Broken Crown

by writingbythesurf

A twist on the combined storylines of Thor and the Avengers. Odin has two children: Loki, the Prince of Mischief, and Laura, the princess who has not yet found a purpose. Both of them have dark secrets. One of the secrets will empower: the other will destroy. (Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my OC Laura.)

11. The Escaped Returns

Another 100 days passed with no change at all. Laura just managed not to be driven insane. She had no idea when an important event happened: Loki returned to Asgard, defeated by the Avengers and in chains.

Odin stood on the Bifrost and watched the group of soldiers approach. Loki was with them, chained and gagged. His eyes were defiant and calculating. He hated everyone around him. Hated the mortals for sending him back here. Loki was ushered inside and left in a room with one of the most trusted warriors of the army, sworn to obey Odin:

Lady Sif.

She watched as Loki was brought in, gave the soldiers a nod, and sat down as they left. Sif avoided Loki's eyes. Sif had been very good friends with the princess Laura for many years. She had been told that Loki was the worst kind of war criminal now, invading Midgard and fighting its heroes, the Avengers, but Laura had always seemed so hopeful for her brother that Sif had to know the truth. She reached forward, pressed the side of the metal muzzle Loki wore and slid it off. He stared at her, clearly surprised she had even bothered to acknowledge him at all, much less allow him to speak. Sif looked him in the eyes. "Loki. Everyone tells me you're a criminal. I've seen you before, and I don't want to believe them." She sat down across from him. "Please tell me why you invaded Midgard. This isn't an interrogation, I sincerely want to know." Loki seemed hesitant, but parted his lips to reply. After a second, however, he stopped. His forehead creased. Sif raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" He seemed genuinely confused.

"I…I don't know." Sif sat back in surprise. "You don't know? Like, you aren't sure or you can't remember?" When he didn't answer, she tapped a finger against her gauntlet absentmindedly. "So you invaded a realm, found a whole army of Chitauri and you don't-" Loki jerked back suddenly. Sif's eyebrows sloped down. "What? What is it?" She could tell the name of the Chitauri had disturbed him deeply. "Is…is it something about the Chitauri?" Something flashed in Loki's eyes that looked like a yes, but before she could question him further, soldiers entered the room. "It is time for Loki's trial. We need to report to the Royal Court."