Thor Odinson, God of Thunder, King of Asgard (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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nexus_crossings2018-09-01 09:05 pm
pirateangelbaby) wrote in nexus_crossings2018-09-01 09:05 pm
+1 King of Asgard
Thor really should have no right to be as cheery as he is right now. Mjolnir destroyed, his father dead, his eye ruined, Asgard exploded, the last of his people crammed together onto a single spaceship on their way to seek aslyum on Midgard, one cannot really say they've been having a good day, to put it mildly.
But it could be worse.
It's taken him years to fully understand what it means to sit on the throne of Asgard, and now that kingship falls to him at last, the lack of that throne doesn't bother him at all. Asgard isn't a place to rule, it's a people to guide. And even if they couldn't save all of them, those who remain are precious to him. A new start awaits them all on Earth.
Or so he hopes.
Thor strides down the corridor of the Statesman, cape billowing behind him as he navigates his way towards the bridge. Hmm. Or was it this way? It's so easy to get turned around in this blasted thing. But ah, the sound of a multitude of voices; surely this is the way.
It takes him a moment to realize that he's no longer surrounded by Asgardians, or even Korg's crew. No, the people here are of all shapes and sizes, and the sky above him suddenly opens up, wide and blue. Not on a spaceship anymore. How very strange to find himself suddenly transported across the galaxy - again - without so much as being shot through the Bifrost. His attention is caught by a familiar voice, and despite his confusion, a delighted grin lights upon his countenance to see his good friend Rogers giving prerecorded messages in his battle regalia.
Perhaps this is Midgard, then? But no, the more he listens, the more he understands. A place between the worlds, hmm. A place to seek counsel, and befriend countless warriors from across the universe. Thor crosses his arms over his chest, and contemplates what question he should ask. Something somewhat relevant to his current situation, perhaps. "If you were put in a position of power, what would you first command?"
But it could be worse.
It's taken him years to fully understand what it means to sit on the throne of Asgard, and now that kingship falls to him at last, the lack of that throne doesn't bother him at all. Asgard isn't a place to rule, it's a people to guide. And even if they couldn't save all of them, those who remain are precious to him. A new start awaits them all on Earth.
Or so he hopes.
Thor strides down the corridor of the Statesman, cape billowing behind him as he navigates his way towards the bridge. Hmm. Or was it this way? It's so easy to get turned around in this blasted thing. But ah, the sound of a multitude of voices; surely this is the way.
It takes him a moment to realize that he's no longer surrounded by Asgardians, or even Korg's crew. No, the people here are of all shapes and sizes, and the sky above him suddenly opens up, wide and blue. Not on a spaceship anymore. How very strange to find himself suddenly transported across the galaxy - again - without so much as being shot through the Bifrost. His attention is caught by a familiar voice, and despite his confusion, a delighted grin lights upon his countenance to see his good friend Rogers giving prerecorded messages in his battle regalia.
Perhaps this is Midgard, then? But no, the more he listens, the more he understands. A place between the worlds, hmm. A place to seek counsel, and befriend countless warriors from across the universe. Thor crosses his arms over his chest, and contemplates what question he should ask. Something somewhat relevant to his current situation, perhaps. "If you were put in a position of power, what would you first command?"
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"It's crazy what a couple years can do," he says, a little more softly. "I'm with you there, on the drink-in-hand idea."
He's quiet, then, until they settle in the cafe. He's never tried to order alcohol there, isn't sure if they even sell it, but there is definitely coffee, and after a moment's consideration he asks the server to just bring them a whole pot. Between the two of them, it'll get consumed. He'd bet money on it. Hell, he'd bet money on Thor being able to finish off a whole pot by himself, if he felt like it.
"Apple pie, for me," he says. "The coconut cream is pretty good too, though."
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As sobering as the upcoming conversation is bound to be, it's definitely good to be in familiar friendly company. Thor's body language is relaxed and open, and for a moment he can almost forget that it's been two years since he's had the chance to share a meal with a fellow Avenger. Just like old times.
His smile becomes faint, however, as he gathers his thoughts on the last week. Has it really only been that? From his perspective, at least. On Sakaar... who knows. "I'm not entirely sure where to begin," he admits.
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Just like old times. Steve hasn't had shawarma in a couple years. He's gotten really into poke bowls, though. Anything spicy. For a moment, there's a far-off look in his eyes as he entertains himself with the idea of setting Thor and Bucky up with a stack of pancakes each and seeing who could out-eat the other. He'd have to put his money on Thor, he thinks, but Bucky's appetite was real impressive, last he checked, and pancakes are his favorite.
He shakes himself out of the reverie when Thor speaks again. "...yeah. It's going to be a hell of a long explanation on my end, too. Tony and I...had kind of a falling-out."
Haha, understatement of the year, there. "The Avengers are a little scattered these days. And I guess I have to claim responsibility for it. I could have stopped it, but I didn't, and I have my reasons, but maybe that doesn't make it right."
"So. In case you run into any of the others, you ought to know that much. From the looks of it, though, you've seen at least as much action as the rest of us. You wanna tell me who it was you were fighting last?" He nods at his face with sober sympathy. Whoever it was capable of injuring Thor so severely is probably not someone Steve would benefit from encountering.
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Still a little self-conscious, Thor's hand briefly moves to touch the eyepatch, the most conspicuous evidence of his latest battle. Though oddly enough, to his eye, it makes his reflection in the mirror look a little more kingly, a little more like Odin. Once he would've thought it was a glorious war wound, but that was before he knew better. It's a reminder, now, of a revelation whose path was paved in blood. "This was my sister Hela's doing. The goddess of death."
He turns the tale over in his mind a moment before deciding on a starting point, his voice taking on the storytelling tone he uses when recounting old war stories. "I returned home after some time away to find Loki on the throne of Asgard, wearing my father's face, and Odin banished to Earth. Whether it was mere age or spending his days as human wore on him, by the time we found him, he was near his end. He warned us of Hela, imprisoned for her insatiable bloodlust centuries before my birth, her name wiped from our history, and that her prison's magics would die when he did. True to his word, it was only moments after his passing that she found us, and destroyed Mjolnir with one hand." Thor's hand still feels empty without the familiar weight, and instead he lifts his coffee cup to take a drink. A poor substitute for a hammer, but the drink is hot and familiar, at least.
"All three of us were caught up in the Bifrost, and Hela cast us out before we could arrive at Asgard. Loki and I were trapped on a planet called Sakaar, a kind of intergalactic dumping ground, where none ever leave. Though where Loki became favored at court, I was sold into service as a gladiator, and pitted against the Grandmaster's champion. Which was the Hulk, as it turns out." As awful as most of his story is, Thor is glad to share the news of his brother-in-arms, who has surely been missed by the rest of the team. Still the shining highlight of that garbage heap of planet, in his opinion.
"One of Banner's training partners was an Asgardian, a Valkyrie who had faced Hela in battle before. I managed to talk her into helping us stage a jailbreak, and stealing a ship to take us back to Asgard." Well, by 'talking her into it' he means pickpocketing his control device off her, but she ended up on his side in the end, and that's what matters. One doesn't have a trickster for a brother and not pick up a few techniques over the centuries.
The story gets less fun after that, of course. "In my absence, Hela had had plenty of time to secure her hold on Asgard. She slaughtered our army nearly to a man, and raised long-dead soldiers to take their place, intent on conquering every planet within her reach. Heimdall managed to hide a good portion of the common folk from her, and to buy time for their evacuation, I fought her in single combat. She cut out my eye, and I summoned the strongest lightning I've ever wielded to strike her back. But her power was drawn from the realm of Asgard itself, and I'm not sure she even noticed. Didn't slow her down at all. Nothing short of Ragnarok would stop her, so to save my people, I gave the order myself. Where Asgard once stood, nothing but dust and rocks remain."
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...of course, his impression of Thor's family situation is only reinforced by the subsequent tale. So Loki is still alive, and got the rule he wanted, at least for a little while. Steve does not like the sound of that, but evidently Loki isn't the problem right now. He gives a little hissing gasp at hearing Mjolnir was destroyed.
The story only gets wilder from there. A red-light-district kind of planet, sounds like, a gladiatorial contest, and the Hulk? "How could he possibly have gotten that far from home?" He wonders aloud. "The Quin wouldn't carry him between planets..."
That's probably a question for Bruce, though. Or the Hulk himself, if Steve dares.
The rest of it makes his heart break for his friend. So much death, so much loss--and Steve has spent plenty of time on the field of war. He knows what that looks like. Even worse, to have to choose, deliberately, the destruction of his home?
Steve doesn't know if he could give that order, himself.
But he knows he's looking at a guy without a country, without a time, without a home. Like himself. And God, but he's never wished that on any other person, let alone a guy as good-hearted as Thor. He's not even sure what to say. 'I'm sorry' seems inadequate.
"What can I do?" He asks. "How can I help?"
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The mystery of the Hulk, at least, is one that Thor has the answer to. "Wormholes," he says, as if that was a perfectly normal thing to find. "Sakaar was home to hundreds of them. The trash heap outside the city's probably miles deep from all the junk that's fallen through."
As for Asgard... Thor is definitely going to miss it. He regrets the necessity of its sacrifice, tens of thousands of years of history and culture burned in the fires of Ragnarok. But he does not regret his choice, the alternative far worse. He's saved what matters most, the people, as many as he could. That's going to have to be enough to let him sleep at night. Not like he has any other option.
No matter what trials the good captain has been through since they last saw each other, it's a little reassuring to see that he's still the same generous, kind man that Thor befriended all those years ago. It may be far too late for any kind of military aid, but by no means does that mean there's nothing that Steve Rogers can offer, his kindness appreciated. "Any suggestions you'd have for large-scale resupply? I don't know what's on board yet, but the trip to Earth is going to take months at least, and we'll likely need food and clothing well before then."
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Steve is so not asking.
"Oh." He says, blinking at Thor's cavalier attitude toward singularities in spacetime. "From Earth to this other planet? Great. Fuckin' A, I guess. That's not any kind of security risk for the population of Earth."
He runs his fingers through his hair, a little ruffled, and it only gets worse as Thor goes on. He suffers a stab of mild but real panic at the idea of an Asgardian ship coming to Earth. Of course. Of course Thor's first thought would be of Midgard and his friends there. Thor has never quite been aware of how jumpy humans in large groups can be, and Steve has been reminded, of late, how easy it is to blame the guys that stand out in a crowd for things they had no control over.
Yeah, Thor is, like the rest of them, a hero to many, but to some--to enough--he's a dangerous alien. A Nuke, like Ross said. Unsecured, and uncontrollable. Bringing a ship full of alien beings in search of asylum. How can they make that look as little like an invasion as possible?
His poker face isn't great, and the almost-frightened look in his eyes as he weighs potential complications lasts entirely too long to pretend it isn't there. He meets Thor's eyes, realizes he's being the opposite of helpful, and clears his throat.
"Sorry. I'm sorry. Of course you should come to Earth. And I'll do whatever it takes to get you all there safely if I have to make daily pizza deliveries to your ship, myself. It's just that the logistics...the politics of it...God, that's going to be rough to work out."
Would Wakanda welcome them? Steve has an in with T'Challa, and knows he would want to help, but the country is just now opening up to the rest of the world. And how would the rest of the world react to a nation with massively advanced technology absorbing an alien people, to them learning from one another and probably bounding ahead intellectually and technologically further and faster than anyone else could keep up with?
Tony would get this. He'd be able to weigh the implications and start a PR campaign, a mean little voice in the back of his head informs him.
"While you've been gone, the United Nations got together and wrote up a set of international laws called the Sokovian Accords," he says. "As a way to rein in enhanced and otherwise extraordinary individuals. To protect ordinary people, secure the sovereignty of national borders...I forget what the rest of the reasons were. The Avengers were told we had to sign, and in the future we would only be allowed to cross borders if ordered by the UN. If we didn't sign, our options would be retiring or breaking the law and becoming international fugitives."
He gives a weak smile. "Guess which I chose? I'm...100% certain the laws were meant to include you, if and when you showed up on Earth again, but as far as the rest of your people? I have no idea how the planet will react to that."
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Even the hasty assurances do little to put him at ease, and justifiably so, once he hears the rest. That the politics would be complicated comes as no surprise - as king, Thor pretty much expects that a lot of his duties now are going to revolve around committees and diplomatic meetings and so forth. But the reality of it is nothing like he was expecting, and he listens with mild disbelief as Rogers explains the Accords to him.
"...this is what scattered the Avengers?" It doesn't seem like a far leap in logic, given what he's heard so far, and what he knows of his teammates.
long story is long
"Partly. A lot of things happened at once. The Accords came up for us to sign, and we had some variations of opinion on how to deal with them. Sam and I were dead set against them. Tony was just as hellbent to sign them, and Vision and Rhodey backed him up. Barton said he'd had enough and to call him retired. Wanda was undecided, and Natasha signed strategically."
"Now, I could give you a dissertation about all the ways I thought the whole business was a setup, bad for the planet, and a dangerous precedent, but we'd be here all day. There was a narrow window where maybe I could have thrown my hat in the ring and tried to talk the UN out of them or force some amendments and redress, but Peggy...Peggy died, and I couldn't think of anything else, so I missed that chance. And then right after her funeral, while the Accords were being ratified, a bomb went off outside the UN, in Vienna. The king of Wakanda was killed. And...surveillance photos of the attack showed Bucky planting the bomb. My Bucky, the guy I've been looking for since I heard he was alive."
"There was an international manhunt right off the bat, just like you'd expect, and I couldn't sit back and watch it happen. He almost killed me on the Insight helicarrier; I know how strong he is. I figured if special forces went in after him, chances are there would be multiple fatalities, maybe including him, so I...interfered."
"And that's how a became a criminal." Thank you for coming to his TED talk, Thor.
"It just snowballed from there. We thought there were a handful of enhanced assassins built the same as the Winter Soldier, and that someone was trying to revive and use them. Couldn't let that slide, but I'd already gotten us in bad with the authorities and with the Avengers who signed the Accords, so we ended up in a fight. We might have even recovered from that, but we...I really got played. We all did, but I..."
His gaze drops and he takes another deep breath to steel himself. "Tony's parents. Hydra killed them, using the Winter Soldier. I had a pretty good idea it happened, that it was a planned assassination, I just didn't want to think about it and I sure as hell didn't want to tell him, but I should have. Instead, he heard it from Zemo--the guy who was going to all the work to set us up. He played video of Bucky, brainwashed, killing the Starks, and Tony snapped. I think he went into shock; I have never seen him react like that."
He sounds a little pleading now. "You know us, you know we have our disagreements, we butt heads, sometimes we hate each other, but not like what happened back there. He was ready to murder Bucky and I couldn't talk him down, so I had to hit back. We were this close to killing each other."
"I'm sorry to dump this on you. I don't know if Tony and I can come back from that. I'd like to, but not at Bucky's expense. So. Yeah, it's basically my fault."
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His brow might be permanently furrowed by the time the story winds to a close, a little stunned at how much he's missed in such a short time, and deeply concerned for all parties involved. Though as Rogers is the one currently sharing a table with him, he's the target of most of that concern, at the moment. "Is it? Does Hydra share none of the blame, or Zemo? Or Stark?" Not that he'd call Rogers blameless in all this, but it seems extremely unfair to place all of it on his shoulders, especially if he was being manipulated along the way. Even with only one side of the story to go on, none of Steve's choices strike Thor as being outstandingly unreasonable, especially given the circumstances.
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"I don't know," he says after a moment to think it over, with complete sincerity. "I was supposed to be the leader. Feels bad to have led them wrong. And I think Nat and Sam have decided I'm emotionally compromised."
"I'm not saying it's easy. I feel pretty lost sometimes, but..." But what?
"I'm still standing, I guess. Yeah, I'm happy to put the blame on HYDRA, and Zemo...I have to give him credit for knowing his enemies and coming up with a good plan. I'm not sure I can blame Tony, though. People have a breaking point. He's always walked the line right next to his, and never let anyone else try to help get the demons off his back."
That seems like mixing metaphors, and also Steve could very easily be talking about himself right now. "I just hope he's okay. He won't talk to me. If you see him, keep an eye on him, will you?"
"And I hope...I hope you'll like Bucky. He's a good man, and he's suffered more than any one human being ought to." For which Steve also blames himself, coincidentally, but Thor is not his psychotherapist and he's not about to bring it up.
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Human culture is so alien sometimes.
At least now he has the good fortune to be forewarned what his people will be flying into, once they arrive at Earth. Midgardian decision-making can be incredibly rapid, and months to think it over is a valuable headstart on tackling the problem.
The promise to watch over Stark, should the opportunity present itself, is an easy one to make. "I will," he vows, and makes a mental note to mention it to Heimdall when he's back aboard the Statesman. It's probably not what Rogers meant, but it's the next best thing, until he can meet his teammate in person and follow through.
Thor's heard a little of Bucky Barnes, after the fall of SHIELD, when all the Avengers were asked to watch for signs of the Winter Soldier. Not much of the man behind the mask, however, aside from brief anecdotes of happier times from youth. "I look forward to meeting him, someday. He is...?" The word 'well' seems ill-fitting at best, and Thor pauses a moment while he grasps for a better one. "He is safe?"
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It's hard for him. He's been a pretty passionate little sonovabitch since long before the serum.
In any case, Thor can't wipe away Steve's guilt and worries with one conversation, nor is he expected to, but what he has done is said more or less what the man needed to hear. He seems to be relaxing a little, and he lights up in a real smile when he says he looks forward to meeting Bucky. He thinks...he thinks they'll get along well. Bucky is still on the reserved side, and not perfectly comfortable with the strangeness that is acquaintance with gods and aliens, but there's something immensely reassuring about Thor's upbeat extroversion. Might be a perfect foil, for a man who's spent decades in his own personal hell without even being granted enough freedom of mind to be aware of it.
His smile fades again as he considers the question, but he nods. "He's recovering. In Wakanda. Their science is...it's mind-blowing. I mean, I know I'm biased, since I'm on the old-fashioned side, but I'd bet money even Bruce would be impressed with what they can do. They're good people. I'll give King T'Challa a heads-up about your ship headed our way. If you can make a landing there, with his blessing, you probably should."
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He nods at the suggestion. "As long as we have permission and they have the space, absolutely. The Statesman is only a little bigger than a helicarrier." Thor hasn't had much time to really reflect on the implications that come with being on the throne, but he has decided one thing: under his rule, Asgard will not repeat the imperialistic mistakes of his forefathers. Midgard may be one of the realms under his protection, but they're not his subjects; Asgard has been absent long enough that he has no right to impose on their territory without so much as asking first.
He can't help but be intrigued about the mention of Wakandan technology, though. "Mind-blowing, you say," he says, leaning forward a little in interest. Sure, most Earth tech he's seen has been downright primitive by Asgardian standards, but they've also advanced in leaps and bounds in only a few short years, too.
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It almost feels like the camaraderie of old times all of a sudden, and Steve needed that more than he knew.
"I'll...well, there's no way to be sure we come from the same world, but I'll clear it on my end and give you some maps and information so you can at least contact Wakanda when you get close." Yeah, the rest of the planet will be frightened, most likely, but it's a better solution than landing in North America or Europe and immediately running afoul of the Accords.
"I haven't seen the half of it," he admits, regarding technology. "They're very cautious about outsiders, and honestly I wouldn't understand all the details, but they have a lot more Vibranium at their disposal than they let the rest of the world know. Which was smart of them, if I'm being honest. And they know how to use it for everything from medical technology to transport to weapons to electronic communications."
"I think you'll like the king. He's new to the position, but he has a hell of a solid moral center. He's a good man."
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"I'd appreciate that. Maybe it's a good thing this trip is going to take a while; it'll give both sides time to get used to the idea first." Not every Asgardian is going to take their uprooting as well as Thor has, once the shock wears off. And then there's Loki, who rightfully doubts his welcome on Earth even without knowing about these Accords.
Well. More time to think on that first is definitely a blessing, then. It's going to be a diplomatic nightmare from all sorts of angles.
Thor's definitely making mental notes to learn more about vibranium, his experience with the material somewhat limited, at least in terms of how Earth's chosen to use it. An advanced society, mostly closed to outsiders, with a brand new king... sounds familiar. "We may have a lot in common then. Though I do hope his siblings are less power-hungry than mine," he adds, because Thor would not wish royal power struggles on anyone.
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Or not. But he doubts they're hurting anyone.
"Well, I mean it about pizza delivery. If your people need something--food, water, medicine, clothes--I'll make it happen."
Steve gives a half-grimace, half-chuckle at Thor's joke. "I wasn't gonna be the one to say it. There was some trouble with the king's cousin, but that's...a long story, and he handled it. I wasn't even in the country at the time, but that's probably just as well. I don't think he'd have wanted my help."
"He does have a little sister. Cute as a button, but I think she might hit me if she heard me say that." Or maybe she'd just laugh; Steve says it like an old person complimenting a friend's grandchild.
"She's also a genius and she's basically given Bucky a new lease on life, so I'm...real grateful." Which is a tremendous understatement. He doesn't know what they'd have done without Shuri's help.