Loki bolted up from the ground, his heart racing and his body in a cold sweat. He had been dreaming, but none of it actually felt like a dream…
-ASGARD, dream…
He felt the icy cold of the muzzle against his mouth as he stepped inside the palace, his old home. No, it was never his home in the first place. Odin was seated on his throne, the room empty except for the guards, Thor, and Frigga, who was standing at her husband's side.
Loki had expected for the Allfather to speak by now, but all he did was look down at his 'son' with an expression of sorrow and defeat.
Defeat? Loki thought amusingly. Who would have known the Allfather to even have the capability of showing such an expression?
Odin had beckoned for one of his guards to come near. He whispered something non-audible to Loki and Thor's ears, but Frigga had heard it all, and as the guard receded, she looked at her husband with disbelieving eyes. She opened her mouth to what looked like rejection, but the Allfather gave her a glance, and she was silent.
"Loki," Odin announced, "you have betrayed Asgard. You have attempted the genocide of the Jötuns by destroying their realm. You have attacked Midgard, killing innocent Midgardians out of selfish gain. You allied with the Chitauri, and for that had almost lost your life as well." For a moment, there was a glimpse of sympathy in the Allfather's eye, but it vanished just as soon as it had appeared.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Loki had raised an eyebrow, and the Allfather slammed the end of his scepter on the floor. The muzzle burned with magic for a moment, then fell to the floor with a loud CLANG!
Everyone waited for the response.
Loki did not respond.
"Leave us," the Allfather commanded the remaining guards. They all retreated, leaving the royal family alone.
The royal family, and then the adopted one, Loki thought grimly.
"Loki," Odin started. "My son."
Loki had tried to hide his disgust.
"Why have you done this? This never needed to happen-"
"But it did happen," Loki had said suddenly. "And nothing can change that."
"Yes…it did." Odin's voice had grown weary. "For your actions, you know that you must be punished."
"Please!" Frigga suddenly exclaimed as she went to her husband's side. "Please don't do this. Look at him! He is tired, and weary! The Chitauri have been using him, straight to the brink of death. I beg of you, do not hurt him. Do not do this to our son!" Her voice was level, but he could hear the seasoning of frantic begging in her voice.
"I can only lessen his Fate, if he were to ask for forgiveness," the Allfather replied.
Loki had been slightly taken aback by her actions. He could only watch as the woman, the Aesir who had raised him, who wasn't his real mother, begged for his safety; even going to the extreme of calling him 'her son.'
"Loki," Odin stated, and all the attention was back on him. "Do you ask for forgiveness of what you have done, of all the lives you have threatened and taken away; for the worlds you have destroyed, and for the loved ones you have betrayed?"
Loki tensed, recognizing a few of the words from when his…well, 'brother' had been banished. He then broke into a smile and laughed. The sound echoed off the walls, and reached into the family's ears, traveling down to their hearts, and breaking them piece by piece.
"Ask for…forgiveness?" Loki asked, still smiling. "But what did I do wrong? In fact, I think I'm doing what is right for the good of all living things. The Jötuns were a violent, cruel species, only wanting war, and revenge. By destroying them, I could have brought peace and prosperity to Asgard. No more fear of frost giants attacking in the dark of night, no more children crying out for their parents, for fear of being slaughtered in their sleep. The safety of Asgard assured in the minds of your people.
"Ah, and the Midgardians. Such a selfish place, where every man does not trust his own family. Who destroy their world, and do nothing to resolve it. Weak, powerless fools, who were only made to serve. I would have brought glad tidings of peace for them, more people for the Asgardian Empire to rule. Never seen such persistence in a race, I shall give them that." He paused.
"So, Allfather, why do I need to ask for forgiveness," he had lowered his voice to almost a growl, "if there is nothing in need to forgive?"
The room was silent, Frigga's hand on her neck, Odin's gaze leveled, and Thor in disbelief and clear hurt.
"You refuse to ask for forgiveness," the Allfather had spoken. "Very well. Guards."
The ensemble of Asgardian security entered the room, stomping their way in as their armour clanged and clashed.
"Loki has refused to ask for forgiveness. His punishment shall now carry out." The tone in the Allfather's voice signaled that his decision was final.
Thor had placed a hand on Loki's shoulder before the guard had led him away.
As the men marched Loki to the dungeon, he glanced at Frigga.
"Oh, my child," she had wailed. "My son."
"Mother," Loki had said before she was out of hearing range, "I was never your son."
-DUNGEON, dream…
The dungeon was cold and damp, the way Loki remembered it when Odin had shown Thor and himself when they were younger. Except then, he wasn't in chains and about to be punished for attempted murder and/or murder itself.
Suddenly, something flashed before his eyes, and he collapsed, blacking out on the cold stone floor…
He awoke and immediately tried to move, but realized that he was restrained. A light was shinning in his eyes, and he slowly opened them.
He heard a gasp. "He's awake! The magic has worn off! Quickly, put him back asleep."
"No," said someone else. "If this is part of his punishment, I want him to feel it."
"...since when did you become so cruel?" The first voice had asked.
"You could ask the same of him." The second voice retorted.
All was quiet, and Loki tried to speak. Except, he couldn't. He lifted his tongue to feel across his mouth, and froze. He felt a zig-zagging pattern between his lips, making his flesh ache with every movement he made with his tongue.
They were closing his mouth. They were trying to sew it shut.
Trying not to panic, Loki pulled at his restraints, mildly jerking left or right to try to look discrete while simultaneously trying to break free.
He wasn't subtle enough.
"He's trying to break loose! Quickly! Put him asleep!"
"No! He is going to feel this pain, for what he did to all of those innocent lives."
"What would the Allfather say?"
There was a slight hesitation. "He said punishment. He did not specify how."
Loki saw something glint against the light, and a stab against his mouth. He winced and grunted against the pain.
The voice grunted in dissatisfaction. "Not painful enough? Hand me the bigger one."
There was a shuffling, then: "HAND IT TO ME!"
Loki felt something bigger split his lip, and he tied to suppress emotion, only letting a bit of sound escape. It pierced his other lip, and he screamed.
"That is more like it!"
Another pierce, another scream. Loki felt a warm liquid run down his face, and he tried not to sob.
Pierce, scream. The Asgardian who was doing this to his mouth had added something to the needle. Or the thread. Either way, it burned. Like Hel herself had risen from the depths and corroded his mind and mouth.
Pierce, Scream.
It was agonizing. He moved his head.
"Hold him!"
He felt hands on him, and the pain increased, the person sewing moving the needle as an angle that pulled the skin. The threads ripped repeatedly as he cried against them, and for a moment Loki thought he had ripped his own mouth off, and the sewer was more than happy to redo his work…
The Asgardian finished, and both blood and warm tears that had exposed themselves were mixed on the smooth rock in the dungeon where the 'operation' had taken place. Loki, exhausted and aching, started to lose unconsciousness.
And then he felt a sharp pain in his back.
-CURRENT-
The dream had seemed so real to Loki. He had felt the stabs against his mouth, but when he felt at his lips, the skin was smooth, and no trace of any puncture at all. He stood, and gazed at his surroundings. He was in a field, with nothing but grass and a gray sky. How he had gotten there was a mystery. His anger boiled up, and he yelled at the sky, with the fury of a thousand warriors.
"Yeah, I know that feeling."
Loki turned around. A man was standing before him, hands clasped together in the front of his person, wearing a suit.
"Yep, first time here, that's what everyone does. Well, as far as I know."
Loki growled. "The Son of Coul. You shouldn't be here alone."
Phil Coulson smirked. "I think I'll be just fine, but I thank you for your concern."
Loki felt unnerved at his reaction. "Where is your team? Your heroes you are fond of so much?"
Coulson stood up straighter, the pride visually showing. "They're off fighting. Defending the Earth from potential and/or active threats."
"You haven't seen them?"
"Oh no," Coulson smiled. "I've seen them. And they did an excellent job in kicking your ass."
Loki's rage was starting to boil. "You speak as if you want to die."
Coulson shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I have immunity."
"Oh really?" Loki said, a threat of a smirk playing at his face. "And why do you say that?"
The former agent, looking confused, frowned. "You have no idea where you are, do you?"
"Of course, I am on Midgard. If I were not, I would not see you."
Coulson raised his eyebrows and shuffled on his feet. "Oh boy."
Loki was confused. "What?"
Coulson really looked nervous. "Oh, this is my first one, He said this would happen."
"What are you talking about?"
Coulson rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright, I can do this." He stood to his full height, and gained his composure. "Do you remember me?"
"How could I forget? You are the one I killed." Loki froze. Wait…
Coulson nodded. "How did you kill me?"
"I...stabbed you."
"Oh, really?" Coulson unbuttoned his jacked and shirt and exposed his mid-section. It was smooth. "I don't see any scar."
Loki was frantically trying to piece everything together. "No, I remember. It-it went straight through you! I saw! You are dead!"
"Yes," Coulson said calmly. "I am."
They were both silent, looking at each other for a moment. The wind in the field slightly increased, then turned into a soft breeze.
"Why do you think you can't feel the scars, Loki?" Coulson asked. "There's not aftershock of the needle, no back pain. Why do you think that is?"
"It was a dream," Loki said, although his voice betrayed his doubts. "None of that ever happened."
"But it did, Loki. It did."
Loki caught a glimpse of something white behind the man's back. Coulson saw where he was staring.
"Turn around, Loki. Look over your shoulder."
Loki, angrily confused, looked over his shoulder. He fell to the ground in shock as he saw two black wings attached to his back.
"No…all of what has happened…" Loki said, his shaking hands feeling the protrusions behind him. "It is not…I can't…"
"I am sorry, Loki."
Loki looked up.
Coulson sighed. "…but you're dead."
-ASGARD, before-
"Shouldn't we…" the assistant started, "Stop the bleeding?"
The Asgardian in charge didn't reply, instead he wiped his tools clean. "Sit him up," he commanded angrily.
The assistant hurriedly sat Loki up, seeing that the mischief maker was groaning in pain and slipping into unconsciousness.
"He's losing too much blood. He's dying!" the assistant said.
The Asgardian in charge picked up his sword. "Then let me put him out of his misery."
"NO!" The assistant shouted, and tried to lay Loki back down. Instead, he accidentally pushed Loki's body into the sword, straight through the Loki's heart, instantly killing the former Asgardian prince.
Long live the king, indeed.
EDITED: 27 July 2014