Chapter 13: A Light in the Dark

Loki watched from the window as Harry and Thor sparred, and smiled as Thor allowed Harry to disarm him. Without their son actually realizing Thor had allowed Harry to disarm him. Harry didn't quite have Thor's natural gift for battle related skills, and had been getting a bit discouraged over his lack of progress. Thor had been surprisingly sneaky in creating opportunities to boost Harry's confidence in his abilities, and it was working. Harry was slowly improving with Thor's tactics. Harry was naturally swift and had excellent reflexes. He just needed to work on applying them.

Harry wore his newly crafted Asgardian armor. The color scheme of blue, silver, and black remained the same as the conjured ones Loki had crafted but the armor itself was more intricate. The armor was of course much stronger as it was real. It would project Harry from powerful blows, and even some magics. Loki's youngest son had yet to find a weapon that suited him, and it would most likely take some time before finding something he felt comfortable with.

Thor and Loki had taken the time to teach Harry how to call his armor, and then store it away when it was no longer needed. It was a skill the Asgardian royal family alone possessed.

Thor had also been thoughtful enough to choose a space for their sword practice where Loki could watch them. The God of Thunder had continuously surprised Loki these last several months that they had returned to Asgard. Thor had truly changed from the spoiled and arrogant prince he had once been. Loki could admit that to himself even if he was not yet ready to admit it aloud.

The golden haired prince had stood up for Loki. Thor had been his greatest advocate these last months while others cried out for him to be punished. He had already gone to Odin several times requesting a review of the banishments of Loki's older children.

Thor was also proving to be an excellent father. He spent the majority of his time with Harry. Thor hadn't been able to stand his own lessons as a child, nevertheless, Thor attended as many of Harry's lessons as he could. Thor took their son on trips throughout Asgard, and was training Harry in the art of battle and how to be a firm but fair ruler. Thor himself had become a leader to be proud of.

The once brash god had even halted the relationship that had budding between he and the Midgardian woman, Jane Foster.

Loki certainly hadn't seen that coming. In fact, Loki thought the entire mess with the Dark Elves would have drawn them closer together.

Jane Foster had somehow found herself the vessel of the Aether. Thor had gone to her rescue. He had brought her to Asgard to be evaluated in hopes of removing the Aether from her. It had only succeeded in bringing the Dark Elves to Asgard's doorstep.

Malekith, the Dark Elves' leader, had attacked in a desperate attempt to acquire the Aether. At the time of the attack Loki had been with Frigga in the medical wing. The two of them had been spending a majority of their time there since Thor, Loki, and Harry's arrival to Asgard. Odin's good will would only last for so long and he had been growing impatient to have the spell binding Loki removed.

Loki had been terrified about Harry's safety in the attack. In the emergency Frigga had been able to momentarily halt Loki's confinement and allow him to freely move about the castle. He and Frigga had quickly made their way through the palace to find Harry. His son had been attending his Asgardian lessons, and the two of them had arrived just in time to stop a Kursed Dark Elf from killing his son.

Together Frigga and Loki had driven back the Kursed Dark Elf and saved Harry. However, they hadn't been able to end the creature that had nearly killed Loki's youngest son. Afterwards Loki had assisted Thor in a madcap adventure to save Jane Foster. Loki had joined them to end the creature who had nearly taken Loki's son from him.

Together they had destroyed the Dark Elves, and halted Malekith's plans to bring never-ending darkness to the universe. Shockingly, Loki had not been punished for leaving Asgard. In fact, the All-Father had seemed almost proud that Loki had joined Thor in slaying the Dark Elves.

The Aether was removed from Jane Foster, and tucked away into a safe corner of the universe. Once the Midgardian's safety was assured Thor surprised them all by requesting to simply be friends with the scientist. The Midgardian woman had accepted the request with grace and understanding. She only insisted that Thor stopped by to visit when he was on Midgard.

Loki's respect for the woman had risen even more than it had when she had fearlessly slapped him during the Dark Elf crisis. She had also been very kind to Harry, which had earned her several more points with Loki.

Thor breaking off his brief relationship with the Midgardian woman still confounded Loki. The blonde prince had yet to explain his actions despite Loki's attempts at wheedling it out of him.

Since the Dark Elf attack things had calmed down. The Bifrost was now fully repaired. The Nine Realms had fallen into relative peace with the Bifrost's restoration. Harry was making huge gains in his Asgardian studies. Loki's youngest son had quickly picked up on history, and the two of them spent a lot of time together in reviewing the politics.

However, Loki could not yet let himself relax. Not when he knew what was lingering at the edges of the cosmos waiting to strike. There had been damage to the medical wing in the attack by the Dark Elves. It had delayed their removal of Loki's bindings.

The medical wing was newly repaired, and he and Frigga could now resume their removal.

"He is such a wonderful child," Frigga spoke up.

Loki turned to face the Queen of Asgard.

"He is," Loki felt a well of pride surge through him.

"He will be a great king for Asgard and the Nine Realms."

"I know," Loki was certain Harry would do better than all of his forefathers.

"He will be a great king because he carries within him the greatest traits from you and Thor," Frigga eyes shined warmly at him.

Loki looked away. Frigga had been trying for months to reestablish the close relationship they had once shared. The relationship between them had been shattered after discovering she had kept such a huge lie from him his entire life. He had once thought her his closest confidant in Asgard.

When it became evident that Loki was not as physically gifted as Thor she had taken him aside and shown him how to use his magic. The two of them had spent long hours together reading, practicing, and debating different magic. It was to Frigga he would go to when Thor had once more outshined him in Odin's eyes.

Frigga had apologized multiple times in the long hours they spent together trying to unwind the spell woven around Loki. Their battle against the Kursed Dark Elf had gone a long way in improving their relationship. However, they still had along way to go, and Loki was still deciding if he wanted to repair their relationship.

"Are you ready to continue?" Frigga inquired.

"Yes, we are nearly there. I can feel it," Loki murmured.

They had discovered that the one who bound him had woven the binding through Loki's own magic. The very spell, which kept him caged was fueled by his own magic. It was clever and Loki loathed it. With the binding woven through his own source of power made removing it infinitely more difficult. Frigga had to be very careful to separate the binding from Loki's own magic or risk irrevocably damaging it. This required a lot of power and time. Hence why it was months later and the binding was still not yet removed.

Now they were so close. Today might just be the day it was finally removed. Loki had felt it nearly loosen in their last session. Finally Loki would no longer be enslaved to the will of another. He could share his knowledge with Odin, and hope that the All-Father would use Asgard's considerable might to protect Harry.

"Then let us continue," Frigga smiled.

Together the two of them made their way to the medical wing. Loki settled down on the rune carved medical table, and Frigga once more began her work.

Loki breathed deeply and relaxed his body. The removal wasn't painful but it wasn't comfortable either. At the end of every session Frigga and he were always exhausted. This time was no different. What did make it different was that they could both sense they were nearly finished. They pushed themselves to see it finished.

Loki would have liked to have the final removal end a little more dramatically. The final piece of the binding unwound silently, and Loki almost didn't notice.

"Loki?" Frigga inquired, she was slightly short of breath.

"Thanos," Loki spoke the name he hadn't even been allowed to think before now.

Frigga's eyes widened with fearful recognition. A small gasp escaped past her lips. "We must speak to the All-Father immediately."

Asgard had heard the whispers of the Mad Titan whose goal was to halve the populations of planets in some misguided attempt to save the universe. He had acquired a Black Guard of powerful and loyal followers, and vast armies compromised of various alien factions who worshipped him with an obsessive fervor. Thanos's armies and power might even rival Asgard's especially if he achieved the goal he had set for himself in acquiring and wielding all of the Infinity Stones.

Thanos had always kept far away from the Nine Realms, Asgard's domain, until he getting his hands on Loki. Thanos sending an army to attack Midgard had very negative implications for the galaxy, and that was without getting into Thanos's fixation on the Infinity Stones. It meant the titan felt confident enough in his power to attack a planet that was under Asgard's dominion. It meant he felt strong enough to challenge Asgard.

Loki and Frigga sent a guard ahead to collect Odin and Thor. They made their way to the throne room. They didn't have to wait long before Thor and Odin joined them.

"Why have you summoned us?" Odin asked.

"The binding has been removed," Frigga announced.

"This is wonderful news, Mother! Loki you must be pleased," Thor cheered, clapping Loki on the shoulder.

"Yes, I believe that means explanations are in order," Odin sent Loki a pointed look. "Loki, you will swear to speak no lies."

"I, Loki of Jotunheim, do swear the words I utter are only the truth," Loki called forth his magic to lend credence to his words, and the added Jotunheim was a dig towards Odin that he couldn't help but send at the All-Father. It would be a long time before Loki trusted the All-Father again if ever.

Odin banged Gungnir against the stone floor to add to Loki's own magic. It was now doubly assured that Loki would be unable to tell a lie during his retelling.

"I fell through the Void after… tumbling from the Bifrost. I was found by the Other. The Other is a servant of Thanos, the Mad Titan," Loki let the name hang in the air.

"Thanos?" Thor scowled.

Odin's brows were likewise drawn down, and a hard look entered his remaining blue eye.

"It was Thanos who held me. It was his one of his Black Order, the Ebony Maw they call him, who bound me to keep me from spilling the secrets I learned whilst in their care. Thanos also had the Mind Stone to further strengthen the spell woven upon me. Thanos used it to force me to tell him all I knew of the Nine Realms and Asgard especially. Once I had told him all I knew he compelled me to lead an army of Chitauri against Midgard. There was something there that he wanted me to retrieve for him," Loki paused.

Odin's expression had grown more thunderous the longer Loki spoke. Loki knew they were going to have to work quickly to fortify the secret passageways Loki had told Thanos of. But at least Loki had managed to keep Harek's existence from Thanos and the Maw.

"The Mind Stone?" Odin growled.

"Yes, I don't know where he acquired. It was in the staff he provided me with. It powered the additional spells Ebony Maw placed on my mind to keep me focused on the task Thanos had set for me. He wanted the Tesseract. It was only when the Hulk smashed me into the floor on Stark's tower that the connection was broken. It couldn't fully remove the binding keeping me from speaking what I knew of Thanos and his plans. Thankfully it did break the compulsions Thanos had cast on me. I no longer had the overwhelming need to takeover Midgard."

"Thanos seeks the Infinity Stones?" Odin demanded.

"He does. He wants to wield them together so that he may wipe out the life of half of the universe in a much faster and more efficient manner than he has in the past."

"Surely, such a thing is impossible," Frigga looked to Odin, worry clearly written on every inch of her face.

"There is a way to wield all of them. A gauntlet, the dwarves developed plans for such a thing years ago," Odin stroked his beard.

"The power someone would be capable of wielding… It would be terrible. They would be capable of rewriting reality," Frigga worried.

"What should we do, Father?" Thor looked Odin.

"If Thanos is truly determined to have all of the Infinity Stones he will come to Asgard to get his hands on the Tesseract. We must prepare for war. He cannot be allowed to wield the power of all six stones," Odin growled.

"He will stop at nothing. Thanos acquires more power and followers all the time," Loki reminded.

"Did he have any of the other stones?" Frigga questioned.

Loki paused thoughtfully. "Not that I'm aware of.

"Good, then Thanos no longer has any of the Infinity Stones, and we mustn't allow him to acquire anymore. We must locate all of them and ferry them to safe locations before he finds them," Frigga pointed out.

"The Reality Stone is with the Collector on Knowhere," Thor noted.

"We will have to retrieve it and place it in a more secure location," Odin murmured.

"The Space Stone is in the vault. Thanos will have to muster a force strong enough and that can travel far enough to reach Asgard to get to it," Thor clenched his fists looking ready for a fight.

"The Mind Stone is still on Midgard since SHIELD refused to part with the staff," Loki pointed out.

"Good, we know the locations of three of the six stones. Thor, you must retrieve the staff from the Midgardians immediately," Odin ordered. "We must move the Mind Stone to a more secure location than Midgard."

Thor nodded determinedly.

"Was my information sufficient? What will my punishment be?" Loki questioned.

"Loki, you have proven not to be responsible for the crimes against Midgard. For the crimes committed in Asgard I think a continued probation would be appropriate. You have proved yourself in the fight against the Dark Elves. I am proud of you, my son," Odin smiled at him.

Loki felt his heartbeat quicken, and his eyes darted away. He shouldn't allow himself to feel so affected by Odin's words. Hadn't he just told himself it would be a long, long time before he trusted the All-Father again? However, it was difficult when he had spent the better part of millennia seeking the old Aesir's approval.

"Am I no longer confined to my rooms then?" Loki clarified.

"No, you are no longer confined to your rooms. Instead you are confined to Asgard for the time being. Pending continued good behavior that confinement will also be removed," Odin declared.

The proclamation was far more lenient than he had ever believed Odin capable of being. Loki had thought for certain he'd be tossed away without the key. Unless, Odin wanted to remain on Harry's good side. Odin was quite taken with Loki and Thor's son. The All-Father saw in Harry the unification between Jotunheim and Asgard. He saw Harry as a way to reintegrate Jotunheim into the Nine Realms. The Jotun were powerful beings. Their physical strength was on par, often greater, than an Asgardian's. They also produced powerful magic users of which Loki was the perfect example.

Harry would be powerful one day. Loki could see that, and he was certain Odin saw the same. The King of Asgard no doubt wanted to project a positive image of himself for Harry. He wanted to guide his grandson into being the ruler he wanted him to be. The All-Father couldn't do that if he locked up Harek's mother.

Or at least that's what Loki tried to convince himself of. It would be much more painful if he allowed himself the hope that Odin might actually care about him only to learn it was all a ploy to get at Harry.

"In addition, I believe it is time to reconsider my actions against your other children," Odin announced.

The statement was followed by complete silence.

Loki was stunned. Never in his wildest dreams had he believed Odin would even entertain the notion of freeing his other sons let alone bring up the subject without a lot pleading on Loki's part.

He was under no illusions that Odin had finally seen their imprisonments as wrongful. Asgard's King had simply realized there was a much greater threat he must counter. Jormungandr and Fenris were powerful beings. Freeing them now would create two more powerful soldiers to protect Asgard from Thanos and his armies.

"You will free them?" Loki dared to press.

Odin needed Fenris and Jormungandr after all.

"I will reverse their banishments," Odin nodded.

Loki felt as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders. His children would no longer be imprisoned for crimes they had never committed. He knew he should care that they were only being released to become warriors for Asgard. At the moment Loki was only relieved his sons would no locked away like beasts. They would be free for the first time since they were but children.

"Will you allow me to go to free them?" Loki requested.

"Thor will see Jormungandr free since he will be going to Midgard to retrieve the Mind Stone. I will allow you to deliver the good news to Fenris, and give you the authority to free him," Odin allowed.

It had been a long time since Loki had seen his wolfish son. He was also the last brother that Harry had yet to meet. Harry had been able to spend quite a lot of time on Midgard with Jormungandr, and in the last several months Harry had been able to meet and spend some time with Sleipnir in between his Asgardian studies.

"When can we leave?" Loki wanted to know. He would leave this very moment if possible.

"You will both leave tomorrow morning. Thor to Midgard to retrieve the Mind Stone and free Jormungandr. Loki to free Fenris. Thor you are to bring both the stone and Jormungandr back to Asgard. Loki will bring Fenris back to Asgard. I will set Heimdall to search for Thanos and his Black Order," Odin answered.

"Thanos has been able to hide from Heimdall's gaze in the past, has he not?" Loki questioned.

"He has indeed," Frigga nodded.

"I will send out our spies to gather more information, and begin to seal off any secret pathways into Asgard. We can discuss further actions once Loki and Thor have returned," Odin purposed.

Odin and Frigga remained behind in the throne room. Loki and Thor left.

"Where is Harry?" Loki questioned, intending to go to his son and explain all that had happened. He had learned his lesson. Loki would not hide information from his son any longer.

"At his history lesson," Thor answered easily, staring intently at Loki.

"What are you staring at?" Loki stopped midstride to turn and face Thor.

Thor paused and turned towards him. "You relayed your tale rather swiftly and without emotion."

"And?" Loki frowned.

"I believe there is more to the tale than Thanos simply finding you, and then enspelling you with the Mind Stone. What happened in between, Loki?" Thor's blue eyes shown with concern.

A flash of remembered pain and hopelessness flickered through Loki's mind. "Nothing happened, Thor, just a little time spent in Thanos's rather unpleasant company."

"You are lying to me," disappointment was clear to see on Thor's features.

"Yes," Loki admitted.

"If you ever wish to speak of what truly did happen to you, know that I will be a willing ear," Thor clasped him on the shoulder.

The God of Thunder continued walking. Loki took a moment to gather himself and quickly caught up with the taller god. Together the two of them collected their son. They sat Harek down explained the events that had happened, and what would be happening next.

"So this Thanos was the one who hurt you?" Harry's brows furrowed.

"His minions mostly," Loki replied, remembering the Other and Ebony Maw.

"And he's going to come back for those stones?"

"He will," Loki nodded.

"And we will be ready for them," Thor insisted.

"Well, at least this means we can finally free Fenris and Jormungandr," Harry forced a small smile.

"Yes, that will be nice, and you can come with me to see Fenris free," Loki offered.

"I can?" Harry's eyes bright blue eyes lit up and a large smile stretched across his features. The smile made him look so much like Thor.

"You can," Loki nodded.

Harry bounced with excitement at the thought of finally getting to meet his third brother.

"It's great that you aren't going to be imprisoned or punished or anything either, mum," Harry enthused.

"Yes, just relegated to Asgard. No wayward wandering for me for a little while," Loki heaved a put upon sigh. However, Loki was relieved too.

Harry grinned. "That's okay, I don't mind staying in Asgard. Dad's taken me on a couple trips. But when Odin finally let's you out then we can all go exploring together."

Loki's heart warmed at the thought. He knew Harry had become highly interested in exploring the other realms since he began his tutoring, and Thor had taken him on a couple of trips. For him to offer to wait until Loki was capable of traveling was a large concession for the boy.

"Thank you, Harry. We should be able to do a bit of exploring tomorrow. Fenris is imprisoned on an island in Alfheim. It will be another realm you will have the chance of seeing," Loki offered.

"Alfheim is the home of the Light Elves, right? Dad hasn't taken me there yet."

"It is," Thor answered Harry's question.

"Are they anything like the Dark Elves?" Harry muttered.

"No, not at all. They are generally a good natured people who have always gotten along with Asgard," Thor explained.

"They are a bit pompous and can be quite terrifying when in a temper," Loki added.

"Yes, they are that too," Thor nodded vigorously, no doubt remembering one of their misadventures with a haughty Light Elf while lost in one of Alfheim's forests. To be fair they had accidentally burned down his cabin when Thor struck it with lightning in an attempt to try and start a fire.

Thor caught Loki's eye, and the two of them burst into laughter.

"I'm sensing a story," Harry prodded, looking curiously between the two of them.

"Well, if you insist," Loki began.

"I will tell the story," Thor cut in.

"You are a terrible teller of tales, Thor," Loki argued good-naturedly. He was in a remarkably good mood now that the lingering effects from the spell were gone and his older sons would soon be free.

"I'm terrible? You always embellish certain parts to make me look like a fool," Thor argued back, a grin lighting his features.

"That is true, like the time you said Dad dressed up as a girl to marry a giant," Harry butted in.

"That is a true story. The giant Thrym had stolen Mjolnir, and he would only give it back if he could marry Freya, a princess of Vanaheim," Loki explained.

"Freya wouldn't play along with our scheme so Loki convinced me to dress up as Freya," Thor added.

"He put on a wedding gown and everything," Loki reminisced. It was one of his fonder memories.

"I looked incredible in that dress," Thor sniffed. "And you dressed up as my maid."

"Someone had to keep you in line."

Harry burst into laughter at the bantering. Loki knew it always delighted Harry to see he and Thor getting along. It was why Loki had been making more of an effort to get along with Thor.

"I would have been perfectly fine on my own," Thor argued.

"You ate an entire ox and eight salmon at the wedding feast. If I hadn't distracted Thrym you would have given yourself away within the first few minutes," Loki raised an eyebrow.

Thor crossed his arms across his chest, pouting slightly. "We got Mjolnir back."

"I wish I could have seen it," Harry murmured looking wistful.

"We will have many more adventures, all of us, together," Thor assured.

"Yes, we will," Loki agreed.

Harry grinned happily at the two of them.

The next morning Asgard's royal family said their goodbyes to Thor. Harry hugged his father as they all stood in the golden dome of the restored entryway to the Bifrost. Thor hugged Harry back just as fiercely, ruffling Harry's black curls. Frigga smiled as she watched them, and Odin and Heimdall were speaking quietly together off to the side. Loki couldn't quite catch their words, which he believed was probably intentional on Odin's part.

"I will return before you know it," Thor assured. "Have fun retrieving Fenris."

"I will and be safe. Tell the other Avengers I said hello," Harry replied.

"I shall," Thor said his last goodbyes before Heimdall opened the Bifrost and stepped into the colorful beam of light.

Loki and Harry then said their own goodbyes to Frigga and Odin. The All-Father provided him with a special pair of sheers that would cut Fenris free. The sheers were made of the same material as Gleipnir, the chain that bound Fenris to his rock, and they would be the only thing that would be capable of cutting through the chain.

Heimdall opened the Bifrost for the second time that day.

"Remember to hold on tightly to me," Loki wrapped his own arms firmly around his youngest child.

Harry did as he was told, and together they stepped into the Bifrost. Heimdall had set them down directly beside the lake where Fenris's island resided.

"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed.

Loki tore his eyes from the island off in the distance, and turned his attention to a wide-eyed Harry.

His youngest son was looking around at the massive trees and blue lake, and beyond to the towering misty mountains. Alfheim certainly was a beautiful place.

"Wait until you see the cities the Light Elves build. Perhaps we can stop by one after we free your brother," Loki offered, smiling widely at his son.

He was still feeling uncommonly happy knowing that Thor was freeing Jormungandr and that he would be freeing Fenris himself in just a short amount of time.

"That would be nice but we your right we should really unchain Fenris. He's waited long enough," Harry's gaze landed on the small boat at the edge of the lake.

Of course the boat was there as someone had been feeding Fenris all these long years.

"Let's not keep him waiting any longer, shall we?" Loki waved Harry towards the boat.

The two of them quickly made their way towards the boat, and set out across the lake to finally free Fenris.