Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters should pray for their good fortune.
Title: A God's Proposal
Summary: Prequel to Where to Levy the Blame. Thor hears about a quest in the local tavern one day and thinks that the prize would be a fit proposal gift for Jane. However, he needs Loki's help to obtain this gift, and Loki is locked up in Asgard's dungeon suffering Odin's secret punishments. Warnings: Rape and Torture
Author's Comments: This chapter starts the adventure section of the story, but there will still be trauma experienced by Loki, and Thor will try to be protective. Happy holidays to all, this is my present to you.
~[~ (Loki's POV)
The sun shone brightly through Loki's window the next morning and it hurt his eyes which were accustomed to days of darkness. He groaned and rolled over feeling shockwaves of pain course through his badly abused body. Odin was determined to make sure that he cooperated, of that he was certain because the abuse he suffered the night before was overly brutal. Not only had he dealt with the guards in the dungeons, but he also was raped in his room. The memories of that night would taint this place forever and he didn't think he would ever be able to lie on his bed again without reliving the experience through flashbacks.
To make matters worse Odin had hired someone to rape and torture him once a week along with his nightly suffering in the dungeons. The man showed up irregularly so Loki could never predict when he was coming, but he wasn't entirely surprised to see him last night. He was certainly a professional in torturing people physically and emotionally. He raped Loki repeatedly, sometimes overly brutal and other times more bearably to the point where he had actually cum. The fact that he had enjoyed some of those times made it worse because he felt like the castle whore. The man usually played with his emotions as much as his body by offering filthy compliments when he was brutal, and insults when Loki began to enjoy it. He was used to being called a whore at this point, but he was usually able to successfully deny the words because he never found pleasure in their sadistic ways. However, this man knew how to pull all the strings and make his body betray his emotions. The man violated his mind and his body in ways that he could never recover from, and he already felt his self-confidence slipping away to be replaced by fear and confusion. He loathed admitting that Odin was winning this battle, but he could only take so much abuse without cracking.
He decided that he had dwelled enough for one morning and that time was running short before his departure with Thor. He felt like he had only slept a few hours and so he was groggy and disorientated. As he pushed himself out of bed he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and recoiled instantly. The figure that stared back at him was certainly abused and broken. He could see his ribs through his robe, and his pale skin had a grayish tint to it. His hair was a mess and his eyes and cheeks were sunk in. He quickly turned away breathing heavily and sunk down to the floor near his bed. He curled into a ball trying to hide from the world.
~[~ (Thor's POV)
Thor was obviously excited for the quest and found it very difficult to sleep the night before. He also felt better knowing that Loki was safe in the castle away from the dungeons. He still had some questions for the guards, but he was hopeful that perhaps Loki would talk to him first. Everyone knew that Loki was a liar, but Thor believed that Loki might actually want help this time, and so that would make him truthful. The night before Loki seemed compliant and did not reject his affection so he was hopeful that he could finally get through to his brother.
He was awake at dawn sorting through his things deciding exactly what he would need based on Loki's directions the night before. He knew that the land they were headed to was hostile and so that meant he needed full armor and extra weapons. Also, the place they were going was of a moist and cold climate, so that meant extra clothing would be appreciated. As he packed he thought of how beautiful the flower would be, and how delighted Jane would be at the gift.
Thor was the first one to arrive at the bifrost and so he talked to the gate keeper about some of the possible dangers they would face. When he felt prepared the other slowly started to appear, with the first being Sif, followed by a very hung over looking Warriors Three. Thor was not pleased at the clear aftereffects of his friend's night, especially since he would need them to be extra vigilant and alert. They all hid on the other corner of the rainbow bridge away from him, probably hiding from his wrath. They all waited around for Loki and Odin to come and Thor was starting to get nervous. It was clear that they were late and it was unusual for either of them to be tardy. Finally, when Thor was getting ready to ask the all seeing Heimdall what was keeping them they could be seen heading their way on the bridge. They were both riding their horses and so the journey was completed quickly and when they reached them they both dismounted.
Loki appeared tired and agitated this morning and Thor thought about how he and Sif would be the only ones ready for the day. Odin also looked annoyed so Thor waited deciding it was best not to ask why they were late.
"Sorry everyone, it appears that someone has no common courtesy for being ready on time." Odin shot Loki a look and he just glared back in return. Thor could feel the tension in the air and decided that the sooner they left the better it would be for all involved. "I wish you all the best of luck, and I'm sure that you will get a fine flower. Loki I return your magic to you, but if you dare abuse it at all remember that they will be dire consequences to pay." Loki nodded tiredly as Odin roughly ripped the cuffs off his wrists. He didn't even flinch though it was clear that the movement was painful, and not only were his wrists rubbed raw, but an entire layer of skin was removed. Thor was about to protest when Loki just turned and headed into the bifrost entrance. Thor still couldn't believe how docile his brother was behaving and decided that that was not a good sign at all. Loki gave the gate keeper brief directions and stood waiting for the others.
Thor knew that the realm they were headed to would be hostile and so he was not surprised by the brief and comprehensive warning they received. Finally it was time to go, and Thor felt the unmistakable pull of the bridge before shooting off to his destination and landing in a strange and foreboding forest.
~[~ (Loki's POV)
After Loki had managed to drag himself off the floor and get ready he knew he would be late. As it was Odin had not even sent in guards yet to get him so it appeared that he didn't care if they left on time. He was just finishing up before the guards came in and dragged him out. He was pushed along to the stables and met with a few choice words about being on time by Odin. He was already not in the mood for the day and so he just tried blocking everything after that out, especially the removal of the cuffs since it was not a pleasant experience.
When they finally arrived at the forest Loki scanned the area looking for any immediate potential threats. They would need to travel a bit further to find what they were looking for and he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. He could sense the hostility in the air and it made him shiver.
"So what pray tell do we need to obtain from this area, hmmm, the fur of a rabbit, perhaps the fangs of a serpent. I truly do not see what is so threatening about this place." Fandral said, as he was always one to underestimate their current situation, though not as much as Thor. Loki truly was not in the mood for this today and so he just ignored him and pulled out his book so he could figure out where to go. After a moment Fandral angrily marched up to him and pushed him so he stumbled a bit. Loki glared at him while regaining his footing. "Well I asked you where we needed to go, unless you think that you are so far above us that you don't need to answer." His words were laced with venom and contempt, but Loki just rolled him eyes. In truth he knew he was better than them intellectually speaking, for he doubted that Fandral could read anything that was not alcohol related.
He continued to browse through the book before finding the page. He inhaled before saying "We need to go to the river of agelessness and look for a tribe of Perkets. They have special shields that require magic to feed them, and the shields are needed for the pattern of the flower. So it looks like we need to head Southwest to find the river." He looked around and noticed that no one was happy that he ignored Fandral's comment, but they would have to get over it because he wasn't in the mood to jest.
"So you don't know exactly where we need to go. Is that why you brought the book?" Sif looked a bit concerned that he didn't have exact directions and he didn't blame her really. They may have never gotten along, but at least she was able to comprehend the gravity of their situations usually.
"I have a vague idea, and I've heard enough stories that I never actually wanted to know. This book contains everything we need though." Loki then continued in the direction he had stated using the map inside of the book to locate important landmarks in the area.
Thor seemed concerned about something too, based on the way his face contorted. "Is everything not in this area for us to find?"
Loki sighed loudly and cursed that Thor clearly did not pay attention to him the night before. "No, this realm is large and so we will have to locate portals so that we are able to travel to all of our destinations." He heard the others groan and he knew that they hated portal hopping, but they would not have another choice in this matter.
They continued travelling for some time before Thor decided that they should stop and eat. He sent Sif and Fandral out to go see what kind of game was around this realm and told Hogun and Volstagg to start a fire and find water. They were within walking distance to the river and Loki thought stopping to eat was a brilliant idea since he was starving. However, he knew from the looks Thor kept giving him that Thor sensed he was in pain, and the fact that everyone but the two of them had a task to perform confirmed his suspicions that Thor was planning to corner him and talk to him.
~[~ (Thor's POV)
Thor could sense Loki's unease with the realm and his friends were not making the tension decrease any. He knew that they all had their doubts about this quest, and that Loki wanted nothing to do with it, but he had hoped that they would all be a little better than this. Sif was the only one who was capable of fully defending herself and keeping watch at the moment since all of the Warrior Three were hung over and his brother was clearly worse for the wear. Loki was injured and Thor could tell by the way he was carrying himself. He steps were slow and hesitant, while his head remained low and buried in that book. If they didn't need it so badly he would take it from Loki and throw it into the forest so that Loki would be forced to at least look at him.
Thor had decided that he should at least try and talk to Loki about what was hurting him so he sent all his friends off on various tasks in order to get a moment alone with Loki. He knew Loki sensed what was coming, but ever since his friends had taken off the atmosphere seemed less tense and foreboding. He approached Loki cautiously and wore a friendly grin. "Do not despair brother for I will protect you from harm."
Loki grimaced at his affectionate title, but rolled his eyes and reopened the book to Thor's annoyance. "If you think you can." Loki turned to walk off but Thor quickly seized his wrist and stole the book out of his hands while turning him around so they were face to face. He then pushed him a few steps back against a large nearby rock to prevent his escape. Loki looked angry at first, but he was suddenly tense and a bit scared when he was pushed against the rock.
Thor's eyes and grip softened a touch, and he moved his hand down his brother's arm so that he was not making contact with his sore wrist anymore. Loki looked down and refused to make eye contact. Finally Thor could not stand it any longer and asked "What is the matter brother? What is wrong? Please, you know you can tell me."
Loki flinched lightly at the question but he didn't move or make to reply. Thor gave him some time and didn't push. Loki eventually looked him straight in the eye and Thor could sense the sarcasm in his words. "Why nothing brother, for don't you trust Odin's wise and almighty judgment." Loki angrily pulled away and managed to slip past Thor and out of his reach. It didn't matter for he could already see his friends returning so he knew that his time was up.
They had a nice lunch and even though they made something that Loki hated he still ate it, though not much of it. He seemed to fill up quickly and not have much interest in food after that, but he never really had much of an appetite anyway so Thor shrugged it off. When they had finally all finished eating they got up to leave and the camp was quickly cleaned up.
~[~ (Loki's POV)
Loki could hear the water running from the river and knew that they were very close now. He looked around carefully to see if he could identify any natives hiding in the trees prepared to pounce. He saw nothing however he kept a careful watch. It seemed that the others were also slightly on edge waiting for something to happen. The Warriors Three were recovering from their hangovers and Volstagg and Fandral were telling marvelous and exaggerated tales of their many adventures. Sif was ignoring them and watching Thor, probably sad that he had clearly chosen another over her, and then asked her to come along to get the perfect gift to woo said maiden with. Hogun was Hogun, and so he was silently walking with the others while looking around grimly. Thor was actually focused for once and it was nice that he was paying attention and not trying to call all the attention to himself.
Loki was usually silent as he never really had much to say when it didn't involve trying to direct a conversation in his favor, but he felt that he should at least say something to tell the others what they were up against. "These creatures feed off magic and can sense it like hounds. They will probably find us before we find them, but if we can find them first it would be very bad to engage them in battle."
"Why is that? Where would the glory be found if we did not need vanquish our foes to obtain the first treasure?" Thor laughed heartily and Loki was not amused.
He huffed annoyed. "If you try to vanquish them there will be no treasure to be found." Thor was clearly not comprehending the fact that they needed to get a shield, which meant an intact one.
Sif regarded Loki critically before saying "These creatures can sense magic so that means you are a liability to us all right now." She turned to the rest of them and added smugly "Perhaps we could use him as bait."
Thor grunted, but Loki cut in before Thor could reply. "Well that was what I was trying to explain yesterday, but apparently it is irrelevant."
The whole group was ready to fight when all of sudden a net was dropped down taking them all by surprise before Loki felt a prick on his neck and the world faded to black.
~[~
I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. Remember to review because it encourages me to update sooner, and happy holidays.