Nine Days Of Loki

Loki and Sif were driven back to the bifrost site on Hampstead Heath in separate S.H.I.E.L.D SUV's.

Loki, wearing the wrist shackles that Sif had brought with her from Asgard which had been engraved with a runic enchantment in order to prevent him from being able to wield his sorcery. He also wore a collar, similar to that of Lorelei, fashioned in Asgardian design but provided by S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Is the brutish muzzle absolutely necessary?'
He asked Natasha Romanoff when she came to his cell brandishing the restraints.
"I'm not Lorelei, I don't need silencing. I use my hands and mind for my magic, not words."

"Whether or not you need silencing is subject to opinion. But it's orders from above. Director Fury isn't taking any chances."

Loki huffed. He was beyond exasperated now.
"No of course he isn't. He always did strike me as the type who's too spineless to take a real risk."

Natasha hesitated, her interest piqued.
"And if someone were to take a risk, bearing in mind that you're the definition of a wild card, how would you repay them? By stabbing them in the back no doubt....possibly even quite literally."

Loki smirked at her crookedly, impaling her with his turquoise eyes.
"Ah, well that's all part of the risk isn't it? Taking the chance. That is what playing the wild card is all about."

The petite redhead shifted slightly, hoping he hadn't noticed her unease. His gaze was intrusive and it never failed to unsettle her even though she tried not to show it.
"Well, that's the problem. Trust has to be earned. If you want the right people to cut you some slack, you have to decide what you're going to do....fight on their side or betray them."

"Who I'm fighting for differs from moment to moment. You see, agent Romanoff.....I'm on my side. I fight for myself. By myself. That's the way it's always been."

Natasha threw him a pitying look as she replied poignantly.
"Hm. Sounds....lonely."

Loki was decidedly miffed, absolutely not wanting anyones pity, least of all hers, but he didn't have time to think of an adequate response as she proceeded to walk behind him, placing the collar in place over his mouth before clamping it shut at the back of his head.

The vehicle Loki was transported in also carried several heavily-armed agents on board.
It was plain to see that even bound in shackles, Director Fury certainly wasn't taking any chances where he was concerned.

Meanwhile Natasha and Phil rode with Sif, a journey which didn't take long in reality but felt like the longest expedition of her her life.
Her heart was heavy, her mind whirling with conflicting thoughts.
Above all else, her heart ached for Loki. She longed to just throw her arms around him, pull him close and kiss him like her life depended on it.
But she couldn't. Especially not with that irksome collar in the way.
Not that her pride would permit her to anyway.

As they reached the car park at the Heath, everyone piled out and began making their way to the bifrost site in procession.

"Remember what I said."
Natasha whispered under her breath, as she bid her farewell.
"If you find yourself back here for....whatever...reason, we will find you. So you'd better be cooperative."

Sif looked at the woman questioningly.
"Why would I not be cooperative?"

Natasha shot the shield maiden a knowing look.
"I know how persuasive your boyfriend can be. But I'll rephrase....you'd both better be cooperative."

Sif stared down at the ground, feeling stricken with sadness.
"I don't think that'll be a problem....we shan't be returning and he isn't my boyfriend, Miss Romanoff. Nor is he likely to ever be."

Natasha folded her arms, a wry smile playing at the corners of her full lips.
"We'll see. Never say never."
With that she winked, and Sif couldn't refrain from laughing. Perhaps it was due to nerves, or just the hilarity of the suggestions the agent had made.
She couldn't be sure which.

Then the time came for her to face the inevitable.
Loki.
Quite literally.
He stood within the boundaries of the scorched ground which marked the bifrost site, directly facing her.
She raised nervous eyes to meet his, which stared out at her from beneath dark brows which were drawn together in a deep frown.
Those aqua pools no longer held rage within them, though there was still no visible tenderness either. Instead they looked empty, lost, hurt.

By Odin's beard, he had no right to look so heartbreakingly sad. Absolutely no damn right. After refusing to return with her willingly, and then threatening to take her life, she shouldn't have to suffer such looks from him.

Turning her watery gaze to the sky, she breathed deeply. Trying to be calm.
Then she called out to the guardian of the rainbow bridge.
"Heimdall......bring us back."

Within seconds the sky split open with a piercing shaft of shimmering light, and she felt herself being sucked up into the twisting funnel of air.

Usually Sif closed her eyes against the light and whipping wind when traveling via the bifrost, but she forced herself to look down at Loki's form which was just below her.
She wanted to remember every last detail. Absorb every memory. Etching it into her mind so that she would always have the memories with her, no matter how painful, because she couldn't have him. But her memories were hers to keep.
No one could take those away from her.

She memorised the way his hair tousled wildly in the wind, the multicoloured light casting a sheen over it's obsidian blackness.
She recalled the way she had tugged on those same tresses during their numerous moments of passion and was stricken at the thought of never being able to run her fingers through it's shiny lengths again. To not feel his surprisingly strong arms wrapped around her, to lay with her head resting against his solid chest....listening  to his heartbeat.

But there was no time for melancholy, because in the next instant she found herself in the golden globe of Heimdall's observatory.
Knowing that he had most probably witnessed her indiscretions with the fallen prince, caused a deep blush to crawl it's way up her neck, turning her face dusky.
She was relieved not to linger under his judgemental gaze for too long, as they were henceforth greeted by palace guards and escorted back to the shining citadel of Asgard.

Whatever future awaited them, would soon be revealed...

**********************

Loki was almost relieved when at last he found himself being led towards the throne room.
After being kept waiting, still chained and guarded like a feral animal, what little patience he had left was rapidly diminishing.
The waiting around was torturous. Whatever fate had in store for him he would gladly face head-on and welcome it, so long as it put an end to his infernal suffering. He longed to just get the trial over with.
The time spent hanging around had given him ample opportunity to compose a prepared speech in his head. To prepare his case, and respond accordingly to each of the charges that were to be made against him.

There would be many.

But the crime which lay most heavily upon his mind was that he'd had inappropriate relations with a shield maiden. A shield maiden that he'd taken hostage.
He could not deny it even if he wanted to, as Heimdall would've been able to see for himself, once the pendant had been removed from Sif's neck and Loki's privacy spell had slipped.
Damn Heimdall. Damn his eyes. He shouldn't have been spying in the first place. He was, to all intents and purposes, just as much of a potential pervert as Lorelei with her crystal ball.

How on earth was he going to respond to those charges? Sif had already been granted an audience with Odin, and he had absolutely no way of knowing what had been discussed. Even worse, he had no clue if she'd remember any of it. If she'd had the memories of her nine days with him wiped, then there was no telling what she now thought or had said.
He hadn't been given the opportunity to converse with her, since the fastidious agent Romanoff had insisted on clamping that damned collar over his mouth.

Part of him, the dark place inside of him, wanted to reveal that she'd succumbed to his charms with surprising willingness. That she'd needed little encouragement, each time she'd kissed him eagerly and pressed her exquisite body against his own. He hadn't forced her into coupling with him, she had done so of her own choice. Each and every time.

Yet his conscious pricked him. Whether he liked to admit it or not, he knew that if they hadn't been confined in such close quarters for that length of time the chances of any of those exchanges taking place were slim to none.
He had unwittingly orchestrated the circumstances they'd found themselves in, and now faced with the consequences, he realised he would be solely responsible for ruining her previously untarnished reputation.

The fallout would be catastrophic for Sif.
Loki was no stranger to ridicule, or being shunned. Sif on the other hand, would be left shamed and disgraced. Her family would disown her. She would lose her rank and title as a shield maiden, and ruin all future prospects of having a family of her own.
Asgard was painfully old-fashioned, with outdated traditions. Nobility who had fallen from grace, was not deemed suitable marriage material.

His stomach suddenly twisted into sickening, anxious knots at the thought of Sif marrying anyone.
Anyone except himself.
He was fleetingly startled by that thought, having no idea where it had come from. He'd never considered marriage before, previously he'd always presumed it was not for him.
Now he wasn't so adverse to the idea, but alas, his bastard of a father would never permit it.
She was a Goddess of War, and he the God of Mischief, and that was a union the Allfather would never condone.
Together, they had the potential to break worlds.

However, now wasn't the time or the place to dwell on such things, as the tall, gilded doors swung open for Loki and the entourage to enter.
The opulent room was dimly lit and eerily silent, save for the sound of Loki's clinking chains and the heavily booted guardsmen that accompanied him.

The sight of mighty Odin perched high upon his grand throne , exuding authority, power and dominance, made Loki bristle with anger and he made a point of straightening in an attempt to resume his own confident posture. He strode forwards unashamedly with an air of defiance which deliberately screamed 'attitude'.

And then he noticed something, or rather someone, else.
The familiar figure of his beloved Sif, stood up ahead and slightly off to the side in the shadows, and his brittle heart leaped in his chest.
For a moment he quite forgot himself and faltered, coming to a temporary standstill until a burly guard shoved him onward.

He dragged his eyes away from her and walked a few paces more before coming to a halt in front of the Allfather.
His father.
Well, foster-father.
And he couldn't resist giving him a mock-salute. It was either that or the middle finger.

A guard unclasped the collar, enabling him to speak at last.
It was however ironic, that now he was able to....words eluded him. Yet again his silver tongue was failing him. Sif alone, seemed to have this effect on him.

A tense few moments of silence passed, before he at last managed to find his voice.
"Is all this fuss absolutely necessary? I think I'm having deja vu."
He plastered on a fake smile.

Sif held her breath, anticipating the Allfather's reaction. Loki's ability to feign such a blasé attitude when faced with such dire circumstances was admirable yet uncomfortable to bear witness to. He should be displaying a sense of remorse, not brazenly smirking and trying to rile Odin with mockery.

Suddenly Odin rose from his seat.
This was bad. He was off his throne.
Sif's stomach dropped to her boots, making her feel utterly nauseated.

"You have wreaked havoc for the last time. If you truly do not feel the gravity of your crimes, there is no hope for you, Loki. I have shown leniency in the past but you continue to display a blatant disregard for authority, choosing instead to betray and oppose. You stubbornly refuse to accept responsibility for your actions."

"My actions?"
Loki blurted, his face a mask of pure indignation.
"Because I have no desire to spend an eternity caged? No sane man would willingly accept that as his fate! I made a life for myself elsewhere and did what I had to do in order to survive-"

"No, Loki!"
Odin cut him off gruffly.
"We always have a choice. No sane man would continuously choose to walk the path of evil. And you have proven time and time again that you are unwilling, or incapable, of evolving. Of doing what is right. And because of that, you will always cause suffering and destruction."

Loki glared at his estranged father defiantly, refusing to backdown because to do so was to admit defeat.
"Well.....I wouldn't want to disappoint you by doing the right thing. It is what you've come to expect of me, so at least I haven't let you down."

Sif took a sharp intake of breath.
He was out of his mind.
She had pleaded with the Allfather on Loki's behalf, claiming that she believed he was capable of changing if given the opportunity to live freely, though he would need guidance.
Guidance and love.
It had become increasingly obvious to her that love is what had been sorely lacking in Loki's life, and she was willing and able to provide it.
She could provide it in abundance if he would only allow her to.
But now he was ruining everything by running his mouth off.
She could've smacked him around his stupid, infuriatingly beautiful head. He certainly needed some sense knocking into him, and she would have no qualms in volunteering for the task.

Odin's expression tightened from a look of tolerance to barely-suppressed fury. His one eye penetrated his estranged son with visible disgust and outrage.
"With your arrogance and impudence you have sealed your fate. As much as it pains me to pass this sentence, you leave me little choice. Frigga alone still believed there was more than just darkness inside of you, but her love for you made her blind to the truth. Something evil has taken root in you, Loki...and I fear there is only one way to vanquish it."

Loki swallowed hard as he registered Odin's meaning.
Death.
He was to be put to death.
He felt a slight trembling in his knees and subtly shifted his weight from one foot to the other, in an attempt to stamp away his fear.
"So, I am for the axe then?"
He managed, fighting to keep his voice steady. Defiant to the last he threw in for good measure,
"May I request execution by a more delicate blade? I've heard the sword is just as efficient, less messy and far more dignified. I've always considered the axe to be a barbarian tool."

Odin remained silent, his stony face impassive.

"I know of an excellent swordsman for the job. He's highly skilled and very proficient...."
Loki continued, still opting to conduct himself nonchalantly. As if he wasn't discussing the manner in which he was going to die, but rather pondering over which tattoo artist he would choose.
"....however I do believe he's currently residing on Vanaheim, so if he's to be sent for then it does unfortunately mean they'll be some delay-"

"Enough!"
Odin bellowed suddenly, silencing the trickster mid-sentence.
"Choosing the method of how to be dispatched,  is not a luxury afforded to you!"

At that an audible gasp slipped from Sif's quivering lips and both the Allfather and Loki turned to look at her.

"Is there something you wish to say Lady Sif?"
Odin all but growled.

She fought to control her erratic breathing, but her chest felt as if it were being trampled on by a herd of stampeding Bilgesnipe.
"M-my King.....you still intend to sentence Loki to execution?"

"I thought I had just made my intentions clear? You see for yourself now Lady Sif, that your pleas for clemency on his behalf are undeserving. He feels no remorse and has no desire to improve himself."

Loki's eyes widened.
Sif had pleaded on his behalf. But how could that be?
Had she not partaken in a memory-erasing procedure?
His mind was swimming with confusion, drowning in bewilderment. It did not help that Odin was speaking again, which hindered his ability to think straight.

"Whatever pity you feel for the prisoner is misplaced. He led you astray in a most unseemly manner and took advantage of the situation, exploiting you most indecently. Do not waste your sympathy on one such as he, he is unworthy."

Sif's face blazed from embarrassment, but she took a shaky breath and proclaimed,
"But he did not take advantage of me. I....I must confess that our love affair was consensual. Loki never forced himself upon me against my will."

Loki's jaw slackened, even his mouth went numb with shock. He stared at Sif agog, before his eyes skitted back to the Allfather. He was looking suitably perplexed and infuriated.

"Have a care how you speak, Lady Sif. You're confessing to an act of treachery. However I am willing to overlook your crime, as save for this one incident, you have always been a faithful servant to the House of Odin. But I strongly advise you to remain silent and say no more on the matter. There need be no unsavoury repercussions."

Loki stared down at his buckled, leather boots as though he found them intriguing. He felt overcome with warring emotions. His head and heart bickering furiously once more.
Of course he was relieved that Sif would not be punished for fraternising with him, an enemy of Asgard, but the relief was being overridden by a sense of dread.
If her act of indiscretion was to be covered up, her reputation salvaged, that meant she would be free to love again, be courted by reputable suitors, marry.....and even start a family.

His imagination was running amok now and suddenly bile burnt the back of his throat, as he practically threw up in his mouth.
He loved Sif, and couldn't bear to think of her in the arms of some other undeserving miscreant.
He wanted her for himself, and her admittance to their affair proved that not only had she refused to rid herself of the memories they had made together, but also that she still cared for him. She may even love him...
Dare he allow himself to hope? Even now?

It was worth a shot, and there was only one way to find out once and for all.
The 'wicked' Loki would break the habit of a lifetime by doing the right thing.
He had made a pledge on the eternal soul of his mother to make amends.

Without further thought or hesitation he turned himself to fully face Sif, ignoring his adoptive father completely. Blanking him along with all others in the room.
She looked back at him anxiously with teary eyes, her expression sorrowful and filled with concern.

"Marry me."
He stated rather than asked, and Sif almost fainted from surprise.

"W-what?"
She squeaked.

"I'm asking you to marry me, Sif."
Loki repeated with more conviction, his voice laced with tender sincerity.
"I want to be with you always. You....you complete me. I can only be myself with you. My true self. With you by my side, I no longer crave greatness. If you can love me for all that I am, then I need nothing else."

Shocked, Sif brought a trembling hand up to her mouth. His words had knocked the air right out of her lungs. Her eyes melded with his and she felt her heart bubbling with unrivalled joy.
But the moment was bittersweet, for his unexpected proposal had come too late.

"Enough of this."
Odin's voice boomed, resounding off the walls and shattering her thoughts.
"Loki, you are an incorrigible liar and I command you to be silent!"

"No, I shan't. You must permit me to speak."
He pleaded, which was most uncharacteristic but he was desperate and time seemed to be of the essence so he persisted.
"I beg for mercy. Please. If you grant me a reprieve, I swear I will pose no further threat to this realm or any other....for if the good lady Sif does me the honour of becoming my wife, you will find me a reformed character. You have my word-"

"Your word?"
Odin scoffed openly, clearly unmoved.
"Your word holds no validity. Your false proclamation to redeem yourself and seemingly do the honourable thing by proposing to the Lady Sif.....is merely a feeble attempt to save your own skin, so do not take me as a fool."

"It is not false-"

"Silence!"
His father hissed once more, a visible vein appeared in his forehead, throbbing as his anger escalated.
"You shall be taken forthwith to the prisons."

Loki took a step forward, which resulted in a guard roughly pulling back on the chains that restrained him.
"Where I am to await execution?"

"Deportation."
Odin corrected, coldly.

Loki's brow furrowed.
"Deportation? What....you're going to banish me rather than allow me redemption?"

"No not banishment. You are to be handed over to Thanos. It is about time you faced the consequences of your actions-"

"No!"
Loki interjected loudly, his complexion visibly paling.
"I beg you, anything but that....he....he's a madman, h-he'll kill me."

Aghast, Sif turned to stare at the Allfather who responded to his son with a disdain that bordered on repulsion.
"What the mad Titan chooses to do with you, is his own affair. Though rest assured, you will be held accountable."

"Because you don't want my blood on your hands!"
Loki roared at him accusingly.
"You don't want my death weighing on your conscience, so you'll get that monster to do your dirty work for you!"

"Please, no! My King, have mercy...I beg you, please....you cannot do this."
It was now Sif who interrupted, and she barely recognised the shrill pitch of her own voice.
But she was completely in shock and overcome with desperation and urgency.
The problem was, loving Loki was surprisingly easy. Finding the words to emphasise her feelings was the difficult part.

"And why ever not?"
Odin demanded, regarding her in the same manner one does an irritating child who won't refrain from asking questions.

"Because I still see good in him, I have seen it. Just as Frigga always did.....and because, like her majesty...I...I love him."

Loki felt the air whoosh out of his chest at her bold declaration. In spite of the trauma, his heart burst with happiness as though it suddenly had a life of it's own. A renewed life. Filled with love and hope.

But Odin refused to be swayed, and waved a hand at her dismissively.
"Sentence has been passed. Guards.....take the prisoner away."

Suddenly everything seemed  to move at turbulent hyper-speed, as Loki felt himself being hauled away.
It was surreal, like having an outer-body experience. He resisted but the guards outnumbered him four to one, and for one dreadful moment he thought he may be at risk of passing out.
He felt light-headed, nauseous and frustratingly helpless.
His vision become blurred as the room began to swirl about him. Only the sorrowful sound of Sif's anguished cries kept him anchored to his surroundings.

"Please, Allfather....to send Loki to such a death is cruel-"

"Lady Sif, you have been warned. I strongly urge you to be silent, or else you shall be held in contempt."

"But I-"

"Enough!"

"Do not worry, Sif...."
Loki called out over his shoulder, as he somehow found the strength to regain his composure and ceased struggling.
He had to remain strong for her.
She gazed at him as silent tears slowly streaked their way down her grief-stricken face.

He forced a weak smile, even as tears gathered in his own eyes.
"....I promise you my love, the sun will shine on us again."