Chapter Text
Loki sits at the end of the large conference table, idly tapping his fingers, counting the minutes until his presence is no longer required at this meeting. Or, at least, until it's his turn to speak. Since the meeting began, he's been eager to deliver to Odin the most delectable tidbit of gossip the nine realms has heard in eons. Loki lives for this sort of moment - getting to be the one that tips over the dominoes and watches as they fall, free from consequence.
"Loki," Odin's voice booms across the hall, and the All-Father turns to look at his adoptive son along with the rest of the members of the palace counsel, "What news do you bring of Asgard since my return from my engagements on Jotunheim? And you'd do well to explain to me Thor's notable absence from this gathering. He is the reason, after all, I travelled to Jotunheim to arrange his diplomatic marriage to the Jotun princess, Asta. "
A smug smile ghosts across Loki's face, so quick that it's undetectable to the naked eye, and he he sighs nonchalantly as he begins, "Well, father, where to begin...the palace markets have seen a notable increase in sales with the addition of the new silversmith store in the second quadrant, a small riot broke out after a jousting tournament on the lower fields - no injuries to report - and as for Thor...well, he's on Asgard now, but he's not alone..."
Loki pauses for effect, his voice lowering into seriousness, "Do you remember the mortal woman Thor became acquainted with during his...exile on Midgard?"
Odin lifts his eyebrows, prompting Loki to continue, "How to put this gently...while you were away, it seems the crown prince of Asgard decided to marry to the Midgardian known as Jane Foster, not knowing your intentions to betroth him to another."
Loki watches Odin's face shift from confusion to shock to anger in a matter of seconds, and it takes everything in his power to not grin sardonically. The rest of the palace counsel shares equal expressions. And that was the push. Now to just sit back and watch them fall.
"Loki," Odin commanded, his voice level but full of tension, "You are to find your brother and bring him to me at once. The rest of this counsel is dismissed."
The amount of satisfaction Loki gets from constructing chaos should be unnatural, but he is positively filled with wicked pleasure as he walks out of the chamber to find his brother. Not that any of this was orchestrated at his hand per say - he just delivered the news. His brother had decided to wed Jane Foster in a ceremony on Earth with only their Midgardian friends in attendance. Loki was the only citizen of Asgard that had been there to witness the event (as Thor's best man - a Midgardian tradition), or had even known about the marriage, for that matter.
Thor and Jane, along with her friend and maid of honor Darcy Lewis, have travelled to Asgard to announce their union to the kingdom. And just as nobody on Asgard knew about the marriage, nobody had known of Odin's intentions to unite the kingdoms of Asgard and Jotunheim until he had spoken of it upon his return. The timing and lack of communication was incredibly poor on both sides, Loki has to admit. And Loki hadn't intended to break the news of their marriage to Odin...but the opportunity had presented itself and it seemed far too good to pass up.
Loki finds Thor walking with both Jane and Darcy through the magnificent treasure rooms on the far side of the palace, giving them a tour. Thor and Jane round the corner, leaving Darcy standing a few paces behind with her mouth agape, taking in the lavish sights of gold and jewels.
"Do close your mouth, Miss Lewis," Loki comments upon his arrival, "If we had any insects down here, I'm certain you would catch them all with your gaping jaw."
Darcy rolls her eyes and scoffs at him, "Excuse me, Mister Tall Dark and Rude. I've never seen so much bling in my life, so you're damned right I'm going to stand here in amazement. You think you can go one day without insulting me?"
"I wouldn't hold your breath," Loki sneers, walking past her to catch up with Thor and Jane. While visiting Thor on Earth for his marriage to Jane Foster, Loki also unfortunately came into acquaintance with Darcy Lewis. From their first meeting onward, they bickered constantly the whole time they were together - which was a fairly solid two week time period. And as Jane's maid of honor, Darcy has also travelled to Asgard to take part in the public wedding announcement - meaning Loki would be seeing more of this insignificant mortal than he desired.
"Brother," Loki calls out to Thor upon catching up to the duo, "Father requests your presence at his counsel meeting. I believe there is something of importance he wishes to discuss with you..."
----
Loki's not sure what all is said - it's hard to eavesdrop between thunderous booms and the clash of silverware and furniture. But if that's any indication, Loki can be certain that a heated argument is being held at full force between father and son. It's enough to make him grin with satisfaction.
When things finally quiet down, Loki presses his ear more tightly to the doorway, hoping to hear the conclusion of their talk. He can distinguish a female voice mediating between the two, and he knows it must be his mother, Frigga. When Thor suddenly exits through another door, looking exhausted, Loki is about to call out to him when he hears Odin's voice from the door Thor has left open. Loki lets Thor walk away as he sneaks closer to the open door, getting much clearer audible from what's happening inside the room.
"Thor's actions be damned, I've made a promise to the Jotun king!" Odin's voice rises with anger, "A promise to unite our kingdoms through marriage. A promise I intend on upholding."
"You can't!" Frigga cries out, ""How can you be so cruel as to take away the love your son has finally found?"
"Dear woman," Odin begins, his voice leveling, "If Thor is no longer eligible to marry, I still have one son left who is."
No, Loki thinks, and he swears he can feel the floor disappear from underneath him, his heart plummeting through his chest down to the soles of his feet. Is it really possible that he could not have seen this coming? He feels blindsided, shell-shocked.
He's slowly moving away from the door now, down a darkened corridor, but his thoughts are a hazy mess and everything feels like a nightmarish dream. This was not in the cards. Marrying the strange Jotun princess would require moving away to the icy and desolate kingdom of Jotunheim, and carrying out a rule filled with solitude. Days of cold isolation on an unfamiliar throne is not a prospect he is keen on, to say the least.
Moving away from shock and denial, he turns to gritty resolution: he will not let this happen. At any cost, he will not allow it.
He is supposed to be the one who pushes over the dominoes...not the one who gets swept up in their collapse.