Chapter One: The Lion and The Mouse
As Thor walks into the Asgard prison holding his fallen brother, He can't help, but feel a twinge of regret for his part in his fall.
"Did the shadow of my former self really cast so far?", he thought
He stared apprehensively at his condemned brother. He is shocked at Loki's current state. He looks gaunt; forlorn. The once king had fallen below that of a pauper.
"Look at him. Once clad in the finest armor our blacksmiths had to offer, he now sits before me a broken man dressed in rags. I wonder whose pride is the reason for that: his or father's?
Thor stands a distance from the cell, mostly out of past experiences. Loki snickers at his cautiousness.
"Well, this is a rare sight to see. The "Odin-son" has found a sense of caution, but sadly you have nothing to fear. I cannot pull any of my tricks while I am in this cage your father so extensively built. It's quite the marvel", chided Loki.
"You mistake fear for wisdom. We have been played this game before and while you may have but one trick, I have learned it is a formidable one", Thor responded, as he tightened the grip on Mjolnir. "I will not fall for it, again."
"Is that why you have such a grasp on that hammer you're so proud of?", taunted Loki, as he rose from his seat. "Is that why you cling so desperately to these visits? Trying to claw some visages of redemption from the core of my being."
Thor walks closer to the cell and as he walks closer to the cell, his steps become more solid, more prideful. His stance becomes less combatant and more confident. He has no fear of Loki's tricks and won't allow him to think otherwise.
"As always, brother, you let your ego speak for you", declared Thor. "I visit because you are my brother. I try to redeem you because you are worth redeeming; and I tighten my grip to keep myself from freeing you from this cell and forcing you to see the error of your ways."
Loki laughs at Thor's statement. He strides over to the front of the cell, meeting his brother face to face.
"While I have no reservations about being freed from this prison, I must decline seeing the error of my ways; for there are none..."
Thor stands confused and aggravated by Loki. He can't comprehend his brother's behavior.
"Do you know what I learned on my travels after I was cast into that abyss by your father? I learned that there are forces in this universe you simply cannot overcome without sacrifice; as you will in the coming days..."
"What are you talking..."
"Who is Odin? What did he sacrifice? What gives him the right to claim domain over Asgard? Power? What is if there is a power higher than Odin? What's to stop that power from laying claim to the nine realms?", continued Loki, as he cockily strides back over to his bed. "I have seen these powers. I have gaze upon omnipotence. It both frightened and excited me... So much so that I sacrificed my own pride and "ego" for a mere chance at obtaining that power."
"...and yet, you have yet to tell father or I what you have seen."
"No, that would be easy. No, I want to see that look in yours and your father's eyes as the power you so greatly covet and take pride in is render useless as you gaze upon real power in its rawest, most unbridled form. I want to see you cower and despair as you curse your inferiority as I once did.", screamed Loki.
Thor walks away as Loki rants. He knows he has lost his brother.
"I am Loki Laufeyson, whose tongue was an anvil where the sharpest lies were forged. I am Loki, and I have things to say that you must know. I am Loki, who you must not trust. I am Loki, God of Mischief and I will not be fooled by you, Odin, or anyone else. I am King!"