Chapter Text
Loki couldn’t help but appreciate the rush of power as Thor’s friends put their fists over their hearts and kneeled before him. His spine the straight posture of a king, head upright, he looked down on Asgard’s greatest warriors in spiteful vengeance, a dark pride he hid behind the most neutral veneer he could muster.
Sif and the Warriors Three, who’d made so much of his childhood a misery to bear, who’d mocked him for all these years, who’d laughed at his pains and torments and turned their backs on him every time he needed them, no matter how many time he’d helped them, their care and loyalty extending only as far as Thor’s love for Loki.
A love which was now a lie.
Loki relished in this, and for a moment, imagined all of Asgard filling the grand hall, kneeling before him and cheering for him as they had done not too long before for Thor.
How does it feel, now? To be at my mercy? he wanted to ask.
Instead, he took one last look, carefully took in every sensation of this moment to tide him through his future plans, shut his eyes as if in nervousness - then slumped, his kingly posture escaping him as he stood.
“Stop it, stop it, get up,” he said, perfectly hiding how he hated to say that. Descending the steps as they hesitantly looked up at him, he gestured with his hands for them to get up, letting Gungnir tremble in his grasp as he thought of his fight with Father - with the All-Father - to add some genuine insecurity to his eyes. “This is too strange.”
“Too strange?” Volstagg asked in surprise when he and Loki both stood on the floor.
“I’m not a king and we all know it.”
The warriors all looked hesitantly at each other.
“With your brother and father gone, Loki,” Hogun said, clearly at the beginning of something which he did not know the end of.
Sif cut him off with, “At least you recognize that, Loki Liesmith.”
The Warriors Three all looked between Sif and Loki nervously, and Loki pursed his lips.
“I’m not the real king,” Loki said tersely, his knuckles going white around his father’s staff. “But I won’t stand for those kinds of names, either, now that I can help it.”
Sif’s face hardened, but the Warriors Three seemed relieved that Loki was ready to end it there.
“We come to ask you to bring back Thor,” Fandral said. “Now that you are king-”
“I can end his exile and bring him back to Asgard, I know,” Loki said, then gave a large sigh - just weary enough, but not too dramatic. “I want to, very much so. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.”
“Oh?” Sif said, and Loki spared a moment to be impressed at the amount of accusation implied with her voice alone.
“Two problems,” Loki said. “First is that my father was the one to exile him. Odinsleep or not, he still-” He paused and clenched his jaw, as if humiliated. Loki Silvertongue was having trouble coming up with the words to describe what he needed to say, and he hated it. As soon as he was sure that the idea had crossed at least half their minds, he continued. “I am not in the best position to be reversing Odin All-Father’s final edict, one enacted on his own son. The people need continuity. Not only did they have to deal with a sudden banishment of their beloved prince instead of his coronation, but for the current king to fall into Odinsleep so soon after? And the new one to suddenly undo his last act? It’s too much at once.”
“So you’ll leave your brother on Midgard for the people’s...’sake’?” Volstagg asked.
Another weary sigh. Loki got the feeling he was going to be giving out a lot of these over the next few weeks. “If that were the only problem, I would risk it.”
“You said there were two problems,” Hogun said simply.
“All-Father was scheduled to go to Jontunheim, soon,” Loki said. “Now that he’s fallen into Odinsleep...”
“...that duty falls to you,” Sif finished, voice perfectly neutral.
Loki nodded. “And they will have heard of his exile by now. The balance between Jotunheim and Asgard is tense enough as it is. To bring him back from exile will only strain things further - especially because I have reason to believe that any treaty they are willing to agree to will be conditional on Thor’s exile - and right now, maintaining peace with Jontunheim takes priority. It would be cruel of me to bring back my brother in the face of my father’s final edict only to have to exile him again scant days later.”
“So that is why you will leave him on Midgard?!” Sif cried out. “For peace with Jotunheim?” The derision in her voice roused a simmering fury deep within Loki, but he reigned it in.
“Yes,” Loki said stiffly, his voice as cool as his true heritage. “Forgive me for wanting to minimize my brother’s trials as much as I can without causing everyone else undue strife.”
“Some brother you make,” Sif sneered.
“Lady Sif!” Loki said sharply, drawing up to his full height, and straightening Gungnir in his grasp. This was not part of his plan, not at all, but even he could only resist his rage for so long before he snapped. “I am willing to tolerate a lot from you, as prince and king - but don’t you dare call into doubt the love and care I hold for my family!”
He slowly moved up to her, into her space. She didn’t back down, but neither to Loki stop, until the horns on his helmet were nearly touching her forehead, and he could feel her breath on his cheeks.
“Is that clear?” he asked lowly, flushing away all his insecurities and letting his royal Aesir raising shine in his eyes.
Sif glared at him, but slowly nodded. “It is,” she said curtly. Loki doubted she meant it, but didn’t press the issue any further.
He turned sharply away and stepped back in the general direction of the throne, standing on the first step but going no further. One step towards the throne in the minds of these warriors, whether they realized it or not. He wasn’t king in their eyes yet - but maybe he could be.
“I am sorry,” Loki said. “Truly - I would love nothing more, right now, than to have my brother back here to take this-” A brief shake of Gungnir. “-off my hands. Things are too complicated - yes, even for me. I am not willing to chance my unconventional skills and tactics right now when the stakes include a needless war.”
“Needless war?” Sif asked, as if the very idea were foreign to her. To be fair, it probably was, in her relatively simple warrior’s mind. “Let us go to war! Glory is never needless!”
“No!” Loki snapped. “You are Asgard’s mightiest warriors, but not her only ones, and I am not sacrificing our brave warriors’ lives for the sake of my brother’s pride, and tarnishing his honor and mine with such childish ploys. We were nearly slaughtered when we went to Jotunheim, and returning with an army won’t change that.”
When none of them could come up with a reasonable answer, Loki turned sharply on his heel and ventured out of the hall.
“Heimdall,” Loki said clearly as soon as he was several twists and turns away. “I’m going down to Midgard to see my brother. I’ll be making my own way there, though - I don’t wish to call attention to myself, down there.”
Heimdall would see him, anyway, but right now, Loki knew that every little step pulling Heimdall to his side counted.
Loki was standing amidst a golden opportunity, one lined with the finest gems in all the Nine Realms. He wasn’t about to mess it up for the sake of his pride.
That was Thor’s prerogative - not his.
~*~
Thor sighed as the agent left, and looked down at his feet, clad in the strange shoes of this world, still unable to accept that Mjolnir had rejected him.
She’d heard him, and even the humans saw her react to him. He could still feel her just a little ways away, he could still hear her song in the depths of his soul, and yet he could not reach her depths or touch her soul.
If he couldn’t wield Mjolnir...what was he to do?
He looked up, only to blink in surprise at what he saw.
“Loki?” he asked.
Loki smiled at little sadly at him. “How are you doing, brother?”
“Not well,” Thor said. “Mjolnir - I...”
“I saw,” Loki said. “And I’m sorry.”
Thor wanted to ask if Loki knew how to fix it, but he recognized their father’s spellwork. Even if Loki could undo it - which was really unlikely - Thor wouldn’t ask his brother to go against their father, not on something as serious as this.
“How is everyone?” Thor asked instead.
Loki paused for a moment, and Thor nearly jumped up in alarm at his brother’s uncharacteristic hesitance.
“Father sleeps,” Loki said. “The Odinsleep.”
Thor’s eyes widened, panic causing his now-human heart to pound faster than Sleipnir’s hoofbeats. “He...but then...”
“I am acting as king until either he wakes up again, or you can lift Mjolnir,” Loki said calmly, and yet again, Thor felt a wave of relief.
“At least Asgard lies in good hands, then,” Thor said sincerely. Then frowned. “If you are king...”
“I want to bring you back, Thor,” Loki said earnestly. "But I can't."
“Why not?” Thor asked. What could possibly prevent Thor’s return, such that even Loki could not find a way around it?
“Besides how inappropriate it would be, right now, to undo father’s last edict in such circumstances,” Loki said, and Thor winced. Right - Father had been the one to send them here, and he could easily understand why Loki wouldn’t want to go against his last wishes. “I am going to Jotunheim, soon.”
Thor frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Father sent you here as a punishment for your rash actions there as well to learn a lesson,” Loki said. “It will scream of a most...ingracious attitude towards them.”
“Ingracious?” Thor asked incredulously.
“Laufey did not have to spare us when the All-Father came to our aid,” Loki said. “He did, anyway. We can’t repay that with a war, especially not now.”
Thor swallowed, then sighed. “I know,” he admitted. “I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I,” Loki said. “But I fear that in this case, loopholes and clever words would be of little use to us.” Another pause. “The restrictions would only be against nullifying the geass. Once you can lift Mjolnir and come back to Asgard, you will be king, but not until then.”
Thor knew it was silly to really expect anything else. At least his brother would maintain Asgard until Thor returned, or Father.
Loki looked down at his feet for a moment, going still for a moment's thought, before looking up at Thor. “I probably wouldn’t be able to lift Father’s spellwork, anyway. I’ve thought about looking into it, but...”
Thor smiled reassuringly at his brother. “I wouldn’t expect you to be able to lift his spellwork,” Thor promised - he didn't want to set up his brother got the kind of spectacular failure that would be. “It would be a folly to expect such things of you, and would only lead to dismay for the both of us.” Loki relief and gratitude spread across Loki's countenance. “Thank you for the sentiment, though.”
Loki smiled at him, something soft and reserved just for the two of them.
“I must go,” Loki said regretfully.
“Will you come back?” Thor asked. He was all alone here, and without Loki here to explain this strange world to him as they travelled through it, Thor couldn’t help the stab of fear that spread through his heart, twisting the knife of terror that Mjolnir had struck into him when she cast his grip aside.
“I’ll try,” Loki said, still regretful, and Thor sighed with pained understanding.
“I understand,” Thor promised. Odin had been a busy king at the best of times. And right now certainly wasn’t the best of times. “Thank you for coming and speaking to me.”
“Goodbye, brother,” Loki said.
And then vanished before Thor could get a word in.
“Goodbye,” he murmured to the empty ether, just as the door to his glass dungeon opened again.
“Goodbye?” the man said. “We’re just getting started.”
~*~
“King Loki,” Heimdall greeted coolly when Loki arrived at the Bifrost after his little trip to Midgard.
“Heimdall,” Loki said, nodding with respect due to a man many eons his elder, no matter their rank. He doubted he could truly trick, bribe, or flatter Heimdall into supporting him - but no matter his suspicions, Heimdall wouldn’t act against Loki unless driven to an extreme, one which Loki had no intention of pushing him to.
Let the Gatekeeper think Loki was just a child quivering in his father’s throne, a new king whose arrogance would be worn away with time spent ruling.
“How fares Jotunheim?” Loki asked, pulling the helmet off his head. “Any news?”
“None,” Heimdall said courteously. “Laufey is currently handling day-to-day matters of his people.” A pause. “But he has heard of Thor’s exile. He and his people delighted in it.”
“I expected as much,” Loki said neutrally. “But one can always hope.”
He took a long, considering look at the gate - at his future weapon - then said, “No one is to use the Bifrost to get to Jotunheim. In fact - let no one but the diplomats and traders through it at all.”
Heimdall nodded. “As you command,” he said. Loki wanted to stop and analyze his words, see if Heimdall meant it with any sincerity, but now was not the time.
Loki turned around and started a long trek back to the main city, already planning his next few moves. He turned back to bid Heimdall a courteous farewell.
As he did, he glimpsed Heimdall glancing at his arm.
Had it been anyone else, Loki might’ve dismissed it, and had Loki been anyone else, he wouldn’t have noticed. But this was the Gatekeeper, He Who Sees All, versus Loki Liesmith, Loki Silvertongue - and he of all people knew how difficult it was to trick a trickster.
He paused for a few moments of consideration, turning his body slowly so no matter his next move, it looked natural.
Well, Heimdall was so highly suspicious of him - let him know a little of Loki’s vulnerable side. Maybe he’ll feel less threatened, more powerful in the circumstances as they stood.
“How long have you known?” Loki asked, raising his arm that Heimdall had likely seen turn blue while in the land of the Frost Giants. It’s entirely possible the Gatekeeper witnessed his entire fight with his father, come to think of it.
“Since Odin first brought you back from Jotunheim,” Heimdall said. “And introduced you even to me as Loki Odinson.”
Odinson
“Well I’m not an Odinson, now am I?” Loki snapped. It was irrational to have expected Heimdall to have told him before Odin wished it - as the saying went, the day Heimdall loosened his lips was the day Asgard fell. And yet it stung, that this distant Gatekeeper had known this truth before him.
“Yes, you are,” Heimdall said, as if it were just another fact to be reported.
Liar, Loki wanted to say.
He didn’t. Instead, he said, “I’m going to be testing some concealment spells later today. Please remember and let me know if anything hides me from you?”
“You wish to hide from me?” Heimdall asked.
“I wish to be able to hide from you,” Loki said bluntly. “If I can hide from you, I can hide from anybody. Hopefully, anyway. I wish to have that ability before I venture to Jotunheim. I highly doubt their intentions but I have no wish to start a war like Thor did.”
Heimdall looked at Loki with those simmering gold eyes, but thankfully didn’t say anything.
This time, when Loki turned and walked away, he kept going without looking back.