Chapter Text
Third Person POV
“He killed eighty people in two days.”
Natasha sets down the tablet and looks at Thor like he should be appalled.
Thor tilts his head, blinking.
“Eighty?”
Fury nods.
“Yes. Eighty people.”
Thor lets out a laugh.
Not a dismissive laugh.
Not a morbid laugh.
A laugh of genuine disbelief.
“Only eighty?”
Steve glares at Thor.
“What do you mean, only eighty?”
Thor leans back against the wall, running a hand through his hair.
“My brother and I have been trained for battle since we were younglings. Blades, war-games, cunning, and stealth. I honed only the physical, but Loki sharpened both mind and muscle. My brother is a master of war-strategy. He reads the land like a map, knows the art of hostage parlays, commands formations, and lays siege with cunning.”
Natasha glares at him.
“So?”
Thor looks at her, confusion on his face.
“If Loki truly sought a bloodbath, the count of fallen would have soared far beyond eighty, and none would have known it was his shadow behind the deed.”
Tony frowns.
“You’re saying, what, that he was holding back?”
Thor ignores him and turns to Fury.
“What were my brother's exact words when he stepped out of the portal?”
Fury raises an eyebrow.
“He told me ‘I am Loki of Asgard and I am burdened with glorious purpose.’”
Thor lets out a noncommittal hum and closes his eyes for a second.
“My brother would never use such a phrase.”
Fury lets out a sharp disbelieving laugh.
“Well, he did. Maybe you don’t know your brother as well as you thought you did.”
Thor’s eyes flash dangerously.
“Hold your tongue, mortal. You speak of things you do not understand.”
Thor sighs.
“My brother is many things. He is arrogant. He is a trickster. He is dangerous. He is vindictive. But he is not wasteful. He never speaks without a reason. Every word he says is carefully chosen.”
The god of thunder frowns.
“Loki would never use the word ‘burdened’. He would say he was ‘gifted’ with something, or that he had ‘earned’ it. He views a burden as something another person has placed upon him. As for him saying he has a ‘glorious purpose.” Thor rolls his eyes. “Loki despises that word, and anything to do with destiny, or duty. When we were young, our father would speak often of oaths, of our destinies, of our purpose. My brother loathed it. He would never utter such a phrase.”
Thor stands, resolution on his face.
“I would speak to him.”