Chapter Text
Frigga waits only until the door is closed and she is certain Thor is far enough away so as not to overhear the private conversation. "It is a risk," she admits, looking at Odin, "But I feel it is worth it. Thanos is... he is dangerous, ruthless. He is mad, husband. He will not stop until he's dead, and he has grown strong, arrogant to think that harming a prince of Asgard could go without retribution."
Despite her words, Odin's impassive expression doesn't change, but Frigga has been with him for centuries. She knows how to read him better than anyone else, and she can see the anxiety pulsing beneath the surface of his façade. He is afraid, she thinks, to deal with this shadow from their past. Thanos is... he could unravel and destroy everything they have sought to build; he nearly did before. He would have destroyed him, no doubt, if not for Hela. Frigga feels a sharp pang of sorrow, of longing in her heart as she thinks of her eldest daughter. Because she might not have birthed Hela – just as she did not give birth to Loki – but that doesn't make the former Princess any less her daughter. She is not called the All-Mother for nothing.
"He has been waiting and planning," Odin grudgingly admits, "But we have dealt with him before. We can do so again. The Infinity Stones are hidden. It is unlikely that Thanos will actually be able to locate them."
"That is arrogance talking," Frigga returns sharply, stepping all the way to where her husband is sitting. "We both know that Asgard only survived because of Hela. She saved us time and again."
"And then she turned on us!" Odin retorts. "Wife, I know you still love you, but she is dangerous, uncontrollable. Even if I go to ask her assistance, there is no guarantee that she would even help us. There is no guarantee that she would not turn on us the first chance she gets. We cannot afford to risk the Nine Realms in such a manner."
"If we lose, then the universe is doomed anyways," Frigga reminds him. "The Aether has been hidden away, but it can still be found, and no one knows where the Soul and Power Stones are. The Time Stone is concealed on Midgard. It is not a coincidence that Thanos sought to invade that realm. If he knows about it –" She strongly suspects that he does; why else would he attack a place which was guaranteed to get Asgard involved? "– Then he nearly got three of the six."
Something like resignation flickers across Odin's face, but Frigga knows that it's not because he's giving in. No, he'll fight her on this until he doesn't have any arguments left. "You have always cared about her too much," he murmurs.
Frigga presses her lips together, not denying it. Even when Hela had been brought back to Asgard, even when the Princess told them – voice dull, empty, distant – what had happened, what she had done, Frigga hadn't wanted to believe it. But there was no denying the missing Valkyrie. She couldn't feign ignorance when the absence of Brunnhilde, in particular, was so glaringly obvious. And she could reply to Odin with words that sting, but she won't, because it won't help. This isn't about Hela. This is about the universe.
There is no reason for them to get into old arguments, to rehash the long-worn debate about whether or not Hela was really responsible for what happened, if she truly let her bloodlust overcome common sense as she drained the life of all living things covering nearly half the planet. It is all circumstantial evidence. There is no proof either way. All they knew – and know, even now – is that Hela was alive while the Valkyrie and half of Titan was not. Maybe it is foolish, but Frigga refuses to accept that her daughter could have fallen so low. She refuses to accept that Hela would really take life so senselessly and for no reason.
"If we won't go to her –" though she has every intention of pushing this topic again later, hopefully before it's too late to act, "– Then we must find an alternative," Frigga states flatly. "Who will be willing to help us against Thanos?"
"That is not the question," Odin returns quietly, suddenly looking exhausted. "The question is: will it be enough?"
Unease and dread coil in Frigga's gut as she realizes that her husband is right. They'll do their best – they always do – but this time, it might not be enough. That thought is more than mildly unsettling.
***
Thor hadn't quite made it to his quarters when his friends ambush him. He can almost feel their happiness and joy at his return, and he stops walking, looking between the four of them with a genuine smile. It has been a time since they've been together: two months, though Thor has to admit that he hasn't missed them all that much. He had his brother by his side, and he could think of nothing else, wanting nothing more than to help Loki heal. His friends are... well, they're his friends, but Loki is his brother.
"Thor! You're back!" Sif's relief is apparent.
"Aye, I am," he confirms.
"What happened?" Fandral asks before anyone else can voice the question they are all, no doubt, wondering. "Did you find Loki? Did you catch him?"
Thor remembers, with a start, that none of them know what happened to Loki either. When Thor left, he had told them that Loki was on Midgard, causing problems there. They still believe that. They still think that his brother is... evil. The knowledge has been with him for so long now, that it's jarring to recall that others think differently, that they don't know the truth.
"It is a long story," Thor says with a sigh, gesturing to his friends. They follow him to his quarters, taking seats in the sitting room. It feels good to be home, but at the same time, Thor still feels restless. He – he wants to go back to Midgard. He doesn't want to stay here. He wants to be with Loki. It's been two months, and Loki is getting a little better; he doesn't have nightmares every night now like he used to, but they're still frequent enough. Some days he acts like his old self, and some days he's distant, shaken. On those days, Thor usually stays with him, often in complete silence, while he struggles to cope.
"Loki was captured by a mad Titan in the Void," he explains once they're all settled. He can feel the grimness descending upon him, the haunting knowledge that he failed to protect his brother when he needed him most. The guilt, he suspects, will always be with him. Maybe it will wane in time, but... Perhaps if he had – if he had tried to focus more on Loki instead of himself, none of this would have happened in the first place. But it did, and now, he has to help his brother put himself back together.
He tries hard to keep his face blank, to keep his emotions from showing. These are not things he wants to share with anyone, not even his closest friends. "Through the use of the Mind Stone, he was forced to do the Titan's bidding," Thor continues somberly. "Loki did not attack Midgard out of his own free-will. He is safe now, and he chose to remain on Midgard for the time being."
Sif and the Warriors Three exchange looks, something like pity – and regret – in their eyes. "Are you sure he told you the truth?" Sif queries.
Thor can't help but bristle at the insinuation. "Loki doesn't seek to hurt others," he argues. "He plays tricks and mischief, but he doesn't... enjoy causing harm." And yes, maybe those tricks cause a great deal of aggravation, though they were never necessarily malicious in nature. Thor knows Loki. He knows how his brother acts and feels, and he knows that Loki spoke the truth about what happened to him in the Void.
Hogun frowns slightly. "He is not known as the Liesmith for nothing," he reminds. "He is good at manipulation. Don't forget that he tried to kill you on Midgard scarcely a year ago."
As if Thor could forget such a thing. He hasn't brought it up with Loki again, because he's unsure how his brother will react. Loki had just learned the truth about his adoption and heritage, and Thor can't blame him for not thinking clearly at the time. No one could, much less his brother, who had long struggled in the shadows all alone. That sends another pang of guilt through him, and he silently vows again not to let Loki continue to suffer if he can help. For too long, Loki has had no one who can help him, because Thor was blind. Never again.
"Yes, and he let the Jotuns into Asgard," chimes in Volstagg, nodding.
"And for good reason," Thor points out mildly. "I wasn't ready to be king. Not then and not now either." It's something he's thought about, though it's not something he's ever given voice to.
Sif's expression is scandalized. "Surely you must be joking!"
"I would never joke about such a thing," he says seriously. "I was not ready for the throne a year ago. Loki was right about me."
His friends look at one another again, almost as if they're having an entire conversation to which he's not privy. Thor doesn't much like it, and the realization that he's missing something settles uncomfortably. "You cannot trust Loki." Fandral's voice is quiet, but earnest, apprehension clear in his eyes.
Thor stiffens at the words, eyes narrowing as his anger slowly builds. He can sense the weather responding likewise outside, dark clouds gathering overhead. "He is my brother," he practically growls. "I know him better than anyone." He forces himself to soften his tone because he knows that his friends mean well. They're not trying to deliberately hurt him or Loki; they simply don't know his brother the way he does. "I trust Loki implicitly, and I do not regret it."
He never will. He thinks, for a moment, about everything which has happened since they were reunited, remembering how Loki broke down and told him of the torture he had faced, the slow progress he made in healing, the way he often flinches if someone moves too fast or suddenly, the nightmares which plague his brother frequently. No, Loki is not deceiving him. It's impossible. No one could play a deception so vast and all-encompassing, not even the god of mischief.
Sif presses her lips together, seemingly the only one most willing to express her disapproval. "When he betrays you, don't say we didn't warn you."
Thor smiles a bit knowingly, wishing that his friends could see his brother as he does, wishing that they were able to appreciate Loki's innate goodness and selflessness. "He won't." It's more than a simple statement; it's a declaration, a promise, a prediction. His mood lightens as he thinks of Loki, though the ache of being separated from him is prominent.
Even as he says the words, he knows that his friends will not believe him, and it stings. They've always trusted him in the past, so why not now? How can they be so distrustful of Loki? It doesn't make any sense. Loki is their prince too. But at the same time, Thor knows that his suspicions are correct. Loki had implied – more than once – that he had no friends on Asgard. It was a subtle, pointed reminder that Sif and the Warriors Three were not his friends. Thor had been... somewhat confused by that, because he had always thought them to be friends, but now, seeing their attitudes, he thinks he understands.
What he doesn't understand is why. Why do they think so lowly of their own prince?
"Why do you not trust Loki?" Thor can't help but ask. "He has saved us time and again when I led us into danger. We owe him our lives."
Surprisingly, Hogun is the one who answers, and the underlying antipathy in his voice is undeniable. "He has led us into many of those dangerous situations too, Thor," he replies. "He fights like a coward, from the shadows; you know this. He does not behave as a proper warrior should. He's a trickster. Deceitful. Untrustworthy."
Thor is numb with shock as the other three murmur agreements, nodding. They – Norns, they really believe that? He should be angry, he knows, but he's more stunned and horrified than anything. Some of his emotions must show on his face because the others shift uncertainly. "I – I think you should go," he says at last, barely holding onto his temper. He doesn't want to lose control on them. Not right now. He wants to, but they have been his friends for so long. He can't force them to like Loki.
Sif gives Fandral an apprehensive look. "We can talk more tomorrow," she offers finally. "I would like to hear more about what happened on Midgard."
Thor simply nods, though he's unsure if he'll actually tell her – or any of them – anything, watching as they leave his quarters, closing the door behind them. How did he never realize how Asgard views his brother? He should have known, should have done more to protect Loki from their scorn. Thor has never found anything wrong with his brother for using magic – he himself uses his lightning and Mjolnir, after all – even if he has teased him good-naturedly a few times. He never – he never thought that someone would use that as a license to be cruel to his brother.
But perhaps he has been far blinder than he even realized. He needs time to think about this, to ponder what he should even do, because now he can truly understand why Loki refused to return to Asgard. The mortals have accepted him readily, at least some of them have, but Asgard clearly will not. If they wouldn't treat Loki with respect before he fell into the Void, before they knew of his adoption and heritage, why would they change now that they know the truth, now that Loki has allegedly become an enemy?
It's a disturbing realization to say the least.