Sorry for the delay, I had exams.

molescout: Bravo! Right you are.
Ynath Esrith: I agree with you. Gods are based on people who worship them and the Vikings were just like that, only less cultivated. They were one of the most cruel folks in Europe.
StarTrekFanWrtter: Thank you! Well, I needed a heroine who actually had a reason to help Loki. And, of course Loki wasn't in his right mind. First he was mad from grief and second he had Thanos in his head. He may not have been manipulated/forced to do it but during the he wasn't exactly sane. And there was the threat..
ZizFox and Guest: Thank you!

According to her calculations she was supposed to be fifty second person in line to punish Loki. Royal family would be the first unless the loss of magic counted as their share of the punishment. After them were the high lords with ties to the house of Odin. Their families included. Next would be Frigga's relatives and then the lords from the council. Even though her father was one of Odin's closest friends and advisors, he wasn't even in the first fifty of the nobles to deliver punishment. And then it was her turn. Had her mother been alive, she would have waited a bit longer, though in this situation every second seemed like and hour.

She hoped that he'd be conscious by the time she got to him. She slaved all night by her little cauldron and prepared two potions. One to block the pain and to prevent the internal damage to his body and the other to prevent his wounds from infecting. The first was called the internal shield. It originated from Svartalfheim. They used it to help their spies to withstand the torture. It would numb the body and form a shield directly underneath the skin. That one particular quality made it interesting. The wounds didn't heal externally. The other was something that dwarfen healers used on the battlefield. It was called liquid fire and its appliance has saved many limbs. It was usually given with anaesthetic since it practically burned off anything harmful. Just like alcohol, only stronger.

She poured the potions into two bottles of dark glass, the internal shield into smaller and the liquid fire into a bigger one. She didn't want anyone figuring out that the potions were actually meant to help Loki.

She dressed herself with special care that morning. She choose her favorite dress. It was a white one made of silk and it had a bright red ribbon underneath her chest with a sash to match. Since it was summer, she opted not to wear her red cloak. Carefully, she took a small leather purse and put the potions in it. She left her room to meet he father. It was almost time.

They woke Loki just before dawn. Even though he was an early riser and didn't need much sleep, it bothered him. He didn't usually wake before dawn. He wasn't given anything to eat or drink before he was roughly dragged to the courtyard. There he was stripped bare. The only piece of clothing left to him was actually the braies of white linen which ended little above his knees. He didn't even tried to struggle. It was useless. They chained him to two wooden pillars and then it began.

His, no, royal family appeared first, after them were the rest of the nobles and than the commoners. Odin stared to speak:

"My fellow Asgardians. I give you Loki the traitor to punish him as you see fit. The herald will call out your names and you will present your form of punishment."

Oh, now I have to listen to their little speeches as well? he thought. That alone he considered punishment enough. Now he would really see how cruel and bloodthirsty were the Asgardians. Not that he needed the proof, he knew it all along. Then he heard herald's voice. He called out for his brother. Loki smirked inwardly while Frigga stared crying again. He was surprised that they called out for the god of thunder but not as much as Thor. He heard him pleading with Odin, trying to say no but all in vain. He was so shocked at what he was supposed to do that he forgot to give a speech. With tears in his eyes Thor said:

"I'm sorry brother" and then Mjölnir connected with his spine.

Thor didn't take a big swing, in fact he tried not swinging at all, but it hurt. He actually gained the whole new level of appreciation for his strength. What the Hulk did to him in the Stark tower couldn't even compare. He could almost imagine purple and blue bruises forming on his back. Then herald called for the next. For some reason Loki was glad that it was not Frigga.

To say that she was surprised that Odin made Thor to deliver the blow was an understatement. Yes, she expected that the Royal family will either deliver some sort of punishment or none at all, but this? To spare Frigga and to make Thor deliver the blow... That she did not expect. She wasn't particularly fond of the elder prince but this was unfair. It was clear as day that he didn't want to do it.

And then, there were the others. So much hate sickened her. Even now they played their games. Few who wanted to gain Frigga's favor went easy on Loki. Some who wanted to gain Odin's were quite hard on him and those who actually hated him were even worse.

Loki was whipped, cut, hit with heavy objects, burned with open flames and hot iron. One of the nobles even asked for his muzzle to be removed so he could pull out Loki's tongue. She knew that it would grow back but such cruelty was unnecessary. Frigga wept bitterly and begged Odin to stop this madness.

Then the herald called out for her father. He said that he held no particular slight against the prince. And then he hit him with a whip once, not lightly but not too hard either. He wasn't a cruel man. When her father returned to his place she heard the herald calling out her name:

"Elin Idasdóttir." She swallowed and slowly made her way to the pillars.

There hang Loki, bruised, battered and bloody. His wound were even worse up close. His whole back was a huge red mess. His long black hair was caked with his own blood but in his green eyes there was that spark. They spoke volumes of what he thought of Asgardians and what must have thought of her as well. She opened her pouch, pulled out the potions turned to the crowd and said:

"I will use no weapon on Loki. Here, I have two potions, one to heighten his senses and make his skin more sensitive so he may feel his punishments better and one to keep him conscious while you deliver the blows."

Elin turned her back to the crowd and crouched next to Loki. Gently she cupped his face and turned it to her. Unconsciously she stroked his hair, moving it from his face and flipping it backwards the way it away stood. She saw his eyes widen. The ever present anger threatened to burn her. He didn't know her and expected the worst. Slowly she whispered to him:

"You were kind to me once so I'll be kind to you now. Please, drink this. It will help you."

Loki cocked his head and slowly opened his mouth and blood poured out. It was too obvious that he was in pain. She put the tip of the smaller bottle on his lips and poured the drink into his mouth. He swallowed it all. Elin returned the empty bottle in her pouch and waited a moment or two before she spilled the liquid over his back. The potion worked immediately. In contact with his wounds liquid started to bubble and to make a soapy foam which turned bright pink in contact with his blood. His back was now covered with a thick layer of it.

She glanced at Loki and then at the crowd. They were cheering while Loki just blinked once instead of nodding. The potions worked. Trying not to look at Frigga, she went back to stand next to her father. With any luck, she'll manage to talk him into going home.