Chapter Text
The first thing Loki did was activate the wards and layer his own on top of it. It wouldn’t do for Heimdall or anyone else to come looking for him while he was vulnerable.
What to do with Hela? He thought. She didn’t seem to be healing. She wasn’t even conscious. Then again, with the sheer amount of burns covering her body, it was a miracle that she was alive. Loki took her to Master Frode’s healing chamber. His old master had built his own soul forge, centuries before Loki was born. He set Hela on the table and activated the runes. A sheer golden dome encased her. He could see that the rune work would not be enough to heal that much damage. A cursory look at the chamber told him that the preservation spells in the room had held. Truthfully, he should have come to cleaned out the house three centuries ago, when Master Frode died, but he had never been able to do it.
He quickly crushed a few healing stones over Hela and tried to cover as much of her as he could with it. The soul forge would keep her in stasis until she was sufficiently healed. Then, he collapsed onto the chaise longue next to it, breathing hard. He summoned a few healing potions to drink from a nearby shelf. He needed to replenish his seidr, and he was quite sure he had a concussion. Unable to hold on anymore, Loki fell into an exhausted sleep.
*******
Loki wasn’t sure what woke him up. A glance at the window told him that it was past midday. Hela was still in deep sleep on the soul forge. A shadow on his left caught his eye. There was someone here. Instantly on alert, he summoned his armour and threw his dagger at the mysterious presence his seidr picked up. Loud, indignant caws resonated through the healing chamber.
Muninn! He panicked for a moment and checked the wards.
Still intact. Good. Loki relaxed. The raven flew to his shoulder and nipped at his ear.
“I’m sorry,” He said. “You startled me. What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
We were waiting on the Statesman but you didn’t come. We couldn’t see you anywhere so I came looking. There are few places where you would have sought refuge. Don’t worry, princeling. No one else knows where you are… or that Hela survived. Muninn said in his head.
Loki was surprised to hear Muninn and Huginn’s old nickname for him, though he supposed he shouldn’t have been. Both ravens had often kept him company when he was young. As a child, he had loved chasing them around his mother’s garden. Odin had been furious when he found out. Loki still felt the sting of the punishment he had received for daring to distract the ravens from their duty to Asgard. They had left him alone after that. He had only caught glimpses of them flying by as they played messenger to the king. Sometimes they would leave him little gifts from other realms. Rare leaves, twigs and little trinkets would randomly appear in his rooms. It had always lightened his heart.
As he learned how to travel the secret paths to other realms and beyond, he too would leave all manner of exotic nuts and berries for them on his balcony, in thanks for their care. After all, they had been the first ones to nurture his desire to travel, to see beyond Asgard and explore the wider universe. The ravens’ keen eyesight allowed them to see all of Yggdrasil and they would fly along its branches in a blink. He had spent decades in the palace library trying to replicate it, and decades more practising and honing his skill, until he became the first worldwalker. Not that he ever advertised his skill much. He had only ever told Thor about it, excited to show off his great accomplishment to his brother. To say that Thor’s reaction had been lackluster was an understatement. Thor had thought it useless. “Why waste your time learning such a worthless trick when the Bifrost can transport us wherever we want, brother? Come with me, my friends and I are going on a great quest to hunt a dragon.” He had said.
Stupid, stupid Thor ! Loki thought. Muninn pecked him on the head.
“Ow!” He exclaimed, rubbing his head. “Why did you do that?”
You were getting distracted. We have much to talk about, Muninn said haughtily. I suppose you will seek answers from Hela. Tell her who you are, what you are, and I believe she will be more inclined to help you.
Loki’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “What do you mean? Wait! You knew about her?”
Muninn nipped at his ear again. The raven looked like it would have rolled its eyes if it could. Muninn was the bearer of memory. Of course, it knew about Hela. Not to mention, the raven was so much older than him, possibly old enough to have known her personally.
For a moment, Muninn looked regretful. I watched her grow from a little fledgling to a chick far too young for all the war she was dragged into, then banished before she even took her first flight. She is Queen of Asgard now, however unprepared for it she might be. She has a long road ahead of her, and a lot of healing to do on her own… much like you, Muninn ended with a knowing look in its eyes.
Loki sighed, exasperated. “Alright pigeon,” he replied. “I get your point. I was already going to help her, you know. No need to manipulate me into it.”
Muninn looked pleased, satisfied by his promise. Be gentle with her. Over 2,500 years in the depths of Nastrond with only that boorish dragon for a neighbour can’t have been good. She will need to rebuild herself like you did these last few years.
Loki’s eyes widened in realization. “You knew,” he said. “You knew I was posing as Odin. Why did you never speak to me?”
Odin had forbidden it. Now that he is gone, so too are the bindings he placed on us. Muninn replied. Huginn and I are free once more.
“Free? But I thought…” Loki trailed off, unsure what to say. Huginn and Muninn had always been Odin’s ravens. There were old Aesir tales of how benevolent Odin gave form to thought and memory. He had always assumed that they were simply Odin’s familiars, like Jormungandr had been to him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Loki ached at the thought.
Don’t be. You would have tried to help if you knew and Odin would have punished you dearly for it. Muninn insisted. It’s in the past now. No need to dwell over it anymore.
“Wait! You can talk to me now. Tell me what I need to know!” Loki demanded.
I could but it would be better if you talked to Hela first. Besides, I have much to tell you about the fate of the surviving Aesir, Munnin said.
“I… fine,” Loki begrudgingly accepted Muninn’s answer, knowing that the old raven was right. “I… who… how are they doing?”
Muninn looked at him knowingly. Eir is alive. She has already commandeered a chamber for healing and has been treating the wounded with three other healers. Most of the members in your holding survived. Sven is overseeing their care. Thor was proclaimed King. He set up a council, with Heimdall, Valkyrie Brunnhilde, the Kronan and the Green Giant. Thor wishes to go to Midgard. He plans to rebuild New Asgard where Odin died.
Loki sighed, closing his eyes. Midgard was a terrible idea. Their building materials were too brittle for Aesir; their food was not rich enough; and, the planet was overpopulated. And as if that was not enough, humans drained their resources quicker than they could replace them, polluted their lands and poisoned their seas. It would be a miracle if the planet remained habitable a hundred years from now. Not that he had anything against Midgard. His own safe haven was there, under the most complex warding he had ever created, completely invisible to all but him. He loved the chaos of Midgard, its ever changing, capricious nature. But he knew that the Aesir would struggle with it. After all, Asgard had remained stagnant for centuries.
“What was Thor thinking?” Loki asked. “Even if some of them agree to grant him the land to rebuild, there is no guarantee that the humans will respect their promises centuries from now. Does he mean to isolate Asgard? How are the Aesir to form lasting bonds if human life is so fleeting? Why did he not go to Vanaheim? Or even, Aflheim? Many Aesir have extended family there. Their physiology is similar enough that Asgard could eventually repopulate safely. The humans are mortal and very delicate.” He well remembered the pain of losing his human friends. Even centuries later, he could still feel pangs of grief at the thought of the eccentric Leonardo, his brave Mary, and many others he met through his travels.
I do not know. Thor simply said that he had friends there. Muninn retorted sharply. It seems that even the raven was not happy with that decision. There is nothing to do for it now. The Statesman has already locked in the coordinates. The journey will be long and hard.
“I will send some supplies with you.” Loki said, his mind already racing through the possibilities. The Aesir would need healing potions and ingredients, food, possibly water as well. Fuel would be difficult to acquire in these parts. He hoped they wouldn’t need any.
“I will send a miniature chest with you,” Loki decided. “I will weave a pocket dimension within it so I can send everything through easily. Sven will know what to do. We often exchanged correspondence this way. Remind him to set it down before opening. The chest will expand the moment it touches a flat surface.” Sven was his valet and steward. Loki remembered the outrage in court when he had chosen the young, inexperienced Vanir, then only a mere servant, to both take care of his household and manage his holding. But Sven was level-headed, efficient and, above all, extremely loyal.
A solid plan firmly in his head, Loki stood up and looked around the healing chamber. He could send a few things to Eir, but most of the potions were old and not as potent as they once were. It would do for now, but he would need to go out and buy ingredients. He walked to the kitchen. There wasn’t much; a few jars of elderberry jam were miraculously still edible but the rest had gone bad already. Not surprising, he thought. There was only so much preservation spells could do without periodic renewal. Hela and I will need a few things as well.
Loki sighed. There was nothing for it; he will have to leave Master Frode’s house. He would go hunt and collect herbs and other potion ingredients from the forest that bordered the house. There was a lake with bountiful fish about a mile from here. Whatever else they needed, he could have to go to the market in a nearby Alfar settlement, preferably in the city. The more people, the more he could pass by unnoticed. As much as he would love to visit his Uncle Freyr, he couldn’t risk it. Not if Hela was the one who conquered Vanaheim with Odin; she would have been there when Odin sent young prince Freyr in exile to Alfheim, forever barred from his realm of birth.
He went to his old bedroom. For a moment, Loki stopped and stared. The room felt so different, so much lighter. It belonged to a younger, naiver Loki. Books and writing supplies cluttering the table, a silk robe carelessly draping the back of a chair, curtains drawn wide open to let the light in. He remembered coming back to this room after many wonderful evenings spent in Master Frode’s company, discussing anything and everything hat crossed his inquisitive young mind.
Loki had been mocked relentlessly for the great affection he held for his seidr master and the relationship that lasted long after he had learned all he could from the mage. They had visited each other often, so much so that Master Frode had given Loki a room in his house to stay in whenever he came. Loki had been so touched by the gesture that he had thrown his arms around the old mage and sobbed into his chest while trying to convey his gratitude. He had been so embarrassed afterwards for displaying behaviour unbecoming of his station, but Master Frode had not reprimanded him for it. In fact, his master had encouraged him to roam and play around with the other elflings, had delighted with answering Loki’s questions and challenging his worldviews, had pushed him to explore uncharted waters in seidr theory. The old mage had had an unflinching faith in Loki that was as empowering as it was daunting. Loki wondered what Master Frode would think of the man he had become.
No. Loki shook his head. Now is not the time for your musings. Loki opened the chest at the foot of the bed and emptied it. The chest itself already contained expansion spells. All he needed to do was weave one of his pocket dimensions and restriction spells into it. Sven, and only Sven, would be able to access whatever Loki put there instantly, wherever either of them were. They had done this before, though on a much smaller scale. It allowed Loki to manage his holding and discharge his duties as a prince when travelling.
Loki added an alarm spell for good measure; it would make the chest glow when there was something in it. Satisfied with his work, Loki picked up the chest and headed back to the healing chamber. Muninn paid him no attention, continuing to stare rather intently at Hela. Loki gathered a few potions and basic ingredients from the shelf to put in the chest. It was not much but it would do for now. Later he would arrange for furs and cloth to sew, and books and other materials to keep the children entertained. He would need detailed census of Aesir and Sakaaran gladiators and an inventory of things they already had to determine what they would need.
He grabbed a piece of parchment to pen a quick note to Sven and Eir. As he picked up the quill to write, he hesitated. He was falling back onto his old patterns. He was covering for Thor again, anticipating the things that oaf would no doubt pay no mind to. Thor was often oblivious to other people’s needs and comfort. It was doubtful that the Aesir would outright ask for anything beyond the barest necessities. They were a proud people after all. Yet, Loki owed Asgard nothing. Why was he helping again? It’s not like he would get any gratitude, or even mere recognition, for his help.
What’s the matter? Muninn asked.
“I… nothing,” Loki said. “Just thinking.”
Muninn had that insufferably knowing look in its eyes again. Loki was getting rather irritated with it. He didn’t remember the old bird being so annoying in his youth. He sighed. No, he couldn’t leave the Aesir like this. Those who survived were farmers and artisans, mostly civilians, innocents who had no hand in Odin’s schemes. However false his own identity was, he had sworn oaths as prince of Asgard to take care of his people and he had never failed his duty. He would help them rebuild, but not in Midgard. The planet was not viable long term.
Loki also had to find a way to stave off the other realms, eager to take revenge for millennia of oppression under Odin, while somehow convincing them to unite together in the fight against Thanos. With Asgard’s warrior class eradicated, he would have to carefully rearrange his plans. As much as he wanted to keep it, the Tesseract rightfully belonged to Asgard, to its Queen. But the realms would never accept Hela, not when she had conquered them at Odin’s bidding in the first place. There was a chance… no, he would unpack this conundrum later. He needed food, rest and time to consider possible options from all angles.
He wrote a quick letter to Sven and Eir, detailing what he wished them to do but otherwise remaining vague as to his whereabouts. He put it in his pocket dimension and checked whether it appeared in the chest. Good, it was working. He shrunk the chest to a thumb size, wrapped it in a piece of cloth and tied it together in a knot. It was light enough for Muninn to carry without difficulty. He turned to Muninn and said, “All done. Are you ready?”
Yes, the old raven replied. It took the knot in its beak. Muninn looked at him for a long moment. Eat, princeling, and rest. Mimir’s head will only respond to the rightful ruler of Asgard. There is much for you and Hela to know. Wait for her to wake, speak with her, gather all your answers before you make your plans. Strengthen your sense of self so you don’t shatter as you did before. Remember that whatever else you hear, you are Loki. Be brave princeling, for Hela and for yourself. I will see you soon.
And with that Muninn flew away.