Hey guys! I had my creative juices flowing so I decided to give you another chapter sooner than usual!

Also, just a warning, this chapter is a little intense so get ready…

Thank you for everything, you guys make me so happy!

Enjoy!

Soothing black darkness turned to white hot pain.

Relaxed muscles became tense and rigid.

A once limp, sleeping body now shook violently.

It felt like electricity was bolting through his veins. Like his muscles were being constricted and pulled. Like he would collapse in on himself.

Like death.

Loki's whole frame shook and spasmed uncontrollably, his teeth were clenched together and his eyes were squeezed shut.

He didn't know what it was. One moment, he was falling in an endless dark abyss. And though scared, he was peaceful. He thought that maybe it would have been better that way, that he could hide away from the horrors of his life.

But then the next moment, he felt something touch him. It was soft and comforting, but it shook him with what seemed like fear. Then it touched his jaw. Loki had tried to turn towards the hand, but it was becoming warm. Then it was hot. Then it felt like fire. Then, the fire invaded his body.

He didn't know what to do or what to think. He fell faster and faster, until it was like he fell back into his own real body. He could once again feel the ground and feel the broken nose but he still felt the hands. Everywhere they touched him, it felt like they electrocuted him. He couldn't tell them to stop. His teeth but down on the tip of his tongue, causing his mouth to bleed.

The spasms only got more intense and more constant.

He just wanted it to stop.

He'd do anything to make it stop...

He felt his eyes start to water and his limbs start to cramp.

Stop...

0o0o0o0

Thor stifled a scream.

He had just been bent over his brother, trying to help him and wake him up. He had gently shook him and talked to him. Then he had seen a scar that trailed the bottom of his jawline, and he went to touch it.

He did not know why, he just had always felt inclined to touch and assess his brother's injuries.

He guessed the scar had been from the muzzle.

But almost as soon as he touched the scar, it looked more irritated. It got a slight red color, but it became more red and Loki started shaking.

He didn't know what to do.

The scar only got more red and Thor could almost swear he saw a jolt of electricity travel along it. Concerning as that was, the concern only grew... along with the bright red the seemed to glow under Loki's skin.

Now instead of shaking, he was convulsing.

His back arched and his head thrashed. Thor could see that he was biting in his tongue, but knew he wouldn't be able to get Loki's jaw to unlock off of it.

Not having any knowledge on whatever was happening to his little brother and not knowing what else to do, Thor tried to get Loki to stop spasming. He tried to hold him down. That seemed only to make things worse...

"Stop!"

He heard a man scream from behind him.

He turned and saw the guard rush over and sit next to him. There was a panic in his eyes that Thor never thoughts he'd see from the man.

Then the man touched Loki's neck.

Feeling threatened, Thor punched the guard in the face. He didn't know whether he could trust him, but the fear of his brother's threat being cut or strangled was enough to tip the scale.

The guard looked at Thor with surprise, then held his hands up.

"No weapons, I swear. I just want to help him... I can help him. Please, just trust me. Let me do for Loki what I could not for Abaylin."

Having the judgement to not ask about whoever this "Abaylin" was, Thor just nodded. The man sounded sincere, and besides, he didn't know what else to do besides to trust him. So, he backed away to give him room.

The guard slowly made his way back over, slightly afraid of being socked in the face again. But he replaced his hand on Loki's neck and frowned.

"His pulse is very high. I know how to help him but you have to promise to have faith in what I'm about to do."

Thor didn't move. The man took it as a sign that the brother was too scared and desperate to stop him.

He took out a small knife. Thor realized that he'd lied about having no weapons, but didn't say anything. He wanted to turn away, but he had to make sure the guard didn't kill Loki. Cause if the guy made one wrong move...

The guard slowly brought the knife to Loki's neck, taking a glance at Thor. Then, he cut a small line, being careful to avoid his throat.

While blood did escape, the thing that made the main appearance was bright blue jolts of electricity that shot out and connected to the walls of the box. After jumping around a bit, they finally died out. The guard immediately held a cloth to Loki's neck, slowing the bleeding.

And Loki, while the young god looked dead, at least he didn't seem to be being electrocuted anymore.

His pale frame was completely and disturbingly still, and his head was held up in the guard's arm. The scar's redness faded and became normal again.

He looked terrible, but he was safe.

Thor could see the steady rise and fall of his chest, and though under terrible circumstances, at least Loki now slept.

He made his way closer to his brother and took him from the guard, laying him in his lap and holding him close. He looked up.

"I never got your name." He said breathlessly happy. He smiled.

The man returned the smile.

"Valnyr."

"Well, Valnyr, I cannot thank you enough for this."

He thought for a moment.

"Why did you help? Who's... Abaylin?"

Valnyr sighed.

"He was my younger brother. He died."

Thor looked him. He didn't want to overstep, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"How?"

He expected a glare or a slap, but he got a small, sad smile.

"He died in battle… a hero's death. I fought next to him as he was impaled. I tried to help him, to save him. But he died in my arms. I was useless. He was so young... not much older than Loki."

He paused and gestured toward the god, who still was unmoving, but he was regaining a bit of color.

Hurt, but alive.

Traumatized, but alive.

Alive because of Valnyr.

"After Abaylin's death, I was so angry at everything. Angry at my parents for allowing him to fight. Angry at myself for letting him die. Angry at the entire army for acting like he was just another fallen warrior of no importance. Damn, I was even angry at Odin."

That makes two of us.

"When I found out what Loki had done, all I could think was of the people who were killed. They could've had brothers too. I don't know why, but I kind of blamed Loki for Abaylin's fall. And I was mad at him, because I knew he had tried to kill you. I felt like he was not worthy of being a little brother. I thought you would have been the most upset with him. But then you didn't leave his cell. You just watched him and occasionally talked to him, as if he could hear you. You yelled for him. You cried for him. You fought your own father for him. And then I realized that Loki was just terribly misguided. I don't know what happened to him, but I could finally see through him when you two were together. Like magic."

Thor was nearly speechless. But he had one more question.

"How did you know what to do?"

Valnyr looked at Loki guiltily.

"Odin told me… he said he had used magic to curse the muzzle. When I put it on Loki that day in the dungeon, it was to cast the spell on him. The spell was one that would link two people. One the prisoner, and one the punisher. When the prisoner was cut with the enchanted item and the caster of the spell chose the punisher, the prisoner would be attacked with the punisher's greatest strength at contact with the area in which they were cut. So the muzzle cut back into Loki's jaw, infecting him with the curse. Then Odin chose you to be the punisher. You saw the scar, touched it, and the spell took it's course of action. And as the God of Thunder, lightening is your greatest strength when it comes to damage. Odin told me how to fix it in case of some emergency."

Thor felt like he had been hit with a planet.

He'd caused Loki's pain. All of that had been because of him.

He wanted to throw up.

0o0o0o0

After what seemed like hours, after the shaking and spasming and blood and electricity, it finally ended.

He had felt like he was going to die, and just about accepted it when he had felt a sharp object cut his neck, generously missing his throat. While it hurt, it was nothing compared to what he just endured.

After the cut, he had felt like the electricity that had invaded his body was draining out of him, all his energy and strength leaving with it.

He was able just to open his eyes a small bit but couldn't make anything out. He closed them again, even the tiny gesture exhausted him. He heard ringing in his ears and his throat burned. His lungs ached from the lack of air and his tongue throbbed, still bleeding.

He noticed the edges of his vision getting darker, though his eyes were closed. It seemed fuzzy and blurry. His head swam. His body even felt dead.

Was he dying? Was he already dead?

Loki was scared.

He felt hands shift and then felt himself being handed to someone else. Then himself being laid in the persons lap, their arm supporting his head comfortably. The person cradled him close to them, as if he were a baby. And any other time he would mind this, but right now it's exactly what he needed.

He thought he heard talking, one voice sounding familiar and the other not. But he couldn't make out the words.

So he rehearsed his own.

Sunset. Following. Thor. Apples. Covers. Hiding. Laughing. Magic. Brothers.

He repeated the words until he fell asleep for the first time in days.

He felt safe and loved for the first time in years.