?” Loki asked. “Did you ever consider what she wanted or did her finishing her pregnancy in her Æsir form sicken you too much?”
Laufey whirled to face him. “How did you know about that? We never told anyone.”
“Frigga and I suspected it was part of the reason she was hidden,” Odin said.
“She was my wife, I wanted to protect her. With the war and sentiment towards the Æsir tainted, I couldn’t risk her being seen by any but my most trusted attendants. If anyone had learned she birthed a runt, let alone an Æsir baby, she would have been killed.”
“So you were grateful to the healer who ripped Loki from her before she could ever hold him?”
To their surprise, Laufey barked a laugh. “Hardly, I killed the bitch who dared to hurt my wife so.”
Loki shared a quick and confused glance with his father. “I don’t understand,” he said.
“I refused to allow myself to form any sort of attachment for you,” Laufey replied, “but that doesn’t change that I would never have stolen you from Farbauti’s arms. She loved you with all of her heart. I may have allowed my own heart to freeze where you were concerned but I loved her too much to hurt her in such a way.” Pain etched itself across his face, “When she died…”
“Queen Farbauti is alive.”
Laufey jerked as though he had been struck by lightning. “What did you say?”
“Queen Farbauti is alive,” he repeated.
“She lived?” Several emotions played out across his face with sadness and happiness being the most prominent two.
“What happened Laufey?” Odin asked gently.
Laufey didn’t answer. Instead he finally seemed to notice his resting place. His expression went blank but his eyes spoke volumes. “You didn’t cremate me? Why?”
“Because I knew it wasn’t the way of your people,” Odin replied. “The Bifröst had been destroyed which meant I couldn’t send you home to be entombed there so I brought you to the Gladhøpiggen Mountains. You always did love these peaks.”
Laufey reached out but his fingers were unable to touch the ice. “This ice…”
“Was created using the power of the Casket,” Odin’s spirit moved to stand beside Laufey. “It somehow survived the Observatory’s explosion though I don’t know how.”
“Where is it now? In your Vault?”
“It was given back to Farbauti. I had always planned on eventually returning it to Jötunheim but I couldn’t trust you not to use it as a weapon again.”
Laufey fell silent for a while after that and Loki and his father let him have that silence. Eventually he asked, “How is she?”
“She is doing well and eager for true peace between our Realms,” Loki replied.
“Is she happy?”
It suddenly occurred to Loki that he wasn’t the only one who needed closure. “I could ask her if she would be willing to speak to you,” he offered.
“How? As a matter of fact how is this,” Laufey gestured among them, “even possible?”
“You know about the Infinity Stones,” Odin said after receiving a small nod from Loki.
“I know what was written in the legends and that you hid one on Midgard to keep it out of the hands of the Mad Titan.”
“Was that why you attacked Midgard and started the war?” Loki couldn’t help but ask at that knowledge. Had Laufey also been after the Stones?
“No, I couldn’t have cared less about the Stone,” replied Laufey. “My Realm was dying, my people were dying and Midgard was bountiful with resources. You saw how desolate Jötunheim has become, how barren. I wanted something better for my people.”
“What about the Midgardians? Would you have killed them all so that Jötunheim could live?”
“They were only mortals,” Laufey’s voice had become devoid of emotion. “They wouldn’t have lived long anyway.” From the sound if it, Laufey seemed to be trying to convince himself of his own reasoning more than Odin and Loki.
“They have come farther and are more resourceful than anyone gave them credit for,” Loki said. “They helped us defeat Thanos.” He was proud of himself for saying the Titan’s name without choking.
“Thanos is dead?” Laufey asked.
“Yes, Queen Farbauti killed him using the Casket of Ancient Winters. She saved my life and the lives of countless others.”
The corners of Laufey’s mouth turned up and his love for his wife reflected clearly in his eyes.
“My offer still stands,” Loki continued, “I can ask her if she would be willing to speak with you. I have a… connection with the Infinity Stones, for lack of a better term, and I am sure they would be willing to bring your spirit forward so you two can talk.”
Laufey scrutinized him more closely. “A connection to the Infinity Stones?” he asked.
“Yes, they…” Loki shrugged, “They like me.”
“Loki is their vessel,” Odin said. “Their essence and consciousness reside within Loki.”
Laufey’s eyes practically bulged from his skull. “That kind of power…”
Odin scoffed. “If that had been known when he was born, Nál may have overlooked his size but he would never have let you keep him. Nál would have turned him into a weapon and killed both you and Farbauti to keep either of you from trying to rescue him.”
Loki felt his eyes widening at what he was hearing. Clearly there was a lot he didn’t know about the past. The engraving on Laufey’s tomb had read “Nálson” but Loki had never heard of a Jötnar ruler by that name. “Who is Nál?”
Laufey’s expression twisted with rage. “The worst Jötunn to ever exist. Simply killing him and removing him from history was barely enough. I would rip him limb from limb again if I could.”
“Nál was very charming and charismatic,” Odin said in a calmer tone, “and was, by all outward appearance a good and just ruler. The people loved him. It was all an act though, the darkness was kept very well hidden. It was Nál who reinstated the practice of killing runts.”
“Life on Jötunheim is hard, even more so for runts. It was less cruel to the parents and the runt to leave it to the elements after birth,” Laufey said.
“Queen Farbauti said she did not know I was a runt until I was born,” said Loki. “Until then, you had to believe I would be normal size.” He knew what Laufey had said before and Loki wasn’t quite sure he wanted to know the answer but he had to ask anyway. “Did you ever care about me, even for a moment?”
“There may have been a time after Farbauti told me she was pregnant and your birth in which I cared but I never allowed an attachment. I never loved Býleistr and Helblindi the way I should have either. After Farbauti was… after I thought she had been killed I gave up on caring for anything except for revenge. Nothing else mattered.
“I don’t know what you expect of me. I could say I mourned your loss, that I wished I could have been your father but it would all be a lie.”
“I don’t want you to lie to me to spare my feelings,” Loki said. “Such a thing would do us both a disservice. I don’t mourn not having you as my father. I have found myself wondering how differently my life would have been had I been raised as Laufeyson and who I would be today but that’s all it has been, a curiosity.”
Laufey’s previous statement about his wife tickled a memory of Loki’s from one of his many talks with his birth mother. “Queen Farbauti said you tried to kill her after she told you her last child would most likely be born a runt.”
Loki sensed Laufey’s genuine surprise at that. “She told you I was the one…” Laufey asked. His voice trailed off before he began to laugh. “Of course, now things make sense.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Odin.
“You know Nál never wanted to abdicate but his age, and law, forced him to so. Even though I had been named king, he continued to remain in power. He knew he could not use my sons as a bargaining chip against me but Farbauti…”
“If this Nál was the one to attack her then why would she tell me you were the one to try killing her?” Loki asked.
“My father and I could have been mistaken for twins once I reached adulthood.”
Loki frowned, “But your heritage lines would have been different, wouldn’t they?”
“Nál was a master manipulator and he had ways of disguising his lines. I wouldn’t have put it past him to adjust his shape in order to implicate me. He once heard tell of a ridiculous prophecy concerning runts,” his eyes turned to Odin, “that’s why the old ways were reinstated, because some charlatan told him a runt would be his undoing.” Laufey paused, “I suppose they were correct in the end,” he said after a moment. “Nál tried to kill Farbauti because she was possibly carrying a runt in her womb and I did kill him after I’d learned what he had done to her.”
Loki was still confused. He was under the impression everyone thought Laufey had been the one to attack Farbauti. Perhaps the confusion was due to her perception of events, if Nál had impersonated Laufey for the attack, it made sense she would inform her sons of that perception. There were far too many questions for a single conversation, however, for her own closure Loki thought it would be best for Farbauti to converse with her deceased husband.
“Was this Nál the reason the friendship between you and father fell apart?”
“It’s the simplest explanation,” sighed Odin.
Laufey hummed his agreement. “He was not the only factor but he was one of the largest.”
“You and I are both at fault as well,” Odin said. “Both of us were to hard-headed to listen to reason back then and were much too quick to assume the worst in each other.”
“Our wives and Gerðr were quite vocal in their opinion of how things went,” Laufey said.
“I never told Frigga what happened.”
“I never told Farbauti either.”
“Of course neither you nor I knew the truth until much later. That is why I tried so hard to reach you during the war.”
“I would not have listened,” Laufey said. “For Farbauti’s sake I am glad you found her son and rescued him.” When Laufey turned back to Loki he was surprised to see sadness reflecting in his crimson depths. “You favor her. Even if I never see wife again I am glad to have seen her in you. Thank you for telling me she is alive and happy. Her happiness is all I’ve ever wanted for her.”
“My offer still stands should either of you wish to talk,” Loki said. “I cannot bring you back to life but I can bring you together if you want.”
“I caused her far too much pain, more than a simple apology can make up for.”
“She still loves you.” Loki had more than gotten that impression during their talks.
“Sometimes love simply is not enough.”
“Maybe you can never go back to how things were or who you used to be but it could be possible to move on and grow.”
“You know nothing of me.”
“I know what I have been told. I know what I have seen in the memories my father has shown me. You two had once been so close, you were practically brothers. I nearly lost the brotherhood I had with Thor because of the lies of others and our unwillingness to listen. We managed to work past it though and our bond is stronger than it has ever been.”
“You and I have eternity to rebuild what we once had,” Odin said. “I saw a lot of you and myself in Thor and Loki. If we are anything like our children then there is still hope for us.”
“You always were sentimental,” Laufey said with a barely suppressed roll of the eyes.
“And you enjoyed every moment of it.”
Loki continued to converse with them for a while longer but as the day wore on he felt it was time to allow them their peace. Loki had not gotten all of the answers he wanted, he honestly would have been surprised if he had, but that was all right. He had done what he’d come to do.
The sun had begun its decent over the horizon by the time he returned to the palace. He changed into something more comfortable and snuck into the kitchens for a snack. It was as he was making his way back to his apartments picking at his plate as he went, that a voice stopped him.
“There you are,” Frigga said. “What have you been doing all day? Your brother and I haven’t seen you since this morning.” Upon reaching his side she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “And you’ve missed meals, I see.”
“I went to the Gladhøpiggen Mountains,” he said. He found himself slightly nervous at her reaction.
His mother’s eyes briefly widened with surprise. “The Gladhøpiggen Mountains, why?”
“Father told me it’s where he entombed Laufey. I needed to see it for myself.”
Her expression softened and she carefully entwined her arm with his as they continued on. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I think so, inasmuch as I can.” They sat and Loki picked some more at his food. He kept his eyes on his plate when he said, “I spoke to Laufey. Infinity brought his spirit forward so we could speak.”
There was a moment of silence before Frigga’s hand came to rest on his. “Are you all right Loki?”
Loki frowned and looked at her, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I only wanted to make sure.”
“It was difficult at first,” Loki admitted. “I was not sure what to expect and there are still many more questions. I know I will never get all of the answers and the answers I do receive may not be the ones I want but… I did realize something when I was speaking to them.”
“Them?”
“Father’s spirit was there too. I think he and Laufey might begin repairing their relationship. They said Nál had a large hand in why their friendship fell apart.”
“Nál?” Frigga scoffed, “I should be more surprised by that but I’m not. Nál was,” she inhaled deep and let her breath out slowly. “Nál was a psychopath.”
“From what little they told me about him, I believe it.”
“You said you realized something while you were there.”
“I did,” Loki said. He finished off his snack but he was still hungry. He would need to make another trip to the kitchens. What he was about to say was something he had never admitted aloud. “For the longest time I thought Laufey didn’t care about me because there was something fundamentally wrong with me. There had to be if my own father couldn’t love me. I came to realize,” he continued before his mother could protest, “it wasn’t that there was something wrong with me but something wrong with Laufey. I was innocent in it all, he was the one who decided not to look for me and was glad I was gone. He admitted he did not care for any of his children the way a father should.
“I would have appreciated it if you and father had told me the truth long before I discovered it on my own but I understand now why you made the decision you did. In the end, I ended up all the better for the way things went. I was blessed with the best parents in all the Nine and,” here his voice rose, “I suppose the best idiot brother.”
Thor’s head popped around the corner, “How did you know I was there?”
Thor had clearly just returned from the training grounds as he was covered in sweat and dirt. Loki wrinkled his nose, “I could smell you.”
Thor took a not so discreet whiff of himself and grimaced. A wide grin split his face and he held out his arms. “Care for a hug brother?”
“No, absolutely not.” Loki scrambled from his seat when Thor rushed towards him. “You’re disgusting. Don’t you dare touch me! Augh!”
Loki received no help from his mother, who only sat and watched as he did his best to evade his brother’s grabbing hands. “Come on brother,” Thor taunted, “give me a hug.”
“Maybe and only after you— No!”
Thor wrapped his sweaty arms around Loki who began to make gagging noises. He nuzzled against Loki’s hair, “These are the best hugs.”
“This is disgusting. You smell like a wet dog.”
“I smell like a field of flowers.”
“Only if those flowers were covered in manure. If you don’t let me go, I’m going to dump you in a pool.”
Thor tightened his hug. “You’re not goi—”
Thor vanished.
* * *
“Sir.”
“Yeah Jay?” Tony Stark asked JARVIS when the AI interrupted his current work on a new set of armor.
“It appears the elder Mr. Odinson has appeared in the pool.”
Tony couldn’t have heard that right. “Thor’s in the pool?”
“He is making his way out but he suddenly appeared several feet above the water before submerging in the deep end.”
Oh, there was definitely a story there. He left his laboratory and made his way to the pool room. He leaned against the door frame and felt a smile form as he watched Thor look for a towel. “What did you do to annoy Loki now?”
Still dripping, Thor wrung out his hair. “Hugged him after returning from a training session.”
“Ah, that would do it. Want a beer before taking the magic bridge back home?”
“Sure. Do you have a towel I could borrow?”
Tony wrinkled his nose. “You can borrow the whole shower. You smell like a wet dog covered in chlorine.”
* * *
“Are you ready?”
Loki glanced over at his brother as they waited for Heimdall to activate the Bifröst. “As ready as I’m going to be,” he replied.
“Think of this as a new adventure.”
“I’ve had more than enough adventure to last the next decade.”
Thor shrugged as the Observatory began to spin. “Queen Farbauti did mention a vast library. Imagine all of the new tomes that are awaiting you.” Thor chuckled, “Another library for you to get lost in.”
Loki did smile at the thought of new knowledge awaiting him. New knowledge and more. The Bifröst activated, “Shall we?”
“Together.”
Side by side, they left for Jötunheim.