The Unknown

Chapter 3: It's All Real

Loki woke up, not in his cell, but with a soul forge above him and the physician Eir. He tried to move but his arms were restricted to the slab on which he laid and were restricted with chains. He didn't expect anything different as he knew the guards wouldn't trust him. He looked to Eir to see that she wasn't afraid of him or even nervous, she even gave him a small smile before nodding to someone who was hidden in the shadows. Out came Frigga, as she quickly walked out of the shadows towards him and said, "Loki," as she placed one hand in his and the other on his head to smooth his hair.

"Frigga," he said as he knew calling her that would hurt her as she was not his mother, but no matter how many times he called her by her name, her emotions would never waiver in front of him.

"Loki, my son, why did you harm yourself? The guards said you purposely threw yourself into the barriers, why?"

He gave her his mischievous smirk and answered, "because I wanted too...happiness".

Frigga looked up to see Eir also looked concerned, thinking that Loki had finally lost his mind but she said, "he appears to have cracked his skull but it seemed like he had tried to knock himself unconscious numerous times beforehand. That's the reason why he was unconscious for so long. He is healed now and I cannot detect any more damages".

"Why are you here?" Loki asked harshly, "shouldn't you follow Odin's orders and not come near me".

"You know as well as I do that even his orders never stopped me from seeing you," she said softly, her hand still smoothing his hair.

"A simple projection. I guess that's all I'm worth, considering I'm not your son".

"You are my son," she said with some force, "you are my son as much as Thor, you may not have come from me but that doesn't matter. We are a family, whether you care to admit that or not and I have told you that many times".

"How's Thor?" Loki said changing the subject but not changing the disgust in his tone. "And his lovely wife, Jane...and their son, Brynjar. He's 5, isn't he? Guess you and Odin got the grandchild you always wanted, not monstrous at all".

For the first time, Frigga's face changed to one of shock and shame at the same time. "I love your children, just as much as Brynjar. I tried to fight for them-"

"Don't lie to me," he snapped, "especially about them. You know nothing about them. You say that you have power but you let Odin control your every action".

A young trainee physician then came in and spoke quietly to Eir for a moment before Eir drew Frigga's attention, "Milady, the King is on his way. You must leave". Frigga looked to Loki, questioning what she should do when her friend told her again, "Frigga, I will inform you of what happens but you must leave. It was his decree, remember".

Frigga remembered all too well. The decree of her son being locked away till his dying day and she was forbidden to see him. It was the only way she could save him from execution, even if she questioned whether or not Odin would go through with it, but she didn't what to chance it.

She leaned down to kiss Loki on the forehead but he turned his head away so that she kissed the side of his head where his hairline began. She then turned and left but not before hearing him mumble, "I knew you would leave".

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Leaving Loki, she almost had to wipe her eyes of the tears but as the door closed, she saw her eldest son and his family. She wasn't surprised to see him as he was aware of her visiting Loki in the past and wouldn't miss the opportunity to see him in person if she could.