Transparent ❅ Loki

тwelve

A painful rush of air and the bright blue sky greeted Syn as she was ripped away from the soft embrace of her God of Mischief. She was surrounded by verdant forests and lying on the ground, looking up at a cloudless sky. Her dress was bloodstained, as were her hands. "Loki?" There was no answer. She was alone.

But then a ring of golden light encircled her feet, then weightless consumed her for all but a few seconds. The Goddess of Truth stumbled at the force of the impact. Her knees buckling beneath her. Stephen Strange watched Syn rise to her feet before closing the portal. He had spared her from the worst of it for Thor's sake.

Desolation lay around her. A battlefield. Many were wounded, some beyond saving. Whatever had transpired here had already drawn to a close. She couldn't say if it looked like victory or defeat. Syn wandered aimlessly through the destruction, hoping to see a familiar face. 

Thor spotted Syn's silver-white hair from afar. He raced forward, giving no warning before he embraced her. He looked different, but it felt as if no time had passed at all. "I -I have to go back," Syn uttered.

"Why?" Thor asked. The god's voice did a poor job of hiding his sadness. He didn't want Syn to leave, not when she had just been found.

"Loki," she breathed recalling his gentle touch and the way he held her tight, never wishing to be parted again. Fate was cruel. "He was there with me." Syn searched the depths of the God of Thunder's eyes, hoping he could understand she felt numb without Loki.

He gripped her arms. "You can't go back," he told her. Syn had never heard or seen desperation coming from Thor, but it unmistakable. "We can't go back." His voice cracked, but then a fleeting smile crossed over his expression. "But we can go home."

ஐ ஐ ஐ

New Asgard was a quaint seaside village near Tønsberg, Norway. Most of the remaining Asgardians had taken to a fisherman's life, though some chose to wander Midgard in solitude.

When Thor arrived with Syn, the village celebrated for a week. Their beloved Goddess of Truth had returned and at least for the moment, so had Thor's smile. Nótt and Sol weaved a diadem from the night and day, placing it upon her silver head to show their elation. Harald and Erik, the half-sons of Týr, had left to hunt for the final feast. They returned and presented her with the largest boar she'd ever seen.

Perhaps the feast hall wasn't as grand, nor the clothes as fine, but the people were the same. Smiling, merry and thankful and that was all they really needed.

Months after her return, Thor took her up on a high hill above the village. He wanted to show her the stars. In the years after the Avengers were defeated by Thanos, he'd spent a fair amount of time gazing up into the night sky. He told himself he was looking for hope. For a sign that somewhere out there Syn was still alive and his brother too, and maybe the universe was kind enough it would let them be together.

Syn laid back on the grass. It was a clear night, though the moon was nowhere to be found. If she closed her eyes, she could picture a time and place before Ragnarök.

Loki had taken her into the mountains. Steering a skiff above the forest and up to a divot in the mountainside. It was one of the spots he'd showed her when they were children. A place he often went if Thor or Volstagg were being bothersome.

Now Thor was off-world, as was Odin since Loki let the guise fade early in the evening. He was a good king, despite the growing unrest on some worlds. Asgard was at peace and was prosperous. The people were happy once more.

She looked up at the dark sky and the stars shone down upon her. Since the Dark Elves had attacked, there were more stars than there had once been. A manifestation of the souls that ascended to Valhalla. Scores of funeral boats gliding across the sea was a sight Syn never wanted to witness again. It was on that night she and her mother had to say goodbye to Vili.

Syn had told Loki his mother was the brightest star, though she had yet to decide which would be her father's. "I know you miss him," Loki said quietly, thumb running across her knuckles. Vili had been slain during Malekith's raid and Vör had locked herself away for her grief was too much to bear.

The Goddess of Truth closed her eyes and could still see the corpse of her father lying at the door of Frigga's chambers. Up until that day, Syn had always thought of her father as being untouchable. She'd seen him beat back warriors half his age in training, had watched him best Thor.

"One day I will see him again," she whispered. Loki laced his fingers through hers and squeezed. He pressed his face into the nape of her neck. All this talk of death had soured the mood of the evening he'd initially planned. Syn craned her neck back and met his sharp, green eyes. "One day you'll see Frigga again," she told him, never imagining that day would come so soon.

A cool drop of rain landed on Syn's forehead and took her away from the memory. She'd lost her father and then her mother when Thanos came. Nothing could reverse her death, just as nothing could bring Loki back. Both truths she'd slowly come to accept. She hadn't meant to retreat into herself like that, but Thor didn't seem to mind. He was deep in thought as well. 

The God of Thunder looked over at Syn. Her white hair spread out around her head like an ethereal crown glowing in the starlight. "I don't want to be king," he confided. The cool summer rain was his doing as was the soft rolling thunder. Syn didn't know how to respond.

There was a time when kingship was all Thor dreamt of, but he abdicated the throne once. Now he was ready to do so again. The people needed a strong, grounded leader. He was neither of those things anymore.

Thor turned his head and watched Syn. "What if you ruled instead of me?" He knew she would make a good ruler. Kind and fair and just and everyone loved her. She could be a queen like his mother had been.

"Thor," Syn said, softly. Thor knew it was a lot to ask of her and it would take time for her decision. She wasn't sure she could bear the responsibility alone, though.

He looked back up at the sky and saw a star flicker out of existence. His mother and father were there and maybe his brother was too. "He might have been a shit, but I miss him, Syn." Tears slipped from his eyes. They'd succeeded in defeating Thanos but somehow it still felt like he'd lost.

Syn reached between them and took his hand, squeezing it. "I do too."

We all know that snake is out there in another timeline having the time of his life with the Tesseract.