I come from a land of ice and snow

[throneenvy]

Asgard sat atop the branches of Yggdrasil since time began, and little had changed in their society in the years since. Each Asgardian was long-lived into the millennia, their lands were fertile, their people brave and strong. They had their vassals, their allies, and their enemies. Yet even those who opposed them respected the might of the Golden Dias, and the royalty who sat upon it. Currently that was Odin Borson, though he grew weary more easily now and had begun to consider passing the throne to his eldest son.

He had been blessed with many children, but only two that he considered worthy of his lineage and status. His firstborn, Thor, strong and honourable and everything an Asgardian warrior should be. His second son, Loki, was not natural born, though none knew that but his wife. He was different, a creature of magic and mayhem, of sharp intelligence. Both were worthy, but together they would take Asgard to a new prosperity, he was certain of it.

Midgard, where the mortals dwelt, was a land raided every few centuries for stock. It was seen as a breeding ground, much like a corral for cattle. Mortals were lesser, short-lived and weak, they were fit only as slaves. The last raid had taken place when Loki had been but a baby, nearly a thousand years ago, but the mortals that had been taken had been bred and cared for so that a healthy slave population still thrived. Slaves were given a weakened mixture of Idunn's crop with their food, to extend their natural lives to at least a few centuries in order to make them worth the effort to train. They had no rights, but they were taught well that this was their natural position.

All slave children were raised in a central pen and taught the same when small, those that then displayed talent at cooking, riding, hunting, housework, artisan skills, or singing were then measured off to be specially trained for higher masters. Every five years those who could afford to buy a slave, or those of high enough status to simply demand them, came to the corral and chose. Those who were chosen were special, were envied, and those who were not ended up working the fields out in the far reaches of Asgard, the most menial of work.

Anthony and Steven had been friends since they were little and being raised in the large pens together. Both had excelled, Anthony at crafting and Steven at warrior's skills, but neither were chosen when they were five, nor ten, nor even fifteen. Now, at twenty, it was their final chance to be chosen before they would be assigned to one of the meanest farmers beyond the borders of the great capital. Steven woke Anthony as the dawn rose, mingled excitement and nerves on his face.

"Anthony! Wake up, I've got news! I heard the overseer talking to one of the passing guards, and Princes Thor and Loki are coming to the corral today."

Comments

[starkingenuity]

There was a weird moment where Tony's face seemed to crunch in on itself. "That's not what I'm-- I didn't say that I--" Okay. Maybe she'd been giving him a way out?

How much of a criminal was he to still want her? Even as she looked now? Sure. Sometimes body mattered but most of the time, Tony just wanted to have a connection.

There weren't many people he felt that way about at all.

Tony reached forward, no idea her skin would burn him if he touched her. "Like I told you, I'm more than willing to go for another round--"

[throneenvy]

Loki watched his hand come closer, but wherever he went to touch would melt to flesh tones again, giving her a mottled appearance. It was harder to shapeshift only parts of her this way, but she did not want to wear the skin of a mortal right now, she wanted to feel Jotnar.

"You cannot touch me in my natural skin, I would burn you. The touch of a Jotnar can turn even the hardened skin of an Aesir black and dead, and I would not wish to kill you."

Her lips turned down a bit, though more with confusion than anger.

"I do not understand you, you say how forbidden this is and yet you seek it again."

[starkingenuity]

There were few things that Tony needed more than his hands and he tugged his own back with a laugh and picked up his tools again. It was probably strange that he was talking to Loki about sex while making her future husband a one of a kind present for the wedding night.

"I'm chaotic," Tony said as if that was a way to explain himself. It probably wasn't. "I don't even count on myself so you probably shouldn't count on me either. Besides in a year you're off limits right? I have to live up to Time Magazine calling me the most impossibly possible man of the decade. And lots of people want what they can't have."

He was all over the place on that reaponse, dropping a screwdriver in favor of a hammer to start thinning out some metal in a joint. His bare arms flexed.

"You probably saved my libido, Loki. So don't think I'm ever ashamed of what we did."

He was also going to have to kill Banner for meddling in his affairs. Jesus.

[throneenvy]

"Why would I be off-limits in a year?"

Loki had not heard that particular phrasing before, but it was rather self explanatory. Though Jotnar often mated for life and rarely had other sexual partners, it was not frowned upon if they did and the Aesir encouraged it. She had researched their culture thoroughly to be sure that she would be able to fit in with her new home.

"I do not expect to be Thor's only bed partner, and I doubt he expects the same of me. Aesir view sexual encounters as a bonding exercise between friends."

That hadn't changed from the good to the bad Aesir, so Tony might have to be careful promiscuous Aesir didn't try and get him into bed and make him relive all his old traumas.

[starkingenuity]

"If you would have told me that a year ago, I would have been eager to meet these people," Tony admitted. But now he didn't want any casual partners. He obviously still wanted partners if he had propositioned Banner (who could never consummate with him) and agreed to bed Loki (who he had assumed with be a short term thing). But hearing how free Loki would be...

Not that it mattered. He'd be dead in fifty years and Loki would be in her honeymoon phase right now.

"Aren't you suppose to have his kids? Wouldn't it be bad if you slept around and he couldn't be sure your kids were his?" He was just asking. That was how the monarchy usually worked regardless of the culture.

[throneenvy]

"Any children that were not his would be sent to one of the outlying palaces and raised there, they would not be damned for their parentage, but they would not have the throne unless Thor adopted them to it. Not that this will be a problem for me, for I am a shapeshifter as you seem to have forgotten, should I not wish children then I will simply render myself infertile for that coupling."

Remove the womb, change her internal organs. Or even do so afterwards to kill any potentially gestating children. She did not mind which, she did not intend to be a mother many times over as she didn't see herself as particularly maternal.

[starkingenuity]

"You guys are leaps and bounds better than us, then, when it comes to jealousy." That didn't mean that Tony expected to really see Loki after she was shipped to Asgard, though. Until then-- He decided to get over himself. If the others didn't understand, well so be it. Tony found himself leaning against his palm, frowning lightly at the princess.

There was no reason to be anything other than blunt, however.

"Okay. So. Friends with benefits. That's a thing you guys do. Right? Are you open to that? With me?" He sort of wished she was that buxom woman right now. Alas.

[throneenvy]

Such strange phrases the mortals had, but again judging by the context of their conversation so far it was not hard to see the 'benefits' as being bedsport. She shook her head, feeling as if she were the one far more adult than he despite the touches of grey at his temples, and sighed.

"I believed we were already that, you need not ask. You were not so terrible that I would not enjoy rolling in the furs with you again."

She reached out and flicked him on the ear.

"Now do not be so despondent, it is dull and does not suit you."

[starkingenuity]

Tony cupped his ear, not even once flinching despite Loki's assertion that she could kill him with a touch. She wasn't going to kill him. That would look bad for everyone. And she could evidently shift just part of herself anyway. It was ridiculously appealing to see her draw back with two pink fleshed fingers and a blue body.

"I'm never dull. Ever. And I was better than good. I am better than good. If you drop by later I'll show you. But first I could use a hand with this." Thor would be her husband. She could help him out with the manual labor.

And he always liked having someone around to admire his work and offer witty banter. FRIDAY was good company now that he had her back but she was no JARVIS. And Tony was starting to prefer Loki to Bruce.

Probably because Bruce wasn't ever going to be in his bed.

"Pick up a hammer."

[throneenvy]

Loki was no dwarven smith. She had many skills, some greater than any other she knew, but smithing was not one of them. She was loathe to show herself ignorant to most, but for some reason she did not care so much with Tony. Perhaps because there was so much he was obviously ignorant about as well, and she did not think that he would judge her for the lack of knowledge.

"You will have to show me what to do, I have never held hammer or tongs before."

She slipped off the desk and went to collect the tools requested, though, and stood back a little warily.

"Do not think me a coward, but does your smithing need the use of fire as the dwarves use to smelt their metal? There is a reason the Jotnar do not often work with metal, for we cannot stand the heat well."

Even shapeshifting into something else, the core of her would always remain Jotnar and heat would be the best way to hurt her.

[starkingenuity]

"Sometimes. But not with this. It's all about cold tempering when it comes down to armor construction. I'm using materials that have been strengthened at their molecular level already so we don't have to heat and beat to rearrange the molecules to make them stronger. They'll get spray applied after we have our skeleton. Tin is pretty easy to work by hand."

Tony was a fantastic teacher when he wanted to be and when his pupil wasn't clueless. He and Loki worked on the chest plate together, first molding the shell and then sending it odd to FRIDAY to coat it in titanium gold alloy. After, he showed her how to hook up the hardware and wiring.

At least if Banner came by this time, they would be innocently enjoying themselves.

[throneenvy]

It would not be Banner that came and disturbed them, but Helblindi. He had found his heart especially troubled by a possible rift between his sister and Stark, this was the first diplomatic mission of true import that his father had entrusted to him and he was loathe to see it go wrong. Aside from that, he also did not wish to see his sister's heart bruised.

He could scarcely fit through the doorway, having to almost crawl and even then the bulk of him made the jamb warp a little. He smiled, though, to see them working so well together.

"A sight I had hoped to see, and one I hope we may yet see for many lifetimes, mortal and Jotnar working side by side. Well met, Tony Stark, I see that your smithing prowess has not been exaggerated."

[starkingenuity]

"Holy shit!" Whoops. He was speaking to Prince and the savior of his race. He shouldn't curse. But seeing a Jotun on his knees in the doorway, half through, was enough to make him drop his hammer. Smirking at how easily he had startled, Tony bent to pick his tool up. "Are you going to be able to get out or will my smithing skills be put to another test, Andre?"

Evidently, now that things had been smoothed over with Loki, he felt more like himself again. Sex had been healing but her friendship was better still. Tony set the hammer aside and pulled the pliers from his belt to put them down too. He knew better than to touch Helblindi, though, and he kept his distance.

"But yeah. Hey. Nice to see you too in person." The Iron Man armor still in the corner, powered down and waiting. "Does Loki have to go home now? Getting late?"

[throneenvy]

"I would not be so foolish as to presume to order my sister in aught, such would be the path to suffering," Helblindi replied with a slow smile. It was a laid-back kind of humour, but it was actually swift wit for something as slow as a Jotnar, who took all of life with the ponderous inescapable speed of snow falling.

"Yet perhaps she would see kind enough to bring some refreshments for us, for it would gladden my heart to know you better. With all the others of your council I have broken bread, you alone sit unknown."

Loki, though she had been enjoying her evening with Tony, did immediately set down her hammer to set off and do as Helblindi asked, for she knew how important this whole mission was to him and fetching some food was no harsh task. When she had gone, Helblindi awkwardly managed to manoeuvre himself properly into the room, sitting so that his head grazed the ceiling above.

"I did not speak false and do wish to know you well, but I must speak before Loki returns and thank you for your friendship. I think she will sorely need it in the days to come, word from Asgard is troubling to the heart."

[starkingenuity]

Word from Asgard...?

"Which? Yours or the one here? I guess the one where I came from doesn't exist anymore." Tony looked apprehensive, which was a look he'd never worn before the invasion. He'd been sure many times that he would die but he'd never been so unsure of the next breaths he'd take. He didn't like the unknown. He was too used to crafting the future for himself and living in perfection.

Which was why this worried him. He was not in control of anything. Not even himself.

Asgard from Loki's world couldn't have heard about this yet. And Helblindi had been here the whole time so he couldn't have gotten news... Right? Tony had no idea that Loki had set up a system of communication through magic between Laufey and the delegation here.

"I've had a lot of bad news lately. I don't want more."

[throneenvy]

"Let your heart find calm, I mean not harm for you or yours, though this could bring turmoil to the doors of all if Asgard does not find itself with wisdom. I have heard whispers on the wind that the prince already receives much mockery for the bride they have not met. They mock him for having a wife he will not be able to hold, and I fear all I have heard of the prince speaks of the folly of youth that is easily swayed by a wish to seem great in the eyes of his peers."

Helblindi perhaps worried over this too much but he knew what could happen. Loki had a quicksilver temper and might make many enemies who saw her only as different in a way Queen Frigga had never been, for those of Vanaheim were close cousins of Asgard and near identical in genetics.

"If Asgard sees insult in a deformed princess, or the prince does not find worth in a Jotnar bride then there could be war if the insults are perceived too great. A situation which would not benefit you as much as I. I hope your friendship may have a balance on her and him that may avert this course. And from a selfish view, I must admit not wishing to see my sister's heart wounded."

[starkingenuity]

"They need to meet sooner rather than later," Tony said, knowing full well that it meant the loss of someone he'd hoped to have around for awhile. "The Thor I knew was... I don't know. I didn't really get a chance to know him before he was killed." He couldn't offer a whole lot of solace there but he could finally come to understand what Steve said about laying down on the line. He had to think of humanity first. His own shit came second. "So how do you talk your sister into going to Asgard just to go without telling her that people are afraid of her?"

Because that was what it happened to be. People only mocked what they didn't understand and were scared of.

None of this was an ideal situation.

"Actually. I have an idea. You worry about getting us somewhere safe and I'll make sure your little sis doesn't cause a war. Cool?"

[throneenvy]

Helblindi had been trying to consider that question for many a long month and come up with nothing, he wished happiness and prosperity to both kingdoms but he feared being too close to the situation as Loki's brother. To hear he now had another mind tackling the project, and one apparently quick and clever if Loki's assessment was anything to go by was a relief. He nodded and gave a ponderous how, somewhat spoiled by his needing to be hunched and sat to fit inside the room.

"Should you smooth this path, I will owe you a personal debt of gratitude."

He did not have time to say more for Loki reappeared with a tray containing fresh cooked fish and bread in Jotnar style. Tony would find the flavourings of delicate spice and hearty freshness should he taste it too.

"Do not think I will serve you often, my brother, the heat of this world must have made me ill for a moment and feel overly generous."

[starkingenuity]

Considering the lack of fish in his diet lately, Tony was more than pleased with the offerings. He snacked as he sat cross-legged with Helblindi and Loki, letting the siblings do most of the talking so he could get a better read on the older Jotun. It came him to fairly quickly who he reminded him of and it made him roll his eyes. “You’re just like Cap,” he said, getting up to refill the ice water. The workshop was cooler, noticeably, with the both of them there, but Tony found it all very strange just the same.

When Helblindi left, Tony assessed the damage to his staircase leading back down and then turned towards Loki with mischief in his eyes.

“Okay. So. This probably isn’t a smart idea. Or maybe it’s a genius idea. It’s me, so leaning towards genius. Want to get out of here? Just for tonight. Maybe scope out your Asgard? I really need to get Thor’s body scanned for this armor to fit right and…don’t you want to see what he’s like? I do.”

[throneenvy]

Loki looked every bit the alien princess as she sat cross legged, blue skinned and eating fish from an earthenware pot that she had managed to find somewhere. She enjoyed the company of both her brother and her friend, and so this proved to be a pleasant evening which she was considering wrapping up with some more bed sport.

But then the suggestion came.

Because it was supposedly for the armour, a ruse that she did not see through, she was not at all suspicious of his wish. She had longed to see her future husband and home, of course, not through romantic notions but so that she knew what she would be facing. Yet it seemed very risky to do so.

"I did not think you would wish to be surrounded by Aesir again, my friend."

[starkingenuity]

"Yeah. I don't. I really don't. But one Aesir should be okay. You're the magic gal. I'll leave the hows up to you. Maybe we can just have him meet us alone?" Tony was a good liar. He said it often enough because it was more true than not true.

He didn't say anything else to Loki, didn't make a stink about it or seem too interested in it, like it was all just an idea that floated into his head and could float out again.

He decided to rave about the fish instead. And admire long, blue limbs. He was a dirty old man. Might as well embrace it.

[throneenvy]

It was incredibly tempting, but she did not know how well the Aesir might welcome them, or even if they would think it a terrible breach of etiquette that she was coming at all. She did not bring it up for another hour, allowing the conversation to move to other areas, before she eventually cracked.

"Perhaps it is for the best that we find Thor and take his measure."

Not just for the suit, but to take the measure of him as a person as well.

"I can easily take us there through the branches of Yggdrasil via Jotunheim, and I am certain if it is known that we are there to gather information for a gift then we will not be poorly received."

[starkingenuity]

Back in his own armor, Tony made a brief journey back to Jotunheim just as the sky was turning black. Loki would be able to open up the Void between the branches and though he’d initially put on the armor to combat the cold of the Realm, he was glad to have it when they zipped into nothingness and still managed to come out the other side.

It was pretty remarkable, really.

Tony breathed in warm Asgardian air for the first time in his life as his armor locked his legs in place so he didn’t crumple over. He swallowed down some bile as the faceplate and then the helmet fell away and glanced around at the palace walls that surrounded them.

Prince Thor was close by, Tony could spot him in the distance, younger than the man he’d known, slightly smaller, laying in the grass under a tree filled with golden apples. He was eating one, legs crossed at the ankles, the hammer left to his side. He wore a simple blue tunic, sleeveless, a wide belt and tall knee boots. Evidently this was just how young rulers hung around on Asgard.

[throneenvy]

Loki would not show it for all nine realms, for she was of Jotunheim and should be strong, but she was afraid. She did not know how the future ruler of Asgard might feel about her and, while she could deal without love, she hoped for at least an acceptance and mutual respect that could lead to friendship.

She appeared in her mortal seeming form, all pale flesh and green eyes, though she did not change anything else and her gaze dared Tony to mention it. Back straight and eyes fixed ahead, she led the charge towards him, walking with purpose and without care for this being a prince they were approaching.

"Prince Thor? We are delegates come from Jotunheim."

That was all she said at first, just to gauge his reaction.

[starkingenuity]

A shift of sky blue eyes set within a tanned face shifted from the apples above his head to the two figures stood over him. One was just a girl with black hair and the greenest eyes he had ever seen. The other seemed to be her older guard, for he wore armour, but was much too short to be of any use. A little lift of his lips accompanied a short laugh. “Delegates from Jotunheim would not wander out into our orchards,” Thor pointed out. “They would be announced and received in the throne room. They would also be decidedly larger than the two of you together and, if I’m told correctly, have skin as blue as the sea and eyes as red as a forge fire. I see no Jotnar here.”

He sat up then, but did not stand. If Tony had to guess, and he was terrible at guessing, Thor was about nineteen, maybe twenty. His hair was fine and left free and he sported a close cropped beard that made him look older than he was. He kept behind Loki, silently comparing them both.

“Who are you really?” His smile grew larger. “Did Sif send you to see if I was paying attention to lessons again? Or have you climbed the walls and tried to have sport with me?” Now he stood. He towered over Tony. The human didn’t find that fair.