Chapter 3
Prisoner
Loki
"Our mother wishes to visit with you, Brother," Thor informed Loki one afternoon.
A few days had past since they'd returned to Asgard. Loki, as he was sentenced, had spent every waking hour at Thor's side. He did not speak, for he was required to wear the mask at all times. Thor talked to him though, every once and a while.
Loki did not make any response to Thor's statement. He stared blankly ahead without making any sign that he'd even heard. Thor sighed.
"Come, Brother. Follow me," Thor instructed, leading the way to Frigga's private chambers where she awaited the arrival of her sons.
Loki followed but only because he had to. That was part of his punishment; being bound to Thor's will. The older brother could have asked him to jump off a cliff and Loki would have done so. It reminded Loki of the blind loyalty he once had for his brother, and that that his brother held for Odin.
Thor knocked on the door to his mother's room.
"Is that you, Thor?" she called from inside.
"Yes, mother. I have brought Loki, as you requested," Thor replied, pushing the door open as he did so.
The two walked into the elaborate gold and white room. Frigga's private chambers were almost as large as the feast hall, able to fit all the inhabitants of the palace plus many guests. But it was only the queen who resided inside.
She sat on a plush chair in front of a vanity mirror, combing her golden waves of hair. When she saw her sons enter, the queen got to her feet and rushed to their side.
"Oh, Loki!" she sobbed, wrapping her arms around his frail shoulders.
Loki did not know how to react. He'd expected only more punishment from the Queen of Asgard. He'd expected her to hate him, as Odin did. He did not expect her to hug him and cry into his chest.
He stood, rigid, frowning beneath his mask. All of Loki's instincts ordered him to embrace his mother, but the rational part of his mind argued with that. 'She isn't your mother. The woman is a liar!'
Besides, a thin golden chain that connected the magical inhibitor cuffs that he wore round his wrists held Loki's arms together. The chain may have been thin but it was unbreakable. Loki had tried.
At last, Frigga collected herself. She blotted her eyes with a dainty white linen and pulled herself from her son's torso.
"Oh, Loki…" she murmured, looking up at him with watery blue eyes. "How I wish that you could speak!"
Thor cleared his throat. "Have you not the key to his mask, mother?" he asked, keeping his voice low as if discussing a dark secret.
Sorrowfully, the queen shook her head. "Odin has the only one. Oftentimes I have begged him for it, but he always denies me the chance to talk to my own son," Frigga explained. Once more, she burst into messy tears, causing her makeup to run down her face.
Thor gently took the handkerchief from his mother and used it to dab away the tears. He kissed her forehead.
"Mother, I have work to be done. Might my brother stay with you, for the time being?" he asked.
"If that is allowed, I would very much like it," the queen replied.
"I have the power to decide what is and is not allowed," Thor said, smiling. "Loki, stay here with Frigga," he kindly ordered.
"Where are you going?" Frigga asked him as he reached the door.
"I promised to speak with the Lady Sif. I would have brought my brother with me, but the lady wishes not to be in his presence," Thor explained, shooting Loki a sheepish look.
"Very well," Frigga replied, smiling fondly upon her eldest son.
When the door shut behind Thor, Frigga turned to Loki.
"Sit down, my son," she gestured to a plush chair in velvet upholstery.
Loki consented, though he scowled at her over the top of the metal device that constricted the bottom half of his face.
'The woman is a fool. How dare she still call me her son?' he silently fumed.
Loki had long since accepted the fact that Thor would continue to say the word "brother" when referring to him. It did not please him but there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't like he could argue with Thor, seeing as he couldn't speak.
Frigga was teary eyed again.
"My poor Loki! I thought you were dead!" she sobbed, clutching his arm.
He refused to look her in the eye. 'I wish I had died," he thought.
"I know what this feels like, Loki," she said, her face suddenly sullen and serious.
Loki could not express his doubt in any better way than by arching one thin black eyebrow.
"You are angry because we hid from you the truth of your birth for so long," she said.
'They lied to me my entire life! I was never more than a stolen relic! I was a monster they brought home to use as a legion!'
"And you think that because you are not our child by birth, that we cannot love you as such," Frigga continued.
'Ah, but it's true! Who could love someone like me? A monster! I am the thing you have feared your entire life!'
"But, my son, you are wrong." The queen leaned forward, peering into Loki's green eyes with her blue ones. "We are your family because we raised you. And we love you!"
'Love is what Thor has been showered in all his life. Love is power. Love is a kingdom! No one loves me!' Loki was screaming inside his head. '…Except possibly Gem. She could have loved me. But even then, I never deserved her love. I betrayed her and used her,' he thought, morosely,
There had been a time when Loki had thought he would be able to relieve the burden of his betrayal by avenging Gemma's past. But that had not been his place. He wasn't an avenger, he was a killer, and the mortal girl deserved someone who she could rely one 100% of the time. Still, 'If I could return to Midgard would she kiss me like she once did? Would I be able to redeem myself in her eyes?'
"You are not the monster you think you are," Frigga said, speaking soulfully and bringing Loki back to the present.
Loki didn't bother to suppress the shudder of rage that shook his body. His eyes snapped to the queen's squelching her speech when they turned blood red. He felt his skin tingle and without looking, he could tell that he'd transformed into his true form, a Jotun.
Frigga's face paled but the light did not go out of her eyes.
"I am your mother, Loki. You will always be beautiful in my eyes!" her voice was forceful and strong, throwing Loki off guard. "To me it matters not what you look like, for I know that inside is my son and the ice has not yet frozen your heart, though it may run in thine veins!"
Loki slumped back in his seat, the blue draining from his skin; melting like ice. It was too hard to hold his true form; the cuffs around his wrists must have recognized his heritage as a threat, for they were now working on sealing him inside his Aesir shell. He closed his eyes and one single tear dripped from his dark lashes. It left a trail of frost in its path as it ran down his cheek.
Frigga used the hem of her dress to wipe it away.
"I love you, my beautiful, intelligent worthy son."
AN: this is just a short chapter that I pulled out before I leave tomorrow. Thanks for reading! And thanks for the reviews!
