Second (sadly shorter) chapter. Wrote it after the first got a couple of follows and reviews. Please note me if you see any grammar/spelling mistakes.
Furthermore, please enjoy. :)
Loki felt his knees buckle away under him as soon as they landed in Asgard on the still broken Bifrost. Thor grabbed his shoulder, and held him.
"Are you fine brother?"He asked with a look of concern on his face. Loki nodded, and looked up. Several Einherjar awaited them. One of them carried shackles and a small box. Loki could see of the men advance on him and his brother who still clutched on to him tightly.
"Don't you dare do it here. At least prepare him for what is to come." Thor growled.
Loki frowned at Thor's angry words. What was 'it'? He nudged Thor to maybe let go of him, and Thor stayed stubbornly where he was.
Loki almost thought they would have to fight his brother, but then one of the Einherjar grabbed Thor's left arm, and shackled it surprisingly easy.
"What is the meaning of this?!"Thor yelled as they proceeded to shackle his arms behind his back. Loki was just as confused as Thor was when two of the men remained with Thor, holding him at his arms. Loki was painfully reminded of how Thor was held the same way as Loki when he was beaten.
But then a darker haired guard stepped forward, and told Thor. "It might be better if you turned away now. You might not want to see this."
In the meanwhile the other Einherjar had hauled Loki up, and had quickly unshackled his hands, only to bind them behind his back again.
Confused as he was, the dark haired god fell easily to the floor when he was given a little push. He fell on his back, painfully. He groaned into his muzzle, his spine feeling like it could break any moment.
Then the Einherjar with the box in his hands walked over to him, and told the other to hold Loki down, and Loki felt how four hands pushed him even more into the ground, his arms starting to hurt already. Somewhere in the back he could hear Thor yell. Loki tried to shift uncomfortably.
Then the remaining Einherjar leaned over him, and took of his muzzle. Loki wanted to use his voice, maybe he could talk his way out of this situation, but before he got to even open his mouth it was clamped shut by hands from behind. Loki tried to twist away, to get away from the uncomfortable feeling, and it was then that he noticed what the last Einherjar had taken from the box. Suddenly his entire body went rigid. The man was holding a needle with thread. Suddenly he understood why Thor was screaming. Thor had known this along, he knew what was going to happen to him and he must have thought it terrible.
Loki stared with wide eyes at the man leaning over him, golden clad and muscly. Please, please don't hurt me. He silently begged and tried to shake his head. No. No. Thor wouldn't let them. But then he looked over to his side, or at least he tried and he saw how Thor was held by two Einherjar. Thor was struggling heavily, yelling and kicking and demanding that his brother did not deserve it.
The man above him looked like he did not want to do this. He saw the man whisper something, but he couldn't understand for the only thing he could hear was Thor's yelling and his own heart, pounding in his body.
And then the needle was brought closer, and Loki screamed, struggled against the hands holding him and cried even harder when it proved futile and the needle went through his lips.
Loki arched his back, thrashed around and tried to make the pain somehow stop. He kicked out with his legs, the only limbs he still had free, screaming his throat hoarse. And then the thread was dragged through, and Loki thought he was going to faint for he had never felt so much pain in his entire life and it hurt so much pain white white hot pain please please stop!
He looked at Thor, and screamed again when the needle was brought in for a second time. How long would he have to endure this? The needle now went in for the third stitch.
Though it was muffled, Thor could still hear everything his little brother said. He heard how his brother begged for them to stop, that it hurt to much, that he couldn't bear it and now all he could hear were muffled moans and cries coming from Loki. He saw Loki bucking up under the hands that held him, and saw how tears streamed down the dark haired god's face.
Thor launched himself forward again, but the two Einherjar that were assigned to hold him were stronger.
"No! Let him go! Please, he doesn't deserve this! my brother doesn't know what he has done, please..." Thor's words died slowly as the several Einherjar loosened their grip on Loki, who curled in on himself, sobs and muffled cries leaving him constantly. They had stopped the sewing, they were done. Thor felt an enormous urge to run to his brother, in need of his comfort.
Thor didn't realize the shackles holding him were gone until he stood suddenly next to Loki, reaching out with his hands to touch his brother's now bloodied face.
Several black pieces of thread held Loki's jaws together, disappearing into bloodied punctures made into his skin. Along all the blood on his face, there were tear tracks running down and fading into his hair. A layer of sweat was over all of Loki's body, covering him like he had just gone with Thor on a hunting trip. It was a hurtful sight.
"Brother." He whispered softly.
Loki flinched back at the touch, though he tried sitting upright when he realized it was Thor. He let himself be hauled into his brother's broad and warm arms, crying out. But then the Einherjar came to stand in front of him and Loki scrambled backwards, hiding behind Thor. Soft pleas came from his closed mouth.
Thor stood up, and took a defensive pose. "Please, you cannot take him already. Please, at least, allow my brother a moment of peace." He begged, maintaining his stance. The men looked uncomfortable and shared a few glances. They felt nothing for the idea of fighting the blonde god. "Please, let my brother at least see our mother. Give him a moment of solace." The leading Einherjar stepped forward and shook his head slightly. "I sincerely apology, my prince, but we have orders to take and-"
"I will give you what you want, even if it was for a moment that my brother could see his mother!" Thor pleaded. "Please. He doesn't deserve this at all. Loki! Show them you want this!" He shook Loki's shoulder's slightly.
Loki looked up at Thor both with begging and confused eyes. "You want this, right?! You want to see her, you want this, right?!" Loki nodded his head anxiously.
The man looked uncomfortable and looked back to the others. "Alright. You get three hours."
Loki had been carried the entire way to the castle in Thor's arms, shivering badly and tears still making their way down his face, and it was the reason when they opened the doors to his mother's chambers that Frigga let out a shriek. "My sons!" She ran over to Thor immediately, letting her eyes fall on Loki. "My poor son..." She whispered to Loki and ran a hand through his hair.
Loki sniffled, so badly wanting to touch his mother's face, to say something to her that would soothe her, but he couldn't. He knew it hurt her, to see him like this. He wished he knew what was going on, why the Einherjar had sewed his lips shut.
It still hurt, even when he didn't try to talk or cry. He clamped his jaws shut as far it was possible, not wanting to feel another wave of pain.
"Oh Loki, what have they done to you?" Frigga quietly wept as Thor lowered Loki on her bed, Loki's head in Frigga's lap. Loki stayed as still as he was, but then Frigga pulled him in for a hug and he couldn't stop the emotions overflowing him and crashing down. Loki cried out, wishing it was all over, but this was just the beginning, he knew, otherwise the Einherjar wouldn't be waiting outside the door, but he couldn't take it anymore already, it was too much to bear. the pain of his lips being ripped apart came with it, and he had to press his head into Frigga's shoulder.
He felt his tears slip down his cheeks and he hated that they stained Frigga's dress, but she said it was okay and he let his head rest on her shoulder, let her embrace him and wished he could stay like that with her forever.
He knew that he couldn't, and that too soon the Einherjar would come for him. And so he pulled himself loose from the hug Frigga gave, frowning a bit at the confused look she gave. he looked at the door and then back again to her, repeat. Frigga seemed to understand what Loki tried to say to her.
Loki then proceeded to lay himself fully down on the bed and Frigga and Thor left the room.
Loki noticed he was alone, they gave him his moment of rest. He thought about how the mortal on earth had showed him more compassion than any other had in the last few centuries, besides Thor and Frigga. But why would he?
When the mortal had talked to him he also noticed something in the slightly darker brown eyes next to compassion alone. Was it... Guilt? He was certain of it, though he did not know why. Loki laid his head down on the pillow, and within a minute he was asleep, the events of today had tired him enough.
Thor looked at his little brother from a distance with sad eyes and looked then at his mother. They had only come in a few moments ago, mourning together over the loss of what would be Loki.
Frigga looked back at Thor, question in her brightened eyes. "I thought the council forbade it."
Thor looked back at his sleeping brother again and spoke.
"I... Might or might have not persuaded the guards from letting him see you one more time." Frigga looked both shocked and content with her son. After a short moment of silence she looked at Loki, peacefully sleeping.
"Why did you let him come to me?"
"I discovered mother, that Loki does not remember everything. He did attack Midgard, yes, but my friend Barton claimed that Loki might have been controlled. I went to see if what he said could be true, and..." Thor hesitated, he found it difficult to endure the memory of Loki lying crying in his glass cage. "It-it was true. Loki was innocent Loki can't remember a single thing."
"Bu-but then, should we tell him? Should we tell him what he did?" Frigga asked, but Thor could hear clearly that she already had made up her mind. It came down to him now to decide whether Loki should know of his acts on Midgard or not. Thor looked at his brother, who still didn't have a clue what had been going on.
Loki was innocent, yes, and he did not know why he was punished. But could Loki live with both the knowledge that he killed hundreds of innocent and the torture they would certainly inflict on him in the dungeons? Thor didn't knew. He had no idea what to do. Telling him could be worse than not. But then he remembered what had happened the last time they decided to not tell Loki he was of Jotunn offspring. he did not want Loki to be angry with him. But then he also wondered if Loki knew he was Jotunn. He decided to take the risk and could only hope for a lucky outcome.
"I-" There was knocking on the door, before it was opened by several Einherjar, the ones from before that had sewed Loki's lips shut. "We need to get him to his cell now. They'll start suspecting if we do not arrive soon." One of them stepped forward. It was the one that had done the sewing. "We will take him from here on." He walked over to the bed where Loki was laying, still unaware of the unwelcome guests that were now here to get him. A second guard followed the first, and Thor reached out with his arm to block the man's path. The man halted in his tracks and looked at Thor.
"Wait. Can we have a few more minutes?" Thor asked. The man that had spoken shook his head. "I am truly sorry, my prince, but we cannot stay for a single minute longer here."
"Then... Then please let my brother sleep through all of this. Please." Thor pleaded.
The man lifted Loki carefully from the bed. "We will try to let him."
The trip to the prisons was long and led Thor through many golden hallways, reminding him of how Loki would probably never see them again. He wished he could help, but the council forbade it, and so did his father. He was surprised he got to see where his brother would stay though.
Loki was carried by one of the Einherjar, still deep asleep and unknowing of where they would be headed.
After a long time of walking through Asgard's golden halls the group halted in front of a couple of great wooden gates. Two of the Einherjar opened them both and the men continued on their way.
The halls here were made of stone and only dimly lit, Thor noticed. In this darkened place his brother would disappear. He already mourned the loss. Loki would never go on a hunting trip with him again, nor would he ever hear him laugh again.
Thor knew what awaited his brother down there though, and it took him the greatest effort not to tear his brother away from Asgard and flee with him to a safer place. Thor knew that if he would ever be able to visit Loki, he would make sure he could let his brother escape the terrors from the dungeons.
The floor began suddenly to incline downwards in a obscure corridor, a long stairway leading down. The Einherjar halted in front of the place where the darkness began. One of them had lighted a torch.
Thor wondered why they had suddenly stopped, but he needed not to wait long for an answer. One of the golden clothed guards stepped out and proceeded to tell him why.
"I am sorry, but from here on you are not allowed to come with us. We have orders to leave you here." He said, voice low, for the hallway echoed every sound. Thor quickly glanced over to Loki and saw that his brother was still sleeping quietly.
"I understand. C-can I still say goodbye?" His breath left him at the last sentence, to much emotions swirling around in his head now.
"Feel unrestricted to do so." Was the reply.
"Thank you, I will keep you in mind for showing this kindness to me and my brother." He said, and he walked over to the man holding Loki. His stroked the dark haired head one more time before placing a kiss on it, and stepped back.
"This is goodbye brother." A small tear glistened in his blue eyes with the resignation as he saw Loki being brought to his new home for the next centuries.
When Loki woke up, he was in a dark small chamber, and alone. He looked around to see where he was and soon he made the conclusion that he must be in a cell. The walls were dirty and full of grime, the floor he was laying on was cold, and he saw only one exit. A wooden door with metal parts on it indicated where the exits was. Loki didn't see any other facilities in the dungeon though. He tried to sit upwards and found it incredibly difficult. His arms were still bound behind him, he noticed. The pain in his lips was reduced to a dull stinging though. He felt glad for that.
It still didn't take away his wondering of the cell though. he had fallen asleep in Frigga's chambers, and he woke up here. I wonder if it was Thor or the Einherjar that had brought him here. He silently thought, for what else could he do.
After a while of sitting on the stone floor he decided to try if he could stand. It went well at first; but then the pain came and he ended up doubling over on the floor.
His second try went slightly better than that. He managed it with a lot of effort and pains to stand up and take several steps before he almost tripped over a chain that was connected between his feet.
He cursed his mind for not thinking about that, and he slowly took hesitating steps further towards one of the corners.
Once he had settled himself down with much too much pains he waited, no, he dreaded for what was to come and wondered if he would ever see the sunlight again. Or if Thor would ever see him again. He didn't want to think about Frigga, he already missed her embrace and sweet soothing voice. But still he did, and he felt alone, in his dark room, where he had no hope left for seeing the outside world ever again.
He was long asleep again when he woke with a start when hands touched him all of a sudden and dragged him out of his cell for his first day of torture.