Choices

Chapter 143
"Anything?" Cephera asked her husband, looking up from the pieces of the pool she had on her side of table. The shard fragments they'd obtained from the throne room had to be taken to the library where two very long tables were pressed together.
There was more than they'd thought there would be and it had taken 2 days to collect them all. The explosion of the water had caused the fragments to become mixed up with the rubble on the throne room floor.
While they'd been bringing all the pieces back to the library, a rested Suvia made her way down with Frigga to find the caves Tyr had built the pool in.
They'd found the complicated tunnels and it had taken them almost the entire day to find their way through them to the room in question. There was nothing left behind that hadn't been mostly destroyed when the pool was pulled from the ground.
Frigga and Suvia collected anything they thought might be relevant and brought it up to the library. Frigga had to go back to her duties as Asgard's new ruler. Thor was still adamant that the throne was not yet meant for him.
It had been officially 4 days since the war ended and they all had gotten stuck in Asgard. There were other ways out, but nothing so quick as the Byfrost and nothing as safe.
"There are certain pieces with runes carved into them. Ruins certainly seem to be the magic of choice to create this portal." Loki said back to his wife.
"My husband practiced all facets of magic. From the light to the dark and even the ancients rune magic." Suvia told them. "He was convinced that no one could stop him with such skills."
"He can be stopped, it just won't be easy." Loki frowned. "I haven't touched rune magic," he admitted. "I think it's time to learn. The two of you are fine here?" He asked.
"Yes," Cephera said while Suvia nodded. Loki walked around the table, gave Cephera a kiss before parting for the back of the library where the most anceint of old texts were kept.
"We need something to write these ruins on. We need to make sure to catagoize them in the proper order." Suvia told Cephera. Cephera nodded and grabbed parchment, ink and quill from the tables at the forefront of the library entrance. Many scholars came to Asgards library for its extensive collection.
Now the library was guarded from anyone but the royal family and their friends to assure the safe keeping of their findings.
When she returned they both began to first piece together the parts they could tell once fit like a puzzle, before beginning to write down anything.
Cephera wondered if Tony was any closer to building a new powersource for Asgard. He'd offered to help combine technology with magic to reopen the Byfrost and provide a more permanent fix to the bridge that some one couldn't just up and walk away with.
Cephera missed her son and knew that Pepper must be worried out of her mind with no word from anyone. The sooner they got home, the better. They could all be stress free aside from helping Suvia track down Tyr.
(Tony)
"Are you sure?" He asked the large wolf called Fenrir. Tony had poked fun at the tales of Loki having such beasts for children, but after meeting two of them he was impressed. He was also somewhat glad he hadn't met Hela. The tales made her sound frightening.
Fenrir was just a very large puppy, eager to help and to please. Instead of return to the mountains, he'd stayed in Asgard. He patiently waited outside to hear news of what was happening as he was too big to fit inside.
He'd offered to go with Tony when he spotted him flying out of the palace in his suit. It had frightened the shit out of him at first. Out of the corner of his eye Tony had seen something large coming right for him.
He was flying head level with the wolf then and he still was now.
"I'm sure. I know these mountains better than anyone." Fenrir replied to Tony's question.
"All right Clifford," Tony smirked.
"The names Fenrir," Loki's son corrected.
"It was a joke." Tony replied.
"Only to you," Fenrir took a moment to eye Tony. He didn't reply.
Tony was out looking for a certain kind of rock. The ore and alloys in Asgard were different from Earth and he had to research what would work best for his idea. He'd found this particular Asgardian ore to be just what he had in mind. Durable, thick, heavy weight, and could conduct energy.
He'd wondered how he might get it back to the palace until fluffy had offered to help.
"Over here," Fenrir squeezed through a set of trees that pushed up from the ground as he forced his way through. Tony followed and sure enough the mountain side in this area was littered with the shining golden colour of the ore in question.
It was a much larger piece than he'd expected. "Alright," Tony examined the rock face. I'm going to detonate a large chunk out and I need you to transport it back to the palace. You up for playing catch?"
"Yes," Fenrir bent forward his tail wagging wildly. Tony made small holes with his laser in the mountain and inserted small explosives. Backing up he blew out a large portion that hit the ground hard enough to flatten out any plant life below it and make an indent in the ground.
Fenrir pushed his muzzle against the stone and Tony watched him move it along effortlessly leaving an indent trail as the rock was pushed at a slow roll.
Tony smirked. He'd have to give him a treat when he got back to the palace. He wondered how big milk bones got in Asgard?
(Loki)
Ruins were not that complicated for a mind like Loki's. Ruins were all about connection and proper sequences mixed with liquid herb mixtures, and sometimes blood.
He would need samples of the liquids used on the pool. Banner could help with that. He would have Cephera ask him. Loki was not so comfortable to ask anything of them. In fact, he'd rather he didn't need to at all.
He still had very little patience for the humans, but kept his tongue still on the matter. Soon they would be out of his life, though he was sure Cephera would no doubt stay in touch.
Whatever his other self used to create the portal, he knew it would be complicated to replicate. Not to mention how to find the right world. Personally, Loki didn't care if they saved that other world. His world was safe, but he did care that Tyr was still out there, and if Loki knew himself, he knew he hated to lose and that eventually Tyr would return.
Loki couldn't leave the future of his children in the hands of his other self. That was what drove him to put so much effort into aiding them.
"This is what we've found so far," Loki looked up from his place sitting on the floor. Suvia was stood with a parchment in hand. Loki took the offered paper and glanced it over. "That's only one piece we've managed to piece together." She noted.
"Going to be a big project." Loki sighed. At least he wasn't in prison. "Thank you," Loki said rolling the paper up and putting it aside. The woman who was the wife of his other self didn't move.
"I'm happy for you," she said, catching Loki off guard. "Cephera is lucky life turned this way for her."
"If it hadn't, she might have beat me senseless years ago." Loki replied. That was the difference between Suvia and Cephera. Cephera had made sure to always put him in his place when needed. She was never afraid to speak up. From what he gathered from Suvia's tale, she'd just let hope drive her situation to change, which clearly didn't work.
Also, Loki had married for love, where Suvia had been a prize. That had almost happened to Loki. He'd once wanted Sigyn for the wrong reasons. If Cephera hadn't been around to stop him, he might have fallen into the same path.
"She's made me a different man than Tyr." Loki responded.
"Indeed," she smiled. "Don't ever hurt her." Suvia warned him. Loki snorted. He didn't need to be told such a thing. He gave her a dirty look of disapproval and didn't grace her with a reply. Suvia smirked and walked away.
Loki returned to his books and pushed her warning from his mind. Loki wouldn't chance losing his wife again. As far as he saw it, he had a second chance to be a family with her and he had grown since his time falling from the Byfrost. He wouldn't screw it up this time.
The last couple of years he knew what it felt like to be separated from her and it was agony. He never thought he could feel more alone until she was no longer within his reach. Death would be the only way he'd leave her this time, this was a promise he made to himself.

Notes