Loki was grabbed roughly by Thor, and shoved after the other Avengers. Barton kept glaring over his shoulder, and Loki dropped his eyes to the ground. After being placed in a containment chamber in chains, he gave himself a moment to catch his breath.

Memories of the events in the past few days did not seem to be coming back to Barton, but perhaps with proper focus Loki could make sense of what had gone on. Legs crossed, he sat on the ground with his eyes closed. His head still ached from his encounter with the Hulk, but inklings of memories began to swirl around his mind.

"Loki." Thor's voice roused him from his thoughts, and he lifted his gaze to look his brother in the eye.

"Thor," he began. "I know what you're thinking, but you're going to have to listen to me."

"How could I even begin to listen to you?" his brother lamented. "All this destruction…"

"You don't understand." Loki snapped. "Please, Thor. Do you really think conquering Midgard would benefit me in some way? I would never desire all of this. There is a titan...Thanos. He-"

But Thor shook his head.

"Enough, Loki."

Tears were rolling down the brute's cheeks, and Loki held his tongue. An emotional Thor was usually not to be trifled with.

"I'm taking you back to Father." Thor concluded, after a moment. "He will know what to do with you."

Loki's eyes narrowed as anger flashed through his veins. If Loki were presented to Odin, there would be no telling what would become of him.

"So that's it then? You're just going to toss me at Father? You won't even hear my case?"

"There is no case!" Thor roared. "You destroyed a city of humans. You have no place to defend yourself. I've already informed Father of your treachery, Loki."

Loki glared fiercely at Thor. He had grown dumber since their last encounter, apparently. If he refused to listen, perhaps it would be all too right for Thanos to arrive on the steps of Asgard.

"Fine." Loki seethed. "Don't listen to me...but mark my words: when Thanos arrives, you're going to wish you had."

Thor turned away and called out to someone around the corner.

"Is there any way to silence him?" He could hear his brother demand.

Loki was later muzzled, and dragged down Stark Towers by Thor to make the journey back to Asgard. Thor led Loki across the Bifrost in silence, but Loki could hear an occasional sniffle from his brother.

Looking to distract himself from the agonizingly somber mood, Loki focused on Thor. He looked different from the last time he'd seen his brother. There was an air of fatigue about him now, and despite the tear that glistened in his eye, he seemed more composed. It was then he noticed that the armor covering Thor's forearms had Loki's battle helmet etched on the surface.

Loki's heart sank, and he turned away. Carving a symbol in remembrance of fallen comerades was a sign of utmost respect, and it was a respect that Loki had destroyed after he survived his fall and attempted to conquer Midgard under the grip of Thanos' mind control.

The journey home grew increasingly more difficult as they passed through the streets of Asgard. Children gaped up at Loki in horror, and a group of women turned to whisper amongst themselves as he passed by. A man hurled a mug of ale at Loki's head and shouted insults. Loki winced. If they knew what had really happened, perhaps they wouldn't be so disrespectful.

A memory rushed back to him, and he saw himself standing in front of a kneeling crowd of Midgardians in Germany. The power of the Tesseract had been so alluring under the control of Thanos. It had turned him into something he wasn't. So why, now, did he still crave the authority and power it had given him?

The royal castle loomed ahead of them now, and Loki's heart felt as if it were going to beat out of his chest. Anxiety gripped him. There was a chance Odin would not see him, and could have I'm executed or cast out instead. He took a deep breath. No. Frigga would not allow that...would she?

A wall of guards, the warriors three, and Lady Sif greeted Thor and Loki at the entrance to the castle. Thor shoved Loki roughly to a guard, who led him down a dark staircase to a prison cell. The muzzle was torn from his face, and he sat alone behind a forcefield.

Before he realized he was not alone in the cell.

"Loki," a soft voice murmured from the corner of his cell, and he turned to see his mother.

"Mother!" Loki's voice came out as a squeak, and he rushed over to embrace her.

However, the embrace was cut short as he realized his arms passed through her form.

"You didn't think I'd actually come here, did you?" She asked. "Your father would be furious."

Loki nodded.

"Tell me you didn't really attempt to conquer Midgard," Frigga pleaded, her blue eyes were filled with emotion.

"Unfortunately, I did." Loki admitted. "But I was under some kind of mind control. By a titan named Thanos."

"Thanos?" Frigga repeated.

"I know, it doesn't sound real, but-"

"I believe you."

Loki's jaw dropped.

"Thanos is a name haven't heard in ages." Frigga continued. "Long before you were born, your father had a general…"

Her emotions were almost unreadable as she trailed off. It was as if she were recalling something she'd kept locked away for centuries, but she carried on.

"She was his most trusted general. Together, they united the Nine Realms, but that changed after she came to me to discuss someone she'd met...Thanos."

"Thanos?" Loki echoed.

"She'd told me that Thanos could provide for her a second army to command. It was one that could conquer kingdoms beyond the Nine Realms. The general was frustrated because your father and the other generals did not want anything to do with conquering anything beyond the Nine Realms, and I agreed with them...she became ruthless after that. She attempted to usurp your father's throne, and was the one responsible for the deaths of all of the Valkyrie. And then one day, she disappeared."

"Did she appear to be under Thanos' control?" Loki inquired. "Since I wasn't going to follow his orders willingly, he used a scepter to control me."

"That was the unfortunate thing about this general." Frigga sighed. "She already had it in her nature to be merciless. As strong as she was, she could never control her ambitions."

As Frigga finished her tale, Loki nodded slowly.

"Is that why you never sent Thor and I to assist the Valkyrie?" he asked. "Because she was too strong?"

"Indeed." Frigga sighed. "The Valkyrie all died horrific deaths at the hands of this general, and I didn't want to see my sons die at her hands as well."

"What happened to her?"

"I don't know." Frigga murmured. "Your father faced her, and she was never heard from again. I will talk with your father about your encounter with Thanos. Certainly he will see your case, once he knows the truth."

She smiled at Loki, and placed a hand on his cheek before vanishing. He held back tears as he began to pace his cell. His mother was always so wise, and knew exactly how to help him.

Frigga visited him everyday, even after Odin had sentenced Loki to life imprisonment. She brought him books, and made sure he wasn't alone. It was all too kind of her, but Loki was grateful. He vented frustrations to her, and she listened carefully. Until one day, she stopped coming.

A guard had approached Loki's cell, and inquired after him.

"Loki, I am to inform you of the death of your mother, Queen Frigga." the guard's voice cut Loki like a knife, and he turned his head. "She was killed at the hands of the Dark Elves, defending Lady Jane. I am so sorry."

Loki couldn't breathe, but he nodded politely. Thoughts began to flood his mind. A mere guard was sent to tell him. Would it have killed Thor or Odin to tell him in person? Pain and grief rose in his throat. She was gone. Frigga was gone.

"Thank you," he whispered. "What is your name?"

"Skurge."

"Thank you Skurge."

As Skurge left, Loki let out a cry like a wounded animal, sending everything flying in his cell. The only person who truly cared about him was gone.