Loki: Game of Thrones

Chapter 73 - Castle Black

The clash of swords and the bark of orders sounded so familiar to Loki's ears as he materialized on the platform within the walls of Castle Black. It reminded him of training in Asgard as a youth. The wind whipped through his black hair, and a few flakes of snow touched his pale skin. He was wearing a thick trench coat with a high, folded collar. Little darts were lining underneath the collar, as well as the cuffs of his sleeves. His boots were thick enough for riding, but soft enough that their tread was light. Glancing around, Loki waited for somebody to notice him. If he did not love the element of surprise so much, he would have made his entrance more obvious. But that was Thor's style, not his. However, it did not take somebody too long to notice him. "Oi! Who are you?!" asked a voice, and Loki turned. A man in black with a drawn sword approached him.

"Why, I'm the messenger," Loki replied sarcastically. The man of the Nights Watch hacked at Loki's foot, but Loki leapt off the platform. Spinning, he landed on his feet and waited for the man to turn around. Once he was facing him, Loki delivered a slicing blow to the side of his head, putting out his lights. The man fell to the ground, and all the rangers turned to look at him. Loki spun around, eyeing all of them with a grin on his face. "Next?" As one man came charging forward, Loki ducked and let his blade go swinging over his head. He drove his fist into his solar plexus, completely knocking the wind out of him. He went flying over his friends and landed in the stalls, where he startled the horses. They brayed and the poor man was kicked more. Loki turned on his third 'victim' and grinned maliciously, a dagger materializing in his grasp. He threw the blade, and it embedded itself in the ranger's shoulder. The force knocked the man to the ground, stunned.

Loki spun around, doing a complicated flip away from the rangers and onto the well. Standing on the edge, Loki leaned forward, watching them with a grin on his face. Another man tried to hack at Loki, and Loki jumped up. Landing, his legs were splayed and he crouched down. The same ranger aimed another blow at Loki, but the god swiveled his limbs, hitting the man in the face and knocking him to the ground. It was the sound of bow strings being pulled taut that made Loki look up at the ramparts. That was when he saw the archers all aiming at him. Loki jumped up and allowed himself to slip into the well, vanishing from their sight. All the Nights Watch Rangers raised their eyebrows and a few of them looked down the well. "You won't find me there!" called a voice, and they all turned to see Loki sitting on the platform where he had first appeared. He snickered before he straightened up, and his hand went out. Alliser Thorne was frozen where he stood, along with his cohorts. They had been trying to sneak up behind Loki, but had obviously failed.  Loki stood up slowly, turning his head to appraise the man. "I'm not here for you. Any of you! I'm looking for the one they call Jon Snow!"

A movement above him made Loki look up and he saw Jon Snow standing at the top of a stairwell. A tubby man was behind him, looking half afraid and half fascinated by Loki. Loki kept his hand outstretched, holding Alliser Thorne and his men in his grip as he walked to the stairs. As soon as his boot made contact, Jon Snow reached for his sword, and the fat man took a safety step back. Loki snickered and continued his ascent, till he was looking Jon Snow in the eye. "Here I am. What do you want?" Jon Snow asked, his black eyes looking intently back into Loki's green ones.

Loki leaned in close and whispered, "I was there when Ned Stark died." Jon Snow stiffened at this, but he nodded his head, and indicated with his hand that they were to enter the hall. Loki released Alliser Thorne, but before he followed Jon Snow inside, he made an announcement. "No man is to enter this hall on pain of my extreme displeasure! So unless you want my cold ire, you'll stay out here." Loki smirked mischievously at the rangers before he entered the keep and the door was closed and bolted behind him. Loki glanced around the cold, stone hall. It was filled with tables and benches, one particular set above the rest on a dais of sorts. Looking back at Jon Snow and the fat man, he saw that they were staring at him intently.

"Well? You said you were there when my father died," Jon Snow said, and Loki nodded. He began to walk between the tables and benches, keeping a comfortable distance between himself and the bastard son of the Starks.

"Yes. I was there. He died bravely and with a resignation I have seen very few men exhibit at the moment of their deaths," Loki told Jon Snow, and the bastard nodded his head. The two men looked at each other, sizing one another up.

"You didn't seem interested in a lowly bastard like me, Ser Loki, when you were visiting my father's castle in the North that long time ago," Jon Snow said, and Loki nodded his head. "And even now, if the tales are to be believed, you seem more interested in the dealings of kings than of the common man."

"But in dealing with kings, I affect the common man. The peasant cannot hope for things to improve unless the chain of command is amended. And trust me, it needs to be," Loki said, and Jon Snow's head tilted to one side as he listened.

"You speak of Joffrey Baratheon," Jon Snow said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Loki waved his hand in acknowledgement and grinned.

"He, and other people seek to poison this realm even more than it is already poisoned. If this world was a tree, and the houses fruit, House Lannister (with one exception) is the bad apple that spoils the rest of the fruit. I am here to cut the infection before it spreads," Loki said.

"Are you a warlock?" the fat man suddenly asked, and Loki leveled his concentrated green stare at him. Tubby took a step back again and Loki smirked.

"No, fat man, I am not a warlock. I am a sorcerer of the highest order, and the best in the world that I come from. Your world has never had anybody in your history who can match me," Loki answered. That was when they heard a rustling and turned. Loki saw an old man approaching them. He had a cane, which he was using to assist his gait. The fatter man went over to help him and brought him to where Loki was standing. Surprisingly, Loki did not step back and allowed the old man to get close to him. The old man stood before Loki and his one hand went out.

"Samwell Tarly, this presence I feel, I have felt it before," the old man said.

"That is not possible, Maester Aemon! This is the first time this man has come to Castle Black," the fatter man, now called Samwell Tarly, said.

"Ah! The maester of the castle. I am pleased to meet you," Loki said, rewarding Maester Aemon with a small bow. The maester said nothing else as his hand went out and touched Loki's chest plate. Loki watched as his fingers lingered over the cool metal marked with its runes. From there, his hand went up Loki's neck and lingered over his cheek and nose.

"I know you," Aemon said and Loki tilted his head back, breaking the physical contact.

"I believe you are mistaken, ser," Loki responded. Maester Aemon reached out again and his fingers touched Loki's eyes, forcing the younger man to close them. Maester Aemon closed his eyes as well, while Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly watched with interest etched across their faces. Suddenly, Maester Aemon started swaying and almost fell. Sam caught him and Jon assisted him in getting the maester to a chair. Looking back at Loki, they saw the mage had brought a hand to his forehead and he was breathing hard. A trickle of sweat slid down Loki's cheek when he raised his head, and his green eyes were narrowed.

"There is a fire inside you, ser," Maester Aemon said after he took a drink from a cup Sam had given him. "There is ice, and there is fire."

"I am an archmage, ser. I am a master of many elements," Loki responded dryly, deciding to take Maester Aemon's statement literally. The old man waved his hand dismissively.

"You have ice and fire inside you," Maester Aemon reiterated. Loki frowned and glanced back at Jon Snow.

"I shall return, Jon Snow. You may have taken an oath to the Night's Watch, but you may find yourself answering to a higher power," Loki said, and he disappeared from their sight in a cloud of green smoke. Jon Snow frowned at Loki's cryptic statement, before he looked back at Maester Aemon, who was muttering to himself.

"Fire and ice..."