AN: Sorry it took a while for me to post this.. I've been busy, what with school about to start and what-not. I hope you all enjoy this, and please leave a reply if you'd like! Thank you! :)
"So you're telling me that Loki actually feels remorse for his actions?" Odin's booming voice echoed throughout the throne room. Both Thor and Frigga had testified what they had seen from Loki to Odin. Odin's skepticism showed not only through his voice but on his face as well. Thor flinched. How could his father not believe him? The Allfather looked thoughtful for a moment. "Guards! Bring Loki in here, and please escort Frigga and Thor out." "What?" Thor almost nearly shrieked. How would Loki deal with seeing Father by himself? "Father, please! At least let me stay here!" "No, Thor." The guards nervously approached Thor. "Please sir, if you'll just come this way..." One of the guards meekly said. Frigga had already left, and so Thor reluctantly complied. He passed Loki on his way out, and he saw an extremely pale, terrified face. He immediately felt his pulse pick up, and was scared for Loki. Would he be able to handle this?
When the guards came for him, Loki immediately thought it was to execute him. He had no idea what was going on in Asgard, and he didn't really want to know. It wasn't that he didn't like Asgard, no, it just held some bad memories for him. He didn't like that now everyone stared upon him like he was some traitor. Yes, he may be one, but it pained him to see people so openly loathe him. So the thought of execution was a welcome one at this point. However, when the guard had said "The Allfather would like to see you." Loki almost collapsed on the spot. Fath- no, Odin wanted to see him? Now? What did he want? The thought of facing Odin struck fear through him like he had never felt before. The guards placed chains on his wrists as they led him up to the throne room. He passed Thor on his way in, and Thor also looked frightened. "Why does it matter to him what happens to me?" Loki thought. The guards finally came to a halt, and bowed to Odin before exiting the room. Loki felt his arms and legs trembling, and he slowly lifted his head up to Odin. "Loki Laufeyson. Your brother and mother claim that you feel remorseful for your actions. Is this true?" Odin asked. "You claim them my kin, yet you use my father's name." Loki's voice broke at the end, but it hadn't taken the tone he had wanted anyway. Odin sighed, "Loki, do you or do you not regret your actions?" Loki decided now was not the time to stall, and forced out "I do. Although I take full responsibility for them, I truly do regret what I have done. Not only to Jotunheim, but what also happened on Midgard." He glanced down at the floor, not being able to look at Odin any longer. Odin cleared his throat, and said, "Well, it does appear that you are being genuine. While I can not just wave these serious crimes off, I can lower the punishment. I shall banish you to Midgard, with Thor as your guardian. You will be sent to live with the Avengers, until I deem it fit for your return. This is non-negotiable. You are dismissed." Odin tapped Gungnir to the floor, signaling the guards to come in. "Bring Thor in, and bring Loki down to the cell until I call for him again." Loki felt the guards grasp him, before he could respond. He was dumbstruck. The Avengers?! They would surely kill him! Or worse, torture him. How could Odin do this? And to have Thor as his "guardian"! Loki felt a surge of rage, but it died down almost as quickly as it came. Thor might protect him.. But does he want protection? Loki wasn't sure what to feel by the time the guards locked the door to his cell. He glanced at the door once, before collapsing on the bed, fighting off the tears threatening to spill.
When Thor was summoned, he was bracing for the worst. That his father had decided to execute Loki. However, he hadn't been prepared for what he was told. He wondered how Loki had responded to that one. Thor decided to go and visit Loki, so he went down and opened the door to Loki's cell. Loki was on his bed, and he could hear his brother's soft whimpers. Thor felt a pang of guilt in his chest, before going over and sitting on the cot. He placed his hand on Loki's shoulder, saying, "I'm sorry brother.. I will do everything in my power to ensure you're safety. However, I can not promise you that my friends will act.. kindly to this. I am truly sorry." Loki stayed quiet for a couple minutes, and Thor had thought he had fallen asleep before he said, "Maybe I don't deserve your protection. Maybe the one they call 'Hawkeye' should shoot me with an arrow." Loki's words startled Thor, but what startled him more was the amount of raw pain and seriousness in them. "Loki... please don't ever think like that. I thought I had lost you once, and the pain that came with that was beyond comprehension. I spent every day hoping that you'd walk around the corner, smirking and saying that you 'got me'. But it never happened, and the pain only grew worse each day. I do not think I could bear losing you again." Loki finally sat up and glanced at Thor. "You could not possibly mean that. I am a monster Thor. I deserve death. Or worse. Everyone loathes me, and wants to see me dead. Why don't you?" "Because you are my brother. And no matter how much you may deny it, I love you Loki. I truly do. And that is why I will not allow harm to come your way. Please just accept that.." "I can not promise you that I will, but I will try.." Loki glanced down. Thor said, "Well, I think we should start heading to the Bifröst." He got up and waited for Loki to get up. Loki sighed, then finally got up. He nervously glanced at Thor, before holding out his hands. It took him a second, but he realized Loki was waiting for the chains that they had been placed before on his wrists. "I will trust that you will not try and do anything to escape. Please do not try and pull anything." Thor walked out, and Loki followed along with him.
"Yes, we were able to fix the Bifröst with the power of the Tesseract. It was the final thing we needed before it could be repaired." Thor answered at Loki's questioning look, standing in Heimdall's observatory. The Bifröst was repaired, and Heimdall was standing, about to open the Rainbow Bridge. Odin and Frigga were there, as were Sif and the Warriors Three. They were all making it quite obvious that they were trying to look at everything but him. Thor went up to say goodbye to everyone, while Loki hung back. Frigga came up to him and gently hugged him, saying, "I hope I get to see you soon. Good luck." Odin just nodded at him, before having Heimdall open the Bifröst. Asgard flashed out of sight, before landing on Midgard. Thor immediately took him up, before landing in front of the Avengers tower. "Stay here a moment." Thor said, before going in. He heard a shrill "WHAT!?" a few minutes later, and out stormed the Avengers, all glaring at him, with Thor following suit.