A Prince In Perilous Pain

The doors at the far opposite end opened. Nevaeh watched as a slightly shaken Loki hastily climbed down the stairs, walking straight towards them with purpose burning on his face.

Loki halted in front of the casket. Nevaeh frowned as she tried to identify the expression on his face which was something she had never quite seen before. Loki was breathing sharply, blinking rapidly at the icy casket. He moved his hands to touch it. Nevaeh stared at Loki hesitating to touch it, but then suddenly, he drew a long breath, rising his chin as he did so and held its sides by his hands. Nevaeh gasped a little as she saw a scared Loki, looking horrified at his own hands which were slowly turning blue as soon as he held it. She wasn't understanding what was happening to him, but this newfound debut of Loki's terrified face, which she has never seen on him, was making her stare at him with increasing concern. Nevaeh slowly approached the scared Loki who was staring at his hands with confusion. She moved her hand to touch his blue one.

'Why – why are your hands turning blue? And, what's going on with your face?' Nevaeh asked, glancing behind her back at the present-Loki who was staring at his past-self. He remained silent.

Nevaeh stopped her hand mid-air, taking her eyes off Loki as she saw an elderly looking man with an eye-patch appear on the steps of the dungeon. He was wearing golden robes, with Loki's tall and fancy looking staff in his hand which was somehow looking even more ridiculously tall. Nevaeh has never seen Loki's father, but the man she saw standing on the stairs with a mildly horrified look on his face was clearly Odin himself. Nevaeh again looked behind her to watch her present Loki stand still with a stony expression on his face.

'Stop!' yelled Odin.

A scared Loki put the Casket down, drawing sharp breaths. Loki's hands were slightly shaking and his voice sounded terrified. 'Am I cursed?'

Odin stared at his son's back. 'No.'

'What am I?' Loki asked, without turning around.

'You are my son.'

Nevaeh stifled a gasp as she saw Loki's skin turn blue. Not just his hands, but his entire body. His green eyes transformed into a deep shade of red. He turned and faced his father. 'What more than that?'

Loki's skin returned to its original self within a second. Loki started walking towards his father. Not understanding anything yet, she slowly moved ahead with him.

'The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?' asked Loki.

'No,' Odin said.

Loki halted in front of his father with Nevaeh gaping at them, a burning sensation rising into the pit of her stomach.

Odin's worried eyes looked down into Loki's slightly misty ones. 'In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple and I found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring. Abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son.'

Nevaeh's heart was thrumming against her chest as she watched Loki's tearful eyes. 'Laufey's son,' whispered Loki, quietly blinking as he disbelievingly stared at his father. She was beginning to understand what was wrong.

Loki was shaking, unable to believe what his father was saying. 'Why?' Loki whispered, tears falling down his cheeks. His voice was breaking with betrayal. 'You were knee-deep in Jotun blood! Why would you take me?'

'You were an innocent child.'

Nevaeh was paralysed with fear as she heard them speak; a vulnerable father who was trying to answer his adopted son's valid accusations.

'No, you took me for a purpose. What was it?' he demanded, looking his father dead in the eye, waiting for an answer while Odin painfully watched his son back. 'TELL ME!' bellowed Loki, crying out desperately, his face glistening with tears. Nevaeh flinched horribly as she stared at a painstakingly broken Loki. She was sure that Odin had no ulterior motive for taking Loki, but his questions were making her shake with fear. Her belief was instantly contradicted.

'I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day. Bring about an alliance, bring about permanent peace. Through you,' Odin said. Nevaeh disbelieving looked at Odin with tearful eyes filled with horror.

'What?' mumbled Nevaeh and Loki at the same time, the only difference was that the flash-back Loki couldn't hear her.

'But those plans no longer matter,' Odin said firmly.

Nevaeh sobbingly stared at Loki as she heard him cry. He was gasping for breath, his mouth wide open, his eyes narrowed and tearful, searching for more answers.

'So, I – I am no more than a stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?' Loki asked angrily.

'Why do you twist my words?' asked a desperate Odin.

'You could have told me what I was from the beginning, why didn't you?' Loki's eyes were gleaming with a pang of betrayal blended into his tears. Nevaeh just wanted to hug him and make everything better.

'You're my son,' Odin said quietly, staring at Loki's tear strewn face. 'I wanted only to protect you from the truth.'

Because – I – I – I am the – the monster parents tell their children about at night?'he cried. He was stammering heavily as he spoke. Nevaeh gasped for breath, choking a little as she heard Loki openly cry.

Odin shook his head no, swaying slightly at one side, but Loki's pain had taken a new turn. Loki approached his father shrewdly as reality hit him hard. 'You know, it all makes sense now! Why you favoured Thor all these years! Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!' spat Loki, his face paler than ever.

Odin collapsed by his side, his body hitting the cold dungeon floor, his limp arm falling by his side.

Nevaeh halted below the stairs as she saw a horrified Loki staring at his unconscious father through watery eyes. He slowly moved a trembling arm to touch Odin's hand. 'Guards! Guards! Please, help!' cried out Loki. Two guards hurriedly came in and took Odin into the healing room. As soon as they left, Loki's chest glowed visibly green. The dungeon dissolved. Loki had teleported into his bedchambers.

Nevaeh watched him as he screamed at the top of his lungs, crying angrily as nearby objects shattered into pieces. He picked up an enormous golden couch and flung it aside by his hands. He knelt on the carpet, clutching his face by his hands, and choking horribly in his sobbing breaths.

After a few seconds, he suddenly wiped his face, got up and began running towards the terrace. Nevaeh audibly screamed as she saw him jump out like a bird, into the huge, night's sky before vanishing in thin air.

'Loki!' screamed Nevaeh quickly running towards the edge but the terrace was beginning to dissolve from beneath her. She shook a little with dizziness.

She looked around and saw Loki standing exactly where he had been before this entire dramatically painful flashback. Nevaeh briskly trotted towards him and held his arm, but her hand passed right through him, the illusion disappearing with a green hint of light. Nevaeh looked around, but Loki was nowhere to be seen.

Nevaeh had seen and heard so much that she desperately needed to see Loki, to let him know that she was sorry for what he has been through, and for putting him through that once again. She couldn't get over the fact that Loki had experienced this excruciatingly painful moment right before running into her, when he was looking perfectly fine and calm.

Nevaeh paused to take a deep breath and closed her eyes, standing still.

An invisible Loki watched her from the terrace, wiping his eyes roughly. He had never meant to relive that horrible moment, but watching it again was like suffering it all over again. Loki took a deep breath and steadied himself. He frowned a little as he saw Nevaeh waving her arm in front of her like a ballerina.

Loki watched her turning slowly on the spot. He was pleasantly surprised as she started walking towards him with her eyes closed, swapping her fingers in the air in front of, and halting right in front of his invisible self. Nevaeh slowly stretched out her arm, her fingers searching for something when she felt her hand touch Loki's shoulder. She sighed in relief; her master would've been proud of her.

Nevaeh clutched Loki's neck and pulled him in a tight embrace. 'I am so sorry, Loki. I am – I am so sorry' she sobbed.

A slightly taken aback Loki turned himself visible again. 'You are hugging me,' he noted.

'Is – is that okay?' she asked, loosening her grip around him.

'Yes. Please don't stop,' he said almost instantly. Loki kept his eyes shut, running his hand through her hair, and clutching her head. A tear drop rolled down his cheek. 'After this, I went straight into the woods, where my anger led to that fire, and then I ran into you,' Loki whispered. Nevaeh looked at him through bloodshot eyes without letting him go. 'I – I told you, I needed to get away. How could I stay in here after this?' he asked, staring into her eyes with pain brimming inside his own.

'Of course, you couldn't, Loki,' she said. 'I have no idea what it must've been like for you.'

'I don't say this quiet often, but I truly am sorry that I lied to you, Nevaeh,' Loki said, unable to stop his tears. 'Before – I met you Odin's voice saying 'Laufey's son' was ringing inside my ears. I was lost for identity. I had carried the name Odinson my entire life and that unexpected revelation explained so many things to me. So, I lied to you about who I was. I never expected back then that it would result in such damage. I was going to tell you—'

'It's okay—'

'No, it's not—'

'Loki,' she said firmly, cupping his cheeks. 'Your lies are forgiven. Your deceits are forgotten. I don't want you to apologize for that ever again. Do you understand me?'

'How can you be so forgiving?' Loki asked helplessly.

'Because I finally understand,' she smiled a little. 'I understand why you did what you did. So does my hand, I guess.' She showed him her palm. The remnants of Asgard's burnt co-ordinates along with entire Jotunheim's were healed somewhere during the memory, or their embrace, she'd no clue. The skin on her hand was still a raw red, but it was healed. The only remaining co-ordinates were those etched into her wrist.