Avalin frowned as he offered out the idea, but she nodded slowly. It made sense to try to talk to Thor without giving him leverage with her around. "Okay," She murmured, wrapping him in a tight hug, "I know you'll only be in the throne room, but please be safe. Don't make him mad please. I'll come meet you when Magnus is done eating." She looked up at him with a tiny smile, nervous at leaving his side. She had just gotten him back, the last thing they needed was to be split up again. There was no way she would survive that again. Taking the food from Loki, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and smiled once more, "You mean the world to me, love."
Hello Darling, (Loki one on one, closed, stalkers are always welcome)
He hugged her back and smiled softly at her instructions. “I’ll try and be safe and I’ll try not to make him mad but no promises.” He gazed down at her, not wanting to leave her side ever again but knowing they needed to be apart for a while just once more. He gently cupped her cheek and pressed a kiss to her brow after she kissed his cheek. “And you mean everything to me.” He passed her the food and pressed another kiss to her lips. “I’ll see you in the throne room soon. Send my regards to Magnus.” He offered a reassuring smile before turning and head back towards the throne room
(Do you need me to control Thor and Magnus? Or you want to take one of them?)
Avalin took the food with a gentle smile and a nod, trusting that her husband would be smart enough to keep himself out of trouble. Watching him leave, she headed towards the library, where Magnus was supposed to be. She wasn't sure if he would actually be there, but if he was stuck doing her assignments, then he would be there for at least a little while. Guilt washed over her at the idea of him working for two people, followed by a determined look. Loki was going to negotiate him out of working as a servant, and before they left, she was going to arrange for him a place to stay and a job if needed.
(I’ll take Magnus if that’s ok.)
Loki strode through the halls towards the throne room, passing by guards rooms and servants wandering the halls, not paying any of them mind as they didn’t not try and stop him. He turned a sharp corner and grasped the handle to the door. He took a deep breath and glanced down at his hand, seeing that it had turned blue. He took another calming breath, reminding himself what Avalin had told him. He waited until he returned to normal before yanking open the door and striding into the room, towards the throne where his brother sat
(Yeah that's alright)
Thor looked calm as he sat on the throne, speaking to one of the many advisors and pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so. Slowly, he looked up as he heard the door open, waving away the advisor and sitting up straighter on his seat. "Brother," He simply started, nodding his head in a tense greeting.
The king didn't look particularly happy to see his brother, but he didn't look angry either. He just looked like it was a minor mishap in his day.
Avalin wandered into the library silently, a soft smile on her face as she looked around for Magnus. It didn't take her long to find him, and quietly, she walked over to him, only announcing her presence by knocking on one of the bookcases.
Loki nodded back, clasping his hands behind his back as he patiently watched the advisor leave the room. He gazed around the throne room, seeing not much has changed since the previous year he’d been here. Of course those were under different circumstances. Finally his bright green eyes landed on his light brother. Loki breath a small laugh and smirked “I see you’re doing well if not a bit tired. Though I do suppose that is the way of king. Of course I’m only just observing, no way possible I could know from experience.” Loki couldn’t help himself, it was far too much fun to jab at his brother a bit, especially since it offered a distraction from talking about his son’s funeral.
Magnus had been cleaning the shelves for the past few hours, ordered to take books out and clean them from the built up dust then arrange them neatly. He was on his last shelf of the day when Avalin came in. He jumped slightly and dropped one of the heavier books when he heard the knocking and glanced up, praying that it wasn’t one of The guards that usually taunted him.
“A-Avalin?” He immediately stood from picking up the book and hugged her close, tears welling up in his eyes. The last he had seen her was the day Leif had died. The memory came crashing down on him all at once Andy he slid to Thebes floor on his knees “I’m sorry! If I had gotten Loki to you early he could have helped you! You did have your son with you now.” A sob racked his body as he dared a peek at Avalin. “I’m sorry”
Thor frowned at Loki's words and sat back against the throne, sighing, "It's nice to see you're well brother, at least try to hide your reasons for seeing me. Get to what you want, I have more important things to deal with than jabs at my position."
Thor had worked hard to bring Asgard towards its old glory, but it was slow, and the constant stress had taken more than its fair share of sleep. He looked fairly well, but there were darker circles under his eyes, and his hair didn't look quite as perfect. He still wore clothes fit for a king though, and Mjölnir sat at his side, looking no different than always.
Avalin weakly smiled at Magnus, setting down the food only seconds before she was wrapped in a tight hug. Without hesitation, she hugged him back, barely noticing as they sank to the floor in their hug. "Magnus, it's ok," She murmured, tucking her head against his shoulder to hide her new tears. "Magnus," She said as she heard his apology, still hugging him tightly. He looked crushed, and she felt even more guilty for not having seen him sooner after the incident. "There was nothing Loki could do," She assured him softly, even if it caused new tears to trail down her cheeks, "None of it was your fault either, it all fell on me. My son died from the constant stress of my work, none of it was your fault."
Loki feigned offense, his brows stitching together as if he were hurt. “Am I not allowed to visit the king? My own brother? I was hoping to rekindle our once strong bond dear brother.”
His smile dropped completely and he regained his stoic posture, his aura completely flipped. “But seeing that won’t happen any time soon, I suppose I’ll, as you said, ‘get to the point.’”
He narrowed his eyes at his brother, hands clenching behind his back as he struggled to restrain himself. “I’m requesting a funeral for Leif. We have discussed planning for The funeral after a year or so but we figured it would be easier to plan everything now and come back in few months instead of waiting for so long. We were hoping you’d attend, considering you weren’t there there at the birth, I think it’s be good for you to see your nephew. Possibly say a few words as well.” He added in casually though there was no calm in his eyes. He was more mad at Thor for not being there for Avalin and Leif when he couldn’t be than for any fight they've gone through in the past years.
“And if I had helped you more, had you take more breaks, taken your job for a bit then you wouldn’t have so stressed!” He argued, another’s sob racking his body. “I could have talked without Thor, asked him to put you on a leave while you were pregnant, offered to take your place while you took care of yourself.” He whispered, burying his face in her shoulder. He tried his best to compose himself, eventually quieting his sobs. He pulled away slightly, stuttering an apology for being such a mess and gently brushing away her tears. He took a deep breath and looked around the room “where’s Loki? Is he still in The holding cell?” The last he had seen the the prince of mischief was in the hallway of the hospital wing for Leaf’s birth. “I though he was to be released after you had Leif?”
(Sorry for the late response, life is…interesting to say the least)
Thor seemed calm, less frustrated as Loki started to speak, though his expression quickly changed. He frowned, then pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "There is no reason we couldn't fix our bond brother, but you make that quite difficult." He looked up again as he continued, sympathy clear in his eyes, "I will be there for the funeral if that is what you'd like, I regret missing Leif's birth more than you know. As for speaking at the funeral…I'll think about it."
He looked to his brother once more after a long pause, "I suppose you're also requesting permission to, as you said, leave for several months and come back? Anything else you'd like to request as I think over what you've asked so far?"
"Working was the only way I was going to see Loki again, I've thought over all the possible ideas," She added, her tone quiet as she let herself cry far more than she had allowed herself to before, "Even if there was the option for me to rest…I wanted to see my husband, I wouldn't have taken any breaks." Avalin hugged him tightly as she properly mourned the loss of her son, murmuring out the assurance that he wasn't a mess.
She wiped away small tears that appeared as Magnus pulled away, turning her attention back to the original mission of finding the former guard, "He's talking to Thor right now. He was held for a few more months after Leif's birth, I hadn't quite paid off all of his time, but he's out now." Avalin pulled the breakfast container towards them as she composed herself, a wobbly smile on her face, "We brought you breakfast, though it's hardly an apology for all you've been through. I'm afraid I'll never apologize enough for what you've had to go through just from us."
Gods above Loki wanted to be so mad at his brother for putted both him and Avalin in so much pain. But he was also tired of fighting both with Thor and everything that seemed to be going so wrong for him. He wanted to enjoy his life with Avalin, seeing that the 7 years they had been together 6 of this were spent apart. “Well, it was never going to be easy.” He murmured, relaxing his stance a bit as he saw genuine remorse and regret in Thor’s eyes. He could say a million things about his brother but his emotions were never hidden. He nodded slightly, at least he’d be there. That’d be enough for Loki, for now.
He took a deep breath, a small smile crossing his features. “No dear brother, I’m not requesting Permission on that particular note. Avalin and I need to be away from Asgard for a bit. As much as I hate for Avalin to leave her home after being away for so long, we can’t be here. We’ll come back after a few months and have the funeral. If we are granted stay after that, that’s completely up to you.” He shrugged as if it were nothing, unable to meet Thor’s gaze again, not without revealing his grief.
“Ah yes, there was one more thing.” He said, steeling his emotions for now. “Magnus, the captain you promptly stripped of his position not too long ago? I’d like to request he obtain his position back. Despite what you may have thought had happened before, he didn’t deserve that. Even if he did, he has shown immense loyalty to the royal family, especially when it came to the health of Avalin and Leif in my absence. He’s an amazing young man that has well earned his title.” He said, starting to pace around the throne room, unable to keep still. “Besides, you havnt appointed a new captain. That’s telling me that you believe no is fit for the job Moreno than him.” He addd on casually, trying his best to lighten the mood
Magnus Hughes Avalon’s small frame as he silently sobbed, knowing he could have done more to keep Avalin from over working. But none of that mattered now. Leif was in Valhalla. At least Loki had been set free. They could start to repair what had been lost, even if it took them decades. The pain would never ease but they would be able to live for Leif until they could meet him. Magnus found comfort in that, that Loki Andy Avalin would see their son, even if it felt like an eternity away. They’d see and loved him.
He let her pull away for a moment, laughing through a sob as he wiped away tears. “Ah, thank you.” He took a calming breath and shakily stood, guiding Avalin to a small table setup in the corner of the room. “Neither if you have to apologies. I knew what I was doing and I knew the consequences. I should be thank you actually. Although I’ve always wanted to be a guard, I never really knew the life and hardship of a servant until now. I’ve gained a new respect for them. I think some of them are getting attached though.” He laughed softly and winked with a shake of his head. He opened the container of good and grinned “I’ve never had midgardian food!” He poked at one of the pancakes with a fork. “What do they call these discs?” He asked in fascination, poking at everything else and asking even more question
(It’s alright! I don’t mind the wait, I hope you’re doing well! If not I Hope life gets better soon!)
"You have a specialty with making things difficult though, brother," Thor replied, shaking his head, "I give you permission to spend as long away from Asgard as you need, taken the funeral arrangements are figured out. After that…your behavior will play into your ability to make a home here."
He frowned once more at the mention of Magnus, thinking for a long moment before he slowly nodded, sighing. He pinched the bridge of his nose once more, amazed at his brothers sheer will to do good for the people he respects. "I will consider bringing him back to his position, for a short time. If I see him as fit to take his position again, he can have it back without question, if not, he will be assigned to a lower position and will work his way back up." Thor looked up, meeting Loki's eyes, "Agreed?"
Avalin laughed weakly, smiling softly as she joked, "You could always keep your position as a servant." She was slowly forgetting her sadness, sitting down at the table he showed her to, watching his amazement at the food. "They're pancakes, a midguardian breakfast food," She explained, happy to see that someone other than her was enjoying the food, "You can eat them as is, or with syrup or toppings ontop. Try one, they're delicious." Gladly, she would explain foods to him, it kept her mind occupied, and it helped her remember that all of life wasn't so sad and hard to live through. Moments like this did exist.
“What’s the fun in making it easy?” He retorted, a genuine smile crossing his features.
“May not want to count on my behavior. It’s not that reliable. But, now that I have Avalin, I think things might change.” He laughed lightly and turned on his heal to face his brother. He thought over Thor’s decision and nodded slowly. It wasn’t exactly what he asked but it was something. He nodded slowly “agreed.” He replied, breathing out a sigh of relief.
Magnus smiled and added on more toppings, finding that the pancakes tasted better the more fruit was put on top. He shrugged slightly as he finished off one of the three pancakes. “I actually like being a servant. Despite the hard work it’s fun in a way. But I still want to be a guard. Even if it’s not captain. Maybe I can do both!” He said with an optimistic smile. He offered her food. “Want some? There’s a lot here for one person.”
Thor nodded in response, a tight smile crossing his face, "I'll hold you to that brother. Maybe if you do indeed change, we can fix our relationship." He waved a dismissive hand, pointing to the door even as there was a glimmer of hope and happiness in his tired eyes, "As for now though, shoo, I have a kingdom to run and you have a wife to spend time with."
Avalin smiled gently as she watched him eat, shaking her head with a smile, "I don't think Thor would turn down that request. I'll pass on food for now…I just ate an entire plate of pancakes myself." She laughed lightly at this, looking around the library, "I don't think most realize how fun, and absolutely exhausting being a servant is. I definitely don't think I could stay both as a servant as well as take on the position of a guard."
Loki huffed a laugh as he turned to go. "You should be thanking me, I did just get you out of an incredibly boring meeting." He crawled with a smile, almost feeling like they were back to normal. Almost. He grigged the door handle but turned back to face his brother. "Things could have been different Thor. So very different." He took a deep breath and nodded to himself before making his way out of the throne room and heading back towards the servants quarter to find Avalin and Magnus.
Magnus arched an eyebrow at Avalin and laughed. "Really? You don't think you could be a guard? Avalin I saw you after Loki had been taken but that bounty Hunter. You looked like you ready to test the world down. I think you would have if Thor hadn't agreed to search as well. You're fit to be a Valkyrie." He said, not hunt if teasing or lighthearted fin, just the truth. He neatly cut the rest in half and packed it back into the bags for later to share with the other servants.
"They could've been very different," Thor agreed with a small nod, a faint smile playing on his face. He was much calmer after talking to Loki, almost excited at the idea of their relationship being mended. Yes, it would be tested time and time again, but they were brothers, and whether they liked it or not, they had a reason to stay together with both of their parents dead.
Avalin smiled, looking away as if she was embarrassed at the compliment. "When I was younger, I dreamed of becoming a Valkerie, but I don't exactly have the courage or determination of a warrior," She admitted, laughing gently, "Searching for Loki was a different motivation…I couldn't just abandon him, I had a reason to be so determined."
Magnus shook hus head with a laugh. "Avalin, I don't think anyone here, including the guards, have more courage or determination than you. The Vakyrie would be honored to have you among their ranks." He waved to the doorway, "whatever your reason for being determined, you still show an immense potential for being a warrioress."
"She does indeed." Loki chimed in from his place leaning against a bookshelf, having silently entered after his meet with Thor. He hadn't wanted to inturupt them, especially since they both seemed to actually be happy. It was a good change from everything that had happened in so little time
She smiled again, picking at her clothes to keep herself from feeling so embarrassed at all the compliments. Avalin opened her mouth to speak when she heard Loki, almost jumping at the sudden voice. Her smile grew, but so did her blush as she heard him agree. "I would love to be a Valkerie, but I don't know…" She said, shrugging even as she tried to imagine how amazing it would be to join the ranks of some of her favorite warriors, "I don't think I'm cut out for that…and not being here in Asgard would make joining them difficult."
Avalin motioned for Loki to come over as she talked, happy that he was finally back. She wanted to know how the meeting with Thor went, what he had said, and how frustrated she would be with whatever deal they had made.
He smiled softly and joined them, pressing a kiss to Avalin's head and embracing Magnus before he sat down. "We'll see, things might change." He mused with a shrug.
Magnus nodded in afreemenr before sighing softly "so what did Thor say about the funeral." He asked softly, glancing between Loki and Avalin.
"well, surprisingly, he agreed to the arrangements and us leaving for a bit. He didn't necessarily say he'd speak but he did say he'd think about it." He replied, still trying to process everything. " I also asked about you." He added in, nodding to Magnus.
He tilted his head in Surprise "did I do something?" He glanced between the two.
Loki shook his head "no! No, I meant about your position. Thor's concidering bringing you back to Captain. Not exactly immediately but he's giving you a chance to go back, that is if you want." He said, hoping he didn't rush into it so quickly
Avalin smiled gently, relieved that Thor had indeed agreed to let them plan and then leave. She wanted to stay here, but there were too many bad memories right now, things she needed to process away from Asgard. "That's amazing," She murmured, her smile growing as she looked to Magnus, "You could get your job back, if you wanted it…maybe things are actually going to get better.." Even just the thought of things going better was enough to put her in a good mood. Bad situations and things had been following them for longer than she could remember, and she was so tired, all she wanted was some time with her husband, in a time where nothing bad was going to happen to them.
Magnus slowly nodded, actually taking in their words. "Would I'd be able to do both?" He asked hopefully.
Loki shrugged "I'm not sure, I'm sure arrangements can be made if you speak with Thor." He said, taking a mention to relax a bit in his seat. They'd have time now to get through their emotions, their loss, and the fact that they were finally together. They'd have time to fix all of that. He smiled softly at the two and took a deep breath. "I'm surprised Thor even considered it."
(smol boop)
"I would've marched up to Thor myself if he hadn't considered it," She added in, a playful smile on her face as she looked between the two of them. For the first time in a while, she realized she actually felt calm sitting here. It wasn't quite a happy joyous feeling, but it was better than the cloud of sadness that seemed to follow her everywhere. The cloud was far from gone, but it was lighter as she sat between her husband and Magnus, thankful for the time they had that wasn't being flooded with fear or worry.
Loki laughed lightly "Maybe you still can. I was reserved with my comments, but I think he'd allow a bit of freedom with you." He suggested, gently squeezing his wife's hand. He took a deep breath, for once feeling a bit lighter. Of course he missed Leif immensely and wished that their was a way for him to be with him and Avalin but he was comforted knowing they'd see him soon. They'd be ok until then
She shook her head and laughed lightly, "He might regret being lenient if I talk to him, I have more than my fair share to say to him." Leaning back in her chair, she sighed lightly, looking to Magnus, "So, are you excited to get your position back? Are you going to take a break at all before you go back again?"
"he wouldn't dare go back on his word. I'm not sure if he'd argue if it were coming from you." Loki considered with a sly smile, shrugging and closing his eyes momentarily.
Magnus nodded with a smile if his own "yes! But I will miss working with the servants. I'm hoping I'll be able to continue with that if possible." He said, standing and stretching. "I have to go back to work, but thank you both for everything youve done for me, truly." He bowed to them both before starting to clear the table
A fair bit of pride appeared on her face at the small compliment and she imagined what exactly she would say to the King of Asgard. She thought contently, almost forgetting about her question to Magnus until he replied. "If it's not, I'll find a way to make it possible," Avalin replied with a smile, looking to their friend as he stood. Quickly, she shook her head, gently grabbing the dishes on the table, "I'll take care of it, it was our treat to you. I hope you have a nice break."
Magnus sighed with a smile as both the royals took over cleaning and clearing the table. "Thank you, again. But promise me you'll both rest after to leave. You two been through far too much. I know it must be hard but please, take time for yourselves." He offered a small smile and pulled them both into a tight hug. "I'll await your return." He said, releasing them both and bowing once more.
Loki smiled and nodded "we will." He replied softly, hugging Magnus back and bowing in return. "The same goes to you, though. You've been through just as much."
"Don't overwork yourself, please," Avalin replied, hugging Magnus back and offering a small smile, "I'll be back with plenty of stories to tell." She was happy to be going away from Asgard for a while. Even if the gorgeous world was her home, it held too many memories. All she wanted to do was get away from it all for a while until things became easier to handle. She knew she would never fully forget anything though.
"we'll be glad to hear all your stories." Magnus smiled as he left the room, eager to share the food with the rest of the guards and servants of the castle.
After a few moments tshad gone by, Loki gently wrapped his arms around his queen, gently resting his head against hers. "Ready to start packing?" He asked softly, taking a deep breath, hope in this didn't take all that long. "We can leave by tonight."