The Infinity Stone

13

The walk across the frozen wasteland was not at all pleasant. Aria felt foolish to ever think Hydra's base location was cold. They were trying to shield themselves from the howling icy winds. Loki continued to look around them still feeling anxious. " Let's hope that the guard reaches your father soon, before it's too late." Aria whispered only for Loki to hear, not wanting to cause a fight between them at a time like this. 

Loki nodded his head, agreeing with her, while they all felt nonstop shivers. Thor being the only one not feeling bothered at all turned to face his comrades. " It feels good, doesn't it? To be together, adventuring on another world? You make a fine team member Aria." Thor said, trying his best to invigorate them all. It was not working.

" Adventuring? Is that what we're doing?" Fandral called back out, Thor looked at him ever so slightly confused.
" What you call it?" He asked.

" Freezing." Fandral told him.

" Starving." Volstagg added in.

" Whining." Sif pointed out.

" Treason." Aria finished off. 

Thor not at all worried turned to them with a smile. " How about a song to lift our spirits?" Instead of them agreeing, like he thought they would, he heard groans from his four friends. The other two had other things on their minds, keeping them from showing their annoyance to his bland ideas. 

" No, not that!" Hogun pleaded with the stubborn asre God, Sif joined in on the plea.
" Please don't make us sing again." Aria was secretly wanting more information about the last time Thor made them sing. 

" If I have to listen to Volstagg singing voice one more time, I'll fall on my sword." 

"We'll, now I'm on board." Sif said, replying to Fandral's comment. She and Thor share a grin, and went on. 

The managed to reach the edge of the city, the ancient structure of the jade and ice still melting and crumbling, ravaged by warfare from long ago, slowly dying. A temple was ahead of them, across what looked like a central plaza. 

" Where are they?" Sif asked the question that was on everyone minds
. " Hiding. As cowards always do." Thor answered still being overly self confident.
" Yes Thor, please insult the enemy, whom grounds we are trespassing on." Aria scolded the oaf. 

Thor leads them all towards the central plaza, Loki and Aria share a look, and reluctantly follow them. Aria saw a shadows moving in the shadows of the structure nearby. She looked around her so called 'comrades' to see if any of them had noticed, from their faces and form, she could tell they had yet seen them. She contemplated on saying something then, but new Thor would make a bigger deal out of it, so she waited till they would greet them.

When they reached the plaza, the others could finally sense the other presences around them. The shadows and crevices, surrounding them now on all sides of the plaza. The warriors began to reach for the hilts of their weapons, waiting for them to attack them. 

" What is your business here, Asgardians?" A Jotun voiced itself, sounding like cracking ice.  

" I speak only to your King. Not to his foot soldiers." After Thor said this, everything screamed in Aria to put a stop to this. 

" Then speak." Thor turned towards the source of the new voice, up in the balcony of the temple. There sat, Laufey, veiled in the shadows, behind a cascading waterfall. Aria assumed that since the Jotun king is ancient, noble, and powerful, he was too proud to reveal any signs of the years he and his people had suffered and endured. 

" I am Laufey, King of this Realm." He said towards the small god. 

" I am-"

" We know who you are, Odinson. Why have you brought the stench of your blood into my world?" Laufey demanded, interrupting Thor. " I demand answers."