fossilised | I come from a land of ice and snow

I come from a land of ice and snow

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."

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"Because Steve," and he wasn't using a last name or a nickname anymore, "was pretending to be one of their number so he could flush them out. And so that he could keep the Soldier from hurting anyone. It's my fault. Bucky never liked me. And even through the brainwashing, he wanted to hurt me. He died because I'm an asshole."

Tony wasn't sure how personally he had been planning to take this but now it was above and beyond personal. His whole self hurt and his gait lessened as they neared his room.

"You can't tell him that Buck died thinking he was part of the organization that hurt him. One lie. One secret. Please."

This got worse and worse. Not only had she killed an innocent, but she had done so while his soul was tortured by the false knowledge of betrayal. He would go to an ignoble afterlife and might even lose himself to become one of the monsters that roamed Hel's domain, and all because of her impetuousness.

"He will not hear of it from my lips," she assured Tony, though she would have to tell Helblindi all of what had happened and seek his council. Why could she never wait and be wise? This was the first time her rashness had led to such catastrophe, and she would not likely forget it swiftly.

"...this was not of your doing, Tony Stark, his blood is not on your hands."

All of this wsa hilarious in a terribly unfunny sort of way and Tony lifted a hand to look at what was actually spread across his palm as opposed to Loki’s figure of speech. “If I hadn’t tormented him about his relationships, he never would have wanted to attack me. He would have stayed where he was on that table until Steve showed up to talk him back down. You didn’t know. You were saving me from being literally smashed into pulp.”

He paused by his door and glanced at the handle. He arched his eyebrows as if suggesting that Loki be the one the open the door. He didn’t want to smear any blood on anything else. To have to clean even more up later would be too much.

Even for him.

“I think we need to call a meeting with the council. And with you and your brother. The Asgardian slaves we captured and HYDRA… I think we need to discuss what to do with them. Everyone needs to heal.”

Though she had the gratitude of the one she saved, and she had not known prior to this that he was so broken in this way, it did not absolve her of the guilt. She should have opted for non-lethal force anyway, so that he could have been brought to justice in the manner of the mortals.

"I will inform Helblindi, but the meeting will not be this night. Steven Barnes needs to grieve and you require rest."

She did at least reach down and open the door for him, though she didn't step inside the building too. She needed to see her brother and tell him what she had done, to beg his wisdom and to see if anything could be done. She had heard legends of those coming back from the dead before, but had scarce paid them any mind, now she hoped for something that could erase her wrongdoing.

“One must trust that it is the time of some to go before they may be ready,” Helblndi said, but his voice was softer than usual as he sat with his sister in the great ice palace where Jotnar tended to stay upon visit to Vanaheim after she had left Tony Stark to his repose. He was bothered by this revelation and he frowned more fully as he leaned down to look her better in the eye. “I feel badly for these mortals. They have suffered so much in so short a time. Something must be done to ease their suffering. Are we not to be their lords? A lord must not allow a vassal to suffer unneededly. They have been kind and oyal to us despite having nothing to give. I will not see this tear them apart.”

Helblindi rarely spoke so much. His icy words were stunted and with many breaks between sentences. Only Loki had managed to pull so much out of him…and twice now! His sister obviously needed this to be a win.

“Consult with the sorceress enclave,” he suggested. “Death need not always be the end.”

"At least we can offer them assistance with finding their snakes, forced truth is not a difficult spell for even the most novice of sorcerers. But it is not enough, and you are correct that we are responsible for them."

She stood and stretched to her tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek, for he was still sat and would not rise as quickly as she did. "It was luck that brought me a brother with such wisdom, and I know you will see Jotunheim proud too. But you must deal with these matters alone for a time, I must go to the enclave now while the death is fresh."

She had not been often, preferring to go her own way, especially as chief of that enclave was the current All-Mother. But she needed their help, and she would fight to get it.

When Thor was made aware that his betrothed had once again been to Asgard and was having an audience with his mother, he brashly decided that he too should join such matters despite not being capable of Magic the way the enclave was. He was much too strong for his own good and he bullied his way into his mother's chambers with a yell.

Frigga looked only partially impressed. "Thor," she spoke calmly over Loki's shoulder. "Need you attend to all business? Shall I have your father add you to matters of the throne as well?"

Thor looked baffled in the same way Helblindi could at times, scratching his way through her veiled threat. "I should be by Loki's side," he said, stubbornly.

Frigga kept a laugh to herself. "It is my understanding that you two had been in sole company only once. Can you not stand to be apart from her already?"

"I can not, mother!" Thor claimed boisterously. "Nor should I want to. I think of Lady Loki all of my days and nights. What task has she come to ask? I will stand with her!"

"I would ask her this yourself, my son. Speak with a woman not about her."

Loki wore her natural skin to deal with enclave. It was not that she thought they would not deal with her in any other skin, but it felt more respectful to be herself when she told this story, and she wished to see how the mother of her intended reacted to her. Frigga was-- tender, there was no other word for it, and Loki was instantly struck with her.

She glanced behind when Thor burst his way dramatically in, red eyes glinting in momentary amusement and growing affection, before the weight of the situation pulled her expression back to penitance.

"It is to right a great wrong I have committed. There is a mortal known as James Barnes, I saw him attack a companion of mine and acted with impulsive instinct to cut him down. Only after he died did I find that he was an innocent, under an enchantment of the mind to perform the wishes of another, and that his soul died under false torment. His life is integral to that of the leader of their council, and they have suffered many blows already. I have come to petition for assistance in returning the life that I have foolishly taken."

"You wish to go to Hel?" Thor was dumb founded. Loki was younger than he was and already so mature. Perhaps it was as Sif said. Women mature faster then their counterparts. Thor had demanded a duel of her for his honour and smote her properly but now he thought that she had spoken truth. His jaw set. If his bride wishes to risk herself to save a mortal life she believed she had wronged, he would not dare let her go alone. "I will accompany you."

"Thor." Frigga's calling of his name was stern. "You are the heir of the throne."

"As was my father," Thor reasoned. "And he campaigned to subdue the Muspari uprising in Vanaheim when he was of my age. He met you there, did he not? I can not allow my betrothed to risk herself alone. It is my duty to attend her."

Frigga had heard Thor speak passionately about Loki before when he asked for her help with the poor mortals of a different branch of the tree of life. She had thought it was an attempt to be boastful but now she saw that her son was besotted.

"You must ask Odin."

Never had Loki met someone quite like Thor. Most children on Jotunheim had grown out of such boastful ways long since, or never quite got there because of the tendency for Jotnar to be slow and thoughtful rather than act so much on impulse. But he was also true and genuine, she could feel that he meant every word and this was not said just for show to impress her.

It made her lips curve in an almost fond smile, though she might deny it if it were pointed out to her, and she turned her head to look at him properly.

"Though we will be wed and our battles will often be one, to see the strength of the other to fight alone to right their personal wrongs is something we must be able to do. This was of my doing and it should be by my hand that it may be put right." Though she was denying him, it wasn't cruelly. "To know that you wished to come, though, will give me strength as I travel to Helheim, should the enclave grant my request."

"I would not take away your accomplishment," Thor said. "One should never take on such dangers alone. Not even I would travel such distances without my Warriors in tow." He was still an arrogant fool but he meant well. "I should also survey Hel for myself, should I not? We will rule over it together in the coming years."

He would have said more in protest but his mother lifted her hand to stop him from saying more. "Learn to trust, Thor. If the Lady Loki wishes to embark on her own or with companions of her own choosing, do not stomp about like a child. Perhaps it is best you act the companion when you have been wed. Anything further may be seen as unseemly."

Thor puffed out his chest and though he wanted to say more and his anger and disappointment was all over his face, he gritted his teeth, bowed, and left.

Frigga's smile returned. "I have never seen him back down before. I believe you shall properly temper him."

Loki found herself pleasantly surprised by Thor's mother, she was much wiser and kinder than she had believed would be possible from a Vanaheim sorceress under Asgardian rule. She smiled in return, something determined and fiery in her eyes as she offered a small bow of her own.

"I hope to do so, he has the makings of a fine king, but there is much to work upon."

She hoped Frigga would not be offended by this frank assessment of her son, mothers could sometimes be blind to the faults of their children, but she imagined that it would not be so.

"And you will grant my passage to Helheim to barter with the Lady Hel for the return of this mortal?"

"They all do. Your sons will be no different. It took the birth of my second son, Baldur, to finally see that my husband had the wisdom it would take to be All-Father. And he had been All-Father at that point for many years." Frigga hardly minded the critique. Thor was his own person. Though not borne of her, he was still hers. Just as Loki would become hers in marriage.

She'd always wanted a daughter to follow in her footsteps. Loki was a great sorceress already but could stand for some tempering of her own.

"But he is correct that going alone may not be wise. It is easy to get lost among the dead and hard find a single soul in a sea of infinite faces. If you are determined, however, I will grant your way."

Loki was headstrong too and she was determined to fix this wrong through her own hands, probably not what Helblindi had in mind when he had told her to go and seek the counsel of the enclave. If he found that she had gone to Helheim alone, and if their father discovered it, it would likely not be a good day for either of them. She did not think of that now, only of her mission.

"I can do this without the need for companions, the dead hold no fear for me and I cannot be lost while I hold seidr. Thank you, All-Mother."

She took a step forward, already prepared to get going and petition Hel herself for the return of this man's life. If she died in the task, so much would be the price, but she was too stubborn to die easily.

It was not easy to get to Hel when alive and Frigga assisted Loki with creating the spells she would need to not only take her there, but to protect her. It took the better part of the afternoon and when Loki finally found herself in the whispy, purple toned Realm of the dead, clutching a two way mirror to Frigga herself and wearing an amulet made from the same metal that had been used to forge Mjolnir. It bore the runes of the royal family of Asgard and tied Loki to them even though she had not yet been wed. In her pockets were gold coins to bribing the dead and on her person was a dagger forged from the inner bowels of Muspelheim. She was warned not to touch the blade for the Fire Giants and the Frost Giants could not coexist without strife and it was meant as a gift for Hel in exchange for the single soul that Loki would hopefully bring back.

As Frigga had stated before she sent Loki away, the dagger had always been meant as a gift for Hel for she and Lady Frigga had once played together as children and Lady Hel had coveted the blade fiercely. It may not be enough, but Frigga hoped it would help Loki in her task.

Of course, Loki would need to climb the wall into Hel first before she could hope to find Bucky.

Loki was not a creature who did things by the rules.

Though she was confident of her ability to climb the walls of Hel, to bribe the dead, to fight her way along the road, and to speak with the Lady Hel like any other petitioner, that was not her way. She had heard that the Lady Hel valued intelligence and flexibility, not just the strength of arm.

So she sat outside the gates and raised her voice, confident that she would be heard for naught could happen in the realm of Helheim that did not make it to the goddess' ears.

"Lady Hel! I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I come to speak with you. I do not breach your gates as a conqueror, but wait outside them to be invited in as a guest and friend."

There was a very long moment of silence as the skies swirled and the air shimmered in the normal course of the Realm. There was no sound outside of the pitiful muttering of the dead within, punctuated by moments of intense laughter that was perhaps half madness or perhaps genuine joy of families coming together in their afterlife. Hel was not a place of doom. It depended upon the way death came upon those within. While not universally wondrous as Valhalla, it would be a mistake to think that Hel was doom and gloom for many.

Loki would be left waiting a long time before a shadow fell over her from behind. A woman with half her face shrouded in mist would be standing there when she turned, gown of inky purple obscuring her hands.

“Father,” she greeted the younger girl. “I knew we would meet before my birth but I did not know it would happen so soon. Why have you come?”

Edited 2017-09-01 15:15 (UTC)

Though the wait was long, Loki did not shy from her course or doubt that her actions were the right ones. And then Hel herself appeared, beautiful even with half a face, and greeted her in a manner she was not expecting. She knew that Helheim existed outside of time, that it simply was with no before or after, but to be named father to its ruler had her gaping in shock with wide red eyes. She did not doubt it for truth, she had not heard Hel one for lies, and so after a moment she nodded her head in supplication and greeting.

"To hear fatherhood stands in the future of any young woman is a surprise, but I am filled with pride for knowing I will father such a great child as you and hope that I have done well by you as parent."

Obviously a child with someone other than Thor, though this was not unheard of and both she and Thor would likely have children from other sources during their marriage.

"I have come to take one of the dead back to life. His was taken wrongfully by my hand in a misunderstanding and I wound see it righted."

It was difficult to tell if Hel took the honour as mere verbal head patting or if she genuinely enjoyed the words. Loki could not know that she had met her many times, met many of her counterparts many more times, or that this was not the first time that Loki herself or one of her companions had come seeking a soul. A few times, it had even been Loki’s soul that had been demanded. Hel had played this game before and yet each outcome was always different and the journey was never the same. She enjoyed each instance.

He hands spread noticeably under her sleeves and her single visible eye lifted towards the great walls.

“A different mortal than usual,” she said, cryptically, for she could mean any number of things to the girl. “You seek out one called James Barnes or Bucky or the Asset or the Soldier. He has many more names than even that. Many men die, Princess. Many do not die well and many of those die accidentally. You are not the first nor last to seek me to release one of my subjects.” Or, in this case, one aspect of one of her subjects. All the Bucky Barnes that were ever meant to come to her were inside. Separating them from each other was difficult. “And I will tell you as I tell all: Death comes to all. You are dead as you are alive, existing as both at once. I am sorry, but I can not allow you to steal a subject from my care.”

Loki would not be herself if she would be deterred by a simple refusal, she had much more inside her and a stubborn streak that would not bend. She might be awed by meeting Hel herself, but that did not mean she was about to turn into a snivelling wretch and slink away on her belly like a coward.

"This is most strange," she mused, as if surprised, though it was an act. "I had heard that the Lady Hel was a generous and fair minded ruler, not one to accuse theft of a guest, and not one so selfish as a to refuse the loan of something so small for so little a time. For I do not wish to steal a subject, merely borrow him for some years, and then he will be returned to you."

After all, no man was immortal.

"Is that so high a priced gift that it cannot be given in goodwill?"

Hel was either charmed or amused, it was hard to judge by half of a visible face. "You have switched from flattery to backhanded compliments so soon? Will you next be insulting and finally angry to attempt to change my mind?"

It was a rhetorical question to be sure and she did not expect to get an answer. She was mostly curious at how Loki would react. Each version of her father she had met was different. He or she was chaotic and to believe any to act the same way twice was folly.

"You ask the impossible besides. Pulling one personality from a conglomerate soul never ends well. But you may seek your mortal out and try to tease the correct instance of his soul from the mass of instances that make him true how he is. This is not a task that ends well, Father. Not for anyone."

"Should you bring him here to me, for I know that you must be able to locate him, I will be able to find the correct instance in three questions only."

She said this with confidence and, though it could be construed as boastful and foolish, she truly believed it. After all, hers was a reality that seemed to not be like any other, and there must be a way to separate the one she had come for from any other instance of that man.

"I ask your assistance, but should you refuse it then I will continue alone. I do not wish to be at odds with you, future daughter, but I will not be turned back."

"Interesting. Shall we two have a wager? If you truly believe that you can pull out the piece of soul that once belonged to James Barnes in only three guesses, you may have him. If not... You will send to me your first born, my brother. There is much we two could accomplish together."

Fenrir was never destined to visit her in the place and she always coveted the souls of those who never had even an aspect of a shadow of themselves come to her Realm. He was destined to be part of Ragnarok. And perhaps she could stop her brother from his terrible fate if he came to dwell with her.

"Swear to me on these rules and I shall fetch for you the one you seek."

"I cannot offer you that," replied Loki at once, eyebrow raised. "Any son I might bear will be his own man and I cannot take his accomplishments from him. Should he win the right to reside in Valhalla, then it is not for me to have already taken that from him before he has even drawn breath."

But Hel had opened the bargaining, which meant that there was still hope to find a wager they might both agree upon.

"I can offer you myself, for it is the only life that I hold dominion over. No matter how gloriously I die, should I lose this bet, I shall come to your home and reside here with you."

"The majority of you already does," Hel said, not worrying about whatever secrets she might give or how it might sound intimidating. "One more guaranteed piece of a soul I already have ownership of is not much of a bargain." Especially since she was more than likely going to have this version of her father as well. Lokis tended not to do well with the general order of things and she ruled the chaos of this realm.

But at least they were both up to negotiation.

"Rather than bet something likely already destined to come to me, bet instead your freedom. Should you lose, for one hundred years, you shall rule Helheim and I shall dwell upon the other Realms. I will take payment at my choosing."

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oops fell asleep on my sofa there for a while...

<3

Re: <3

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