Life in a Gilded Cage

Chapter Five

Loki indeed did sleep very well that night, slipping into a deep healing state while his body attempted to repair all the damage caused. He drifted in a peace doze, calmed and protected by his brother's love. To finally know in his heart that Thor forgave him, even if Odin couldn't. Loki's troubled heart was finally stilled after that long time he'd spent in imprisonment.

He dreamed of his brother, and his home. The times when they were children, and so much fallen in brotherly love. He found himself reliving what had been one of the happiest afternoons of his life. The day their father had taken them to Yotunheim and told them about the great war, and the frost giants. They had both been dragged to meet King Laufey and they had both been terrified of the 10 foot high blue creature. Then while the grown ups talked, the boys had been allowed a little time to go and play.

Thor had been bored, picking at the table brimming with food they had been left, while Loki had wanted to explore the view from one of the mountains. So he'd begged and pleaded until Thor had given up saying no, and trudged an hour up this ice mountain just so his brother could enjoy it. Loki asked his brother for so very little, that he could hardly have refused this small request. How often would they be offered a chance to explore this realm? No very, he was sure.

Even Thor had to admit that the view of the frozen ice lake hedged in by the mountains was breathtaking. The huge frozen waterfall just inches away from his hand, it must easily be 60 foot tall. Thor reached out and touched a frozen water spurt amazed at the detail within.

He looked over at his brother, and saw the wonder in Loki's eyes as he took it all in. Loki looked like a kid in a candy store. "Oh brother, isn't it wonderful?" he asked.

Thor smiled kindly, so pleased to see such emotion on his normally calm brother's face. " We can stay here until father comes if you want to." he offered.

"Really?" Loki exclaimed excited, hugging his brother tightly. he was so in love with this land, he didn't know why. It almost felt like coming home when he saw this magical and mysterious land. Of course in later years when his parentage was revealed it all made perfect sense.

Thor had settled himself on a cold ledge, and dragged his cloak around him to wait as his brother explored a bunch of frozen flowers. The brothers had drifted a part of late, Loki had become sullen and withdrawn. Then again they were both teenagers now, things changed as you grew up he knew that. If Thor could bring his brother back to the more innocent times, by getting a little bit cold then it was a price he was more then willing to pay. "Are you not cold, brother?" he asked, as the boy knelt in the snow sketching the delicate orchid like blooms.

Loki looked up feeling guilty, "Are you? Do you want to head back?" Deep concern on the young man's face, trying to hide his disappointment.

Thor shook his head, "A little longer won't hurt." He'd wondered a few times why his brother came to life so much in this place. He tried not to shiver and give away how cold he actually was.

Loki finished his sketches and put the book away in his pocket, edging over to the waterfall to look down again at the sheet of frozen water.

For once Thor channelled his inner mischief monster throwing a snowball at Loki's left shoulder.

"HEY!" Loki complained, brushing the damp from his cloak.. He'd never been one to step away from a battle. The cliff behind his brother shook drowning him in a pile of snow as it fell. Thor dragged himself out slowly, as more kept falling. "That's cheating brother!"

Loki smiled, "Just because you do not have the knowledge to do the same doesn't make it cheating brother dear. I warned you to pay more attention in lessons, that magic would have its uses. "

"So does brute strength!" his brother snarled, scooping up a large amount of the soft snow to drop on his brother's head.

But it dropped through the image. Loki had tricked him with a clone. Loki stood behind his brother laughing removing the image. "You make this too easy brother!" he joked.

That was it, the war was on now in earnest. Hurling piles of snow at one another, missing sometimes, scoring big hits others. When they were finally located by the Kings, they were both soaking wet, filthy, and laughing heartily in each others arms.

"is this any way to behave on a diplomatic mission?" Odin had demanded, "You disrespect the house of Odin!" He had been so angry, had grabbed them both and screamed for the portal to be opened to send them back. They had both been punished severely that night, but it had bonded them as close brother just one last time.

The dream grew darker as Loki's body started to finally awaken. A smile played on his lips as his eyes opened, the ghost of the day playing through his mind still. "That was a wonderful trip brother." he muttered half awake still. He blinked a few times, and reality started to dawn on his mind. Seconds later, he was puking his guts up as the hang over kicked in. His head pounding, vision blurry, he felt like hell. He wiped his mouth groaning, what on earth had possessed him last night to drink so much he wondered?

He'd always avoided the feasting and drinking in favour of his studies, claiming it was for fools and old men. He was often locked away in his chambers reading as the shouting and singing came down the corridor of his brother coming to bed across from him.

Loki probed his fleeting memories of what had happened the night before. Everything seemed so blurry and distant now. He wasn't even entirely sure where he was right now. Midgard was it? Thor had sent him somewhere right? Okay Thor and a portal, work from there, he decided, there was a hint of avenger ants, the girl with the eyes like a lump of polished ebony. Then he'd talked with that fancy panted captain for a while, and then?

He started to struggle again here a little bit. Wait there was something else, hidden deep at the back of his mind telling him not to pry. He grabbed hold and teased the memory to surface, quickly wishing that he hadn't bothered.

"Oh no, what have I done!" Loki muttered, thinking of what he'd said the night before. What his brother might have overheard. All that weakness he had shown, he could have died there and then and certainly wished to. He'd never be able to face his brother again!

He reached out for a half empty bottle and brought it to his lips. He wanted so much to drown himself in as much as it took to stop all this angst in his heart. It wasn't going to help, he knew that. In the end things would catch up with him, might as well be now and here then anywhere else.

He dropped the bottle and stood swaying slightly, perhaps not yet completely sober. He had no point of reference to be able to tell either way. Heading to the door Loki squinted in the bright light, the fresh air made his stomach roll again. Swallowing hard he walked down the street, his clothing shimmering into his more human looking suit and scarf. He had to try to blend in a little, the staff turning into a cane, he was grateful to be able to lean on.

The streets were deserted, he could hear something in the distance rumbling- another battle perhaps?

Loki ignored it and walked the other way until he saw the thunder storm building up. The lightning crackled sharply across the sky. "THOR!" he said in delight, running towards the source of the weather.

He found Stark and Captain fighting another of those sentinel creatures from before. But where was his brother? Searching around he found the source of the energy, and it wasn't what he had been expecting:

A small slight girl with white hair, she slashed with more lighting trying to slice off one of the monsters arms. Loki was rooted to the spot watching her, she was an Asgardian. He would stake his life on it!