Chapter 6

After being apprised of the situation on Jotunheim, Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg were apprehensive upon being informed by Odin that Loki, unaccompanied, would travel to Midgard to attempt to locate the mysterious Phil Coulson. Though Loki had spent much more time than they in that realm and far more recently, his previous sojourns had been all in good fun (at least from his perspective), not missions to apprehend treacherous assassins who they knew almost nothing about, but who unlike other Midgardians were familiar with Asgard. Though killing or even severely injuring an Asgardian would be extremely difficult for a mortal of Midgard to achieve, if this Coulson was a mortal, it wasn't completely outside the realm of possibility.

It had been a long, trying day for everyone. Exhaustion overtook Loki once more, adrenaline having lifted it earlier due to Sif's attack followed by his father's summons and the astonishing news of Laufey's demise. Loki trailed behind the others after leaving the throne room and making their way down the corridor to retire to their chambers for the night, Sif a shot distance ahead of him. Though he believed that he had planted at least enough of a seed of doubt within her mind he wasn't taking any chances.

After the Warriors Three had rounded a corner, Sif came to a halt, turning to face Loki, putting him on his guard. He relaxed somewhat as she bowed her head, her countenance exuding shame.

"Thank you….for your discretion. I should be in the dungeon," Sif told him after a moment of silence, as if she had been in a battle with her ego to be able to speak the words.

"It would not have pleased my brother for you to be locked away."

"Neither would he have been pleased with my actions," Sif responded.

"I know how high in your esteem you held him. When I find who is responsible they will be for the axe. If it's your wish, as king I will be pleased to bestow on you the honor of swinging it. Goodnight, Lady Sif."

"Goodnight," Sif replied, turning and disappearing down the corridor.

Loki entered his chambers, dark but for the large fire in the cauldron in the center of the room. On the chaise sat Verda, what appeared to be a small leather bag lying on the cushion beside her. In her palm she held an assortment of quartz crystal-like stones of various shapes and sizes, clear but for a rainbow effect in their center.

"What are you doing with those?" Loki asked, perturbed, as he briskly strode over to her and snatched them from her hand, along with the bag, placing the stones back into it, "I'll thank you to stay out of my things."

Loki was well aware that Verda would have had to employ a spell to reveal magically hidden objects in order to have found them. He didn't recall teaching her that particular trick. He had never taught her how to do what she had done in the corridor either. He wondered what else she was now capable of.

"You told me to come here. I grew restless awaiting your return. What are they?" Verda asked.

"I came by them fairly recently. I haven't had the opportunity to fully explore their capabilities," Loki replied brusquely, the bag of stones disappearing from his hand as he magically stowed them away, "What were you thinking? I thought we had an understanding."

"What was I supposed to do, sing a song? She was going to kill you! If I'm not allowed to save someone's life….and not just anyone's, the only one for which I'd gladly sacrifice my own, what's the point?" Verda said as she rose from the chaise to face Loki, the expression of animosity he displayed fading as he processed her words.

"You would give your life…?" Loki asked in disbelief.

"I know you don't care for the sentiment, but regardless of what it is I am to you, a horse in a field or whatever, I love you. Of course I'd give my life for you. If I couldn't save you, I'd die with you. I would have! I didn't want to go! They lied to me! They told me you-" Verda said, tears beginning to course down her cheeks before she suddenly went silent, appearing fearful for a moment before turning from him, "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry. You're right, this must end. I should go. I don't wish to cause you any more grief."

Verda turned towards the door, making her way to it before a wall of flame sprung up across her path, bringing her to a halt.

"A horse would shy away from flames. You're not a horse," said Loki.

"Thanks for noticing," Verda replied.

"I should be publicly flogged for a lout."

"Knowing you, you might enjoy that," Verda responded, unable to hold back a grin from the corners of her mouth, a smile crossing Loki's face as well.

The flames vanished as Loki approached her, standing behind her, gently gripping her shoulders.

"I've just met with my father. That was the cause of my delay. Tomorrow I go to Midgard," Loki informed her, Verda abruptly turning to face him as Loki released his hold on her.

"Midgard? Why?" Verda asked anxiously.

"There's someone I must find there. He may be responsible for Thor's murder...and that of Laufey, the King of Jotunheim who has fallen this night in a similar manner as my brother. If he's not responsible, surely he knows who is."

"You can't go! You're Odin's only surviving son, the only heir to the throne! This man could kill you too!"

"If they'd wanted my death they had every opportunity to slay me along with Thor."

"If you pursue this man, they may change their mind. Midgard is an awful place, it's not like Asgard at all. I couldn't stan-" Verda said, again breaking off before continuing, "I couldn't stand the thought of you there."

"I've been there before, many times," Loki attempted to reassure her.

"Do you know where he is? To find one man among all those on Midgard, it would be like finding one particular grain of sand on the beach," said Verda.

"No, but I may be able to convince him to come to me. When I take the oath and the throne, I want to do so knowing that my brother's murderers rest in the dungeon to await their fate. My first act as king will be to sentence them to the axe."

"You would have them executed? Odin hasn't sentenced anyone to the axe since before either of us were born. He refused to execute my sister, though it would not have troubled me in the least if he had."

"I'm loath to begin my reign with bloodshed, but I can think of no punishment more fitting for the murderers of the heir to the throne of Asgard. My father had not yet made the formal announcement but everyone knows Thor was my father's choice to succeed him," Loki told Verda, "Sif was in love with my brother since we were children. She lost another long ago...Haldor...the only man to equal my brother in her affections. He was one of Lorelei's victims."

"How horrible. No wonder she lost her mind. I wish I could tell her that I despise my sister as much as she."

"I'll arrange a proper and less fraught introduction," :Loki replied.

"I thought you didn't want anyone to know..."

"I've given the matter more thought. I asked my mother to find a position for you as it was unfair how you were treated by others but then I behaved no better than they. You've committed no crime...actually, you have. You've stolen something from me," Loki replied.

"I've taken nothing from you-" Verda began, confused.

Taking Verda's hand, raising it and placing her palm over his heart, Loki gazed into her eyes.

"Neither of us are horses...though we could pretend," said Loki with a mischievous grin.

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Loki awakened at dawn and carefully removed his arms from around Verda, slipping out of hers as she dozed. He had slept well, once the both of them had gotten around to it. Upon taking Verda to his bed, he had experienced a second wind, or more accurately a third. Afterwards, however, both had rapidly given in to exhaustion. Though he had gotten fewer hours of rest than was customary, which had been the case the previous night as well, the deep nature of the sleep he had fallen into had made up for the quantity. He couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty. His brother had been murdered and right in front of him. How could he have even considered let alone engaged in what he had with Verda the last two nights? But then perhaps that was what had kept him sane over the last two days. The blessing for the dead did say not to mourn but to rejoice.

Loki had prepared for the day and dressed, finishing just as Verda rose.

"Promise me you'll be careful," Verda said as she embraced Loki, on the verge of tears, after they had both moved from his bedchambers to the great room.

"I swear to you. I'll send word upon my return," Loki assured her, kissing Verda's forehead before she made her way to the doors of Loki's chambers, turning to look at him once more before passing through them.

Loki crossed the room in the direction of where Mjolnir rested alongside the chaise before halting and staring at it for a moment. As he had seen Thor do countless times, he reached out his right hand. Just as it had for Thor, the hammer rose from where he had placed it, rocketing to him. Tossing it away it returned to him.

He considered whether he should bring it along with him to Midgard. It still did not feel 'right,' as if it didn't belong to him. However it was a useful weapon and he could easily disguise it as something mundane that would not attract attention. Gripping it, he exited his chambers.

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"Uh….Jane? Would you call this weird because you said to let you know if there was anything weird," Darcy, Jane Foster's intern, said as she approached her holding a device that was somewhat larger and bulkier than a cell phone.

Jane sat at a desk in front of a computer inside the vacant car dealership that now served as her and Erik Selvig's base of operations. Jane took the device from Darcy, examining it, quickly jumping to her feet.

"What the hell?!" Jane exclaimed, befuddled.

"I guess it's weird, then."

"Yes, it's weird...it's more than weird...it's...where's Erik?"

"Right here. What's going on?" Selvig said as he entered the building, a paper bag of sandwiches held in one hand as he approached the two women.

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this. It's not like before," Jane said, handing the device to Selvig as Darcy took the bag from him.

"You told them to hold the mayo on mine right? I hate mayo...blecch," Darcy said, opening the bag and looking into it.

"Yeah...I had them put your name on it," Erik answered Darcy as he examined the screen of the device Jane had put into his hand, "This can't be right. Are you sure it's not picking up some kind of interference?" Erik asked, bewildered.

"We have to go...now!" Jane exclaimed, rushing towards an older beige colored Pinzgauer.

"What's the big deal? Can't we eat first? I'm starving!" whined Darcy.

"You can eat on the way!" Jane called out as Erik and Darcy followed her.

"You know I hate eating in the car!" Darcy griped.

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As the dazzling light of the Bifrost lifted, Loki found himself standing in the middle of the circular pattern it left behind, seared into the ground, as he surveyed the dry, dusty landscape.

The air was stiflingly hot. Loki appeared to be dressed in a black button down shirt and trousers, a pack on his back. Attached to it was an umbrella, though Loki reconsidered the wisdom of the illusion he'd chosen to disguise the hammer.

Rethinking the color of his clothing as well as he walked under the blazing sun, his shirt transformed from black to white, the trousers to a khaki color. He was not a fan of those particular shades but knew he would be far more comfortable. Trekking across the barren landscape he finally came upon the first sign of mortals' presence in the area, a two lane road. Entering the roadway, Loki looked to his left and right. In the distance to his left he noticed a large billboard. Turning in that direction he made his way down the center of the right lane toward it.