A.N.: most of Thor: Dark World is said to take place two years after Thor, one year after Avengers, so there will be two small time skips in this chapter totaling 1.5 years time, and the next chapter will complete the two year time span.
The events in this chapter are synced with events in the movies The Avengers and Thor: Dark World
One year later:
Loki sat carefully on the step behind the wrecked, broken floor he'd just peeled himself out of. The Hulk's ragdoll treatment of him had shattered something in his skull and he was thinking and seeing with a sudden clarity that startled him. He could feel that wretched scepter somewhere near. The distant, hissing taunts and probing fingers of the power inside it sent a shiver up his spine. He wanted to stay far, far away from that thing and the unbreakable hold it was able to take of him.
He didn't know how long it had been since he'd woken up in that dark ship, laying at Thanos's boots, waiting unknowingly for his torture to begin, but he'd been in a thick fog until just about now.
It wasn't really a defense, not that he felt he wanted or needed one. He'd been aware, he'd made the choices, he'd done all of it consciously... but it was as if he'd been behind a cloud of smoke. He'd been trying to get out, but there were only specific, narrow places to move and step through, and each one led to another disaster that he'd helped plan.
Or rather, that his mind had helped plan.
He remembered vividly the feel of that scepter's magic sifting through his brain, finding which memories to exploit, discovering which skills to manipulate. He'd been both a puppet and a quasi-willing participant to its schemes and the way Thanos wielded it's power for his own ends.
Oh, the things that the death monger had promised him for his compliance. The irresistible "deal" he'd made.
If he'd only serve him, he'd have a kingdom to rule!
Except there had been no actual dealings, there had been torture and a sort of mind control. And he knew Thanos had no intention of letting him just have anything.
Not freedom.
Not Earth.
Not that he wanted earth. For the tesseract? He'd rather have that.
'Who would want this place? What a piece of shit.' He thought glumly, blood dripping from a gash in his hairline.
He wanted to roll his eyes when he looked up and saw those "Avengers" poised and ready to strike, weapons drawn and pointed right in his face.
He was just sitting there. He'd been practically shattered just moments before.
Their drama was not appreciated.
"If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now."
—————
He was not given a drink.
'Hospitality on earth is severely lacking.' He thought as Thor cuffed and gagged him, rendering him unable to speak.
Which was fine. He didn't have anything to say anyway.
He did had a lot of questions, but he didn't think Thor was in the mood to answer them right now.
He walked behind his brother with his eyes forward, ignoring the chattering of the gathered crowds come to watch one of the heroes of the Earth march the big evil villain away. The tesseract thrummed nearby, and the 'Avengers' followed them to whatever random place Thor thought would be best to blast back Asgard. He ignored them too, mostly. And then Thor offered him one of the handles on the container around the tesseract, they twisted it together, and away they went.
In no time they were on the shores of home, and he was being tugged along toward the holding cells of Odin's dungeons, awaiting his trail. He glanced up toward the looming palace and felt a small seed of nervousness take root. There was only one soul in that whole wretched place he was concerned about seeing, okay, maybe two, and he had no idea where in there she was.
Or what she would say to him.
—————————-
6 months later
He had genuinely thought they had forgotten all about him when he was finally summoned to receive Odin's judgement. It had been months with only guards sent to deliver his meager rations as company and he thought he might go mad at the blank monotony that his life had become. He was given the luxury of a quick bath, but only a very quick one, lest he think he's being shown any favor. His hair is still dripping when he's tugged in by chains to stand before his 'father' and receive his sentence.
His mother is there, and the shame and sadness in her eyes almost gets to him.
But he won't let it.
"Hello mother. Have I made you proud?"
"Please don't make this worse."
Odin cut into him with several barbs, probably hoping to take him down a peg, embarrass him, put him in his place, but standing there in heavy chains fresh from a failed suicide attempt and failed campaign to take over earth, mind control issues not withstanding, and a mind numbingly lonely imprisonment, Loki just felt... tired.
"If I am for the ax, for mercy's sake just swing-"
"Loki!" A voice he hadn't heard in far, far too long caressed his ears and stopped him cold. He turned, and his heart threatened to break again.
——————-
Time had certainly marched on, though at one point Kagome had been uncertain that it would. Grief was still so heavy, but it felt a little easier to walk with it now, breathe around it, shoulder it while she tried to limp on and keep living. She hadn't left the palace almost at all, though she'd taken to spending time with Heimdall in the bifrost gate. He was steady and constant and it was soothing to just sit there far away from everyone and read for a while. Heimdall didn't say much and demanded nothing from her. It was peaceful.
Then there was Thor. Their garden lunches had become a regular thing, as well. Something she actually looked forward too, as he was kind of the only person she'd remained close with. She felt a little guilty, but she knew herself. She'd give everything she had that wasn't being sucked up by grief and then she'd have nothing left to heal herself with. So she'd reduced her circle to Thor and Heimdall.
It was going well!
She was having another garden lunch, enjoying the warm air and soft scents of freshly blooming flowers, but Thor seemed distracted, picking at his food and looking around, half heartedly chuckling at what few things she said. He probably wished he was fighting with Sif and the warriors, but his father had made him stay behind. A tendril of guilt curled around him, one that had been almost constant lately, but it seemed thicker today, stronger. But she wrote it off. He had many things he felt guilty for and was often distracted, he probably just felt extra bad he wasn't paying attention to her.
"Are you still pouting that your dad wouldn't let-"
Something very distant, very familiar, and very unexpected brushed against her, stealing her voice, her breath, even her sanity for a moment before she shook her head and concentrated.
Thor perked up at her frown, zoning back in in a way she may have found suspicious if she was paying any attention.
"Kagome, What-"
"SHH!" She waved him to silence, and for a moment his sudden anxiety was all she could feel. She pushed passed it and reached out with her senses, looking for that wisp of unbelievable hope once more.
At last she found it.
"Wait... no... how?"
"Kagome, please. Why don't we go-"
"Loki..."
She stood abruptly, mind so focused on getting to him she lost all track of everything else. She startled violently at the feel of Thor's fingers wrapping tightly around her wrist, and though she could read agony in his face, there was also determination.
"What are you doing? Let me go."
"Kagome... I-"
With a stern frown and a strong plume of reiki, she pushed him back and took off, running hard in the direction of the throne room. Thor caught up quickly, but she kept him off with nudges of power and sparkly reiki shields. Stronger and faster he may be, but much of her ability had been honed in evading and subduing and she would not be overpowered.
Not in this.
What guards and servants that didn't leap away at the sight of her fierce scowl she pushed away with her aura as well, giving her a clear path to race down.
The closer she got, the more sure she was that she wasn't going crazy.
She could feel him.
He was here.
He was... alive.
"Loki!" She flung herself at the door, erecting a strong barrier to help her push it open. Panting, heart thundering, gaze frantic, she drank in the sight of him standing there, vibrant, alive and healthy, and something twisted hard and painful inside of her before snapping.
The next breath she took felt like the first she'd been able to take since watching him fall from the bifrost.
"Loki..." she breathed, tears falling from her eyes, disbelief, wonder and relief aching in her soul. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, felt the breath in his lungs and the beat in his heart. "You're alive... you're.. in chains? What?"
Thor stumbled in then, and Odin leveled him a hard stare.
"I thought I told you to keep the girl busy."
"I'm sorry father, I tried. But she is-"
"Wait..."
She turned slowly, meeting Thor's pained gaze, betrayal blooming and spreading through her heart.
"You were... you were keeping me from him? You knew he was alive... and you didn't tell me?"
"Kagome, it's not that-"
"You knew he was alive and you didn't fucking tell me?" She backed away, widening the gap between her and Thor, but growing closer to Loki, the solid feeling of his life at her back bolstering her.
"You didn't tell her I was here?" His voice, smooth and languid and so missed slid down her ears and her head spun with joy and rage.
"You've watched me mourn him nearly two years... and you were just going to keep this from me?" She spun toward Odin and glared, uncaring about Royal respect in her blazing anger.
"Why is he in chains? Let him go."
"He is in chains because he is a prisoner. He is going to the dungeons. And you will never see him again."
"You can't do that! He's my hus-"
"He is nothing to you anymore girl. I can do it, because I am your king, and you will-"
"I am not Asgardian, and you are not my-"
"That's enough."
His voice was barely above a whisper, a vocal caress just like the way he used to speak to her in the privacy of their rooms, and she was helpless to do anything but heed its call.
His eyes pled silently with hers, the guilt in his aura begged forgiveness. No matter what they'd done to her with this betrayal, he wouldn't let her jeopardize the safety she had as a citizen here, and he had no idea what his father would do if she renounced him as her king.
"I accept my punishment." He spoke to Odin without looking away from her, and she counted all the tiny secrets that sparked to life in the emerald depths of eyes she'd never dared hope to look into again.
She gave a tiny nod. She would come to him. One way or another.
"Guards, take him away. Thor, remove her."
She jerked away with a hateful glare, feeling no remorse for the hurt on his face.
"Don't touch me. I'll remove my damn self."
Thor watched her stride away with a wilting heart. He had so much to explain to her, but she was stubborn on a good day and her temper always made everything worse. He would corner her later.
In the mean time, he needed to hit something, and as Sif and the warriors had not returned, he knew exactly where to go to blow off steam.