Chapter Text
Byleistr could hardly contain himself, bouncing slightly on his feet as he lept out of bed. Finally, he would be going to Midgard to meet Loki’s friends and spend time with his brother.
When Loki had first arrived in Jotunheim a little over a year ago, Byleistr had been a mixture of surprised and excited. Never in a million years had he ever thought he would get to meet his long lost oldest brother, so he had never given the first prince much thought beyond feeling bad for his parents and their grief. Byleistr had always had Helblindi, and that had been enough, even if they did not get along all that well a lot of the time. Helblindi was… intense; serious in a way that Byleistr could never be, as if the weight of the realm rested on his shoulders. And well, in fairness, it did, since he was supposed to succeed their Father as king, but that didn’t mean he had to be so grave and somber all the time.
Still, Helblindi was his brother and Byleistr loved him. Loki, though… Loki was different. He was older, but he wasn’t so glum. He had been guarded the first few times he’d visited, of course – as was to be expected. However, he had gradually relaxed and mellowed out, becoming someone Byleistr honestly enjoyed spending time with. Plus, he always brought Byleistr (and Father and Helblindi) little trinkets from Midgard, which was a treat. There was precious little from other realms in Jotunheim these days, so anything was welcomed in Byleistr’s opinion. Loki’s visits were always fun, and Byleistr was always sad when he left again.
It was nice having two brothers, Byleistr had concluded – especially when they were so different from one another, and from him. The best thing about Loki’s return, however, was the change it had brought in Father. Byleistr had never seen Father so happy as when Loki was with them. Helblindi was still wary, and was constantly telling Father he should be more cautious because Loki could be deceiving them. It had caused no small amount of tension between them, but even Helblindi’s attitude was not enough to damper Father’s spirits these days, and the whole realm could see it. It made the people happier in turn, even though nothing had really changed. There was a little bit of hope, and that was more than they’d had for centuries.
Not that Helblindi was ready to accept that. Byleistr had had several fights with his brother about it. Yet like Father, he didn’t let it bother him too much. Helblindi would get over his distrust of Loki eventually – though he was sure taking his sweet time with it. In truth, Byleistr thought he was a little jealous that Loki had so much of Father’s (and Byleistr’s) attention. It must annoy him not to be the eldest anymore, even though Loki had made it clear he had no desire to take the throne.
With a last check to make his sure bedroom was reasonably tidy and his small bag was ready (Loki had assured him that he wouldn’t need anything, since it would all be provided by his human lover), Byleistr made his way to the family room for some food before he had to depart. He didn’t know when Loki would arrive; it was hard to predict an exact timeframe for inter-realm travel. There was still some things to do anyway.
He had considered meeting Loki at the pathway spot, but he realized that wasn’t very practical. Loki had taken to teleporting from there to the palace anyway, so it was easier to wait for him here lest they risk missing each other. Plus, Father would want to speak to Loki too.
A servant brought him some food and Byleistr had just settled to eat when Helblindi appeared, expression as closed off as usual.
“Good morning, brother,” Byleistr said brightly.
All he got in response was a scowl – which also wasn’t unusual these days.
Byleistr, however, refused to let his brother sour his mood, so he ignored him.
“I don’t think you should go,” Helblindi finally said.
“Noted,” Byleistr replied. There was no point arguing and he didn’t feel like getting into a fight right now.
“You shouldn’t go,” Helblindi repeated a little more forcefully.
“Father has given me permission and I want to, so I will.” He tried to keep his tone civil, but he realized it was going to be hard to maintain his calm if Helblindi insisted on pushing this.
“You and Father are too trusting.”
“And you are too cynical,” Byleistr retorted. “It’s been over a year,” he sighed. “Loki isn’t an enemy. He’s our brother.” Helblindi made a face. “If you actually gave him a chance, you’d see he’s nice.”
Helblindi had no response to that, and settled for glaring at Byleistr from across the table.
A few minutes later, Laufey entered the room and greeted them warmly, though he frowned when Helblindi didn’t acknowledge him.
“Is something the matter, Helblindi?” Father asked, an edge to his voice.
“Since you are determined to ignore my warnings, I guess not.”
Laufey sighed, and turned to Byleistr. “Ready for your trip?”
An enormous grin split his face as he nodded, hastily chewing so he could speak properly. “I’m all set, Father. Just waiting for Loki. I hope he won’t be long.”
“I still say this is a mistake,” Helblindi said. “It is foolish to allow the prince to go into foreign territory with no means to return on his own. If something goes wrong, how are we supposed to know? What could we do about it? We are completely at Loki’s mercy.”
Byleistr made himself take a deep breath. His brother’s concerns were valid, of course. It was a risk, but it was one he was willing to take. “I’m not a child. And I’m not helpless.”
“You are in Midgard. Or wherever you actually end up. How do we know Loki won’t take you to Asgard?”
“Loki hates Asgard.”
“So he says.”
“If you actually spent any time at all with him, you would see that–”
“Enough,” Father said in a commanding tone, and they fell silent. “We understand your concerns, Helblindi, but we have chosen to trust Loki. He has given us no cause to doubt him so far.”
“Because you want to believe everything he says. You want to believe everything will be fine, and that you have your son back. Your desire does not make it true, Father, you have to know that.” His tone had gentled at the end, and Byleistr saw the shadow that crossed Father’s face.
Laufey looked away. “I do know that. But I choose to believe it anyway. I… I need to.”
“Why can’t you believe that Loki is telling the truth?” Byleistr asked. He hated how young he sounded. Damn Helblindi for always making him feel like a child.
“Because someone has to protect us.”
“And because you’re jealous.” It might not be his only motivation, but Byleistr knew it was part of it.
“I’m not jealous,” Helblindi sneered.
“Yes, you are. You accuse me and Father of wanting to believe, but you don’t want to. You’ll keep finding fault no matter what, keep being suspicious no matter what. At least Father and I have hope – you’re just angry and sullen because you’re not the eldest anymore.”
“That’s not what this is about!”
Byleistr raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Not even a little bit?”
“No!” But Byleistr didn’t believe it. And, judging by Laufey’s expression, he didn’t either.
“There is no point to this discussion,” Laufey said before Helblindi could reply. “We’ll just be going in circles. Only time will tell who’s right.”
The silence that followed was rather tense, and Byleistr couldn’t help being annoyed. He’d been happy and excited and now he was angry and frustrated, and it was all Helblindi’s fault. He gave his brother a dirty look but held his tongue. He would be gone in a little while. He would spend a few days in a new realm with his brother. He would finally get to meet Loki’s lover and the rest of his friends. He would be the first Jotun to see Midgard in centuries, and it was going to be awesome. And Helblindi wasn’t going to ruin it for him.
A noise from the door caught their attention, and there was Loki. He was dressed differently, in softer fabrics that seemed to be the norm in Midgard – at least judging from the photographs Byleistr had seen.
“Loki!” Byleistr exclaimed, and rose from the table to give his brother a hug. It was a little awkward because he had to bend down quite a bit, but he was getting used to that.
“Hello, Byleistr.” As soon as Byleistr released him, he smiled at Laufey. “Hello, Mother. Helblindi.”
Helblindi barely acknowledged his presence, but Father grinned.
“Welcome, Loki. Please, join us,” Laufey said, and Loki did, adjusting the chair with ice magic so he could be a bit more level with the rest of them. “You are getting better at that,” Father observed.
“Yes. I’ve been practicing a lot.” He looked pleased about it, and it made Byleistr happy. Loki was clearly doing his best to embrace his heritage, and Byleistr didn’t understand why Helblindi couldn’t see that – or, more likely, why he refused to do so.
“Are we leaving right away?” Byleistr asked, unable to mask his excitement.
“Soon.” He took something out of his pocket dimension and set it on the table in front of them.
Byleistr eyed it curiously. “What’s that?”
“It’s a phone.” It didn’t look like the phone Loki always carried, though. It was much larger, for one, and entirely black. “Well, sort of. It’s… Well, it’s meant to be an inter-realm phone. Tony made it.”
Laufey leaned forward, interested. “You mean we can use it to communicate with Midgard?”
“That’s the idea, though we haven’t tested it yet. May I?”
“Of course.”
Loki made a couple of complicated hand gestures. “It’s powered by Midgardian technology and some of my own magic.” Green light appeared over the device in unfamiliar shapes and then vanished. “Well, here goes.” He pressed something and a blue screen with an unfamiliar logo appeared in the air above the phone. “Tony? Can you hear me?”
Byleistr held his breath, but nothing happened. Loki frowned, tapped a few commands into the phone and made more gestures with more green magic. “Tony?”
“Lokes?”
Loki smiled. “You can hear me, then?”
“Yeah. I mean, the connection is kinda shit, but I can hear you. Where are you? Jotunheim?”
“Yes, in the palace.”
“Ha! I fucking did it!” Tony exclaimed. “Fuck, it worked! Am I good or am I good?”
“You are good,” Loki replied fondly. “Now say hello to King Laufey and Princes Byleistr and Helblindi.”
“Fuck, they’re there? Shit. I mean, hi. I mean…” He cleared his throat and started again. “It’s very nice to talk to you, your Majesties. Is that the proper address? Sorry, I’m not that good with formality.”
“Hello, Tony,” Byleistr said, amused. “Thank you so much for letting me come to Midgard. I’m really excited about it.”
“Yeah, me too.” He sounded genuine, and Byleistr smiled.
“It is a pleasure to speak to you, Lord Stark,” Father said. He was smiling too.
“Oh, just Tony is fine. I’m not a lord or anything.”
“Well, Loki told me you are an important man in Midgard.”
“Yeah, sort of, but I don’t have an official title. I’m just…”
“A hero,” Loki interjected.
“I’m not sure I’d go that far,” Tony said, and now he sounded a little uncomfortable.
Loki opened his mouth, then changed his mind and just looked at Byleistr and Laufey. “Well, your device is working. You have made an inter-realm phone.”
“Awesome! So… hmm… That means you guys can get in touch with us if you need it. I thought, since it’s Byleistr’s first time away from home, that it would be nice if you had a way to talk to him. Loki will explain how it works.”
“We are keeping this device?” Laufey asked, surprised.
“Yeah, sure. I mean, what’s the point of a phone if you don’t have one too?”
That made sense, of course, but Byleistr – and Father – were still a bit surprised.
“We shall have to think of a gift to give you in return for your generosity,” Laufey said.
“Oh, that’s not necessary, Your Highness. Anyway, it was great talking to you, but I have to get some things ready. Byleistr, I’ll see you soon, right?”
“Absolutely!” His smile threatened to split his face.
“Great. Bye.”
“It was a pleasure for me as well, Tony,” Laufey said.
Loki clicked something and the phone went dormant. “Shall I tell you how to operate it?”
“Yes, of course.”
Helbindi said nothing while Loki showed them how to turn the device on and how to ‘make a call’, as he put it. It was not very complicated to use, though Byleistr had no idea how it worked – and Loki didn’t seem to be able to explain it either.
“Tony isn’t likely to be able to answer immediately, but Jarvis – that’s one of Tony’s… constructs – will be monitoring this frequency, and direct the call as needed. Or, if it’s not possible, he’ll speak to you himself.”
Laufey had a few questions about that, so Loki gave them some more information. Finally, when all inquiries were satisfied, Loki turned to Helblindi
“Do you have any questions? Or anything else to say?”
Helblindi’s expression had remained closed off the entire time Loki had been there – and it hadn’t escaped anyone’s notice that he hadn’t spoken to Tony at all. He didn’t seem any friendlier now.
“I have made my feelings clear already, and I have been ignored. There is nothing more to say on the matter.”
Byleistr rolled his eyes. Norns, his brother was stubborn. “You haven’t been ignored, we just disagree with you.”
Father made a warning sound, and Byleistr fell silent. “We have indeed heard your objections. I think that this device is a good way of allaying some of them. I will be glad to be able to speak to Byleistr while he is away and make sure everything is fine.” He looked at Loki. “I don’t believe you have bad intentions, but…”
Loki nodded. “I understand. It’s a new realm, one that you aren’t very familiar with. There is, of course, a level of risk involved. I promise I will do my best to keep him safe, though. We will go straight to the Tower from the pathway point, and will remain there for the duration of Byleistr’s visit. It is an extremely well protected location, and only authorized people will be able to enter.”
Privately, Byleistr was a little disappointed with that. He wanted to see Midgard properly – walk in the streets, talk to people and all that – but he knew that wasn’t possible. Midgardians didn’t know about the other worlds in the Nine, and would likely be frightened of him. At least he’d get to meet Loki’s friends, so he wouldn’t complain. And maybe Loki would take him to Alfheim one day – that would be nice.
“Very well, then. I expect to hear from you once you have arrived.”
“Of course.”
Byleistr grinned. “Can we go now? Please?” He knew he probably sounded childish, but he didn’t care. He was going to another realm for the first time, he was allowed to be excited.
“If that’s all right, Laufey?” Loki asked. He still didn’t feel entirely comfortable calling Laufey ‘Mother’ all the time, though he had relaxed a lot since the first time he’d come. Hopefully that day would come so; Byleistr knew it would mean a lot to Father.
“Are you ready, Byleistr?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Then you may depart whenever you wish.”
Byleistr turned pleading eyes on Loki, who laughed.
“All right. I guess we can go now.” He stood. “We will see you in a few days, then.”
Laufey nodded. “I hope you will be able to stay a while when you bring him back.”
“I will.”
“Then I wish you a safe journey.” Laufey embraced Byleistr and then Loki, which was a little awkward with Loki being so small.
“Goodbye, Father. Helblindi.”
His brother’s face remained stony, but he at least nodded in acknowledgement.
“I will bring him back safely, don’t worry,” Loki said, addressing Laufey and Helblindi this time.
*****
They teleported to the pathway site, where a small outpost had been built to mark the spot. Teleporting was an odd sensation, and Byleistr felt a little dizzy when Loki let go of his arm.
“Are you all right? It can be a little disorientating the first time.”
“I’m fine.” Byleistr straightened to show it, then slouched back when he realized it made him tower over Loki too much. “So now what?” he asked.
“We’re going to go through the pathway into Midgard. You might feel a bit queasy. Once we’re on the other side, I will make us invisible – just in case someone is around – until you get your bearings. Then we will teleport to the Tower. It is a much greater distance, so it might be a little uncomfortable, but it will be over soon.”
“All right.” He was starting to feel a bit nervous now. Excited and nervous.
“Ready?” Loki asked.
Byleistr took a deep breath and nodded. Loki put his Aesir glamour back on – which Byleistr thought made him look strange, though he knew it was necessary in Midgard – and reached out a hand.
As Loki had warned, the trip through the pathway was disorientating. For a few moments, Byleistr didn’t know what was up or down, left or right. It felt like he was free-falling, or perhaps trapped deep underwater with no sense of direction. Before he could panic too much, however, there was solid ground under his feet again. He stumbled on the landing and lost his footing. Fortunately there was a sturdy wall nearby, and he leaned against it until he could get his bearings, eyes shut tight to keep the dizziness at bay.
Loki’s hand never left his arm, and the contact helped ground him.
“Are you all right?”
Byleistr tried to look at him, and had to close his eyes again when bright lights stabbed into them.
“Why don’t you sit down for a bit? We’re invisible now, so you don’t have to worry.”
With Loki’s help, Byleistr slid down the wall and put his back to it. It was warm, but it was soon covered in a thin layer of ice.
“Hmm, sorry,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it before we leave.”
He wasn’t sure how long it took him to relax, but eventually he felt a little better. “I think I’m all right now.”
“Try opening your eyes again.”
It was still way brighter than he was used to, but it didn’t hurt quite so much anymore. “It’s better.”
“Good.”
Byleistr made as if to stand again and was stopped by his brother.
“Let’s wait a little longer. The next trip isn’t likely to be any easier, and I don’t want you to feel too overwhelmed.”
It was a relief, really, so Byleistr nodded and stayed where he was. He wished Helblindi was here to see this – Loki being kind and considerate, and not whatever evil Helblindi imagined.
While they waited, he took the opportunity to have a look around – he was in Midgard! –, though there wasn’t much to see from his position. There were buildings around them and those ground vehicles humans liked to use going by further away. The sky was a bright shade of blue that was uncomfortable to look at for too long.
“Is the light bothering you too much?” Loki asked.
“No, just a little.” Sitting down in a hunched position, Byleistr was slightly shorter than Loki so he had to look up at his brother rather than down. That meant a bit more light than he might have liked, but he wasn’t about to complain too much.
“I’ll tell Tony to adjust the lights in the Tower to be more comfortable for you.”
“Thanks.”
A few minutes more, Byleistr figured he was good to go. Loki gave him a hand up, and was able to handle Byleistr’s weight well enough; his brother was stronger than he looked. At least the Aesir hadn’t damaged him too much.
Byleistr took a couple of cautious steps out of their small shelter so he’d have a better view, and gasped in delight when he saw a couple of people passing by. They were wearing colorful clothes and gesturing wildly.
“They’re so tiny!” he exclaimed.
Loki chuckled. “They’re not that much smaller than me, actually.”
“Yes, and you’re tiny,” Byleistr retorted. “I mean… I’m sorry, brother.”
“It’s all right,” Loki replied, thankfully not taking offense. “I am aware of my short stature for a Jotun.”
“It’s not your fault. They probably didn’t feed you right.” Or maybe Odin had stunted his growth on purpose to keep the secret, Byleistr thought. He wouldn’t put it past the man, that dirty kidnapper.
It pained him to think of his brother growing up in Asgard with all those awful people – and completely ignorant of his real self. Loki had missed out on all the things he should have learned about their people, their abilities; he’d missed out on being with his family. Farbauti had died thinking his eldest son had died, and Loki would never get the chance to meet him. All because Odin was an evil bastard.
Thinking about this always made him angry, so Byleistr did his best to push those feelings away and focus on the here and now. There was nothing that could be done to change the past, but the present was theirs to shape in any way they wanted, and right now Byleistr wanted to go see where Loki lived and meet all this friends.
“Are you ready to go, then?” Loki clearly thought ignoring his comment was the best way to go, and he was right.
“Yes.” Byleistr nodded. His excitement was quickly back, and he grinned at his brother.
“Let’s go, then.”