Sleep. That was the only thing Loki had that was worthwhile. Frigga, however, disapproved and brought him a generous stack of books upon realizing that her son didn't leave the confines of his bed for a whole day.
"Where else have I to go?" Loki snarkily remarked, his back turned to her.
"You should have at least gotten up to eat," Frigga scolded. The plate of bread and meats she had a servant bring him in the morning remained untouched. "I've talked with Odin, Loki," she continued, hoping to get him to at least look at her. "He will change his mind." Loki answered with a mocking snort. "He will, Loki, or so help me, I will change that man's mind for him!"
"If you have that power, then why not use it now?" the trickster drawled, burying his face deeper into his pillow.
Frigga's mouth formed a thin line as she observed the man. "Because I feel that more time here will do you good. Your attitude is far from pleasant."
At this, Loki slowly rose, stretching his back as he seated himself on the bed's edge. "I fear that I may be forced to serve out Odin's punishment, then," Loki exhaled, eyes fixed to the floor. "A lifetime in a cage..."
"Loki, please do not-" She paused as her son's glassy eyes bore into her own. They were the empty eyes of a lost soul. A man with nothing else left to lose. Whatever happened to the bright, joyful eyes of her little boy? Loki's dead stare and grave expression made Frigga clasp a hand over her mouth in an effort to stifle a choked sob. He used to be so happy… "Forgive me…" The goddess vanished, leaving behind a fading cloud of golden specks. Her little boy was gone, replaced with an empty shell of his former self.
"I am a lost cause, Mother," Loki drawled before relaxing on his side.
Having no sense of time, Loki was unsure of how long Frigga had been absent. Time moved painfully slow and second felt like minutes, and minutes turned into hours. Loki noticed a disruption in the low humming of his cell's electric walls, followed by the gentle clack of porcelain against the hard ground. He assumed that it was his dinner, brought to him only by Frigga's generosity. The scent of beef and potatoes wafted into his nostrils, making the god's stomach growl. He ignored the ache in his gut in hopes that starvation would end him before boredom took its toll. The best part about starving himself was that it made him weak, making sleep come much easier.
Loki found himself in a darkened hallway with slate walls. The air was muggy, making him uncomfortable and eager to find an escape. He spun on his heel, but found no traces of light. Loki chose to blindly venture forward in hopes that he would find his way out of this nightmare.
"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence," Frigga's voice recited.
The trickster froze in place as he looked left, then right. Just up ahead, he spotted the faintest trace of light peeking out from behind a wall. Loki broke out into a sprint, ignoring the sound of his Mother's gentle voice. He rounded the corner and was greeted with a cool breeze. Unlike the previous hallway, this one had candles guiding his path and a scarlet carpet that stretched out towards an open balcony.
"Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism."
Frigga's voice continued to lecture Loki as he ran towards the setting sun at the end of the hall. He ignored the blinding light as fresh air entered his lungs. Even if this was only a dream, Loki felt free. Here, he had an escape, a new world to explore. His feet slowed as the bright orange sun forced him to squint his eyes. Loki lowered his eyes and suddenly noticed that he was standing on a cast shadow of a curvy silhouette in between the shorter shadows belonging to a row of columns. Loki lifted a hand and covered his brow to block the obnoxious sunlight. Standing before a balcony was the unmistakable shape of a woman. Loki didn't dare blink as he observed the curls cascading down her back. Her hair was the colour of the sunset, and her flowing dress the colour of his eyes. Loki had never seen such a woman in all his years. How lucky he was to be alone with such a stunning creature. The woman began to turn and Loki found himself fixated by her delicate feminine curves. She had such small hands, an ample bosom…The blaring sun died down allowing for Loki to make out a smile spread across her full red lips. Loki wondered if he had died and gone to Valhalla.
"Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass."
She was perfect! The woman carefully approached him and Loki flashed her his signature smirk. So graceful, so elegant, she was…"Agent Romanoff," Loki gasped.
Natasha looked up at him beneath her long lashes and winked.
Loki woke with a start, his chest heaving as he felt a cold sweat break out.
"Loki!" Frigga dropped the book she was holding and grabbed her son's hands. "Did you have a nightmare, Loki?" she worriedly asked.
"A dream…" He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
Frigga watched the panic wash away from his eyes before beginning to speak. "Would you care to talk about it?"
Loki closed his eyes and saw Natasha Romanoff staring at him with a knowing smirk. "I heard your voice," he admitted. "It sounded as though you were reciting something. A poem, a story…"
"I thought you were awake." Frigga reached for her book with a smile on her face. "You must be a very perceptive sleeper," she added with a laugh.
Loki didn't answer. He was still reeling from his dream, so fresh in his mind. Everything had felt so real, but weren't all dreams like that?
"Is something the matter, Loki?" Frigga prodded.
"Do you believe that our dreams hold meaning?" he wondered aloud. Frigga was known for having a strong sense of prophecy and he had nothing else better to do.
Frigga hummed in approval as she straightened her posture on the stool where she sat. "What were you dreaming of?"
Loki was hesitant to say anything about a certain assassin, but the prior course of his subconscious wanderings were harmless to divulge. "I was alone," he began. "In complete darkness, and then I heard your voice." Loki could already feel Frigga's vibrant smile. "That was when I found a light that guided me towards an open sky. There was a beautiful sunset…" He paused, recalling Natasha's vibrant red curls. "The most stunning shades of red I have ever seen…"
Frigga handed Loki her leather-bound tome. "You struggle to find the right path," she matter-of-factly stated. "It is I who will help you… And you know that I will help you, Loki." Her hopeful eyes met with his.
Loki stared into Frigga's crystal blue eyes while his mind freely wandered. He firmly believed that Frigga would help him, but what of Natasha? Perhaps she held a key role in helping him find redemption, as well… She would know how to help him better than anyone. The only problem was finding her. Loki's current holding cell restricted his magical abilities, so there was no way he could pull any tricks to contact her. Unless… Luckily, Loki's mind worked quickly. "Thor was waiting for me in that light," he continued. "Accompanied with all of his newfound friends… You don't suppose they play a role in my redemption, as well?"
The goddess' mouth formed an 'o' of surprise. Frigga felt her heart swell when Loki managed a genuine smile. "I will have another word with Odin. I believe that we can work out an agreement…"
"Seems that I have been held, in some dreaming state
A tourist in the waking world, never quite awake
No kiss, no gentle word could wake me from this slumber
Until I realize that it was you who held me under"
Blinding ~Florence and the Machine