Loki: Tortured Heart
Loki stood before the Allfather, gagged and handcuffed. Thor waited behind him, ready in case Loki tried anything.
"The Nine Realms are in turmoil," Odin, the Allfather, stated. "Thor, it is your responsibility to lead Asgard's forces in the fight to restore order. Now that the bifrost has been rebuilt, your quest may begin."
Thor looked up at his father. "And what of Loki?"
"I have no time for the prisoner at this moment. Until such time as his judgment comes, he will remain in the dungeons."
Thor bowed. "Very well, Father."
Odin dismissed him. With three guards, the God of Thunder escorted Loki to the dungeons. Halfway there a blinding flash of light fell upon the group. There were shouts of surprise and confusion. When the light faded Loki was gone.
"Search the city!" Thor ordered. "Find him!" He himself rushed to the bifrost. If Loki escaped Asgard…
Ж
Loki, the Trickster, God of Mischief, God of Lies, the fire, the entropy, opened his eyes. He was lying on hard stone, still chained and gagged. He hoisted himself up and looked around.
This was a stone hall, obviously underground. Dimly lit by torchlight, it had the atmosphere of a tomb. On one end stood two huge iron doors. On the other was a dais, upon which sat a fur-covered stone throne. Braziers rested on either side of the seat, and behind it, carved into the stone, was a crest. Loki's heart stopped. He knew that crest. It was the mark of… Amora.
A low chuckle echoed through the hall. From the shadows stepped a woman. Blond, thin, dressed in grass green, and wearing a silver headpiece bearing the crest on the wall, she appeared by no means dangerous. The glint in her eyes suggested otherwise.
"Come to visit me, Prince Loki?"
Loki got to his feet and fixed her with a hard stare. The woman laughed.
"What's that? I didn't hear you." She chuckled again and waved her hand. Loki's gag fell from his face. He tested his jaw and cleared his throat.
"Amora, why have you brought me here?"
Amora cocked an eyebrow. "Do you wish to be in a dungeon until your execution?" Loki did not respond. "Didn't think so." She sighed. "But you are correct that there are other motives behind my bringing you here. Come." She held out her hand. Loki refused to budge. "Very well."
Amora stepped onto the dais and raised her arms. The hall began to change. It slowly morphed into a familiar room, someone's chambers in the palace. Loki stepped back, startled.
"Why here?!"
Amora pointed to a bed. The sheets were crumpled and knotted at the foot and the sweat stained pillow had been knocked to the floor. Loki looked to the balcony. The curtains were drawn back, offering a clear view of the woman beyond. She leaned against the railing, weeping. Loki stepped towards her.
"Nia…"
"Lady Aaernia Folkvarsdotter," Amora offered. "A close acquaintance of yours, no?"
"Why are you showing me this?!"
"Her tears could flood a river. There is nobody there to dry them. But once there was." Amora waved again. The room remained, but the bed was now neatly made. The pillow no longer bore stains and it lay fluffed at the head of the bed. Aaernia was still on the balcony, weeping, but her hair no longer fell below her waist. Someone joined her.
"Once there was you."
A younger Loki lifted Aaernia's head. He wiped away her tears and brushed the dark brown hair from her face. "Don't cry, love."
"Loki…"
The voices were watery, distant, like in a dream.
"Thor's pitiful jabs are nothing. Don't let them bother you so."
Aaernia buried her head in younger Loki's chest. "Why does he hate me so?!"
"He is jealous. He knows whatever he attempts with me will fall on deaf ears, and so he takes it out on you."
"He's your brother! Why does he do this?!"
Younger Loki wrapped his arms around Aaernia. "He loved you. He feels wounded, threatened even, because you chose me over him. Nia, don't cry. Be strong. Ignore Thor, and he will move on."
Aaernia nodded. She sniffed, took a deep breath, and managed a faint smile. "I'll try."
The vision returned to the first scene. Aaernia was once again weeping on the balcony, harder than before. But nobody was coming. Nobody knew, nobody cared. She was alone.
The illusion melted. Loki and Amora were still in the dim stone hall.
"What was the point of showing me that?" Loki asked coldly.
"Why don't you ask yourself?"
"Don't play games with me, Enchantress! I will…" Loki stopped. The younger him had stepped from the shadows. "What is the meaning of this?!"
Younger Loki fixed his older counterpart with a pained glare. "You left her."
Loki's jaw stiffened as he regarded his younger self. "She is weak. She does not deserve the love of a king."
"She stuck by your side! Even when you beat her, even when you abused her and sent her away in anger, she stayed by your side! She stayed by our side. It never mattered to her whether you were Asgardian or Jotun. She supported you. Like Mother did!"
"Enough!"
Younger Loki stepped back. He swallowed hard. "What of Thor?"
"Thor is an oaf. He does not deserve the throne."
"Do you? After all your sins… do you?"
Loki stepped towards his younger self. "And what of your sins? You do not deserve the family that you believe is yours."
"Neither do you."
"I don't have one."
Younger Loki backed up as the other advanced towards him, still handcuffed. Amora watched the conversation with obvious interest.
"Loki, have you really…"
"Keep out of this!" Loki ordered, not taking his eyes from his past self. "You. You know what Aaernia did to you. She betrayed you. She went behind your back for a peasant, a boy from her village!"
"She did not."
"I saw her after his proposal. She thought of him like she never thought of you. She declined him only out of fear of you! Can you still call this change unjustified? It is time you obey. It is time you see the truth. It is time you crawl into a dark corner and stay there!"
Fear fell like a veil over younger Loki. A cage began to rise up around him. "Please, don't do this. For Aaernia's sake. For Mother's!"
"You are nothing but a shadow now. It's high time you disappear."
Younger Loki began to fade. He stared into his counterpart's eyes, pleading. Something flashed between them. Another memory. Younger Loki ceased fading. Though he remained caged, at his feet were tools. Tools for his escape.
"Don't mess this up," Loki whispered. There was another flash of blinding light.
Ж
"Take him!"
The guards swarmed around Loki. He held up his cuffed hands in surrender. Thor landed on the ground a few paces away from him, having flown there from the bifrost.
"Loki, what happened?!"
Loki gave his brother a secretive smirk. "A chance." He looked up. From where he stood, he could see that one balcony. Aaernia stood there, her silvery dress sparkling in the sunlight. Her hair billowed out behind her, lifted by the gentle breeze. She raised her hand and waved. Loki grinned. That wave had not been a greeting, but a promise. A promise Loki looked forward to seeing kept.