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Another day, nothing had changed.
Odin´s son woke up the same way as any other day for... woah, already a year.
Even he hated the fact he was caged, locked away like an animal, he felt safe; Loki perfectly knew Thanos wanted his head on a plate, for not giving him the tesseract despite all the tortures he went through on Titan after he fell to the void, all the sacrifices, efforts he had to do, and also after losing again the trust of his family. He let out a small amused laugh at that thought, wondering if anyone ever believed in him.
A noise inside his room caught his attention, however he didn´t react with hostility, more in a curious way in fact. He was lying on the bed and slowly turned to see what was causing the noise and small vibration on the place; a dark, pale, dark haired woman dressed in pitch black was standing in the middle of his blank room. By the norns, he could recognize her anywhere- Hela, his daughter, had finally come to witness his misery.
" Your majesty " Loki smiled to his daughter, he had missed her for sure, however, her expression was completely emotionless; his previously curled lips straightened and he showed a serious face again. She was disappointed, perhaps he could even assure she was completely furious. What could he wait from her though? He had done a complete madness.
" Don´t you aknoweledge what you´ve done? " indeed, her green eyes were in raging flames.
Loki stayed in silence for a few seconds and finally let out a small laugh of amusement/nervousness.
" My dear dottir, I can explain it to you... "
" You explain me nothing. " and for a moment, her voice cracked. Something inside Loki broke, was she sad? but why? The sorcerer could understand she was disappointed for his actions, it was completely understandable, but... sadness? Hela was the queen of death, darkness and sorrow, she wasn´t a nice person either and he himself would say that, she was even an accomplice of his when he wanted to do some mischief. Thanos´s deal with him was worse than any other thing he could have done, but that wasn´t reason enough - at least for him - to make his daughter ´cry ´
He said nothing, yet quite shocked for his daughter´s reaction. Hela finally breathed deeply before speaking.
" Do you have any idea of what have you done? " dammit, a tear fell from her eye. Any amusement on Loki´s face disappeared. He exhaled and tried to respond.
" Hela listen... "
" I knew something had happened when they announced your death but you never came to my realm " spat " I thought you´d try to take over Asgard again, I even tried to excuse your absense by saying you´d try... i don´t know, to build a new life out of that palace? Of all the people you could ally with, you... you decided to do it with... with Thanos? "
Loki frowned " Do you think I did it because I wanted? Hela I fell from the bifrost and he found me falling to the void. He saved my life, and yes, used me, tortured me to get what he wanted. I won´t say it wasn´t a good plan but I knew I was risking my life... "
" Your life " Hela let out a sarcastic laugh " Your life? Oh father, I would feel fortunate if I was locked here instead of having to face a purple skinned giant that already has at least one infinity stone. "
Brows forrowed and his eyes narrowed. Face? why would she face him?
" What do you mean? " his voice sounded stern.
Hela´s sarcastic smile changed to a one of sadness. A gloomy expression was odd on her. Loki finally felt the need of touching her, something wasn´t okay at all. He suddenly aknoweledged she didn´t come to visit him through a portal as usual; even she was exiled from Asgard, she could as well fool Heimdall´s watch. His hand tried to touch hers, and as he guessed and feared, it was only an illusion.
" Hela... you... "
" I wish I could hug you right now, it´s been a while, you know. Even the only thing you deserve is a loud and dry slap " this time her smile was genuine. Loki´s face remained serious though.
" Hela Lokadottir, you tell me what in the nine is happening right now " his parent self came out in an authoritarian way.
Hela stays in silence for a few seconds, but doesn´t hesitate on answering.
" I´m paying for your mistakes " started. Loki shaked his head a little in confusion. " Right now, Thanos is on my realm. I am talking to him. Well... if you call threat a conversation. He... doesn´t know your current location, and is willing to do anything to take that information out of my mouth. "
Loki completely froze, a huge lump on his throat shaped, of fear, of fear of Thanos finding him, the fear of him killing his family, for fucks sake, he was about to hurt his daughter. Desesperation grew inside of him.
" Hela get out of that place "
" I can´t " she said quietly, this time the one who was completely ill at ease was Loki " He will never know where you are, if he did, that would include giving him the option of destroying Asgard completely; even I´d love to see that... Odin´s realm is the only place where the other stones stay safe, and avoiding Thanos of destroying half the universe. I´m powerful enough to stop him. "
" Kjære... " he protested. Yet she didn´t stop talking.
" I made the promise of protecting this realm I am so proud of having under my watch and power, however, it isn´t about pride but a greater good. Don´t... consider this a good bye, father, but I want you to promise me that he will never get any of the other stones. Make sure of it. "
" Hela please " Loki tried to take her from the shoulders, but she was only an illusion after all. That sadly was finally fading away.
Hela smiled at him, with that innocent smile she used to show him when she was young, his apprentice, his best friend, his beloved daughter.
" It´s my time to go. I can´t hold the illusion for too long when my mind is so focused on other things " she laughed " I love you dad "
" Hela... " Loki could do nothing when she finally disappeared.
Hours felt like days after that, there was no way for him to communicate with the queen of Death. Jeez... he couldn´t even communicate with his brother, or any member of the royal family. He just hoped Hela would be able to defeat that monster, or at least have a civil talk that leads to a deal with no conflicts. Thoughts and more thoughts ran all over his mind, fear, sadness, repentance, were the feelings burdening his heart. His eyes finally close, and fell asleep against his own will.
And those hours became finally a day.
Steps outside his door interrupted his rest; Loki turned around and the light bothered his eyes a little, as he sat on the bed, his eyes remained focused on the many guards outside his prision. His usual sarcastic smile shapes on his lips as soon as he sees his brother, standing in the middle of the hallway, in front of his cell. Loki was about to say something but his cell finally opened, for his surprise.
He raised an eyebrow. And then laughed again.
" It isn´t my birthday yet, broth- "
" Come with me " two guards quickly handcuffed his hands and practically dragged him through the hallway, in direction to the palace. His expression was nothing but a confused one, perhaps a bit of derision of seeing his brother so serious. It must be ´hard´ to accept your brother is a criminal.
Loki´s eyes examined the palace, it´s been a while since he walked there, freely of course. He tried to scoff something to Thor but he wasn´t even paying attention, his face was completely emotionless. His eyes were a bit red though. He wondered if he had any sleep.
They finally arrived to the principal room, the throne room, oh how much he missed sitting on that majestic place. Odin was there as always, with the usual disappointed glare he only had for Loki. He turned to see her mother but... she was...
Crying?
Loki frowned in confusion and a bit of impatience. His mother was crying, well... not crying but she clearly had cried and was even holding tears; he wanted to know the reason as soon as possible.
" Loki Odinson " Odin finally spoke as if it was some ceremonial meeting, but there was actually anyone there but his family and some guards by his side.
" Not your son. " Loki highlighted. The king of Asgard just breathed deeply and looked at his wife, telling him to leave by shaking his hand a little. Thor remained there, with almost the same expression as her mother.
" Yesterday the Queen of Helheim, your off-spring, visited you in your cell. Isn´t it right? " asked.
" Technically she just appeared there as an illusion, you have nothing to worry about " he answered with a small smile.
Odin took a deep breath again. Loki still glared at him with a deadly expression. He sure, absolutely HATED that man that called himself his father.
" I imagine she explained you the situation of Helheim. In better words, what is going on with Thanos. " Odin asked, Loki just vaguely nodded and then looked at Thor. He looked so uneasy... even quite sad.
" What does my dottir´s business have to do with me? " spat. Thor looked at him as if he was about to punch his face but Odin stopped him.
" Son " Odin said to him, and the trickster was about to protest but he kept talking " I brought you here, because even if you are a prisioner, you are still a member of the royal family, my family... Therefore, what I´m going to tell you, is something I considered not appropiate of being said inside the dungeons. "
Loki stayed in silence, focused on what he was about to say. It was about his daughter, and he knew the situation on her realm was alarming. His fingers started to play with each other out of nervousness. The Allfather finally spoke.
" Helheim was in war, yesterday, the same time your daughter proyected to you. " said. Loki´s heartbeat had a quick rhythm now " The mad titan known as Thanos, destroyed everything. "
He swallowed hard feeling that lump on his throat again. The sorcerer looked at Thor and now he was glancing down, a pained expression.
" And? " Loki tried to keep his composure by acting as he always did, but inside, he was growing impatient.
Odin looked down.
" He ended the queen´s life "
Loki just closed his eyes, his worst nightmare was a reality, his heart broke in a million pieces and anxiety started taking over him. He looked at Thor again waiting for him to tell him Odin´s words were all a lie, but his brother was also trying to cover the few tears coming out his eyes. Loki´s now wet eyes stared back at the Allfather.
" Wasn´t it enough torture sending me to the dungeons for the rest of eternity, that you need to lie me about my daughter´s well being? " he spat, completely in pain. Deep inside the trickster knew his father´s words were everything but a lie. Yet, he wasn´t going to accept it, he wasn´t going to accept he lost the person he loved the most for his own mistakes.
Odin quickly looked at one of the guards and this one just nodded. He felt his chains being pulled and he noticed they were taking him to another place, and surprisingly not the dungeons.
In a matter of minutes he saw himself walking through the bifrost, he was still in shock so he didn´t know how much time it had been since he got the news. As soon as he noticed Heimdall standing in front of the sword that opened the portal, he was freed from his chains and practically dragged in front of it; Thor walked and stood next to him. Loki already had a few tears on his eyes even he wasn´t going to believe his daughter wasn´t there anymore.
" And now I´m being exiled? " he tried to guess.
Heimdall just opened the bifrost and both brothers started his journey.
As soon as he could touch the floor, Loki opened his eyes and looked around. Pure darkness.
Helheim.
Repeating his father´s words all over again on his mind, he didn´t hesitate on running to the place where Hela´s throne was located. He could hear her brother yelling at him but he wasn´t going to wait. He needed to check if his daughter was okay...
´Of course she is okay... she is my daughter... she-she is powerful... she has to be here...´ mumbled to himself.
Loki´s desesperation made him ignore the fact any soul was there anymore, but of course he wasn´t looking for a soul but a living person, his daughter, the princess of Asgard, his princess. His steps became faster as soon as he could see the throne, or what once was a throne. Dammit... everything was destroyed, just the way the Allfather described it, Hela´s guards that were already dead in the past lied lifeless on the floor, and many pieces of concret of what used to be a palace were covering the whole place.
" HELA! " he called, looking all over the place " HELA! Hel-"
A female silhouette caught his attention, a dark haired woman was lying on the floor, dark blood stains all over her and also covering the floor around her, moveless, lifeless...
" Hela..." the prince felt on his knees in front of her and quickly held the body on his arms, his hand moved the strains of hair of his face so he could see her. ´Fuck no no no no´; indeed, she was the Goddess of Death, the queen of Helheim, his daughter... his cherished daughter.
" Min-min kjære dottir..."
Loki felt himself dying internally in that moment, he finally broke completely, when was the last time he held her on his arms? she was so little, with so much hope and energy, dreaming of becoming a queen someday, his strong child that survived the banishment of Odin all by herself and grew to be the best queen any realm ever had. He was so proud of her, he loved her more than anything, but never got to tell her any of these words. Thor´s brother took a deep breath trying to resist the pain on his heart, but it was too late, his tears were violently rambling down his cheeks, his quiet sobbing became a loud cry, not even Thanos´s torture couldn´t be compared to the pain of losing the child he created, he brought to this world, the only person that genuinely loved him.
" Don´t do this to me Hela " his thumb cleaned the tears that fell from his eyes to her cheeks, her eyes had no light anymore, her lips had no color, her soft pale skin was colder than ever, this was a complete nightmare, the most horrible moment of his whole life. " Min vakre jente... please don´t leave me. Its-it´s all my fault... but please... By the norns, no no please not this, not this... "
He heard Thor´s steps by his side, not even the God of Thunder could keep his tears by himself. It hurted him terribly as well; he had loved Hela as his niece, he had trained her on her childhood and suffered when she was sent to Helheim as well. In that moment, even being his son, he hated Odin for exposing her to being killed as it finally happened.
" I´m sorry my love... " Loki broke and hugged her tighly, crying as he never did before. Nothing would ever ease his pain, nothing would make him smile anymore, and if it did it will be the fakest grin of all. The fact his daughter was dead hurted, but knowing that it was his whole fault destroyed his soul completely. " My Hela... my love... I´m so sorry, god I´m so sorry " he cried so hard his voice cracked " please bring her back to me..."
Thor knelt by their side and placed a hand on Loki´s back. It was dangerous for him to be out of Asgard too much time, but... he practically begged Odin he would let him go to Helheim to say good bye to his daughter.
" ... Brother... we need to go..."
" No... no I refuse to leave her. She needs me " Loki was completely out of his mind, he wanted to convince himself Hela was only sleeping on his arms. That broke Thor, negation was one of the most painful parts of the mourning.
" Loki listen to me. She is gone "
She was gone, she was gone forever. Loki tried to stop crying, and after a few seconds, he left a kiss on his daughter´s forehead taking the hardest decision ever.
" Thor... " whispered.
The blonde quickly looked at him. The trickster didn´t look away from his daughter yet.
" Yes...? " he asked, his entire attention placed on his brother.
" Do me a favor "
It was a beautiful view, painful... but beautiful. Loki remembered Hela got to see a member of the royal family´s funeral, a ceremony with every single member of Asgard, throwing lights to the sky, the body of the dead one falling down the kingdom´s waterfalls and finally, an skilled archer trowing an arrow of fire to the coffin and letting the body turn into sparkles letting it belong to the many colorful stars decorating Asgard´s view. At the end of the ceremony, the young Hela told him she wanted to belong to the stars as well, one day when she died. At least he could do something for her after many years of being a failure of a father, now his princess´s once ashes were stars in the sky, as Asgard´s tribute to her, the entire realm covered the sky with beautiful lights. Odin finally let out a tear, Frigga was hugging Thor and the God could do nothing but cry with her. Meanwhile, in the dungeons and behind an illusion, a dark haired man cried inconsolably.
His daughter had paid for his mistakes.