Chapter Text
Chapter One: The Beginning
Yggdrasil - The Citadel of Time
Branches bloom into existence in his hands, some wither before his eyes, no matter the energy he feeds into them. Sometimes it feels as though this is all he has ever done, sometimes it feels like this had just begun. He avoids thinking about his old life, one where he had friends and enemies, hate and love, a family and a cage. That is no longer who he is meant to be.
A branch catches his attention, so close to the one he associates with home, it is struggling to survive but beginning to fray. Carefully, he shifts the branches until it is clear before him. “I see. With the correct corrections, it will thrive. He cannot save every branch, he knows this, but when it is in his power to give one a chance… isn’t that why he picked up this burden.
Shifting back to Prime, he begins the selections. The candidates must have the will strong enough for the changes, and at their weakest to accept the transplant. It is a careful balance; a timeline depends on the correct choices. As he sifts he constructs the rules that will keep balance in place.
May 2018
199999/616
Statesmen
His brother’s cries are the last thing Loki is aware of, as he feels Thor’s grip and the world fades away. At long last, he will rest. Thanos won, but he was confident that Thor and his idiot friends could overcome this and save the universe.
The Citadel of Time
Loki opened his eyes not to Valhalla, but a stone throne room, Yggdrasil in the distance. With a heavy sigh he closes his eyes, just for another moment, just to gather his strength before he investigates why he was not allowed his well-earned rest.
October 2023
199999/616
Avengers Compound
His kids were safe, was Tony’s last thought as he faded away. Pepper heartbroken in front of him. Once more he had uprooted her sense of security, this time forever. The hero’s life was a selfish one, he should have been less selfish long ago. Now it was too late.
The Citadel of Time
Tony awoke free of pain in a large room, a strange glowing tree in the distance. He groaned loudly, even in death, there was no peace then.
November 2024
199999/616
Statue of Liberty
Of all the mistakes he had made in his arrogance, this one will break him. Stephen knew the irony is he was about to erase the very reason for the break. If only he had more insight, there were so many choices that would have ended differently. He began the spell-
The Citadel of Time
-Only to discover himself suddenly in what appeared to be a destroyed throne room, the world tree visible in the distance and two bodies lying on the floor.
October 2025
199999/616
Eternity
Thor held Jane as tightly as he could even as she slipped away. He cried for all that was lost, all that now could never be. Perhaps if had never entered the life of Jane Foster she would have lived a long and full life, instead of cut short by a power her body couldn’t contain.
The Citadel of Time
Thor blinked as his arms were suddenly empty, and the bright white surrounding him was now pitch black, save Yggdrasil in the distance. He looked around, disbelieving as he spotted the Bleeker Street Wizard, Stark, and then…his brother. Loki, alive breathing, though rather battered. How was this possible?
Yggdrasil
A brightly colored bridge appeared in front of the former window, clearly leading to the tree. All four men shared a look before silently following. Not entirely out of bravery but rather weary acceptance. They knew the universe never truly allows you to rest. Slowly, in what felt like eternity and moments at the same time, they made their way to a staircase at the base of the tree. Only here was there pause.
“No one touch anything, these are not vines, they are timelines.” Stephen said.
“Obviously.” Loki agreed.
Thor and Tony nodded, as they climbed the stairs, the dust and injuries cleared from their bodies, until they stood before a shining throne no longer battle weary. On the throne sat a being that all would have sworn was Loki, had he not been standing beside them.
“Peace, my Chosen. All will be explained-within reason.” The God of Stories began, as he turned his gaze to the men he had plucked from time. “Your sacrifices and bravery saved your own time, now I offer you a bargain. Stabilize another timeline, defeat Thanos the first battle, and in turn, you will be free to live out your days in a new realm that you have stabilized.”
“What about our world? My family?” Tony asked.
“They have moved on without you. Your fate was already written at the beginning of time. However, here, this will be an opportunity to write a better story.”
“A better story, or a different one?” Loki asked shrewdly.
“That is for you to decide. There will be rules. Boundaries, to protect the branch from unraveling. First, tell no one of your true history. Only the four of you may know the secret you carry. Second, time is a dangerous thing, changes must be carefully measured. As such I gift each of you one change. The rest must play out exactly as before until the battle begins. Finally, Thanos must not receive the stones.”
“What are the parameters of the gift?” Loki demanded.
“It must not interfere with the fabric of time. A change too large will correct itself.”
“Why would you offer us this?” Stephen questioned.
“All of you carry deep regret, yet you were willing to die for the sake of the lives you left behind.”
“Jane. I do not want to drag her into this when I return to the world.” Thor said quickly, the feeling of her in his arms still fresh in his mind. The God in front of him remained impassive.
“The Avengers are better off without me, I caused more problems than I solved…actually, that’s true of pretty much everything I touched.” Tony added, frowning under the weight of his past. A frown briefly flickered across the God’s face.
“I treated magic without the reverence it deserved and broke too many rules. I do not deserve my place among the sorcerers.” Stephen said before frowning. “We are not voicing our choices, but our thoughts.” The God appeared bored as his eyes slid to the final candidate.
“They are one and the same.” Loki said. “My Mother must be saved, with her still around Asgard will not fall, and our bond will not break” he nodded to his brother. The God smiled briefly, gone before it registered.
“Very well. Loki, come.” Loki stepped forward with more bravado than he felt, as the being on the throne reached out and handed him a small satchel, before brushing the back of his hand. Loki gasped, a slew of new memories, ones that both belonged to him and didn’t rush into his mind. “You will awaken in two thousand and twelve, in the aftermath of the Battle, and in your bodies of that time with your knowledge of the future. Remember the rules.”
The four in front of him faded as they transferred to their new place in the timelines, the branch quivered. Not yet healed, but somewhat stronger. With a sigh, he turned his gaze elsewhere.
May 2012
Stark Tower
Earth 818
It was unusually bright and loud as he groaned up at the familiar scene of the six heroes staring down at him. Loki felt the weight of the satchel in his pocket, even as he witnessed awareness light up his brother and Stark’s eyes. He spared a moment to wonder about the location of the wizard before it was time to act.
With a slight gesture that only Thor noticed he sent off a copy to retrieve the stones. While they hauled other him to his feet, Loki shifted into a guard and followed the container, he switched the two stones as Rogers walked out, slipping out behind him. Loki slipped into a bathroom, locked the door, and concentrated on where his Other was located. Instantly two became one again, as the other container slid toward him.
In a lot of ways, this was the trickiest part of the heist. He had to prevent any of the previous branches from occurring. As everyone gathered around Stark, he reached down to the Tesseract and switched the stone before relocking the case. Thor and ‘noticed’ the case at his feet. With a wink, Thor snatched it up before grabbing his elbow and dragging him back to the crowd around Stark with a scowl.
“Nice save Point Break.” Tony gasped, double-meaning clear to both of the brothers as Tony watched another version of him pick himself up and slink away. First objective satisfied, they had secured two stones.
Metro-General
Emergency Department
“-I know you think you are above basic triage care, but we are all hands-on deck and-“ Stephen shook his head, Christine continued to lecture him as he looked down at his hands. His scar free, unwavering hands, the phantom pain evaporating as he stared.”- and are you even listening?”
“No. Who is next?” Stephen asked as he reached for the chart she was waving around in her frustration. Christine leveled him with a look that promised a greater argument later as she surrendered the file and Stephen walked into the assigned room.
The next few hours bled together as he worked endlessly to save those who were brought into the hospital. He remembered, in his first life, this had solidified his opinion that heroes cared only for the glory, not for the damage they had done. An opinion he now recognized as hypocritical and false. It had been easy to judge their shortfalls from his penthouse, and much harder once he started fighting the unseen forces. There was no glory to be had, and the price was high. However, to not have them stand between the world and the evil that threatened to consume it was a horrifying thought.
Stephen felt the magic thrumming under his skin, wanting to reach out, wanting to fix what had been broken in the world. He suppressed the feeling as he worked his way through broken bones, stitches, and coding because he knew that he had only ever made things worse in his arrogance. It would be so easy to jut walk out there and help sweep away the damage to his city, and that’s why he remained here, offering a code compress to a crying child. This was his place now.
Central Park
The team gathered around as Thor said his goodbyes, Tesseract in one hand and brother by his side. As the brothers disappeared in a wave of light, Tony made his first move. “Right. Well, now that we have that settled, I have a date with a cardiologist.”
“I thought you were in a relationship with Ms. Potts?” Steve frowned, and Tony sighed.
“It’s just an expression. I have to go see my doctor. They have an issue with my heart stopping twice today, and I am going to have to talk them out of sticking me in the hospital. Good luck guys, thanks for the shawarma and the trauma.” He walked away, knowing he had just changed the script. Last time around, he would never have admitted a weakness. Last time he had laughed off his heart issues along with everyone else. This time it was his escape pass. He would lean into it if necessary.
Throne Room of Asgard
Odin sat before them, Frigga by his side. Thor stood next to his brother, and before they could throw him in the dungeons again, Thor spoke up. “Father, Loki’s behavior was not his own. He was under duress, controlled by the mad titan Thanos and his minions. Even under duress, he fought to gain enough control to sabotage his ‘own’ plan.”
“What proof have you of this accusation?” Odin demanded.
“Look at the battle itself Father. Loki is your best strategist.” Thor said with a frown “Additionally, for most of the fight, his eyes were blue.”
“We need to look into this, if Loki was indeed controlled-“ Frigga began.
“Enough. Dungeons. Three years.” Odin replied. “A weak prince, is a useless prince.”
“Fath-“
“No Thor, unless you wish to join your brother, the choice is final.” Odin motioned for the guards, Loki went without a fight. Thor frowned after them and his mother slipped out of the room.
“What of the titan? Are we to allow him to disparage the Asgardians in this manner?” Thor demanded.
“Loki’s pride became his downfall. We will speak no more on the matter.” Odin sighed. “I see your desire for retribution, but I will not allow you to begin another war after your last mistake.”
Thor stormed to his chambers, not in the mood for the remarks he knew Sif was ready to hand out. Last time, when he missed the signs in front of him, he had been to heartbroken to defend his brother. This time he did not believe he would be able to hold his tongue. Having half of the returned in Asgard’s prisons would be worse than a quarter. He was going to have to find a way to free his brother and contact Stark and the wizard. He wanted to scream, to rage. That would help nothing. Giving into anger had once cost him five years, and his people. He had to remain focused. He had to remember the lessons he had learned.