Author's Notes

Song Lyrics from Halflives - Empty Room
watch?v=Jq4ocISBA60

Additional song: Skylar Grey - Building A Monster
watch?v=eC5wbqpxtk4&list=PLb-h0TgZRJZpYbnvq7gW1FBvsBMdCI_mZ&index=2

Whole Playlist:
/playlist?list=PLb-h0TgZRJZooJ-TPIjxWEFoYEnXi2vcl

The next time she saw him, Loki was sitting on the Allfather's throne. It was a surreal image Luciana had thought as she entered the throne room together with the rest of the group. The fact he was wearing his battle armor only contributed to it further. Everything in her rioted as she was forced to bow in front of him. And she could feel that it was the same for the others.

It's not like she generally opposed the idea of him being Asgard's King. Far from it actually. She had often thought to herself that the second prince would have been a better choice than Thor. One time she had even questioned the Allfather himself about it. Which was also the reason Luciana was sure he was in fact not fond of her at all.

Meaning, she would have supported Loki, her most treasured friend, if he had been chosen as King fair and square. But the man standing in front of them was not her Loki. Although he looked exactly like him, he felt like a completely different person. Someone she didn't know. Someone she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Not when he still looked at all of them with those cold blue eyes.

Luciana was the second to rise to her feet after Sif. She was also the only one that stayed behind.
"If you stayed to try and persuade me to let my brother return, it is a futile effort." the God of Mischief scoffed at her.
"That is not why I stayed. I just want to ask you a question."
The man raised an eyebrow at her words. "Well, you may ask Lucy."
"Alright, uhm… Who are you?"
Loki had clearly not expected those words and he stared at her with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "What?"
"Tell me. Who are you?" she repeated, still not elaborating what the intentions behind her question were.
"I'm afraid, I don't quite understand why you're asking me this. You should know very well who I am. If anyone else had asked me this, I would have thought it an attempt to mock me, but since it is you Lucy, I am inclined to answer. I am Loki, King of Asgard."

"...No."

"I beg your pardon?" he asked, visibly confused.
"No, you're not. You may be the King of Asgard. But you are not Loki. The Loki I know would never turn his back on his brother like that. He may trick him, badmouth him and mock him, but he wouldn't deny him his return home. So, you're not the Loki I know. You're not him! So, tell me, who are you? "
"!?"

Luciana's words echoed through the throne room, before it grew quiet and an uncomfortable silence befell them. The self proclaimed king attempted to say something several times. But under the piercing gaze the brunette woman set upon him his silver tongue seemed to be frozen. And so he didn't utter a word.
Realizing that she wouldn't get her desired answer, Luciana finally averted her gaze after a few long moments. And soon she turned on her heels and disappeared through the archway.

After her figure had vanished from his sight, Loki let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He felt strangely exhausted even though he hadn't undergone any physical labor. Deep down he knew what unsettled him. But as he sat down on his throne again, he quickly pushed the feeling away.

I'm just a bad clone of myself
And it's so sad that I'm aware

Luciana had decided to make it her duty to keep watch on their new king. She needed to know what had brought this change in him. Moreover, she had the sinking feeling that he was about to unleash something terrible. Something he wouldn't be able to undo.
And so she kept watch on his activities. Normally it was impossible for any being to conceal themselves from the God of Mischief. But only in Luciana's case it was possible, as she was capable of erasing all sounds around her. Not even her breathing could be detected like that, basically eradicating her entire presence. Well, soundwise at least. She was still perfectly visible to the naked eye, so if he actually saw her all the concealing would be for nothing. Which is why she still had to be very careful in choosing her hiding place. Especially when hiding from him.
So far everything went surprisingly smoothly though. On one particular day she followed him all the way to the Bifrost, where he used the bridge to get to a place unbeknownst to her.

"Lady Luciana. You may want to come out of your hiding place now."
Of course, Heimdall had noticed her presence. Nothing escaped his all seeing eyes after all. But from the beginning the young woman hadn't thought that she could hide her presence from him anyway. "Where did he go?" she asked the gatekeeper as she stepped out from her hiding.
"Jotunheim."
Hearing that, her eyes turned wide in surprise, a gasp escaping her lips. "!? What is he doing there?"
"I'm afraid I don't know. Albeit, I can feel his presence, I cannot hear him." the Gatekeeper replied in a calm tone.
"Wh-what? But that, that should be impossible!"
"And yet it is. And it is not the first time." It was only now that Heimdall turned his head towards her, meeting her gaze.
"No. No, he wouldn't. He didn't. He-"
"He is returning." the man announced and the brunette knew what he meant for her to do.
She nodded and went back into hiding. And sure enough, only seconds later the Bifrost opened and Loki stepped through it.

Luciana didn't want to believe the gatekeeper's suspicions. But as she silently listened to their conversation she couldn't deny it. It was the truth. The one who had allowed the Frost Giants to infiltrate Asgard's castle had been none other than Loki.
At that realization Luciana's heart dropped.

"Loki… What did you do?"

Trapped inside an empty room
I close my eyes to change the view
I'm sitting all alone on my pathetic throne

When their new king announced the closure of the Bifrost, the four warriors were positively fuming. Luciana had been the only one to whom it hadn't come as a surprise and so she had stayed silent during the dispute. Obviously, her lack of a reaction hadn't gone unnoticed by him, but the brunette didn't even bother with putting on an act. She was still too shaken from finding out the truth. And when Loki called for her to stay behind, she only kept silently staring at nothing in particular, not moving a single muscle. It was only when she heard her name called out by the all too familiar voice, albeit it was now deprived of the warmth it once held, that she finally raised her head to look at him.

"Do you have anything to say to your king?"
"No. There is nothing to say after all, is there?"

She only stared at him with eyes devoid of emotion. It was at that moment that Loki felt an incredible anger rising up inside him, as he was fixed under those soulless eyes. And soon he erupted into a maniacal laughter. "Nothing to say, huh? Of course. Who would talk to a monster after all?"
"What-" Luciana pressed out in disbelief. Had she just heard right?
"Now, that's what you think I am Lucy, don't you? A cold, cruel monster that only thought about taking over the throne in the face of his father's potential imminent death! A monster that abandoned his own brother in fear of said throne getting taken from him!
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Loki, that is not-"
"Well, then I have news for you! Thor is not my brother!"
"W-what are you saying? Of course, he is!"
"No, he is not! And Odin is not my father either, Frigga not my mother! And you know what else? You're absolutely right! I'm a monster! I'm the monster that every Asgardian is told to fear!"
Luciana wanted to protest, desperately. But at the sight in front of her, every word she might have wanted to say got stuck in her throat. He was blue. Loki's skin was completely blue. "You're-"
"A Frost Giant! Correct! The big blue monster that could turn you into a popsicle at any second!"

Luciana gasped as he made a few steps down the stairs towards her. She noticed her legs were shaking. She was scared. Why was she scared? The man in front of her was her friend. She had known him for years. All kinds of memories of the time they had spent together popped up in her head. There was no reason for her to be frightened. She shouldn't be scared. And yet, she was.
And she hated herself for it. Luciana couldn't let him know. She had to hide it, conceal her fear. She-

"You're scared of me."

Too late. He knew. Of course, he knew. How could she have hoped for even a second to hide anything from him.

By now he was only a few steps away from her. Instinctively, she closed her eyes, afraid to see the look of anger on his face, to be faced with a kind of madness from which there was no return from.
With every step he took closer to her, Luciana's heart hammered louder in her chest. And by the time he finally stopped right in front of her, she thought it would burst.

She expected him to do something. Yell at her. Beat her. Maybe stab her right through her chest.
But nothing like that happened.
Tentatively, she opened her eyes. Expecting to be met with a look of fury. But instead…
He smiled. But it wasn't his usual smile. There was nothing cheeky, nothing mischievous about it. Instead it just seemed… sad.
At that moment she remembered her own words. Every hostile and nefarious thing she had ever said about the Frost Giants played on repeat in her mind. And she struggled to breathe once more.

What did I do?

Suddenly overcome with a deep feeling of sorrow and guilt, Luciana slowly reached out her hand towards his face. She lingered a mere inch away from touching the blue skin on his cheek. Would he be cold? Or would he still have the same warmth she remembered?

"...Lucy?"

What did it matter? The man in front of her, who had meekly called her by the nickname he had given her a long time ago, was still the same man she knew. She just had to make sure he returned from the labyrinth of pain and betrayal he thought himself to be in. Her dear friend was still here. She only needed to take his hand and help him find his way out.
A warm smile slowly appeared on her lips. "I finally know who you are. You're-"

That's when the sound of the opening of the Bifrost echoed through the halls of Asgard's castle.

I just want to run, I need to feel the sun
Will it melt my frozen heart?