Sanguine
Chapter I: Tell no Lies
Malevolence.
Ire.
…Penitence?
These were the but a mere few of the feelings of Loki, God of Mischief and Lies as he was made to walk the length of the throne room, bound in chains and silenced by a metal muzzle. The stares of every Asgardian locked on him, unwavering in their gaze and he could feel the disgust and hatred. The malice and murderous intent. They longed to bathe in the blood of Loki Laufeyson, the Jotun runt of Asgard. They craved the feeling of sanguine liquid with a copper taste to stain their already soaking hands; to add to the lives they had taken and the blood in which they stood at least waist deep in. The warrior Gods known as Aesir… they were no dignified race of superiority; they may hold much power, but in the end, the only purpose they ever had was war.
Preach they may of the Frost Giants, savages born with weapon in hand and a lust for blood. A race cowardly enough to prey on the weak mortals of Midgard. A people who were born with hearts as cold as their realm and would seek nothing more than the destruction of all other life, merely for their own pleasure. But how were the Asgardians completely different from them? From the moment Aseir children are old enough to understand words, they are taught of the Jotuns. Taught to hate them. Despise them. Think of them as but mere savages and nothing more. Maybe they did not seek utter destruction, but they would willingly destroy if necessary.
The Aseir may believe that they strive for peace; to protect the Nine Realms, but in Loki's eyes all they ever fought for was themselves. Just like any other race. That is why the Asgardians were the greatest; they lived for battle, died for glory and bathed in blood. They were no different from any other race in the Universe in natural instinct. Every race was the same in that respect.
But the people within that race, certain people, were the ones that were different. The ones that hated battle, wished for peace and no conflict.
And once upon a time, Loki was too. This was in the past however.
Or was it still there, buried under layer of ice?
Loki new now hated that he had lost now he truly thought of it; his title, his power in Asgard.
His family…
No, that is sentiment… sentiment is a weakness, Loki thought, his eyes narrowing. He pointedly ignored the small voice in his head which told him that it was also a strength.
He felt undying anger at his loses; his own insolence and incompetence had lead him back to this realm of barbarians. Why must he face their justice when he is not one of them? But then again, he would rather be one of the Aesir than a Jotun, at least in appearance and strength. Such things were useful assets in this cruel universe that Loki knew all too well about. An Aesir is what he counted himself as and always would, even if he hated them all. And besides, the Asgardians, despite their mind set and love for battle, were more likely to not tear him apart. At least not literately.
Thor walked by his side, a hand on his arm although he knew it wasn't needed; Loki would not try to escape here, not with the whole city around him who all wanted his blood. It was strangely comforting to walk side by side with the Thunder God once more; to feel his firm, yet gentle touch. Something that once, would have made Loki feel safe.
But not anymore.
As he glanced around, sharing looks with the race that he had been a part of some time ago, he noticed something that he hadn't with his initial analysis of the Aesir. They looked upon him with more murderous intent than they had ever shown him before. Oh he had utterly incurred their wrath this time and he reveled at that. Better to receive some attention rather than none. In response to these looks he glared at them. They were rowdy today; a deep lust for blood nonetheless, his blood at that. He knew it and had known it for a while.
Yet it was odd at the same time. His mind was focused elsewhere but Loki could faintly detect a strange aura and an evil one at that. it filled the air around them and it was not the murderous intent of the Aseir... no, there were greater forces at work here. An influencing force, that sparked evil even in the kindest of hearts, but what manner of object or being could cause this? The Trickster wished he had the time to ponder it, for that small bothersome detection of evil lit concern in his heart. Just what would happen with this evil around everyone? And would he receive an even greater punishment because of it?
The guards were barely able to retain order; they too wanted to shower in sanguine liquid, but the Allfather would have their heads if the masses were not restrained.
They called Loki names; all of them. He heard them.
And quite frankly, although they were insulting, Loki was unimpressed with the creativity of the names.
"LIESMITH!" Many chanted. Not the worst name he had been called out their; many a time this had been used against him, but mostly in jest. But now the Aesir seemed to be using it with malice filled intent. A rather popular choice among the Asgardians today, but a word he had been called for many centuries; so many in fact, that this supposed insult had no effect on the Trickster.
"MURDERING TRAITOR!" Now that was a new one, but not very creative. Loki spared a glance to the ones naming him such; ah, these were some of the Asgardians that had defended Midgard in the past against the Frost Giants. They may have thought the mortals inferior, but that only increased the desire to protect such a weak race... and gave them a chance to taunt and quite possibly physically hurt Loki in the future.
Suddenly the voices of the Asgardians became silent; their insults echoing off the walls of the throne room and dying out like a fire. A woman approached the two brothers (at least that is what they were in Thor's eyes) her nose in the air even though she was shorter than Thor and Loki. Her hair was as black as night and her fury unrivalled except by Loki's at this present moment. She stopped before him, before calling out in a voice that was not the loudest, but certainly the one with the most power and meaning "Jotun scum," she brought up a fist and quickly punched the left side of the God of Mischief's jaw with such strength that she broke the metal muzzle around his mouth. She then spat on the ground next to him, her breaths uneven with fury and her eyes wide with anger.
Loki was not shocked by this.
That was how you treated a monster, right?
Loki gazed up at her, before straightening himself to rise above her height. Bringing a hand to his jaw and rubbing it, yet he showed no sign of pain. He looked down upon her, their eyes meeting before he smiled slightly, "why thank you, Sif." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm. He almost laughed when the insults stared up again, being fired at him like arrows. So petty, that is what the Aseir were.
Thor pulled him onwards and the guards lead Sif to her place on the gold dais of Odin's throne, but not before the Thunder God muttered something to her. "I expected better from you of all people, Sif." He gave her a look of sheer disapproval to match his words. He and Loki had known the Goddess of war since their childhood and it was not uncommon for her to be easily irritated for she was quick tempered. But never before had she struck anyone like this; she had never harmed anyone because of their race, class or title before, she had mostly attacked in retaliation or on order. But this... to strike Loki when he had not in anyway harmed her, at least not physically, was extremely strange. This form of behaviour was more expected from ones who hated Loki immensely. But for Sif to act in such a way put Thor on edge to be honest.
It was strange. An evil filled and tainted the sacred halls of the palace; an unknown evil with a powerful aura. Thor had not noticed this before and was concerned about it now he had. He wondered if Loki had detected it, but knowing his brother even in the state of unstable chaos and the alien personality he currently had, Thor was sure the God of Mischief knew of it. The Asgardians were acting very oddly as well; they might long for battle and blood on occasion, but normally would not have been so rowdy and murderous.
Something was surely amiss and Thor would get to the bottom of it.
In front of the gold dais, Loki and Thor came to a halt. Odin proceeded to silence the crowds with Gungnir, smashing it on the golden floor and causing everyone to cease in their insults. He rose from his throne, glaring down upon Loki who seemed to try and appear unfazed, but in truth he was on edge. He had been since Thor defeated and captured him, but like everything he could hide under a mask of madness and hate.
A true liar.
But what would Odin do to him?
"Loki Laufeyson... if I knew where to begin, then I would begin so." Was this a hint of regret lacing Odin's tone? Of course not: such falsities were no longer able to deceive the Liesmith however he secretly hoped that it was true. However the Allfather also seemed a little angered... but why? Loki knew that everyone else in this pitiful realm were particularly riled up today, but Odin normally kept his cool. Something was now definitely wrong, and Odin's one eyed glare proved it. "Yet I do not know what could have caused you to commit such crimes. Therefore, I will not hear your poisonous reasons, for they are nothing but lies-"
"You say this Allfather, but what of the lies you have also told? Who is to punish you for what you have done? You know as well as I why I have committed such sins." He knew it would get him no where, Loki did. He knew that tempting an argument with Odin would just dig his deep hole even deeper, but he could not stop himself. There was so much he wished to say, in front of everyone if he had to. He had not had a chance to speak of such things for ever so long it had drove him to the brink of utter insanity... now was the time to express his words to the King. His slightly maddened gaze did not waver as he stared Odin down. It was time; he could feel his sliver tongue ready to let the words just flow like a calm river.
It was time for him and his supposed father to share their judgements on each other.
Is it fated to be this way then? Thor thought as he looked between Loki and Odin. Do each of them have to argue to get their point across?
Thor hated it so, seeing his brother and his father fight, yet he could not help but think if this is what Loki had felt like in the past, when he had argued with his father.
The God of Thunder knew that he and the Allfather had argued many times over the centuries, yet Loki was always have little to no input into the argument unless it involved him. He had been silent, unable to express his opinions… unheard. And Now Thor had the same helpless feeling; he wished to input a few words, anything to try and calm the impending storm that was about to strike in the form of Odin's words.
Cooling the wrath of Odin was no menial task however. Even Loki, not bound by blood to any of them, had fury that was as great as the older God's own and with that silver tongue of his he could do serious damage and get under the skin of any he chose.
"You commit such crimes Loki, because you are nothing but a manifestation of evil that curses this land with lies, deceit and betrayal. And now as you stand here before me, before us all, you use nothing put the poisonous untruths you so favour to twist your enemies words so that you may escape whatever punishment awaits you!" the God of Wisdom raised his tone, his hand seen to shake slightly with frustration as it gripped Gungnir tightly.
"And who is it that must shoulder the blame for what I have become?" Loki called out to everyone present. The question echoed off of the walls, filling the silent room until it dissipated. No one dared answer, but not one soul thought of the true reason either. They just wanted justice or blood... or even both, that was all. They began to mutter silently, the words they spoke to quiet to be heard however. "Who is responsible for why I have turned to speaking lies and half-truths in the place of pure and honest words? Who forced the once innocent second prince to slowly fall from the grace you all so proudly claim to have? There was once a time where I spoke no untruths-"
"LAUFEYSON, YOU HAVE SPOKEN NOTHING BUT LIES SINCE YOU COULD FIRST UTTER WORDS!" The Allfather bellowed. Silence filled the ranks of Asgardians; they were terrified of their King in this state. Arguably still the most powerful warrior in Asgard they did not expect a reply from the Trickster, since none of them would have dared uttered a word themselves if they were in his position.
So it came a surprise when Loki countered with words of his own. "AND THAT IN ITSELF IS A LIE AND YOU KNOW IT, ODIN, SON OF BOR!" Loki replied without fear. He would put a up a decent fight at his trial; he still had fight in him; his spirit had not left him. Now he could let his true frustrations out without holding back. His true thoughts and feelings would finally be recognised. He tore himself from Thor's loose grip and took a few steps towards Odin, accusingly pointing a finger at the man he had once called father, "YOU HAVE SPOKE TWICE THE LIES I HAVE. BENT TWICE THE TRUTHS I EVER WILL. YOU, ODIN ALLFATHER, MAY PREACH THAT I THE GOD OF LIES HAVE LIED, BUT YOU HAVE LIED ALSO."
"You are no God of Lies or Mischief, Laufeyson," Odin hissed, before raising his voice once more, "YOU ARE ONLY A GOD OF EVIL AND THE PUREST EVIL AT THAT," The Allfather calmed himself enough to turn away from Loki and sit on his throne; it was rare for his adoptive son to answer back to him at all, or at least it had been rare. But for him to be so outgoing with his anger… it had admittedly shocked the God of Wisdom. This could not be Loki, the boy he raised, only a monstrous shadow bearing his form. He pressed an old, withered hand to his forehead, trying to shake off the odd feeling of utter rage that had been coming over him since Loki's return. "You are only chaos now, son of Laufey. I cannot see any form of redemption for you." Odin spoke at a normal tone now. It was evident that he was about to pass judgement.
Loki's eyes darkened and narrowed. His tone became quiet and menacing, but his rage stayed the same. "If I am the God of Evil, son of Bor," Loki began, looking up at his adoptive father with the malevolence that he had been storing since his fall from the Bifrost, "then as my 'father' that is only your fault, not my own." To further spite the Allfather, he tilted his head slightly and added something that shocked the Asgardians, "After all, I am only the man that you raised me to be. Does it sadden you to learn of your failures as a parent?" the Mischief God added in a tone that would most commonly be used when addressing a small child. He also tilted his head to one side, "To know that one of the things you pride yourself in is a compete and utter failure on your part? It is so desperately tragic that it is even amusing," a devious curl of Loki's lips showed this amusement.
Torment... it was so pleasurable when you did it to someone else.
Frustrated and utterly outraged, Odin ordered two guards over simply by commanding, "ON YOUR KNEES!" They grabbed Loki's arms and held them out to his sides and forced him to kneel... ironic considering what he had been trying to get the mortals to do. They held his arms out to his sides in a position that could possibly break his arms if they applied pressure should the King demand as such. But otherwise they were bound to duty and unable to do such things. That was of course if they could break Loki's arms… the bones of an Asgardian were incredibly durable after all.
Thor made to protest, but a stern look from Odin stopped him. Grudgingly, the God of Thunder silently backed down; he did not like doing so at all, detested the very thought of it but he was sure that he would intervene if things got worse. He would stop his father if he felt he was going too far. Loki's crimes were so terrible and heinous that they were almost indescribable, but he was still very much the little brother of Thor, even if he did not believe it and Thor had vowed to stay by his side from now on. He would guide his brother back to the light and protect him from any darkness.
The God of Mischief was not going to let go this time, the God of Thunder would not allow it. He would never let his watchful gaze on Loki fall again. He would not let his brother take a second fall from grace, should he ever make his way back to the light.
Thor would be there… always.
That was a promise.
Ready to pass judgement at last, Odin rose from his throne and towered over everyone in the room. He gazed down at his lost son with that sole blue eye of his an impassive look upon his face, "Loki, your crimes against Midgard, the realm of mortal are indescribable. You kill for the sadistic fun you find from it. Take pleasure in bathing in the blood of your enemies. You enjoy the feeling of superiority you receive from being able to cover your hands in the blood and sinew of another." Odin took a deep breath and paused before continuing, the anticipation in the silent room so thick it was unbearable, "I therefore will offer you no mercy, for you deserve none. I, Odin Allfather, sentence you to ten years silence. You will have your lips sewn shut and be imprisoned in the dungeons below."
The God of Mischief struggled at these words, a horrified expression upon his face, but the guards held him firmly, keeping a vice grip on his arms and attempting to subdue him by applying pressure, as if they were about to snap his bones. Loki managed to free one of his arms however, but he was soon restrained further as another two guards came to keep him on his knees. A scared look graced his features which he did not even think to suppress as he saw a silver needle and black thread be brought in by a servant; this had been Odin's intention all along, it hadn't mattered if he hadn't argued with the Allfather, it would have come down to this anyway. This angered Loki; what form of trial was it, when the punishment was decided before hand? Terrible his crimes may be, but this was injustice at its highest.
But yet again this was odd; Odin would never usually rush into a sentence such as this. In fact he had never used such a punishment on anyone... not even prisoners that were of other realms. This scarred Loki; if Odin were like this and everyone else too, then would Thor, the only person who would defend him succumb to this mysterious anger as well? It was petty of him, to pray for his 'older brother's' assistance at a time like this, but he had no other choice.
Thor stepped up, however, standing between his brother and the servant, a defying look about his face as the grip he had on Mjolnir increased as he gazed at Odin. A storm brewed in his sapphire eyes and outside as he stood between his father and Loki, acting as the younger God's shield. The Asgardians grew slightly nervous; if Loki had found the courage to have a full blown argument with the Allfather then what would Thor do with his legendary temper? The cracking thunder outside only foreshadowed what was to happen "father! Surely there is some other punishment? This goes beyond what Loki has committed. In the past you have always shown mercy, even if it was in the form of a quick and painless death. This is what you taught myself and Loki as you raised us, yet you do not act on you own words, when you should do so now-"
Quick to react, Odin did not wish to risk an argument with his biological son, knowing full well of his rising temper, "Silence, Thor! It is no less than what he deserves; speak to me not of mercy in this time. Do you not see the man who so kneels before you!? He is guilty of many things, a majority of which I have turned my blind eye to for many years. But no longer shall I lie in wait for the next of Loki's schemes to bring turmoil and disruption to Asgard."
"Then what strength as a king do you show?" Thor questioned, trying to thing why his father acted in this way. There had to be some explanation of it, "mercy shows your people you are fair and just to all. Things that you also taught us throughout our years. Loki's schemes have always been mischievous, I admit, but he has never actually broken the laws of this land, not until a year ago. His most recent actions may be too unforgivable to even think of listing, but they were not committed here. He should be punished harshly, yes, but not like this, father."
"And how do you suggest I punish him harshly in any other way? There is not another sentence that could teach him a better lesson than this, and you yourself know it to be true!" Odin snapped.
Stepping forward, Thor lost his temper, but kept his voice relatively quiet and cool, he would try to not lose all sense of logic and shout meaningless words. No, he would try and take a tip from Loki and keep calm in this situation, as his little brother merely gazed at the exchange, like he had done so many times before, "I will not allow you to punish Loki in such a manner! He is my brother, you have no right to do such things! Have you forgotten that he is your son?"
"No son of mine would commit such crimes! You seem to have not realised yet that the man you once knew as your brother does not exist anymore," The Allfather seemed to have a touch of sadness in his tone and across his features; it was easy to forget that he had lost a son as well, not just Thor losing a brother, "this creature may have the face of the brother you once had, but he is not as such. He is but a shadow bearing Loki's shape, how do you not see this?"
"YOU WERE NOT PRESENT WHEN WE FOUGHT! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHAT I SAW!" Realising that he had lost control, Thor calmed himself and breathed in, before continuing in a shaky voice, showing his retrained anger; he would not allow Loki to be punished in such a way without at least trying to prevent it, "Loki is not in his right mind, father. Something has happened to make him behave in this manner. Something which I also believe may be affecting-"
"SPEAK NO MORE!" Odin bellowed; he would not have both of his sons speak to him in such a disrespectful way in front of the people and especially not within the same few minutes. It would make them think the royal family was weak and that could not be accepted. "If you believe that then he has deceived you with his lies. I offer you two choices Thor, if this shadow of Loki is so dear to you; you will stitch your brother's lips shut, here now, as slowly as possible. Or I will have him executed."
The Thunderer seemed taken aback by this. No matter what he chose, the price would be heavy on his brother. He could chose to execute him and lose him forever, without even having the slightest chance of getting him back on the righteous path. Or he could be the one to sew his lips shut and watch as he endured ten years of silent imprisonment. How desperate was Thor to want the man he knew as his brother back, that he would possibly make him suffer for a decade? Could he really watch it happen? He glanced at the thread and then behind at Loki, who had been subdued by the guards after minutes of struggle. He still retained that unrivalled hatred in his eyes, however and was glaring up at Thor with an ire filled gaze. He looked as if he would prefer death to facing the needle, but the Thunder God would deny him of the easy way out, just this once. Thor sincerely hoped that Loki would forgive him for his next decision... for he knew it was rather selfish of him.
"I...I will sew Loki's mouth shut," Thor answered finally. Odin seemed to have expected this outcome and gestured the servant to pass the needle to Thor. He took it with hands that shook slightly due to the adrenalin he had worked up from his argument with Odin. The God of Thunder then knelt before his brother, sorrow filled his expression and his hand shook even more as he brought the needle up to begin. Their eyes met, yet Loki's gaze did not falter at the sight of the needle; he appeared to have accepted the circumstances and was now preparing himself, even if he hated Thor for what was about to happen. "I am sorry, brother, forgive me." He whispered, before the needle made the first hole below Loki's bottom lip.
The Trickster did not shut his eyes at the pain, nor did he even make a sound as he felt the needle scratch against his teeth upon entry. He did not even wince in pain when the needle lightly pricked the gum next to his top teeth, giving him a small taste of blood. He vowed revenge silently as he glared at Thor and then at Odin. He refused to make a sound, but as it continued, such things became harder and harder. He almost let out a small grunt of pain when his 'brother' scratched another part of his mouth, this time the inside skin of his lip above his top teeth. It had been a deep enough scratch to start bleeding and Loki could feel the liquid trickle down his throat slowly; it made him want to cough, but he suppressed that, knowing that it would only cause him more pain and a possible noise of some sort.
They would gain no satisfaction from him; the Asgardians would see just how much more they would need to do to make him break. His mouth stung from the pain, and got much worse after the fifth hole in his bottom lip, yet he kept silence and staring at his brother. So selfish to wish this torture on him and be the one doing it. He must be enjoying it.
And they had called him sadistic.
By the time that Thor was on the last hole of sewing Loki's mouth shut, his hands, his brother's chin and the floor below them were soaked with the blood pouring from Loki's mouth. Astonishing that even after all of that pain, he had not made a single sound, just glared at his brother for such torture. Once it was done, Thor fumbled with tying the knot at the end, but got there after a few seconds. Yet when it came to ripping off the excess thread, he accidentally tightened the stitched, causing Loki grunt very quietly from the pain. Quick he was to apologise before he stood up and handed the bloody needle to the servant that had given it to him in the first place. Thor looked up at his father, trying to see if he could detect some other purpose of this punishment by his expression. But he could not see anything of the sort; Thor was no one to deeply analyse a person's looks and nervous habits, that was and always has been Loki's expertise.
Behind him, Loki found unknown strength from within and managed to break free of the grip of the four guards holding him, before standing and rushing forward. His brother turned to face him and he seized Thor's throat with his right hand, his expressionless, bleeding face so close to Thor's that it looked like Loki would attempt to kill him. Blood dripping off his chin and spilling onto his brother's armour. His eyes said what his lips couldn't in that moment; 'When I am free, I will kill you' simple words, but Loki was in no shape to think of anything better to convey through his hateful eyes.
It was then the Trickster was knocked unconscious by the spear of a guard, who had rushed forward and struck the side of Loki's head when he had grabbed a hold of Thor. The God of Mischief fell to the ground and smashed his head upon the floor, creating another small pool of blood from his bleeding mouth.
It was when Loki woke however, that his malevolence was taken to even greater lengths. He regained consciousness, unable to see; a blindfold covered his emerald green eyes and it had been tied tightly around his head. He could feel the dried blood of his jaw; no one had washed it off, keeping him as the monster he was. He could also feel that his throat was dry with the coppery taste of his own blood and he had no way of ridding himself of it. However it was the nature of his imprisonment that angered him the most.
His hands were bound by six separate chains behind his back; secured tightly so he could barely shift his arms at all. He then realised another element of pain coming from his wrists; someone had cut them. Runes, seals, something to restrict his magic nonetheless. Carved into his very flesh; he knew the nature of such magic. He had studied it himself, yet never performed it. It required the use of blood magic, the darkest form of all magic. What a sight he must be, covered in blood, like an Aseir after a 'glorious' battle.
His legs were held to the walls by his sides by three magical ropes which coiled around his upper thigh. Also tight. His legs were numb from the poor circulation and he could have sworn that he couldn't move them if he had not been able to move his foot slightly. He was also kneeling; oh how delightful. Odin had a sadistic love for irony and it was showing now.
Yet the most disturbing factor of his apart from his sewn lips were the ropes that were tied around his neck in the same manner as his legs. He growled and moved slightly, testing the limits of the ropes and how much movement they would grant him. This caused them to tighten for a minute, constricting his breathing. Growling again his anger rose and if he could have screamed with fury, he would have.
Yes, I re-wrote this and posted it again. I was not happy with it, I'm still not happy with it, I hope you enjoyed it, next chapter should be soon.
Thanks.