The halls of Asgard are truly beautiful, their gold walls large and shimmering in the day's sunlight. It is a place fit for the gods and goddesses that live there, the warriors of the Nine Realms. Feasts and events were held there every day in honor of them, each as glorious as the next one. Music would fill the halls, the beautiful sounds like a siren song calling people to the place. It was an expansive one too, a palace fit for the great king and queen that lived there and the city surrounding them on the mountains was made of houses of marble.

It was a place for celebration and humor, where everyone could enjoy themselves. But today, it was set for one purpose only: the punishing and sentence of Loki, the God of Mischief.

Everyone in Asgard was required to attend, and so, the halls were full to the brim with members of the army and other gods and goddesses. It was an example of the power of the great king, Thor, the God of Thunder.

And now, where music usually filled the halls, all one could hear were the muffled screams and moans of Loki. Thor was angry, and right to be so. All along he loved his brother, but such love had a limit. His brother had invaded Midgard, and had destroyed innocent human lives in the quest for power. At his side, Lady Sif was there to make sure the general in charge of punishing Loki was doing his job. Thor was known for being a great king that respected justice, honor, and loyalty. But he was not known for being a merciful king.

As a lieutenant for the Asgardian army, she was required to stand up front. This also meant she had a closer view to the horror that was happening in the Throne Room. Loki was standing on a golden pedestal, his mouth bore a metal muzzle and his hands were cuffed. He was being whipped and each sting brought out a groan of pain from where his mouth would have been. His hands were bleeding; the rusty cuffs were too tight and cut into his skin. His back and arms were covered in red; the cuts from the whip were large and deep.

The whole hall was silent; no one spoke in protest to such actions. And why should they? If one were to interrupt, it would only bring Thor to bring punishment to the speaker. She couldn't believe this. She had seen many Frost Giants and fellow Asgardian friends die. But this was different. Each hit on Loki made her heart hurt, and it was unbearable. And one could see that with each hit, Thor was growing impatient. He was not proud of his brother, even though he had loved him for all of their years together. There was only hate in his heart. She had tried to turn her back from it, or to close her eyes. But the sounds only brought her to stare at the torture in front of her.

She saw that look in Thor's eyes. They spelled out what most do during war, a decision before the final strike. And she ran, hoping to get there in time, her black lieutenant's coat trailing behind her. A few steps were all she needed. A few steps were what separated her and the golden pedestal where Loki was tied up. Thor rose up his hammer, Mjolnir. She knew that she couldn't stand this any longer, no matter her status or importance to the king. She saw him bring down the hammer before she closed her eyes and jumped.

And her body felt like it was lit on fire, her skin burning.

She had jumped in front of Loki, taking the bolt of thunder that was originally meant for him. She tried to scream, but her lungs felt as if they were drowning. She could barely breathe. The lighting was big and bright, a white flash.

Thor's eyes opened wide while Lady Sif started to move toward her.

"How dare you interrupt your king while he is giving out the justice this cruel man deserves? Do you wish to partake as well? Speak! State your name and why I should pardon you! And maybe, perhaps, I will." Thor's voice shook with anger, he was certainly not pleased.

She had felt her body grow immensely heavy due to Mjolnir's thunder, she couldn't stand. She slowly rose up, her body hurting with each simple movement, and stopped when she was kneeling, her right elbow on her right knee.

"My name is Namoui, my king. I am a lieutenant for the Asgardian army. I did it because he does not deserve this, no matter how he has decided to act. I am sorry for the disturbance." She said, almost whispering because of the pain.

"That does not mean you get to interrupt your king. What is this man to you anyway; my brother does not know you." Thor moved to Lady Sif's side, he was waiting for a wrong answer. The room had suddenly gotten quiet during the commotion, all eyes at the scene playing in front of their faces.

"He is an Aesir, my king, and he is still your kin. Do you not have love for him? As your brother, you should forgive him for what he has done. And if you still wish to punish him in the same way as you did before, then take me in his stead. Surely I might not do much, but perhaps you are able to relief some of his punishment. I beg you." Her breathing slowed, this was the moment of life or death. She did not know why she had done this for Loki, only that it was right.

Thor stood silent, Lady Sif was talking to him and he looked at Namoui. His blue eyes shifted from her to Loki, studying them. What could they possibly have in common other than looks? They both possessed slim bodies and dark raven hair. But Loki was a god; he did not bother to even look in the direction of commoners. And if he let this pass unpunished, the rest of Asgard would start to ask favors. And no one deserved better treatment than the other. His red cape fluttered about him as her started pacing around, his hammer at his side. Lady Sif went back to her throne, assured that Namoui would not try any tricks to free Loki.

"And what if you do not matter in this instance? His punishment is his alone to bear; you did not aid him in destroying all of Midgard. You are of no use to him or me; you belong among the ranks of the army. You only serve to fight for those people who you love, you are a normal Asgardian." Thor seemed to have calmed down, he looked curious at such a change in behavior from a person.

"Yes, my king. But I still stand by what I say. No one deserves this much punishment, so please consider my request." Her body felt weak, but at least it wasn't burning anymore. She had her eyes to the floor, her head towards Thor. The gold shimmered from the light of the torches, showing her reflection. She didn't look back at Loki, being scared of his reaction. She wouldn't think it mattered, anyway. As her voice faded, she noticed the people around her. The whole room was silent; everyone didn't dare move a muscle.

"Let her do it, my son. Take them to the Rainbow Prison. I'm sure this punishment will please you. She is right; he is still your brother and my son. I have not died yet, so surely you must listen to me."

Thor turned his back and immediately kneeled. Odin the All father was at the top of the Golden Steps of the Throne Room, staring straight at Thor. His face was old, white beard and a silver eye patch was what beheld it. His dress was simple, a cream silk long shirt. He started to move, coming closer and closer to the king. He stopped in front of the throne, looking over at Naomi. His eye was calm, he was sure of his decision.

"Of course father, if you insist. I thought it would be wise to carry this punishment due to the gravity of the things he caused." Thor didn't dare anger the All Father. He banished him once before and he could easily do it again, this time taking the throne from his grasp.

"Thank you All Father. I promise you I will not run away and will make sure Loki does not escape." Namoui stood up slowly, her eyes finally glancing at Loki. She saw his bruised and bloodied skin; he was sitting on a pool of his own blood. His dark hair was matted and in knots. Dark crimson led her to stare at his face; cuts were blushing red on his cheeks.

And she was immediately frightened. Where there was usually a gleam of mischief, only confusion and fear filled those green eyes.