The feeling of transposition caused by travelling the Bifrost was a memory still not far from Loki's mind. Despite having briefly felt the raw power of the Tesseract running through his veins, the experience of alternating between worlds via the cube was something else entirely – while the magical bridge had felt smooth and solid, like walking on running water on hasty feet, using the Tesseract to transport two gods back into another realm was a brutal sensation that made Thor and Loki feel detached from their own bodies, the firm grip on the cylinder which held the cube being the only reminder of another presence during the traversing. Although harsh, the journey into the very entrance of Asgard was quick and soon they were both facing the golden gates of the city, where a faint mist covered the air and the magic running through the realm was almost palpable – Odin's sorcerers where still hard at work on repairing the Bifrost, but it would take decades to restore what Mjölnir had destroyed in mere seconds.
Staggering briefly on his feet, Loki immediately felt his brother's hand on his arm, trying to steady him before Loki could reply with a shove and a vicious glare.
"Ah, Heimdall." Loki turned his gaze back to the gates where the keeper was standing, firm as a golden statue which almost passed unnoticed in front of the same coloured gates, "it's good to see you so soon, my friend."
Heimdall offered Thor a short nod, "Prince Thor," and gave Loki a long glance, his face betraying nothing but his resentment evident, "I see your mission has been successful, I imagine the Alfather must want to hear about it at once."
Thor nodded in reply and placed a hand on Loki's arm again, this time meeting no resistance, "Aye, I shall have words with him right now."
Trying to work his aching jaw against the cold metal of the muzzle, Loki fixed Heimdall with murderous eyes before sensing Thor nudging him forward and following him through the gates. The walk to the palace itself was long and vexing on Loki, although the streets where deserted and he wouldn't have to put up with the people's… surprise? Fear? Disgust? He did not know how much the population of Asgard was allowed to know of the recent events but Loki was certain the imminent destruction of Jotunheim and the conspiracy to take over the Asgardian throne were common knowledge by now; he had never been beloved – tolerated, yes; feared, sometimes, but never loved. The people's love was for Thor, the golden prince who would soon take the crown and rule Asgard for centuries of new found glory, having returned from his exile wiser and kinder than the Alfather himself could have hoped. Loki grimaced behind his restrain and let himself be led the entire way, unable to help feeling thankful for whatever caused the emptiness of the place – time enough for mass terrorising later – if he could not be King he would not be a laughing stock either.
Thor's silence was surprising to Loki, having expected his so called brother to begin his endless and insufferable word play on redemption and forgiveness as soon as he had the chance to do so again. Loki was both glad and enraged at the small feeling of emptiness which sat on his stomach – the moment he rejected Thor's final plea by stabbing him must have sunk a lot lower in Thor's mind than he thought.
As soon as their feet touched the palace's entrance, the doors swung open with barely a whisper and two guards made their way to receive the trickster and his captor.
"My Prince, the Alfather will see you immediately in the Crown Hall", one of the guards bellowed to the empty space in front of him, keeping his eyes respectfully off Loki's undignified stance.
Thor nodded curtly and walked ahead of the guards, pulling Loki along, and the gates closed firmly behind their backs. The main hall was filled with a mere dozen of Asgardian guards, all with firm postures which left no room for analysis – 'they are good', thought Loki, 'I imagine they are dying to look at me openly, to see the little scoundrel dragged back to his cage as a war criminal'. Finally at the Crown Hall, Thor was announced into the room by the guard at the entrance and the still far away figure of Odin stood up from the throne in the opposite side of the Hall where his throne seemed to be the only thing noticeable against the plain walls.
"Approach", commanded the Alfather's echoing voice.
From the distance, Loki could see he sat alone, Frigga's absence was both a relief and a bother to Loki who did not know what to expect of his adoptive mother, she was too fond of emotion for his liking, whether she would reach with joy or heartbreak to his return and the state of it, Loki did not want to fathom.
They approached the throne and, under Odin's never wandering gaze, Thor finally let go of his brother's arm and kneeled, keeping a motionless expression on his still injured face. Loki glanced briefly at his torso and quickly identified the slit in his armour where his blade had pierced mere hours earlier, the amount of dry blood proving the shallowness of the injure.
"My son. I am glad to see you back with us unharmed." Odin descended the couple of steps at a slow pace, the recent graveness of events gnawing on his already heavy mind. He motioned Thor into rising and placed a hand on his shoulder, ignoring Loki in favour of offering his heir a tired smile. "I thank you for resolving the matter so quickly, you have proven yourself once more." Loki could not gather the energy to roll his eyes at that and would have hardly have had the chance to do it before Odin's gaze was on him, taking in his shackles and his muzzle before setting firmly on his leering eyes, "And you, my son. It gives me great joy to have you back, no matter under which circumstances." At the mention of himself as Odinson, Loki jerked violently against his restrains, immediately feeling Thor's physical presence near him, preventing him from truly fighting. 'I am not your son!You will all pay, I will take what is rightfully mine and you shall all pay then! You do not know what is coming!' all these unspoken works fought at the surface of Loki's lips, stubbornly blocked by the steel at his mouth. His gaze would have to be enough, Loki assumed as he looked at the Alfather with as much hate as he could muster. Odin ignored his protests and placed both hands on his shoulders, the tight grip sharply noticeable even beneath his armour, Loki froze and waited, "I do not need to tell you this as I'm sure you are aware of it, but the manner in which you have been brought back was forced by yourself and not a mere capriccio from our part. You have hurt many, Loki, you have destroyed innocent lives in the name of your thirst for power and your madness has proven beyond repair. For that, I am truly sorry, my son."
Feeling the last remark as a slap to the face, Loki let himself fall under the stern pressure of Odin's hands, landing hard on his knees before the Alfather and fixing him with now blood-red eyes as he let his true form take place, the blue quickly eating through his pale Aesir façade. Thor sucked in a shocked breath by his side but remained in his place. Odin merely let his expression grow sadder as he took a step back and regarded Loki's figure briefly before sighing deeply and continuing, "For all the wrong I have done you, Loki, I deserve no apology, but know that no matter what blood runs in your veins, you are of Asgard and you are my son. Your mother was left heart-broken ever since she learned of your treachery… your fall is still mourned across the entire realm."
'Lies. Lies. You call me silver tongued and yet all you still do is lie!', his sharpened vision while in Jotum form undulated slightly as he felt tears prickling against his eyes.
"Your crimes as King Regent two years ago shall meet no punishment at my hand. Your brother has never held you any grudge to begin with so you require no forgiveness from him.", Loki looked sharply up at Thor, whose head was bent down, his face unreadable. "For your doings in Midgard, however, you shall meet Asgardian justice, as it is here your home, and I your King. You shall remain in custody of the royal guard as you await your sentence, deprived from any connection to the outside… and deprived of all weaponry."
Weaponry? Loki fought a frown and was momentarily disgusted at the cold trail left by a treacherous tear which slowly made its way down his cheek. He let himself return to his Aesir form and from the corner of his eye saw Thor's posture relaxing a little. Odin got down on one knee and placed a hand against the steel muzzle trapping the trickster's words, "Your magic will serve you no purpose here for it is weak and detached from its core now that the Tesseract is kept safe. Therefore you shall be deprived of your strongest weapon."
"Father—," Thor begun, suddenly understanding.
"I will not hear another word on the matter, Thor. Your brother will fulfil confinement in limited freedom, but he will not be allowed to plot any form of escape or manipulate others. That is my final saying."
Loki's eyes widen as two guards approached him from behind and he felt a gentle nudge on his ribs propelling him to stand up. As he did so, he was immediately taken a hold of, one guard grabbing at each of his arms and pulling him into an upright position facing the King. Odin walked slowly back towards the throne, turning to his sons once more and giving Thor a stern look before directing his words at Loki and his handlers, "You shall be taken to your chambers, cleaned, your gag removed and your wounds shall be cleansed. You shall then await us, as your last words may be spoken in the fashion of your understanding… have mercy on your mother, Loki, if you are unfit to show it for anyone else, at least to the smallest of kindness for one who loves and cares for you so," at Loki's barely noticeable flinch, Odin gestured the guards away, who pulled the prisoner with great effort in the direction of the once-prince's chambers. Loki had finally reached the meaning behind Odin's sentence and the prospect in front of him was just unbearable enough to make a wave of fresh anger flare through his mind between a stream of curses and threats continuously muted. Soon enough he'd have a chance to scream all the monstrosities he desired but the point in it seemed lost now that his future was certain…. At least for the moment, at least until the inevitable happened.
Loki knew his feats in Midgard were not to be pay for in the simple form of Asgardian justice – no, there were many things, big things coming, and his adopted family and their beloved human pets had no idea of the collective price to pay for their victory and Loki's defeat. Silence seemed like a much more rewarding option at the moment, especially considering he'd probably be accused of lying once again – lying to save his skin, lying to seed panic, lying as it is the only thing he could do anymore and soon the only thing he would never be able to do again.
