I'm Listening

Chapter 13 - Homecoming

When Thor appears on the Rainbow Bridge with the Tesseract in hand, he's not at all surprised to see Heimdall there to greet him. "Welcome home, my prince," he says, tilting his head. "I know your brother remains on Midgard, but he is hidden from my sight. I have heard talk of him."

"He doesn't wish to come back," Thor answers bluntly. He suspects that the Gatekeeper already knows some of what happened to Loki, if not from his brother than from the Avengers who know a few of the details. He has, no doubt, been watching them.

There's something distinctly regretful in the golden eyes which look at him. "I expected as much," Heimdall answers. "Go. Your father has been waiting for you for a while. He has asked after you in your absence."

Thor nods, walking down the Rainbow Bridge towards the city. He could fly, but he doesn't want to. He feels almost guilty for not following his instructions. His father instructed him to bring Loki back, and he didn't. Of course, that was before they knew what had happened to Loki, but Thor can't help but feel that he failed. It's still the middle of the day, and Odin is sure to be in meetings with the councilors, so Thor finds himself wandering to his mother's gardens.

It was hard, so hard, to walk down the Rainbow Bridge knowing what happened to Loki when he fell into the Void. The things done to his brother fill him with a quiet, helpless rage, and he wants to do something, anything. He wants vengeance and may the Norns have mercy on Thanos when Thor finally finds him. The Titan will suffer for what he did to his brother, Thor swears it. He exhales harshly, letting the peacefulness in the garden wash over him. It's been a while since he was last here.

"I did not except to see you here, my son." Thor starts when his mother's voice breaks through his tumultuous thoughts, fingers clenching around the Tesseract. He can faintly feel Loki's energy when touching it, and he doesn't want to let it go, not just yet.

Frigga approaches him, a welcoming smile on her face. "And you found the Tesseract." Her bright blue eyes, so much like Thor's, are filled with relief, but he can also see her apprehension.

"Hello, Mother," Thor whispers, suddenly realizing just how much he's missed her. He puts the Tesseract down on the edge of a nearby fountain, so his mother can embrace him.

"How was your journey, Thor?" she questions, pulling back. "Where's your brother?" He knew it wouldn't take long for her to ask. She mourned fiercely after Loki fell into the Void, and she couldn't even bear to hear Loki's name for several months without breaking into sobs.

"Loki is... well, Mother," he reports, "But he has chosen to remain on Midgard." He can see the question in her gaze and knows that he might as well explain everything from the beginning. "He was not at fault for the attack on Midgard," Thor elaborates, sitting down on a nearby bench. Frigga joins him, her posture suddenly tense. "I managed to break through to him, and he told me that he encountered a mad Titan by the name of Thanos in the Void. He forced Loki to do his bidding with the Mind Stone."

Frigga has paled, and Thor is suddenly thankful that he didn't include any of the horrifying details which Loki had whispered to him or which have come out over the past couple months. "I know of him," she finally admits, "But I believed him long gone. I must speak to your father about this development."

"Wait..." Thor is hardly able to conceal the horror and disbelief rising up within him. "You know about Thanos and what his plans are?"

"And more," his mother acknowledges, still as pale as before. It makes Thor wonder if she knows the methods Thanos employs to break people. Norns, he hopes not. What happened to Loki isn't something he can even come to terms with fully after so long. He doesn't want his mother to suffer the same.