Listen to "Mordred's Lullaby" when the song appears in italics. It'll make more sense when you're reading this chapter.
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A bright light emitted from the ocean floor. Loki grabbed Richard's other hand and wrapped them around his shoulders. He swam up to the surface, gasping for air, and heaved Richard onto a solid surface that had just suddenly appeared there.
It stood before him, grinning.
"So you chose good after all…" the voice murmured, kicking Richard with his foot. "Hmmm. I underestimated you, Trickster. Ehehehehehe."
"Yes. You did. Can I go now?"
"You have to save the others, Trickster."
"Why?"
"Why not? Ehehehehehe!"
Loki frowned, took a large gulp of air, and dove back in again.
As he went down again, Loki saw Thor lying there next to Hal. He swam down, grabbed both of their hands, and pulled- wanting them both to be free.
As he tugged, a voice said sharply in his head, "Ah, ah, ah, nice try, Trickster, but only one. Your friends or your brother and… ehehehehe, lover."
Loki gasped as something tightened around his throat, He frantically clutched his throat, his limbs wriggling like a fish out of water.
"I promise," Loki thought. "Please, just let me go."
The grip loosened. Loki tightened his grip on Hal's hand, and let go of his grip on Thor's. He positioned Hal's arms around his own (Loki's) shoulders, and swam back up to the surface again. Gasping for air again, Loki placed Hal's body next to Richard's- his soul was now also saved.
And once again, It was waiting for him.
"Good work, Trickster!" the voice marvelled, clapping its hands. It then bent down, on their knees, and grabbed Loki by his collar, staring at him in the eyes. "But try that again, and I'll kill you."
"What can you do to me?" Loki scoffed. "I'm you, remember?"
It let go of him and stood up. "Yes. You are. And I'll make sure that I will exist in the real world, not just the spiritual world that I have been unjustly caged in by you."
"Everyone has a dark side that wants to break free," Loki murmured.
"Yes, and I can get out because you're weak, Laufeyson."
Loki looked up. "What did you say?"
It grinned down at him. "Laufeyson. You are Laufey's son."
"I am an Odinson!" Loki protested.
"HA! Why do you think that Odin loves Thor more than you? Because you're not his son! You're adopted!"
"If I'm you, then how do you know these things and I don't?"
"This is your dreams and realities, Trickster. Who's to say what is real and what's not? I might be lying just to torment you."
He bent down on his knees again, but this time he did not grab Loki by his collar. "We are the God of Lies, remember? You and me are the same. We're both so good at lying- who's to say I'm telling the truth?"
"Damn you," Loki growled. "Damn you to Helheim!"
"We're already here, Trickster! Ehehehehehe!"
Using his foot, It pushed Loki into the cold water.
Using his magic to keep him warm, and to help him breathe longer under water, Loki saved the souls of those he had killed- like Ned, and those he'd endangered to critical damage- like Thor. He did this over and over again- saving people like Tudor, who he didn't know had died (Loki certainly hadn't had anything to do with his death)- and by the end, he was shattered.
Loki lay there on the solid surface, looking up at the fire lit sky and listened to the screams that surrounded him.
Then It came into his vision. He looked down directly over him where he stood- his face serious. Loki looked exactly like him, except his hair was longer (ish) and his face was paler and he had more bags under his eyes. His eyes were bright blue, which was odd because Loki's eyes were emeralds green, and he wore the same ram helmet that Loki wore. He had armour over his body and held a strange sceptre in his hand.
"This is where you will be soon, Trickster," the voice said.
"No…" Loki murmured, his voice hoarse from all that effort. His breath was quick, and the rise and fall of his chest. He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep. But what was sleep? What was reality?"
Loki's eyes started to flutter.
It looked down at him.
He started to hum.
"Hush, child, darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry it out into sleep, child.
Darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry it out into sleep…"
Loki struggled to stay awake.
"Guileless son,
I'll shape your belief,
And you'll always know
That your father's a thief.
And you won't understand
The cause of your grief,
But you'll always follow
The voices beneath... "
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, only to me…
Loki looked around as strange figures started to approach and surround him and It.
"Guileless son,
Your spirit will
Hate her.
The flower who married
My brother the traitor.
And you will expose
His puppeteer behaviour,
For you are the proof
Of how he betrayed
Her loyalty..."
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, only to me...
They surrounded him in a circle, chanting "Loyalty" over and over again.
"Hush, child, darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry it out into sleep, child.
Darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry it out into sleep."
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, only to me.
"Guileless son,
Each day you
Grow older.
Each moment, I'm watching
My vengeance unfold.
For the child of my body, the
Flesh of my soul,
Will die in returning the birth right
He stole..."
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, Loyalty
Loyalty, only to me...
"Hush, child, darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry it out into sleep, child.
Darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry it out into sleep...'
They picked him up and walked over to the edge of the solid surface. They tilted him so that he could look down into the water.
"There she is…" It murmured, standing next to him. He looked at Loki. "How does it feel, Trickster?"
Loki couldn't keep his eyes open, so It slapped him round the face with his sceptre. Loki cried out in pain and his eyes shot open.
"How does it feel, Trickster?" It hissed. "After all, you asked exactly the same question to Edouard of Lancaster when you tortured him!"
"Different scenario…" Loki mumbled. "He's a bully."
"So you are you- I mean: we." Flashy grin. "What's the difference?"
"You know what the difference is…"
"Amuse me, Laufeyson."
That woke Loki up. "I am Loki Odinson!" he yelled. "You mewling quim!"
It laughed. "Ehehehehe! You just called yourself a "mewling quim"!"
"Oooh, acting like a little child makes you sooo big, doesn't it?" Loki snarled. "Set me free this instant!"
"If you insist…"
They dropped him in.
Loki had a few seconds to get use to the sudden change in his surroundings when something snapped at his head. Loki turned to see millions of dangerous creatures heading straight towards him. His eyes widened and he swam down towards the bottom of the ocean floor.
He turned in the water, and sent a blast of light towards the strange fish. They disintegrated and the beam went straight up and out of the water. It disintegrated some of the strange figures standing near the water's edge next to It.
"Oooh!" It frowned. "Naughty!"
It sent a stronger beam back down towards the direction of Loki's light beam. Loki saw the beam and dodged it, just barely missing his hair. He sent a whirlwind up, which knocked out more figures. It laughed. "Well, two can play at that game, Trickster! Ehehehehe!"
It leapt in after Loki, sceptre, helmet and all.
Loki saw Thor floating near by, and went to grab him. He saw Sigyn nearby and grabbed her as well. He looked up to see It gliding down towards him, and looked frantically back down towards the chains that held his friends in place.
"If you save the others, Father, then you can't save her."
"Why, here, Trickster! You have to look for her! But! If you save her, then you can't save anyone else. They stay here in Hellheim with your daughter! Hel! Ruler of the dead!"
Loki frantically pulled and tugged at the chains. He created a force field around his hands, then created fire, and held it towards the chains, pleading for them to work.
It was getting closer.
Loki grabbed hold of them both and buried his face in their clothing, tears leaking out of his eyes.
"Please help me, Father!" Loki wept inside his mind. "Please!"
It reached for him.
Loki prepared for death.
When…