Kaysa was waiting outside the throne room, where Loki was been judged. She had been waiting for an explanation since the guards took Loki out of his room. As a maid, she could not be present unless the King or the Queen ordered her to be. However, she knew that Kaira would be there. After all, Viggo was her fiancé. Kaysa walked in front of the door, trying to get something about the conversation. The walls and doors were bigger enough to silence any sound. She startled when the door opened. Kaira walked out followed by some other maidens that were crying about Viggo's death. Kaysa tried to walk to her but she stopped when she saw Thor coming out too.
"Kaira!" He called her. Kaira stopped and looked at him. Kaysa could notice the confusion in her sister's eyes. "Say something, please." Thor seemed to ignore Kaysa's presence.
"I need some time to digest it," Kaira said. She noticed her sister behind Thor's figure. With a look in her eyes, she told Kaysa to follow her. Kaysa did not think twice and walked to Kaira's room. She needed to know what had happened with Loki.
Ada looked triumphantly as the guards chained Loki's hands. He did not look at her. His eyes were focused on Odin. Ada turned to them, with fake tears in her eyes as she waited for the sentence to Loki.
"How could you do something like that?" Odin asked with a cold voice. Loki tried to excuse himself but Odin cut him. "You are supposed to be a Prince!" He yelled angrily. Loki looked at him with a strange smile.
"Why so mad, my King?" Loki asked with a strange smile. "After all, I am only a second-rate prince. The future heir to a cursed kingdom of savages and animals." Ada was offended to hear those words referring to her home.
"You are the brother of the future king of Asgard. You must serve on his council and advise him on his decisions. How do you think they will listen to you after being a murderer?" Odin's anger was growing.
"Murderer?" Loki spat that word. "You accuse me of being a murderer? You? You wiped out all the rebels not long ago. You murdered a man in front of all his soldiers. You allow yourself to call me a murderer?"
Odin rose from his throne. He would not allow Loki to doubt his motives for doing what he did.
"Loki of Asgard, I condemn you to remain in the depths of the nine realms. You will be kept there until the sunset of the gods." Ada hid a smile of victory. She had gotten rid of Loki after all without needing to stain her hands with his blood. She glanced over at Thor, who kept a straight face as he listened to the sentence, as did the rest of the audience. Only one person showed surprise.
"Please, my King. It was an accident." Kaira ran to kneel at the foot of the throne and pleaded for Loki's life. "I do not want to take such reprisals."
"You do not have the right to intervene in a sentence." Odin protested, looking down at her from atop his throne.
"He was my betrothed," Kaira replied as she stood up. "I demand to be able to pass sentence."
"This is not your kingdom. Here the sentences are very different. Do you think they will respect me if I let a murderer go unpunished?"
"Father," Thor interjected. He could not see Kaira on the verge of collapse. "Listen to her. She has reigned just as you have. She knows how to get respect." He said as he took a step forward, trying to get closer to her. Ada watched them angrily. She still needed to get rid of her.
"Father of all!" Ada caught his attention. Everyone in the room turned to her. "Isn't that suspicious?" Odin demanded to explain. "The widow defending the murderer." Ada walked toward the throne. "They didn't plan this together, did they? I'm sure that they did it as a crime of passion. They love each other!" Ada fake a pain in her honour.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Loki exclaimed approaching her, but the guards stopped him. Kaira denied being a party to Viggo's murder.
"That's practically impossible." Frigga rose from her throne for the first time. "Kaira has been busy organising the ceremony. There's no point in her doing so if she planned to ruin everything."
Odin dropped back onto his throne with his gaze fixed on the elf. Thor tried to speak to him, but Odin silenced him with a quick wave of his hand.
"Is that true?" Kaira nodded. "Why defend the one responsible for ruining it?" Kaira stood holding his gaze. She did not want to implicate Kaysa in the matter. Her sister had enough problems without adding Viggo's death to it. She glanced briefly at Loki before turning back to Odin. "Speak, child." Kaira shook her head slightly. "I understand."
"I had nothing to do with it," Kaira murmured as Odin hit his spear against the floor. The noise echoed around all the room. She knew what came next.
"Lady Kaira. I accuse you of planning the death of your fiancé. No one can confirm your direct involvement, but you may have participated in its planning. Princess Ada has given her word. However, it was my son's hand that executed the plan. You will not be condemned to die, but your fate will be tied to him until the twilight of the gods." Kaira swallowed hard. "Loki, my son. I condemn you to a slow and undignified death, like the one you gave your prisoner. You will be taken to the depths of Niflheim before dawn." Odin slammed his spear into the ground again. He had finished his sentence. Kaira heard Queen Frigga choke back a small cry in her throat. Thor then released all the air he had been holding in his lungs and ran after the elf.
Kaysa listened to her sister's story in silence. She did not think Loki would be so violent towards Viggo. The plan was to keep him from his honour and get Odin to call off the betrothal to her sister.
"Can't you do anything?" Kaysa asked.
"I've tried everything in my power, Kaysa. I can do no more."
"Of course you can!" Kaysa's voice reflected the pain she felt inside. "He's not like that. He's not a murderer. You must save him."
"He killed a man!" Kaira knew her sister's feelings for the Prince, but she also knew that before she was a lover, Kaysa was a queen. "You know better than anyone how to act in the face of murder."
"He did not do it!" Kaysa shook Kaira and it was then that she understood what had happened. "It wasn't him..."
"Ada saw him. It's the word of a princess against those of traitors." Kaira watched as her sister ignored her. "Kaysa, are you listening to me?" Kaira tried to get her sister's attention by shaking her by the arm. "Kaysa!" Her shout got the elf's attention. "Forget about him."
"How can you expect me to forget about him?" Kaysa pulled away from her sister in pain. She'd thought she'd understand her from the start. "Kaira, he is the father of my child!" Kaira looked at her with a disappointed expression. She never thought her sister would put Loki before her.
"And I am your sister." She replied finally. "And I haven't even heard you worry about me so far in this conversation."
"Kaira, I..." Kaysa did not notice.
"What has he done to you to make you forget your sister?"
"Forgive me, please." Kaysa ran to hug Kaira but Kaira pulled away. "Kaira."
"Leave me. I want you to leave." Kaira turned away to hide the tears. "No one has ever cared about me in this damn place, but I was hoping to have a supporter in you." With those last words, Kaira closed her door room, leaving Kaysa alone on the other side.
Loki and Kaira's departure from Asgard came sooner than Kaysa had imagined. Everyone gathered at the Bifrost, waiting to see the damned paraded to their doom. The royal family waited at the end of the bridge, where Odin would have Heimdall open the Bifrost. Kaysa, as a servant, waited near the palace gates where her sister and Loki would emerge. All waited in silence for the palace gates to open. Kaysa did not feel the strength to keep her eyes fixed on them. Without being conscious, her hand began to caress her slightly swollen belly. It was then that she managed to find some relief and comfort. The soft rattling of chains being dragged made Kaysa quickly raise her head. There was Loki, pushing his way through the crowd. He was in his clean battle dress and his black hair was slicked back. His hands were cuffed and chained to other shackles around his ankles, making his steps slow and heavy. Loki looked around the crowd with an air of grandeur. A bitter smile accompanied him. Right behind him walked Kaira. She wore the same white dress she had worn on the day of the trial. Her hair fell free down her back, adorned by the silver tiara that identified her as queen. Kaysa had to cover her mouth to keep from crying out in pain. Her sister's expression was blank. She walked free but escorted by two soldiers, one on either side. Her eyes were surrounded by dark circles. All the people were silent as they heard Loki dragging his chains. They stayed that way until a voice burst out of nowhere with a murderous cry. It was then that the silence began to break and was replaced by voices and insults towards the damned.
Kaysa was unable to identify the culprit who had brought about such a situation. She wanted to defend the honour of her sister and the man she loved but to no avail. Little by little, they began to move out of sight. Kaysa felt she still needed more of them. She ran through the crowd to follow them, pushing anyone who got in her way. This confused the crowd, who took it as an initiative to accompany the condemned on their parade without silencing their shouts and insults. Kaysa could not help shedding her tears as she shouted at them to be quiet. Some men began to berate her as well. Kaysa felt alone and helpless. She fell to her knees as she covered her ears, wishing it was all a horrible nightmare. She only opened her eyes again when she felt a pair of strong hands grab her shoulders and lift her off the ground. Thor stood in front of her, hidden under a cloak. Kaysa could not understand anything. He was supposed to be in the end, waiting for them.
"Come with me," Thor murmured as he guided her back to the palace. Kaysa tried to stop him, telling him that she needed to help Kaira. "I need you to trust me!" The desperation in his voice made her stop. Kaysa had never thought about trusting Thor but for the first time, she decided to do it.
Loki's gaze wandered around the crowd, ignoring the shouts behind him accusing him of murdering Viggo. He knew Kaysa would be in the crowd. He was not about to let his sister go without a farewell. As he neared the end of the bridge, however, that thought morphed into a desperate cry to see her one last time. Finally, he reached where the King and Queen awaited his arrival and had not seen a glimpse of Kaysa's hair. Frigga rushed out to meet him, taking his chained hands in hers.
"Are you proud, mother?" Loki asked, squeezing his mother's small hands tightly. "At last I have attained that which you sought so much, and which I always denied." Frigga's eyes filled with tears as she understood her son's words. "I did it for her, to protect her. I could not let her suffer. I couldn't let anyone hurt her. I love her. I love her with all my being." Loki's words fell more and more to a mere whisper. They seemed to be spoken to him more than to his mother.
"Let's not waste any more time." Odin's voice interrupted Frigga's words to him. The guards escorting them whipped Loki closer to the King. "Why, Loki, how could you do this? Where does this evil come from?" Loki could not help but let out a laugh.
"You ask me?" Loki was incredulous. "All my life I've watched you do the same thing. What did you expect me to do?"
"I did it as King of Asgard."
"Then I did it as Prince of Asgard." Loki accompanied his reply with a triumphant smile. He knew how to harm Odin.
"Being a Prince does not give you the right to dispense justice. It doesn't even give you the right to be a successor to the throne." Loki's smile was wiped away in the same instant. "Don't you see? A Prince is worthy of being King when he is able to uphold and fulfil his duties, showing respect for the lives of every person who crosses his path and knowing how to make decisions appropriate to his actions."
"What about Einar, what about Kaysa, what about all the elves you slaughtered along with my brother?" Loki tried to launch himself at him, but his chains stopped him. "Were their actions such that they deserved death?"
"They tried to alter the order of the nine realms."
"They only wanted to defend themselves!" Odin refused to listen to Loki any longer. He glanced briefly at Kaira, who waited in silence.
"I am sorry I had to make this decision." It was the only thing he addressed to her. With a gesture of his spear, he ordered Heimdall to open the bridge. The soldiers began to lead Loki and Kaira towards the opening. Loki tried to resist as he shouted Kaysa's name. A blow to his knee was enough to stop him.
Kaira watched as Loki was dragged away while shouting her sister's name. They crossed at the same time, their voices and cries reduced to mere echoes. For Kaira, it had been an eternity before her feet touched solid ground. The clarity of the Bifrost gave way to eerie darkness. The land was barren and dry, with little vegetation to enliven it. Trees fell over the winding paths, dry and hollow inside. Kaira watched as a raven flew out of one of them and landed on a high branch.
Kaira expected the soldiers to leave the moment they reached the place, but they did not. They began to walk alongside them until they reached a small clearing. Kaira looked up, trying to see some light to illuminate the area, but all was darkness. One soldier stopped Kaira by a large rock, while the other dragged Loki to it.
"What are you going to do to him?" Kaira asked as she saw him being laid down on the rock facing upwards. Two more soldiers began to wrap his chains around the rock, pinning him to it. Loki tried to free himself from them.
"Don't even try." The soldier holding him warned him. "Odin has taken it upon himself to find these chains especially for you, God of Mischief," Loki grunted as he continued to try to break free of them.
"He has only been banished. I see no need to do this." Kaira insisted.
"Silence!" the soldier shouted as he pulled on her and placed one end of Loki's chains around her ankles.
"Let go of me!" Kaira shouted. In response, she received only laughter from the soldiers as they walked away from them. Kaira demanded to be released, but it was too late. Heimdall had reopened the Bifrost and the soldiers had already vanished from the scene. Silence reigned again. Kaira and Loki were beginning their sentence.