Chapter 17:
Loki's eyes snapped open, the tortured screams from his nightmares still ringing in his head. Once he looked around the dark room, gathered where he was, and remembered all that had taken place in the past few hours, Loki realized that his reality was not such a far cry from his dreams.
He was king, yet that meant he stood alone. What was the Midgardian saying, he pondered... "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown"? It was a dark and lonely wilderness he now found himself in. The shadows of his room seeming to melt the walls, creating the illusion of infinite space stretching out around him. He was floating there, in the middle of it, being the cold and wretched creature that he was. Before him, he saw endless loneliness- and death being the only one with her arms open, willing to embrace him. Even then, having alluded and cheated her so many times, he could honestly say he would not call her friend.
He would not allow himself to go back to sleep. Pushing off the covers and standing up, the dark prince looked at bed with distain. If people only knew what lurked in his dreams, they would not dare sleep there either.
Exiting his room, he dismissed the guards standing watch over his apartments. He would not be back for the rest of the night. They cast each other confused glances before leaving, not daring to question their new king. He was Loki, God of Mischief, after all, they did not want to know what he did during the vulnerable hours of the night.
Loki walked the golden halls, not knowing where he was going exactly. In fact, all he felt like doing really was walk and, for once in his life, stop thinking. But somehow, thinking was unavoidable.
Sora's revelation gnawed at him. She had known he was a frost giant from the beginning- before then, actually. He trusted her, and she had hidden this secret from him all this time. It felt like a monstrous betrayal. First his father lied to him and then Sora, and for what? A useless peace treaty with Jotunhiem... the very idea made him seethe with rage.
When Loki passed Odin's Vault, he remembered how his father fell at his feet, too weak from exhaustion to handle the shock of his anger. He considered looking in on his father, but then again, Frigga was surely with him and he'd rather not distress his dear mother. Frigga had enough grief of her own to deal with.
So, he continued onward, passing through hallway after hallway, the burden of his thoughts growing heavier with every step, throwing him deeper into madness. Sora needed to be punished for her deception, he thought, as did his father, Laufey, and all the rest who made his life a lie. He was the trickster, the silver-tongued serpent, the god of mischief, and yet somehow, the joke was always on him. He would show them all what happened to those who crossed him. In the end, he would win, regardless what had to be sacrificed.
Finally, he stopped walking, having come upon his answer. First, he would have to go to Jotunhiem and have a little talk with Laufey, then he'd set his sights on Earth to take care of his brother. Jotunhiem would crumble, Thor would be removed from his concerns, and Sora and the others would have no choice but to bend to his will. Their reckoning would be swift and merciless, and Loki would not lose sleep ever again.
AN: So, Loki's finally gone full-on crazy and hatched his plan to permanently become king. Moral of the story? Don't lie to Loki and always get a good night's rest. Later!