He could hear hushed voices; they seemed to surround him, encasing him on all sides. Something was off, though. There was no cold underneath him from the floor, but rather a warmth that was inviting and oddly familiar.
Tiredly, Loki opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear the blurriness from his vision. The boy could see figures moving around across a wide area filled with beds and tables.
The Healing Rooms.
With a jolt, Loki sat up, completely alert, and scanned the room vigorously. Of all the things he saw while in the dark, never was his entire environment changed. There was a hand on his arm, and a soft voice calling his name.
"Loki?"
The child found himself staring at the aged face of Eir. It was undoubtedly her. The Healing Rooms were practically a second home for Loki. It seemed like he was there more than anywhere else.
He had never thought of Eir while in the dark room; now he realized how much she played a part in his life. It wasn't uncommon to think that she had actually saved his life no less than a dozen times.
Why was she here now?
"Eir?" he asked, voice barely a whisper.
Eir looked at him with much concern in her eyes, but regardless, smiled a warm smile of genuine relief.
"Yes, little one, it's me. I'm right here. You are here. You are home." Eir's voice wavered as her eyes began to shine with unshed tears. Her smile widened to reach her eyes.
Loki should have felt afraid of the change of person. It was always his direct family who started off giving him false love only to take it right back while laughing in his face.
Pureness shined behind Eir's eyes, though, and Loki felt a rush of safety come over him.
"There is someone here who wants to see you." Eir gestured across the room to a slender figure standing, dressed in a long gown. Frigga slowly walked forward with caution, eyes fixed on her son.
All feeling of safety fled from Loki as his instincts told him to run. Lunging to the side, Loki threw himself off the bed, landing on the floor with an ungraceful thud. Behind him, he could hear the two women gasp in shock. Desperately trying to free himself from his entanglement of blankets, Loki clumsily got to his feet, running as soon as he gained his balance.
"Loki, no!" he heard both Eir and Frigga call behind him. In a blind panic, the boy ran to the exit of the room, putting his arms out to push the doors forward. Once out of the room, Loki ran to his left down a great corridor.
Why was he running?
How was he running?
Everything he was seeing and feeling was immensely real, more vivid than anything he saw while in chains.
Where were his bindings?
Snapping out of his thoughts, Loki collided into a solid figure, forcing him to fall back down to the floor with great force. Catching himself with his arms, the child looked up to meet an equally startled set of eyes.
Odin stared down in shock while Loki curled in on himself in a protective ball.
"No! Please don't hurt me! I beg of you!" Loki's voice peaked in desperation, muffled by his head pushed into his knees.
Coming to, the king bent down, placing gentle hands on the trembling figure of his youngest son. If the Allfather thought the boy was small in size before, it was nothing like what he felt now. He had noticed a significant change in weight when he carried Loki out of the labyrinth, but now he could feel every bone in his lean body against the palm of his hands.
Anger mixed with dread and concern while watching his son writhe in fear again. Now he realized that his son had lost much weight from his lack of food.
Without offering any comfort, or any words at all, the Allfather slid his arms underneath the trembling body and lifted it against his chest. Loki screamed in horror but did not fight back in any way.
Like holding a sleeping infant, Odin cupped the back of his son's head, pressing it into his shoulder while supporting the rest of him with the other arm.
The king placed his lips on Loki's head, hushing him softly, as he began to make his way back to the Healing Rooms. Small hands reached up and dug into the man's shirt, grabbing the material as hard as they possibly could.
Fast footsteps rang through the hall. Odin looked up to see both Frigga and Eir running in his direction. Upon seeing Loki in Odin's arms, the women slowed and sighed in relief.
"Odin! Is everything ok?" Frigga asked, slightly out of breath. Fearful of scaring the already terrified Loki, Odin simply nodded his head and strode past his wife. Eir and Frigga followed him, crowding the king as they eyed the child in his arms.
Loki whimpered slightly as Odin entered the Healing Rooms, and he continued to hush him gently. Making his way to the bed, the king slowly lowered the boy down, carefully removing the trembling hands from his tunic. The child did not protest, but immediately returned to his curled up position and hid his face in a pillow.
Eir attended to her work, leaving the family alone. Frigga walked to her husband's side, face lined with severe concern.
She opened her mouth to call to her son, but Odin shushed her sternly. Frigga corrected herself. She turned to Odin in confusion, but received only a shake of his head in return.
Taking his wife's hand, the king led her to a chair and gestured for her sit down. He returned to Loki, who remained unmoving upon the bed. Taking the wad of blankets from the ground, the king gently covered the child with them.
Loki grabbed the covers and pulled them against his chest, hugging them tightly.
Odin sighed, looked at his youngest for a while before returning to where Frigga sat.
"Leave him be for now. If he awakes to see he is in the same place, perhaps he will understand that he is safe," Odin whispered as softly as he could. Frigga bowed her head, looking at the floor.
"This is what you were talking to me about, isn't it?" Frigga asked.
"Yes. I hoped that perhaps Loki only reacted so strongly when I found him because of the situation, but I realize now that I was wrong." Odin's voice carried pain as he glanced back in the direction of Loki's bed. From here, the king could not see the boy at all, but rather a mound of blankets that visibly shook.
Once again, Odin remembered Frigga's warnings, and now he couldn't help but believe that they had come true.
/
After falling asleep, Odin awoke to find the chair next to his empty. Frigga was no longer in the room, nor was Eir. From the window, Odin could see that it was now late into the night. A small shuffle came from where the king knew Loki was. Looking over, Odin noticed a pair of eyes peering from behind the covers of the bed.
Shrinking back slightly, Loki furrowed his brows, concerned.
"Loki?"
Startled, the boy withdrew beneath the covers, completely hidden from the Allfather's view. Without hesitation, Odin stood and approached the bed solemnly. Loki again glanced above the blanket, but this time did not go underneath it when he saw the king.
"Loki? It's alright. It's me," Odin tried, reaching out slightly. Abruptly, Loki sat all the way up, completely revealing his face. Pressing himself all the way against the headboard, the small boy stared into the eyes of his father, completely void of any emotion.
"Why do you continue to lie if you know that I will no longer fall for it?" he asked. Taken aback by the question, Odin gaped at his son, unsure of how to respond.
"Why do you think I am lying?" the king asked, confused.
"Because it's what you all do. I understand now that I should no longer hope for my family's love." Loki's voice was completely calm as though he were stating something that he expected everyone to know.
Had he gone mad? Odin remained silent for some time, trying to understand what his son was saying. Loki said that his family was Odin's family, as if he did not consider himself part of it.
"Son, I do not understand what you are saying."
Confused and shocked, the boy tilted his head slightly to one side, trying to understand.
"You never said that before. All of the times, you never said that!" Loki suddenly began to show panic, breath quickening. "No! No, no no no!" He grabbed his head, vigorously shaking it, and yanked at his raven hair. Startled, Odin stepped forward, placing stern hands on the boy's shoulders.
"Loki, what do you speak of? What did I not say?" Odin asked demandingly. He was growing tired of the nonsense Loki spoke of. The king had said only a few words to his son upon finding him in the tunnels.
"You never called me 'son'!" Loki choked out. "You only called me that to mock me!"
"Why would you say that? I only call those my son if they are. Are you not my son?" Odin desperately tried to keep his voice calm, but panic began to sink in.
"When you came - when you all came, while I was in the darkness - that's when you said it." Loki was sobbing violently now, stumbling over his words as he tried to get air into his lungs.
"Loki, I was never there until I brought you back here. None of us were."
Surprised, the boy looked up, eyes red and swollen.
"But I saw you. Even Thor and Mother came. You were there."
Odin looked his son directly in the eyes. "No Loki. What you thought you saw, or heard, was not real. I swear upon the Nine that it was false."
Loki didn't respond; instead, he looked down in deep thought.
A knock at the door came, followed by the entering of two Einherjar.
"My king, we have news from the Council that they are ready to conduct the trial of Tyr, sir."
Without breaking his gaze on Loki, Odin responded: "Thank you. I am in need of answers. I will be there within five minutes."
The Einherjar turned and left the father and son alone once again.
"Loki, I am going to figure this out. I promise. Eir should be back with your mother, and possibly your brother. I must leave now." Odin lifted Loki's chin so that his eyes would look at his. Giving a small, reassuring smile, the Allfather straightened and made his way out of the room. Behind him, he could hear Loki move around, whispering to himself. The king couldn't make out most of what the boy was saying but what he did hear made his heart ache.
"Please be real."
Author's Note: As always, thank you all! If you are still wondering how the story so far goes with the summary, I promise it will be explained. Please review! It would be much appreciated :)
