Loki didn't normally sleep late. Or wake up early, for that matter. Either he went to bed and woke at reasonable hours or he read through the entire night. The latter, to the chagrin of his mother, was not uncommon. He was somewhat surprised, therefore, to find that it was close to midday when he woke in his private room in the healing hall dormitories. The remaining aches and soreness were gone, and he felt as hale as he had before Sakaar. Better, even. It shouldn't be possible for his mood to be this good when he knew what people all across the realm would be talking about right now.
A smile played about his lips, and the kiss replayed in his mind. He wondered where Brunnhilde had spent the night. Perhaps he would make Sif tell him the last place she saw her, just to watch her squirm. Really the interruption had almost been worth it to see her so mortified.
He reached out a hand for the Casket of Ancient Winters and scooped it into his dimensional pocket, then shifted back into his Aesir form. The curtains fell away from the window at a wave of his hand. Almost immediately afterward, a raven swooped down and perched on the sill, where he tilted his head to the side and croaked.
"Yes, Munin, I'm feeling much better," said Loki.
Munin bobbed his head and let out a series of shorter croaks.
"If Eir will release me, I'll be right there."
The bird stayed put long enough for Loki to scratch lightly at the beard of feathers under his beak. He gave his finger an affectionate nip and took flight again, arcing upward through the air to reach the king's study.
X
Natasha and Clint stepped out of the flying boat before Thor and walked into the Bifrost Observatory.
"Good morning, Heimdall!" said Thor, beaming.
"Good morning my prince, Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff."
"We have need of your services," said Thor.
"This isn't protocol at all," Clint muttered. Then, in a normal voice, he said, "How close can you get me to my farm in Missouri?"
"Within one mile," said Heimdall.
Clint winced. "And you already know where it is. Alright, let's do this. Wait—is this thing safe for human kids to go in?"
"Far safer than mortal conveyances," said Heimdall. "You have nothing to fear."
Heimdall turned the huge sword in the plinth and the entire Observatory began to spin around them on massive gears. There was a split second when all the air seemed to be sucked out of it, and then the beam of light burst out.
Natasha smirked at Clint. "See you in a bit."
"Don't pretend you're already used to this, Romanoff," he said, and walked into the light.
Heimdall held the sword for a moment, then pulled it up. The light ceased and the Observatory spun back to its neutral position.
"And you?" he said.
"Can you see Agent Phil Coulson?" said Natasha. "He was one of the—"
"He was sent north this morning," said Heimdall. "A group of researchers stumbled across something unexpected in the lower arctic and SHIELD is sending a team to respond."
Natasha looked around at Thor, who was doing his spastic puppy impression again. "Is it Captain Rogers? Have they found him?"
"I believe so," said Heimdall.
If Natasha had any remaining doubts that everything Thor had told them about traveling through time was true, this eliminated them. "Doesn't seem like a great time to invite Coulson to a fancy party," she said.
Thor's excitement faltered. "No, perhaps not," he said. "Another time, then. Would you still like to return to Earth?"
X
Loki walked into the study, where he found Odin waiting for him in the alcove with the hnefatafl table and a platter of bread, fruit, and cheese.
"Attack or defend?" said Odin.
"Defend," said Loki, taking his seat opposite his father. It was a very familiar feeling despite how long it had been (over a century?) since they last played the game. They began setting out the pieces, with Odin's attackers around the perimeter of the board and Loki's defenders grouped in the center around the king. Once in place, Loki's pieces flashed green and gold, Odin's gold and bronze.
A vivid memory caught him, of Frigga working on the loom and an adolescent Thor wrestling with the wolves down by the fire while Loki and Odin played a game. Frigga had helped Loki distract Odin so he could swap out some of the pieces on the board when he wasn't looking, and they had all laughed. The ruse hadn't really been necessary; Loki won at least one in three of the games they played fair and square, but that one had been the most fun.
"You are well, truly?" said Odin. He flicked a finger, and one of the attackers shot forward two squares.
"Yes," said Loki. He began setting up a feint towards the corner by his left hand, sending one piece to venture out from the center. "Between the Casket and Eir's tyrannical care, I am fully mended."
Odin chuckled. "You never did like being fussed over." Another of the attackers moved closer to Loki's small huddle of pieces. "I've had Thor's account of Sakaar. I'd like to hear yours."
Pieces flew across the board as Loki talked. He managed to capture a few of the attackers Odin let creep too close, only losing one of his defenders so far.
"It seems I owe the lives of both my sons to Lady Gerd's frjosleikr lessons," said Odin when Loki finished. "You did very well."
Loki captured another piece and smirked. "Thank you." All was nearly in place for him to begin moving his king towards escape at the corner.
"I'm sure you're aware of the rumors by now," said Odin.
"Hardly a surprise," said Loki.
"Hugin has been bringing them to me like shiny baubles from a beach. I think my favorite is the one where Frost Giants murdered my real son in his crib and left you in his place. What a low opinion they must have of Frigga's and my powers of perception to think we have failed to notice for so long, and what a high opinion of the cunning of the Jotnar, to think them capable of such deceit and schemes from infancy."
He said it with amusement, but Loki scowled.
"Or perhaps I prefer the one where Frigga had a torrid affair with a Jotun soldier behind my back and crafted a disguise for the resulting child so all would believe he was mine."
If Loki found whoever had started that one, it would not be pleasant for him.
"Yes, there is a growing expectation that I intend to have the pair of you carted off to the dungeons or the headsman during the feast."
"I had better get my affairs in order, then," said Loki dryly.
"It will only grow worse from here, I'm afraid," said Odin. He was tightening the formation around Loki's forces. "We will need to put an end to them tonight."
"What will you do, have the offenders publicly flogged?" Or perhaps just make them forget, like he had with Hela.
"Certainly not," said Odin. "I will tell them the truth."
The piece Loki was moving flew off the board entirely, knocking two others over on the way. He hastily righted them and replaced his own piece. He resisted the impulse to note aloud that this was unfamiliar territory for Odin. "How will that help?" he asked instead.
"It helped you," said Odin. He moved a piece, flanking one of Loki's and capturing it. "This should have been your decision to make, but we no longer have that luxury. The explanation must come from me. The people will see the entire House of Odin united, and they will accept it."
Loki had his doubts about that, even after what Thor had said, which was why he had been hoping to avoid the whole feast. Evidently that would not be possible. He took his turn, trying not to seem petulant. He should feel more gratified that Odin was so determined to get the people's support for him, but all he could do was dread the moment he had to sit in front of all of them and feel their eyes on him like he was some exotic oddity at best, dangerous threat at worst.
"Commander Brunnhilde should be there too. At the high table," said Odin. He captured another of Loki's pieces, but it opened up room for Loki to move his king towards a different corner. "Her involvement on Sakaar will help to solidify your position."
Because the last person anyone would expect to side with the adopted Frost Giant would be a Valkyrie. "Assuming she attends."
"See to it that she does. I believe you and she already have something of a rapport?" Odin gave nothing away with his tone, but Loki cast an illusion to stop the old man seeing the pink tinge warming his cheeks just to be safe. "You'll find her at The King's Spear. She took a room there for the night and hasn't left yet."
Loki was rarely bothered by Odin's ability to collect specific information on just about anyone or anything within Yggdrasil—at least when it wasn't directed at him. This, however, made him uncomfortable. "She's not a piece on this board for you to maneuver, Father."
"I will not relinquish any advantage that will protect my family," he said firmly. "I do not expect her to make a speech, only to be present. It will be to her benefit as well as yours." An attacker closed on Loki's king. "Now, you will not be the only topic of discussion at the feast, nor the most pressing. I have spoken to the Council, and it is time for us to move forward on several other matters."
X
"Cooper, Lila, come down!" Laura called. "It's time for lunch!" She'd spent most of the morning weeding the garden while the kids played in the treehouse. On the days Cooper didn't insist on playing Jedis, they usually pretended to be secret agents. She wasn't sure which one it was today until she saw them from the kitchen window. They kept ducking behind things and giggling as they made their way closer to the house, and there was no lightsaber in sight.
They reached the back door, took off their shoes, and stepped inside.
"Agent Cooper Barton, ready to debrief!"
"Princess Fairy Wings, ready to debeef!"
"No, Lila, we're secret agents . You can't be a fairy princess and a secret agent."
"But I wanna be a fairy princess," said Lila.
"What was your secret mission today?" said Laura, fighting to maintain a straight face.
Cooper squinted so much his eyes were almost completely shut and jutted out his chin. "What's your clearance level, Agent Mommy?"
"...Six?" said Laura, sliding golden-brown grilled cheese sandwiches onto their plates.
Cooper shook his head. "Too low. It's classified." He headed for his chair, but Laura held up a finger.
"What did you forget?"
"Mooom, secret agents don't need to wash their hands."
"I think your dad would disagree. Go wash up before your grilled cheese gets cold."
They ran off to the bathroom in the hallway. The back door creaked again, and Laura looked around. Her heart leapt. "Clint! You're back already!"
He didn't say anything, but walked straight to her, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her hard. She reciprocated gladly, but a warning bell went off in the part of her brain that was still capable of coherent thought. This was how Clint acted when he came home from long, dangerous missions, but he'd only been gone a couple of days this time.
"Is everything okay?" she asked when he broke off the kiss and buried his face in her neck, still holding on tight.
"Yeah," he said. "I missed you."
She felt a slight bump on the back of his neck. When she prodded at it, he winced.
"Careful there. It's still sore."
"What is it?"
"Part of a long story." He pulled back, his hands sliding down to cup her forearms near the elbows. "Short version?" A silly, boyish grin broke out over his face. "I've been to two different planets. I mean, kind of. The nicer one isn't a whole planet."
She scrutinized him for any hint that he was messing with her. There was none. Her mouth fell open. "Wh—is this about Thor and Loki?"
"Yep. Fury sent me and Nat to Asgard. We were just supposed to check in with Foster, Selvig, and Banner and do some recon about the Asgardians to see if their stories hold up, but Thor pulled us into a mission to this other planet where we took out a warlord's army and freed a bunch of slaves, and tonight we're getting honored at a big banquet at the palace. They made us fancy outfits for it and everything, and they said I could invite my family. So whaddaya say pretty lady, wanna come to space with me?" He kissed her again and twirled her out and back to his chest.
"Come...to space?"
"It's beautiful, Laura. You and the kids would love it. It's like something out of a fairytale, and the food's really good."
Laura was struggling to process all this. It was rare for Clint to get so excited about something that he acted like a little kid. The longer he worked for SHIELD, the more grim cynicism seemed to creep over his heart. It was so gradual that it had taken a couple years before she noticed, and he loved what he did and believed in it, but she worried about that almost as much as she worried about him coming home in one piece. Consequently, she didn't think she could deny him any source of happiness, even one as crazy as this. "Is it safe?"
"Yeah," he said. "And it's just for the evening."
"Daddy!" Two small bodies came pelting across the kitchen and collided with them, and Clint turned to catch Cooper and Lila in his arms and lift them into the air.
"Hey babies," he said, kissing them each on the cheek. "You been good for your mama?"
"We're playing secret agents," said Cooper.
"What's your clearance level?" said Lila, making a fierce face that looked more like a pout.
Laura watched them, still trying to comprehend what Clint had told her. Eventually, the kids remembered that lunch was sitting on the table, and they sat down to eat their mostly cold sandwiches. Laura gave hers to Clint and turned back to the stove to make a new one and a set of seconds, working on autopilot.
She looked up at the sky through the window. She hadn't thought much about other planets, let alone visiting them, since she was a little girl playing in the "rocket ship" she and her brothers had made out of the big cardboard box the washing machine came in. She brought the fresh sandwiches to the table and sat down. "So how would this work? Do we need to pack anything?"
Clint sat up straighter in his chair, his eyes lighting up again. "No, we just have to go on a little hike. They'll have everything we need up there."
She nodded. She looked at the kids. Lila was taking excruciatingly tiny nibbles of her sandwich (a habit she'd developed out of nowhere recently and which Laura hoped to cure her of soon) and Cooper was slurping the juice out of his bowl of sliced pears. "What do you guys think, wanna go on a trip?"
X
Brunnhilde had forgotten how good the drinks were on Asgard. The swill you could get on Sakaar might be able to get you drunk faster, but Asgardians had elevated the distilling, brewing, and fermenting processes to art forms several millennia ago. The drinks they so lovingly crafted were the sort you drank while laughing with friends. The sort that gave you a nice, warm feeling inside. So for Brunnhilde, it was very strange to down pint after pint for the express purpose of wallowing, indulging in self-loathing, and trying to forget that at least one capricious immortal likely already knew she wasn't where she was supposed to be.
A few drinks after she lost count (and the ability to count), when the place had mostly cleared out, the freckly, plump matron had come to firmly steer her to one of the rooms they had on the second level. She hadn't objected, but flopped right on the bed and slept like a rock.
A blinding beam of sunlight woke her up in the morning. She felt vaguely numb all over and her head was fuzzy. It took a moment or two to remember where she was and why. When she did, she wanted another drink. She made a cursory effort to tidy herself up before heading back down to the hall. She barely had time to take a seat when a platter of food and a tankard were being set before her. It was the matron again.
"Thanks," she muttered.
"I've seen that look in a warrior before," said the woman with a gentle tsk. She had a very motherly way about her, and she spoke in Asgardian, not Allspeak. "I hope you're taking care of yourself, now." She patted Brunnhilde's shoulder and bustled off behind the bar. For some reason, Brunnhilde felt her throat closing up. Why was everyone on this realm, from the king to a random bar matron, trying so hard to tell her she still belonged here? Worse, why did she want it to be true?
"Good morning."
She turned and saw an unfamiliar man approaching. She narrowed her eyes, but a line of green-gold light spread over him and then it was Loki standing there. "Hey," she said, turning to the platter of food and loading up her fork with sausage and potato. He sat down across from her and stole one of her tomatoes, then gave her a look that dared her to complain. The lump in her throat loosened, and she found herself smirking.
"You got rid of the curls," she observed.
"Yes, I wanted to be more presentable."
"That's too bad."
He blushed, and her smirk widened.
"This is going better than the last time we were in a bar together."
He grimaced. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. My father sent me to find you."
A dull feeling of resignation washed over her. "What does he want?"
"For me to persuade you to come to the feast tonight and sit at the high table with us and the House of Freyr."
"Norns," she muttered, reaching for the tankard. Loki's hand caught hers before it could get there.
"He doesn't have to get what he wants," he said. "Don't go."
Brunnhilde looked at him. "He's going to use me to help legitimize you to the people, isn't he? I heard what everyone else was talking about last night. That's it, isn't it?"
"That's not the point. If he needs a prop or a symbol, he can find another one."
"A better one?"
He said nothing.
She grabbed the tankard with her other hand and set about draining it. Judging by some of the things people had felt free to say last night, Loki's position on Asgard was more precarious than her own. Part of that was Odin's doing, with his fiction about a Frost Giant invasion that the Valkyrior died to stop. But that wasn't Loki's fault.
She felt resolve hardening in her gut, the way it used to before a battle. She threw the empty tankard to the floor, where it shattered excellently, then shot him a hard look. "Save me a seat."