Faces That You Meet, 7/8. NC-17
Title: Faces That You Meet
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Loki/Natasha, Natasha/Winter Soldier, Loki/Natasha/Winter Soldier.
Disclaimer: Not mine! Not even by a little bit.
Spoilers/Warnings: MCU AU. Based off of futurerustfuture-dust's initial dark!blackwinterfrost idea. I didn't use the written material you sent me exactly, but here's hoping you like this one, too. :) Russian words have hovertext translation thanks to Google Translate, so please let me know if I goofed something and I'll fix it. Title, epigraph and chapter titles are all from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot.
Summary: A left turn instead of a right, and Loki tumbled down into the frozen tundra of Russia, right outside the Red Room. An honest mistake, but it soon changed everything. And he was never one to share his toys.
Prior chapters:
One - Disturb The Universe
Two - Spread Out Against The Sky
Three - The Corners of the Evening
Four - Descend The Stair
Five - Moment Of My Greatness
Six - Decisions And Revisions
Seven - Insidious Intent
It was ridiculously easy to start creating a spy network on Asgard, especially among the servants and healers. Most of them had no idea what they were doing for Bucky and Natasha; they were eager to be social and talk about their day and who they met, and were pleased to be helping the newcomers to the realm get acclimated to the culture and society. Loki let it be known that his compatriots weren't simply newly minted jarls, but originally from Midgard; it caused quite a stir in the ballrooms among the nobility, which trickled down to the servants of the peerage. Even the servants of other households soon enough were charmed by the new jarls instead of suspicious or wary. The two humans were treated more like pampered pets at court or downright belittled and condescended to. If they had vicious thoughts in response, they kept it to themselves.
The royal servants that Bucky and Natasha came into contact with thought it was a great game to teach them about the servant's hallways and passages, the hidden stairwells and the ways in and out of the castle, the areas that even the princes weren't aware existed. When they pretended to find the castle immense, a few of the groundskeepers tittered and showed them where things were on the grounds and how it was easy for them to tell facts about the jarls and higher ranked karls based on the manner of dress, transportation and accoutrements to their carriages and skiffs. As quick as Bucky and Natasha could be, pretending to be the silly newbies got the servants to feel self important for a while, and let them speak in an unguarded manner. It also gave them a good idea of who to start following, looking for any potential risk to the royal family.
Being friendly with Eira, Natasha and Bucky began branching out with other servants in the palace that she trusted. They met with the servants in their quarters, hoping to make them feel comfortable, and explained that they were committed to serving the royal family in whatever capacity necessary. Most servants had no idea what that meant, but approved of these newcomers that listened to their stories and advice. "Most of 'em," Agnes said in a hushed tone, leaning forward to talk to Natasha, "act like we're nothing. Invisible. Our King and Queen nod at us, talk as befits our stations and their kindnesses. But the high jarls? We don't exist to them."
"So you would know many things about them," Natasha said with a gentle smile. "All the dirty little secrets they want to hide from the King and Queen. All the thoughts they don't want the royal family knowing."
"They ain't traitors to the realm!" Agnes whispered, eyes growing wide with surprise. She twisted her hands in her apron, and looked toward the door of her simple room, as if she couldn't wait to get back into the kitchens. She probably couldn't.
Natasha touched her arm gently, soothingly. "No, I don't mean that. But sometimes, they might harbor ill will toward the Allfather. He who protects us, saves our realm... He needs our loyalty, doesn't he, Agnes? He cares for the realm, and there's us to care for him."
Now the poor kitchen girl looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"It doesn't have to be someone wanting Asgard in ruins. It could be someone giving him poor advice, or hoping to win himself better favors and position at the expense of the useful ones in court. You know how it is. The whispers to shame someone so they look a fool, and then the Allfather won't listen to their counsel."
Agnes' expression eased. "Oh. That. It happens all the time."
"Yes, well, I'm new to Asgard, you know. I'd appreciate it if you could tell me things about that. Who says what, what rumors are going around."
She smiled, a pretty girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes if she could be cleaned up and showed off. "Oh, that's easy, Lady Natasha. I can tell you stories now if you like. But I've kitchen work soon."
"I can come with you, if you've spare clothes to lend me. I'll even help you."
Scandalized, Agnes shook her head firmly and her shocked eyes were round as saucers. "Oh, no, Lady Natasha, that would never do. It's not your place."
"Back home, I did kitchen work. And lots of other dirty work. I'm not afraid of it, if that's what you think. I came here to learn and to be useful."
Obviously torn between propriety, class strictures and wanting to have company and help in the kitchens, Agnes finally nodded. "Can't call you Lady Natasha in the kitchens. A new girl borrowed from elsewhere happens a lot before balls is common."
"Would Tasha work?"
"It's different," Agnes said, wrinkling her nose a little. "And I ain't sure if I'll remember it proper, but we'll try it. I'm behind in the working."
Which was exactly why Natasha had chosen her to work with.
Bucky had gone after stable hands and grooms, who were less suspicious than they should have been but definitely saw more than they knew. From there, he tracked one of the high jarls who the grooms thought was trying to obtain the High Chamberlain post. It was very prestigious, was in close contact with the Allfather, and meant he would have open access to any archive, storage facility, armory or outpost on Asgard. The grooms thought it was a good laugh, given how he didn't have much prowess on a battlefield. Bucky knew that there were other ways to obtain positions of power, and it didn't have to be through battle.
He knew from other gossips that Varinn attended all the society balls he could get himself invited to, and no one really could tell why he should be important. His family connections were average, he didn't have particular prowess on the battle field, didn't have a clever wit, and most thought he was rather forgettable.
Varinn had an estate in the middle district of Asgard, between the better areas that most high jarls had claimed and the areas that karls lived and worked in. Varinn recently had a very lavish wedding that the servants had remarked on, as even the karls working the estate had been invited to help themselves to the feasting. They thought it was at his bride's insistence, given that her family was well loved by the karls on their lands. She hoped that she could introduce her House traditions on her husband's lands, at which time they could become even more profitable. Varinn admittedly had little sense of how best to manage it, and had bowed to her wishes and knowledge in that area. His realm was politics, the rumors went, and she happily enough left him to it.
Bucky found it easy to work his way onto Varinn's estates. Though his lovely wife quickly recognized he didn't belong to the work staff, he easily bluffed and said he was a new hire to help in the fields while another worker was sick. She believed it since he was able to name a sick field hand, which he had picked up while hiding in the stables.
The jarl himself was in his study, where his wife had been barred from entry. There were no sounds coming from the walls when he took out a few listening devices, not even the rustling of papers or scratching of a quill. Spell work or reinforced walls, if Bucky had to guess, which meant that something of interest was going on in there.
And what was also interesting was that it wasn't the only room reinforced and just as silent.
He picked the lock to the study quietly, easing the door open to let himself in. The study had a massive desk, chairs and low couches to lounge on, bookshelves crammed full of tomes and scroll cases. All of the furniture was exquisitely made and very sturdy, and Bucky could immediately see why: Varinn was kneeling on one couch, clutching the back of it, facing away from the study door. He was bare from the waist down, and a heavily muscled blond man was fucking him from behind, grunting with the effort. Varinn was groaning, occasionally growling "Harder," he commanded, voice fracturing.
How very interesting, given society's viewpoint on homosexual liaisons, especially those on the receiving end of such attentions.
Bucky let himself out and made his way back to the palace to report to Loki.
***
"I knew I didn't like him," Loki snarled, lips compressed in unhappiness.
"Because he takes it up the ass?" Bucky drawled, amusement in his expression.
Loki flushed. "I'd be a hypocrite if I said that was the reason for it," he replied. Bucky nodded and folded his hands over his stomach, lips curled into a pleasantly mocking smile. "Where is Natasha, anyway?" he asked, deflecting Bucky's attention.
"Cultivating her network of estate spies. I'd just crimp her style if I went with her. Though if she thought romancing a few of them would work, I wouldn't mind watching."
Well, now. The thought of that was far more arousing than Loki thought it would be. Hm. These mortals were very inventive, weren't they?
Bucky laughed at Loki's expression. "Yeah, good thought, huh?"
"I'm sure I could arrange such a thing," he replied, managing to sound regal about it. That only made Bucky laugh harder at him, and Loki finally lost the haughty demeanor and smiled. He sat down beside Bucky at the bench placed at the foot of his bed, expression sobering for a moment as he looked at Bucky. "Varinn has been spreading rumors about the current High Chamberlain and two of the advisors that my father trusts the most."
"You like those guys, I guess."
"It's more that they are good advisors. They seek to serve the realm, not their own interests. The last meeting I had listened in on, the economic advisor actually counseled my father to improve the irrigation in the northern fields. The route crosses his land, and would destroy a rather prime spot on his estates. But it truly would serve the needs of the other people, and my father did see that once he pointed it out. A man like Varinn would have redirected the canals so that it would destroy another man's land."
"So we'll protect the honorable and go after this bastard by embarrassing the hell out of him."
"We need him gone from Asgard."
"Patrolling another realm, maybe?" Bucky offered.
Loki mulled it over. "I can try to confer with my father."
"The girl he married," Bucky blurted out when Loki stood to leave the room. "She deserves better than some prick like him."
"You hardly discussed anything with him," Loki said in surprise.
"Well, no. But listening to his staff? Seeing what he's doing to those marriage vows? Any girl deserves better than that. The housekeeper said she's from a good House. So you can probably find one that would appreciate her more."
"And they would be indebted to me for the arrangement."
Bucky smiled. "Not all favors have to be bad ones."
"You think like a trickster."
"I've learned to be one," Bucky replied.
Loki startled himself by leaning down and kissing Bucky. "Intelligent, skilled and sly. I like it."
The smile turned into a slow, seductive one. "I see that. I like the same thing."
"Let me work on these jarls, and then we can turn you loose once I have a plan in place."
Bucky leaned back and let his legs splay wide. His grin was a saucy, self assured one. "Oh, I ain't goin' anywhere yet. This behind the scenes stuff is a little more fun than I thought it would be."
"Indeed," Loki replied in amusement. "When Natasha returns tonight, we'll have quite a bit of fun to celebrate."
***
Thor found Loki in the palace library with maps of the realm, tomes about the Nine Realms, and various spellbooks. He frowned at him, then cleared his throat when Loki made no move to look up and acknowledge he was there. Thor didn't know if Loki was simply reading or doing some kind of spell casting; he only too well remembered interrupting a spell and getting both himself and Loki sliced nearly to ribbons when a protection spell Loki was practicing went awry. Frigga had punished him severely once the healing had been completed in the soul forge, and he never forgot the lesson he learned that day: respect magic and never interrupt a casting. The energy involved in it would have to go somewhere, and usually doubled back on the caster or the one interrupting the spell.
Loki looked up from his reading and frowned. "I thought you were practicing with the Einherjar and the Warriors Three."
"We chafe with the petty practices. I would seek greater battles."
Sighing, Loki leaned back in his seat. "We are not at war, brother. There won't be great battles to be fought. There is peace among the realms."
"It is fragile. There is talk about the monsters on Jotunheim-"
Rolling his eyes disinterestedly, Loki shook his head. "That would be folly. They are frost giants, Thor. Strong as you are, even you couldn't kill them all."
"Father and Grandfather fought in the great wars, and much songs were written about their glory in battle. I only seek to do the same!"
"Thor, why are you really here? Surely it's not to bemoan the lack of war."
He flushed a little, reminded that he truly hadn't meant to start this same argument again. "I have been thinking..."
"Dangerous pastime indeed," Loki snarked when Thor's voice petered out.
"You forget yourself, brother!" Thor snapped, irritated. Surely this was folly, though he knew that the Warriors Three wouldn't understand what Loki and his companions had been trying to say. They were the same as Thor, glorying in battle and tales of heroics. They cared little for the day to day running of a realm. Kingdoms were safe, that was all they needed to know. They had coin enough to purchase lodgings and food and companionship. They didn't know what it was like to live with bitter cold constantly, empty bellies or disgusting food because that was all that was available. Perhaps Hogunn had on his world, but certainly not in the shining realm of Asgard, where he had been for years.
Sighing, Thor shook his head and sat down across from Loki. "Forgive me, I did not wish to argue with you."
"Yet we seem to do so all the time," Loki said dryly.
"Our temperaments are quite different," Thor admitted. His mouth twisted a little. "You are more like Mother. Subtle, thoughtful."
"And like Father, you favor bold, brash moves."
"Aye. But your walk through Asgard as a common karl..." Thor looked up with a pained expression. "I have thought on this. It is uncomfortable."
"The thinking?" Loki asked, lips twisted into a smile.
Thor suppressed the urge to throttle his little brother. "Loki. I am attempting to be serious with you on a serious topic!"
Loki's expression sobered at least, and he leaned forward a little in his chair. Ah, that was more like it. "Please continue, then."
"The lives the karls lead. It is uncomfortable. I had not considered their point of view, or the conditions they must live in. That was rather the point your companions had, was it not? Natasha had said I am to be the Allfather and must act as a father."
"She did."
"Your methods are not ones that I agree with," Thor admitted uneasily. "But at the same time, it seems to be the only way I would know what their needs actually are."
"We have a number of honest advisors," Loki said slowly. "And some that are not so honest, some that would try to use the position of power they have for unwholesome means." At Thor's confused look, he sighed. "It has come to my attention that Varinn may not have our father's integrity at heart, and certainly not the plight of the karls."
"Honestly, I'm not sure if Father does sometimes."
"But he is the Allfather," Loki pointed out. "His will is law, and he must rule for the benefit of all on Asgard. It would hardly be fair to each individual."
Thor sighed. This was harder than he thought it would be. "I wish to help change things. To make it more fair. To be the Allfather in a proper manner."
"Meaning, in more than war and battle."
"Precisely. This is not my strength, brother. I know this. But you are clever, and this is an area you have more skill in."
Loki laughed. "Not yet king, and already you would declare me the High Chamberlain?"
Laughing along with him, Thor nodded. "A worthy honor for you, certainly. And I like you a far sight better than High Chamberlain Alfhild and his son Egill, that's truth. Their manner is too..." Thor grimaced a bit. "Cloying. I cannot see how Father doesn't fall ill with their honeyed words. It seems unmanning of them."
"You would accuse them of ergi?" Loki asked in surprise.
"No, no, not that. I don't doubt their masculinity or loyalty. They are indeed trustworthy. But their worth is not of value to me. They aren't loyal to me."
"You want someone loyal to Asgard, Thor," Loki reminded him.
"I will be Asgard when I am king. I know as my brother you are loyal to me. Even now, before I get the crown, you work to improve my standing as king. That is what I need. I see this, and the High Chamberlain seeks only to counsel the king. He cares not for the future."
The expression on Loki's face was almost sour, telling Thor that his thinking didn't exactly match Thor's. But no matter, Loki was his brother and would always help him.
Thor clasped Loki's arm. "I trust you, brother. You care for the future of the realm, of our family, and even of the people. I hadn't expected that, but it's a benefit for us all."
"We have my companions to thank."
He didn't even bristle at the dry tone Loki took with him. "Then by all means, thank them for me, Loki. And if they have further recommendations for the realm, I will certainly consider them. I see that they are truly loyal to our family, not merely upstarts hoping to upend our ways as some of the rumors have said." Thor was earnest about that, and hoped that he conveyed it properly in his tone. So often, the two of them fought over mere trifles, and he didn't want this to be one of those times.
Loki appeared thoughtful but pleased, and Thor grinned as he stood to leave. He knew sometimes Loki questioned his place in the household, but this should remove all doubt. Thor loved his brother dearly, and would never wish for him to feel unworthy.
***
Bucky did a little more reconnaissance before storming Varinn's study while he was alone. He grinned at the noble's uneasy expression as he stalked forward, the royal insignia Loki had given him on his chest. Varinn would not protest a royal order, not with the pretentions of getting himself ingratiated with the inner court.
It was short work to disable the man, to get his arm twisted up behind his body, bending him over. Just to twist the knife a bit, so to speak, that lined up his ass with Bucky's crotch. "You see, I know about you," Bucky growled, tightening his metal fist. "I know how you're in love with the Crown Prince. You'd love to have him fuck you, bent over and doing his bidding. You want him in you, balls deep, fucking you hard and making it hurt, making you come because you're a pathetic piece of shit and he's giving you a gift you don't deserve. I know you like it when you're tied down and helpless, when you have to struggle and can't get away from it, when it feels like you're pushed past your limits and your body gives out."
Varinn sputtered and shook, ineffectually trying to get out of Bucky's grip. But it was also turning him on, and hearing Bucky's harsh voice made him pant. "But," he sputtered, voice weak and thin, his knees nearly giving out.
"Funny how your valet looks just like Thor. Big and built, under your control, someone you can order to do what you want and punish if he doesn't. It adds to the thrill, doesn't it? Have a karl fuck you? Have a karl punish you? And if you don't like it enough, if he steps over your lines, you can take it out on him. But what you really want is to choke on his cock, want him to do it hard until you come."
He shook in Bucky's grip, a low moan in his throat at the sound of his growled voice. "You don't know this," Varinn tried to say.
"Of course I do. I know all sorts of things about you, and I watched him fuck you right here in this room. So trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Like how you barely can stand touching your lovely, sweet wife, not even to get the heir you need to have to ensure you can keep her inheritance. Poor thing thinks she's at fault, that she's not good enough for you. But no, you've only ever wanted men dominating you. You've only ever wanted men for sex." Bucky leaned into the noble a little more, making him groan. "I know all your sins. All of them. And I can make you pay in every way possible."
Groaning, Varinn turned to look at Bucky. "What do you want?"
"You're going to leave the royal family alone. You're going to go on the mission assigned to you to an outpost. You can even take your valet, if you like. We can be generous, since you're going to be very, very far away from Asgard."
"This is impossible," Varinn sputtered, ineffectually trying to get out of Bucky's grip.
"Your wife is going to be released from the marriage contract, and she will marry some jarl of her choosing." Bucky shook him when he started to protest. "You don't understand. This is the option where you get to live. If you don't agree, your lovely wife is going to be a very lovely widow. And she gets to marry a better jarl anyway." He shook him again and paused for dramatic effect. "Personally, I hope you choose death. I have a coupla knives I want to practice with. It's been too long since I've gotten to gut somebody and watch them bleed to death."
Making a low helpless sound, Varinn sagged in Bucky's grip and nodded. "I'll do it, then. I'll do it. I don't want to die."
No one ever did, which was why Bucky knew the threat would be so effective.
***
***
To Chapter Eight - Waves Blown Back
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Loki/Natasha, Natasha/Winter Soldier, Loki/Natasha/Winter Soldier.
Disclaimer: Not mine! Not even by a little bit.
Spoilers/Warnings: MCU AU. Based off of futurerustfuture-dust's initial dark!blackwinterfrost idea. I didn't use the written material you sent me exactly, but here's hoping you like this one, too. :) Russian words have hovertext translation thanks to Google Translate, so please let me know if I goofed something and I'll fix it. Title, epigraph and chapter titles are all from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot.
Summary: A left turn instead of a right, and Loki tumbled down into the frozen tundra of Russia, right outside the Red Room. An honest mistake, but it soon changed everything. And he was never one to share his toys.
Prior chapters:
One - Disturb The Universe
Two - Spread Out Against The Sky
Three - The Corners of the Evening
Four - Descend The Stair
Five - Moment Of My Greatness
Six - Decisions And Revisions
Seven - Insidious Intent
It was ridiculously easy to start creating a spy network on Asgard, especially among the servants and healers. Most of them had no idea what they were doing for Bucky and Natasha; they were eager to be social and talk about their day and who they met, and were pleased to be helping the newcomers to the realm get acclimated to the culture and society. Loki let it be known that his compatriots weren't simply newly minted jarls, but originally from Midgard; it caused quite a stir in the ballrooms among the nobility, which trickled down to the servants of the peerage. Even the servants of other households soon enough were charmed by the new jarls instead of suspicious or wary. The two humans were treated more like pampered pets at court or downright belittled and condescended to. If they had vicious thoughts in response, they kept it to themselves.
The royal servants that Bucky and Natasha came into contact with thought it was a great game to teach them about the servant's hallways and passages, the hidden stairwells and the ways in and out of the castle, the areas that even the princes weren't aware existed. When they pretended to find the castle immense, a few of the groundskeepers tittered and showed them where things were on the grounds and how it was easy for them to tell facts about the jarls and higher ranked karls based on the manner of dress, transportation and accoutrements to their carriages and skiffs. As quick as Bucky and Natasha could be, pretending to be the silly newbies got the servants to feel self important for a while, and let them speak in an unguarded manner. It also gave them a good idea of who to start following, looking for any potential risk to the royal family.
Being friendly with Eira, Natasha and Bucky began branching out with other servants in the palace that she trusted. They met with the servants in their quarters, hoping to make them feel comfortable, and explained that they were committed to serving the royal family in whatever capacity necessary. Most servants had no idea what that meant, but approved of these newcomers that listened to their stories and advice. "Most of 'em," Agnes said in a hushed tone, leaning forward to talk to Natasha, "act like we're nothing. Invisible. Our King and Queen nod at us, talk as befits our stations and their kindnesses. But the high jarls? We don't exist to them."
"So you would know many things about them," Natasha said with a gentle smile. "All the dirty little secrets they want to hide from the King and Queen. All the thoughts they don't want the royal family knowing."
"They ain't traitors to the realm!" Agnes whispered, eyes growing wide with surprise. She twisted her hands in her apron, and looked toward the door of her simple room, as if she couldn't wait to get back into the kitchens. She probably couldn't.
Natasha touched her arm gently, soothingly. "No, I don't mean that. But sometimes, they might harbor ill will toward the Allfather. He who protects us, saves our realm... He needs our loyalty, doesn't he, Agnes? He cares for the realm, and there's us to care for him."
Now the poor kitchen girl looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"It doesn't have to be someone wanting Asgard in ruins. It could be someone giving him poor advice, or hoping to win himself better favors and position at the expense of the useful ones in court. You know how it is. The whispers to shame someone so they look a fool, and then the Allfather won't listen to their counsel."
Agnes' expression eased. "Oh. That. It happens all the time."
"Yes, well, I'm new to Asgard, you know. I'd appreciate it if you could tell me things about that. Who says what, what rumors are going around."
She smiled, a pretty girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes if she could be cleaned up and showed off. "Oh, that's easy, Lady Natasha. I can tell you stories now if you like. But I've kitchen work soon."
"I can come with you, if you've spare clothes to lend me. I'll even help you."
Scandalized, Agnes shook her head firmly and her shocked eyes were round as saucers. "Oh, no, Lady Natasha, that would never do. It's not your place."
"Back home, I did kitchen work. And lots of other dirty work. I'm not afraid of it, if that's what you think. I came here to learn and to be useful."
Obviously torn between propriety, class strictures and wanting to have company and help in the kitchens, Agnes finally nodded. "Can't call you Lady Natasha in the kitchens. A new girl borrowed from elsewhere happens a lot before balls is common."
"Would Tasha work?"
"It's different," Agnes said, wrinkling her nose a little. "And I ain't sure if I'll remember it proper, but we'll try it. I'm behind in the working."
Which was exactly why Natasha had chosen her to work with.
Bucky had gone after stable hands and grooms, who were less suspicious than they should have been but definitely saw more than they knew. From there, he tracked one of the high jarls who the grooms thought was trying to obtain the High Chamberlain post. It was very prestigious, was in close contact with the Allfather, and meant he would have open access to any archive, storage facility, armory or outpost on Asgard. The grooms thought it was a good laugh, given how he didn't have much prowess on a battlefield. Bucky knew that there were other ways to obtain positions of power, and it didn't have to be through battle.
He knew from other gossips that Varinn attended all the society balls he could get himself invited to, and no one really could tell why he should be important. His family connections were average, he didn't have particular prowess on the battle field, didn't have a clever wit, and most thought he was rather forgettable.
Varinn had an estate in the middle district of Asgard, between the better areas that most high jarls had claimed and the areas that karls lived and worked in. Varinn recently had a very lavish wedding that the servants had remarked on, as even the karls working the estate had been invited to help themselves to the feasting. They thought it was at his bride's insistence, given that her family was well loved by the karls on their lands. She hoped that she could introduce her House traditions on her husband's lands, at which time they could become even more profitable. Varinn admittedly had little sense of how best to manage it, and had bowed to her wishes and knowledge in that area. His realm was politics, the rumors went, and she happily enough left him to it.
Bucky found it easy to work his way onto Varinn's estates. Though his lovely wife quickly recognized he didn't belong to the work staff, he easily bluffed and said he was a new hire to help in the fields while another worker was sick. She believed it since he was able to name a sick field hand, which he had picked up while hiding in the stables.
The jarl himself was in his study, where his wife had been barred from entry. There were no sounds coming from the walls when he took out a few listening devices, not even the rustling of papers or scratching of a quill. Spell work or reinforced walls, if Bucky had to guess, which meant that something of interest was going on in there.
And what was also interesting was that it wasn't the only room reinforced and just as silent.
He picked the lock to the study quietly, easing the door open to let himself in. The study had a massive desk, chairs and low couches to lounge on, bookshelves crammed full of tomes and scroll cases. All of the furniture was exquisitely made and very sturdy, and Bucky could immediately see why: Varinn was kneeling on one couch, clutching the back of it, facing away from the study door. He was bare from the waist down, and a heavily muscled blond man was fucking him from behind, grunting with the effort. Varinn was groaning, occasionally growling "Harder," he commanded, voice fracturing.
How very interesting, given society's viewpoint on homosexual liaisons, especially those on the receiving end of such attentions.
Bucky let himself out and made his way back to the palace to report to Loki.
***
"I knew I didn't like him," Loki snarled, lips compressed in unhappiness.
"Because he takes it up the ass?" Bucky drawled, amusement in his expression.
Loki flushed. "I'd be a hypocrite if I said that was the reason for it," he replied. Bucky nodded and folded his hands over his stomach, lips curled into a pleasantly mocking smile. "Where is Natasha, anyway?" he asked, deflecting Bucky's attention.
"Cultivating her network of estate spies. I'd just crimp her style if I went with her. Though if she thought romancing a few of them would work, I wouldn't mind watching."
Well, now. The thought of that was far more arousing than Loki thought it would be. Hm. These mortals were very inventive, weren't they?
Bucky laughed at Loki's expression. "Yeah, good thought, huh?"
"I'm sure I could arrange such a thing," he replied, managing to sound regal about it. That only made Bucky laugh harder at him, and Loki finally lost the haughty demeanor and smiled. He sat down beside Bucky at the bench placed at the foot of his bed, expression sobering for a moment as he looked at Bucky. "Varinn has been spreading rumors about the current High Chamberlain and two of the advisors that my father trusts the most."
"You like those guys, I guess."
"It's more that they are good advisors. They seek to serve the realm, not their own interests. The last meeting I had listened in on, the economic advisor actually counseled my father to improve the irrigation in the northern fields. The route crosses his land, and would destroy a rather prime spot on his estates. But it truly would serve the needs of the other people, and my father did see that once he pointed it out. A man like Varinn would have redirected the canals so that it would destroy another man's land."
"So we'll protect the honorable and go after this bastard by embarrassing the hell out of him."
"We need him gone from Asgard."
"Patrolling another realm, maybe?" Bucky offered.
Loki mulled it over. "I can try to confer with my father."
"The girl he married," Bucky blurted out when Loki stood to leave the room. "She deserves better than some prick like him."
"You hardly discussed anything with him," Loki said in surprise.
"Well, no. But listening to his staff? Seeing what he's doing to those marriage vows? Any girl deserves better than that. The housekeeper said she's from a good House. So you can probably find one that would appreciate her more."
"And they would be indebted to me for the arrangement."
Bucky smiled. "Not all favors have to be bad ones."
"You think like a trickster."
"I've learned to be one," Bucky replied.
Loki startled himself by leaning down and kissing Bucky. "Intelligent, skilled and sly. I like it."
The smile turned into a slow, seductive one. "I see that. I like the same thing."
"Let me work on these jarls, and then we can turn you loose once I have a plan in place."
Bucky leaned back and let his legs splay wide. His grin was a saucy, self assured one. "Oh, I ain't goin' anywhere yet. This behind the scenes stuff is a little more fun than I thought it would be."
"Indeed," Loki replied in amusement. "When Natasha returns tonight, we'll have quite a bit of fun to celebrate."
***
Thor found Loki in the palace library with maps of the realm, tomes about the Nine Realms, and various spellbooks. He frowned at him, then cleared his throat when Loki made no move to look up and acknowledge he was there. Thor didn't know if Loki was simply reading or doing some kind of spell casting; he only too well remembered interrupting a spell and getting both himself and Loki sliced nearly to ribbons when a protection spell Loki was practicing went awry. Frigga had punished him severely once the healing had been completed in the soul forge, and he never forgot the lesson he learned that day: respect magic and never interrupt a casting. The energy involved in it would have to go somewhere, and usually doubled back on the caster or the one interrupting the spell.
Loki looked up from his reading and frowned. "I thought you were practicing with the Einherjar and the Warriors Three."
"We chafe with the petty practices. I would seek greater battles."
Sighing, Loki leaned back in his seat. "We are not at war, brother. There won't be great battles to be fought. There is peace among the realms."
"It is fragile. There is talk about the monsters on Jotunheim-"
Rolling his eyes disinterestedly, Loki shook his head. "That would be folly. They are frost giants, Thor. Strong as you are, even you couldn't kill them all."
"Father and Grandfather fought in the great wars, and much songs were written about their glory in battle. I only seek to do the same!"
"Thor, why are you really here? Surely it's not to bemoan the lack of war."
He flushed a little, reminded that he truly hadn't meant to start this same argument again. "I have been thinking..."
"Dangerous pastime indeed," Loki snarked when Thor's voice petered out.
"You forget yourself, brother!" Thor snapped, irritated. Surely this was folly, though he knew that the Warriors Three wouldn't understand what Loki and his companions had been trying to say. They were the same as Thor, glorying in battle and tales of heroics. They cared little for the day to day running of a realm. Kingdoms were safe, that was all they needed to know. They had coin enough to purchase lodgings and food and companionship. They didn't know what it was like to live with bitter cold constantly, empty bellies or disgusting food because that was all that was available. Perhaps Hogunn had on his world, but certainly not in the shining realm of Asgard, where he had been for years.
Sighing, Thor shook his head and sat down across from Loki. "Forgive me, I did not wish to argue with you."
"Yet we seem to do so all the time," Loki said dryly.
"Our temperaments are quite different," Thor admitted. His mouth twisted a little. "You are more like Mother. Subtle, thoughtful."
"And like Father, you favor bold, brash moves."
"Aye. But your walk through Asgard as a common karl..." Thor looked up with a pained expression. "I have thought on this. It is uncomfortable."
"The thinking?" Loki asked, lips twisted into a smile.
Thor suppressed the urge to throttle his little brother. "Loki. I am attempting to be serious with you on a serious topic!"
Loki's expression sobered at least, and he leaned forward a little in his chair. Ah, that was more like it. "Please continue, then."
"The lives the karls lead. It is uncomfortable. I had not considered their point of view, or the conditions they must live in. That was rather the point your companions had, was it not? Natasha had said I am to be the Allfather and must act as a father."
"She did."
"Your methods are not ones that I agree with," Thor admitted uneasily. "But at the same time, it seems to be the only way I would know what their needs actually are."
"We have a number of honest advisors," Loki said slowly. "And some that are not so honest, some that would try to use the position of power they have for unwholesome means." At Thor's confused look, he sighed. "It has come to my attention that Varinn may not have our father's integrity at heart, and certainly not the plight of the karls."
"Honestly, I'm not sure if Father does sometimes."
"But he is the Allfather," Loki pointed out. "His will is law, and he must rule for the benefit of all on Asgard. It would hardly be fair to each individual."
Thor sighed. This was harder than he thought it would be. "I wish to help change things. To make it more fair. To be the Allfather in a proper manner."
"Meaning, in more than war and battle."
"Precisely. This is not my strength, brother. I know this. But you are clever, and this is an area you have more skill in."
Loki laughed. "Not yet king, and already you would declare me the High Chamberlain?"
Laughing along with him, Thor nodded. "A worthy honor for you, certainly. And I like you a far sight better than High Chamberlain Alfhild and his son Egill, that's truth. Their manner is too..." Thor grimaced a bit. "Cloying. I cannot see how Father doesn't fall ill with their honeyed words. It seems unmanning of them."
"You would accuse them of ergi?" Loki asked in surprise.
"No, no, not that. I don't doubt their masculinity or loyalty. They are indeed trustworthy. But their worth is not of value to me. They aren't loyal to me."
"You want someone loyal to Asgard, Thor," Loki reminded him.
"I will be Asgard when I am king. I know as my brother you are loyal to me. Even now, before I get the crown, you work to improve my standing as king. That is what I need. I see this, and the High Chamberlain seeks only to counsel the king. He cares not for the future."
The expression on Loki's face was almost sour, telling Thor that his thinking didn't exactly match Thor's. But no matter, Loki was his brother and would always help him.
Thor clasped Loki's arm. "I trust you, brother. You care for the future of the realm, of our family, and even of the people. I hadn't expected that, but it's a benefit for us all."
"We have my companions to thank."
He didn't even bristle at the dry tone Loki took with him. "Then by all means, thank them for me, Loki. And if they have further recommendations for the realm, I will certainly consider them. I see that they are truly loyal to our family, not merely upstarts hoping to upend our ways as some of the rumors have said." Thor was earnest about that, and hoped that he conveyed it properly in his tone. So often, the two of them fought over mere trifles, and he didn't want this to be one of those times.
Loki appeared thoughtful but pleased, and Thor grinned as he stood to leave. He knew sometimes Loki questioned his place in the household, but this should remove all doubt. Thor loved his brother dearly, and would never wish for him to feel unworthy.
***
Bucky did a little more reconnaissance before storming Varinn's study while he was alone. He grinned at the noble's uneasy expression as he stalked forward, the royal insignia Loki had given him on his chest. Varinn would not protest a royal order, not with the pretentions of getting himself ingratiated with the inner court.
It was short work to disable the man, to get his arm twisted up behind his body, bending him over. Just to twist the knife a bit, so to speak, that lined up his ass with Bucky's crotch. "You see, I know about you," Bucky growled, tightening his metal fist. "I know how you're in love with the Crown Prince. You'd love to have him fuck you, bent over and doing his bidding. You want him in you, balls deep, fucking you hard and making it hurt, making you come because you're a pathetic piece of shit and he's giving you a gift you don't deserve. I know you like it when you're tied down and helpless, when you have to struggle and can't get away from it, when it feels like you're pushed past your limits and your body gives out."
Varinn sputtered and shook, ineffectually trying to get out of Bucky's grip. But it was also turning him on, and hearing Bucky's harsh voice made him pant. "But," he sputtered, voice weak and thin, his knees nearly giving out.
"Funny how your valet looks just like Thor. Big and built, under your control, someone you can order to do what you want and punish if he doesn't. It adds to the thrill, doesn't it? Have a karl fuck you? Have a karl punish you? And if you don't like it enough, if he steps over your lines, you can take it out on him. But what you really want is to choke on his cock, want him to do it hard until you come."
He shook in Bucky's grip, a low moan in his throat at the sound of his growled voice. "You don't know this," Varinn tried to say.
"Of course I do. I know all sorts of things about you, and I watched him fuck you right here in this room. So trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Like how you barely can stand touching your lovely, sweet wife, not even to get the heir you need to have to ensure you can keep her inheritance. Poor thing thinks she's at fault, that she's not good enough for you. But no, you've only ever wanted men dominating you. You've only ever wanted men for sex." Bucky leaned into the noble a little more, making him groan. "I know all your sins. All of them. And I can make you pay in every way possible."
Groaning, Varinn turned to look at Bucky. "What do you want?"
"You're going to leave the royal family alone. You're going to go on the mission assigned to you to an outpost. You can even take your valet, if you like. We can be generous, since you're going to be very, very far away from Asgard."
"This is impossible," Varinn sputtered, ineffectually trying to get out of Bucky's grip.
"Your wife is going to be released from the marriage contract, and she will marry some jarl of her choosing." Bucky shook him when he started to protest. "You don't understand. This is the option where you get to live. If you don't agree, your lovely wife is going to be a very lovely widow. And she gets to marry a better jarl anyway." He shook him again and paused for dramatic effect. "Personally, I hope you choose death. I have a coupla knives I want to practice with. It's been too long since I've gotten to gut somebody and watch them bleed to death."
Making a low helpless sound, Varinn sagged in Bucky's grip and nodded. "I'll do it, then. I'll do it. I don't want to die."
No one ever did, which was why Bucky knew the threat would be so effective.
***
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To Chapter Eight - Waves Blown Back