Working Title : Loki & Annie

118 Dreams Memories and Nightmares

Loki slept.

His thoughts were twisted and tangled with confusion and trauma that made terrible imagery appear in his subconscious. He had no understanding and past memories mixed with more recent ones to create oppressive and sinister chaos.

Loki remembered.

The morning had been spent in a long lesson requiring both he and Thor to describe the benefits to Asgard set out in the Agricultural Agreement of the Import of Alfheim Wineberrys. Loki had read the agreement along with the treaty and was able to answer the questions Lord Eldson asked. Thor had spent his time in the training yards and was unable to answer a single one. Once they had been dismissed Thor had been furious with his younger brother and did nothing to hold back his anger.

The shove sent Loki sprawling across the hall where his shoulder painfully impacted the stone wall. Despite the pain, he scrambled to his feet with only a quick glance at the guards stationed at the nearest intersection. Loki knew they would not interfere with the Brother's quarrel on orders from the AllFather. His sons must learn to settle their differences with no interference from adults. If the AllFather or Allmother had to be called to settle an argument both Prince's would be punished for their failure.

Loki dreamed. 

Thor had shouted at him and become large, much too large until he had grown to fill the hall. All the while Loki had stood frozen in fear while watching his always smiling Brother change into a snarling dark thing. It was a swipe of a massive hand that finally broke Loki free to wickedly run. Despite Thor's size, he had been able to keep up as Loki failed to escape, slipping, sliding, and falling as he took corners too fast. Past stoic Einherjar, uninterested servants, and scandalized nobles who jeered at Loki's cowardice until the roar of thunder shook the palace and knocked Loki off his feet.

"Brother! Loki!" The voice was much too deep for thor but it was clearly him because Loki had no other sibling.

Loki made no effort to rise to his feet but rather crawled like a dog until he found a hiding place behind a statue of General Herleif who had led the decisive battle with Trolls in the Battle of the Greenwood Trolls Invasion of the Iron River Valley.

Covering his mouth in an attempt to silence his noisy panting Loki sat on the floor with his back against the damp stone, eyes wide as he heard the booming echo of Thor's yelling. And in an instant, the rumble ceased and the silence oozed into his ears as if stopping up his ability to hear. He sat trembling until the solid wall pressed against his back disappeared and he fell backward. The cry of surprise was cut short when large hands jerked him backward into a solid chest while hands closed around his throat. At once even his noisy breaths stopped. His legs kicked and his hands scratched but could do nothing against the gloved hands. Crushing his eyes closed Loki felt a pressing against his chest as his mouth opened and closed as he tried to breathe but the hand relentlessly squeezed. The black around him never eased even when the gloved hand released him.

The shock of cold that engulfed him caused him to open his eyes and he found that his gasp of surprise sucked in freezing cold water and he pushed himself up and out of a huge tub of ice-encrusted water. He fell back onto a greasy stone floor that was covered in filth and debris that clung to him as he slipped backward while coughing and retching water from both his lungs and stomach. The taste of the water made him vomit nothing but bile until he was able to come to a shuddering stop. He looked down at himself to see he was naked and covered in scratches and open wounds with blood flowing freely. His breath showed in white puffs that condensed to ice only to fall to the stone floor with pin-sharp sounds of shattering glass.

Screaming for his Father he tried and failed to see any door to an escape in the darkness even as shadows flickered and reached for him. The sounds were like a draugr moaning his name and the smell of death brought more painful heaves to his stomach. A powerful feeling of relief flooded through Loki when a huge wooden door creaked open and the AllFather strode inside.