Hi guys! I'm impressed with the reviews I received. I appreciate all of them! Honestly I didn't think it would gain that much attention but well, you guys still took the time to review!
So although this is a late update (due to some reasons like exams and Internet crash) I hope the reward will make up for it!
And yes, it is confirmed, I will continue this as a multi-chaptered fic.
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Title:
BENEATH THE FROZEN SURFACE
Complete Summary:
"Save him…save this world…" He choked the words. His expression didn't falter from its iron stillness. But he couldn't deny the overwhelming emotions any longer.
"Take my life instead." It was almost a whisper and he struggled to raise his head to look up at the being before him. "I will take his place in Hela's realm…I will pay for whatever these people have done to experience this…" He paused, his voice getting caught up in the sob trying to escape his lips. "—But…but give me the chance to let this child—" He hesitantly cradled the little bump of his stomach, "—see this world as how it should be…and be with his father…"
An agonized breath escaped from his lips. The grief was suffocating him.
Warning:
Might not be the update you are expecting. Ehehehe .
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CHAPTER ONE:
IN THE STRINGS OF FATE
Glassy eyes stared blankly at the golden strings continuously coiling around the magical spool placed on top of the equally mystifying machinery. The mechanism looked more like a piece of art only meant for display rather than an instrument that's been handed down to generations and generations of the Norn heritage. For a few moments, the owner of those reflective eyes that seemed to travel miles of distances, blinked in return of her consciousness.
There was no sadness in her expression but the warm liquid fell mercilessly from her eyes. She blinked again to attempt stopping it. The tears stubbornly carried on its course as if they have a mind of their own.
She breathed in as much air in her lungs as she could and there was no denying the trembling in her throat when she had exhaled.
With a swipe of her elegant hands, she covered her palms over her face.
What she saw was heart wrenching. She couldn't describe it any other way. Whether it was a good or bad thing, she couldn't say for sure. The vision was so raw, so real. She felt it. It was like she was there in that very place when—
She waved her head. A smile slowly graced her lips. No matter what the future holds for someone, she would never dare question it. She was a powerful being. The Queen of Asgard. And mother to two sons she would not, in her centuries of existence, ever abandon.
She didn't have to decide on where she was going to head as soon as she stood up from her chair. Exiting her room with the swipe of her silk dress trailing behind her like the wings of a fairy, she walked confidently towards the room of her second son.
…
Loki didn't look up even when he heard his door being opened. He didn't wait for whomever it was that had taken the time to visit him. However, the familiar fragrance that faintly clouded his chamber told him that it was his mother. Of course, it would be her. She was the only one he had ever believed in when she promised she would never let go of her son—of him.
"My dear Loki…" Frigga said in that adoring voice of hers. Her tone pained Loki for he didn't deserve such love. And she called him in a way as if her son had committed nothing evil.
Loki didn't answer. He didn't turn. His slender figure that eventually deteriorated into a sickly malnourished body remained on its position on the bed. His weight didn't even so much as cause a dip on the royal cot. It was hard to look at those skin and bones clothed within the silk emerald robes.
When Frigga was about to say something, she was cut off as the raven-haired god finally spoke.
"Are you here to remind me to prepare for my banishment? I will do so in a moment. I am sorry if I have wasted some of your time." He said in a voice so small as if there will be further damage he would inflict if he so much as made his tone louder.
Frigga controlled herself. Her own weakness has no place in this situation with her beloved son. Instead of the usual comforting words that wanted to come out of her mouth, the Queen approached the curled up form of her son. He was sitting on his sheets and had his chin placed between his pulled up knees. His embrace around his own form tightened when he felt Frigga move over to him. He looked as if he wanted to make himself smaller and hide from this enormous room he no longer deserved. He would do so literally—if only he had his power.
Frigga didn't hesitate when she gently placed a hand over Loki's intertwined ones. The fallen prince flinched and he curled into himself further.
"So much for a grown man, Loki." He was surprised to hear his mother chuckling like there was something so amusing. But maybe he appeared amusing now. He would laugh at himself if only he still had the right to even feel that kind of sensation.
"Stop curling like a child looking so guilty about stealing a pastry from the kitchens." Frigga's voice was animated. Her chortling stopped short though, for her son had looked at her in shock. She wanted him to face her but not with that kind of expression. If she didn't have her emotions in check, tears would again cloud her mind.
"Is this it?" The fallen prince's voice trembled. He still had his godly beauty but it was darkly obscured by the lost and broken façade invading his heart and thoughts. "To see if I am really grinding my head rewinding everything I did and feeling the regret for the rest of my existence?"
Frigga remained still on her position and stared at her son. Her face was impassive but beneath that, she was overflowing with understanding.
"Yes…" Loki gasped. His emerald eyes shimmered but tears had never fallen from them. And there was no way he would do so now.
"I am guilty. I am guilty about what I did—about the lives I've selfishly taken away." He had been uttering the same words for all the years of his punishment. Nevertheless, it wouldn't stop him from saying them over and over again. It was the greatest reminder of his failures.
"I am guilty about my own life. For being lied to, for feeling jealousy and hatred overcome my senses and bringing innocent beings into their last breaths." His face has turned red while all the words he had kept spilled continuously from his stitch-scarred lips.
The Queen was still silent. However, her façade was gradually melting.
"Why…? Why are you letting me live? You should've never pulled me out of Hela's realm. You should've just let me stop fr—!"
That was the limit of Frigga's control. She would never be as tough as her husband in being able to keep his emotions at bay despite it already killing him inside.
She grabbed those thin, terribly damaged hands of her son and brought them to her lips. Loki had instantly tried to twist them away. But the obvious weakness, even against the delicate strength of his mother, the fallen prince failed to get out of the firm grasp. Not a moment longer, the Queen was embracing the whole of his body—the once unblemished beautiful skin that was now filled with ugly marks.
The prince's body had received horrendous amounts of torture. There was not a single power left in him to back him up. His body had to survive against the horrifying poison surrounding the Underworld, Hela's kingdom. He had undergone the numbing mental torment by the order of the Council. There was no time for healing as the sentences were done consecutively.
He was not considered a warrior and no one ever acknowledged his strength. And when he still remained breathing after all those merciless punishments, the Asgardian people were woken up to a realization they will never admit they'd see.
The prince has accepted all of their accusations and disappointments. He survived the punishments for the sole reason to prove he was willing to pay for everything he had done; not only to the realm he had attempted to take over but also for the misunderstandings he created inside their minds.
They all witnessed how much he had fallen. Despite that, the dark prince didn't lose his sanity. He didn't drop like an empty shell drained of its life.
Because of that, he gained the respect Loki had once tried so hard to achieve. Yes he was a war criminal, a taint to the golden pillars of Asgard, but with the way he handled everything that heavily poured down upon his remorse, the years of imprisonment was over.
It might have been impossible but he was forgiven.
Only the prince himself would never allow it.
"Please my son…" She was rocking him just like when he was a child and was calming down from a nightmare.
"Please don't say you'd rather die—"
"I deserve to d—!"
"Don't!" The Queen didn't mean to scream near his ears but she couldn't help it. She needed him to hear her clearly.
"A mother could only take so much agony… I will not survive if I lose you, my dear son…"
"I am not… your son." Loki said but it came out so weak.
"You will live Loki." She kissed her son's temple.
"You have to continue living." She whispered and breathed in the scent that was uniquely the raven god.
All of the things she saw in the vision of the threads had brought a lot of hope in her heart. Loki's life would change. He would change. He will begin to understand his real self. He will have the life he truly deserved.
Eventually, he will let himself love.
…
Thor never stopped glancing at his side to his brother. As they passed along the waiting crowd, the younger of the two walked silently with his head persistently bowed down. The Asgardian heir knew that stance. He was forced to be used to it during the years of Loki's punishment. Even when at one point he was too frustrated looking at his brother in that unnerving posture, he had boldly held the fallen prince's chin and tilted his face up. The action was a bit childish and it might even been harsh but he didn't care at the time. He only wished for his brother to still have that 'life' in him. And he realized Loki had lost that as the god of Mischief's eyes never left the ground.
The crowd was here to show some kind of support for the younger prince. Their faces were expressionless but the strength of their aura made it clear to those who were observing that they were present not to witness Loki's exile but to transfer their spirits' encouragement. It was odd to say but they were now conceding the concern they have for their second prince. It was not an all out acceptance, but it was a very big deal as they were people of Asgard.
Small thumping sounds neared where Thor and Loki was. Thor stopped when a child's voice called out.
"Wait!"
The guards were about to move to get the child but Thor gestured to stay in their positions when the boy looked at the Asgardian heir with a meaningful expression.
"Yes, child? What is it that you need?" Thor let go of his hold on his brother when the boy asked for him to bend down so he could whisper something in his ear.
By the time Thor stood back up, his face was slightly contorted in confusion. Yet, the boy's eager appearance had melted his uncertainty. Thor smiled at the small child and was confident that Loki wouldn't hurt the boy.
"My name's Petierre…" The boy introduced a bit shyly and tugged on Loki's bony hand. When the dark-haired prince didn't so much as flinch, a determined look flashed on Petierre's face.
"Won't you look at me, dear Prince?"
Loki couldn't help but change the way the boy addressed him.
"I'm not…a pr—" His breathing sound of a voice was cut off by the small hands that suddenly tightened on one of his.
"Here." Petierre squealed cheerfully. He moved his short fingers and maneuvered Loki's hand, opening his white palm to reveal the ornament the boy placed in it.
There was the symbol of the tree of Yggdrasil. The pendant was perfectly cut and made out of the purest gold. In the middle, an emerald stone was placed beneath the golden roots of the tree of life. Above it, white gold made up the replica of thread strings that served as the connector for the neck chain.
He didn't mean to, he wasn't supposed to, but it seemed Loki's head automatically stared unbelievingly at the bright face of the boy.
"It's yours!" Petierre was nodding in excitement, making it a point that the prince will not doubt it was being given to him. "I had it made by my father. He's very skilled at craftsmanship. He's the best in Asgard!"
There were positive reactions from the crowd. Although they had been subtle about it, the lifted masks of their facades revealed their true feelings.
Thor was snapped out of his shock by the enormous change in the atmosphere. He saw the kid gesturing for him and knew after a few more hints from the child that he was being asked to put the necklace on his brother.
Loki wasn't able to stop the slight flinch of his body when Thor's large hand covered his. A moment later, his silken black locks concealing his neck were being cleared to the right side of his head. What came next was the feeling of the cold jewelry. The sensation of it on his skin was unfamiliar yet it wasn't in the least bit uncomfortable.
He didn't notice Thor smiling adoringly at him as he concentrated his eyes on the pendant now resting on the spot just high above his chest, although he didn't dare touch it.
He also didn't notice the way the crowd had completely lost whatever heavy feeling affected their bearing before this very unexpected boy showing his admiration to the prince like he was his role model—like he had not been aware of his real crimes.
Loki couldn't afford to reject this child's gift. He opened his mouth to offer his thanks but the child made him speechless when he felt the small yet strong pressure of Petierre's hug.
"Please stay safe to wherever you're going!" The boy said.
Right after that, he went back to his father whom Loki didn't miss, was also smiling like he was truly proud of his son.
"Come on, brother." Thor slapped the younger prince's back enthusiastically. The strength was miscalculated as Loki stumbled forward. The golden prince expected a glare but the other prince seemed to have only managed a controlled gasp.
Thor tried again and this time, he only placed a gentle hand around Loki's arm. They moved forward again until they were both in front of Odin and Frigga. They have undoubtedly witnessed what occurred in the small delay they had treading through the bridge. The Queen didn't hide her vibrant smile and the glance she directed at the beautiful necklace her son was now wearing. On the other hand, Odin's face had a weary expression. It was not of unconcerned façade but of a father battered by the punishment he was expected to give to his adopted son—to his son. He may have been firm and vicious when he gave affirmations regarding the types of punishments Loki would have to undergo, but he never took part in the sessions. He also didn't ask of the progress for he wouldn't be able to stay King if such horror would be marked in his mind. Just the thought of Loki's sufferings and the necessity of his chastisement was enough to bring nightmares in Odin's chambers. And only Frigga knew about those moments of weakness.
"Loki…" It was Frigga who made to move and gathered the prince into her arms with all of her warmth and love in that contact. She pulled away and held him on his shoulders, one hand raising the younger prince's head. Surprisingly, he looked into his mother's eyes. "Remember what I told you, my dear Loki." She gave him a meaningful look and gave him another of those sweetest smiles of hers.
Pulling back, his eyes came back admiring the prism like surface of the renewed bifrost.
"My son…" It was Odin's voice. "You will have what you have here back when you have understood how the mortals you've given pain value their lives."
It might've sounded accusing as the King of Asgard always had that monotonous tone in his deep voice.
There was silence.
When Thor decided it was time and that there will be no other things to be said, he moved to guide his brother again towards the entrance of the fixed portal—where Heimdall could be found guarding in his original post.
What stopped this next moment was Odin's broad body engulfing his second son in a powerful embrace. Despite this show of affection in public, the crowd wasn't what took the King's attention. It was the frail body of his son and the lack of strength coursing through those veins.
"You haven't taken cared of yourself…" The King said, as he was aware that it was Loki who neglected taking food into his system. "I have failed in taking care of you. Do not fail yourself because of my foolishness in ignoring what you needed the most."
An orange yellow light glowed all over Loki as Odin's power surged through him towards his son's form. The fallen prince's eyes widened as he felt the magic crawl through his body and boosted up his strength. It didn't built back up the muscles, though.
With Odin finally pulling away, Frigga gasped at what she was no longer seeing. Tears sparkled in her eyes and she once again held Loki. She slid off his sleeves and was overjoyed to see the skin flawless from any torture marks and wounds. She wouldn't need to see the other parts to know that it has been smoothed clear of blemishes as well. Her power hadn't been effective enough to produce that perfection. And Odin had just done the physical healing.
Odin's blue eyes were now being met by the green ones of Loki.
His scars were gone. He expected not to receive back his powers.
And now it's time for the final phase of his journey to redemption.
He was going back to Earth.
Back to the place he attempted to conquer…
The place that will soon destroy him back.
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Gosh! Was it boring? I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!
I had to do this chapter if I was going to really start with the plot progress. It is also a way to explain how this story is going to flow.
But despite that, I hope you still liked this chapter. I really hope you did! And that I wouldn't lose reviewers and follows because of this.
Anyway, please READ and REVIEW! I'd really appreciate it and it will greatly help me to update faster. .
See you soon! [I hope… Eheheheh….]