I'd heard the phrase 'deafening silence' before, but I'd never really experienced the phenomenon firsthand.
At least, I hadn't until Thor opened the door to the throne room and ushered us inside.
A long table was set up at the foot of the stairs leading to the throne itself, and in front of that was a raised platform, with railings on three sides. Twelve grim faced men and women sat at the table while Odin remained upon his throne, Frigga at his side. Twenty-seven eyes fixed on us as we started across the room.
Loki uttered a small, quiet noise of distress and hesitated before stepping onto the red carpet that would lead us to the Council.
Thor squared his shoulders and cast a quick glance at his brother. "All will be well, Loki," he whispered. "Do you trust in me?"
"As always," Loki replied.
"Then find your resolve and let us end this."
Loki nodded and straightened his spine, following in the Thunderer's wake as he approached the platform.
"The prisoner will take his place on the dais," a voice rang out, and I fought the urge to snarl.
Thor laid his hand on Loki's shoulder, squeezing briefly as he whispered, "Be strong, brother." Then he stepped away, continuing on to stand before the Council. Loki caught my eye, sending me a look dripping with despair.
"Don't," I breathed. "Don't look at me like we're never gonna see one another again. Just get up there and tell your side of it. Thor and I will take care of the rest. We got this."
Swallowing hard, the god gave a quick nod and mounted the stairs to the platform as I took my place next to Thor. I looked over the Council, taking in their rich robes, and emotionless faces. Something told me that this was going to be a hard fought battle, but I'd be damned if I was gonna give up before I even started.
No. This day would end with the truth, and a reversal of Loki's sentence. I wouldn't accept anything less.
A brawny, dark-haired man sat near the middle of the table, an impatient cast to his features. He looked left, and then right, revealing a wide silver streak in his ebon hair, and a scar that ran from his temple to the corner of his right eye.
"Shall we begin," he asked in a booming voice. "We twelve have been called forth by Odin All-Father to receive new evidence in the case of the war criminal Loki. His offenses are well known, so there is no need for a retelling. Who speaks in his defense?"
"I do," Loki answered softly.
A murmur ran the length of the table as the council members reacted to Loki's declaration.
"Is that so," asked the dark-haired man in a bemused manner. "If I remember correctly, you refused to speak at all during your previous trial. Have you anyone to corroborate your…tales?"
"I stand as witness, Elder Bersi," Thor ground out. "As does the mortal, Clint Barton."
"Barton? The one Loki enslaved during his failed attempt to rule Midgard," the Elder asked, a note of surprise in his voice.
"One and the same," I answered.
"Why would you do such a thing," Bersi questioned, spearing me with a circumspect look. "This is the being that, had he triumphed, would have destroyed all that you held dear. He committed an act of war; killed countless of your people. Why would you choose to defend him?"
"Because he wasn't acting entirely under his own power," I shot back. "And that means he doesn't deserve the torture you people have sentenced him to suffer."
Thor made a low noise of warning, but it was too late. The entire Council was glaring at me and Bersi's dark eyes had narrowed dangerously.
"You know nothing of our ways, mortal," he hissed. "Hold your tongue until we call you to speak."
"Whatever you say," I shrugged, refusing to drop my gaze from his. I wasn't going to back down. Not one fucking inch.
After a long moment, the Elder turned from me and looked to Loki. "Tell your tale, and we shall see what new information you may provide. But be warned, Laufeyson, we are well aware of your penchant for lies."
"Of course you are," Loki answered. "And that is precisely why I held my silence during our previous meeting. I knew my chances of being believed were very small indeed."
"Then what changed your mind," Bersi asked. "Why would you come forward now?"
"It would seem," Loki said, an edge of pride in his voice. "That despite my many detractors, there still exist a few that believe me redeemable. I simply listened to their pleas, and found myself swayed."
Bersi gritted his teeth, and then waved a hand irritably at Loki before snapping, "Then get on with it. Tell your tale, fallen Prince, so we may sit in judgment. The day draws to an end, and I have far to travel before I see my home again."
"Patience," barked Thor, his anger blooming in the face of Bersi's rudeness. "You may sit upon the Council, yet you still answer to the All-Father. This will not be rushed just so that you may pass the night warm in your own furs! The fate of my brother hangs in the balance."
The Elder snarled in response, but before he could speak, Odin made his presence known by thumping Gungnir against the floor.
"My son may be rash in his words," the All-Father intoned. "But he speaks the truth. You are to be impartial in your decisions, and the Council will remain in session until this is resolved. It was by your insistence that Loki's sentence was taken from my hands. Do not attempt to shirk your duties now, Bersi."
His face flushed a deep scarlet as Bersi murmured, "Yes, my King. Please, tell us your tale, my Prince."
And so Loki began to speak.
His voice rang out, strong and clear, echoing through the throne room as he related what happened after he fell from the Bi-Frost. He described the anger he felt, the pain of discovering his true parentage, and the despair that had driven him to close to madness. I listened as he told of the Chitauri discovering him broken and bruised, and of how they whispered in his ear, promising to return all he had lost…and more. Loki explained that once he had healed, and his reason had returned, then doubts as to the Chitauri's plan began to grow within him.
And when he'd expressed these doubts to the Other, that was when the scepter had been laid in his hands.
Under the cool, blue glow of the scepter, those doubts had been washed clean, and his purpose grew to mirror that of his masters.
The Council remained silent until Loki named the one above the Other. Thanos, he called him, and the assembled men and women reacted violently to the revelation. I heard whispers of 'the mad Titan', and watched as dread filled the faces before me.
I leaned in and whispered to Thor, "So I'm guessing that this Thanos is bad news?"
"Indeed," the Thunderer growled. "He is a blight across all the realms, and his presence explains the fear Loki felt. He is not one to be trifled with…"
"Suppose it's too much to hope for that the nuke took him out along with the Chitauri?"
Thor shook his head. "Thanos is known for ruling from afar. There is no chance that he was near enough to suffer any damage."
"Damn," I grumbled. "We'll have to keep an eye out for him, then. Something tells me that he's not the type to give up quite so easily."
After that, the Council fired question after question at Loki. What was Thanos' ultimate goal? Did he have designs on other worlds after Midgard? Was the Tesseract the only artifact he was seeking? And Loki answered them to the best of his ability, holding nothing back.
Finally, the queries stopped, and a much more somber Bersi urged Loki to continue his confession.
And this brought us to the part I was dreading. Stuttgart…and all that had happened between us.
Loki handled it like a pro, smoothly telling the tale, and continuing on to his 'capture' by the Avengers. He didn't gloss over anything, or pull any punches…just told it in a matter-of-fact way, including his attempt to protect me from further harm by convincing the Other I was simply a plaything and nothing more.
Sure, I got a couple of shocked looks from the Council, and I kept my gaze firmly turned away from Momma Frigga, because that was something I was not ready to face. But overall, it wasn't nearly as awkward as I'd feared.
Well. As awkward as revealing pillow talk in front of your partner's parents can be…but no worse.
Loki ended his confession with his return to Asgard, and how his deep-seated remorse for his actions had kept him from testifying on his own behalf. The guilt he carried had demanded that he pay for his crimes in full, and any outside influence be damned.
I fought to swallow down the ache in my throat as Loki finished speaking. Even though I knew that it had been his choice to remain silent, I still couldn't help but feel as though I was somehow responsible.
"This is madness," Bersi muttered. "A tale concocted by the Prince of Lies, and supported by his former slave and lover? How can their words be trusted?!"
Before I even had a chance to voice my protests, a slight, blonde woman seated to Bersi's left cleared her throat and rose from her chair.
"I believe him," she stated firmly.
The Council again erupted in murmurs, and while some of the members looked aghast, fully half nodded their agreement.
I kept quiet and waited to see what else she had to say.
"What in Loki's pack of half-truths has swayed you, Lady Valgerd," Bersi demanded.
"First and foremost, his willingness to speak," the blonde said softly. "When Loki stood before us after his return to Asgard, he was a thing of sullen anger and tightly clenched teeth. He admitted to no wrongdoing, nor did he attempt to sway us in his favor. Do you not find him much changed from that time?"
Bersi sputtered weakly before Valgerd continued. "We have known Loki since his youth, and I can attest that the man that we see now bears very little resemblance to the sly and manipulative one of days past. His punishment has changed him. Or are you too blind to see?"
Turning to me, Valgerd asked, "You are willing to corroborate all that Loki claims? Even after the wrong done to you?"
"Absolutely," I replied. "From what I know of Loki in the time before he came to Earth, he was called the Trickster for a reason. It wasn't his style to approach anything head on. He'd come at it from an angle, and you'd never really know his plan until it was already in motion. But on Earth? He launched a full scale invasion, and did it in a straight forward, tactical way. Does that sound like the Loki you know?"
"It does not," Bersi agreed sullenly.
"Exactly," I exclaimed. "And that was because it was never Loki's plan. Sure, he played along. And yes, he had a large part in the destruction. But ultimately, he was just a figurehead; someone for Thanos to hide behind while he pulled the strings."
"During my first meeting with Loki on Midgard, he spoke of those that had 'shown him new worlds'," Thor interjected. "At the time he would not elaborate on what he meant, but I knew in my heart that there were others above him. When we learned of the Chitauri's involvement, that only strengthened my belief. Loki did not rally an army on his own. He did not have the power needed to claim dominion over such a force. It had to be given to him. And he who could deliver such a thing would be the one to direct its' movements and actions."
"Precisely," Lady Valgerd said softly. "I cannot fathom how Loki could have accomplished such grand designs by himself. The only logical explanation is that he did not act alone in the attempt to subjugate Midgard. And as such, we cannot hold him to his original sentence. To do so would be cruel."
"And what do you suggest," Bersi growled. "That we simply free him?! Return him to Asgard and pretend that all is well?"
Silence fell across the throne room.
I could almost feel Frigga and Thor holding their breath, willing the Council to do just that, and return Loki to them. I cast a quick glance back over my shoulder, only to find Loki staring back, eyes wide and shimmering with the barest glimmer of hope. He looked a little less broken, standing tall on that dais, and clutching the railing in front of him with bloodless fingers as he awaited the final decision on his fate.
And suddenly I knew what I had to do.
"Um, I might have an idea," I ventured, turning back to face the Council. "This might sound a little crazy, but just hear me out."