A Tale of Mischief and Mutants part 2

Uprooted Again

—-Loki—-

As soon as Strange leaves the room it's as if one of my very own illusions leaves Thor, his strong regal demeanor leaves him and he appears weary and as if he's been on the verge of breaking but has just now finally been able to find some peace. He smiles at me again and sits in one of the chairs in the room looking sad yet somehow so completely happy at once.

"What do you remember lilbror?"

'Lilbror'? He hardly ever calls me that. I take a look over his expression again taking note of the bags beneath his eyes and the concern written just beneath his smile. I don't like what I see, my oaf of a brother should just never look this distraught it seems as wrong as a Frost Giant vacationing in Muspelheim.

His dramatic change in disposition makes me completely forget any excitement I had about finally getting to access the sanctum's library and even halts my brainstorming of ways to return to my Asgardian form. I answer gently though I really don't want to get into any real amount of detail what I do remember was nothing pleasant and I guess my mind just decided to check me out of the situation after a certain point.

"Not very much but enough..."

"Do you know who did this? Do you remember their face?"

"...her name was Agatha Harkness she was one of Mephisto's zealots."

"Mephisto?"

"A Surtur wannabe I battled with Strange, I was on that mission when Sam was taken so I ended things rather quickly and unceremoniously, apparently he took offense."

"So this was some kind of revenge?"

I nod. He goes on.

"Strange said he detected dark magic, what exactly did this Harkness woman do?"

'That's fairly obvious isn't it?!' I frown and gesture to all of me.

"Thor, look at me."

He shakes his head.

"I see that, but there was obviously more. You weren't yourself when we found you, what did she do?"

I just shake my head remembering how she utterly violated the darkest memories in my mind, how she tore those memories out from the dark corners I'd hidden them away in and made me relive them. I grasp for some way to avoid talking about this and look around the room avoiding eye contact with either Sam nor Thor.

My eyes take note yet again of their unusually warm clothing choice for the midst of summer. '...they didn't... no why would they?' My curiosity overcomes me so I ask hoping to distract from Thor's question.

"Why are you dressed so warmly?"

Thor and Sam exchange a glance Sam nods slightly before Thor finally answers me.

"Strange required a DNA sample from a living blood relative in order to find you."

I look at Thor in shock becoming angry as I speak.

"You...? You went to Jotunheim?! ...and you brought Sam?! Are you insane?! You're lucky you didn't get yourself and my wife killed after what we've done to them!"

Thor looks like a kicked puppy yet I can't stop spewing venom from my lips at the thought of what could've potentially happened to both of them. 'How could he be so stupid for my sake?!' Sam lightly grasps my arm stopping me from yelling at my poor fool hearted brother.

"Lo' honey, it's okay Asgard is actually on a lot better terms with Jotunheim after our meeting, you've got two brothers there who were way more understanding than they had any right being."

"And what if they hadn't been? Thor you could have gotten yourself and Sam killed!"

Now Sam returns my glare.

"Thor didn't have any say in me going if he was going so was I, that was my choice! He may be Asgard's king but I am your wife and this was a risk I deemed necessary so no force in the universe could've kept me from going let alone your brother so don't blame him."

I don't argue knowing I shouldn't have been so harsh with Thor as he's obviously been through Hel with this, the same as Sam. I sigh somewhat annoyed by just how right she is I look her dead in the eyes.

"I want details."

Sam and Thor then spend a great deal of time explaining what happened on their trip to Jotunheim. I'm left stunned.

"...so? ...so Laufey? ...Laufey didn't leave me for dead?"

Sam answers me softly.

"That's how Helblindi made it sound."

'Someone possibly wanted me?' 'Laufey could have wanted me?' 'Laufey could have wanted me and I killed him?!' 'I wasn't simply discarded but instead lost and presumed killed?' I begin to cry, once the tears start there seems to be no end to them.

"All this time...?"

Thor comes and sits next to me.

"Laufey thought our father killed you, yes."

"...I ...I??"

I give up on words so overwhelmed with questions there may well be no way of ever receiving the answers for.
..........'Did Odin know I wasn't abandoned?'
'Did Laufey only mean to pawn me off on another Frost Giant and not see me die or was my abandonment completely by mistake?'..................'Did Laufey love me?'
'Did my birth mother love me?'
'Did either of them want me?'
'Who was my birth mother?'
'Is she still alive?'
'I have brothers by blood?'
'Would they ever love me or even try?'
'Could they even look at me after what I've done to their home, to their father?' ..................'Do I even want to know?'
Thor grasps my shoulder and scoots closer to me somewhat silencing my swirling thoughts. He smiles softly and sadly yet his eyes are filled with reassurance.

"It's okay it's overwhelming new information, and devastating depending on exactly what happened, it reframes everything and it'll probably take some time for you to process all of this. But you need to know it won't change us, you'll always be my little brother it doesn't matter how it happened."

I smile as the tears continue raining down my face and I nod. What he's said is extremely sappy but so entirely what I desperately needed to hear to have something to grasp onto as new information once again uproots everything I've ever known about my existence. Questions still swirl through my mind as Sam hobbles to the bed and embraces both of us.