He returns to his own chambers in silence and prepares himself to face the day with the grim determination of a man preparing to face his own execution.
He scrubs the last remains of Midgard from his skin and tries not to dwell on the destruction of Bifrost as he does so. His newfound friends may be lost to him for now, and there is no guarantee Bifrost can be rebuilt in their lifetime, but they are safe now and that is enough.
It is a beautiful day outside his window. There is a bright, blue sky stretching for miles before him but the air hangs heavy around him with the promise of more sorrow to come.
Asgard is a kingdom of family; brothers-in-arms bound together by ties that run much deeper than blood, and thus crime against one another is a rare, unforgivable beast.
Thor recognizes the man before them, has stood by his side on a few hunts while Loki's magic was needed urgently elsewhere, and he has always believed him to be a trustworthy man with a strong sense of right and wrong.
The blood still staining his hands tells of a different story.
He begs Odin for forgiveness. He tells a story of finding his wife wrapped around a man he had considered a friend, in the martial bed she shared with him, and of a black-red haze of betrayal clouding his vision and guiding the knife in his hands before he could stop himself. It is not his fault, he repeats over and over again.
It is a heinous crime and the Allfather shows him no mercy.
Thor asks his Father later why such a hasty and cruel sentencing was necessary. He cannot imagine hurting his own family in such a way but he knows all too well the way anger can seep in and turn one into a violent animal capable of gruesome things.
"Justice must be swift in such cases, for there is no greater abomination than turning against those who call you kin."
The words have been echoing cruelly through Thor's head since Loki first raised Gungnir against him.
He is selfishly relieved to find all of Asgard in a panic when he exits his rooms, for he is certain his strength would crumble to dust beneath him if they had been celebrating his return while Loki is not beside him.
The news of Laufey's attack spreads like unhindered wildfire through out the realm and while he has overheard his brother's name whispered several times, it is never spoken in connection to the destruction haunting them all.
It is Sif who draws him away from the terrified crowds seeking reassurance with a strong hold on his arm that offers no room for argument.
"King Odin has told them Loki was gravely injured during Laufey's attack." She tells him once they are alone, safe from being overheard. "They await news of him - whether it be of his survival or his death."
The kingdom is waiting to mourn their prince.
From a distance, it is a small mercy meant to soothe him, but Thor knows there are sharp edges hidden among the kindness, waiting to sink into him and draw blood-
Loki may be disgraced, but he will not be publicly shamed as a traitor guilty of treason.
His brother shall be remembered as a hero who died defending Asgard if he orders his execution.
Sif does not know the full truth of the matter, does not know he alone will decide Loki's fate, but she looks at him with a sad kind of understanding as he leaves the hall.
He wanders until he finds himself standing beside Heimdall at the edge of the world-
He cannot bear to look down, cannot bring himself to face the void that almost claimed them both.
"You are greatly troubled, Odinson."
"Heimdall, what am I to do?" Thor asks. He cannot even find it within him to feel shame when his voice breaks. "I feel I am lost."
"I have little sympathy for your brother after the danger he brought to Asgard, but it is clear you and the Allfather care for him deeply. Were I in your position, I would take that which he values the most."
"Loki was prepared to throw everything he values away when he attempted to jump to his death."
"He is much calmer now." Heimdall says, catching Thor off guard. He has no reason to be surprised the Gatekeeper has turned his sight on Loki but the idea-
He does not even know where his brother has been taken.
"He awaits his execution." Heimdall continues. "Loki expects to be paraded before Asgard as a traitor while you are hailed as a hero."
He should not be surprised Loki would believe such a thing, not after all he has learned, but the idea still stings him.
"Mercy comes in many forms, Odinson. What seems like cruelty to you may be the thing that saves him."
He imagines the things Loki values the most: his magic, his silver-tongue and his freedom are the most prominent, the ones most likely to be missed when forcibly taken away.
His very being recoils from the idea of Loki without his magic or his gift for speech for such a foreign thing could never be his brother and yet he knows he has no choice in this matter, for Loki is the one who chose this path.
On his way to the throne room, he revisits his brother's chambers and throws the scattered pages of the book into the fireplace, where such things belong.
"You've made your choice?" Odin asks, sounding weary of the conversation long before Thor opens his mouth to speak.
"He is to be silenced." He says bluntly and he is pleased when his voice sounds steady and sure.
"You would bind his tongue over his magic?"
Thor nods. "For the time being. Either I or the guards shall watch him closely; if he continues to plot then I shall have him stripped of his magic as well."
"And you are prepared to face his wrath? You must surely be aware he will consider such a punishment unusually cruel. He will believe it to be a betrayal tailored specifically to cause him pain."
"Loki knows much of betrayal. He has lied to us all and it is his tongue that causes such trouble."
Odin studies him for a long moment before speaking. "Then so shall it be done. Your brother will be sentenced come midday tomorrow."
He dreams of the guards being too late to stop Loki from jumping. His brother falls away from him, arms outstretched as though in flight, and he finds he is the one who cannot speak.
He cries out apologies for every wrong he has inflicted upon Loki and is greeted with only silence in return.
Author's Blah Blah Blah: Confession time: I hate this chapter so much. It took me forever to write it and then it took me forever to rewrite it and then it took even longer to edit it and finally, I reached a point where where if I didn't just shut up and post it, I knew I would never post it. So tah-dah! And it's one of those totally boring bridge chapters where nothing really happens but it's necessary to establish my own over-dramatic head canon and set up things that will happen in the future. Please bear with me: Loki finally shows up in the next chapter!
Also, I'm blown away by the response to this little experiment of mine. My stories usually accumulate favorites and reviews at a very slow rate, so I cannot even express how surprised I am at all the favorites, alerts and reviews I've gotten. It always cheers me up to know someone has enjoyed my writing and I can't express my gratitude enough! You guys are seriously the best.