Loki's Last Chance: The Chosing of a King

Home Sweet Home

Mari POV

We landed in the centre of the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was a old, star-shaped fort at the top of Citadel Hill. We stood in the centre, so I was happy it was the off season.

I quickly pulled a confused Loki out of the view of anyone that might see us. He looked pretty dumbfounded by the new surroundings and was taking it in as he followed me. I brought him to the jail cells that were kept in the fort, and stepped inside one that looked like all the rest.

I left Loki at the door as I approached the cot that sat in the back of the ancient cell. Pulling a black, water-proof box from under it, I placed it on the bed. It was nearly the size of the cot, but was quite a bit lighter than would be expected. I punched in the key-code and opened it up.

Inside were multiple pieces of clothing along with a simple black purse that contained a bit of money. The clothes included two t-shirts, two pairs of black pants, some socks, a sweater, a green fall coat, sneakers, boots, and a winter coat. I grabbed the sneakers, socks, a pair of pants, the red t-shirt, and the green coat and placed them beside the box.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked.

"Changing." I pointed out as I pushed him out of the cell and down the hall a bit. "Stay."

With Loki staying where I put him, I returned to the cell and quickly changed into the clothes I had layed out. I placed my asgardian stuff into the box and put it back under the cot. I had zipped up the coat and was doing the belt when I returned to Loki.

He had changed from his normal leather to a simple suit and overcoat which caught my eye. I couldn't help but smile as I looked over the new outfit that was now accented with a green scarf.

"I like the suit." I complemented.

"I like the jacket. Green complements you." There was a playful twinkle in his eye as he gave a smirk.

"Come on." I led him from the area towards the exit.

We passed over the bridge that led across the dry moat and to the parking lot. Loki was gazing at the amazing view as I tried to pull him along the sidewalk and road that snaked around the complex. From where we were, you could see most of the city and it overlooked the harbor and Dartmouth on the opposite side.

"Would you stop gawking and keep walking? Hey, that rhymed!" I pulled on his arm.

"This is not where the Bifrost usually is."

"The Bifrost isn't restricted to a specific area, Loki. It can put us anywhere we want. Heimdallr always puts me as close as possible to my current home, but he likes to drop Thor in the middle of the dessert. So for nearly the past 100 years I have used the Citadel to go unnoticed."

He finally gave in and followed me to the road leading down the hill. "You have been coming to Midgard for that long?" He asked, falling into step beside me.

"No. I've been coming since you and Thor created Norse mythology. I'm just better at keeping a low profile than you two." I gave him a playful smirk as I tried not to fall down the steep incline.

We walked on in comfortable silence for a wile as I lead down the familiar route.

As we passed the fountain in the centre of the Commons, I addressed Loki again. "Would you stand back a bit? I'd prefer if SHIELD didn't associate me with you if they happen to see us."

Loki did a sort of twirl to walk backwards beside me. "What? Are you scared it will ruin your good reputation?"

"No, I would just rather stay under their radar for now."

Loki POV

We walked on for another good wile with me weaving around her as I teased lightly. She just ignored me, hunching her shoulders slightly with her hands stuffed in her pockets.

Mari soon stopped in front of a smaller house that sat away from the street and had a small patio in the front. It was a white colour with a dark green front door.

She was already on the porch by the time I had processed that this was our destination. Mari pulled a set of keys from her coat pocket and opened the door as I joined her. She lead me in and closed the door behind us. There was a staircase to the left and the room to the right looked to be a library with wall to wall shelves of old and new books.

"This is your home?" I asked.

Leaving my shoes at the door, I started looking through the books closest to the hallway door. Some where Asgardian but most were of Earth. All were in incredibly good condition, though some looked to be centuries old.

"Yep. Of course you found the library. The little room after the stairs is the washroom, the dining room in the centre, then the kitchen and TV room are joined at the end of the hall. Upstairs is the bedroom, other bathroom, prop/souvenir room, and my closet." She had hung her coat up and was now leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed, watching me slowly make my way around the room. "They're all my favorite books from over the years. I have trouble getting rid of books after I read them, I'm lucky I could dwindle it down to my favorites."

I made it back around to stand in front of her. "It is a very impressive collection, Mari. How is it that there are only three rooms upstairs to cover that much space?"

"There are four rooms, wheren't you listening?"

"Yes, you said the bedroom, bathroom, prop room and closet. A closet isn't really a room." I answered, now unsure of the reason for her to mention her wardrobe.

"Mine is. Come on I'll show you."

She headed up the stairs with me close on her heels. From the landing was a door to her bedroom and a hall running down the length of the house. She walked straight into the bedroom. The walls were alternating tropic blue and light green, and her bed had an old fashioned floral and pastel colored comforter. On the right side of the bed was a simple side-table and in the corner sat a wooden rocking chair. A vanity sat to the side with an elegant black box that I believed to be a jewellery box. There was a door to the left and Mari quickly opened it and stepped inside.

I followed her and was shocked at the contents. It was a full sized room with wall to wall hangers and drawers. Dresses of every shape and colour hung on poles that ran along the walls; many in bags to keep them in good condition. There was, what I assumed to be the Midgardian devices called, a washing machine and dryer in one corner with a laundry basket set on top. There were drawers built on to some parts of the walls that held shirts and pants.

"Whoa." I muttered.

"Yeah, I've kept a couple of my favorite outfits from over the years. The prop room has all kinds of souvenirs from my experiences and the places I've been."

I gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her into my arms. "Why didn't you ever tell me you had another life here?" I asked softly into her hair.

Mari wrapped her arms around my waist in return.

"It's my distraction. Things are always changing, but Asgard will always be my constant home. I hate change, but I need things to distract me from my thoughts. I never told you because I was scared I wouldn't be able to keep coming if people found out." She muttered against my chest.

That's when I understood. Mari's ability to know and see things was as much a curse to her as my being jotunn was to me. There was no way to change it, but you could forget. Even just for a little bit.