A/N: I am unsatisfied with how my writing is progressing (but not the story). Though I suppose such is the life of a writer. I spent a week just editing and re-writing the last chapter. In fact, I spent so much time on it, that I didn't realize how short it was, so I apologize for that. Spent a lot of time editing this one too, however the delay this time is more related to a little thing called the San Diego Comic-con, which I didn't get tickets for. But due to my location it still manages to be quite a life-disturbance.
The golden halls of Asgard radiate with warmth, and despite Thor's grim thoughts, he feels himself relax in their presence. Every passing figure nods in acknowledgement, smiling at Asgard's golden prince.
His heart feels torn. He misses Jane. He misses his brother. What happiness has he without them?
His thoughts churn endlessly. He wishes to be a wise ruler. He has been made acutely aware that his decisions even as a prince will resonate throughout time and Yggdrasil. But he has yet to master the art of discerning between heart and mind. What his heart wishes, what it knows, is not the same as what his mind rationalizes. His heart breaks at the thought that Loki has been a victim all this time. His mind scoffs and shows him memory after memory of Loki's treachery.
But he cannot have doubts now, not when preparing to face his father.
A few well-remembered turns and Thor reaches the throne room. The guards on either side of the door bow and Thor takes a deep breath before walking inside.
When Odin sees him, he stands.
"Thor Odinson, prince of Asgard," Odin addresses him, "For what reason have you returned so early from Midgard?"
Thor walks forward and pauses before the throne. "Father, I would speak to you as your son, freely." He looks up to see Odin measuring him with his single eye. After a moment, Odin waves a hand and dismisses the servants and other members of the court present. When the echoes of footsteps fade, Odin turns back to his son.
"What concerns you, Thor?"
"I have returned with new knowledge of Loki. I have reason to believe we have made the wrong decision in leaving him to the Chitauri."
Odin stiffens. "Must I explain to you again, Thor? Loki has made his choice. He was the one who formed an alliance with the Chitauri. It is within their rights to execute his punishment. And it is not within our rights to deny them. If we took him from them, it would bring the threat of war. I will not have your feelings be the cause of another catastrophe."
Thor looks down to hide a flinch. "But father, what if Loki did not make the alliance willingly? What if he was acting only under their threat? Or the influence of the tesseract? Is it not wise to consider the intentions of an act, not just the outcome?"
Odin lets out a breath and Thor rushes on, if only to prevent his father from speaking an immediate disapproval. "I love Loki dearly, father. But I swear to you I speak only out of a desire for justice. A man, a member of the Avengers, was briefly under Loki's influence on Midgard. He has confided to me that Loki feared the Chitauri. He was not in his right mind. He had nightmares."
"And what exactly would you have me do, Thor?" Odin remains still, ever the regal presence. "Listen to yourself. Your only proof is the testimony of a single mortal man, one who you've already admitted was under Loki's control. Loki is a liar, he could easily manipulate another in the same way."
Thor quiets the bloom of fury in his chest, and attempts to keep his voice civil. "Father, forgive me, but you do not know the people with whom I have fought on Midgard. I would trust each of them with my life. I believe Hawkeye's words."
"What you believe is not always true," Odin states. "I would have thought you had learned this lesson by now."
"Yes, father, I understand. But there is a chance that Loki is experiencing something far worse than he ever deserved with the Chitauri—"
"Enough." Odin booms, his voice echoing through the hall in finality. "I will hear no more of this. Your brother is a murderer and a liar. I had hoped that after he fell he would realize his mistakes and return to us. But he did not. He made his choice, Thor. I will not say it again. You should understand this, as you witnessed his treachery on Midgard first-hand."
"Yes, father, but he—"
"His punishment stands," Odin decrees loudly. After a moment, wherein Thor struggles to keep himself from standing and leaving disrespectfully, Odin softens his voice and bows his head. "Thor, perhaps you think me heartless. I still love Loki as his father, but I am king of Asgard before that. And I must make the proper, just decision. You have much to learn."
Thor presses his mouth shut, and nods.
"I will trust your wisdom father," he says quietly, and adds under his breath, "though I struggle to accept it."
"You are dismissed, Thor."
Thor nods and stands quickly. As he walks from the room, his footsteps fall heavily in a childish display of frustration. On the other side of the door to the throne room, the temporarily exiled servants back away in fearful respect. The sound of thunder can be heard distantly outside the halls.
Thor attempts to control it, but he cannot. His heart is screaming at him. He tries desperately to think of something he can do. The time passed since he left Loki is already the equivalent of weeks in the realm of the Chitauri. Urgency presses him. As much as his father's rejection angers him, he realizes that he should have known that the words of a mortal would do nothing to sway the Allfather. He needs proof. He needs to see with his own eyes what has become of his brother.
He gives himself a direction. Soon he treads not on stone, but on light. The swirling rainbow of colors used to fascinate him as a boy. He and Loki used to—
Thor hides the memory away before it can torment him further. Already, Heimdall's towering figure is before him, and Thor prepares himself for another attempt at convincing. Before he can say a word, however, Heimdall speaks.
"Beware, Thor," the deep-voiced man says as he approaches, "you mustn't repeat your childish actions on Jotunheim."
Thor stops a few feet away from Heimdall and assumes what he hopes is a regal stance. "I am aware of my responsibilities as prince, Gatekeeper. I am a different man than I was before. I come only to ask for a favor."
"Then I will do what is in my power to aid the Prince of Asgard," Heimdall replies after a moment.
Thor nods in thanks and takes a deep breath. "Can you see Loki? How fares he with the Chitauri?"
Heimdall's gaze turns to the stars, his face expressionless. After a moment, he turns back to Thor. "Loki is hidden from me…" the raise in his voice is the only hint that he is perplexed.
"How can that be?" Thor demands. "The Chitauri should be preventing him from using magic, he could not possibly be able to hide himself like before. Unless he has escaped…" Despite Thor's love, the thought horrifies him.
"Loki is in the realm of the Chitauri." Heimdall says firmly, and Thor pauses to wait for clarification. "I can see… parts of him, there." Heimdall raises a finger and points unhelpfully at a specific place in the stars. "But something is clouding my view. Not blocking it. I do not believe Loki to be the source."
Thor is silent. Mjölnir is in his grasp and he finds himself working his fingers on the handle as he thinks. "Heimdall, you know that I must ensure my brother is not being… mistreated. I would go to him, though I understand your oath is to serve Odin. Allow me this and I swear to you I will not disobey my father."
Heimdall fixes him with a gaze that reflects the fires of the stars he searches daily. Thor matches it as well he can.
After a moment, Heimdall's expression seems to unfocus. His eyes clear as if looking at something far away, beyond Thor, beyond even Asgard. "And what would you do, Thor, Prince of Asgard, if you found Loki's state to be not to your liking? How strong is your oath? How easily would the fractured bond of brotherhood rend the blood-ties of father and son?"
Thor looks at the vague milky collection of stars to which Heimdall had pointed, and gathers himself. "Loki is, and always will be, my brother, no matter his heritage," he says firmly. "I love both my father and him. I believe the Allfather would trust my judgment. I do not act on emotion, I swear it. I have seen the atrocities Loki committed and I know he must pay for them. I am merely concerned with the Chitauri. I do not believe we can trust them. If I obtain proof that my father accepts, surely no bond or oath is broken."
Heimdall is silent for a moment, then turns from Thor and begins walking towards the end of the Bifrost. At first Thor believes he has failed, but Heimdall raises a hand, a motion for him to follow. Thor feels a small smile of triumph spread across his face, but it shatters against his worry. He grips Mjölnir tightly and makes his way towards the gateway to all other realms—to Loki.