Pertaining to the Notions of Kinship and Fidelity

Chapter 1

Loki's P.O.V

Light engulfs me as the Tesseract energy consumes both Thor and myself. The sensation of traveling through space and time on the Bifrost is much more pleasant than this, I think to myself as we are roughly pulled from Midgard. Good riddance. I feel raw energy attempting to rip every atom from my being. It starts as a tingling sensation dancing on the surface of my skin but quickly develops into a much more intense pain as we travel across the unforgiving braches of Yggdrasil. The tingles becomes sharp stabbing pains working their way under my skin and then spreading throughout my entire form. I stiffen and, if not for the muzzle that my brother has so graciously obliged me with, I probably would have given a yelp. Apparently, Thor senses my discomfort, or perhaps he feels me stiffen, which wouldn't be too improbable because as we lifted off the human realm one of his colossal arms gripped my shoulders and pulled me into his chest. Now he holds me tighter, whether to comfort me or to make me aware of the fact that I cannot escape I do not know, but I am now more alerted to the latter and I feel panic creeping up my spine and infiltrating the place where my heart once dwelt. It has abandoned the empty shell that is my body many years ago. But as I begin to tremble, whether it is from the pain of the Tesseract's power or from fear of Odin is debatable, I believe it to be a mixture of both, Thor speaks to me for the first time since my defeat.

"We are almost home, prepare yourself, Loki", he says to me through his teeth. The power of the raw energy must be affecting Thor too, or perhaps he is so furious at my actions on his precious Earth that he can barely utter a sentence to me without danger of releasing all his anger. I try to look up at his face so as to peer into his eyes, the oaf has always been the most open of books, and find that I cannot lift my head no matter how much effort I put into it. The pressure from the Tesseract energy must be holding us firmly in place. Prepare yourself…that is what Thor had muttered to me, but prepare for what? The harsh impact that was sure to come as we descended to Asgard? Or maybe the even harsher punishment from Odin that must be waiting for me? I open my mouth, readying to ask Thor these very questions, when suddenly there is no more pain threatening to rip me apart molecule for molecule, and no more pressure to prevent me from moving as I pleased. Our descent into Asgard has been instantaneous, there was nothing to prepare for, and now I know what Thor meant by 'prepare yourself'. Fear takes my breath away and I begin to choke on it. No. NO! I think to myself, you will not give Thor the pleasure of seeing you in this pathetic state and nor will you give it to Odin. I take a breath to steady myself and then stand in as proud a stance as I can muster, masking the fear with a callous look of superiority.

Thor stands beside me, no longer clutching my shoulders but instead attempting to steady himself from our rough journey. I look around. We are on palace grounds, in one of the many gardens. A tree stands to my left, it is in full bloom for the spring. The trunk is thick and sturdy. Leaves of all different shades of green whistle in the light breeze, creating a cool shade for any who choose to rest under it. I should know. I had spent many an hour as a boy under this tree, reading books on magic spells, sleeping, plotting against any who taunted me, hiding whenever Thor tried to entangle me in one of his fruitless adventures. Oh how badly I desire to be in the comforting shade of my tree once more! I release the handle I have on the Tesseract and reach with my left hand, thinking of nothing but the coolness of the bark on the strong trunk, and am surprised when my right had obediently follows the left. Yes, that's right. I think to myself as I see the cuffs that bind my wrists. I am no longer a boy free to sleep his days away under a tree. I am a man now. No, not a man, being a man would imply humanity of some kind, of which I have none. Monster. Now that is a term that amply describes my existence. The existence of a Frost Giant. Of a liar. Of a murderer.

I am still reaching out to my tree when the guards descend on me. Four of them, although it feels like much more with all the hands groping me, to be exact. They remove the muzzle and the cuffs, none to gently, only to replace them with heavy chains. Two thick cuffs wrap around my thin wrists and ankles and a fifth encases my neck. An impossibly heavy link chain attaches them all to each other. It takes all the strength I can muster to lift my head up high as I resume my stance of superiority. I will not let this obvious attempt at humiliation phase me. The guards begin the short walk to the throne room and, when I do not immediately follow, one of them jerks the chain roughly. I fall to my knees. For a moment, I hold my gaze firmly on the ground beneath me trying to maintain my persona. My desire to thrash and yell damnations to all in ear shot nearly overpowers my better judgment. Calm yourself I think over and over again, breathing heavily through my nose, clearing my head. As I am doing so, I remember my desire to look at Thor's face, into his eyes to find the truth there. If there was one thing I could count on it was that Thor's eyes never lied. I pull my head up, despite the heavy chain's resistance, searching for the truth that I knew would calm me, but it is nowhere. Thor had gone. He had left me in the care of a handful of cruel guards and was forcing me to face Odin alone. In all our years together, though boyhood and through manhood, I had never been abandoned by my brother. Mocked? Yes. Belittled? Oh, yes. Teased? Absolutely. Encouraged? I could not deny it, yes. Protected? Also, yes. Saved? I let out a snarl and refuse to think of him anymore. Thor is not my brother so it is time he stopped acting like he was. He is my captor, nothing more.

'Then why does his betrayal hurt you so?' A voice that sounds frighteningly like my own asks. I do not answer it.

This time, when the chain is jerked, I obey the silent command, standing and taking one step at a time towards the throne room. I don't remember my boots ever being this heavy before. I turn my head as far left as I can, without causing immense pain to my neck, to look at my tree one last time. I see a dark haired Asgardian prince sitting under it. He is content. At peace. Suddenly, there is another boy. This boy is older, stronger, blond. Together, they sleep under the tree, taking refuge in the coolness the leaves provide and letting their song lull them into a state of dreams.

I do not know who these boys are, but I hate them both.