Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Hulk shot a look at the person lying on the ground, twisting his face in a sneer “Puny God,” he growled, stalking off, leaving Loki in the Loki-sized dent in Tony’s penthouse floor.

Loki bit her lip, trying to stop herself from whimpering out loud at the pain that was shooting through every nerve of her body. Now that the presence in her mind is gone, the pain was suddenly back. It had been nice to not feel it as bad as it actually was. Without Thanos pulling her strings, she was horrified at what she did. She never wanted to hurt those people… Never wanted to bring the Chitauri to them… Tears entered her eyes as she glimpsed the destruction outside the window. She couldn’t allow Thanos to win.

She fought to get to her feet, clutching her stomach in pain. A quick look around revealed that the sceptre had fallen not far from her. Loki whimpered as she bent down, trying not to fall. She needed the portal to close… Here was hoping that she had left Selvig with enough sense that he built in the failsafe without changing her plans. The little bit of herself that had bled through Thanos’ control had allowed her a tiny amount of leeway where she could make her plan fail miserably. She never wanted to win and had done everything she could to get caught or give the Avengers as many hints as she could.

“Loki,” Erik Selvig exclaimed, hurrying over to her when she fell to the ground in front of him “Are you hurt? What happened?”

Loki shook her head, accepting his hand reluctantly “Everything is fine, Professor Selvig. There has been a small change in plan.”

“A change in…?”

“I need you to sleep, Professor,” Loki cut him off, touching the sceptre to his chest. She hissed when the energy of the mind stone pulled at her mind, trying to take over again “I won’t be your chess piece anymore, Thanos. Not now and not ever.” She tightened her grip on the sceptre and made her way closer to the portal machine.

Just before she could reach out to close it, she heard the could of the Man of Iron’s repulsors behind her “Step away from the machine, Reindeer Games.”

“Don’t. I’m trying to help,” Loki started, the sound of her voice going under in the sound of the battle. She hadn’t turned around to face Tony, instead reaching out with the sceptre. The barrier gave an angry hum, battering against her own magic violently. She bit her lip violently, knowing that if she was lucky, she wouldn’t survive this. Maybe it wouldn’t have been that bad had one of the humans done this but to her magic, it was like poison. The moment she reached centre mass, she turned her head, seeing the Man of Iron hovering not far from her, repulsors at the ready “Tell the Green Beast that I’m thankful… Without him…” She shook her head before muttering to herself “Thor needs to know about Thanos but how…?”

Tony could see Loki’s lips moving but didn’t hear anything over the sound of Chitauri screeching behind him “Jarvis, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know, sir. It appears as if…”

“Shit,” Tony cursed when Loki jabbed the sceptre further into the machine. He had no idea what she was doing but whatever it was, it would probably be bad, so with barely a thought towards it, he fired his repulsor at her.

The blast that hit Loki in the back, threw her into the forcefield at the same time as the sceptre cracked in her hand, the mind stone lashing out at her magic. She let out a scream of pain as she was enveloped in a poisonous blue glow.

“What the hell?” Tony breathed as the portal machine seemed to practically implode. He turned away from the machine to check on Loki only to realise that she was nowhere to be seen “Guys, we have a problem.”

“Really?” Hawkeye snorted “I hadn’t realised.”

Tony rolled his eyes “Rock of Ages closed the portal… And now she is gone. Just vanished. Kaputt. Really, I have no idea what the hell just happened.” He barely had a chance to react when Thor landed on the roof behind him “Thor…”

“Where is my sister, Man of Iron?” Thor demanded, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed the scene.

“How should I know? Jarvis, did you catch what happened?”

“Affirmative, sir,” Jarvis hummed in agreement.

Chapter Text

Heimdall straightened up when he became aware of a familiar energy on Midgard. It felt like a mixture between the Tesseract and something he couldn’t quite grasp. His eyes narrowed as the energy grew so much that it was visible about a thousand feet in the air. The blue spread until it disappeared in a small implosion.

“What…?” Heimdall’s eyes widened when a body started falling from where the energy had just been in. It seemed to be a young woman. He whirled around, hurrying to ready the Bifrost to catch her. If she had indeed fallen out of that energy, he would need to alert the Allfather and collect her before the Midgardian authorities got their hands on her.

He took a step back just as the portal swirled, spitting out the girl. She fell to the floor like a ragdoll, causing Heimdall to wince at the sound her head made when she hit the ground. With a glance back at the Bifrost, he scooped up the unresisting girl into his arms and hurried towards the palace. He needed to talk to the Allfather and the Allmother as soon as he could. Now that he was seeing her up close, she looked so much like a female version of Loki, it was scary. Even the shreds of her clothing were the second Prince’s.

“Heimdall?” Odin frowned when he realised who had interrupted his talk with Frigga.

Heimdall stopped at the bottom of the dais “My King. I bring disturbing news.”

Frigga’s eyes had drifted to the girl in the Watcher’s arms “Who is this, Heimdall? Why have you not brought her to Eir?”

“My Queen. I have reasons to believe this is Loki…”

“Impossible,” Odin shook his head “Loki is with Thor. They have returned from a hunt only this morning.”

Heimdall hesitated for a moment “Not this universe’s Loki, my King. She has appeared out of thin air, surrounded by the energy of the Tesseract and another object.”

Frigga moved to step closer, removing the girl’s hair from her face. She studied the still form for a moment before she let out a gasp “They could be twins,” she murmured “Though… Something feels off. Heimdall, take her to Eir. Now. You may come back to discuss your findings with Odin later.”

“Of course, Queen Frigga,” Heimdall inclined his head and hurried to the infirmary with the Queen hot on his heels.

Once the three reached the infirmary, Frigga turned to Heimdall “Return to the throne room, please, Heimdall. And have some guards alert Thor and Loki to our guest. I wish to speak to them once Eir and I took care of her.”

“I will do so once I reported to the King,” Heimdall nodded. He hesitated for a moment “My Queen…” He stopped and shook his head.

“Speak your mind,” Frigga prompted him when Eir hurried over to them.

The healer’s eyes widened when she saw the injuries on the girl “What happened?”

“We do not know yet,” Frigga told Eir “Start your treatment. I will join you momentarily.”

“Yes, my Queen.”

Frigga gestured for Heimdall to join her by the doors “What is it?”

“There is something strange going on here,” Heimdall spoke up slowly “I do not know how she just appeared but I…”

Frigga nodded thoughtfully “I’m sure we will find out,” she spoke up and smiled lightly “I thank you for being so prompt in alerting us. If she really is a version of my Loki…”

“I’m sure Eir will find out if it is so,” Heimdall told her “What concerns me are the traces of the tesseract.”

“I understand,” Frigga told him ”I implore you to bring those concerns to Odin. He will make sure to take care of them.”

Heimdall bowed “I will do so now, my Queen.” With that, he turned to walk back to the throne room.

“How is this possible?” Eir asked, looking at the scan in confusion “This is…”

Frigga stood next to her, looking at the scan as well “So it is true,” she hummed, relived that her and Heimdall’s suspicions had been true.

“My Queen,” Eir spoke up tentatively “The scans are… The scans are the same as Prince Loki’s.”

“Yes, so they are,” Frigga nodded “Now, what do we have to do?”

Eir squinted down at the young woman on the bed before turning to look at the Queen who was hovering behind her anxiously “There is something in her mind, my Queen. I am unsure of exactly what but the energy signature resembles the one all around her.” The healer pointed to the scan “Here. There are some traces still left and they seem to practically cling to her.”

“The Tesseract,” Queen Frigga murmured, studying the girl. Was this her Loki? Well, maybe not her Loki. He was still blissfully unaware of the fact that something was wrong. In fact, everyone but Odin, Eir and Heimdall we’re unaware of their guest “Is there anything you can do?”

Eir bit her lip before she nodded “I will need your help, my Queen but it should be easy to remove. The binding source seems to no longer be there.”

“What do I do?” Frigga asked, her voice determined as she moved towards the bed.

“Place your hands here,” Eir instructed “And here and push a little of your magic into her body.”

The two women gasped when Loki’s eyes flew open, glowing an electric blue. She cocked her head, looking around unseeingly “I won’t help you,” she rasped, looking to be struggling with the presence in her mind that had been disturbed by the foreign magic that was being pushed into her system.

“Relax,” Eir soothed, placing her hand on Loki’s head “Just relax. It will be over in a moment.” Loki’s hand shot out, wrapping around Eir’s wrist and squeezing. The healer didn’t let any emotion show on her face but the grip was getting quite painful “Now, my Queen.” With those words, both women began pumping their magic into the unresisting body, letting it wrap around the presence. Loki gasped before falling limp on the bed, unconscious once more. Before her eyes fully closed, Eir could see the emerald eyes of the younger prince. Her shoulders slumped in relief as she backed away from the black-haired girl.

“You wanted to see us, father?” Thor asked as the guards opened the doors for him and Loki.

Odin looked up from where he had been whispering to Heimdall and nodded “Come here, my sons.”

“What is this about?” Loki asked cautiously, feeling the Watcher’s eyes on him. The intensity of the gaze made him a little uncomfortable.

Odin hesitated for a moment before he waved his hand at Heimdall “You may leave, Heimdall. Return to your duties.”

“Very well, my King,” Heimdall bowed and strode out of the throne room. He glanced over his shoulder at Loki once again before he shook his head, turning part of his attention to the unconscious girl in the infirmary.

Thor raised his eyebrow at Loki “What have you done now, brother?”

“Why are you looking at me?” Loki asked, equally as baffled as Thor “For once I’m truly innocent.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” Thor snorted, shaking his head.

Odin smiled at his sons’ antics “Enough,” he commanded, causing the two boys to quiet down “Heimdall has informed me of a… situation earlier.”

Loki’s eyes narrowed “That sounds ominous,” he murmured.

“A girl appeared on Midgard… She seems to be…” he broke off when the doors of the throne room opened once more “Frigga. How is she?”

Frigga made her way over to her husband “She’s alive. The presence in her mind was still strong, fighting her for control. I believe Eir and I have managed to vanquish it.”

“Have you talked to her?”

“She fell unconscious again,” Frigga shook her head “But the scan Eir performed proved Heimdall’s suspicions.”

Odin’s eyebrows shot up “So she really is an alternate version of Loki?”

“What?” Loki choked, his eyes widening “What do you mean?”

“Heimdall reported that the girl appeared out of thin air,” Odin sighed, running a hand over his face “We do not know much more than that. Other than the fact that she had been injured.”

Thor tilted his head “How can you be so sure she is him… He am her… Erm…”

Loki’s lips twitched despite the situation “Don’t think too hard, Thor. You might hurt yourself.”

“There are… certain characteristics that she has that are identical to Loki’s,” Frigga spoke up, choosing her words carefully. This wasn’t the right moment to tell Loki that he was adopted… Or was it? What better chance than this? They had waited for the right time to tell him but there was no right moment. Only bad ones and worse ones it seemed.

“Characteristics,” Loki raised his eyebrows “How does that prove it?”

Odin shook his head “Not now, Loki. We will be talking about this later today, alright? For now, your mother and I have to talk about what we’ll be doing next.”

“But father…” Thor went to argue but was cut off.

“No, Thor.” Frigga held up his hand “Leave. We will let you know what we decide. For now, we only wished to inform you of our new guest so you won’t be surprised to hear the gossip that will no doubt be circulating the palace soon.”

“Of course, mother,” Loki nodded before grabbing Thor’s arm “Come on. Let’s leave them to their talk.”

Thor looked at his brother in confusion “Loki…”

Loki raised his eyebrows and looked at Thor pointedly “Come with me.”

Frigga and Odin exchanged an exasperated look when Thor’s expression lit up. It seemed as if Eir would get visitors. Hopefully, the two boys didn’t frighten the poor girl should she wake up while they’re there.

Thor and Loki were standing at the doors to the infirmary, watching the sleeping girl curiously. Thor leaned closer to Loki “So, what do you think?”

“What do I… Thor, what are you talking about?” Loki asked, studying the girl curiously. She had the same dark black hair he had but apart from that, he couldn’t really tell whether they were similar in other aspects.

“Well, she’s you, isn’t she?” Thor asked “So what do you think of her, Loki?”

Loki rolled his eyes at his brother “She isn’t even awake.”

“Are you really?” a quiet voice asked, startling the brothers. They looked over to see the girl sitting up with a grimace.

Loki moved over to help her sit up against her pillow more comfortably “Are you okay? Do you need Eir?”

“No,” the girl exclaimed, looking around panicked “Please… Don’t.”

Thor moved closer “We won’t call Eir if you don’t want her to. If you want, we could even sneak you out of here. Loki is pretty good at it.”

“So you’re really Loki?” the girl asked “How is this possible? Where am I?”

“On Asgard,” Thor told her, blinking when both Loki and the girl on the bed stared at him with the same look on their faces “Wow, you could be twins. This is somewhat unsettling.”

Loki raised his eyebrow at the girl when she snorted “Well, at least one thing doesn’t change.”

“Our parents didn’t tell us much,” Loki told her “Do you remember what happened?”

The two brothers were surprised when the girl looked at Loki in realisation “You don’t know, do you?” she whispered “I…”

“Know what?” Loki frowned.

She bit her lip “I’m not sure if I’m the best person to tell you. Maybe go talk to your… parents? I don’t even know if it’s the same as with me. I – I don’t understand how I’m here. I was on Midgard and then I woke up here.”

“Why were you on Midgard?” Thor questioned curiously. They hadn’t been on Midgard in ages and he didn’t understand why the girl would want to go there.

The girl swallowed, looking down at her hands “I don’t want to talk about it. But to answer your question from before. Yes, I am Loki.”

“Why didn’t you call me when she woke up?” Eir demanded, hurrying over to the bed. She frowned in confusion when the girl flinched away from her.

“That’s why,” Thor pointed out, shrinking back at the healer’s glare “We’ll just… You know, leave.”

Eir’s lips twitched “Off you go. I have a patient to see to.”

“Loki,” Odin spoke up as they were finishing up dinner. Eir had told them that their guest had talked with Loki and Thor a little before she had thrown them out. She had also reported that the girl seemed to know about her true parentage. Maybe it was time to talk to Loki. He deserved to know the truth even if Odin wasn’t sure how he’d take it. At least there was someone Loki could talk to if he needed someone who had gone through the same thing “Stay behind. We wish to talk to you.”

Loki raised his eyebrows but nodded his consent “What is it?” he questioned when Thor and the servants had left the room “Is this about… Loki?” He paused for a moment “This is weird.”

“We will find a solution for that, I’m sure,” Frigga smiled.

“Did she say anything to you?” Odin asked, looking at Loki searchingly.

Loki shook his head “She hinted at something but I’m not really sure what she was trying to say – or not say in this case.”

Odin nodded “This is… It’s something we should have told you a long time ago, Loki.”

“What?”

Frigga took pity on Odin and took over for him “I’m sure you have noticed how you don’t really resemble Thor or either of us.”

An icy feeling spread through Loki’s veins as he nodded numbly “What are you saying?”

“When Asgard was in the middle of a war with Jotunheim… I found a babe alone in the temple with the Casket of Winters,” Odin started hesitatingly.

Loki shook his head “No… You don’t mean…”

“Loki, that baby was you,” Frigga told him gently, reaching out to grab his hands in hers.

He pulled back violently “Why have you never told me? Why now?”

“Because it was time for you to know,” Odin explained “We do not love you any less because you aren’t ours by blood. I just want you to know that. We have always loved you and Thor equally.”

Loki swallowed “Who are my parents? Do you know?”

Odin and Frigga exchanged a look before the Queen nodded encouragingly “You’re Laufey’s son.”

“Laufey’s son,” Loki whispered “I… I need to go.”

“Loki…” Frigga called after him but the doors had already slammed close behind their second son.

Odin sighed “That went well.”

“It could have gone worse,” Frigga pointed out “I believe he needs time to process first. Let’s give him a few days before we talk to him. I think I know where he went.”

“The girl,” Odin realised.

“Who better to talk about this than yourself?” Frigga shrugged elegantly.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Loki demanded, his eyes rimmed with red “You knew that I was adopted. A frost giant.”

“Yes,” the female Loki nodded, fiddling with the blanket “I wasn’t sure whether our lives were the same and for the most part I pray they aren’t but being a frost giant isn’t a bad thing. There is a lot of prejudice about us going around but look closer. The stories are nothing but that. Stories.”

Loki chewed on his lip and nodded reluctantly “Will you come with me? Only once you’re healed.”

“You want to talk to Laufey?”

“I want to know why he abandoned me… us,” Loki told her “I want to know why. Also, what do I call you? It is a little weird to think of you as Loki.”

The girl cracked the small, brittle smile that Loki was already getting accustomed to and thought it over for a moment “Loptr. You may call me Loptr.”

Chapter Text

“I was going to ask,” Loki spoke up a couple of days after their last conversation. It had taken a while for him to get his head around the fact that he was adopted. Not that Odin or Frigga had ever treated him differently. It was the rest of Asgard that had trouble accepting how different he was “Where did you come up with the name Loptr?” 

Loptr bit her lip, looking around the room she had been placed in. She was getting sick of being stuck in here. Thankfully, Eir had placed her in a private chamber off the side of the healing ward “It was the name given to us by our mother – our birth mother. I did some research just before… Just before everything went to Hel.”

Loki sat down on the bed next to her, resting his hand on her blanket-covered leg “You know that you can talk to me – to any of us if you wish to. We won’t judge you for what happened in your world.”

“How can you know?” Loptr asked quietly, not trusting the peace “I did some really bad things. I killed so many…”

“How much of that was actually you?” Loki questioned. A part of him was curious but the other part was trying to keep calm. What had been done to Loptr was awful and he didn’t even know most of the story. Whenever he thought that things couldn’t get worse, another detail about her life seemed to come to light.

Loptr shook her head “It doesn’t matter.”

“If it bothers you then it does matter,” Loki told her firmly and stood up, tugging at her hand “Come on. I want to show you something.”

“What about Eir?” Loptr frowned, looking around for the healer.

Loki grinned mischievously “What Eir doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

“I don’t want to get into trouble,” Loptr pointed out quietly. She had gotten into trouble more often than not and it always ended badly for her. Even the times she had tried to help had turned into new nightmares for her.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” Loki laughed lightly, ruffling her hair “I asked Eir whether it’s okay for you to go out for a little while. You’ve been cooped up in here for far too long already.”

Loptr gave in and rose from the bed, stumbling a little when her legs started giving out on her “Hmpf,” she groaned when Loki caught her. 

He steadied her until her legs got used to carrying her weight again “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Loptr nodded, taking a couple of careful steps away from the bed “I’m okay.”

"Will you tell us a bit more about yourself?" Loki asked quietly, leaning forward to look at his female counterpart "I heard the stories on Midgard but... You said there was truth in them?"

Loptr looked down at her hands “They’re rather bloody, aren’t they?”

Loki let out a snort “I have always thought that Midgardians made up all those stories about Asgard. They’re all true in your world?”

“Most of them are,” Loptr nodded, fiddling with the blanket in her lap. While she wasn’t with Eir anymore, she was still on bed rest for the most part. Loki had taken to showing her around Asgard whenever she felt up to being around people but so far it hadn’t happened too often “The ones about me anyway. What do you want to know?”

“Vali and Narfi,” Loki chose two of the names he remembered of his supposed children. He really wanted to hear the story behind all of them but… Loptr was already traumatised. Talking about how she lost her children probably wasn’t the best idea. Even if they supposedly were monsters. Not that he actually believed it to be completely true. After all, there were always two sides to a story.

Loptr ran a hand down her face. She peaked up at Frigga and Odin before she looked back down, leaning slightly closer to her counterpart. She was just glad that Thor wasn’t here. The blond had been trying to talk to her more and more but similar to Odin, she just didn’t trust the quiet “It’s not a nice story,” she whispered.

“You don’t have to tell us anything, dear,” Frigga told her, reaching out to touch Loptr’s hand. She drew her hand back when the younger woman flinched away from her. It hurt to have her daughter – and it didn’t make a difference whether Loptr was hers or another universe’s version of her child – not trust her enough to be touched. So far the only person she allowed close to her was Loki and even he couldn’t touch her without Loptr initiating the contact. They had been getting closer over the past month since she had appeared and if Frigga was right, Loptr was slowly starting to realise that Odin, her and Thor weren’t playing with her. That they really did care for her.

“No, I…” Loptr chewed on her lip harshly. She took a deep breath before she once again started picking at the blanket “It was supposed to be a punishment. I don’t really know what I was supposed to have done but… My version of Odin decided that turning Vali into a wolf was the perfect punishment after what he did to my other children. He made Vali attack Narfi and Sigyn, killing them. I don’t really remember much of that time but I was tied up with… with Narfi’s… his…” Loptr broke off, hugging herself tightly.

Loki shifted closer, stopping a small distance away from her “I’m sorry,” he told her quietly “I shouldn’t have asked but I was curious…”

Loptr looked over at him with a small smile, wiping at her eyes “It’s alright. You can’t help it… Trust me, I know. I never talked about it and I really don’t want to.”

“How many children have you lost?” Odin asked quietly, surprising Loptr. She still wasn’t used to this version of Odin… It had taken her a long time to even let him close to her, never mind stay in the same room as him.

“Hela, Vali and Narfi are dead. The others… The others were taken. Counting Hel, Vali and Narfi, he took six children from me. Only Vali and Narfi were conceived voluntarily,” Loptr whispered the last part as if trying to make the impact less somehow. It didn’t work.

Frigga’s eyes teared up as soon as the words registered in her mind “They…”

“Raped me?” Loptr finished when the Allmother’s voice broke “Yeah. And no one cared. They – the other people on Asgard – shunned me for bearing children out of wedlock. Even after I married… I was still ergi.”

Loki made a noise at the back of his throat and pulled her into a tight hug, ignoring the flinch it earned him “You aren’t,” he told her firmly “None of this was your fault, Lo.”

“I still brought them into this – into my world. It is because of me that they suffered,” Loptr sniffed, hiding her face in Loki’s chest “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Frigga smiled sadly and squeezed Loptr’s hand “That’s alright, dear. You’re so brave, you know that?”

Loptr turned her head to face Frigga “I’m weak. Always have been,” she argued quietly.

“You are not,” she shook her head “And one day you will understand that they were the ones in the wrong. Loptr, you may not be from this world but you are as good as our child. If anyone treats you badly, you come to us.”

“I…”

Odin moved, causing Loptr’s head to snap over to him “Frigga is right,” he pointed out “We wish for you to feel welcome.”

“You really…”

Loki rested his chin on top of her head “We mean every word of it, Lo.” He waited for a moment but when she didn’t say anything, he sighed “So what about Sigyn? I have met her once or twice but I never really spoke to her.”

Loptr relaxed in his arms, a small smile lighting up her face “I loved her,” she told them “She was the most beautiful and kindest person I knew… She never cared that anyone disapproved of our relationship.”

“She sounds like a wonderful young woman,” Frigga remarked.

“She was,” Loptr nodded, her eyes taking on a faint glimmer that had been absent for so many years “I wish she were still alive. She didn’t deserve to be killed because of me…”

Odin closed his eyes for a moment and debated whether or not it was a good idea but in the end, he moved closer, sitting down at the end of the bed “It wasn’t your fault,” he pointed out “None of this happened because of you.”

“But if I hadn’t…”

“The only person at fault was your version of Odin,” the Allfather pointed out.

Loptr looked up at him with wide eyes, blushing a little when she caught his concerned gaze. It felt so weird that he actually seemed to care. 

Loki squeezed her hand before looking at his parents “I was thinking of going to talk to Laufey if that’s alright?”

Odin’s eyebrows shot up “Why?”

“I want to know why he left me,” Loki admitted “I know your story but maybe there was more? I don’t know…”

“That’s understandable,” Frigga told him with a small smile “Are you going to take Loptr with you?”

Loki shrugged and glanced down at her “It’s up to you whether you want to come or not.”

“I - I think I want to know why,” Loptr whispered, leaning her head back against Loki’s shoulder as her eyes slipped close.

Chapter Text

"So, you said you knew where the path is," Loki spoke up, wrapped up in a thick cloak. He didn't get cold as fast as Thor and the other Asgardians did but he would rather be safe than sorry when he was going to spend a longer amount of time on Jotunheim. Beside him, Loptr was wrapped up even more than he was. Ever since she had come to stay with them, Frigga and even Odin have started treating her like the Princess she was. He should have been jealous but if he was being honest with himself, Loptr deserved every bit of good that happened to her. The more time they spent together, the more she opened up to him and Loki had found himself having to excuse himself to the bathroom more than once during the more gruesome bits. 

Loptr narrowed her eyes and looked around "I only used it once," she murmured "But it should take us to Utgard. The capital of Jotunheim."

"But you're sure this is the right one?" Loki asked, slightly hesitant. He loved exploring the vast universe but whenever he discovered a new path, he was sure to be careful.

Loptr nodded "I let the Jotuns into the vault... during Thor's coronation. Not my best plan but... Yeah."

"It's in the vault?" Loki exclaimed in surprise.

"I checked some other paths and they were exactly where I remembered them to be," Loptr shrugged her shoulders.

Loki ran a hand down his face “We’re lucky no one has found the path yet…”

Loptr shot him a wry look “You know that not many people travel the branches of Yggdrasil and even fewer are able to spot the paths. We are among the rare few who can do so without any repercussions. Travelling along the branches is dangerous and it takes skill to do so safely. There is a reason that everyone - even Odin - usually uses the Bifrost.”

“I’m aware of that,” Loki grumbled, rolling his eyes at her tone. He squinted at the wall in the vault, trying to lessen the glare of the crack. How hadn’t he seen it before? “It’s still dangerous to leave this path open. The idea that there is a path that ends right where Asgard keeps its most precious items… unsettles me.” He shook his head and turned to look at Loptr “Shall we?”

“We can seal it. Although I guess it will depend on how this meeting will turn out,” Loptr murmured. She had placed a shield around it in her old world, even if no one had really cared. She wrapped her arms around herself nervously. What she remembered of Laufey wasn’t good. Her Laufey had been a big pile of bad wrapped in anger and hatred. He hadn’t cared that she was his daughter. She was a runt and all had been left to die alone in a temple. At least that was what he had told her when she went back after Odin fell into Odinsleep “Do I have to come?”

Loki reached out to grab her hand, pulling her closer to his side “You promised me,” he pointed out, watching her worriedly.

“I know,” Loptr whispered “Still…”

“It will be alright. And if not, then we leave and close the path,” Loki told her, his voice quiet and soothing “We have Mother, Father and Thor. You have me.”

Loptr looked up at him through thick lashes “And you have me.” Her voice lowered “I’m scared, Loki. What if he doesn’t want me? I’m not of this world after all. You’re his son… I’m just…”

“No,” Loki cut her off “You’re my twin, alright? I don’t care where you came from or how you came to be here. If Laufey or anyone has a problem with that then they don’t deserve you.” He pressed a kiss to Loptr’s temple “We won’t know if we don’t try…”

Loptr took a deep breath and steeled herself, pressing a little closer to Loki. Meeting new people was nerve-wreaking. Especially if she had known them previously. No one had ever liked her for… Well, for being herself. Everyone had bought into the persona she had shown them “Let’s go.”

The two glanced at each other before they stepped through the crack side by side. Colours swirled around them as the shape of the World Tree became visible. Both Loptr and Loki loved walking the paths and seeing the vastness of the universe. Even if it brought back bad memories of falling through the void for Loptr. It was so different and yet similar to falling. One wrong move could send them over the edge. 

After they continued walking, the path got lighter until they reached the end, a bright light shining from the doorway “All or nothing,” Loki whispered as they plunged through to the freezing cold of Jotunheim. 

“Welcome to Utgard,” Loptr murmured quietly, staring at the frozen city in fear. 

Loki looked up at what appeared to be a large citadel and blinked “How did they build this?”

“The Casket,” Loptr explained “It’s too dangerous to build new citadels and more than the rudimentary buildings now. Without the Casket, Jotunheim has no chance but to live as the people would outside of the palace on Asgard. History is written by the winners.” Loptr looked up at the city and down at the snow that was a crisp white she hadn’t seen anywhere but on Jotunheim “I travelled a lot and under disguise. It helped me to learn a lot about the Nine Realms and what my Odin did to them. I’m unsure whether our histories are the same but you have the Casket of Winters in your vault, so I assume it’s at least similar.”

“Jotuns and Asgardians fought on Midgard and Odin took the Casket,” Loki frowned “What’s more about that?”

Loptr tilted her head “It’s a bit more complicated than that. The Casket of Winters holds the Fimbulwinter of Ymir. It was born on this planet and it should have stayed here. Yes, the Jotuns made a mistake trying to take Midgard but they didn’t deserve their planet to fall into ruin just because of something that happened thousands of years ago.”

“Who is Ymir?” Loki asked, turning away from the city to look at Loptr with wide eyes. He had no idea that she knew that much about Jotunheim or the Nine Realms in general. She had seemed knowledgeable but he hadn’t expected her to know as much as she did.

“Ymir was a King of Jotunheim. A long, long time ago. The stories on Asgard are mostly just that. Jotuns born small - at least in this world - are treasured. They are seen as gifts because of their strong seidr. In my world, they were hated and killed. Pretty much what your stories say. By now, Ymir is something of a myth now and the one the people of Jotunheim pray to.”

“Very good,” a voice spoke up from behind them. Loki and Loptr whirled around to see a warrior standing behind them, his hand on his sword “What is your purpose here, Asgardians?”

Loki grasped Loptr’s hand, squeezing it when she slowly moved behind him, the fear back in her eyes “We are here to seek an audience with your King. New information has come to light about an incident a long time ago and we think Laufey wishes to know about it.”

The guard raised an eyebrow mockingly “And what information might that be?”

“There was a child, right?” Loki said, looking up at the giant with a small smirk. He was nervous but he learned long ago that wearing a mask would make things easier. There was a reason he was skilled in politics and why Thor was not “During the Battle of Jotunheim. A baby was left in a temple.”

“How do you know about that?” the guard hissed, drawing his sword.

Loki tightened his grip on Loptr’s arm but otherwise made no move to defend himself “We wish to speak to Laufey. This is something he shall hear first.”

“Let them in,” another voice spoke from the bridge that led into the city.

The guard froze for a moment before he bowed “My prince.”

Helblindi studied the two Asgardians curiously. He had heard their conversation and he couldn’t help but be curious. The female knew a lot of their kind. More than Asgardians normally did “Follow me. I will bring you to the palace. Laufey has been expecting you since the letter from King Odin arrived several weeks ago.”

“You’re Helblindi, aren’t you?” Loptr questioned curiously, looking up at the giant who had taken over the throne after she killed Laufey. His older brother Byleistr had been the one to lead the attack at Thor’s coronation and had been killed before the war could recommence. She had never understood why he had come. The Crown Prince hadn’t struck her as a person who would believe the fickle lies she spun. Loptr rubbed at her head with a small grimace. She still didn’t know how much of her actions had been her own and how much had been controlled by others. 

“Indeed,” the third oldest son of Laufey nodded “What are your names? The Allfather has not mentioned it.”

Loptr shifted before she shook her head “We would prefer to wait,” she whispered, looking away from the almost glowing red eyes of their younger brother. It was strange to think of him as such but she liked the idea of having a family that didn’t despise her. Not that she knew if he would but from everything she heard on her secret journey of this universe, she could only hope that they are true. Jotunheim wasn’t doing too well for themselves since the Casket was taken but they managed enough for trading. Alfheim and Vanaheim specifically were the Realms that Jotunheim frequently traded with.

Helblindi nodded quietly and kept sneaking glances at the way the man kept looking at the women. He knew that stance too well. It was the same warriors kept a lookout for their siblings, the same way men kept an eye on their lovers. He wasn’t sure what their relationship was or why they were here but the Allfather’s missive had them all curious. The relationship between Jotunheim and Asgard had been strained since the war and to see a formal yet polite letter delivered from the King of the Nine Realms himself was somewhat surprising. 

The group of three made their way through icy halls and up slippery staircases until they reached a non-descript door. Helblindi moved forward, knocking on the wood of the door “Enter.” He pushed the door open to reveal a large open space. An office similar to the one the Allfather and his advisors worked from when they weren’t in the throne room. Only this one was more fantastical “Ah, these must be our guests from Asgard. Thank you, Helblindi. I will take it from here.”

Helblindi bowed before turning back to the door “Of course, father.”

Laufey studied the two figures curiously “Please, have a seat,” he gestured to the near-identical pair. Both had inky black hair and shining green eyes like the gems the Jotuns favoured to give as a courtship gift “What can I do for you?”

Loki squeezed Loptr’s hand once more before he pulled away and straightened up “I am Loki, second son of Odin. This is my sister… Loptr.” 

As he spoke the name, shock flitted over the Jotun King’s face before it set it anger “How dare you…?”

“I am your son,” Loki finished. This wasn’t exactly how he wanted to tell him but from the way the man had shot up from his seat, it was better to rip the bandaid of lest they end up being sent back to Odin in several pieces.

Laufey narrowed his eyes on the boy who claimed to be his Loptr “Explain.”

And so Loki did. He spoke of how Odin took him from the temple because he thought that the baby was abandoned. He spoke of the way he grew up, ignorant of his true heritage until Loptr came to them. He spoke of who she was and what they knew about her coming here. 

All while he spoke Loptr and Laufey remained silent. The former was keeping an eye on the King of Jotunheim, unsure of whether to trust the peace. She couldn’t help but marvel at how different her universe was. Everything was so different. Not only in the way she had been treated compared to this Loki but the small things as well. The history of Jotunheim was the same and yet the differences were staggering. 

“An interesting story,” Laufey spoke once he managed to find his voice. His child had come home - or was that his children? “What proof do you have of your claims?”

Loki shifted to look at Loptr “There is a glamour on both of us. I have yet to learn to shift but…” He trailed off when Loptr closed her eyes. She had been in her Jotun form for most of her stay with Thanos and as such she knew what it felt like, knew that it would be a relief from the glamoured appearance of an Asgardian. 

Laufey couldn’t hold back the gasp that escaped him when the girl’s white skin slowly bled to blue, birthmarks showing up on her exposed face and the part of her arms. He watched as she turned to Loki, reaching out to trail a hand over his face, making it bleed into blue as well “You really are,” he breathed, drinking in the sight before him. He swallowed before he shook his head “Why come to me?”

“I want answers,” Loki told him quietly “About what happened at the end of the war. About why I was left. I wished to see if you would accept us as your children. I know that Loptr isn’t technically your child but she is me and if anything, we only come together.”

“Loki,” Loptr protested quietly “Don’t…”