I raced ahead, the anger fading and the tears welling up again and spilling down my cheeks. "Damn it, damn it, damn it." I swore to myself as my chest began to heave, my breath hitching with each new tear that traveled down my cheeks. The gleaming white marble held less fascination for me now and I found myself weaving my way through the crowds that had gathered near the bridge to see their princes. I wanted to find somewhere small, somewhere safe. I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going, there were so many corners and turns that I could have sworn I backtracked at least three times. Finally I found myself in a courtyard and slowed from my jog to a walk.
"Damn it. Where the hell am I?" I crossed my arms across my chest and sobbed softly, eventually backing myself into a corner and sinking down onto my haunches. Laying my head against my knees I felt tears soaking my skin. Within a few minutes I heard heavy footfalls echoing on the cobblestone. Pulling my knees tighter towards me I tried to make myself as small as possible, relying on the shrubbery to hide me from the man who had just arrived.
"I know you're there." Thor's voice was calm and he pushed the branches away to stare at me. "Why did you run off? It's not safe to wander about the city alone. It's big, you could get lost." Climbing through the shrubs he settled down next to me on the ground staring straight ahead instead of at me. "Do you hate my brother?"
The tears slowed and I looked over at him. "No! No of course not. He just- he's just frustrating." I sighed and laid my head back down again. "I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that. I just… I'm not even really frustrated at him. I'm mad at me." The blond man turned to look at me, frowning.
"What do you mean?" His deep voice was soft as he spoke. He seemed afraid as though he would scare me into silence if he said the wrong thing.
"What I said was so hypocritical, I just couldn't help it. I got so mad at him for not calling Odin his father when that's who helped raise him but I absolutely hate my mother." I sighed and sat down fully on the ground stretching my legs out in front of me. "I just- she's such a bitch. Honestly, I don't think I'll shed a tear when she dies. I don't know I just… I had no reason to go off at him like I did." I shivered feeling exposed in just my sleepwear and pulled my legs back up to my chest again. "I feel like such an idiot."
A slow smile curled its way onto Thor's lips and he began to chuckle. "Don't. I expect that you're the first person besides our mother to put him in his place. We spent our entire childhoods being raised to be kings and even noble children like Sif or Fandral will not speak frankly to royal blood."
A small smile played on my lips and I wiped the remaining tears from the corners of my eyes. "I like the sound of your mother. Is she nice?"
Thor's smile grew sad and he nodded. "She was wonderful. She taught Loki everything he knows about magic and though she favored him she always made time for us both." His eyes grew wistful. "You would have liked her."
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring up something so painful." I laid a careful hand on Thor's arm.
"You didn't know." He sighed and stood. "Come along, father still wants to see you and I'd prefer to not keep him waiting." He offered his hand to me and pulled me easily to my feet.
"Do you think he'll be able to forgive me?" I asked brushing off my shorts.
"I do not know." Thor's smile was patient. "My brother is a singular creature; I cannot claim to know his mind." He lightly pat me on the shoulder. "But I believe that in time he will, especially if you tell him what you've told me. Come along now."
Trotting up alongside him I smiled. "Thank you for coming to find me."
. . .
"Father, I've brought her." Thor's voice resounded through the hall, bouncing off every column. I had to jog behind him to keep with the pace he set towards the golden throne at the end of the room, wishing he would slow down so I could look around at this magnificent room.
"Bring her here." The voice made me shiver and I stopped dead midstride afraid to go any further. Thor striding up to stand next to the man on the golden throne.
"I… I don't want to do this." I held up my hands pleadingly and began to back up. "Please. Please just take me home. I don't want to be here." My next step backwards was blocked by a pair of guards who had come up behind me. "No, no, no please." I hunched my shoulders and tried to back up more trying hard not to panic outright and run from the room. I turned to flee but the iron grip of the guards on my upper arms held me in place. Whimpering I back peddled as they brought me forward, my feet unable to push back against men who were so much stronger than I.
Thor's face was one of concern as they brought me before his father, his eyes watching my shaking form struggle to stand before the King of Asgard.
"Mortal, you have been brought before me, given over by your own people for breaking Loki Laufeyson out of his prison." The man's voice made my knees shake and I fell to the ground, my arms wrapping around me to try and still my shaking. "You endangered the lives of my people and you endangered your planet by doing so. You are to be bound here on Asgard until such time that you can convince me that your act was merely one of compassion and had no ill intent." His single eye bored into me and he shifted on the throne, fingers tightening around the staff in his hands. "In addition you will tell me how you managed to get Loki from that room. It is spelled with a powerful magic and even he cannot break it."
"But I don't know how I got him out. It didn't even look like a cell to me." My eyes would not lift from the floor and I dug my nails into my arms to try and keep my voice even.
"If you do not want to tell me perhaps a stay in the same cage will provide me with the answers I seek." His voice was distant and I whimpered, curling myself into a tighter ball on the floor. "Once I have the information from you that I require you shall be returned to Midgard in the care of S.H.I.E.L.D. What they will do with you I cannot say."
"Father, if she says she does not know how she took him from that cage I believe her." Thor turned and looked down at the man sitting next to him. "And you know that Loki is no longer a threat here."
The older man's face grew serious. "She will stay in the same prison as Loki was. How long she is there is dependent on her. Once she is able to show me how she was able to remove him she will be moved to a room." He eyed his son up and down. "Does that serve your palate better?"
"Yes Father." Thor said meekly and inclined his head stepping back just behind the older mans shoulder. The man gave a wave and I felt those iron grasps return to my upper arm pulling me off the floor.
I didn't see much after that, my mind sort of went white and I could feel my feet taking step after step without stopping. I hadn't seen Loki there. I almost was both glad and disheartened by that; my desire to apologize to him for yelling tempered by the hopeful notion that he hadn't heard his father say he was a threat to everyone.
My senses came back to me only as I was being shoved into a bright room by myself. Blinking hard as though I hadn't in a while I turned to look back at the guards my sight occasionally flaring with gold patterns. Reaching out cautiously I put my hand against the flickering light and winced as it stung me. Familiar footsteps stopped just beyond the range of my vision and the guards turned, bowed and left.
"Am I just to be left here?" I asked as Thor stepped up opposite me. "I am a freeborn person, this isn't right. I've done nothing wrong."
"And I will try and convince my father of that but you must help me to do it. Do you think you can emulate Loki's escape? My father will not be convinced until he knows how my brother was able to get past the barrier." Thor reached out and let a hand wave towards what had stung me before."
"I told you, I don't know. It wasn't a cell in my dreams it was just a thicket." I sank down on my knees. "I'm never going to get out of here am I?"
"Take heart I will work on convincing father that you are no threat. Try and be patient. I'll be back down to see you every day until you are set loose."
Finally my mind settled, at least someone out there would be pulling for me and it gave me a chance to see if I really could access magic instead of it all being in my head. "And what of Loki?"
"Once we left the bifrost guards were sent to escort him to his chambers. That is where he is now." I could hear the tiniest smile in Thor's words. "He is not thrilled but he is happier there than he would have been in that cell."
I nodded and moving to the corner of the room and laying out on the floor, my knees tucked up to my chest. "I should sleep. I'm going to have a full day tomorrow trying to get out of here." I laughed nervously and Thor chuckled.
"Sleep well. I shall see you on the morrow."
"Well eve Thor." I said through a yawn and laid my head down on my crossed arms my eyes closing immediately.
