AN: Finals were brutal this quarter and trying to write a sad Loki was really breaking my heart.
Chapter 11: A Family Torn
Arriving back in Asgard should have felt better than it did.
Elysia's knees very nearly buckled when the weight of what she had done finally hit her. When she'd made her threat to Laufey she had never actually thought that she would have to follow through with it, knowing that he would do all in his power to make sure her stipulations were followed.
But then Jotunheim had tried to claim Loki and the only thing she could do besides destroying the entire realm was to simply break its ruler.
Elysia despised killing, hated it even more when it seemed to be the only option available. The price on her head would be high, Laufey would do anything to ensure her capture now. It hadn't been her intention to bring war back home, but then again Elysia hadn't counted on their father ever showing up.
Odin took charge immediately and ordered Sif and the Thor's other two friends to take Fandral to the healers, and waited until they had quickly dragged him off before rounding on his children. Though he only had one eye, his glare was still quite capable of making them bow their heads in shame. Under typically circumstances that was, not now.
No, now was not one of those times. Thor glared right back at Odin defiantly, refusing to cower under the steely gaze of his father. Protecting their people was what he had been taught to do, what he had been trained to do, he didn't understand how his father could look at him as though he was a stranger. "Why did you bring us back?"
Odin was having a hard time not throttling his eldest. "Do you realize what you've done, what you've started?"
Thor was insistent in his stance, "I was protecting my home." He had spent his whole life hearing about how important it was to ensure Asgard's safety, it had been drilled in all of their heads from the moment they came to an age when they understood the weight that would one day rest on their shoulders.
"You cannot even protect your friends!" Yanking Heimdall's sword out of the Bifrost key, Odin tossed it to his gatekeeper and gave him a hard stare that told the man to leave. This was a family matter and no one else would be permitted to be in attendance. Once Heimdall had left he turned back to Thor, "How can you hope to protect the kingdom?"
Frustrated by the lack of faith his father had in him, Thor's voice got deeper as he went on the defense. "There won't be a kingdom to protect if you're afraid to act. The Jotuns must learn to fear me, just as they once feared you."
Loki sharply inhaled and his gaze fell to the floor. The reminder of what had happened on Jotunheim rung loudly in his head. The hate that was interwoven into Thor's voice when he spoke of the Frost Giants sent chills up his spine. For the first time in his life, Loki didn't know what his brother would do if he told him what happened. Would he recoil in fear and horror the way he thought Elysia would?
The warmth of a firm hand on his shoulder drew his attention to his sister. While she didn't look back at him, he knew that she was aware of the turmoil in his head. He resisted the urge to clutch onto her hand, knowing that the argument before them was far more important.
"That's pride and vanity talking, not leadership. You've forgotten everything I taught you about a warrior's patience."
Thor's shoulders rolled back as he stood taller. "While you wait and be patient the nine realms laugh at us." Any hint of the young man who wanted his father's approval vanished as his tone shifted into something harder, "The old ways are done. You'd stand giving speeches while Asgard falls."
There were certain things that one typically avoided when trying to maintain a calm and peaceful discussion with another. This happened to be one of those things.
That was the last straw for Odin. A vibrant red bloomed against his skin, spreading like a rash. Leaning forward, Odin lost all pretenses of his cool collective nature as his voice vibrated around them. "You're a vain, greedy, cruel boy!"
Losing his control as well, Thor matched his father's raised volume, "And you are an old man and a fool!"
Silence rung out around them. Never before had one of them spoken to their father in such a manner. No matter how frustrated they may have been with him, not once were they ever disrespectful to his face. That didn't mean that Odin always deserved that respect, but the three had been raised to give it regardless of any personal feelings they may have held.
Elysia found that she was torn between pride that Thor had finally taken their father off of whatever pedestal he had him on, and disappointment that the only reason he did so was because he thought violence was the answer to their issue.
But then again Elysia really didn't have any room for an opinion. After all she had just used violence as a solution to one of her problems. She had taken a life with her own two hands because that was all she could think to do in that moment. While it might not be the best option, violence was often the most convenient.
Lowering his gaze to the floor, all the anger seemed to drain from Odin. He lowered his gaze to the floor, missing the regretful look on his son's face. "Yes, I was a fool..." he murmured, "to think that you were ready."
A sense of trepidation fell over Loki. It was wholly unfair of their father to place all the blame on Thor. Slipping out from under Elysia's hand, Loki stepped forward, intent on speaking in his brother's behalf. "Father-"
Cutting off his son, Odin whirled towards him and shoved a finger in his direction before growling loudly. It was so unexpected that Loki instantly straightened and took an involuntary step back at the sound.
The hair on the back of Elysia's neck stood at attention and her stomach turned at the viciousness Odin was currently displaying. Outbursts from their father was not a new concept to them, but then again, he had never looked at one of them as though they were the enemy.
Looking back at his firstborn son, Odin steeled himself to hand down a sentence he never thought he would have to. "Thor Odinson, you have betrayed the express command of your King, through your arrogance and stupidity you have opened these peaceful realms and innocent lives to the horror and desolation of war."
In one fell swoop, he slammed his staff into the key to the Bifrost, activating it, and strode towards Thor. He was determined to keep the heartbreak from reaching his face. It was never an easy thing to accept that one's child had made such a grave mistake that there was no avoiding the harshest of punishments.
In spite of his sadness, there was no way that Odin Allfather would ever be able to admit that his son's mistakes stemmed from him. Odin would never take responsibility to the damage he had bestowed upon his children. To acknowledge his own shortcomings was simply not in his nature.
"You are unworthy of these realms" Odin reached out and ripped the armor from his son's chest, "You are unworthy of your title! You are unworthy of the loved ones you've betrayed."
There was a feeling that crept up on her as she watched, like red hot coals burning a path from her ribcage to her throat. It surged upwards, longing to escape. Elysia could put up with a lot. She could bear any weight if it meant that the people she loved didn't have to. She would gladly stand in front of their parents and be told that they never loved nor cared for her if it meant that she would never have to see the same look of devastation on Thor's face that she did now.
A blade through her heart would hurt less.
Elysia loved every member of her adopted family, would give her life up for them in a moment's notice, but her brothers had always occupied a special place in her heart. She hated the idea of having favorites, but she knew if it came down to a choice, Loki and Thor would always come before Odin and Frigga.
And that was the exact reason that she could not stand by and allow Odin to berate and degrade her beloved brother any longer.
Odin made to reach out to rip the bright red cape from his son's shoulders, the one he knew Thor held dear as it was a gift from his sister, when a quiet hiss halted him.
"How dare you."
Odin didn't have time to turn to identify the source of the interruption when there was suddenly a body forcing its way in between him and Thor. Stumbling back slightly at the intrusion, Odin met the heated glare of his daughter as she faced him head on.
Thor had been struggling to hold back his tears as the cruel words of his father cut deep. The last thing that he expected was his little sister to place herself in front of him, as though she were his shield. And when she spoke all he could do was stare down at her in awe as he let her words wash over him like a soothing balm.
"How dare you tell him he's not worthy of us! You truly are a fool to suggest the blame rests solely on Thor's shoulders. We all willingly followed his lead."
Odin on the other hand was not amused nor impressed. "This does not concern you. When I want your opinion on a matter, I will ask you Elysia."
A harsh laugh exploded from her. How her father could be so callous was not something she would ever be able to understand. "It is no mere opinion father. Why do you refuse to hear the truth? Yes, Thor ignored your wishes, but he was not the only one in that room. Loki and I were standing right there when you told him not to seek out vengeance. We have disobeyed you all the same." She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, "If you are so determined to punish one of us, then you must punish all of us."
Her act of defiance did not sit well with Odin. Frigga and him had always made it a point to make sure that the three children were close to one another, something that now seemed to come back to bite him. It appeared that pointing at his children was fast becoming a habit, because the next thing he knew his finger was inches from her face as he roared out, "Silence!"
Instead of cowering, Elysia stood firm in the face of her father's fury. Her gaze hardened as it became clear to her that he refused to see reason. She didn't know how her brothers and her were going to get out of this, but she would not move until Odin was once again calm. That she knew for sure.
However when he saw the firm resolve in his daughter's eyes, something snapped in Odin. He was unused to others openly defying him, especially his own children, and he wouldn't stand for it. And like always, he spoke without thinking about the gravity of his words. "If you are so eager to be punished alongside your brother that could certainly be arranged. Perhaps keeping you here, away from your soulmate for a few more centuries, would help teach you a valuable lesson in respect."
Whatever fear she may have held for her father was abandoned at the perceived threat to what was hers.
There was a moment where the air stood still around them, a moment when the normal sounds of life fell to a hush as though it knew that even the slightest hint of interruption could be catastrophic. Odin didn't even have enough time to truly understand the severity of the threat he made before he went slamming into the wall behind him.
There was a startling sneer planted on his daughter's face that told him to stay where he was.
Her eyes, which at times portrayed a warm glow reminiscent of honey, now shone as though a barely contained wild fire blazed within them. She snarled at him with teeth bared, "I would sooner tear the nine realms apart with my bare hands before I let you keep me from him." Golden wisps danced along her fingertips, the beauty of it never betraying its deadly nature. "If you stand in the way of me claiming my soulmate, then father or not, your life becomes forfeit."
Elysia would rip this universe apart if he dared to try. War with the Frost Giants would be the least of his problems.
The others in the room had been so focused on the verbal spar between father and daughter that they had failed to note Frigga's arrival.
The matriarch stood and watched her crumbling family with a heavy heart. They were so engrossed in their anger that they failed to notice her presence. She had almost interjected when she watched her husband speak about how unworthy their son was, but the shaking form of her daughter kept her feet glued to the floor.
It took all Frigga had not to gasp in horror when her husband entertained the thought of denying Elysia her mate. Her daughter's response was to be expected, the rage pouring out of her was justified. Frigga could only imagine what she would've done if someone had threatened to keep her from Odin.
Her husband should've known better than to use the sacredness of a soulmate against their children.
Hoping to stop the situation from escalating further, Frigga finally spoke up. "My love that's quite enough."
She easily identified the surprise in their eyes once they saw her in the entrance to the dome of the Bifrost. She took small pleasure in how Elysia's stance softened when she turned and their gazes met.
What Frigga didn't know was that her interruption allowed Elysia the time to focus on the comfort and reassurance the mark on her wrist was sending her, thus giving way to a channel of warmth directly to her soul. The sensation served as a reminder that her soulmate was still connected to her, a fact Elysia was most grateful for.
Odin's heart dropped when he heard his wife's voice. He hadn't wanted her to witness this, knowing that it would only stir unwanted emotions within his mate. And although he dreaded it, Odin turned to face Frigga. He knew that he would've had to break the news to her, but it was a whole different thing for her to see it with her own two eyes.
He clenched his jaw before making his way to the light of his life. The three siblings were left behind and Elysia made sure to shift so that she was still in front of Thor like a barricade. Although their father's attention had shifted, she still didn't trust him.
Once Odin was standing directly in front of her, Frigga could read his intentions and felt as though she had been drenched with ice water. "No, please." She grasped ahold of his shirt and fisted the fabric in her hands. A glossy sheen coated her eyes as she quietly begged her husband to reconsider.
Odin lent in and the words he whispered into her ear brought along an onslaught of memories that always served a healthy dose of self-hatred. "The decision has already been made. I cannot in good conscious allow Thor to follow in Hela's footsteps. I will not allow it. If that means he must learn this lesson the hard way, then so be it."
Stepping back, Odin looked into his wife's eyes, silently apologizing for what he was about to do. She was the one person that he couldn't stand to see disappointed in him. But at the same time, he was King of Asgard and he had to do what was best for their people. He wished he didn't have to make these kinds of choices, but he did.
Though Frigga understood the position he was coming from, she couldn't force herself to meet his stare, knowing that with one look into the eyes that she adored, she would break down in tears. So instead she looked past her husband's shoulders to her youngest son and nodded towards Elysia in resignation.
Loki could read the plea in his mother's eyes, the one that urged him to step forward and gather Elysia in his arms. He did his best to ignore the confused hurt she sent his way as he led her away from Thor. He held on tight, for he could see what his sister couldn't. If their mother could not persuade Odin, then nothing they would do or say would even come close to swaying him. And if they stood in his way, they would be signing themselves away as nothing more than collateral damage.
Odin accepted that his wife would not look at him and made his way back to his staff resolutely. Holding out his hand, he hardened himself for what he had to do. "I now take from you, your power." Mjolnir was ripped from Thor's grip and went sailing into Odin's hand.
"What?" Elysia breathed out in confusion. "What does he think he's doing?" Her question went unanswered as Loki looked on with a heavy heart while apprehension lined his face.
"The name of my father, and his father before." At Odin's command the armor on Thor's shoulders shed from him. Thor looked at his arms with wide eyes before staring up at Odin in disbelief.
Elysia tried to lurch forwards once she realized what their father meant to do. She was the last one in the room to come to the conclusion, and a fear unlike any she'd ever felt before quickly fell over her. She very nearly knocked Loki off of her, she would have succeeded if it hadn't been for a flash of green magic that forced the two of them further away from Thor. Elysia shot their mother an astounded look at her intrusion. How could she stand there and allow this to happen?
There was no way for Elysia to try and counter her mother's magic without hurting her, so she stuck to trying to fight against it physically.
But she wasn't fast enough.
"I, Odin Allfather cast you out!"
The last thing Thor saw before he was sent spiraling into the Bifrost after being hit by a burst of lightning from Mjolnir, was the terrified look upon his younger siblings' faces. His heart went out to them, frightened beyond belief at the idea of being separated from them for the first time in his life.
"NO!" Elysia desperately tried to throw herself towards the Bifrost that their father had just thrown Thor into with renewed vigor, but Loki still held her fast against him. The more she struggled, the tighter his grip grew until finally she fell limp in his arms, sending both of them onto their knees.
The tears cascading down her face couldn't be stopped as she sobbed for her eldest brother, the broken keening sounds escaping her and the way she tried to reach out toward the Bifrost only served to further break Loki's heart.
Elysia felt like someone had taken her head and slammed it against the ground repeatedly as it began to pound, and before she could stop herself, she started to scream.
"Give him back!"
She didn't know who to aim the words at.
"Give him back!"
Odin, Frigga, Loki, the Bifrost, even the universe itself. She didn't care who, as long as someone answered the cry and just gave Thor back.
"Give him back to me!"
She felt like a part of her was gone. She wasn't whole without both her brothers. Elysia felt like she was coming undone, her vision started to spin and she could have sworn she blacked out for a half second.
Odin shifted and glanced at his daughter in concern. He had never expected her to completely fall apart. He took a step towards her only to come to an abrupt stop when his son shifted her away with one hand and looked up at him in distrust.
Loki wanted to take his screaming and trembling sister and run. Run far away from the man who was supposed to love them more than life itself. Run from the man who had just banished their big brother in a fit of anger. Never in his wildest dreams did Loki ever imagine that he would have to protect his sister from their father. But when he saw Odin try to come near them, he knew instantly that he would. No longer trusting their father with the only sibling he had left, Loki prepared himself to draw his weapon right then and there. He knew in his heart that there was no question about whether or not he would be able to follow through if it meant that Elysia would remain safe and sound at his side.
Like Thor should have been.
It had always been the three of them. They didn't know how to function without each other, which is exactly why Elysia was reacting the way she was. She'd never been without one of them since the day she was born, she didn't understand what to do when they weren't together. How were they supposed to continue on when one of them was missing? There was a gaping hole in him, one he knew Elysia also felt.
Both siblings longed to throw themselves into the Bifrost after Thor, because they would rather be exiled as one than separated. Their hearts cried out at the thought of their eldest brother all alone with no protection.
Frigga watched from the sidelines with a hand covering her mouth to stop her own cries. She didn't think her heart could break any further, but seeing her youngest son's hand flinch to where his dagger laid tucked in the back of his pants when her husband tried to approach them, proved her wrong. For the second time in her life, Frigga watched as her family fell apart and yet another one of her children were cast out.
And once again it came by her husband's hand.
She loved her soulmate, was practically wired to regardless of his flaws, but she loved her children more. And it was that fierce maternal love that whispered a hard to swallow truth.
That her husband time and time again, proved to be the biggest threat to the safety and happiness of her children.
It made her ill that she could not defend the actions of her spouse, and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't sure she wanted to. So instead she focused on blocking out her daughter's screams while trying to hold herself together till she could be alone.
Suddenly remembering who it was that had just derailed her entire world, Elysia's cries cut off and her grief took a backseat as she turned her wet eyes onto her father. The sight of him standing there, having the nerve to look as though he were hurt and concerned by what had just occurred was what pushed her over the ledge.
With pupils that still shone brighter than any sun, Elysia glared fiercely at the man who had just ripped her eldest brother from her. When she opened her mouth to speak, the voice that came from her was not her own. It held an authority that could only come from something that had lived much longer than she had.
"One day Odin Allfather, what you covet most shall be ripped from you just as viciously." A fracture formed on the wall behind Odin. "And when you beg for it to be returned, the universe will turn its back and watch as you drown in sorrow." The heat of the fury originating from her filled the room, seemingly sucking out all the oxygen. "This we swear." Energy from all around them jolted as it responded to the conduit in the vicinity.
It took everything Odin had not to let the chill of her words show on his face. Unable to stand the looks of betrayal and hatred his children were sending his way, Odin took hold of Frigga's hand and swept them out of area without another word.
Little did he know that his actions on this day would spark the birth of his downfall.
It had taken a handful of hours before Loki or Elysia could gather the strength to pick themselves up from the ground and make their way back to their home. Both siblings had gone their separate ways once reaching the corridor that held their rooms, both not looking up in fear that they would take one glance at Thor's door and break down once more.
Although Elysia knew that the best thing for Loki and her at the moment was to remain together, she had to admit to herself that she needed a moment to let the events of the day sink in properly. At the start of the day she had been so thrilled for her brother's special ceremony and now she was mourning his banishment.
So Elysia stood in the center of her room and wondered when everything had gone so wrong. She wondered when it was that Odin decided that casting his children out and stripping them of their birthright had become something he was okay with doing.
Her throat was still sore from her screams and her thoughts were jumbled as she tried to make sense of it all, and that was without thinking about Loki's apparent ability to turn blue.
Another thing she wished she didn't have to think about.
They never should have gone to Jotunheim. She should have tried harder to talk Thor out of his ridiculous idea. She should have run to their father and told him of their plans the moment the thought passed through Thor's lips. Perhaps then none of this would have occurred.
Elysia cursed herself for not being braver.
The sounds of glass shattering brought her out of her misery and panic swept through her veins at the thought of something happening to the one brother she had left. Elysia tore out of her room and raced towards Loki's.
Loki, much like Elysia, was trapped within his thoughts. On one hand he could spend many more hours simply focusing on what Thor's banishment was going to mean for the rest of them. But on the other hand, concerns about what occurred on Jotunheim were eating him alive.
He leaned up against the door, the back of his head thumping against the wood. Staring at nothing in particular he let his thoughts run wild, recalling the words of his family and those he considered to be friends, Sif if he was being specific.
Their words, everything that he had heard over the course of his life played through his mind on repeat. Like pieces of a puzzle, they all started coming together.
From the very beginning you were surprising us.
Things he had never picked up on.
You were my miracle child darling, the one I didn't think I'd get.
Things that should have made him stop and think.
Mother said that you were very sick when you were born Loki, so no one was allowed to be around you until you got better.
He had never questioned the validity in those statements. Why should he have? What reason did he have to believe that he was being lied to?
My mother said that the day Lady Frigga announced your existence it shocked everyone that she was so well adept at hiding her pregnancy.
The more he recalled, the more it felt like his skin was crawling. Prying himself off the door, he began to pace. That soon gave way to heaving and flinching, as if every word were a sharp sting of a whip upon his back. Loki didn't understand how this could have happened.
I suppose you could say you fooled the whole of Asgard brother. Truly mischievous indeed.
The image of Elysia's head tilted back as the sound of her sweet laughter rang out around them while she teased him caused him to stop pacing. He longed to scream like Elysia had earlier until his throat bled, to purge himself of this sickness that laid under the surface of his veins. He couldn't be a Jotun, he just couldn't be.
They were the enemy of his people, the monsters that plagued his sister's dreams when they were mere children. Whatever happened on Jotunheim had to be some sort of mistake, a mere trick of the eye.
This couldn't be what fate had planned for him.
But every sign seemed to be pointing in that direction.
Looking up, Loki gazed at his reflection in the mirror to his left, searching desperately to find any trace of Odin or Frigga in his features. If he could just find a hint of Thor in his eyes or even something as simple as the shape of his nose, then he could cast aside the poisonous notions running through his mind.
But it wasn't there.
Green eyes bore back at him and the narrowness of his jaw mocked him. The dark strands of hair felt heavy for the first time in his life. What he once saw as a way to tie himself to his sister, now only served as a grim revelation that he was the outcast. The one piece of the puzzle who didn't fit.
Yanking the dagger out from the back of his pants, he threw it at his reflection and watched with hollow satisfaction as it shattered into a million pieces. Feeling like he was one moment away from destroying everything in sight, Elysia bursting in was the only thing that stopped him. Loki stared at his sister in shock, taking careful note of the unrestrained panic on her face.
Although when she saw that he was in no danger that panic disappeared. Taking a look around the room it was easy for her to see that Loki had broken his mirror, and Elysia had a pretty good guess as to why. It broke her heart that she didn't know how to comfort him, to assure him that what he was thinking was impossible. Because after what had just happened, Elysia could no longer say that she knew their parents as well as she thought.
Slowly Elysia reached out and gently dragged Loki to the ground with her, both of them propping themselves up against the end of his bed, their shoulders touching.
"I don't understand how any of this is possible." His voice was soft, slightly breaking which revealed how small he felt at the moment.
"Then we must ask the one person who holds the answers."
Although Elysia wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer, or even if it would help any, the fact still remained that Loki desperately needed to know. And if that meant marching right up to their father and demanding the truth from him, she would. She had lost too much this day to be concerned about tiptoeing the line of propriety in regards to Odin.
She promised herself that no matter what happened she would stand tall at Loki's side. Nothing Odin would tell them could pry her from him.
The two of them sat, shoulder to shoulder, knowing full well that neither would find the peace of mind to truly rest. Loki knew that soon his world might come crashing down around him and Elysia knew that the two of them would need to find Sif and break the news about her soulmate.
But for right now, the two of them were perfectly content to sit for a few more moments with each other. With their eyes closed in the shared silence, they could almost pretend that Thor was still with them.
Odin would remain ignorant as to the extent of the damage he had caused. The light that burned so brightly within all three of his children flickered for the first time in their lives.
AN: Thanks for all the positive comments and feedback! I'm so happy that you guys like the story! I just hope I'm doing these amazing characters justice.
akagami hime chan: I love Sif so much and the thought of having to write her and the siblings not getting along caused me physical pain. I love all of them way too much to do that. Don't worry, Sif will get all her love in the end. I will say this though, there will be a slight amount of Thor and Jane because I am a firm believer in this story that my dude is going to have to learn how to differentiate between true love and mere fascination, but I swear that Sif and Thor are endgame. Sorry to everyone who wants him to end up with Jane.
SunnySides: Yes, I also believe that if Thor would have known then things would have played out differently. And having Elysia know will definitely help Loki cope with all his emotions and the choices that he makes. Laufey for sure has it out for her now, but Elysia would much rather that then him take an interest in Loki. Also I can say with a happy heart that Bucky will make an appearance in the next chapter, which I'm super stoked about and I can only hope that everyone else will like it as much as I do.
