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Chapter 58

Loki couldn't quite remember the last few hallways towards the infirmary. It seemed as if his feet claimed all his attention, constantly trying to trip over one another or stay behind. But all of the sudden the two supporting arms were gone and he felt himself being lowered onto a soft mattress.

Sleep… was the only thing his mind seemed to come up with. Loki closed his eyes and let himself drift off into darkness, completely ignoring the voices around him. Just sleep…

When Loki woke up, he found his hands and feet chained to his bed. Also he was dressed in a clean set of colourless clothes which he concluded he hated. He was still in the hospital wing and Eira, who obviously had been watching over him, let him know that three days had passed since he's arrived on Asgard. The moment Odin had found out that Loki had been transferred to the infirmary without his permission, he'd immediately made his way to the hospital wing, only to be send away by an angry looking Eira and Lady Snotra, the head of healers. When she was in the room, you better agreed that everything she said was true and that she was always right. Yet Odin hadn't given up that fast and insisted that Loki would be restrained at all times. Eira had protested – what would a wounded mortal do anyway? – yet Snotra had agreed with Odin's terms. She knew Loki better than most, since he'd visited the infirmary more than once, especially to visit his brother and friends. The young prince never left without a good joke or some mischief.

And so Loki decided to endure his fate, whatever Odin had in store for him. It was quite ironical The Allfather would first let him recover before killing him anyway. Perhaps this meant he would escape the axe after all. However, Loki wasn't sure he was happy with that. The alternative was living out his mortal life and die of old age within the next eighty years… if he was that lucky.

The minutes dragged themselves into hours. Loki had no notion of time whatsoever, only the soft light lighting the rooms from the widows above gave him an idea of day and night. Not that he cared that much. Overall he tried to sleep as much as possible, to pass the time and to forget about the pain which was still torturing his body.

Every now and then, Eira would return to him, feed him and apply some kind of paste on his wounds. It helped a little bit, but it was far from comfortable. The amount of magic the healers used was quite pathetic and Loki secretly wished Frigga would visit and use her magic to relief him of his pain. But Frigga never came. No one did, only Eira. Days past, but no one visited and Loki found himself utterly annoyed by the fact that no one felt like telling him what to expect.

Just when Loki thought Odin had sentences him to an eternity in the infirmary, two familiar faces finally turned up. Loki could feel his heart overflow with joy when two sparkling green orbs fixed on him, although his mood dropped when his dear brother joined Arya at his bed side.

Loki smiled. "You took your time, brother…"

But Thor didn't seem to be in the mood for jokes. His face stood tired, sad and serious.

"Father wants to speak to you…," Thor said after a short silence. Loki's eyes turned grim.

"He can come to me! I fear this mortal form has lost the ability to walk by know!"

Thor sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Loki please…," he growled tiredly. Arya, noticing that this conversation wouldn't end well, quickly joined in.

"We've tried everything to change The Allfather's mind, Loki. For now it seems he's prepared to sentence you again. It's up to you now…"

Loki closed his eyes. His whole body was aching. The last days had barely made a difference. He absolutely didn't feel like speaking with that senile bastard.

"Loki! Father doesn't listen!" Thor shouted impatiently."Not to me, not the people! But he realises that he could spark off a civil war if he doesn't give you a chance. I suggest you take this chance!"

Loki laughed. "He won't listen, Thor! Why would he? He never did! Not to me!"

Thor took a step closer to the bed and bend over until face was right above Loki's. "The people of Asgard have chosen your side Loki, even though they had no reason to trust you! You owe this too them! Asgard is falling apart and there is nothing I can do anymore. Father can take away my title any second. You are our only hope!"

Loki stared back in Thor's bright blue eyes for couple of seconds. "Just how much of an effort did it take for you to admit that?" he asked with a smile.

Thor sighed, but couldn't help to smile. "Brother, I suggest you take out your box of disgusting tricks… Father won't easily submit."

Loki grinned and Arya smiled while holding up the key to remove Loki's chain. A couple of seconds later, Loki gratefully moved his limbs and allowed Thor to help him back on his feet. Something that took a lot more effort that Loki wanted to admit. But when they reached the doors of the infirmary another very unpleasant surprise was waiting. Lord Atlas, surrounded by six guards patiently awaited the trio's exit.

If possible, Thor's dark mood became even worse. He stepped forward, making sure he was standing in between Atlas and his brother, who was being supported by Arya.

"Lord Atlas! This is absolutely not necessary!" he shouted while gesturing to the chains the guards were holding.

The Lord made a wry face. "Laws are laws, prince Thor...," he answered dryly. Thor obviously wanted to object, but Arya quickly interrupted.

"My prince… Perhaps it is better to not keep your father waiting?" she asked with a meaningful glare. Thor sighed and stepped aside allowing the guards to chain Loki up once more, although his brother almost seemed to enjoy the situation. Loki kept his eternal smirk locked on his face and nonchalantly followed Lord Atlas and the guards as if it was a daily routine. Thor and Arya followed, both hoping Loki would be able to set aside his pride and hatred and be the sly God of Mischief he always had been.

-xxx-

Odin nervously fiddled with his fingers on the armrests of his throne. Why in Bor's names was he nervous! It had to be Loki's doing… That trickster was playing with his mind again! Why was he doing this? The past had taught him that letting Loki live always led to disasters! He was endangering the whole of Asgard by allowing this traitor a second chance.

"Because you gave me a second one!" Thor's voice echoed inside his mind. "You claimed to treat us the same and I believed you!"

He did treat them the same!

"I was blind Father, we both were! But Loki saw! What else could he see from the shadows?"

Odin shook his head and forced his ticking fingers to lay down on the golden armrests. His thoughts trotted back to a moment not so long ago, but it seemed a thousand years now. Another voice, another face…

"Am I cursed?"

No… no he wasn't… at least, that was what Odin had tried to believe.

"What am I?"

It was a question every father should be able to answer and he tried… He did try! It was so obvious, even than! But he didn't' see… why not…

"It all makes sense now. Why you favoured Thor all these years…"

He didn't… why would he? Why would Loki think that?

"Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!"

"I can see that now…," Odin whispered to himself while his memories slowly faded into darkness. Only Thor's scream, Loki's name, vaguely remained. He'd actually felt responsible for Loki's actions when he'd woken up from the Odin sleep, just in time to safe his sons, to keep them from killing each other. But Loki let go…

The coward's way out…

The sound of clattering chains awoke The Allfather form his thoughts. A grim look spread across his face. The coward was coming…

Even though Odin had promised Thor, Lord Gunnar and Lord Steldor that he would listen to the traitor, he didn't feel like changing his mind at all. If his people desired proof of Loki's wicked and dark mind, than he would give it to them.

The room grew quiet when Lord Atlas, followed by the six guards and Loki in between them, entered. Thor and Arya closed the company, but quickly took their places in the room to watch the trail.

Atlas stopped in front of the stairs leading towards the throne, bowed and stepped aside. The sound of footsteps and clinging chains stopped and a deep silence covered the room.

Loki looked up, locking his eyes on Odin. His smirk didn't fade. Odin looked down, dragging the minutes out until everyone was nervously shifting on their spot. He slowly let his eyes wonder over Loki's body and couldn't help but feel a tiny bit nauseous at the sight of his stepson's pale appearance. His customary white hospital clothes were covered it red stains of where his wounds had opened up. His short sleeved shirt revealed the bruised skin of his arms. Loki's face wasn't better off and even his mischievous expression and messy raven hair couldn't hide the tired look in his normally sparkly eyes. Overall Loki looked tired, sick and skinny, but Odin didn't let it get to him.

Trickery… He thought while focussing back on Loki's eyes, making sure he didn't lose the eye contact.

"I would expect you to have learned how to bow to you king by now…," Odin said emotionless.

Loki smiled and raised his hands.

"Feel free to start tutoring me…," he answered. In the corner of his eye he could see Thor sigh and look away in anger.

"What makes you think that rudeness will help your case?" Odin asked.

Loki waited before answering. "My dearest brother informed me that you don't listen. I'm glad he came to the same conclusion that I made a hundred years ago. Whatever I'm going to say today, it won't make a difference, will it… father?"

Loki's eyes turned dark for a moment. Together with his messed up hair and pale skin, that made him look absolutely crazy, yet powerful. Odin observed the situation. Talking to Loki had always been a challenge since he excelled in leading the conversation and making people say exactly that which he desired. This time he was clearly going for a conversation of truth. At least from Odin's side. If Odin were to blacken Loki's reputation even more, than Loki would make sure every dark secret of Odin came to light as well.

"Do you not see your betrayal? Your lie?" Odin asked after a moment of silence.

"What else would you expect from politics…," Loki answered with a grin. "After all, a son can only learn from his past…"

"Yet a king must look to the future!" Odin shouted back while standing up. Slowly he began descending the stairs. Just for one second, Odin had seen a crack in Loki's eternal smug façade, so he grabbed his chance.

Dig deeper…he thought. Tear him open until he breaks…

"You hold on to the past!" Odin continued. "You hide behind you imaginary suffering, you claim to be left behind, to justify your actions, your crimes and your lies!"

Odin was standing right in front of Loki at the bottom of the stairs and stared up in his stepson's dark eyes. Loki's jaw clenched.

"I'm not the one hiding in the past!" he threw back in a hard whisper. "Now that the time is right for you, you share the truth with every living soul in the realms. Now I'm a monster! You use the past, your lie, against me, while you claim it never mattered before!"

"It's only now that you show the monster! A crime is crime, and you shall be punished!"

Loki sniggered. "Your words mean nothing to me! You can keep punishing me until your last dying breath, but it won't change a thing! Let me ask you this…"

Loki went silent for a second, making sure he had Odin's full attention, before continuing loud and clear so the whole room would hear him.

"The people of Asgard are willing to follow me, to stand up to you! They chose me! A traitor, a monster… what exactly does that make of you?"

For a second Odin seemed to hesitate, but he quickly recovered and slowly began making his way around Loki, drawing out the minutes while he completed his circle.

"So I am the monster?" he asked with fake calmness. "I'm afraid I don't see where I went wrong!"

Odin completed his circle and again locked his eyes on his stepson's. Quite unexpected Loki suddenly moved forward pulling the six guards with him with his chains. Odin automatically took a step back, not because he was scared, but because he hadn't expected Loki to be this forceful in his state. Sadly, his face showed a trace of hidden fear which Loki immediately grabbed in his advantage.

"Look around you, Odin Allfather!" Loki shouted. "Look at your kingdom, your city!"

A moment of silence gave everyone the chance to recover from the surprise.

"It's rotten!" Loki continued darkly. "Dark and cold… Asgard is dying! Soon this sickness will spread over the other realms and you will be left with nothing!"

"Silence!" Odin interrupted. The guards joined him by tightening their grip on the chains, pulling Loki away from their king. Yet Loki only laughed and stood his ground.

"Here you are! The mighty Odin Allfather! I used to look up to you! Idolize you! And dream of the day I could be just like you!"

A low chuckle added to the wild and crazy look in Loki's eyes. "You're pathetic! Ignorant like a spoiled child! Too stubborn to listen, too blind to see!"

Loki's voice echoed through the throne room until silence covered them once more.

Odin's anger reached its peak.

"You filthy serpent!" he said in a hard whisper. "Ungrateful… hateful! I offered you a chance to answer for your crimes, to admit what you've done, and yet you stand here only to spread more lies!"

Loki sniggered. "A chance?" he repeated. "This was not a chance, this was not a trial! It's just one more time for you to spit all over me! No matter what I say or how hard I try to prove anything to you… you won't listen… you won't see…"

Odin grew silent, overthinking his words.

Loki forced himself to calm down a bit and bring back his usual smile.

"You're scared to end this, aren't you?" he silently asked, just loud enough so only The Allfather would hear. Odin looked up, shocked, startled. "You don't know what to do with me…," Loki continued. "Kill me, and you get the whole of Asgard and the realms to deal with. Let me live and you face the problem of a perfectly charming stepson somehow finding a way to escape your grasp…"

Odin started realising Loki's grip had tightened around him. He was trapped and his stepson was clearly taking advantage of his skilfully build spider web.

"I've always known you are many things, Odin…," Loki sneered. "But I never took you for a coward! Chaining up a mortal as if you're scared I would harm you… You don't even dare to accept a challenge…"

Odin pierced his eyes into Loki's. Now he had to play his way. There was no escaping otherwise…

"A challenge?" he asked, trying his best to sound as if he had the upper hand.

"Oh yes…," Loki confirmed while his light grey eyes sparkled green. "A way out… you don't have to kill me and risk the fury of Asgard and you don't have to fear me, locked away in your dungeons…"

Loki went silent as if he was waiting for an answer, but Odin's expression didn't change. So Loki smiled and continued: "You let me go free! In return I swear I won't touch, nor harm you or anyone in the nine realms. The people are happy and I remain an ally of Asgard. Sounds reasonable, don't you think?"

Odin waited a few seconds. He knew the last minutes had been between only him and Loki. The people around him were growing impatient. This was a trial, they had voice in this matter.

"I don't take your word for anything!" he snarled quietly.

Loki smirked. "Then I suppose you'll have to take a leap of fate, dear father…"

Odin felt as if he could strangle Loki on the spot. His stepson only enjoyed his frustration even more!

"Or…" Loki suddenly added in a silent whisper. "You could admit that you are scared of me…"

Odin was trembling with rage by now.

Loki softly let his chains ring through the room. "Now, now…," he said. "Scared of a mortal… how low we have fallen…"

Furiously, Odin turned around and made his way back up the stairs while the guards forcefully pulled Loki backwards.

"The people are waiting, Odin!" Loki called out for everyone to hear. "What will it be?"

Odin turned around when he reached his throne and looked down on his stepson. Loki's words echoed through his head.

"Kill me, and you get the whole of Asgard and the realms to deal with. Let me live and you face the problem of a perfectly charming stepson somehow finding a way to escape your grasp…"

He was right. Loki was too dangerous to be kept alive, but killing him would lead to disaster. The whole room was looking at him, awaiting his judgement. Odin knew that whatever he decided today, the people present would agree, with the exception of only a few. But would it be the right decision? He was trapped in Loki's web, he needed time to think!

"Take him to the dungeons! He will remain captive until I place final judgement over him! Get him out of my sight!"

Silence fell and everyone seemed to hesitate for a moment. Thor and Arya and the four Lords shared a glance, not really knowing what had happened. The six guards seemed to be waiting for some kind of conformation of Odin's orders. The Allfather felt their doubt burn around him.

"NOW!" he roared furiously. The six guards quickly bowed their heads and clumsily stumbled out the throne room, dragging Loki with them. Odin tried to ignore his stepson, but Loki's wicked grin remained before his very eyes long after the doors had closed once more.

-xxx-

Loki almost enjoy his trip towards the dungeons. The six guards all seemed to walk as far away from him as the chains allowed them, as if they expected their prisoner to jump at them. In front walked Lord Steldor, who had taken over Thor's duties as Captain. Odin hadn't really punished his son, partly because he craved some sort of continuity is his household. Yet, treason remained treason and Thor needed to be made an example somehow.

So, for now, Lord Steldor was Captain of the Guard, and in charge of Loki's imprisonment. Since Loki had lost his royal title, he was no more than a common criminal and didn't deserve any kind of special treatment like he'd gotten form his mother in the past. Normally that would mean that Loki got to share a cell with other captured souls, most likely the bandits from Vanaheim. Steldor, however had decided to put Loki in a separate cell none the less. There was no question that the criminals held quite a grudge against the ex-king of Asgard. To imprison them together, in Loki's current mortal state, was asking for trouble.

The group held halt in front of an empty cell in between two cells of bandits. It wasn't a very big cell, perhaps half of what his former cell had been and there was no furniture whatsoever, but Loki didn't mind. He wasn't planning on staying a prisoner very long.

The six guards guided Loki inside before unchaining him. Loki never stopped smiling, knowing all too well he was creeping the hell out of the poor guards. Once everyone, except Loki had left the cell, Lord Steldor touched a panel on the pillar in between Loki's and his right neighbours' cell. With a zooming sound the final force field slid in place. Loki, who stood in the exact middle of his cell, folded his hands behind his back and watched the six guards walk away, back to the entrance of dungeons. Only Lord Steldor remained. He silently stared back at Loki who had fixed his attention on him.

"You do realise prince Thor, Lord Gunnar, Arya, Jane and I, not to mention most people of Asgard have tried everything to get you free?" he asked with a blaming tone.

Loki sniggered and walked a bit closer to the golden force field, carefully keeping enough distance to not get roasted alive.

"Your point being?" he asked innocently.

"I don't know what you were trying to achieve back there, but I don't see how making the Allfather resent you even more will help you get anywhere…"

Loki smiled widely and slowly made his way to the back of the cell: the only wall he could rest against since the rest existed out of force fields. When he sunk down and made himself comfortable, he made eye contact with the Lord.

"Don't worry, Lord Steldor… I've got everything under control…"

Lord Steldor smirked and looked down while softly shaking his head.

"Let us hope you do…," he answered after a short silence.

Loki smiled and silently watched Lord Steldor walk away as well, leaving him alone with staring eyes on all sides.

Once Lord Steldor was out of sight, a low laugh filled the air, but Loki didn't look up and kept his eyes closed, his head resting against the wall. His whole body was screaming to just lie down and don't move for another decade. If only that blasted pain would pass!

"Well, well...," a low voice sounded, probably the most thick-headed prick of the lot, thought Loki. "Look who decided to pay us a visit. Aren't we honoured!"

The sound of agreeing mumbling filled the air.

"I suppose the rumours are true… The great king Loki is nothing more than a traitor!"

Loki groaned. "Please do shut up. I have a terrible headache."

"The guards were saying he was worse than a traitor…," another voice sounded, coming from the cell opposite of Loki's. "A filthy Frost Giant!"

Loki opened his eyes and smiled. "You shouldn't dwell on rumours, my friend…," he said.

"He doesn't look blue to me…," another voice joined in from the cell left of Loki.

"Now that's racist!" Loki sneered sarcastically.

"It doesn't matter what he is…," the first voice continued. Loki turned to see who was talking. He had been right. This bloke was obviously the biggest of the lot."If I'm not mistaken, our king has fallen from grace… Nothing more than a puny mortal now!"

Loki could feel at least two dozen eyes burning in his skin. He slowly got to his feet and made his way to the force field at his right so he could look the bandit in the eye.

"Perhaps… Yet, I'm still alive…," he said with smile.

"Say what you want, Asgardian! When I get my hands on you, you'd wish you'd never been born! In here your life isn't worth anything more than ours! You're a prisoner of Asgard now, and no one up there cares rather you live or die!"

Loki sniggered. "Perhaps, yet there's one important difference between you and me…," Loki let his words fade though the air before continuing. "While you rot away in chains for the rest of eternity, I won't be staying here for long!"

The bandit scowled and Loki grinned wickedly, before turning his back to the bandit. He slowly made his way back to the wall and sank down until he was sitting comfortable. He closed his eyes and smiled. "I suggest you enjoy my company as long as you can, dear fellows. I might be the last friendly and handsome face you'll ever lay eyes on!"

Tadaaaa... I certainly hope you liked it :)

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