Below

A fallen prince.
A new kingdom.
A new place below where shadows grow.

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Asgard is in disarray. Odin has left the throne for better things, for Midgard, new beginnings, new romance and brings ruin to his realm. Frigga is ashamed of his abandonment. A new crown descends and Thor, once prince, now sits upon the throne. Sif, his soon to be wife, becomes queenly authority. Loki, once brother, once prince, is crowned troublemaker and good for only bringing more ill fortune upon Asgard's new rule.

And so, Loki is condemned.

Loki is cast aside. Declared, by the crown, to below. He is stripped of his title and crown, given a new role beneath Thor's new crown that will not hurt Asgard's new image. He is forced into service, throwing him into shadows and below their feet. Below, he is no prince. No god. No being worth trembling before. He is just a body, another pair of hands, perfect for work. Perfect for breaking and serving those now above him that believe him better for more domestic tasks. Below, he becomes invisible, obeys, silently rages, and does as told, a god stripped bare.

Below, he disappears.

Or, so they think he does.

Below, he sees what above refuses to acknowledge and sees Asgard in ways he never has before. He notices, below the golden halls, a realm built by those that live in shadows. Below, he notices smaller hands and younger servants, children he does not expect to befriend. He notices more than he should and, unexpectedly, does something no one thought him capable of: he helps them, and does whatever he can, to care and protect them from those that mean them harm.

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