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: Each step of the adventure was only supposed to be one chapter long, but it seems that I have been writing more than I planned, and so the chapters are long than I expected. This story may be my longest yet.
~[~ (Loki's POV)
Loki awoke slowly and mentally cursed when he realized he was tied to a post with his magic bound. He mentally surveyed his surroundings, chiding himself for not being more attentive in the forest. The tribe must have been concealing themselves waiting for the right moment and the group's fight had given them the upper hand. He could see the others were tied up and roughly thrown in a pile about 50 yards away from him, but they were all awake staring at him. Their gazes took him by surprise because they were not defiant and angry, but rather sad and confused. He could pick up some of the language that the tribe was using, and he was fairly certain that the others had no knowledge of the ancient tongue of this realm. In a way that was a relief to him because he was always better with words than any of them anyway, and this would keep Thor from interfering if he was able to reason with their captors, though he doubted it.
The leader of the tribe must have realized that he was awake because she begin pointing at him and instructing the others around her. Loki could tell based on what she saying that things were not going to end well for anyone should this lady get her way and so he began to think of a plan. Finally the tribe leader approached him and spoke. "I am Lady Tamina, leader of this tribe and land that you have trespassed upon." Loki recoiled slightly from shock when he heard her mutter words that were clearly in English. He suspected that someone, a traveler, must have taught her because this realm was not known to interact with other civilizations. The lady turned to address the others. "You are all worthless to me." She them turned back to Loki and reached up to stroke his cheek lightly making him cringe. "You are not however, and I will enjoy draining your power to fuel the shields of my people." She walked off a bit and Loki stole a glance back at the others. They were slightly injured he could see now, and knew that an escape would difficult because they would be slowed down. He would need to think of a tactic that would give them time, which appeared to be something they were running out of.
After a few minutes the leader and few others approached him and tied another, much thicker, rope around him that was covered in symbols, magic draining symbols he realized. Loki began to channel his power in the hopes that he would be able to build enough to break through his restraints before his magic was diminished, and was relived to feel it flowing and increasing in his body. It seems that for now his magic was just weak from exhaustion and that if he concentrated enough he would be able to focus it. After the lady finished examining the rope she ordered all the shields to be lined up and touching before connecting the rope to one of them. The effect was immediate and Loki gritted his teeth as he felt the energy that was building suddenly begin to drain. He pushed harder to focus and tried holding onto what he could before it slipped away.
The natives were now moving to surround Thor and the others with the leader standing out front. "Before I kill you I wish to know why you are trespassing here, though I do appreciate your gift." If Loki wasn't in so much pain and feeling so much pressure he would have retorted but he tried to keep calm and focused, seizing the lack of attention being paid to him to build his power so he could strike.
"We come only in peace. I wish to obtain a shield from you in order to create a Pickinese Flower that I will give to a maiden as a gift. We mean you no harm I assure you, and we are willing to trade you for the shield. I only ask that you release us all, especially my brother who you are doing a great injustice." Thor was getting better at using diplomacy which made Loki feel a little better about the fate of the nine realms. If Thor was going to be the ruler of Asgard one day he would need to learn this skill and not just depend on his hammer to solve everything. Also, the more Thor talked the more energy he could build and that meant an increased chance of success escaping on their part.
The leader was clearly not impressed with him. "Silence, I see enough people who chase this foolish treasure and I have executed them all the same. I will no longer stand for this." Loki could feel enough energy now that his binding were beginning to strain and he pushed himself harder, blocking out the pain from all of his injuries and current power depletion. "You will all die now as I have grown tired of you and I will do as I please with the sorcerer as he can benefit my people for a short time with his power, though he will not live much longer than you. " As she said this she raised her weapon and so did the rest of her people.
Loki was in full panic mode now since he knew time was running very short and so put all the energy he could spare into a blast that not only shattered his bonds, but sent a blast into the natives in front of him knocking the leader out of the way and into a rock registering her unconscious. He sighed in relief at how lucky he had been since good luck never seemed to be on his side. He quickly darted out to help the others in the massive confusion that followed. Some of them had already freed themselves and regained their weapons which were stored not very far away. Half of the natives were injured or unconscious with the others at a loss for what to do. This escape was working perfectly, but he felt very weak, and knew that he would need time to recover after this. The Warriors Three and Sif had all regained their weapons now and were fighting off the natives keeping them at bay and gaining distance from them. Thor was looking at the remaining shields deciding on which one he wanted for the pattern, though he appeared to be taking his time doing so.
Loki approached him unhappily determined to get as far away as possible while they still could. "Hurry, just pick one. They are all equally intriguing and I am sure your maiden will like any pattern."
"Ah, but Loki this gift is special and it should take a great deal of time to come up with the perfect pattern." Thor sounded love struck and that certainly wasn't going to help out with this situation.
"Well if you haven't noticed we don't have an abundance of available time so hurry up already." He was yelling now and the others were also growing impatient he could tell.
Sif yelled over helping his argument along. "Thor, they are gaining in strength and numbers. We must leave now."
Thor sighed and quickly grabbed the shield that had previously belonged to the leader. Loki realized that would just add fuel to the fire, and so despite his current pain he bolted the second Thor took hold of the shield and had no trouble keeping up with others for the escape.
When they had all finally run far enough away that they were able to slow down and regain their bearings Loki was ready to collapse. He knew that he was running on pure adrenaline now, and that he didn't have much of that left either. He began to use what little magic he had left to search for a portal so that they could leave this area immediately before they were found. His thoughts were interrupted by Thor.
"Brother, I thank thee for saving us back there. I understand that it must have cost you greatly to do so." Thor was appreciative and threw his large arm around his shoulder as way of conveying his gratitude. Loki tried not to flinch too much at the contact and relaxed a bit after a moment, though Thor did not seem to take notice.
It was then that Sif had to ruin everything again as usual. "Ah but did you notice that it wasn't until the trickster realized he faced mortal peril if he did not act that he saved us. Surely his intentions were only to protect himself and we are needed for him to achieve that. Do not think too highly of his actions Thor." She then snubbed past him and his jaw dropped slightly at her accusation.
He would admit that he was trickster and that he had been concerned about himself as well, but he had risked a lot to save them and to have it thrown back in his face so callously made him indignant. "Did it ever occur to you that I could have easily let you die, and then escaped myself afterward? Do you not realize how much easier that would have been than attempting to free you before you were slain?" He had pulled away from Thor and fixed Sif with an icy glare, not willing to allow her to bully him like this.
Fandral came to Sif's aid though. "Actions speak louder than words, and your tricks proved useful yes, but only after the threat to yourself was made clear, and therefore we should not be expected to extend you any gratitude." Now Loki just felt insulted and it must have showed on his face because Thor stepped in front of him protectively.
"Enough, we have what we need here so let us move on without dwelling on such matters, and Fandral, have care how you speak because if not I may have to teach you to phrase your words more carefully myself. I am grateful for Loki's help and the rest of you should be too." Thor glared at the rest of them silencing any further chatter and the four other warriors all moved ahead of them grumbling. Thor turned to him then and his eyes softened as he raised his hand to gently cradle the back of Loki's neck. The gesture was hardly felt though because Loki felt so hurt by the words of the others that he was starting to mentally shut down. "I am sorry brother. Pay no mind to them for they have yet to realize the danger we were in. Later they will see reason." With that Thor turned and headed to follow the others.
Loki walked numbly behind searching for a portal and watching idly for any threats that could come to pass. As he walked he could feel the power of portal nearby and so started to move toward that direction. The others slowly began to follow him to the destination, which turned out to be hidden behind a waterfall. He quickly pulled out the book to find out which section of the realm he would need to travel to next and upon finding it he muttered "Nearam" aloud and the portal began to glow. He stepped through it and into the other side with the others following suit. When everyone was through he closed turned the portal off, glad that they had successfully avoided one obstacle.
It seemed that everyone was still bitter as no conversation circled throughout the group and they just continued silently brooding while keeping an eye out for danger until Thor determined that they should stop and rest for the night near a river. Loki was grateful for the break since he felt like collapsing and so he sat down immediately while the others put together a camp. He was in no mood to do anything and no one bothered him, though the looks they were giving were him showed their annoyance at his lack of help. Finally Thor came to sit next to him and even though no words were exchanged he began to feel better.
~[~ (Sif's POV)
Sif was not sure what sparked her anger exactly, all she knew was that she needed an outlet and Loki provided that. She was angry at him for so many reasons, yet she felt pity for what she could clearly see had been done to him. Yes, he had tried to kill her with the destroyer and conquer another planet, but she did not support torture or rape and the mixed emotions of anger and pity did not bode well for her. The others seemed to notice her foul mood and so they were smart to stay away from her and leave her in peace.
Of everyone Thor seemed to be the most torn because he wanted to have fun with his friends, yet at the same time he wanted to support his brother. Sif did not care what Thor did for she was not his keeper, but the fact that he was so distraught made her sad since he was still her friend.
It was dark now and everyone was headed to bed with Fandral volunteering for first watch to everyone's surprise since that was a rare occurrence indeed. Sif had decided that she would try to talk to Loki later, and keep her hostility at bay if only for this one time.
She did not have to wait long since Loki was asleep before the rest of them and woke up a bit later from what Sif could tell was a nightmare. He got up and talked briefly to Fandral who spoke harshly back shooing him away. She got up quickly seizing the opportunity to get a moment alone with Loki and perhaps solve some her own inner turmoil.
"You may rest if you wish Fandral, for I am ready to keep watch. Have no fear." Sif spoke cheerily and Fandral though weary nodded to her and left. Loki continued to stare at the movement of the water not looking at her or acknowledging her presence.
Sif took the moment to observe him and take in more of his appearance. It was hard since he was cleverly hiding things with his clothes making it hard to judge his injuries or relative size. However, she had seen him limp a bit earlier and he was now favoring that leg lightly as he leaned against a tree for support. His breathing was not smooth either, and his emotions seemed unstable. She decided that she should approach with caution in mind if she were to succeed.
As she walked over Loki tensed slightly and remained in the fixed position taking shallow quick breaths. He seemed stunned by her next words and soft tone. "I am sorry for the way I acted earlier and even though I was harsh on you know that I am grateful for what you have done. Also, I can tell that you have suffered greatly during your time as a prisoner and I do not condone such treatment of criminals no matter the crime." Despite the raw fear that clouded his vision at the moment she felt better once she managed to express what she had been feeling and some of the anger and pity subsided.
Loki turned to face her and used a soft tone much like she had so that their conversation did not draw attention from the others. "You can tell no one of what you know, for that would only cause greater problems." He looked scared but serious and Sif wondered how hard it was for him to stand there and hold his ground like that.
"I understand your fear but suffering in silence helps no one. Thor wishes to help you and you are hurting him and yourself with your rejection. Only you can change the situation you have found yourself in." Sif was serious and her tone was not wavering. Loki needed to understand this or he would never learn.
Loki sighed and leaned more against the tree. "Thor wishes to help but he would be too rash and unable to understand something such as this. He also believes Odin's justice to be perfect and unquestionable so I do not think he would be of help. As for Odin he cares not for me and never will, so nothing will change regardless of what I do." Loki sounded resigned which was odd since he was never one to give up so easily, and she took note of this.
"Do you truly believe that?" She asked sadly knowing that if he had given up then all hope was lost for him.
All she received as an answer was a soft "Yes." Loki then turned away and went back to lie down near Thor. Sif shook her head feeling sad for the fallen god knowing that if one wanted to bring about change they needed to do something about it, and Loki had clearly given up on such endeavors. She knew not what awaited them the next day but she mentally prepared herself knowing that it was too be a long and treacherous day.
~[~
I had to add in a part with Loki and Sif because she is too perceptive not to notice when something isn't right. Therefore, I thought that she would be a good character to use to reveal how hopeless Loki has become.