#fandralxthexstabulous

[storiesofwildfire]

Guilty of Treason

          { closed starter for @fandralxthexstabulous }

♔—- Things went better than Loki could have hoped. Ridding Asgard of Odin after the Elves invaded had been a surprisingly simple task. The attack on Asgard, losing Frigga, and losing all control over Thor ( he would never believe Odin loved him enough to be impacted by the news of his own death, so he didn’t even count that as a possibility ) in one vicious swoop knocked Odin into a state that even the almighty All-father didn’t seem capable of pulling himself out of. It was almost sad, really, how long Odin had managed to keep him on a relatively short leash, only for him to truly crumble when the going got rough.

Complacency. That’s the only way Loki could explain what happened to a once-great conqueror. He’d grown old and complacent in his rule over Yggdrasil. So many years passed without a single person challenging his power that he truly tricked himself into believing that there was no one who could.

Even Asgard’s defenses hadn’t been kept up to par over the thousand years of peace, making it easy for the Dark Elves to not only invade but destroy half the realm in their process.

Taking up the role of Odin was... less desirable. Loki had a plan in mind for how he could eventually shed the Odin disguise and take the throne as himself, but it would take some clever work on his part and some time to build up a positive mentality and memory of the second prince of Asgard. So many of them seemed to forget everything Loki had done that positively impacted Asgard because of a few incidents that... well, Loki could explain rationally, but did he truly want to? Especially when it came to discussions of Thanos?

But unveiling himself would have to wait. Asgard needed a strong leader to help rebuild, to reset defenses and ensure they were actually functional this time around, and ensure the citizens were not only moving forward but working towards being happy again. His children needed to be freed from Odin’s prisons. Preparations needed to be made in the event that Thanos became an immediate threat. Eventually, he would come, and Asgard would be Yggdrasil's best hope of beating back the Mad Titan. So much needed to be sorted out and, unfortunately, that meant wearing Odin’s face longer than he wished.

One problem that needed to be dealt with in the swiftest manner, however, was in regard to those who helped Thor commit treason. In all fairness, Loki did owe them, as their treachery was the tool that ultimately led to his being freed of the dungeon, but Odin could not easily overlook such a thing. Three times Sif and the Warriors Three committed treason in Thor’s name. Running off to Jotunheim to face Laufey after Thor’s failed coronation, the four of them running off to Midgard to bring Thor home from banishment, and now this...

Odin had been lenient with them the first two times, shifting the blame onto Thor and Loki respectively, but Odin was not known for allowing rule breakers to roam free. He liked to present himself as a fair and just king and he fooled most people into believing in that persona, but he had never been shy about holding criminals accountable. Sif and the Warriors Three’s earlier treason had also caused extreme trouble for Loki his first time around on the throne, so dealing with them in a constructive manner seemed an important task. But what to do with them?

In truth, there was an extremely petty part of him that wished to throw the lot in prison. Well, not all of them. Each held a different level of respect and like in Loki’s eyes and Sif was definitely at the bottom of said list. Hogun wasn’t much higher purely because any time Sif said anything negative about Loki or insinuated something to be his fault, Hogun was right alongside her, agreeing and ready to condemn him on nothing more than his natural dislike for the younger prince. Seeing those two locked up in Asgard’s dungeon, even temporarily, would have been so incredibly sweet. Petty, true, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Volstagg had Loki’s sympathies more than any of them. While Volstagg did occasionally tease Loki, he was never truly unkind or cruel. Volstagg had a big heart and a massive brood of children and Loki identified with that paternal nature. A powerful warrior but often unable to deny his friends, it was loyalty and blind faith more than anything that often led Volstagg to actions with horrible repercussions. Taking Volstagg away from his children was something Loki couldn’t really bring himself to do. He knew what it was to have children, to love them, and to watch as they were ripped away and kept from his reach. He didn’t wish that on anyone, especially not a genuinely good man such as him.

And then there was Fandral... and Loki’s feelings for Fandral were very complex. Deep-rooted longing for the swordsman’s affections sprouted when they first met and never truly faded, but there were certain decisions and events that pushed a wedge between them and turned some of those feelings down a bitter path.

In the end, Loki went easy on Volstagg. No prison, no banishment. Instead, he was confined to his family’s estate so he could be with his wife and children, but he was still seen as receiving punishment for going against the king’s orders again. The other three? Banishment seemed the easiest way to deal with them. As much as part of Loki wished to hide Sif and Hogun away in the dungeons, imprisoning them while letting Fandral and Volstagg off easy wouldn’t reflect well on the king, so instead, they were separated and banished to various realms under the same understanding of Thor’s banishment. If they could prove themselves worthy of it, they could return home.

Fandral, as it turned out, was sent to Midgard. Loki chose Midgard purposefully because he knew that Fandral had lived on Midgard before. He managed to establish something of a life for himself there, so surely, he could do so again. It was Loki’s way of silently being lenient with the swordsman without making that leniency obvious.

Weeks passed after Loki’s sentencing. Volstagg confined to his home and the rest of them spread across the realms. Loki didn’t think much about any of them, truly. He had far too much sitting right in front of him to pay mind to. Wasting time thinking about people who probably didn’t even think about him seemed like a foolish way to spend energy or trains of thought.

It wasn’t until Loki truly started going through Fritjolf’s reports and files thoroughly that Loki’s attention pulled back to a certain blond swordsman currently restricted to Midgard. It wasn’t obvious straight away. Most of Fritjolf’s agents used aliases and codenames while working, even on the reports that they delivered to the spymaster, in order to protect themselves. They wouldn’t be very good spies if they didn’t protect their true identities. That didn’t bother Loki as he read through the reports. The intel was all he cared about; it didn’t really matter who obtained it...

Soon enough, though, Loki did pick up on a pattern of one particular agent. Multiple codenames showed up numerous times, often named after wildlife, but Fox managed to capture Loki’s attention. It took quite a bit of digging through records and timelines, but after a while, matching up Fox’s reports to areas and times Loki knew Fandral to be in said areas unveiled itself flawlessly. Even Fox’s current reports all came from Midgard, in a similar area around modern-day England...

Could Fandral truly be a spy? That would explain so much about the way things transpired between them and why Fandral always seemed to keep part of himself hidden from public view. Loki always wondered why Fandral acted so differently when they were alone...

Against better judgment, Loki decided to pay Fandral an unexpected visit. Revealing the truth of what he’d done to Odin and why was risky, to say the least, and leaving Asgard unattended also wasn’t the brightest idea, but Loki left a clone of Odin to sit upon the throne and had enough people in his council that he trusted to keep Asgard going for a few days while he slipped away. Gods, he could use a break anyway, and if things didn’t go well with Fandral, he could at least go and visit his son. Seeing Jor would brighten his mood, surely.

But he took to backward means of travel, deciding for the sake of time to open a small portal between realms that would let him step through to some abandoned farmland in England, just to ensure no one saw the process of magic. From there, a tracking spell would do nicely to lead Loki straight to the banished warrior and apparent spy. He did little to hide aside from shifting his attire to something passable for modern-day Midgard. A pair of dark, form-fitted trousers, a simple belt with gold detailing around the clasp, a light sweater in a lovely shade of green, and a jacket. He didn’t need so many layers, but it was cool this time of year and walking around in anything less would gain him some pretty odd looks.

His spell directed him towards a rather impressive and clearly old estate. It’d been kept up over the years. Clearly, there were people that cared deeply for this land, but why would Fandral be in a place like this? What had he gotten up to during his time on Midgard? Aside from literally being the legend of Robin Hood, that was?

‘Fandral?’ A simple spell that would deliver a message to a single person in the way of words forming in the air before them and then fading. Fandral used it to contact him a few times. ‘I’m outside your... home? But you probably already knew that if you were paying attention. Would you come and meet with me, please?’

He didn’t bother stating who he was. Asgard might have believed Loki was dead, but Fandral should have been familiar enough with his magic to know who was reaching out to him now.

[cherryfinolahobbes]

Send me <3 and I’ll make a ship aesthetic

Fandral and Cherry

Quite possibly the epitome of the golden knight and the damsel in distress. Everything about Fandral and Cherry are classic. I dearly love them. Fandral really offers a true security for Cherry. True, most people mistake him for heart breaking knave with all the women at his heels and his rougish nature, Cherry knows better than that. I think Cherry also offers Fandral validation. He doesn’t have to play or wear the mask around her. He can just be and still be accepted and loved.

I adore @fandralxthexstabulous. Please go check her and her lovely golden rogue out!

[storiesofwildfire]

Okay, I promise this is my last personal post spam ( maybe... ), but I found this actor after watching The Nun--he plays Frenchie. His name is Jonas Bloquet and I gotta tell you, if Loki and Fandral ever had a son, 10 out of 10 it would be this boy. That’s all. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk. 

@fandralxthexstabulous​ - don’t mind me, just tagging you for reasons

[storiesofwildfire]

On the Eve of Disaster

          { @fandralxthexstabulous }

♔—- Loki’s life changed rapidly after the Dark Elves invasion. For months, he sat in Asgard’s dungeon, expecting to live out the rest of his unending days there, slowly rotting away into a mental state that couldn’t even be recognized as intelligent anymore. Being locked up for a few months hadn’t been the worst thing he’d endured. No, not by far, but the fallen prince knew that if he didn’t find some means of freedom, he would slowly lose every last shred of his sanity.

But the time came where he was granted his freedom in exchange for hunting down the beasts that attacked Asgard and, more importantly, the people who were responsible for the slaughter of his mother, Frigga. During the battle against the Dark Elves on the miserable realm of Svartalfheim, Loki was injured in the process of protecting his brother and his brother’s love from certain death. The injury had been fatal, as he’d been impaled through the chest in such a way that disrupted the immediate and necessary function of several vital organs.

If people knew that Loki was still alive, they’d probably claim that he’d faked his own death, but in truth, even Loki believed he was suffering his final moments. His brother dropped to his knees beside him and wrapped his arms around him, sobbing like the sentimental sap that he was and all Loki could do was express how sorry he was. If there was anything he needed to say before he died, it was that.

Loki wasn’t afraid of death. As he rested in his brother’s arms, quickly slipping out of consciousness, he felt a sense of peace. He died for a good cause. He died avenging his mother. He died knowing that he’d redeemed himself. And if he chose his words carefully, he’d die without the regrets of never trying to mend things with his brother.

When Loki woke, alone in the dirt of Svartalfheim, he was nothing short of confused. Why was he not dead? Even with his magic, how could he have possibly lived through such horrible trauma? And why had Thor left his body on the realm without attempting to recover it? Loki feared the worst, that Thor hadn’t succeeded in his attempt to stop Malekith.

What he returned home to find outraged him rather than soothed his fears. The realm was in ruins and Thor? Thor was nowhere to be seen. As a matter of fact, he didn’t even want to take on the responsibility of helping Asgard rebuild and recover from the detrimental damage caused by the invasion. He hadn’t gone back for Loki’s body. He hadn’t helped his people rebuild. He hadn’t helped his friends resist the charges of the treason he convinced them to commit. He didn’t even want to stay by his miserable father’s side as the old fool attempted to hold Asgard together in his grieving. 

Odin, without Frigga, was nothing but a tired old man whose health and will seemed to decline rapidly.

Even if Loki hadn’t eased his father into Odinsleep, it would have taken him sooner or later. Odin wasn’t well and he was only holding on for the sake of his realm. In a way, Loki felt like he was doing the old man a favor by letting him rest after all he endured. 

Loki took Odin’s place as king, choosing to disguise himself as the one-eyed All-father that the realm came to know and love. He didn’t exactly like parading around as Odin, a man he had so much lasting anger and animosity towards, but he found himself in a unique position to take care of Asgard, mend its wounds, and alter the general public’s opinion of him as well. If Odin sang praises of his second son’s bravery, surely people would listen? And why shouldn’t Odin honor his assumed to be dead son? Loki died protecting Asgard, after all. Without him, many of the survivors of the invasion would probably be dead as well. The entire galaxy would have been altered and damaged forever.

In theory, Loki could be a good king while slowly shift public favor in his direction as well. He could tell his story through the way that he always perceived it and people would finally listen. 

And Gods damn it, he deserved a bit of happiness, didn’t he?

Once he began reconstruction projects and established a plan to build Asgard back up to its former glory, he started publicly sending out small search parties to look for his body. As Odin, he claimed that since they were never able to recover a body, he had hope that Loki was still alive. Perhaps he’d been captured or he’d run away in hopes of escaping being locked up again? Either were legitimate explanations as to how Loki could still be alive and he made it appear as if Odin clung to the hope that his second son could still be alive.

Sooner or later, he would have one of those search parties find him and make a display of him returning to Asgard, beaten and battered, but very much alive. Only once he’d established a positive image for himself and the immediate dangers Asgard faced in its time of vulnerability were catered to first.

Some of his desires were selfish, he had to admit, but that didn’t stop him from doing the job of king. And, truly, he wasn’t half bad at it. Even if he was planning to erect a statue of himself and was currently commissioning a play to honor his sacrifice for Asgard. If he was going to use Odin’s face to show the realm a different side of himself, he was going to do it in the most obnoxious and extra way possible. More importantly, he was going to back up that praise with proof that he was good enough to deserve it. 

He was going to take care of the realm, it just came with a few added perks, like improving his popularity and even releasing and protecting his children.

One curveball he hadn’t counted on was Fandral.

For a time, quite a number of years before Loki’s fall from the Bifrost, he and the swordsman had been in a rather intimate relationship. Loki loved Fandral and he believed that Fandral loved him in turn, but they’d been young and Loki had been... too unsure of himself, too caught up in his lacking self-worth, and too jealous to maintain the relationship. He grew so distraught over Fandral’s constant flirting and how easy it seemed to draw his attention away from him, yet he’d been unwilling to speak to his lover about his feelings, choosing instead to squash them down and repress them. He was setting himself and his relationship up to fail, he just hadn’t seen it until it was too late, and by then, the damage was done.

Eventually, Loki broke up with Fandral, and it broke his heart to do so, but he just wasn’t secure enough with himself to accept what came with Fandral’s position. His persona that serviced his work for the Old Wolf was just an extension of his true self and Loki kept telling himself that Fandral didn’t need to constantly flirt. He didn’t need to constantly make beautiful women swoon and pine after him. But he chose to. And Loki’s insecurities and his jealousy eventually became too much. He regretted the decision almost immediately, but what could he do? 

In truth, Loki wasn’t sure he ever really got over the swordsman. Loki often found himself lingering on his time with Fandral, wondering if he could have done something differently.

But did Loki still love him? He wouldn’t admit it, but he knew, deep down, that he never stopped.

After their breakup, though, they stopped interacting all together. Loki avoided Fandral at all costs because it was too painful to even attempt to be around him. So imagine Loki’s shock when he sat upon the throne as Odin and Fandral came to him, requesting that he be sent off on one of the search parties to bring Loki home? Why did Fandral want to go searching for him? He couldn’t get that off of his mind. It plagued him from the moment Fandral approached him and even now, a solid week after Fandral had been given permission to leave, Loki still lingered on it.

Which really didn’t help him much, considering he was staring at a massive stack of paperwork that needed to be done before the morning. Sitting in his private study, Loki took on his normal visage. No one would interrupt him so late at night and if someone came searching for him, he’d just shift back into Odin before anyone could see him. He sat in nothing more than an emerald robe made of fine silk that exposed quite a bit of his chest and he’d gone through half a decanter of wine already as he poured over the endless stack of parchment in front of him.

His mind kept darting back to Fandral, though, and he found himself signing papers that he couldn’t even remember reading, even though he’d read them all. 

“Gods,” he groaned quietly, setting his quill aside for a moment so he could actually rub his eyes. “This is going to keep me up all damned night if I don’t pick up the pace here...” But he really just wanted to go to bed. Surely, paperwork could wait, right? “No,” he hissed at himself. “You need to get this done before the sun comes up. Just focus.”

But could he?

[storiesofwildfire]

A YULE GIFT FROM LOKI ;; @fandralxthexstabulous

♔—- Loki had a few packages set out for Fandral by the time Yule came around. A couple of them were rather small and then there was a particularly large box sitting in the center of the table with a couple of smaller packages around it. All of them were wrapped in the same beautiful, shimmering teal fabric complete with golden bows. He took the smallest package from the table and handed it to Fandral.

      “This is your main gift, darling. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but I thought it would like nice on your desk. Plus, I painted it myself.” A simple glass mug sat inside the box, but it had a stained-glass fox painted on it.

     “The rest are things I’ve picked out for our wedding, but I wanted to surprise you with them now.” And yes, every piece did have a solid-yet-subtle theme. A wine bottle holder, a set of wine glasses that they would drink from during their reception, and, in the largest box, an example of what their centerpieces could look like. “I wanted to incorporate a few pieces like this into our reception.” He couldn’t help but grin. “I think they’re appropriate. And beautiful.”

[storiesofwildfire]

Otherworldly Monsters

     { @fandralxthexstabulous }

♔—- Life on Asgard was often too difficult for Loki to maintain without developing some cracks in the mask that he wore for the benefit of those around him. He faced constantly uphill battles with his father, his peers, his mentors, and the people who looked to him for answers. Whether someone liked him or not became irrelevant because of the stigma that hung around his shoulders. 

Forever cast in the shadows of his brother and forever the one that was too weird, too mischievous, too immature, and too likely to break his loyalties, Loki lived in a state of teetering over the edge. His entire life became one giant balancing act to stay as true to himself and his happiness as he could while also proving his worth and his loyalty to the people of Asgard. Their expectations constantly knocked him from side to side, attempting to push him off of that high wire that he always walked and sometimes...

Sometimes it worked. Sometimes he didn’t just teeter, he fell to the side and couldn’t drag himself back up before someone noticed. 

These were the moments when he decided he needed to get away from Asgard for a while. Not just to go out on some sort of quest or expedition that was assigned to him by his father. No, these were moments when he needed to get as far away from Asgard and anything to do with the realm as possible. If he didn’t separate himself for a few weeks or months, he’d surely lose the calm that he worked so hard to maintain. His control would slip and in a fit of true emotional turmoil, he might even do some serious damage that he didn’t mean.

Magic was such a fickle thing. It constantly wanted to be in motion. It needed to be used and sometimes even the most skilled sorcerers could lose their handle on their own power. Emotional breakdowns weren’t just humiliating in the face of his peers, they were actually dangerous for himself and anyone unfortunate enough to get close.

And it seemed like the older he got, the more his “home” beat against his stamina and resolve. He wanted to be away from Asgard more and more as the years went on and he inched closer and closer to that line of truly breaking and cracking apart under the pressure that constantly rested upon his shoulders.

Needless to say, his trips off-realm were normal and no one was surprised when Loki decided to leave for a few weeks or months.

This particular trip led him to Midgard, where he took up the persona of a man by the name of James Conard, a decommissioned British Air Service captain. The persona he created gained a reputation quickly for being a phenomenal tracker and survivalist. Numerous people came to him during his time on Midgard, asking him for his employment for various missions, search parties, and rescue assignments. He accepted the ones that he thought would interest him and the jobs kept him busy during his time away from Asgard.

More importantly, they fueled something that he’d love to do ever since he was a small child; explore and uncover secrets left behind by ancient creatures.

Everything was fun and games until the Skull Island assignment came up. He, along with numerous soldiers and civils pursued an unexplored island that was, quite literally, in the shape of a giant skull. Massive creatures roamed the surface of the island and the most dangerous ones inhabited the hollow innards of the island. These creatures... 

They were like nothing that Loki had ever seen, even in other worlds and planets. He certainly couldn’t logically fashion how these massive and deadly beasts could thrive on a planet like Midgard where humans dominated everything. The horrors he saw there were enough to keep him interested in exploring more areas of the globe that human hands had never touched. 

And the people who hired him weren’t likely to let him go after his performance on Skull Island. Had it not been for Loki, every single person sent in would have probably been killed. Not many escaped, but they came back with a story to tell and the scars to prove it. The military and the government weren’t keen on letting the story of Skull Island get out to the masses of the planet, but they were more concerned with other islands and territories that exhibited similar symptoms to Skull Island. 

Needing to know more, Loki was the first to volunteer for expeditions to these new locations. What other sorts of creatures and ancient histories existed there? He had to know.

But in his pursuit of adventure and knowledge, Loki didn’t realize how much time passed since he’d actually been home. His trips usually lasted no more than two or three months at most, but now? He’s been gone for nearly 18. 

Enraptured with the secrets of a planet that he thought he’d figured out centuries ago, Loki had no way of knowing that other threats slipped into Midgard during his absence. Beings from other realms that somehow managed to break into this foreign world brought havoc and chaos but the Asgardian Prince knew nothing of it.

He’d enlisted to explore a second island after Skull Island. Preparations were being made and intelligence was gathered. Loki grew antsy as precautions and detailed plans were set in place. Reverting to some of James’ old habits, he began frequenting local bars and clubs that offered billiards, beautiful women (and men), drinking, and socialization. It allowed him to unwind a bit in the anticipation of the upcoming trip, but his focus was always split.

On that particular night, he sat in the back of a club with a sixth round of scotch on the rocks and a cigarette. As always, the alcohol did nothing to help him feel even the slightest buzz. Midgardian alcohol never did, but he drank for the taste. Cigarettes had a calming effect when he smoked them but again, they did nothing to alter or affect his body. Nicotine was neither addictive nor hazardous to his health. It was about the taste, the appearance it gave to those around him, and the attempt to relax.

“You looking for some company?” A scantily-clad woman asked from off to the side. Loki ignored her for a moment. There were so many people in the rundown joint that she could have been talking to any number of people if she thought she stood a chance of making some money off of spending a few hours with one of them.

When she received no answer, she sat across from the chair Loki planted himself in. The position she chose was nothing short of provocative, as it left very little to the imagination, but as Loki’s eyes feel on her, he looked... unimpressed and uninterested. This irritated the beautiful women. Men went weak in the knees for a chance to be with her. “I saw you playing pool earlier. You were quite good,” she said. “Looks like you made quite a bit off of just a few games. Is that how you make a living for yourself?”

“No, that’s how I pay for my drinks,” Loki replied, frowning softly at her as he took another long drag from his cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke through his nose. “I’d advise you find someone a few degrees drunker than I am and try to talk him out of his money. You’re not really much my type. I’d be more than happy to buy you a shot, though, if that’ll tickle your fancy.”

“Surely, you don’t wish to sit back here all by your lonesome?” she murmured, staring up at him through her lashes.

Well, he had to give her one thing, she was certainly persistent. She didn’t like to take no for an answer. They shared at least one trait, then, but it only served to kill his interest that much more. 

“If I wanted companionship, I would have searched for it myself, wouldn’t I?” Loki asked.

The woman’s presence kept him preoccupied despite his lack of enthusiasm. She kept him distracted enough in her very forward advances that he didn’t even notice another man approaching him.

[storiesofwildfire]

@fandralxthexstabulous -- continued from (x)

“You do have to get up pretty early in the morning to beat me,” he agreed cheerfully as he accepted the box. “I’ve known about Midgard’s Valentine’s Day tradition for a while now, but it seemed particularly apt to celebrate it with you.”

He drew Loki close and kissed him softly before opening his gift. His eyes lit up at the sight of the lovely quill as he picked it up. It fit perfectly in his hand, and it was quite gaudy enough to suit his somewhat extravagant tastes. “Loki, it’s gorgeous!” he exclaimed.

He hoped Loki would like the gift he’d found for him, an elegant little carving of white crystal that looked remarkably like his cat Fanny.

♔—- "I appreciate the thought, Fan,” Loki murmured. “I’d assumed you’d love the concept of this holiday. You’re always such a stickler for being as sappy and romantic as possible and from what I can tell, this is the one holiday that promotes just that.” He allowed himself to be pulled against the slightly taller warrior, returning the kiss before either of them opened their presents. That’s what this was really about anyway, wasn’t it? The love that they shared, not the baubles that they presented one another as a representation of that love.

A soft grin spread across his lips. “I’m glad you like it,” he chuckled. “We both have to do so much paperwork these days, seems only fitting to have a proper instrument for the job. If you’re just tired of writing, it’ll write for you. I have a similar quill in my study but it’s not quite as flashy as this one.” Out of the pair of them, Fandral was definitely more of the peacock type. Loki’s pride and love of gaudy things was a bit less obvious.

His attention, however, turned to the heart-shaped box and he carefully opened it, sure not to ruin the lovely packaging. Inside was a tiny white crystal sculpture that looked just like Fanny. The tiny trinket was heavy for its size as he plucked it from the cushioned box. “Where did you find something like this?” he asked. “This is beautiful and the craftsmanship is nothing to laugh about.” Small, yes, but whoever made the tiny cat put a lot of hard work and love into creating the piece. “I’m sure Fanny will be honored to have a statue of her likeness,” he added as he slipped his arms around Fandral’s neck, hugging him tightly while the tiny treasure remained firmly in one of his hands. “Thank you.”

[storiesofwildfire]

Undercover

     { @fandralxthexstabulous }

♔—- With Odin back and sitting on the throne of Asgard, Loki honestly had to admit that he was still in shock, not only because of the twisted turn of events but because he was still walking a free man. And Odin hadn’t even put any emphasis on the idea of reimprisoning his children in any fashion. Apparently, the threat of Thanos instigated a much more severe fear within his adopted father.

It was understandable. The Mad Titan would destroy everything before the prophecies of Ragnarök ever had a hope of becoming true.

But there was still plenty of work for Loki to do. He’d been placed in charge of the effort to locate and obtain all of the Infinity Stones and place each one into a secure hiding spot. It was foolish to have all six of them in the same place, especially when the Infinity Gauntlet already resided on Asgard. Loki, however, also had a bit of paranoia of presenting the stones to Odin. The rest of the realm might have trusted him but Loki did not. Loki understood that he was an any means necessary sort of person and that made him leery.

‘One problem at a time, Loki. One problem at a time.’

The Tesseract was already accounted for in Asgard’s vault. The other five needed to be collected. They did, for a brief time, have access to the Aether, but the man left in charge of its safe keeping wasn’t quite so fortunate as to keep it. Loki did know the location of the Mind Gem, however. It was on Midgard and it would be the next to be retrieved.

So he and Fandral formed a plan to visit the realm alone. Best to keep the search party small so as not to attract attention. Loki insisted that he needed to be sent. He’d been under the stone’s influence before. The connection still lingered and while that frightened him, he knew that the connection would lead them to the stone far more quickly than trying to find it by an educated guess. The quicker they found the stones, the better off they would be.

Before the couple left for Midgard, they assembled a team of trusted sorcerers and scientists that would work on attempting to locate the other gems. Some of the members of this team were Loki’s close friends, Inka, Inge, and Avlida. Another was Loki’s cousin, Ylva. Other members included recommendations from Fandral.

On the morning they were scheduled to leave, Loki shapeshifted into his female form, deciding it would be far easier to navigate Midgard without running the risk of someone recognizing him or the Avengers catching wind of his appearance. He preferred not to deal with those speedbumps.

She approached Fandral with a pack over one of her shoulders and her long, wavy hair twisted into a long braid. Her clothing was already very Midgardian. Black skinny jeans hugged her thighs and tucked neatly into dark brown leather riding boots that stopped right below her knee. She wore a matching leather jacket and a soft, cashmere turtleneck in a soft green color to complete the outfit. She’d even gone the extra mile to place little green studs in her ears and a matching necklace. 

“Are you ready to go, love?”