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Tony flinched when he heard an alarm ring from the general direction of the palace. Of course. Wherever he went, trouble wasn’t far to follow. Thor wasn’t any help in explaining the sound, as he simply said something about prisoners and then flew towards the castle with Mjölnir. Great. He himself couldn't fly right now, so instead he had to walk there with Frigga, Bruce, and Loki. Once they’d arrived at the palace, pretty much having sprinted there, Loki said he’d go and help Thor. Frigga, understanding as she was, told him he should leave and that she'd watch over Bruce and Tony. Now, it wasn't like Tony needed a babysitter, he was very capable of taking care of himself. All he needed was... “Loki! Give me my suit!”
When Loki had put him into the asgardian robes he’d magicked it away, and Tony really needed it back. Without it it he wouldn't be of any help, especially not without even knowing what the hell was happening. But as an Avenger it was his duty to help, and he’d fulfil that duty. Whether he was helping people or Aesir, it didn't matter. Luckily for him, Loki had heard his call and with a quick nod the asgardian robes were gone and his suit had been returned. Showtime. Loki shot him a small smile before heading towards the dungeon and Tony turned to Bruce. “Okay buddy, you're staying with me. And don't freak out, or we’re gonna have to deal with another explosion on top of all this.”
The three made their way towards Frigga's quarters and what they saw was bad. Like, really bad. The prison break had simply been a pawn, because above the rainbow bridge an armada of ships made their way towards the palace. They watched as Heimdall destroyed one of them but more soon followed, too many to destroy.
“They’re here for the Aether, they know where it is, so it absolutely has to stay in this room.”
With that Frigga made a perfect replica of Bruce and ordered the real one to hide behind a pillar. Tony stayed beside Frigga, ready to fight. And, just as expected, one of the Dark Elves entered the quarters soon enough. The replica of Bruce stumbled away from the elf, towards the wall, while Frigga and Tony stepped between them.
“Stand down creature and you may still survive this,” Frigga said, anger visible in her eyes. “I have survived worse, woman.” His voice was cold and calculated and he took a step forward, eyes fixated on the illusion. In that moment, however, Frigga let her sword appear in her hand and Tony shot in his direction. “Don't come any closer!”
They made him back off with ease, Frigga’s sword pressed to his throat while Tony aimed his palm towards the creature’s chest. “Now tell us who you are, asshole!” “I am Malekith, and I would have what it is mine.” Suddenly Tony and Frigga were grabbed from behind and, while they were still struggling to escape (or at least Tony was, Frigga didn't seem too distressed by the whole ordeal), Malekith made his way towards the illusion. “You have taken something, human. Give it back.” When he tried to grab the replica, however, his hand went right through. Enraged he turned towards Frigga and glared at her. “Witch! Where is the Aether?” “I’ll never tell.” “I believe you.”
Right in that moment she managed to free herself from the clutches of the creature which reacted quickly and grabbed Frigga's sword, making a move to stab her. Because the creature was busy with Frigga, Tony managed to get loose as well and, without thinking things through, he threw himself between Frigga and the creature, the sword going clean through his suit and body. Just a moment later Tony went down and a loud “No!” sounded from the door and lighting lit up the room, the force of it strong enough to throw Malekith and the creature out of the window. Bruce, who was still hiding behind the pillar, pressed a hand in front of his mouth to keep from making a sound, absolutely terrified, refusing to move from his spot.
Loki, who arrived with Thor, refused to accept the scene unfolding in front of his eyes. This wasn't happening, this couldn’t be happening! Anthony hadn't been hurt, that just simply wasn't possible. He couldn't be- His mother drew him back to reality and out of denial. Her words were like daggers into his heart.
“You have chosen a fool, Loki. A mere mortal, sacrificing his life for a goddess.”
Pity was evident in her tone of voice, and, whether he wanted to or not, Loki had to accept that this was reality. “Anthony...” He fell to his knees next to his boyfriend and cradled him in his arms. “Anthony, you can’t- you gotta- Why do you have to be such a fucking idiot?!” Desperately he tried to work his healing magic, even if it was in vain. He couldn't revive the dead, but he refused to accept that fact. “Fucking damn it, Anthony!” he cried, yelling at the lifeless body of his boyfriend, not stopping with the healing spells until Odin forcefully removed him from Tony’s corpse. “He's dead, accept it!” But Loki couldn’t. He trashed around, yelled at Odin to let him go, for him to do something. It was too soon for Tony to be dead, he wasn't ready yet. It had only been a heartbeat.
Tony had received a traditional asgardian funeral. Odin had not been happy about it at first, but gave in after Thor and Loki insisted. Frigga herself took her sons’ side, saying that Tony having saved her life was enough for him to get a warrior’s funeral. The only attendants were Bruce and the royal family, with a few guards spread around to ensure no disturbances. Originally, it had been the plan that Loki was supposed to shoot the arrow to light up the boat, but just at the thought he’d broken down, so Thor had shot it instead. It was quiet. Nobody had said a word as they watched the boat sail away. Thor had wrapped his arms protectively around Bruce, both of them seeking solace in each other. Loki knelt on the ground and cried as he watched the flames. He felt guilty, like it was his fault, but mostly he felt alone.