Aloha!

How you're all doing? This is probably one of the shortest chapters I've written so far... (prologue not included) but... it just worked out, all right! ;)

Besides that, I've recently received a review with some questions about the fanfic. I figured there were perhaps other people wondering about the same things, so I wrote down the answers below. Go check that out if you're interested! :)

ENJOY!

Chapter 59

On the morning of the third day in his new prison cell, Loki started doubting his plan was going to work. Perhaps he'd been to rash after all… He'd thought that playing onto Odin's current weakness would do the trick. The Allfather was consumed by grief and hatred. He craved for nothing more than a proper fight… But even for Odin, three days was a long time for negotiating. Loki doubted the people were prepared to wait that long. Unless of course Odin was making them promises he wasn't going to keep, slowly awaiting the right time to strike and get rid of his stepson.

The bandits around him had noticed Loki's nervous silence and started sneering at him, but Loki ignored them. He needed to keep positive! He would get out! Alife and well.

Around noon, when the guards came to bring the prisoners lunch, things finally started working out. While the other bandits got their meals through an opening in the magic barriers which immediately closed again, Loki was left without any food. He frowned and slowly made his way to the barrier to speak to the guard standing in front of his cell, but the guard moved aside and a familiar face appeared. Loki couldn't help but smile while Arya took a step forward so she could talk to him.

The young warrior smiled.

"Odin wishes to speak to you…," she announced. Judging from her good mood, Loki doubted The Allfather had come to a, for Loki, bad solution, on the contrary. The sounds of bandits eagerly attacking their lunch, disappeared and a deep silence fell over the cells. Loki grinned widely, ignored the staring eyes full of disbelief and patiently waited for six guards to enter his cell and chain him once more, before being led out of his cell, through the dark dungeon halls. When the group, led by Arya, finally exchanged the dark hallways for the golden interior of the palace, Loki couldn't help but feel relieved, although it seemed oddly quiet. Loki expected Arya would escort him to the throne room, but soon realised that they were going in an entirely different direction. Loki frowned when the huge doors of the Big Hall, which was only used for special occasions like coronations or weddings of the royal family, came in sight.

"You're kidding me!" Loki exclaimed when they reached the large oak doors. Arya sighed and turned to Loki.

"Odin has decided to let the people place judgement over you, at least according to his terms…"

Loki sniggered. "His terms…," he repeated. "What does that mean?"

Arya raised her shoulders. "I don't know…," she admitted. A sad and slightly scared look spread over her face and Loki suddenly felt a lot less confident than before.

Arya gestured to a smaller door next to the big oak doors. Loki swallowed, nodded and tried to smile. The six guards carefully made their way to the small door. Behind it, Loki new there was a tiny room and a hallway, immediately giving excess to the balcony in front of the Big Hall. From there, a long set of stairs let down to the broad aisle stretching out all the way to the throne in the back of the Big Hall. While Loki was led through the small door, he realised that the last time he'd set foot in the Big Hall without being the one sitting on the throne, was on the day of Thor's "attempted" coronation. Loki had never been nervous to speak in front of a crowd. After all, he was born and raised as a true prince. This time however, he did feel slightly nauseous, as if his stomach had decided to whirl itself up into a tight knot. Suddenly Loki was rather happy he would skip lunch today…

The door closed behind him and Loki blinked until his eyes got used to the dim light in the small room. In the distance he could hear muted voices… thousands and thousands of voices. There were only a few meters and a corner separating him from the whole of Asgard. Loki took a deep breath and quickly looked beside him, only too happy that Arya had followed him inside. He forced a smile on his lips.

"Tell me, why did Odin send you to collect me?" he asked in an attempt to take his mind of things. Arya smiled her perfect smile and her green eyes seemed to light up in the dark room.

"Because I asked…," she simply answered, but for some reason those three words made Loki even more nauseous in a very strange, yet not that uncomfortable way. He smiled and straightened his back. He would face Odin and he rest of Asgard with his head held high!

Arya smiled once more, somehow making Loki feel more confident with every breath he took.

"Are you ready?" she asked. Loki smirked and nodded shortly. He watched Arya walk around the corner, into the light of the Big Hall. Moments later, the sound of a thousand voices slowly faded and made place for a heavy, nerve-racking silence. That was Loki's call…

The six guards slowly tugged Loki forward and followed Arya into the Big Hall. The walk from the balcony towards the throne had never been so long and with every step Loki felt the pain and stiffness still lingering in his muscles, increase. He kept his eyes fixed on the dark form of Arya walking a few meters ahead, ignoring the thousands of staring eyes around him. It probably had never been this silent in the Big Hall in the history of Asgard and Loki wondered what most of the people watching him were thinking of right now. He knew the people had rallied for him, but Odin could have poisoned their minds in the time he spend in the dungeons. Were they still fighting for him? Did they wish him dead? Just how many of them would truly follow him in the same way they'd done before?

Finally, the group came to a halt. Arya bowed her head and slowly stepped aside. Loki took a quick glance around him. Odin on the throne, The Lords standing at the bottom of the stairs leading upwards. Thor standing halfway the stairs, to Odin's right, Frigga – nervously and dressed in full armour – a few steps under her father and Jane standing at the bottom, looking up at her daughter, trying to give the little girl the courage to remain on her spot while thousands of people were watching. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif were also present, to Loki's surprise, and silently stood on their places on the stairs to Odin's left. Loki had expected them to be imprisoned, banished or even executed by now… The silence in the room grew heavier every second and Loki struggled to keep his confidence, but he refused to give in, so he locked his eyes on Odin and waited patiently. He tried to get some idea of what the Allfather had in store, but his eternal poker face remained put.

After what seemed like ages, Odin finally shifted his weight and tightened his grip on the golden sceptre in his hand. With a swift move he shortly lifted it before putting in down again. The metal sound rumbled to the furthest corners of the room.

"Loki… son of Laufey!" Odin roared. "You have committed crimes and treason against the mighty realm of Asgard, to its peoples and the other realms. According to the ancient laws, for this, you should be punished."

Odin grew silent and pierced his eyes into Loki's, making it all too clear that he had the upper hand this time. Loki scowled. This wasn't a trial either… the people had nothing to say. They were only here to keep Loki from protesting, to make sure Odin had absolute power. Today, Loki knew that he wouldn't be able to talk his way out of whatever Odin was going to do next.

"For your crimes, only the axe would suffice. I already showed you mercy, yet you keep fighting against me…"

Odin smiled lightly. In the corner of his eye, Loki spotted Thor, throwing a warning glare to his brother not to answer. So Loki clenched his teeth together and remained silent.

Odin smirked. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" he sneered. "Have we finally run out of lies?"

Loki almost bit his tongue to pieces while forcing his mouth to remain shut. He knew what Odin was doing: he tried to get him angry. It stayed silent for a couple of seconds and everyone nervously awaited what would happen next.

Finally Loki managed to calm down. He straightened his back and lowered his eyes for a second before locking them on Odin once more, showing nothing but confidence.

"If the axe is your final judgement then I shall undergo my punishment," Loki announced, trying to sound as truthful as possible, without a trace of his usual sarcasm. Thor, who had fixed his eyes on his brother, hoping he would understand that the time for playing was over, now carefully let his eyes shift to his father, waiting for his reaction. This was a matter of life and death. The entire Big Hall seemed to be holding their breath.

"It seems to me…," Odin suddenly continued, making everyone jump a foot in the air, "that the people of Asgard do not wish to see you dead!"

Loki felt a spark of hope light up his heart and the rest of room relaxed a bit. Odin continued.

"A king must listen to his people's needs. Therefore I have decided to let you live. However…"

There you had it… Loki knew there would be a catch.

"You will live on my terms!"

Another silence covered the Big Hall. Odin looked away from Loki and gestured to Lord Steldor to step forward. "Captain…," he said. "Read my terms to the prisoner so that everyone may hear them."

Lord Steldor bowed his head. "Yes, my king…"

Loki raised his eyebrows while the Lord took a step in his direction and unrolled a scroll of parchment. Asgard rarely put anything on paper. Only after battles or when a new trade agreement was made there was need for paper work. Odin probably wanted to make sure that Loki could not twist his words. Lord Steldor cleared his throat and cast a meaningful glare on Loki, warning him not to interrupt, before fixing his attention on the parchment.

"Odin, son of Bor, Allfather, hereby offers you a pardon for your crimes and treason against the King, Asgard and the other realms of the mighty Yggdrasil. This pardon will last for seven years according to the Asgardian calendar and will only stand if the following terms are respected and enforced.

You shall not harm, nor threaten an inhabitant of Asgard nor their allies nor those under the protection of the king.

You shall follow the orders of your superiors and remain an ally of Asgard.

You shall not leave the palace grounds without a minimum of two guards of Asgard accompanying you.

You shall not leave Asgard without permission of the king and you shall not do this without a minimum of two guards of Asgard accompanying you.

You are not permitted, under any circumstances, to enter the dungeons nor the weapons vault without permission of the king.

You shall not carry weapons on your person, nor accept weapons from anyone without direct orders from the king.

You will co-operate to the – by the king's orders – inspection of your chambers every two days. The guards are allowed to confiscate anything they believe to endanger the safety of the realms."

Lord Steldor took a deep breath and quickly glanced from behind the parchment to Loki, trying to get an idea of his reaction. Loki didn't show any emotion. So Lord Steldor continued.

"In order to regain your title, your immortality, your magic and your right to the throne (second in line), you must follow these terms without fail. One misstep will result in your immediate execution. Of you fail to prove to be everything you once claimed to be – a prince, a son, a brother, a king – within the set time of seven years, you will be left mortal and you will be send to Midgard to live the remainder of your life under permanent supervision. Only the word of the king will relief you of this contract. If you decided to agree with these terms, you will swear allegiance to your king. If you refuse…"

Lord Steldor went quiet for a second, letting Loki know that the alternative wasn't what everyone was hoping for.

"If you refuse, you will be sentenced to spend the remainder of your mortal life in the highly secured cell of Asgard, under permanent supervision, with no special treatment whatsoever nor will anyone be allowed to visit you."

Lord Steldor went quiet and slowly rolled up the scroll once more. His eyes pierced into Loki's.

Loki went over the terms and conditions Odin had inflicted in this deal. He slowly let his eyes wonder over the people in front of him. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three emotionless awaited Loki's decision, although Loki had an idea of what they were hoping to hear. Thor seemed a lot more eager for the first option and pierced his bright blue eyes into Loki's. But it was Frigga who really caught Loki's attention. The little girl was pale and it seemed she was close to tears. Only now, Loki noticed how extremely tired the little girl looked. She was obviously scared, but tried her best to not seek comfort with anyone. Loki closed his eyes for a second. Of course he'd already made his decision, this deal was never meant to end any other way. Odin and Loki knew all too well that if he refused and was sentenced to imprisonment, Loki would die after all once the people had forgotten him.

Loki opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He quickly locked his eyes with Arya's emerald orbs, felt his heart jump in an unexplainable excitement and looked up at Odin.

"I accept your terms!" he announced loud and clear. A wry smile spread across Odin's face.

"Very well…," he said. "So be it!"

Loki scowled. He knew the most humiliating part still needed to come… Loki already clenched his teeth together and forced his pride to take a short break, just as a precaution.

After a short silence, Odin continued.

"Kneel…," he ordered in a strong voice, making everyone shiver.

Loki swallowed and tried to ignore the thousands of staring eyes, not to mention his own screaming voice inside his mind, shouting that he couldn't give this oaf the pleasure of seeing him kneel.

With a lot of effort and a few kind pulls at his chains form the guards, Loki finally found himself kneeling at the bottom of the stairs.

Odin waited a few moments, if only to rub in Loki's humiliation.

"Loki, son of Laufey, do you swear allegiance to the King of Asgard, the royal court and the Asgard's allies?"

Loki looked up, forcing himself to look Odin in the eye. "I swear!" he answered with as much force as he could manage.

Think of Frigga… he told himself while the little girl's scared, pale face appeared in front of his eyes. For some reason his thoughts also trotted back towards his mother. What would she think of him right now? How would she have looked at him?

"Do you swear to live by these terms, or otherwise face the axe?"

Loki swallowed. For the first time ever he didn't feel so sure about himself. What would Odin do once he was free? Loki was certain that the Allfather wasn't going to make things easy for him. Just how long would Loki be able to resist his own desires for revenge?

It didn't really matter anymore… There was no going back! There was no alternative!

Loki took a deep breath. "I swear!" he answered, feeling the weight of the deal rest on his shoulders.

"Then, in the name of my father and his father before, I ,Odin Allfather, set you free under the terms of our arrangement!"

Odin's voice slowly faded through the Big Hall. With a simple gesture, he ordered the guards to unchain Loki. A low rumble spread across the room, the sound of thousands of people finally breathing out in relief.

Loki was pulled to his feet and patiently waited for his chains to be removed. The moment the last metal click had faded and the guards had stepped back, Frigga couldn't restrain herself any longer. She burst into tears and rushed forward until her arms found the scruffy back fabric of Loki's dirty hospital shirt. Her loud sobs echoed through the room, but the little girl couldn't care less. Nor did she care about the sudden hand of her mother on her back and the comforting voice of her father, nor about the questions to let Loki go because "Loki needed to rest now, Frigga", nor about the thunderous applause of the people that followed seconds later.

I know, not that long and lots of politics... sorry, but I hope you enjoyed it!

Now for those who are interested, here are the answers on the questions in a recent review posted by ena.

Why is Loki immortal? (Don't you mean "mortal"?):
if "immortal": Odin fought the Frost Giants in the past. Since then, it doesn't seem like neither of them has aged or died, including Loki. I suppose this is just something Marvel decided.
If you meant "mortal": I don't think Thor became mortal because he was send to Midgard (being a mortal world). We see him fight on Earth in "The Avengers" and "Thor: the Dark World" and he doesn't seem to be affected by our mortal world. I believe it was Odin who took away his immortality and restored it (through Mjölnir) once Thor had proven to be worthy. In Loki's case, I can see your struggle. He is indeed no real Asgardian and to be honest, I don't really have a perfect answer for you. In this Fanfiction, I've tried to portray Odin as the mightiest in the nine realms. In the Avengers, Loki speaks of "Dark Energy" needed to send Thor to Earth because the Bifrost was destroyed. Perhaps Odin masters different kinds of dark and light magic and is he capable of taking away Loki's immortality, whether he is Asgardian or Jotun.
Another explanation is that immortality is the same for all species. Therefore taking it away from Loki wasn't any different than in Thor's case in "Thor".
Or perhaps we can assume that Loki has lived on Asgard long enough to be affected by its magic, making him an Asgardian rather than a true Jotun.

I'm not saying you have to agree with any of these explanations. Like I sad, I'm not entirely certain myself. Yet, thank you for posing this question! I loved to think about it! :)

Considering Loki's magic ("He's not helpless without it"): This is an interesting remark, because I had a feeling it would turn up sooner or later. To be honest, I did have a bit of trouble to picture Loki's reaction if he were to loose his magic and it took me a while before I decided what I was going to do with it. You're right that we saw Loki fight in the Avengers without use of his magic and let's be honest, he totally rocked that! ;) But I thought: "Why does Loki do this? Why does he think he will succeed in conquering the world?" I figured that Loki just had pretty bad case of megalomania. He saw himself superior over any species, just because the human race had portrayed them as Gods. His magic makes him stronger. I believe that part of the reason that Loki dared to attack Earth, that he felt confident about his fighting, was because he had his magic. He knew he could always rely on it. It was just another strength for him. But when it's gone, he suddenly realises just how much weaker he truly is without his magic. Of course he's still still physically stronger, but his magic had always been something unique. None of his friends ever wielded magic. Besides that he's also emotionally very attached to it since it was his mother who thought him everything.
Now I know that I portrayed Loki absolutely helpless when his magic was taken from him. But if you look at him now, you see that he's pretty much adapted to his situation. Those first moments were nothing less than utter panic. Loki's a fighter, after all. He'll get up after he's fallen.
Just to give you a bit of an idea of how Loki's was feeling, I figured that loosing his magic, must have felt like what we woud feel if we find ourselves stranded in the middle of nowhere without range or wifi... Now you take that feeling and multiply it with, let's say, one million and you might have an idea of how Loki felt. Although, after a while, I'm sure that even us internet addicted nerds will find some way to survive! ;)

Why did Loki feel cold?: I think this one is just a matter of your perspective. I never thought that Jotuns didn't feel cold at all. After all a polar bear of a pinguïn also feels cold. They just grew accustomed to it over the course of evolution. Now take Loki: we have to consider that Loki was a weaker Frost Giant to begin with, so perhaps he wouldn't have survived the bitter cold of Jotunheim just because he wasn't strong enough like the other Frost Giants. Secondly, I suppose that it's also a matter of getting used to the cold. If you grow up in a world of ice, you still feel the cold, but it won't bother you as much as someone who grew up in a hotter environment. Loki grew up in Asgard, so I suppose he never got used to it. And thirdly, his immortality and magic had just been taken away. His body, which was normally protected by these forces, is practically going through a shock.

So, I hope I cleared up a couple of things. I very happy I got these questions! Please feel free to ask me anything, I'll try my best to give you some kind of answer. If you don't agree with my answers I won't kill you! ;)

Please let me know what you think!

Rumple x