Chapter One-
"Love creates a special world for two people.
Everything within it is guarded and preserved
by commitment, faithfulness, and trust."
The time had passed well beyond the bringing together of the Avengers and now Loki would pay the price for this ultimate betrayal in a trial his adopted father would decide upon. The Chitauri were defeated but at the price of innocent lives. His betrayal of Asgard would be his biggest betrayal.
And his biggest lie.
Loki stood in his prison still chained and muzzled listening to the sounds of his childhood home all around. It was true that if you listened close enough you could hear the voices of the people of Asgard. He could definitely hear them and he preferred his silence to their bickering noises about him. They honestly asked for his head on a platter. It was days like these he wondered what he saw in these people. But he knew the answer to that. He saw goodness in them that others would most likely fail to see because of their regal attitudes. They were loyal, fierce, courageous and intelligent. They were all like a family who stuck together. Something he would never share with them. But that was also a lie. They were divided in their hearts towards one another. Always they would have a wall dividing them.
His mind wandered to a night he had almost forgotten while on his quest to right the tragedy of the fates of the ones he cherished. He was six years old when he met Roan. The Hirudyn King promised to come for him and yet here Loki sat in a prison waiting for Odin to finally crack under the pressure of his people and sentence him to a fate his people would be glad to reign upon his head. But he could feel Roan coming. He could feel it deep inside his soul.
Over the years Loki had found a way to use his magic to communicate with Roan with little expense to himself. Roan was so surprised by his sudden outburst inside his mind he jumped so high Loki couldn't help but laugh at him. He was fourteen when he found the solution for their communication. Since that day they practically talked every night inside their heads and showed each other the beauties of their worlds. Loki had never felt so happy just simply talking to someone. Hell, no one had ever taken the time to look past Thor to even bother and as much as that hurt he could never fault a single soul. They didn't know better. But all in all he was so damn glad to have Roan by his side if not physically then spiritually. He would have broken under the weight of his burden years ago if not for that understanding King.
"Are you alright my Heart?"
Loki sighed as he heard the familiar timbre of his King. "Yes I'm fine, but you are not going to believe where I am right now."
"You know I'm a poor fool at guessing my Heart. But my real concern is why you feel the way you do. What troubles you?"
A fool at guessing he is not. Loki would have laughed if he wasn't so depressed.
"Well…everything does I guess, but I know what I agreed to years ago had consequences and I am being made to answer for those consequences. Oh, and I'm in a prison cell right now."
Loki felt more than he heard the anger course through Roan at the idea of him being in prison. His rage was so potent it made Loki gasp. How could anyone be so angry?
"Roan, please, calm down. I'm alright and my trial isn't for another two weeks. I think I'll be fine." Loki tried to placate him.
"You sound very convincing Loki. For all I know you could be executed tomorrow and you wouldn't say a word of it to me. I love you and I will come for you before your trial ends. That is a promise. No one will take you away from me like that. Be patient for a little bit longer."
"I'm sorry for worrying you Roe but I'm sure I'm not going to be executed. They just might torture me and then throw me a party. But hey I'm a very patient person. Have to be with you."
"You. Are. Not. Funny. I'm not joking when your life could be on the line. I have to tell my brothers so they can help me." Roan sighed in exhaustion.
"I'm always funny you just never appreciate it much. Help you how and why do you need to tell them? I mean do you think they might hate me for being your secret for so long?"
"I will not appreciate it when you joke like that. It makes me crazy with worry. Don't do it. I need my brother's help opening a portal to Asgard. I just hope they want to help me after my outburst this morning…"
Loki chuckled. "I would ask what happened this time but you probably wouldn't tell me would you?"
"Fuck no. It was stupid and I should apologize anyway…"
"You don't know how to start an apology do you?"
"…No, but I think I can manage on my own. This is for your sake so I will manage. Hope Thame doesn't hit me though."
"He won't. He cares for you just like Morgannen and Aderes do. Hell let's throw in Valance for good measure. They all care for you so they will understand and accept your apology. Hopefully."
"My Heart you know just how to instill confidence in me. Then you know how to make me crazy with doubt a mere second later. I'm at Aderes' door. I'm knocking. I'm waiting…wish me luck my Heart."
"Good luck Roan."
Loki sighed and went to lay down so Roan could talk with his brother. Roan had shown him mental images of Aderes to him years ago along with Thame, Morgannen and Valance along with their Heart's. To say they were good looking was an understatement. They were absolutely and sinfully gorgeous and their Hearts were beautifully innocent looking. And he knew from Roan's very lips that the Hearts of his siblings were absolutely mischievous. Like him. But Roan won the best looks compared to the others in Loki's opinion.
There was something about Roan's sun kissed skin that made him feel warm and those bright golden eyes were unnatural and unique. His black spiked short hair gave him a rugged look even though his face seemed much too elegant and refined. He was tall with more than enough muscles in the right places. The man had a voice and laugh worth dying for. Not to mention he possessed the ability to make him feel so calm even inside their minds.
He only hoped and prayed Roan would come for him in time. He knew Asgard, his family and friends wouldn't understand why he did what he did so he couldn't stay here regardless.
Two weeks later Loki stood before Odin All Father and the rest of Asgard behind him. Lady Sif and the Warrior's Three stood to the right with Thor beside them. His mother Frigga stood to the left on Odin's right.
Everyone banded together to turn on the traitor. He may have sacrificed his Truth for them but that still didn't dim the pain his heart and soul felt. He couldn't find it in himself to blame a single person. They didn't know that what he had done was to ensure the survival of everyone on Asgard and Earth.
His father stood and brought his spear down onto the floor silencing everybody. His one good eye looked at him with such sadness and yet stoicism.
"Loki, son of Odin." His father stated. "Because of your crimes against Asgard and her people and the crimes of Earth I have no choice but to exact retribution. What you have done was evil and without reason. Have you anything to say for yourself?"
Did he have anything to say? Of course he did but he wouldn't utter a word. His Truth would unravel the fates he had already fixed. With his heart pounding he fully accepted his fate today.
Loki raised his head and met Odin's eyes. "I have achieved what I set out to do years ago my life is yours to do with as you please. If you seek retribution then so be it. I am done."
"Father please listen-"
"Silence, Thor. Loki must pay for his actions. Be he your brother or my son I still have to make him pay."
"It doesn't matter why punish him so harshly?!"
"He killed innocents! It does matter!"
"Haven't we killed innocents as well? How many battles have you fought only to slaughter people you did not know? How did you know if they were guilty for anything? What crimes did they commit that you know and we do not?" Thor made a good point with those questions.
"Thor will you shut up and let him get this over with? I don't care for my life and neither should you!" Loki yelled at Thor startling him.
"How can you say that brother? I care! Mother cares and so does father! What you have done may have been wrong but I still love you!"
"Love. What a dumb and useless emotion. You would be better off without it. As would you all." Loki smiled as Sif tried to make her way to him. She always wanted to hit him. Volstagg and Hogun stopped her though.
"How can you stand there and say such things to your brother?" Sif asked him with sheer hatred. "After all you put him through he is trying to save your life and here you are throwing it in his face!"
"He is not my brother. I was never his brother to begin with. Isn't that right, father?"
Thor turned to Odin with a look of pained disappointment.
Odin looked like he was in pain as he said the next words to the audience and Thor's friends. "Loki isn't truly Thor's brother. He never was. I had ventured into Laufey's temple after his defeat and found a small baby there. He was weak and unbelievably small. He was left there to die. So I brought him home with me and raised him as my very own."
The Asgardian crowd burst into murmurs.
"How could you keep this from me, from us?" Thor shook his head still trying to understand after all this time. He'd known about Loki's parentage not that long ago but it felt like a lifetime ago.
"Please, father, tell him the best part. I'm sure he'd love it." Loki glared at Odin.
"Tell me what?"
"You know that's not true Loki. I loved you as much as Thor. You just twist my words."
"What are you talking about?!" Thor yelled.
"He's talking about how I'm King Laufey's son! How I'm nothing more than an ancient relic trapped here until he has further use of me! He only took me in hopes of uniting Asgard and Jotunheim! You say you love me but how can I ever be sure of anyone's emotions when father had kept that part of me hidden?! This is why I don't care anymore! Not for you and certainly not Asgard!"
Thor slowly wrapped his mind around this news. He turned to his father angry.
"Why would you keep this from us? We had a right to know!"
"I was only trying to protect him! I didn't want him to feel different from you or anyone here on Asgard!"
"You should have known it would've hurt him more keeping it a secret!"
"I know not the future Thor. Had I maybe I would have told you two from the beginning."
"I doubt it would have changed anything." Loki said bitterly.
Thor looked at him with disbelief. "How can you say that? You are my brother Loki. I would do anything for you."
"Save your pity for someone else who cares Thor and shut the hell up."
"Why are you like this Loki? What happened to you to make you so bitter and angry?" Odin quietly asked with a sad expression.
Loki seemingly flinched at the question earning him curious stares from his friends and family. They immediately wanted to know what had happened that they had missed over the years.
"Loki?" Frigga said gently. "Did something happen to you?"
"That is none of your business mother or anyone else's." Loki knew he shouldn't have flinched at the question but he didn't do it on purpose. Only out of how close Odin was to home with his words. It wasn't bitterness and anger that held him. He looked to his father and glared. "Better hurry and punish me Odin before something happens."
"Are you threatening me Loki?" Odin asked.
"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not. That's up for you to decide but either way I'm tired of waiting." Loki smiled coldly at him.
Odin looked at him in sorrow. "Then so be it. Your punishment will be the Mind's Eye. Preparations will be made for tomorrow."
Frigga and Thor stared at Odin in disbelief though they tried to hide it. On the inside Loki was terrified. He knew full well what the Mind's Eye was. It was a punishment the most stoic of warriors feared. It was a trial of the mind and body. Set in the person's mind it brings about their fears and magnifies it a hundred fold. Physically it reins any and all abuse that can take place in reality. Nothing is left untouched save for the soul.
"Bring it, father." Loki sneered.
"Take him away from my sight." Odin turned and walked away from his adopted son seemingly at a loss as to what to do for him.
Loki allowed the guards to lead him back to his prison cell all the while praying Roan would make it before morning. He knew he could take a lot of things but the Mind's Eye would break him.
"Please be here Roan. Don't let me down like everyone else." Loki whispered forgetting to place a barrier around himself letting Heimdall see and hear him unknowingly.
His cell seemed to be a tad smaller this time around and when he turned around he saw why. Heimdall stood in the center of it, his huge form taking up much space.
"To what do I owe this honor Heimdall?"
Those piercing gold eyes shone intently seeming to see straight through him. Loki actually dreaded what would come out of Heimdall's mouth but he waited with bated breath. No matter what he would not screw this up, not with Roan.
"From the moment you have arrived here you have been obscured from my view even in my presence. I have not been able to see nor hear you but a moment ago I could. Care to enlighten me Trickster?" Heimdall didn't move at all from his spot as he spoke. "What powers do you have that no one knows about?"
The personage of a perfect liar and betrayer was almost lost in this moment. Loki wished he could tell someone the Truth and for once share his burden with someone of his realm. But he couldn't and knew he would never. The stake was far too high.
"I wish I could enlighten you as you put it but even you know I lie." Loki smiled coldly at him.
"Only a truthful person would call himself a liar Loki. Though I do not like your games I do know you are not what you seem to be. You hide but from what I do not know." Heimdall stood still as a statue as he watched all kinds of emotions swirl inside the Trickster's eyes.
"You think you know everything Heimdall." Loki sneered. "Tell me would you truly love to know what is out there in the universe? Could you handle the burden of such a foresight? Can you protect everything and everyone you hold dear by sacrificing everything?"
"I would think knowing everything would be a greater cause for harm than for benefit. Any burden if worth the cost can be handled with a greater spirit. Sacrifice is a natural order of things." The Guardian spoke so casually that it grated on Loki's nerves.
"You annoy me greatly Heimdall."
"Likewise Loki."
Loki turned away from him. "Leave me."
The room felt bigger after a moment and when Loki turned the Guardian was nowhere in sight. He sighed in relief then put up a barrier using only a miniscule of his magic. With a smile Loki ran over in his mind how much he did get on Heimdall's nerves and thought it was greatly amusing. No one in Asgard had yet to make the great Heimdall feel other than emotionless until Loki was born. It seemed to be his true gift where Heimdall was concerned. It was also true he had an answer for everything apparently.
"You will learn more of your powers before I leave for good Heimdall of this I promise." Loki sadly looked up at his ceiling. "Keep protecting what you so fiercely believe in and I assure you nothing will hold you back my friend."
"Lovely, you're talking to yourself now. Should I be afraid for your wellbeing?"
Roan's voice calmed him down to levels he hadn't known were necessary. His nerves were no longer shaky and his heart slowed while his mind accepted the presence in his body.
"You have no idea how much I needed to hear your voice right now Roan. Thank you."
"It comes with the job my Heart. I'm sorry I couldn't mind-speak with you sooner but Aderes was kinda mad at me for keeping you a secret and maybe knocked me unconscious for about a couple weeks."
Loki smiled at his antics knowing full well it took up to week for Roan to save his energy for a space jump. He could also see in Roan's mind that Aderes had actually hugged him and then whacked him upside the head. He wished he could share with his brother, Thor, what Roan shared with his.
"Pathetic liar."
"You wound me with your words Loki! How could you? I love you with my entire being and soul."
"It comes with the job Roe so deal with it." A deep chuckle rumbled inside his head sending shivers down Loki's spine. "I love you too though."
"I would hope so. Uh, why did you need calming down Loki?"
"Well the trial with my father is over and I needed your voice to help calm myself."
"…What is your sentence?"
Loki fidgeted. "The Mind's Eye."
A deathly silence filled Loki's head and he feared Roan had cut the connection but when he heard an unholy growl he shivered with fear.
"Roan…" Loki said softly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine but rest assured when I see your father I'm going to cut his-"
"Okay! I get it you're mad at him but he has every reason to punish me. I don't blame him and I still love him. He's the only father I have. Don't hate him Roan. Try to understand for me."
Another growl resounded but this one was softer and less angry. It didn't terrify him this time.
"I will try but don't get your hopes up my Heart I may not feel so keen on keeping this promise in the morning."
"You're coming in the morning? Really?"
"Would I lie about this? Come on have a little more faith in me Loki."
"I'm sorry if I sounded like I doubted you that was rude of me."
"Loki, listen to me your life is at stake so I will not let you be punished for doing what you thought was right. You carry a burden no one would understand and I admire your strength in not falling to your knees. You do not bend even when everyone is against you. You stand tall and proud as if you didn't carry a weight on your shoulders and that above all astounds me. Even I am not that strong. I love you so much my Heart. My Loki."
The words Roan spoke made his heart constrict in a good way and tears fill his eyes. They were words he would never have associated himself with and now that Roan had said them he felt even more in love with him. No one had ever said anything as remotely kind which is probably why he cherished them so much in this moment.
"Thank you so much Roan for being there for me all this time. I don't think I could have made it without you." Loki smiled softly. "It's you who keeps me strong Roan."
An immense flow of emotion flowed through Loki and he knew it was Roan's doing to make him feel better. The love he felt made him feel so calm the Mind's Eye didn't even scare him at all in this moment.
"Thank you for the compliments and devotion my Heart. You are truly loved by me so don't forget that. Now rest because you'll need your strength for in the morning. Love you."
"Love you too Roan. See you in the morning."
With a soft and nervous smile Loki laid down to rest on the cold hard floor of his cell. He had no idea what was coming in the morning but even Fate itself couldn't foresee it. But he did catch a glimpse of a mischievous Phoenix Devil hybrid and a playful anomaly Devil.
Okay Mirage here to ask you lovely people out there who read this story that if I messed up or if something doesn't seem right tell me. I have no beta and I can't catch every mistake I make. I touched this chapter up like with all the others I will do and I hope you enjoy it better. Though it most likely seems like I didn't do a thing with it... Hopefully it'll make more sense soon.
Bye! XD