Frostbitten

Off to Asgard

The next day, Loki awoke to the unusually loud sound of hustle and bustle. He sat up, pushed the covers from his body and peeked outside his door. Asagrdians, Vanir, and Avengers alike all seemed to be running back and forth between the halls, each one encased in their own inner thoughts. Loki rubbed his eyes and disappeared back into his room, quickly showering and throwing on his clothing. 

By the time he came back outside, the corridor was practically deserted. Loki crept out and walked cautiously out into the living room and was met with a crowd. Everyone, including the Vanir warriors was present and at his entrance, each head turned to stare at the newcomer.  "Where have you been?" Steve demanded after he rose from his seat to come and stand face to face with Loki. 

Loki didn't flinch. "I was not aware that there would be a meeting." 

"We sent Sif to get you about an hour ago," he responded.

With an agitated smirk, Loki exclaimed, "Well, I was not informed." He tilted his head so that it became visible to those behind Steve, then continued, "...Now if you'll excuse me." Loki pushed himself passed the super soldier and sat down next to Natasha, who in turn gave him a look that could make most men run away in tears. However, Loki chose to ignore it and he smiled brightly at her instead. 

 Steve grudgingly sat back in his place and the meeting proceeded. "Now that Loki has decided to join us," Baldur started, "we can get down to business. We were previously discussing that our attack will take place tonight. We still have the Tesseract in our possession, so it will get us there, however you must know that once we are in Asgard, if it is compromised, it is highly unlikely you will be making it home." Baldur informed those native to Earth, all of which nodded gravely. 

"Now that that is out of the way, any questions?"

Only minutes before their departure, everyone was gathered outside eating what many thought to be their last meal. Yet, the entire time, Tony cracked jokes, hoping to lighten the grim mood that seemed to be settled upon everyone's shoulders. Even the usually confident Thor looked slightly uneasy, which given the circumstances, was understandable. 

When the last person finished their lunch, Loki stood, "It's time." Baldur walked over, the large, cyan blue cube grasped tightly in his hands. The limitless energy circulated around inside the Tesseract, serving as a painful reminder at what could've been his. Loki clenched his jaw together uncomfortably and set a hand on the cube as he braced himself for the journey.

Moments later, nearly twenty people were flying into unknown territory. Those who were not prepared, such as the Avengers, collapsed to the ground on impact after their knees subconsciously buckled. Loki couldn't help but snicker at the sight, though he next thing he knew, he too, was sent plummeting down against the gravel. Loki pushed himself up and behind him was Natasha smiling with a smug expression displayed upon her features. 

"Well played, Romanov." Loki admitted, brushing himself off and bumping passed her. He noticed Clint quickly shooting him a warning glare to which Loki responded with his own devious smile, making the other man tense. 

As they kept walking, it finally hit Loki that they were on Asgard. Yet, it didn't even look remotely like his former home. The ground had begun to fade into a thick blanket of ice and above them the sky littered tufts of soft, white snow, aided by a steady and chilling wind. Loki sighed, hadn't this been what he had wanted all along? Shouldn't he be overjoyed at the sight of a crumbling Asgard? Loki bit his lip when he was immediately overwhelmed by a feeling of regret. This wasn't what he had wanted at all.

A hand collided with Loki's back playfully, though at that moment, Loki didn't realize it had been friendly. He tensed, stopped, and spun around, dagger in hand. Tony's eyes widened, "Woah there Rudolph."

"What do you want Stark?" Loki growled, lowering his hand and continuing to walk along behind the others. 

Tony shrugged, "I was just curious, but I thought you and uh-" he stopped as if he was mid-thought, "Sif...?" He looked at Loki for clearance, which Loki nodded his head to. "Yeah, I thought you two were like together. What happened? Did you get shot down?"

Loki kept his face forward and without blinking, exclaimed, "It was a one-time thing." Little to their knowledge, in front of them, Sigyn smiled with a satisfactory grin while Sif clenched her fist. Hogun sympathetically patted the warrioress' back and made sure she kept walking.

Now faced with the entrance to the city, Frey, Freyja, Baldur, and Thor halted the group . "Before we go down there, I want to say thank you to all of you. No matter what happens down there, I will always be grateful for your help." Thor spoke with a prideful gaze. Loki rolled his eyes, but no one seemed to pay attention.

Fandral smiled and raised his sword to the air, "For Asgard!" Everyone present joined in, even the Avengers and Vanir, all content that they at least had something worth fighting for. One by one, they marched down into the city.

All was silent, the only noise being the sound of their footsteps and the slight whistling of the wind. The deserted streets were all too eerie as Sif remembered how just a short time ago, they were brimming with life, completely unaware of what was to come. Blood stained, icy cover beneath them, making everyone shiver with trepidation.

"Something is wrong. It's far too quiet..." Sif muttered.

Clint sighed, "Great, the stereotypical 'It's too quiet.' Brace yourselves everyone." And Clint was right. At that very moment, a legion of Jotuns launched themselves from the surrounding structures and came raining down on them. 

"Bruce!" Natasha called as if to signal him. 

He shook his head, "If I turn now, there's no telling when I'll come back." 

"Dammit..." Natasha grunted and tossed the doctor a gun, then began to fire beside Clint and Steve, who was going for an up close and personal approach. Tony rose above the herd and began to fire his missiles, each one exploded with a roar, interrupting the previous serenity. Thor made his way over to Sif and covered her back with the Warriors three guarding their flanks. Frey and Freyja stood side by side, spears in hand as they fought with the agility and grace of the Vanir, their soldiers closely following. Sigyn however used her magic with Baldur and Loki at her aid. 

When the last of Jotuns were slain, Steve took a deep breath. "What's next?"

Author's note: I dedicated this chapter to MorningGlory137 because she left the sweetest comment on my last chapter and I really do appreciate it, it made my week. Anyway, trust me some interesting stuff is coming. I am also so excited to write more of the Avengers. I hope I'm able to portray them correctly, but I guess you guys can be the judge of that... Thanks again to everyone reading and remember to comment, vote, and add this story to your reading lists if you enjoyed.