Chapter Text
As our beloved trickster woke up and cursed because once again he passed out, Brunnhilde was outside, on the top of a hill made of the most unlikely things from across the universe, and looked towards the Grandmaster’s skyscraper, in the middle of the trash city, the symbol of his empire. She didn’t want to but she had to agree with Lackey, their best option was to go there willingly and hope the man was in a good mood. It was not a foolproof plan, a lot of things could go wrong. But here is a toast for hoping things will go down after we leave. Then the Valkyrie downed what was left of her bottle, knowing it was probably going to be the last one for a while. Trouble follows the princes of Asgard like a moth to a flame… it’s only a matter of time until something blows up in our faces.
And the Prince himself shows up then, clearly suffering and for lack of a better description, pathetically close to passing out even though he just woke up.
“We should adapt the plan.” The Trickster was about to protest but she continued. “You look as though you are about to walk onto Valhalla’s halls, you sound like a Bilge snipe stampede ran over your throat multiple times and, it’s strategically advisable to have some kind of backup." She paused. "Even if you are falling apart.”
“First, that was rude. My voice sounds much better than before. Second, how do you think you are going to convince the Grandmaster, you have no finesse for negotiating, you go about it physically and that is plan number 5.”
“He always listened to me before and-”
“That was before you betrayed him and freed his slaves.”
“I’ve done negotiations before as a Valkyrie, I have the finesse.” The warrior hissed.
“How can you be so thick?” Loki’s voice was strained. “It was during Odin’s war mongering years, of course you would have the finesse, the other worlds feared Asgard, they still did until… very… recently.”
“You don’t have to remind me, I know what those times were like and I know how to do something properly without your backstabbing methods, Snake Prince.” She sneered.
Loki would not admit it but her words stung, he had always known he didn’t have the people’s trust. That was why he prefered the solitude, it still hurt… the loneliness, but then it was his choice, when he traveled by himself there was no mistrust from the people he came in contact with but no camaraderie either, he was always alone. He should have handled things better with the Valkyrie though, but as hurt as he was he knew he was right, the warrior alone would not gain the madman’s trust she would need help.
“I have a plan, the Grandmaster is obsessed with games and contests. If we-” He doesn’t get very far before he is interrupted.
“That is incredibly stupid, you want to beat him at his own game. We don’t have the time frame to fight through his contest of champions.” As she went on Loki looked exasperated and impatient to get to his point. “Not to mention he cheats! You know that!”
“And if you listened, you would know that I am not so senseless as to play his game." He says with finality. "He will play mine.”
"So, you suppose we will just tell him we are still looking for your brother!" She scoffed.
"Look, I know that was a bit out there. Anyway, that lie would need a bigger timeline than the one we have. Right now, you have no choice but to trust me…" the exasperation in his voice faded, leaving room for desperate bravado. "I can do this."
The Grandmaster was excited, it’s not everyday that two of his favorite people came back, requested an audience of great importance and the promise of a contest. They created a rebellion but it was interesting, spiced up his day to be honest and yes, Topaz is in a coma because of them but he is in a forgiving mood, and he got someone new, who appreciated drama like him.
“Behold, the sight of our esteemed Grandmaster, the first lost and the first found, who was willing to hear your sob story, who was compassionate enough-” Maybe a little too much, after all he has to be the most dramatic person in the room.“
"Daryl, darling, that’s enough. You can go now, shoo shoo. Bye-bye.” As he turned around the grandmaster didn’t expect what he saw. “ Ooooh, that gotta hurt, it pains me to look.” The Grandmaster grimaced. “Someone get him a scarf or something fashionable, pleeeease.”
As a servant rushed in with a green neon scarf, Valkyrie couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of the neon green scarf and purple bruises that gave the prince a comical look.
“Now that is better. The whole neck thing sounds like a story, you mind telling me Scrapper 142? I am in a listening mood.”
"I don't want to bore you, Grandmaster but to simplify things, that- she pointed to the tall man next to her- is no one's fault but his own." Loki quickly got a word in, a single misplaced word right now and they might never get away from there, at least not in time.
"We ran into an old enemy, not only ours but I would say a fair number of people harbors ill feelings against him." Dramatic pause for effect. Some people would probably not recognize his genius, much like Valkyrie at that moment, but speech is an art that few give it's deserved credit, understandable since politicians are particularly the group of people who mess it up. There is a reason I wanted theater to be more popular. " Have you heard from your brother lately?"
The Grandmaster, who until that moment wasn't really paying attention, looked as if someone had slapped him on the face, his posture what you could have previously called relaxed, now looked imposing and dark, even with his ridiculously colorful attire."
"You made your point, darling." His voice was lower and drawled dangerously with each word. "Continue."
"The Mad Titan paid him a visit." Valkyrie looked curiously at that. Now, Loki didn't really know that, but he knew what he sent to the Collector was going to attract a very specific visitor."
My brother had an Infinity Stone on his person…" He deduced. "How interesting." The eccentric man seemed nonchalant, as if he expected to hear those very words for a long time. "I am guessing you are in a desperate endeavor to stop that Thanos boy, then? Or are you here seeking refuge? No, you don't seem that foolish. You wanted a contest that means you want something from me. What is it?"
*Hours earlier"
What is it? This game of yours." She was intrigued, the confidence that emanated out of him seemed genuine, for the first time since Asgard's destruction, he looked like the man that came out of nowhere and was able to win a mad man's favour with nothing but persuasion. His superiority inferiority complex seemed completely non-existent at that moment.
"We will let him hear what he wants to hear." He stated smoothly.
"A game, if you will, with nothing but wits." The prince of lies said confidently.
"I am intrigued." The Grandmaster grinned.
The liesmith's hypnotic charming smile captivated his audience.
*
"The only thing he will want to hear is that we agree to his terms." Val snapped.
"We are not going to use our words, we are going to use his. People are easily placated if you act how they want you to act. " He whispered bitterly but with strength, leaving no room for uncertainty.
Realization and then understanding came upon her. "You know exactly what the Grandmaster wants, a game is just part of it, you know more."
"The Grandmaster is the last of a very ancient species that happened to be eradicated by someone we know." The statement came out calmly but the tension was thick.
"Thanos."
"It's simple, all I ask is one match of Hnefatafl." He said with cheer.
"I like it. But the stakes are not high enough for me. As I see it, you get more of this than I do." As the Grandmaster kept thinking, Loki and Val couldn't help but feel satisfaction knowing that anything he wanted was within their reach.
"When I win Scrapper 142 will be my most cherished champion and you my dear… The galaxy's most infamous manipulator, will be my best agent, my very own eyes and ears across the universe, tied to me forever, my favorite piece." He says with a flirtatious look.
Life won't be boring for a while with you two, when I win I may even feel inclined to grant you wishes, perhaps I could bring you someone you miss… I am not bound by the laws of death as others are after all."
"And if we win, may I assume that whatever we ask will be granted, with the utmost support?" Valkyrie asked not letting the Grandmaster's offer overwhelm her.
"Of course my dear, I want Thanos dead like everybody else, I will even help you with the endeavor… But only if you win. Daryl, honey give them a room, the game will be in a few hours."
The prince and the warrior were taken by surprise by the offer. Loki couldn't help think of his mother, the opportunity to have her back elated his spirit at the same time it left him crushed.
"Don't let his words get to you Lackey, he only wants to get inside your head."
"I know… Can he really do it?" The question came out so quietly that Valkyrie thought she imagined it.
"Yes, he can bring people back from dead, I don't know what the real price for it is. When I got here after losing all of my sisters and my partner, I hoped that by bringing him the best champions he would bring her back to me, he denied me everytime…" Loki looked up in surprise at that, he didn't expect her to share something so personal with him, especially after invading her memories and because of it he didn't think before he spoke himself.
"It's all my fault, the reason all of this is happening now… it's because of me, my mother's death, Odin's, Asgard and now the Universe…" The confession took everything out of him, leaving all of his feelings vulnerable, guilt, fear, panic, anxiety, everything so close to the breaking point before he quickly reined it in, with practiced ease. " Pardon me, it was not my intention to drop my business onto you."
"Loki, you are trying now and honestly so am I." She said simply. "That probably counts for something."
"You say that as if you don't believe it." He said with fake surprise and the beginning of a smile. As Val sat in one of the outrageous chairs in the room, the trickster followed her lead.
"Well, I will leave the emotional pep talk to your brother." She huffed with smirk. "After you win we will go to midgard, then?"
"No, I doubt we will make it in time. No, we will go after Thanos directly." The turn in the conversation dropped the temperature in the room, and though Loki would like to blame it on anything else he knew he probably let his feelings get control over his abilities.
"What?!" She growled. "What do you expect us to do?!"
"We will steal the stones." He said loudly. "I don't know if the Midgardians will succeed, we are the plan B, if everything goes wrong we will steal whatever stones we can and fix it."
Brunnhilde took a deep breath and prayed to the norns that they give her patience dealing with this man, who seemed to have his thoughts all over the place and strangely in control of the situation, even with the bare minimum she knew about him, she is sure he should be falling apart. "Okay Lackey, you will do two things right now, first warm up this place and second get talking, you will tell me everything, all of your plans, don't leave me in the dark anymore, Odin left me in the dark and my sisters died, tell me everything, even whatever feelings you are hiding right now, you want to confront Thanos… Fine, but not in the verge of a panic attack."
Loki sheepishly looked around and noticed the small amount of ice around the mobilia and with inexplicable excitement he hoped that he could finally tell someone everything that tormented his mind since he fell into the void. He couldn't help but think that maybe he could trust someone else and that maybe, just maybe she will trust him too.