Power of Gods | Loki FanFiction

VI | the matrix

"fuck no!"

After my official training had been canceled, I was planning on exploring the palace for a bit to at least have a rough idea of ​​where I was and not be completely at the mercy of others. But again I didn't get very far.

"Lady Romanoff," a voice called out behind me. I stopped and turned with a sigh. What was everybody on about today? And why did everyone here know my name? That supported my theory that I was a device of great power and that there was a correspondingly high demand.

This time four people were standing in front of me. Three men and a woman, all dressed in heavy armor. "We need to talk to you." I bit back a sarcastic comment. "And who are you?", I asked although it is basically an art in itself not to make this sentence sound derogatory. Unfortunately, I didn't show much talent in it.

"They call me Lady Sif, these are the Warriors Three. Fandral, Hogun and Volstag. Asgard's most qualified warriors." She pointed to the three men behind her, who were inspecting me in a way that took me back to the SHIELD lab. Anticipatory and scornful at the same time.

"And what do Asgard's most qualified warriors want from me?" "We are friends of Thor. Loki told you about what happened?" I nodded in agreement. "He did. However, I would like to hear your side of the story." "That is understandable and would certainly be worthwhile." She did not say it aloud, but her message was clear. Loki could not be trusted.

"I know a place where we can talk privately. The guards are patrolling here all the time." I followed her and the three men, who had still not spoken a word. I was however no less suspicious than before. Loki was the god of lies and he had a motive. Still, if there was even the slightest chance that he was telling the truth, I could not risk billions of lives just because I was prejudiced.

I heard the four of them exchanging whispers up front, probably reconsidering their decision to ask me for help. But whether they liked it or not, realistically speaking, I was their best chance to ensure their friend's survival.

Jill, who was still walking faithfully beside me, pulled me out of my thoughts. "Do you want me to stay, my L- Dajana?", she asked quietly, eyeing me from the side. I toyed with the idea and the possible consequences. In the worst case, which I didn't think was very likely, she would betray me to Loki; in the best case, she could help me uncover any lies or gaps in the four's story. It would also be a great advantage if I could get her to ask around among the employees for me.

"Yes. I need a second pair of ears in case I miss something or someone is talking nonsense." I gave her a quick glance, "You seem like a pretty good choice for that." I smiled at her, encouragingly. She apparently agreed with my decision, because she returned the gesture. It was becoming more and more obvious, that she lived for the adventure.

We didn't have to walk far, considering it was such a big palace. After a bit, we stopped in front of a somewhat smaller, still quite large by my standards, double door, behind which awaited a common room.

It was surprisingly inviting and aesthetically pleasing. There were smaller and larger groups of stools or armchairs everywhere. The Warrior Three settled very purposefully on a couch, while Sif, Jill, and I made ourselves comfortable in the armchairs opposite.

"So, you want me to help your friend and thereby betray Loki," I assumed after a short, awkward pause. They nodded collegially. Satisfied, I leaned back and folded my hands. I had to admit that I liked being in this position. They wanted something from me, which meant that I had power over them. A nice change from my usual unawareness. "Convince me then. Tell me your side of the story."

"It all started at Thor's coronation," said one of the three men, Fandral, I supposed, "Frostgiants broke into the treasury and tried to steal a valuable relic that we are guarding from them. They were stopped but the ceremony was interrupted before the Allfather Odin could appoint his older son as the new, rightful king. Loki manipulated Thor into wanting revenge on Laufey, the king of the Frostgiants, for what his men had done, even though the Allfather had forbidden it. But Thor - with all due affection - is a stubborn man and ignored the orders. So we traveled to their realm with him and his brother. There was a fight in which I almost lost my life heroically-"

"You were impaled on an icicle," the black-haired man said dryly with a strong accent, earning him a dark look.

"-Anyway, Odin found out about our adventure. He banished Thor and robbed him of his powers. He threw the hammer behind him through the Bifrost. Not a day later, he fell into Odinssleep. No one really knows why." He was interrupted again by one of his comrades who had somehow obtained something to eat. "That means he is in a way unconscious, but still notices everything happening around him," he said, whereupon I nodded in understanding.

"That's why you never see the queen. She always watches at the side of the sleeping Allfather. Anyhow, Loki was made king because he is next in line to the throne. He traveled to Midgard, where he found you and brought you with him," Fandral finished their version of the truth, which did not differ much from the one Loki herself had told me a few hours earlier. Apart from the fact that she had left out the part about the fight and the coronation, which made me a little curious. That's the thing about good liars; they take the truth and change it so slightly that it is hardly evident. So I couldn't be sure which of the two parties was telling the truth, or whether either of them even came close to what had truly occurred.

Lost in thought, I stared at the leather upholstery of the sofa for a while, playing through various scenarios in my head. None of them were really ideal.

After a while, I nodded and stood up. "I'll see what I can do," I replied as neutrally as possible and motioned to Jill with a look and a brief nod to follow me. "Did you notice anything?", I asked her as we were outside and made a final attempt to get to the training grounds, as it was already midday.

"Not exactly, but I heard rumors. Two guards are said to have overheard a conversation between Odin and Loki in the treasure chamber, shortly before... it happened," she explained, to which I nodded. "Do you know what they heard?" It was third-hand, if not fourth-hand information, but it would be better than nothing. "Unfortunately, that depends on who you ask. Some say Loki cursed him, others claim Loki tried to steal something, and others again say Loki is adopted and actually a Frostgiant himself. Personally, I think all of that is pretty absurd."

At least one of them was true in mythology, as far as I remembered. Loki was not related to Odin by blood and his mother was actually Laufey, about whom I didn't know much. But it had already turned out that reality varied from the stories in many small and large details.

"Why is this Odin's sleep bothering you so much? You sounded... worried. I thought he would wake up again..." I wondered, looking down at her. After all, it was apparently not the first time that this had happened.

"We can't say for certain. It is different from the times before. I think they were not prepared this time. The servants always knew about it and took the necessary precautions. Not this time," she answered seriously, playing nervously with her overdress.

Only then did I realize how difficult this situation must be for them. If no one brought order to the chaos that had been created here, these people would lose their leader, whom they had trusted for centuries, if not millennia, and who had led them all this way, and were then given into the hands of an inexperienced, emotional boy to whom they had to trust their lives, whether they liked it or not.