The Sound of Silence

Chapter 32

Loki raged and you had to give up on standing, you were in too much pain to keep abusing your body. So you sat in the front corner of the cell, your back against the wall, sitting next to the glass, watching him until he calmed enough to talk to you again. You took inventory of his cell and realized Frigga must have had the entire room built for him, since it was furnished and you noticed the huge collection of books in one corner.

You looked over at him when his raging quieted. It took another minute, but he finally seemed to melt back to his usual self. He sank gracefully to the floor of his cell, in the front corner where he could look directly at you, sitting cross-legged as he looked over at you. "So, my darling siren, what are you doing here?" he asked, trying so hard to be your Loki and not the crazed monster Odin thought he was.

You gave him a small smile for his efforts. [Rescuing you] you signed with a smirk.

He looked over his cell, then yours. "Excellent job, love," he commented dryly. You both burst into laughter at the ridiculousness of that comment and your situation. Ok, your laughter was hindered by the fact that those assholes had left you gagged, but the point remained the same.

[It was going fine until they sprung a trap on me] you signed carefully. You had to sign slower, since the distance and glass would hinder his ability to read your signs. The glass wasn't perfectly clear, there was a golden edge and shimmer to it.

"So, what happened after I left?" he asked nonchalantly. You sighed and began telling him the tale of the last few days. It took a long, long time, but he sat and watched silently and patiently as you explained about the visions, the planning and prep work, through your meeting with Thor, the trip through Asgard toward the cells, and your meeting with the Einherjar.

[Then they brought me to hang out with you] you finished the tale.

"Why didn't you just submit? They wouldn't have hurt you," his voice was pained as he took in your appearance.

You looked down at your lap. [I couldn't. I was tortured, chained, and gagged for two years. I couldn't submit to living through that again] you reminded him. His eyes filled with rage and tears when he understood that you really, truly couldn't submit to that again.

"It was stupid to come after me, love," he finally told you.

You shrugged in reply. [I love you. I was not going to leave you here to suffer a fate you don't deserve] He smiled at that, a true smile full of love and warmth.

"What did I ever do to deserve you, darling?" He asked warmly, somehow giving you hope in this awful situation.

Loki thought for a little while over your story, then sighed. "Well, the Allfather is most likely the one who set up the trap. He can see the future after all. He's gotten glimpses of the future since he lost his eye. Or Heimdall saw it and told him. Heimdall sees everything. Either way, the Allfather was too interested in your powers during the trial. It's not going to be easy to get you out of here,"

You both turned at the footsteps coming into the dungeons. "I would not be so sure about that, Brother," Thor's booming voice came as he stepped into the hallway between your cells. You both jumped to your feet. He came to your cell and opened it. You hugged him around the neck. Loki looked hopeful, but you saw Thor shake his head. Loki nodded once.

"Brother, take her home, please, get her out of here,"

"I cannot," Thor told him, holding you safely to his warm, muscled side. "She must stand trial for illegal entry into Asgard and sneaking past Heimdall," Loki looked crushed and a feeling of dread settled over you. Thor turned to look at you. "I am going to remove that. Do not think to use that silver tongue against me again," he told you firmly. Loki smirked that you were getting addressed with his epithet. You raised your fist, holding out your pinkie to Thor. A smile bloomed on his face and reached his eyes. He linked pinkies with you and you shook them on it. A pinkie promise at it's finest. He removed the gag and placed it in a pocket. "I hope you haven't picked up the habit of betraying me all the time from him," he gestured at Loki.

"It's been a long time since I betrayed you, brother," Loki replied innocently.

Thor rolled his eyes. "You slipped poison into my coffee the morning before we came home," he reminded Loki.

"That wasn't poison. It was a potion," Loki's tone was still too innocent.

"A potion that would do what, exactly?"

"Turn you into a child for twenty-four hours," Loki admitted sheepishly. Thor gestured at Loki as if his point were made by Loki's words. You giggled at the absurdity and Loki smiled. "So what are you doing with my darling if you're not taking her home?" Loki's voice was harsh as he made the demand of Thor.

"It took a lot of convincing, but I finally got Mother to convince Father to let me take her into my custody,"

"How in the nine realms did you manage that?" Loki asked, impressed.

"I convinced Mother that you are less trouble and happier if your mortal is safe and since she is just a little mortal and my friend, I can keep her from escaping," Thor explained. He turned to you. "Don't do anything stupid like try to escape. I will not be able to help you second time,"

"Please, love. Do what you're told for once," Loki added quickly. You nodded and both boys looked relieved.

"So I am taking her to wait for the trial in my chambers-" Thor started and Loki growled. Thor glared right back. "Brother, I make no moves on your lady. It was the only option to keep her out of the dungeons, or would you rather she stay in a cold bare cell just so you can see her?" Loki looked away, ashamed. "I do not know when the trial will be. Mother said you were being brought to it, since it concerns your lady. Until then, she will be safe with me. I will get one of the healers to look at her. She's safe, Brother," Thor told Loki firmly, trying to reassure him.

"I can still dislike it," Loki grumbled. You went to the glass of his cell. He smiled at you. "I know, darling. I know anything is better than you being down here. I just hate that I cannot be the one to protect you and I have to trust my idiot brother to do it." You giggled at that. "Please, darling, please actually stay safe this time. Please don't break your word to me again."

[You promised to come home] you reminded him that he had broken his word too.

He nodded. "So we're even," he told you with a small smile. "Fine, can you at least promise to be safe and not to anything stupid until the trial?" You nodded and placed your hand against the glass, wishing you could touch him, hold him, kiss him again. He placed his hand against where yours was, on his side of the glass. "I'm fine, love. Go with Thor, get those wounds looked at. The Einherjar hit too hard for little mortals," he was trying too hard to be jovial, and reassuring. It brought tears to your eyes. "Brother, you'd better take care of her," Loki added with a glare at his brother.

"You know I will. Now, come on, Y/N," Thor bid you, coming up and wrapping his arm around you. You hesitated, not wanting to leave Loki here, but Thor's grip tightened around you and with a nod from Loki, he steered you away from Loki's cell. You reached a hand back for Loki as Thor led you away.

"I'm fine, darling. Go with Thor. It will be ok. I love you,"

"I love you too," you whispered back. He smiled and you knew he had heard you. You couldn't help hope that everything might somehow turn out ok. With one last glance at Loki, you let Thor steer you from the dungeons.

"So darling, that was the mortal you love? She loves you truly to have risked so much," Frigga's voice came from behind you, from the direction of Loki's cell. You started to turn, to go back to see what was going on, but Thor's grip on you tightened and he kept walking, forcing you to go with him.

"That is not for us to see, siren," he told you gently. "Mother is not supposed to visit Loki, but she does in illusions. Everyone pretends that they don't know, since she's not technically breaking the rules. She loves him too much to let him sit in the dungeons alone. Especially this time." You nodded and finally consented to going with Thor, though it hurt to leave Loki behind. Thor swept you up into his arms, despite your squeak of surprise and protest. "You're limping," he told you softly, gently, but you knew he was letting you hide your face against his chest and finally let the tears spill from having to leave Loki behind, from fear of your own future, and pent up emotions from the last few days.

You stifled the tears quickly, trying desperately to cling to the glimmer of hope that somehow, someway this would all turn out alright.