Avengers: Vengeance

No Victory

Loki knelt on the floor, his mother's dying body in his arms. His body trembled with uncontrollable sobs as he tried to piece together the events of the last few moments. "Mother," he choked. "It wasn't...it wasn't supposed to be like this."

Frigga stared up at him and smiled. She reached up and caressed his cheek. "Oh, Loki. Ever since you built this new reality, it was destined to end this way."

Loki shook his head in disbelief. "You shouldn't know that...you can't possibly..."

Frigga chuckled weakly. "Can't possibly what? Know that you and your allies tampered with reality to craft one all your own? And that you worked very hard to ensure that I was unaware?"

Loki regarded her with awe. "I...I went to great lengths."

"I was raised by witches, boy," she said. "I see more than with just my eyes. You know that. And no tampering with reality can change that."

Loki squeezed his eyes shut. "If you knew this would happen, why did you allow it?"

Frigga shook her head. "Because this is the path you must walk, Loki."

"I can't lose you." Loki wasn't accustomed to displaying this sort of emotion. It felt...he wasn't sure how it felt.

Frigga smiled. "I'm already gone. You know that it doesn't matter what reality you craft. There are some things that nothing can change."

"It's not fair," Loki whispered.

"No. But the path is yours to walk regardless."

"What am I supposed to do?" Loki whispered.

Frigga smiled, her dying eyes twinkling. "I think you already know. Deep down inside, you know who you are. And you know what you have to do. It's not a matter of if you will do it; it's when you will do it. I am proud of you, Loki. So proud of the man you will be."

She drew her final breath and left him. For a long time he sat there with her in his arms. Then he carried her to the bed where Odin lay dead, run through by Surtur's sword. He lay her on the bed and then his knees buckled beneath the weight of his pain. He fell to his knees, grasped his mother's hand, and wept.

Amora stood at the perimeter of the room and watched. Loki was in a state she had never witnessed before. Having usually seen Loki as cool and calm, the outpouring of emotion she was seeing was so foreign to her. Just moments ago, he'd been so confident. So prepared to enact the rest of his plan that would secure their places as the rulers of Asgard. And, she supposed, they had succeeded in that. The king and queen were dead. Thor was banished. The crown fell to Loki.

As Loki continued to cry, Amora recalled the events that led to this moment. While Odin lay sleeping, Loki brought Surtur to Asgard through a secret entrance. The fire demon was only too eager to end Odin. He'd stood at the bed, gloating at his weakened foe.

"At long last," the demon growled. "Ragnarok is upon you."

"Kill Odin and I will take you to the vault where the eternal flame is kept," Loki said.

"Of course," Surtur grumbled. "Those were the terms of our arrangement. Though I do wish Odin could watch his world crumble."

Loki smiled gleefully as he watched the demon raise his sword high overhead. Then, in a most satisfying display, he brought the blade down, stabbing through Odin's vulnerable chest in one stroke. The allfather grunted in pain, then went completely still.

"How anticlimactic. And now," Loki said in a pleased voice. "It's time for me to make good on our deal."

Twin daggers materialized in his hands as he stood behind the fire demon while a decoy of himself did the talking. He raised them, eager to strike the demon down. Then he would claim his crown and display it before the whole of Asgard as proof that he, Loki, had defeated the king's assailant and saved Asgard from destruction.