A/N: Hey everyone! Here's my first fanfiction that is an actual story. I hope you enjoy. Be forewarned that later on the story will be rated M but I have no wish whatsoever to let y'all no which chapters are rated M so just read responsibly, k? Also, I am right in the middle of finals so the 2nd chapter may be a little bit in the making. Enjoy!

Thank you to my wonderful beta ramblin_rogue. She is amazing and I grovel at her feet.

Two months. That's how long Loki had been languishing in his prison cell. There had been no punishment forthcoming as of yet, but he knew it had to be soon. He had heard the guards whispering of a great meeting among the upper echelon of the Æsir. A meeting on such a scale had not been held since the war with the Frost Giants. It could have only been about his actions on Midgard.

To be sure, his actions were held much in contempt by his fellow Asgardians. They would want some sort of reparation. Some atonement for his sins. Why not? He had nearly destroyed New York City, taken over Midgard, and made a fool of their beloved Prince Thor.

Thor.

There was a complicated relationship if there ever was one. As close as two brothers could be having learned, grown up, and fought side by side – until the day it all changed when he learned he was not of Asgard. Jealousy and doubt, the quiet yet constant companions of his childhood, had started to speak their minds with a vengeance. The years of petty and unfair comparisons, his seeming inability to ever please Odin, screamed for attention. In the end, he fought his own brother. Yet brothers they had never been and would never be.

And then there had been the Tesseract and the Other promising him glory and power beyond his dreams. How could he say no? He couldn't. Loki had controlled the simple human minds with the Tesseract. It had never occurred to him that he was being controlled to a degree as well. And yet, when that ridiculous green monster had smashed him into the ground, it was as if his mind had cleared. The rage and desire for power were still there but understanding for what he had done to Thor became full realization. My one regret. Why else would he have given up so easily?

He was brought back to Asgard, powers bound by the manacles about his wrists and silenced by the mouth guard he was forced to wear at all times. He had been left to contemplate in a cell in the dungeons and here he was now, brought down to listening to the guards gossiping outside his door.

Therefore, it wasn't a great surprise when that day, a contingent of six fully-armed guards came to his cell. One of them withdrew a key ring from his belt and unlocked the iron door. "You are to come with us, Loki. Your presence is commanded by the All-Father."

Loki blinked slowly up at the guard that had spoken and the man visibly swallowed. The fool insulted him by withholding his rightful title. The least he could do was cause him some discomfort. What would it be worth to refuse though? Who would be sent down to fetch him then? As if he could be "fetched" like some common animal, the palace pet. The guards shifted uncomfortably, their armor creaking, for a long moment until Loki stood from his stool, the only seat other than the narrow cot in his cell and gestured with his shackled hands. The guards relaxed at his seeming acquiescence. He could not speak because of the mouth guard but his meaning was clear. Lead the way.

The guards fell into step around him as they walked up out of the cool, dark dungeon and into the brightness of the palace. At the sight of Loki, the whispers and stares from the nobility came quick and cutting. So the trial is to be public. No secrecy in my punishment. Hm. Odin wants to shame me. I suppose in Odin's mind it is fitting as I made no secret of my plans once I came out of hiding. He will want to break me. Let them do what they will. I will not shirk this and I will not bend.

He heard his name whispered with suspicion and condescension. "Murderer" was bandied about, as if no Asgardian had ever taken another life. But hearing "frost giant" made Loki's heart skip a beat and icy fire burn through his veins. Did they truly know his parentage? The next whispers he heard answered that question."Not Odin's son." Oh, that hurt. How had that gotten out?

Loki raised his chin as he and his escort continued through the palace toward the receiving room. He would not let them have the satisfaction of seeing him react. He was a prince twice over and no one could make him feel inferior.

Loki and his escort finally reached the receiving room and one of the guards pounded on the massive golden doors. The doors swung inward and a corridor of upper nobility was revealed. They were the ones who were worthy of seeing his humiliation. Still, they no longer mattered, not as they once did. No, the ones who mattered now were at the head of the room. The guards fell back and it was there that he walked - alone.

Head held high, Loki walked the long aisle to the foot of the throne. His mother, Frigga, watched him with compassion. She, he could tell, would never stop loving him, no matter his actions. This truth had never left her eyes. Loki glanced to the left of the throne. Sif...well, no love lost there. She was equal parts subservient and manly: an ungodly mix for a woman. Beside her, the Warriors Three. There had been friendship there, once. Now, they all looked at him with hard, unforgiving eyes. Hatred was in every line of their bodies. To the right of the throne was Thor. There was the most important relationship he had, and it lay broken, perhaps beyond repair. Thor radiated hurt and still, bewilderment at what Loki had done. My one regret.

The god sitting on the throne was another matter altogether.

"Loki!" Odin's voice filled the hall and commanded his attention. "You have been brought before us to be given your punishment for what was done in the realm of Midgard. You deliberately brought war and destruction on a peaceful civilization. You caused the deaths of many. You have brought sorrow and dishonor on my house."

Loki's eyes burned intensely at these last words. How he wished he could speak. Sorrow and dishonor? Oh, father, you brought it upon yourself when you brought the spawn of a frost giant into your home. The lies and dishonor did not start with my tongue or my actions. I am not the only one skilled in lies and manipulation.

Odin stood, staff clutched in his hand, and continued. "For your crimes, Loki, you will be stripped of your powers." As Odin said this, the manacles on Loki's wrists disappeared. Loki flexed his hands and stared up at him, back rigid and forcing no reaction to the words just spoken. "Those manacles but bound your powers. You will no longer have them at all until you have earned redemption and forgiveness, be it 10 years or 10,000 years. You will be forced to live as a human." Odin paused, giving Loki the full might of his stare. "You will be a young scholar, studying the history of humanity. I hope you can see the justice and irony in this punishment for someone such as you to be forced to the menial task of studying human history. This race you tried to enslave will be your only redemption. You must learn from them and rectify your mistakes."

Loki's eyes widened at this. Forced to live among the lowly filth of Midgard? It truly was cruel.

"Furthermore, you will have no contact whatsoever with any other of the Nine Realms. You will be alone, an outcast." Odin lifted his head and surveyed the room. "Should anyone other than the realm of Midgard speak to the traitor Loki, they will be guilty of treason and banished."

With that, Odin raised his staff and pounded it into the ground. There was a flash of light and Loki was transported through a tunnel of pulsing blue and white light. Of all the trips Loki had taken through the Bifrost, none had been like this – a tumultuous whirlwind of light and color paired with a total inability to right himself. Though he knew the trip would be nearly instantaneous, the rush of emotions nearly blinded him. He felt a part of himself locked away, his magic severed and beyond his reach. It was a sickening feeling. Loki screwed his eyes shut and steeled himself against what was to come. He would not lose himself, not again. This would not be a repeat of the void. Magic or no, he would survive, thrive, and avenge himself.

With a great cacophony and sudden change in pressure that made his head ache dizzyingly, Loki fell from the Bifrost, landing hard enough on his stomach to knock the air from his lungs. He gasped, trying to regain breath and equilibrium as the room slowly stopped spinning around him. Taking in his new surroundings, he felt a strange feeling of discomfort from his newfound mortal body. The Bifrost had not been kind to his new skin; his muscles ached and his heart pounded like a hare's coursing through the brush. But he was a prince twice over and no magic of the All-Father could change that. He would not be prey and would turn this to his advantage as he always did.

Loki stood unsteadily and spread his arms" Banishment! A fool's errand and a fool's hope. What could Midgard possibly hope to teach me? Pathetic species, always so eager to please. Stripped of everything, I am still a GOD, a prince, and I will not be gelded. I am mischief. I am chaos."

"I am Loki."