A/N: Oh my gosh you guys, I can't believe I've broken 2k views! That is such a wonderful thing to see! Thank you so much! You guys are so amazing! I don't usually put author notes at the start of chapters but I just couldn't wait eeeee. Kay, I'm fine now, time for a new chapter:
The next morning it took Sam several minutes to convince herself she was actually on Asgard and had met the All-Father and Queen Frigga and that it was in fact not a dream. A knocking at the chamber doors pulled Sam from her mind. Quickly slipping out of the bed, still dressed in her Midgardian attire, Sam quickly dashed across the room and opened it after the second knock.
"Yes?" A fair haired maiden pushed the door wider, letting herself in with what appeared to be a dress draped over her arm.
"Lady Samantha! I hope you rested well. I have been sent by the Queen to dress you and bring you to break your fast with her this morning." Setting the dress down by what appeared to be a vanity, the maiden rapidly waved Sam to come over. Confused at the amount of energy she had for being so small, Sam tiredly sat herself on the bench and let the nameless maiden pull at her auburn tresses.
The hand maiden quickly braided the hair around the temples and cheek bones and pulled them back securing them together and let the rest of her natural waves flow down her back, giving Sam's delicate features a more sharp look. This was not something Sam was used to and it changed the look of her eyes. She was so used to the softness of her features and the framing of her face with her hair and now the pulled back look felt foreign to her, she almost didn't feel like herself. Looking at the dress, Sam had never dreamed of wearing anything so sensational. It was a three quarter length sleeve, floor length gown a subtle sweetheart neckline. The sleeves of the dress were done in lace, the bodice was embroidered and pleated tapering in at a dropped waist belt then flowing downwards. It was detailed enough that accessories were not needed. The colour of the dress was Sam's second favourite colour on herself, deep royal blue. It paired well with her hair but did wonders to accentuating her porcelain skin.
Striping down her her bra and underwear, Sam eagerly slipped into the dress with little help from the hand maiden she had all but forgotten about. Turning around to look at herself in the mirror, Sam almost had to do a double take. Never in a million years did she think she'd feel like such a... princess.
"Oh pardon me miss, but you look very arresting. Shall we be on our way?" Removing her gaze from the mirror painfully, Sam followed the young woman out of the chambers.
"I don't think I got your name. You know mine, it is only fair that I have yours in return." Sam asked as the turned the corner walking by more of the royal guards who passed by as though they were the only living souls in the passage.
"Oh, I am sorry to have displeased you, Lady Samantha! The name my father bestowed upon me is Agata." Sam's eyes went wide hearing Agata apologize for nothing at all.
"There's no need to apologize, you haven't displeased me in the slightest. And I like that name. Very unique." Sam rested her hand on Agata's shoulder as they paused at a set of golden doors. Smiling at her, Sam opened the doors herself and slipped in.
"Ah, Miss Samantha, please join us we were just about to start." Frigga and Odin stood to greet Sam. Once they were all seated Sam noticed two empty spaces.
"Where are Thor and Loki?" Sam's eyes shifted between the Queen and King, becoming oddly suspicious of their absence.
"I'm afraid Thor had to excuse himself this morning. He had matters that needed immediate attention. As for my youngest, well he won't be joining us seeing as he is still a convicted war criminal and those people stay in the dungeons." Sam almost choked on her water at the mention of dungeons. Asgard has dungeons? Wow... Sam couldn't wrap her mind around the fact they easily sent Loki there.
"Oh.. Okay, but I will still be able to visit him, right?" Sam leaned in a bit, realizing just how imperative it was to still have access to him. He was the only person she could truly talk to even if he was rather difficult at times.
"Oh, of course!" Frigga replied but Sam didn't miss the subtle glance at Odin before speaking. Sam felt that Frigga tried to answer before Odin could reject the idea of giving Loki the luxury of company. Reclining in her chair, Sam quietly munched on the rest of her breakfast and disappeared into her mind.
Later on in the day, Sam found herself wandering the palace but this time it was a wing she hadn't seen before. Going down a series of stair cases, Sam could feel the temperature drop a bit as she delved further under the palace. Hoping she could find her way back, Sam tried to concentrate on remembering corridors while watching out for guards. She didn't know why she was looking for places to hide, she was free to roam the palace but it seems that a part of her felt like this section of the castle was strictly off limits.
"Anders! Hurry up! These prisoners aren't going to bring themselves in!" A guard with a thick, deep accent nagged.
"You know, Rutgar, one of these days your excitement will be your downfall!" A voice responded, clearly annoyed at the other man.
Quickly searching for some place to hide, Sam dove into a small but dark alcove that shadowed her into darkness. Trying to breath as quietly as possible, Sam stood as still as she could, eyes screwed shut, while the two guards turned the corner and walked in the direction Sam had come from. When she could no longer hear their armour, Sam opened her eyes and scanned the area to make sure no more guards were coming before she scurried the way the guards had come from. After another ten minutes of searching, Sam came across possibly the most regal and advanced looking prison cells she had ever seen. The cells were stark white and empty of any semblance of comfort. Where there would be bars keeping them inside, there was a gold iridescent shimmering type of force field keeping them inside. This is where her search would get difficult, the hall of cells seemed almost impossibly never ending. Taking a peak and quick scan of the passing cells Sam could feel her luck running thinner and thinner whenever a cell turned up Loki-less. Just as she was about to give up, she heard her name roll off his tongue. Picking up her pace, Sam began to pick up her pace and stopped short just as another voice began to speak.
"You know she asked if she could visit you. It's as if your past means nothing to her; that could be a blessing or a curse." Frigga? Last time Sam saw the Queen, she excused herself to her chambers. Peaking around the corner, Sam could easily make out the outline of Loki's back silhouette. "I hope these books will provide you some kind of comfort. I must go and hunt down your brother. He's been gone all day!" And with a flash of light she was gone. Confused, Sam almost yelped in surprise when Loki spoke.
"You know, people make more noise trying to sneak around." Turning around, Loki was able to find her immediately without trying.
"Well I must have been quiet enough to sneak past the guards." Sam retorted, quirking her eyebrow.
"They clearly aren't as smart as you think. They are all brawn with little to no brain." Loki walked towards Sam, resting his arm again the pillar where the two shimmering walls meet.
"I should hope they do have a brain if they are guarding a dungeon." Sam took a couple careful steps closer to Loki, careful to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "I was coming down here to see if you were bored, but it seems to me, that you aren't."
"Well I'd hardly call a copy of Frigga, company. There's only so much a Queen can talk about to a prisoner." Loki pushed himself off the wall, walking back to a chair before graciously seating himself.
"I have to say that you are very much living like a prince in a place like this. And there are a many things a mother can talk about with her son even if he is not from her womb. I had a few friends who were adopted and they didn't find out until they were young adults. Adoption is widely accepted on Earth. Yes they experience the kind of shock you did but there are always two sides to every adoption. One of my friends, her real mother, her biological mother was ashamed of her, wanted nothing to do with her but a family took her in a loved every moment with her. She found peace with that because the family that did raise her, that spent time with her, that was her family. Just because two people make a baby doesn't necessarily make them parents, it's the love and nurturing that makes them a mother and father." Sam knew she was shooting in the dark with this and that Loki will absorb nothing from from it but that didn't stop her from trying at least. With a moody glance in return, Sam could tell that there was no further room for conversation. Turning on her heel, Sam left Loki to think and sulk on his own hoping her words gave him even the tiniest amount of perspective possible.
Giving him perspective was all she was ever going to try giving him and it was all that he really needed, she thought. He viewed life in a very black and white sense but what she noticed that he failed to grasped was that there were shades of grey separating the black from white. And it was those shades of grey that put Loki in the cell, that made him destroy New York, and what made him turn his back on everyone who ever loved him. He twisted their words to make himself have a reason to hurt and hate. And that is what made Sam fight for him.
A/N: And I'm so sorry for ending it right here and so short, my life is being very crazy lately. And I'm very sorry for not updating for longer than usual. My Mom just had a baby so things have been pretty hectic. Saying that, I feel as if I could clarify that by saying I'm not as young as that makes me sound, I'm almost twenty. Anyway, it would make my day if you guys could review and let me know how you are all feeling about this