Life in a Gilded Cage
Chapter One
Loki was bored, today was the same as every other day since he had returned to Asgard. For his crimes against his father, the Earth and for trying to destroy Yoganhime most would have been banished. Stripped of their powers, and cast out of the realms to live as mortals. However in Loki's case, they had been concerned that even as a mortal he could cause far too many troubles for everyone involved.
So he had been placed in a dull little Asgardian cell for the rest of his days, or when father felt he had learned his lesson. He had a comfortable bed, desk, table, a pile of books and many other home comforts. The King's adopted son wanted for nothing, bar his freedom and companionship. He wasn't allowed visitors, the time was meant to be spent in solitude so he could think on what he had done. Reading stuffy books about the past, to learn how to be a better King, although he knew he never would be. That honour would always be his wretched brothers!
In truth for months, even years perhaps, time had grown so meaningless here, he had tried to escape these four walls. Tried be spelling the maidens who brought him food, the guards who checked on him now and then, even picking the lock with magic. Every time he had been caught and returned to his cell within minutes.
For all his youthful energy and sneaky nature, Loki had started to despair that he would never escape from here. Never take his rightful place as Ruler of Asgard. He sat on the bed flicking through some musty old tome about the kings of old, when he heard a noise in the corridor. "Come to gloat, my brother?" he asked sensing the other man's presence.
Thor stepped into sight, "How are you, my brother?" He took in the cell and its contents to make sure that Loki wasn't missing out on any of the comforts that he deserved during his imprisonment. He wouldn't have his own family wanting for anything. He'd hated Loki for a long time after he had thought him dead, then missed him as you would a loved one. When he found him alive, he had vowed to himself he would be there for Loki no matter what, he couldn't lose him again!
Loki couldn't even meet his glaze, "As well as can be expected when you shove a God into a tiny little room with no day light."
"Can I get you anything? Some wine? More food?" Thor asked. He worried about his brother, even with everything that had happened, he loved his brother. He couldn't see him suffering, he even asked the gatekeeper to look in on the cell from time to time knowing his father would have him punished if he was to find them talking together. Today, he had risked a lot to see his brother in person.
"My freedom." Loki said softly.
"Oh my brother!" Thor exclaimed. This sullen, depressed man was not the happy, free spirited boy that he had grown up with. He didn't know how to help him now. "I asked our father to let you out, he wouldn't. He still thinks that you are dangerous to Asgard and the nine realms."
"And what do you think?" Loki asked, coming to the front of the cage."
"I think that the son of a king, is better then this." Thor commented.
"All I ever wanted to be was your equal, not the monster that parents warn their children about at night." Loki answered. He touched the blue bars of the cage, the all father had cast with the remains of the by frost. His skin turning back to the hugh of the frost giants. Icy blue with deep red sunken eyes, a monster from far beyond this place. "Father would never let me be part of this family. He would never allow me to be king. He stole me from my people, my own family. I will never know who I am, or where I came from. He stole my whole existence from me, and now he locks me in a cage and leaves me there to rot!"
Thor touched his brother's hand that was still resting on the bars. Pulling him back to a more natural skin tone, watching as the cool blue drained from his body. "Where would you go if you were free?" he asked, "Back to the frost giants?"
"They aren't my people now." Loki said sadly, "I know only Earth and the sacred lands here. I have no home anymore, no place in the world for me. Time moves on, and leaves me here trapped in stone."
"Our father is convinced if you leave here, you will make some dark bargain to cause chaos and throw the Nine realms into an eternity of troubles that it will never escape from." Thor said, fiddling nervously with the leather binding on the handle of his hammer. Trying to make a very difficult choice.
"Is that what you believe in your heart?" Loki asked.
"I believe whatever you have done, that you are still my brother, and I love you Loki, Odin's son. I wish things had been different between us." Thor answered, "I wish we had been true brothers in arms."
Loki flashed that dazzling smile for the first time in he didn't know how long. "I wish things had been different between us as well."
"And I am sorry for ever making you feel unworthy to be an Asgardian." Thor answered.
Loki found a tear coming to his eye as he heard the one thing he had always so desperately wanted to hear, the whole of his life. He gripped his brother's hand tightly. "Thank you." He said with true emotion in his voice. Not the faked pain that he used so much to control others, Thor's words had actually shocked him.
Thor released his brother's hand, drew back his hammer and touched it to the bars. "Step back little brother." He warned.
Loki hurried to obey, as the bars melted away in front of him. "Why?" he asked in surprise.
"Because you are my brother, don't let me down. Be the good, honest man I know you can be! The man who I grew up with!" Thor pleaded, "Prove our father wrong about you!"
"I promise that I won't, my dear brother. I will be the model of good behaveler!" Loki infused, beaming that smile again, his fingers crossed behind his back. For once betraying Thor actually didn't feel good, he wasn't used to that.
In the distance an alarm started chiming. "Run brother!" Thor shouted, turning to hold off the incoming.
"Father didn't allow you?" Loki asked.
"No, I did." Thor answered, "Now get out of here!"
Loki snatched up his staff that had been resting just far enough out of his reach all this time outside the cage. "I hope you get in little trouble brother", and then he ran, straight along the rainbow bridges to the rest of the realms.
An army was streaming along behind him, and second waiting on the bridge. Headed by his father on horseback. "STOP!" Kind Odin howled, "Return to your cell, like the spoiled little child that you are!"
"No, let him pass!" they heard Thor shouting in the back ground.
"Thor, Odin's son, you will keep your silence here. You do not have the right to challenge your father and king!"
"My brother deserves to live." Thor argued, fighting his way through to stand by Loki's side.
"Your brother lost the right to be an Asgardian, and my son when he tried to destroy us and all the peoples of Earth." Odin shouted.
Thor whirled his hammer to call the storm, "Jump." He whispered so only those next to him would hear.
Loki smiled realising what he was doing for him." Goodbye father!" and jumped into the whirling vortex, trusting his brother to keep him alive.