The Prisoner and the Princess
Jane looked through the magic wall at the man in the luxurious cell. There was a part of her that wanted to hit him and yell at him, and yet another part of her wanted to hug him and tell him it would be OK. He looked so fragile, so broken, his raven hair dishevelled and tangled. She knew he had an illusion up even now, but she could see clearly through it. Every once in a while her eyes would flick between the real him, the broken and battered one, and the illusion, the mocking, dangerous man. "You aren't a monster, you know. Monsters don't hate themselves for what they've done." She said softly, her quiet voice barely above a whisper. Loki looked shocked, and his illusion fell altogether. Jane could see the cell much clearer now, now the illusion had faded. Furniture was strewn about, the once luxurious cell becoming a glorified hell. She could see the injuries on his body, the loneliness in his eyes. And she could see the pain. It hurt her, to see someone in such a state. Loki smiled mischievously. "Why have you come here?" he asked with an attempt of an amused tone. Everything about him seemed exhausted. "I'm not sure," Jane admitted. She waited a while before viciously adding, "I suppose I wanted to meet the man who screwed up my life and tried to kill the one I love." Jane winced at the harshness of her own words. She didn't mean for them to sound as cruel as they had. Loki's smile widened. "Okay, now I really do want to hit you," she muttered quietly to herself so he wouldn't hear her. He was starting to really get on her nerves. Loki stood up, and walked cautiously to the front of the cell, where Jane stood. Now all that separated them was the magical barrier. "Does my dearest brother know you've come?" He asked with a twinge of sarcasm. Jane shook her head. "No." she confirmed. "Well, I'm honoured," he said with a smirk. Jane was uncertain of herself. Now that Loki had come so close to her, she could see flecks of fear and anger in his eyes, blazing brighter than any fire. Jane wasn't sure if she hated or pitied him. Really, though, a part of her feared him. She knew who this man was, what he was capable of. She knew he was dangerous, and that she should stay away. Yet a tiny part of her was drawn to him, compelled by him. Her scientific mind was fascinated by him. "So to what do I owe this honour?" he asked, his smile still playing on his lips. "I… don't know," she replied quietly and uncertainly, moving slowly backwards as she said so. One more step and she would be out of there. She turned her back to Loki and ran. He was still smirking.
Jane was out of breath when she reached her beautiful room in the palace. She wasn't sure why she had run. She wasn't even sure why she visited Loki in the first place. She knew Thor would be furious if he found out, but she didn't care. He could shove it up his ass. The broken expression on Loki's face still pricked in her memory, making Jane even more determined to visit him again. Even if she knew it was wrong, she wanted to help him. The only challenge was to make sure Thor never found out. There was a knock at the door and Thor entered. "Jane, are you ok? You look exhausted," he commented, carefully observing her face. "No, no, I'm fine." Jane lied, adding a small smile for good measre. She took in Thor's appearance – nothing much was different from a year ago when they had first met. So much had happened since then. Heck, she was in Asgard! He was in Asgardian clothes, obviously, as they were in Asgard. His long blond hair had grown a bit, and his eyes had turned the colour of ash. The battle of Manhattan took a great toll on him, and she knew he was greatly concerned for his adopted brother. She wanted to tell him about her visit to Loki, but she knew she couldn't. It hurt her to keep such a big secret from him. "Jane, you look distressed," Thor noticed. His words brought Jane out of her stupor. "Wha- What? No don't be ridiculous," she laughed nervously, "I need to go for a REALLY long walk." She made her way to the door. Thor grabbed her arm gently. "Jane, wait. Perhaps I can accompany you," he suggested. Jane just shook his arm off and kept walking. "No, that's ok. I need to walk alone." She walked quickly forward, leaving Thor behind, confused and a little upset.
