Chapter 7

If Sif was afraid of him, she didn't show it. She did swallow visibly, however. Before her was the individual who had turned his back on Asgard, invaded Midgard, and attempted to destroy his home realm of Jotunheim. He was shackled, muzzled, and placed under heavy wards to prevent him from casting his magics.

He was pitiful, and yet… The queen glanced at the human beside her. This Irene Adler was supposedly a dangerous woman, yet she was not a warrior. She had seemed more than honest- honorable, even. Sif rather liked her, for though she had not the strength of a fighter, she had the spirit of one.

Heimdall was not present, for he could not abandon his post at the edge of the world. Still, it would have been easier to conduct the trial if he were there. He was all-seeing and could decide the verdict in an instant. But fairness is what will condemn Loki Laufeyson, even as unfairness brought him here. Sif prided herself on fairness.

"Let us begin." She diverted her gaze from Loki's red irises. "I have gathered you all here for the trial of the accused: Loki Laufeyson." At this, a disapproving grumbling sounded through the audience. "I know that some of you believe this trial unnecessary; but I exhort you to consider that without the due process of law given us by the Allfather, we are no better than Loki himself. This affair is in the interest of custom and above all, fairness." The complaints died down. "Besides," she added, "it is impossible that the verdict be anything other than what this traitor deserves."

A few of the men roared with approval. Beside her, Irene Adler shifted her weight from one hip to the other. Perhaps she was anxious for this to be over.

"Now, who has witnessed Loki's deeds from the beginning?"

…

Many witnesses had been called, all of them attesting to the destruction of Asgard's palatial buildings, the loss of life in the aftermath. Some travelers passing between planets had seen him speaking with the Chitauri leaders just before the invasion of Midgard. All these were removed from the actual destruction, indirect victims. Loki found himself tiring of their chatter. Of course Sif would go out of her way to gather an impartial jury.

My brother should be here any minute, he thought to the woman. Irene showed no sign of surprise. Her act was perfect.

He will sway the situation in your favor? she wondered.

Of course. He would risk angering his wife, but the king of Asgard has a significant say in all matters if he chooses. He has never failed me before. A swirl of emotion came from her mind to his: curiosity, amusement- endearment. He scoffed. Stop that. I only mean to take advantage of his unwavering belief that I can change.

But you have. He didn't answer. Instead, he changed the subject.

When he arrives, since he couldn't bear to miss his dear brother's trial, you must reveal our link.

Ah, yes, your glowing handcuffs, she retorted. It would be easy for him to control her deeds, but her mind was yet her own. She hated the loss of her freedom as much as he hated himself. He would have to rectify that later.

As much as he liked her, she would not flourish in his hold. After all, he was a frost giant; he killed everything he touched. So, he took a risk.

Why should I free such a clever pet as yourself? He could almost feel her smirk.

You need me, because when I show that I am cuffed to you, you can threaten that if they hurt you, they'll hurt poor little innocent me. You need me more than I need you. Her tone was more malicious than innocent. For now, he would let her use him. She wanted her home as much as he did. The difference was that she knew where her home was.

You are correct. Then he smirked inwardly himself. You do know that I can cause you horrible pain, don't you? You best do as I say.

She challenged him in a way that had nothing to do with the trial or their escape plan. Make me.

There was a fanfare of trumpets as Asgard's king arrived. Sif stood suddenly, startled. A flush rose to her cheeks, the last remnants of her upbringing as a noble maiden. "Thor!" The crowd bent the knee, including Irene herself. She had to pretend humility before Thor, even if she thought he was an ill-mannered oaf.

I suppose she dispenses with their titles now that they share a bed. Irene's quick-witted comment amused Loki, but he kept his face blank.

Thor was a serious person in Asgard, quite unlike his boorish self with the Avengers. He was the king, and he carried responsibilities that he didn't care for. His voice boomed through the hall. "Sif, my queen-" There was a plea on his lips that the queen was clearly displeased to hear. "-I have received the word of the hour from Heimdall." Her rouge-darkened lips pressed into a line.

"You have a challenge against the premise of this trial, my king?" Loki nearly snorted. It sounded as if she gritted her teeth to call Thor her king, even though they were equals. Clearly she disliked having to rule Asgard alone while her husband gallivanted about with mortals. He added to Irene's earlier comment. Perhaps they won't share a bed for a while yet, not while she is angry with him.

No, she replied. He's been away for too long. She will have him despite their disputes. The way she thought the word 'have' directed his mind towards a sweeter, more pleasurable place than the one where he now stood.

Then he remembered that he was still exposed, still in his frost giant form. This made him think. Could she really flirt when she saw him this way?

Thor was arguing something again. "I, too, will give witness!"

"The witnesses have already been called, Thor, I will not have you disrupt justice!" The room grew even more tense. There had been rumors of royal arguments before, but they had never been public with their issues. As much as Sif loved her husband, and he, her, it was their nature to be contrary.

"Would you deny the witness of Heimdall the All-Seeing?" The lady queen hissed her frustration.

I told you he would turn the situation in our favor.

You have such faith in him, the woman at the other end of the chain teased.

As much as the warrior-ruler wished to, she could not negate Heimdall's right to deliver an alternate view. After all, he saw and heard all throughout the nine realms and even beyond them. She sat back on the throne, sheathed double sword ground into the golden dais. "Proceed."

The crowd murmured. Apparently this wasn't the first time Thor had interrupted her rulings. He forged onward, giving his adoptive brother the pitying look that he hated. "Heimdall swore to bring Loki back to Asgard if he killed or caused his mischief again, and he has." The king turned his gaze to the human sitting by his wife. "What has been unknown thus far is that Loki saved this mortal's life by slaying her enemy!"

The indignant audience roared protest. They could not believe that the god of lies and tricks would save any life but his own. It took Sif several minutes to silence them. Then she turned to Irene, the woman who had seemed so honorable, even if she was wanted on Midgard.

"Is this true?" It was Thor's turn to be indignant. He grew red in the face.

"You would doubt my word?"

Irene Adler faced the jury. She faced Loki. He nodded. The corner of his mouth edged upwards. "It's true. I was in battle, and I ran out of ammunition. The enemy came up behind me. I would have died if not for him." Several people hissed and spat on the polished marble floor.

"Your Majesty, if I might have a word?" Loki quietly proposed. The faster I am out of these chains, the faster I can revert to Aesir form. He hated all the eyes that watched him and his ragged, monstrous body. Only one pair watched with sympathy, and it was on those eyes he fixed his own. She did not look away. Maybe she couldn't.

Sif sighed. "We've already had one uncalled for testimony." Then she glared at Thor, who stood awkwardly to the side. "Speak your piece."

Loki steeled himself, drawing strength from the eyes of his prisoner. His tongue felt as heavy as the metal it was named for. "This woman and I were thrown together by the Norns. The laws of Midgard saw fit for us to be…linked." Now the silence was thick. He swallowed and continued his explanation. "I have become Midgard's expendable agent. They care not if I live or die." He let a sob creep up his throat, calculating. "At least when we are chained together, and our life forces are linked, she cares."

With his shoulders slumped and his body broken, he looked downright pitiful. Even Sif was not unmoved. Thor, in accordance with his emotional self, was wiping tears from his cheeks in rough, callused movements.

"You saved her life to save your own," Sif asserted, attempting to stand firm.

"I saved her life so we could be together!" he shouted passionately, pulling at the enchanted bonds that held him in place. "I have lost my mistress, my mate, and my wife! I have lost my children, my own flesh and blood!" Tears steamed down his cheeks now, burning the grooves in his icy skin. Irene was impressed. Here was an actor who had the audience wrapped around his little finger. "Will you deny me this respite also?"

The jury shifted restlessly. One of them scowled. "Your crimes against this realm and others are great. Why should we let you live?"

Now.

The manacle that held Loki to his captive shone brilliantly, tattooed into Adler's skin. She thrust her arm into the air as if the light from the runes hurt her. Around his own wrist appeared an identical bracelet of runes, circling and swirling like gears on their blue canvas. "If you hurt him, you hurt me!"

Sif's eyes widened. "A Gleipnir chain," she breathed. "The chain made of things nonexistent." She frowned, her pretty mouth turning downward. "You never told me you were bound to the trickster."

Irene smiled, the picture of innocence. "You never asked." The warrior queen growled with aggravation. Instead of addressing Loki again, she pounded her sheathed sword against the floor, signaling the finality of her decision.

"Let these two tricksters go to the darkness in which they belong! They shall fall between worlds into eternity!" There was a roar of approval from the crowd. Irene's heart sank to her gut.

Should I not have said that?

Not to worry; I have a plan. Do you trust me?

I never trust you, she replied as guards shoved her off the dais and down towards her captor.

Wise choice, he chuckled. Just go along with these oafs and soon we will be free.

You mean you'll be free. Infuriatingly, he pretended not to hear.

…

The Bifrost did not make the journey outward as easy as the journey in. This time the Warriors Three, Thor, and Sif herself escorted them to Heimdall's outpost. The distance she saw was the same as the distance she walked.

Irene could feel Loki was uncomfortable in his skin. Prison clothes suited him ill, and there was no way to revert back to his pale, richly dressed seeming without alerting their attendants that he was more powerful than he looked.

And he did look pathetic. The tears from earlier had frozen against his face, creating drooping icicles under his eyelashes and chin.

So, what's this plan of yours?

It's not so much a plan as an individual.

You have another person you trust enough to rescue you? That's sweet, she teased. Maybe one day we can have a housewarming party at the Avengers' tower.

He sniffed and turned his head away. Just short of the outpost, the group stopped. Irene, whose hands had been bound, was maneuvered to where the glistening, glittering edge dropped away into nothingness. Loki joined her, shoved about without gentleness by Hogun.

"Brother, you can still repent, beg forgiveness," Thor was saying softly. Loki looked down into the dark void, where once he had roamed before landing in Midgard. His eyes narrowed in concentration. "I would give it."

"But the rest of Asgard would not. Tell me, Thor, where you would go if all the peoples of the universe reviled you. Better to fall into a void with a companion than repeat the cycle of misery."

You don't believe that.

It's true, I do not- but let him think I do.

Sif pushed Loki closer to the edge. "Are you prepared?" she asked them.

"I'll never be prepared for an eternity of darkness," Irene quipped. Behind her back, she fingered the spots around her wrist where her handcuff would be. Could it hold them together as they fell? Did gravity still apply between worlds?

"You should be grateful, Loki. I give you and this woman a chance of survival."

"May the Norns prevent you from landing with Surtr and his minions," Thor said solemnly. Then Fandral and Volstagg pushed them off the glassy surface into the blackness below.

What was that you said about being free again?

…

It took a bit for Irene's eyes to adjust to the brightness around her. Her wrist felt tight, and the ground beneath her was rough and creviced. She spat out a mouthful of bitter leaves and tried to smooth down her hair, only to find that the shackle around her wrist was very solid.

"Ah, the sleeping beauty awakens." There was genuine mirth in Loki's voice, something she hadn't heard from him since- well, ever.

She switched hands to fix her hair and winced as her delicate gown ripped against a snag in the ground. Then she stood on the ground that wasn't ground and stretched as far as she could with the oddly solid chain around her wrist. The scene that greeted her was a bewildering one.

The floor on which she stood rose up in vast branching pillars, farther than she could see. The air was warm and slightly humid, and smelled of greenery. Light poured through leaves far, far above, giving the light a green tint. She felt warm and alive, and more peaceful than she had in a long time. Perhaps it was a result of her long nap.

Loki was sitting cross-legged beside her, looking smug. A great grey stallion snorted and chewed his hair. Irene noted that he was back in his Aesir form, and well-dressed for riding, at that. He sighed and combed his locks with his fingers, vaporizing equine saliva. "No, child, you cannot eat my hair, as tasty as it must be."

"Loki?" She jerked her arm, testing the solidity of her manacle. It held firm. The runes she had seen in her skin were now etched in steel. "Where did you take us?"

"We are on Yggdrasil's trunk. My son Sleipnir caught us. I assume you are familiar with the stories?"

"I am. I wouldn't put it past you to seduce a horse, actually." Then she shook her head in disbelief. "Yggdrasil's trunk. Between worlds," she breathed. "I thought it was impossible for people to live between worlds." Then she scowled, glaring at her wrist. "Speaking of living, is it true what you said?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to be a smidgen more specific, my dear." The term of endearment rolled off his tongue as naturally as if he'd been calling her that his whole life.

"You know very well what I'm talking about." The horse adjusted his stance, and she saw that he, impossibly, had eight legs. She could have sworn the stallion chuckled. His eyes held far more intelligence than was right.

"No, we do not share a life force. That was merely a ruse."

"I see." So she was still just a prisoner. Worse still, in this space between dimensions, her tie to Loki was real. She wouldn't be able to get further away from him than several feet. Her mind flashed forward to when one of them would need the loo and shuddered.

"Well, we can't stay here forever."

Infuriatingly, the god just unfolded his legs, leaned back against the branch at his back, and folded his hands behind his head. "Why not? We are in stasis. You would live indefinitely." Sleipnir munched a mouthful of leaves. They didn't seem to taste as bitter to him as they had to Irene.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I might want something more than life as a tree person?" she pushed. "I never asked to be on this insane journey, and I never asked to be snatched off the face of the Earth. All you care about is yourself."

"Well, I never said otherwise." He delicately picked apart a seed pod and helped himself to the tiny kernel inside. "But, for you, I make an exception." He stood and bowed gallantly. She wasn't sure if he meant what he said, but then she never was. "Where would you have us go, my lady?" His eyes glinted.

She crossed her arms as best she could with one arm bound. "You mock me."

Loki looked righteously offended. "Why, when have I ever?"

She looked up at the foliage in the distance. "Very well. I want to go home."