Avengers: Vengeance

Loki, King of Asgard

The hammer lay several feet away, partially submerged in mud. The handle pointed to the heavens from which Thor had fallen. A smile graced his mud-streaked face. "At long last," he grunted before moving across the barren field toward his weapon.

In such a short amount of time, life had become something akin to a nightmare for the son of Odin. He'd been the favored son. Destined to rule Asgard. But then he chose war with Jotunheim, retaliating for their attack on Odin's vault. His actions had spurred his father to punish him for the potential war he might have caused. And so, having stripped him of his powers and taken Mjolnir away, Odin flung Thor far from Asgard. He spiraled through the cosmos for some time before landing harshly on a world he soon realized was Midgard.

The desolate landscape was proof enough of his new surroundings. Demolished cities, the bones of the dead, and scorched earth had greeted him. Midgard wasn't a place he traveled to, but he was more than aware of its condition. He'd heard the stories of the ravaged world. The mortals had utterly destroyed their home. Fools meddling with weapons they couldn't control. But that was their way. On Asgard it was a well-known fact that mortals were forever toying with forces beyond them. Landing among the wreckage, Thor had risen to his feet and found himself utterly appalled by the sight that greeted him. No words could capture the absolute despair of Midgard.

But the condition of Midgard was the furthest thing from his mind. Mjolnir lay before him. He would reclaim it and return to Asgard, lesson learned. He would leave this place, never trouble himself with it again. His smile broadened once he closed in on the weapon. He wrapped his hand around the handle, comforted by the familiarity of it. Then, with a satisfied smirk, he pulled.

But it didn't move.

He chuckled, convinced that this was all some kind of joke. He pulled again, this time with more force. The weapon remained lodged in the mud.

"This isn't possible," Thor spoke in disbelief. He continued to pull, unwilling to accept what was happening. But it was of no use. Mjolnir remained where it was, unwilling to respond to his command. A sick feeling spread through his core. It felt like the life he was destined for was flashing before his eyes.

Overhead, the already overcast skies filled with thicker clouds. They blackened menacingly and began to erupt with thunder and lightning, as if to mock the former god of thunder. Intense rain started to abruptly fall, dowsing him completely. He fell to his knees and roared up at the sky, his fury drowned out by several resounding claps of thunder.

He was unworthy.

"I still don't understand why you didn't just put him to death," Amora grumbled as she watched Loki's amused expression.

Loki looked up from the reflective pool and fitted Amora with a condescending smile. "Because, Amora, watching him suffer is a far greater prize than simply snuffing him out. He snapped his fingers for emphasis. He then motioned for Amora to join him. "See? Look how desperate and utterly inconsolable the oaf is."

Amora observed the tired, weary expression on Thor's handsome face. Despite her wish to simply kill him, she had to confess that this was a delicious sight to see. The former lion of Asgard was kneeling before Mjolnir as a heavy rain began to fall upon him. "Well," she said in a reluctant tone. "I suppose this is amusing. But what about Odin? You've left him alive in this reality we've created. Why?"

"The All-father's time is fleeting, Amora. Or have you not been paying attention?" Loki was quickly growing tired of Amora's questions.

"What about Frigga? Shouldn't she be..."

Loki turned swiftly and grabbed Amora by her face, squeezing her mouth shut as he closed in and stared at her with a maniacal sort of anger. "Frigga remains untouched. Not a hair on her head. Am I understood?"

Amora scowled when she was roughly released. She ran a hand through her hair. "To not be your true mother, you certainly have an attachment to her."

Loki ignored Amora and resumed watching Thor as he once again attempted to lift Mjolnir. "And Dean isn't there to ruin things this time," he spoke triumphantly.

"That's another thing," Amora said warily. "Dean."

"What of him?"

"In this reality you've made it so his ancestor never left Atillan. He lives as a prince there. Why not make him suffer too?"

Loki waved a hand. "Amora, you have so little faith in me."

"Only because of your previous failures," Amora challenged.

"If my failures were such an issue, why did you agree to throw your lot in with me? Perhaps because your own failures were even more colossal?"

Amora clenched her fists and glared at him. "And what about your eventual change of heart? The Loki of my time became Thor and Dean's ally before Thanos choked the life out of him."

Loki immediately materialized right behind Amora and grabbed her throat, squeezing it as he pulled her against his chest. "Shh," he whispered, stroking her hair with his free hand. "I'm more than capable of ruling Asgard alone, you know. And we aren't in your time. Not anymore. This is my time."

Amora pulled away and Loki allowed it. She spun around, raising a finger to his face. "So you keep reminding me."

Loki watched as she turned and stormed out of the room, her green cloak fanning out behind her. Then he turned back to the pool and smiled as he watched Thor attempt to lift the hammer once more. The plan had worked to perfection. Overwhelming the TVA was a small chore for Loki and his allies. Their combined might had ensured victory, but actually altering the timeline was a challenge unto itself. With each of them- Magneto, Ultron, Doom, Amora and Loki- vying for certain conditions, it proved to be an ordeal that took time. But they'd eventually arranged reality to their liking. Magneto had his island paradise where he ruled over all mutants. Doom had his own empire. Ultron had half of the globe, completely void of life and under the rule of machines.

"And now I have Asgard," Loki said with a soft smile.

Though observing Thor's descent to Midgard had been delicious to witness once again, Loki looked forward to the next part of his plans just as much. Odin would be entering the Odinsleep soon, leaving him completely defenseless.

"Defenseless and ready for Surtur's sword."

There were many paths in and out of Asgard that didn't involve the Bifrost. Through use of one of these, Surtur would be transported to Odin's chambers. The flaming demon if Musplheim was eager to carry out the deed, but Loki knew that Odin's demise wouldn't be Surtur's only aim; he would leap at the chance to place his crown upon the Eternal Flame and carry out the prophecy of Ragnarok. But that wasn't something Loki would allow to happen again. The idea that he, himself, would enable such a thing disgusted him. It was beyond impossible to imagine that he was intended to become that person- that disgrace. No, rather than permit Surtur to carry out such a thing, he'd end him the moment Odin was dead. He would rush in and catch the demon by surprise, killing him where he stood. Then Loki would be the hero and savior of Asgard.

"I can already see the parades in my honor," he said to himself as visions danced through his head of adoring citizens, statues built in his likeness, and- better yet- his coronation. "And all it takes is choosing a different path than before. A revision of history."

He directed his attention back to the image of Thor and watched gleefully as he finally gave up and began to trudge away in the mud. His posture was so unlike what Loki had seen before. He looked utterly broken.

And this was just the beginning.