Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, actions, and/or all Thor related content. Talin is mine.
Now readers, this is post-Avengers. I am using my own ideas, so some things may be incorrect compared to the real story of Thor and Loki. Enjoy!
Loki stared at Thor, trying so desperately to tell him, to warn him, but the metal mask would not permit him to speak. He had tried to tell Thor, but he would not listen. He had forced Loki's mouth shut as the mask was forced on him. Now, they waited in Odin's private counseling chambers. Loki's magic had been suppressed by metal cuffs that were clamped around his wrists. Thor sighed heavily, glaring at Loki from time to time.
"I fear your punishment will be terrible, brother." Thor said absently.
Loki mumbled something, wishing he could speak. No one would allow that now. They did not trust his "silver tongue" even if he could not cast a spell with his magic repressed. He would not be able to defend himself against his father's accusations, true as they might be.
Thor suddenly turned from him, taking a few steps away to look out over the balcony. Loki's hand flung up, trying to find the clasp to remove the mask. However, he had not been aware of the guards who had entered behind him. His arms were yanked down to his sides, and he was held tightly as the side door to the chamber opened.
Odin walked in slowly, eye never leaving Loki as he made his way to his seat before them. He motioned for the guard to leave.
"I see you have successfully saved Earth and retrieved your brother, Thor." Odin said calmly, still not removing his gaze from Loki.
"Aye. With some help, of course." Thor answered proudly.
"Yes, the humans are as remarkable as you have spoken of, Thor. Now, how much damage has Loki caused?" Odin asked, a twinge of disgust in his voice.
"There was a considerable amount of damage done to one of Earth's cities, Manhattan. There were many unfortunate deaths." Thor answered remorsefully.
Odin sighed, rubbing a hand over his eye.
"Loki… you have shamed me greatly. You have brought ill views to the house of Odin. You abused your powers, nearly destroyed two worlds, and very nearly had me killed! You are a disgrace to the title Odinson!" Odin roared, his rage boiling.
Loki glared, unable to spit out that he was not a son of Odin, nor a brother to Thor, as he had already done time and time again. Yet he knew Odin knew his response.
"It is only my love for you that will save you from the exact punishment for these crimes, death! That shall be the only mercy I offer you. You will be confined to your chambers until I see fit to release you, and do not think that will be any time soon. So help me, Loki, if you try to escape, you will be executed! Do you understand?" Odin boomed.
Loki glared at him, nearly shaking from the hatred that coursed through his veins. His love for his son? Loki would have spat at him if he could. Slowly, he jerked his head in a single nod. Odin looked to Thor for a second, nodded, and with a flourish of his robes was up and out of the room. Thor took hold of his brother's arm, and forced him to walk.
Once inside Loki's wing of the palace, he felt a force pressing down on his, barely noticeable but strong all the same. His father had placed a spell over it, acting like the metal cuffs did, making him unable to use his powers. Once in his bedroom, Thor released him, and then removed the metal mask from his face. Like took a few deep breaths, free from the muffled air of the mask. Then, he grabbed Thor by the shoulders. Thor was at first alarmed, and shoved his brother away.
"You surely cannot be trying to fight me already, brother? You know I am far stronger than you, especially without your powers." Thor proclaimed, smirking slightly.
"Thor, you must listen to me!" Loki said in hushed tones, glancing about.
"Your silver tongue stopped working on me long ago, brother. You must serve your sentence. I will not go against father on this." Thor said strongly, his anger returning.
Loki had never been able to understand Thor's love for the humans. They were petty, greedy, selfish and loathsome creatures, only caring for themselves. He had gone to Earth himself, far before he had tried to destroy it. Long before Thor had been banished there.
"I had no choice but to attempt to destroy Earth, but I have no time to explain that now. Thor, please, you must listen to me!" Loki said, hating himself for having to plead to Thor.
"Had no choice? I did not see anyone forcing you to lead an army to Earth? You would have not stopped until every human was killed!" Thor burst out, shoving Loki against the wall, holding him tightly by the shoulders.
"Listen to me fool!" Loki roared, grabbing Thor's massive forearms.
"I will not listen to your lies any longer, Loki! I've had enough of your tricks. I am tired of believing your stories." Thor growled, and turned away, about to storm out.
"I have a daughter." Loki said quietly, so quietly he barely heard himself.
Cold ice ran through his veins as Thor froze midstep and twisted to face him.
"What?" Thor asked quietly, hushed, shock clear in his expression.
Loki nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. He had remembered his own shock, his own horror, when Heimdall had come to him to inform him of the birth of his daughter.
"Does father know?" Thor asked quietly, returning to Loki's side.
"No, and he cannot! Thor, please, listen to me. If father learned of her existence, he would send an army to kill her. Thor, she is my daughter, I love her. Please, I need your help." Loki croaked, feeling a sickening helplessness wash over him.
"Why would father have her killed? I know he has warned us about mixing with mortals, but he has never killed any children brought by it." Thor said quietly.
"He warned us for good reason." Loki breathed. "Have you heard the tale on Earth, of a creature that could never die? The bird, others called it a demon, or a goddess cast away, the Phoenix." Loki asked shakily.
"Aye, I had heard the stories." Thor replied apprehensively. "What has that to do with your child?"
"The Phoenix was once a bird, and every so many years it would burn alive, and rise anew from its own ashes. However, it soon discovered the world no longer accepted it, and many set out to destroy it. So, she turned herself into a human form, a very beautiful woman. And whenever she bore a child, the Phoenix would pass from one body to the next. However, she did not realize that becoming human would create difficulties. With every new child, every new body, the Phoenix grew weaker while the human side grew stronger." Loki explained slowly.
"Father knew creatures like her exist, hide, in the humans. He knew that they were too weak to pose threat. But if one of these creatures were to mix with a god…" Loki broke off.
He prayed he could trust Thor. He loved his daughter, his Talin. She was the only thing he had ever truly loved. Now he needed Thor, needed him more than ever.
"You mean to say, that by breeding with this beast, you gave its powers back?" Thor gasped.
"You speak of your human, Jane, with such devotion. I discovered such a woman. Do you not remember, when I went to Earth two decades ago, to find if any humans still prayed to us? All I found was disgusting creatures, filthy beings that lived only to please themselves. Until I met her. It was not love, Thor, but an attraction, the likes of which I could not resist." Loki admitted.
She had been like fire to a moth. Long radiant red hair, red like blood. Warm bronze skin, the most incredible golden eyes, red lips. He had been lost the moment he laid eyes on her. Never had he felt lust, never wanting, for any woman of Asgard. And for many nights he found himself in bed with her. A year later he was informed of the birth of his daughter, and the girl's mother, whose name he had never learned, had died in giving birth.
"I did not know what the woman had hiding inside her. And by mixing my god powers with her Phoenix blood, the child has been given its powers. And I fear Thor, if Odin or those pathetic SHIELD people find her, they will destroy her. She's a good girl, Thor. But she has had trouble controlling the demon. I have gone there, so many times throughout the years, to help her. But I fear, if I cannot go to her, she will be lost." Loki said, dread in his voice.
"What are you asking of me?" Thor asked.
"Only to protect her, Thor. Keep her safe from Odin, from SHIELD. Let her know I am ok, that I have not died. I fear for her. But you must also know this, Thor. The demon knows its powers are back, and it wants to punish the humans. It wants to rule the Earth. I fear my daughter may not be strong enough." Loki pleaded.
"Loki, if she is a threat to the world, I cannot allow her to-" Thor began.
"No! Thor, please! Please, she is not the demon! She is an innocent child, my little girl!" Loki burst out, feeling tears threaten him.
Thor stared at him, we covering his face.
"You truly care for her?" Thor asked, grasping his brother by the shoulders.
Loki had never begged for a thing in his life, nor had he claimed favor in anything. Thor could see Loki's eyes begin to turn red, feel fear rippling off of him. Loki nodded a few times, dropping his head, staring at his feet as if defeated. Thor knew there would be terrible consequences, for both of them, if his father discovered they had been hiding the girl.
"Then, dear brother, she is my niece, and I shall protect her as such." Thor said assuringly.
Loki looked up, his green eyes wide. And for the first time in a long time, he embraced Thor, crushing him.
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