Loki: Winds of Winter

Chapter 41 - Loki Has Returned

Loki should not have been surprised when the humans insisted on housing him and the rest of the royal Westerosi entourage on a former SHIELD hellicarrier. He thought they would have learned their lesson, but apparently, humans were dim creatures. Sansa had told him not to go walking out and about once their cabin was given them, but he was curious. The humans had not seen him in several years; he had changed quite a bit. The agents that were walking around were a mixture of many different agencies: SHIELD, the FBI, CIA, National Security, whatever. They all watched Loki as he walked down their hallways. His hands were behind his back, and his step was full of surety. Loki knew that he had a shadow following in his wake, but decided to ignore it for now. 

"Bastard!" somebody said, and they spit as he walked by.

"Monster."

"Murderer!" Loki just grinned and kept on walking. Suddenly, somebody stepped in his path and he had to stop. Loki found himself face to face with Nicholas J. Fury. The previous Director of SHIELD and the God of Mischief stared at one another.

"You have greying hair," Fury said.

"And if you had hair, I'm sure it would be grey," Loki countered and Fury smiled. Fury looked him up and down and saw the fashion difference between the previous Loki and this one. 

"You're a prince again, I here," Fury stated.

"I think if you check, I was always a prince," Loki rejoined.

"Heard you could have been a king," Fury said, hinting to the Iron Throne. Loki grinned a little as he turned slightly to the side as if to let Fury pass.

"I chose not to."

"Such a difference from the man who would free us from freedom," Fury sniped. Loki decided not to answer that question and continued his walk. Fury decided to follow him.

"I thought we were done," Loki said dryly. 

"Consider this an interrogation. Let me guess, this intervention was your idea," Fury said. Loki gave him a sideways glance, but did not answer him. "Either you or your eldest daughter. I've been getting some reports about her. I hear she's as sadistic as you." Loki's hand went out and stopped a few inches from Fury's throat. "Your family is a soft spot for you. Duly noted."

"You honestly think I brought destruction down on you when I invaded New York? If you harm one hair on any of their heads, I will bring the unholy wrath of Ragnarok upon your heads; and you will beg for death!" Loki hissed, spinning away and ignoring Fury at that point. Everyone around him could feel the shift in his mood and the distance they already kept from him grew. A cool breeze seemed to follow him, and the glass windows froze over. Suddenly, a meow was heard, and Loki turned, putting his arm out and catching Alfheim as he jumped on his arm from the ceiling above. Agents gasped when they saw the black cat appear out of basically nowhere, but they judged from Loki's reaction, that he knew the creature. "Sansa sent you, I assume," Loki said. Alfheim just looked at him, licking his lips before clambering up his arm to sit on his shoulder. Loki watched the cat as it made itself comfortable on his shoulder as he kept on walking. "Come out," he finally said, and Ragna came out of a side hallway. Father looked at daughter and he smiled at her. "You wanted to talk?"

"Fury is annoying and I haven't even met him officially," Ragna commented and Loki grinned. "You want me to deal with it?" she asked, and Loki paused as he contemplated his daughter's offer.

"No. Not this moment. Save your wrath for someone worth it," Loki answered. They kept walking side by side. Finally, Ragna reached out and attempted to touch Alfheim. The cat hissed and his claws prepared to lash out at her. "He hasn't forgiven you for trying to drown him in the bathtub when you were a child," Loki reminded.

"That was at least twenty years ago. He learned how to hold a grudge from you. He is your product," Ragna pointed out. Loki shrugged and that made Alfie hiss when his perch was disturbed. 

"Hiss, yourself," Loki said, teasing the family pet. Alfheim hissed again and jumped from Loki's shoulder to the floor. He darted away, between the feet of several agents and government goons and disappeared.

"Mother might have summoned him back," Ragna commented.

"Have our pets been properly housed?" Loki queried and Ragna nodded. 

"The dragons are being kept on the main deck of the hellicarrier. Fenris is also being kept up there. I warned them that all the dragons and Fenris have hearty appetites and will consume their weight in meat. I said we expect them to be well fed," Ragna answered with a slight grin. Loki nodded. He did not want any of the dragons to be mistreated or underfed or neglected for the duration of the mission. Not that the dragons would allow it to happen. They would eat one of the federal agents before they allowed themselves to starve. Fenris as well. "By your leave, Father. I will be putting a few of my own feelers out into the world. Now that we are 'accepted' as aid for the Midgardians, I can open a few channels of my own," Ragna informed him.

"Very well, daughter. I'm sure whatever you do will be most interesting," Loki responded. Ragna grinned before she disappeared down a separate corridor. A whirring noise reached Loki's ears, and he tilted his head slightly and caught sight of James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier, following on his daughter's heels. Her shadow. Her minder. Her bodyguard. Wonder how much trouble she's already given and will continue to give him? Good luck, mortal.