Every character belongs to Marvel; I just play with them a little.
He had expected a room full of people, watching citizens and soldiers alike. He had expected the air to be humming with shuffles of boots, the clink of armory and whisper of shifting fabric. He had expected hundreds of mouths murmuring words of hatred and mockery. He had expected hundreds of accusing eyes following every step of his humiliating walk towards the judgment chair.
What he got when he was dragged before the king by the Einherjar's unyielding hands was silence and probably the smallest audience that had ever gathered in Asgard's long, long history of trials.
The golden boxes were almost entirely empty, just about twenty people perched on the benches next and above the throne: Odin's brothers-in-arms on its right and Thor's personal worshippers - Sif and the Warrior's Three - on its left.
A little…insulting. Well, at least they all wore their ceremonial armory…
…while he had been stripped of all signs identifying him as Asgardian citizen, let alone royalty.
Loki had seen more than one trail in his life but had never really understood why the accused were brought forward in nothing but one layer of fabric. Now that it was him, he could see all too well. Without his usual many layers of fabric, leather and metal, he felt light, defenseless, almost naked between all those heavily armed men.
It was a wonderful psychic trick. He was utterly humiliated and ridiculously intimidated, but he would die before showing it. He would never degrade himself in front of this man again.
So, despite his racing heart and clenched stomach,, he walked down the aisle with long, determined steps, shoulders back and chin raised, his eyes meeting those of everybody he passed with fake confidence and real disdain; his whole demeanor showing as much pride as he could muster beaten up, stripped of his armor, chained and gagged as he was.
The guards stopped at the golden stairs leading up to the throne, forcing him to stand between them.
By now, Loki's heart was racing one mile a minute, but still, he straightened his back even further, taking a prince's stance instead of kneeling as a prisoner should do. His eyes cockily locked with Odin's.
People started shuffling nervously as he made no move to greet or honor the king. From the corner of his eye, Loki saw Thor uncomfortably shifting his weight from one foot to the other, the not very convincing hard facade he had worn until now dissolved into a mask of sheer worry.
Had it been possible behind the muzzle, he would have grinned.
At his sides, the guards raised their spears and forcefully slammed them into the back of his knees, simultaneously pushing him down. Loki fell to his knees with an undignified gasp. He tried to glare up at them, but just a moment later, their hands painfully clawed into his hair and forced his head down into a servile bow.
Behind him, he heard a few chuckles and his hands clenched.
They would pay for this.
He would make them pay. He would silence those mocking tongues, blind every condemning eye, burn this hall down, melt all the gold and crystal and steel until all this blinding, arrogant splendor was nothing more than smoke.
For now, he had to be satisfied with re-locking his eyes with the king's as soon as he could, hoping the humiliation and fear he felt would not show on his face.
Odin looked back at him, but Loki could not tell if he was angry or impressed with that little show of defiance. The king's face, barely visible under the golden helmet, was an impassive mask. Loki was not sure if he liked that. Anger would have been better. Every emotion would have been better.
Slowly, the king rose from his throne, back and shoulders perfectly straight.
With his golden armor, rippling wool and silk and the heavy cape cascading over his shoulders and back to gather on the floor behind his boots, he looked strong and powerful despite his age. Impressive enough to cause Loki's mouth to go dry.
Gugnir's hilt touched the floor gently – for a heartbeat Loki remembered holding the spear, wielding it, the hum of power hidden beneath the surface and felt a surprising pang of jealousy cutting through the fear – but in the perfect silence it rung clear as a bell, as did Odin's voice.
"Loki…"
There was a pause, just long enough for the trickster to wonder if the dreaded lie 'Odinson' or the hated, despised, but true 'Laufeyson' would follow, but, cunning as he was, Odin found a way to avoid the decision.
"… of Asgard. You have lied and deceived to usurp the throne and attempted to murder one of your own kin and four warriors aiding him."
There was muttering at this, some people shifted. The king's voice easily drowned them out, but still, Loki could literary feel their outrage.
"You attempted not only to commit genocide but to kill all living things on Jotunheim, as you brought every surrounding world in danger while doing so. You allied yourself with a force hostile to this and every other world and, collaborating with this force, attempted to overtake a world that stood basically helpless against your powers, willingly risking and taking many innocent lives in the process."
Loki felt his stomach clamp painfully and, for the first time, broke their eye contact.
There was only one fitting punishment for his crimes, he had known that before being brought before the throne…he had known form the moment the human's strange, green creature started smashing him into the floor like a child their ragdoll.
The only question was: How was he going to die?
"The fitting punishment for those crimes would be exile…
Loki's eyes snapped up. What?
"…but your silver tongue has proven to be too dangerous. I cannot risk your poisoned words bringing another force up against us. Therefore, I sentence you to feel the consequences of your crimes until you have learned."
This time, the mutterings were louder, less angry and more confused. Nobody could imagine what this, feel the consequences until you learn, could mean. It was unlike any other sentence spoken here. Loki was almost sure that it was some strange euphemism for torture.
Except, there had never been a need for euphemisms in Asgard.
"Do you have anything to say before your punishment is taken out?"
One of the guards reached down, stoke Loki's long hair out of the way – he had to suppress a shudder when the cold hand touched the skin on his neck - and touched the muzzle somewhere at its back with both hands. For a moment, the metal got even tighter, then it fell open, finally freeing his jaw of all pressure.
Loki took a few deep breaths and relished the feeling of being able to breath freely again, then he slowly stood up again, re-straightened his back and slowly pushed his hair back and out of his face, buying the time he needed to shove his nervous confusion away for the moment.
"I just have to say this…" he started slowly, proud that his voice did not shake in the slightest. A little raspy, but strong and steady.
Odin's chin went up a little, apparently curious of his answer, Thor shifted again, worry and pleading mixing in his face, urging his brother to stay calm and pliant. Loki's eyes found his, held and released them.
"I confess."
Surprised sighs and murmuring, like a soft, white noise set in. Loki listened, let the suspense raise and made sure his expression was hard and unyielding.
"Ultimately, it was my hands that shed blood, carried out all the crimes counted by you, but they carried out the results of your lies, your deceiving, of your twisted morals and pretense. My actions were brought on by yours…and by your words."
Thor groaned, but Loki's eyes were fixated on Odin. Now, finally, there was a reaction, just a little frown, but it sent a hot wave of delighted excitement through his body.
Odin had not forgotten his mistake on the Bifrost's edge.
"Therefore, you may do to me whatever you want. You can sic you best men onto me, you can torture me with every cruelty your or their minds can concoct, let me feel all of Asgard's unrestrained brutality, but you can never change the fact that my sheer existence has your precious throne tremble on its ground!"
His voice had become a hiss, and while Loki spit every word out as if tasting bitter, he threw himself forward, effectively forcing his guards a step forward.
"Every lie, no matter how well-spun it may be will unravel one day and when your many wrongs come to light, it will happen through my hand. My revenge will come over you. I will show this and every other world the rotten deceiver you truly are and force you to your knees in the end."
Finally, finally there was the trace of shock and pain in Odin's eyes that he had been looking for. It was almost satisfying…but Loki was not done yet. His lips twisted into a rabid, toothy grin and he opened his arms as far as the chains let him.
"Every man creates his own monster. Have a good look on what stands before you in chains today, Odin Allfather, for it was created by you and it shall be your downfall."
There was shocked, tense silence following his statement, then Odin raised his spear. Gugnir's hilt hit against the floor, the impact resonating louder than it should have been possible. The sentence was spoken and the trial over.
A hand twisted itself into his hair and brutally pulled his head back. A second hand clamped around his chin in a vice-like grip, holding him still while the muzzle was placed over his mouth and pulled cruelly taut, bruising his jaw and painfully crushing his lips against his teeth until he tasted blood.
The copper taste brought back the fear – fun was over, now there would be pain. They did not lead him down the aisle this time but through a smaller, though not less shiny door at the room's side, through the looming shadows under the overhanging grandstand, but despite the blood pounding in his ears, Loki followed without a struggle.
Had he just known what awaited him, he would have thrown himself to Odin's feet and begged for mercy instead.
To anybody who has gotten this far: Thank you for reading! I hope you liked the teaser and are at least a little curious for the next chaper, in wich we will see what Odin has in store for Loki and what the Avengers are doing while their nemesis is imprisoned.
Ideas and reviews make me work faster!
Lots Of Love,
Kandy Kitten