Choices

Chapter 130
How was one suppose to feel to hear this outrageous tale?
Loki was so confused with a cornucopia of emotions he couldn't focus on just one. Anger of course surged through him, but confusion was certainly at the forefront with it. Curiosity peeking through just below the surface.
He'd been quiet, glancing at the man who was him. An older him.
This man had come from another world, but was no less Loki. He had attempted to ruin his life. That was what made him angry. His wife, Sigyn, now revealed as her true self, sat nearby.
She was still rather beautiful in her aging. Loki remembered her in this world. Young and vibrant. He might have married her had Cephera not intervened.
Loki recalled a dream he'd had where he killed the man Sigyn was betrothed too. It had been that dream the spurred him to want her so badly. Like it was a sign. He was now happy that hadn't happened, or he would have become this spiteful, malicious man. A copy of his older self just as Tyr wanted.
Thor had continued to call him Tyr and his wife Suvia throughout his tale because it was less confusing.
The part that brought out Loki's confusion was Cephera.
Tyr had gotten her pregnant and as far as Loki was concerned that meant he was indeed, by genetics at the very least, the true father. It brought him a strange joy and yet he was unsure if it was a proper way to think. After all, Tyr was not him, but rather a sort of copy, but he was him as well.
One moment Loki would feel rage that Tyr would dare touch Cephera and then he would think it strange to be so angry at himself.
"Loki?" Thor questioned after allowing enough silence to pass.
"What?" Loki replied curtly. He hadn't sorted out how he felt and so now he was irritated.
"None of this is your fault, you can step off this path now." Thor replied calmly.
Loki's head snapped up to glare at his brother. "You don't truly believe that do you?" Loki asked snarling at Thor's naivety.
"What is passed is passed. We can forget it, move on." Thor assured him.
"That's not possible." Loki looked away.
"Why not? Cephera waits for you. She believes in you and longs to hold you again. Does that mean nothing?" Thor sounded confused.
"Thanos you dolt. Don't you understand that this past you speak of has caused consequences." Tyr smirked from his place chained down to sit on a chair. Suvia didn't want to move him to the jail. She felt it wasn't a safe enough spot to put him.
"You do not speak," Thor warned. Loki looked to his other self.
"What do you know of him?" Loki asked and Suvia sucked in a breath.
"He knows more than enough about the mad Titan." She replied for her husband. "But don't expect him to be helpful." She added.
Tyr tutted at his wife, shaking his head. "Now, now dear wife. Helping would only aide me at this point. After all, you've stripped me of all my magic and strength. Even if I wanted to run, I wouldn't get far." He smirked.
"You are to be locked away for an eternity. There will be no aide to your cause." Thor retorted.
"Fine. Suit yourself. I mean, if you don't want to know how to fight the Titan with minimal casualties...," Tyr trailed off and looked toward Loki and shrugged.
"Don't believe him." Suvia warned. "No doubt he'll bargain his powers back saying they are needed to help."
"We will not fall for your trickery." Thor narrowed his eyes.
"No trickery. Much to your surprise, wife, I am capable of things without magic. Do you think I'd come all the way here just to play with my other self without having a plan to make sure Thanos didn't ruin that?" He arched a grey brow and chuckled.
"Thanos will come," Loki told them. It wasn't even an if. He sought what Asgard had.
Loki's deal had been to gain the Infinity Gaunlet and give it to Thanos along with the Tesseract, and now even the Aether. Once he complied and gave the Titan these things he'd spare Asgard and everyone on it. Loki did this for his home, not some quest to be king. Being king was just the tool to reach his goal. His main concern was keeping Cephera safe.
"We will defeat Thanos on our own," Thor said.
"You hope," Tyr always seemed to enjoy having the last word. But his casual simple statements were enough to cause doubt. Loki hated that he couldn't figure out this other self. No telling signs to give a hint to his inner, deepest thoughts.
Suvia shifted in her chair and Loki's eyes moved back to her. "You look uncomfortable, is there something we should know?" Loki asked her. She was not so good at hiding her thoughts.
"The only reason you and your avengers won the battle with Thanos in my world is because Thanos decided to give up. Apparently, he'd done it all to impress someone and when it didn't seem to work he decided it was no longer worth his time." She chewed her lip. "There is know way to know if that will be the case here and not only that there were many casualties."
"I cannot allow him free. He killed our father." Loki cringed At Thor's tone. Loki had been angry at Odin, but he hadn't hated him. He felt responsible for his demise. He may not have done the deed, but he'd made it possible for Tyr to do so.
"He's helpless, what harm could he do. For Asgard, our family and for the other worlds as well, perhaps we should consider it." Loki finally spoke up.
"He's right. My husband is no better than a mortal now." Suvia agreed. "The quicker we stop this madness and return this world to peace, the better."
Thor looked between them both and rubbed his forehead. "We have to contend with Loki as king as well."
"Just a ruse to easily deal with Thanos and get him away as fast a possible." Loki explained.
"To give him a very powerful weapon. Surely you know Thanos wouldn't have kept his word." Suvia looked appalled.
"I saw no other way out." Loki growled at her.
"You could have come to me brother. I would have helped. Cephera and her people are behind us." Thor sounded hurt and disappointed.
"You don't understand." Loki chided.
"Perhaps not. Where do we go from here?"
"May I make a suggestion?" Tyr interjected. Suvia groaned and rubbed her head, annoyed.
"I have in mind to gag you." Thor shot another glare at Tyr.
Tyr continued with his idea anyhow. "No one knows that Loki has been found out, allow him to remain as king and to bring Thanos here to collect his prize and then we strike." Tyr smirked.
"No." Suvia shook her head. "Loki is not to remain king." She looked to Thor.
"I agree, you've played long enough and we cannot trust you enough right now. He's been whispering in your ear and who knows what other thoughts he's placed in your mind. You're compromised." Thor agreed.
Loki let out a long breath. He was not happy that even he questioned the thoughts he once had. It was hard to know what were his and what were Tyr's.
"Thor, you need to assemble the Avengers. We cannot put Asgard on high alert or a war will start the moment Thanos arrives. I will play Odin for now until this is all over. We will give your father a warriors death for the people and then the succession of the throne will be dealt with afterwards." Suvia offered.
Loki wasn't sure what to think of her. To her husband she was cold, but she still kept a sort of gentleness to her.
"And him?" Thor glanced at Tyr once more.
"Take him with you. I trust him in your protection rather than unwatched here."
"And me?" Loki was unsure what might happen to him now. He was not willing to go back to prison.
"Your wife has waited long enough. Go with Thor. A battle is coming, there is no avoiding it. Not all of us may make it out alive." Suvia made the command and somehow no one questioned it.
Thor seemed happy enough to allow someone else to take over. Loki was surprised. Suvia was a stranger really and they were just handing her the throne. How did they know she wasn't part of this old Loki's plans?
In the big picture, what choice did they have? Thor was certainly not going to trust Loki to remain on the throne and Thor himself seemed too obsessed with Earth to take it. What would happen once this was over? The crowned prince would have to take his place. Loki was interested to see how Thor would react.
Loki envisioned a spoiled child yelling, 'I don't want to,' but looking at Thor he could tell that he was different. How different, he wasn't sure, but from what he'd seen during their battle against the dark elves Thor just might make a good king if he tried.
Loki looked to Thor expecting him to finally deny Loki this long awaited visit to his wife and then he remembered, Thanos could be watching. He turned his gaze to old Loki instead.
"Thanos could be watching," he said to him. Tyr laughed a mocking sort of laugh.
"Thanos was never watching." He replied and Loki felt rage bubble up.
"You...," Loki began. Everything he'd done and said since his return, he'd done under the fear that Thanos was watching.
"Me. You've a lot to learn about manipulation boy. I can still show you." Tyr looked amused.
"That's enough." Thor growled grabbing Tyr by the scruff of his neck with a threatening glare for him to stay quiet. "At the very least we inform Heimdall of the situation so he may keep an eye out."
"Agreed, though he may not like it." Suvia responded.
"It does not matter now. With father and mother gone, I am king despite you pretending to be Odin. Heimdall will not turn against me." Loki hoped Thor was right. After all, Heimdall did turn on Odin to aide Thor in leaving Asgard, but then again, Heimdall seemed rather fond of Thor.
"We waste time here." Loki waved at Thor to get moving. Thoughts of Cephera running through his mind, of Ikol. It would be a relief to finally hold them both.

Notes