Loki gasped in pain when Odin landed them on the Bifrost, his broken bones and bloody and bruised body jarred from the action, and in his hazy mind he clung to his father. He kept his eyes closed during the teleportation, but he slowly opened them and could see Heimdall’s golden eyes as they glared at him when his father carried him in his arms, away from the golden dome.
He wondered if the gate keeper knew his true identity, but then he saw the knowing look he gave to his King, and his heart sank in his chest. He realised that gate keeper could also see his true self, and all he noticed in those cold eyes was hatred and loathing for the fallen prince. He then realised he would not have an easy time with Heimdall, for he would be there to taunt and torment in all in the name of Odin, his precious King.
Loki’s thoughts were interrupted when he realised Odin had taken him to the healer’s wing of the palace, and he whimpered then shook his head when the insane old man spun a wicked tale of how Grimnir, his personal Royal Einherjar had helped the King defeat many foes at his side. How he had slain the wicked trolls who had tried to ambush them in their quest on Nidavellir.
"No - I - am not - Grimnir - I am Lo-" he tried to speak, he tried to tell the healers who he really was, but then his throat suddenly constricted and his hands moved to his throat to stop the wicked choking. He gasped for air and stared up at Odin with hatred and contempt, for the old man’s words had rang true. Loki was not able to tell anyone who he really was, and as his eyes rolled back in his head, as he nearly fainted from not having any air in his lungs. He heard how his father immediately sent the healers away, then he felt Odin’s hands upon his face and throat, somehow soothing him to stop his pain.
Loki glared up at Odin and whimpered as he sank back against the bed his father had placed him on. He frowned when his father spoke of how he loved him, and called him his son, and shook his head at his words. "No - you do - you do not - love me, Father. For - if you did - you would not - do - this to me. You - would not - disguise - me - to keep your sick and - and twisted lie in - place," he panted out his words and sobbed when his father suddenly used strong magick to further remove his pain. It was replaced by a soothing sensation all over his body, from the top of his head to the bottom of his toes. He could still faintly feel the broken bones and bruises, but it was more a dull ache now.
He breathed a sigh of relief at not feeling all that pain on his broken and bruised body, but whimpered when Odin spoke more lies to him. How he would recover. How he would find the Titan with Loki’s help and how he would return Loki to being a Prince of Asgard again. The biggest lie the old man spoke was when he told him how the council men would seen Loki as their ally again, once they defeated the Titan. He flinched when Odin kissed his forehead and tried to move his head away, but he was just too weak to do anything but shake his head. His eyes though, they showed the insane old man how Loki did not believe a word he was telling him.
"You - Father - are - you are - an even - better - liar than I - could - ever hope - to be," was all Loki could manage to gasp out in reply, and then his body sagged back against the soft mattress on the bed and he glared at Odin with his emerald eyes holding naught but hatred and contempt. "You - will not - give - me - any of - those things. I - do not - believe a - word you speak. If you meant any of those empty words - you would not keep me - with this - fake - visage - of Grimnir - your personal guard. The - council - will never - see me - in a good light. Nor - will you ever - think of me - as your - son. You - have made - certain of that - you old fool. You - have poisoned their - minds. I despise you - and your lies," he retorted, as he stared up at his Father with pain and anguish in his eyes. He knew Odin would keep him there, he knew he would not stop his insane act of Loki being his guard.
Loki closed his eyes when the anguish and pain were too much for him, plus he could not bear to look into his Father’s one good eye any longer. He could not bear to listen to the lies which fell from his lips, he knew in his heart, that Odin did not mean any of them, and he was only trying to keep Loki calm so he would not fight the fate which had befallen him. The fate he was to live out as Grimnir, the King’s personal Royal Einherjar, and a fate he was not sure how long the mad old fool would continue to play out. He closed his eyes and slept for many hours, perhaps even days, and every time he awoke, as his body healed of the wounds Odin had inflicted upon him, the old man returned every time to speak more lies and show him the fake tenderness.
He opened his eyes one such day, when Odin visited him and spoke more empty words. This time he spoke of why he had done this to Loki. Why he had kept him disguised as Grimnir. His wounds had all but healed, the bruises and broken bones now a mere memory to Loki, but he did not trust that one bit. His eyes followed Odin’s movements, and he frowned when the old man placed the flowers on his bedside table. He slowly sat up in his bed and pulled the blankets up over his chest. ”You are but words, Father. How do you expect me to believe anything you say, when I still sit here with this fake facade?” he voiced, for he knew Odin would start up the tortures again, but when he spoke of his Army soon moving in on the Titan, he shook his head slowly, for he had a feeling that would not work out to his favor either, just as nothing ever did when it concerned the AllFather.
"I promise you, Father, you will find him there, in that dark realm. It is easy to locate, for it is just beneath where the branches of Yggdrasil end," Loki voiced, as he stared at the old man with a look of hope in his emerald eyes. Was Odin speaking the truth now to him? Or was this more elaborate words he conjured up to make Loki feel better, and calm. Was this Odin’s way of keeping Loki docile so he would not expect more tortures the old man surely had planned for Loki. This was still a form of torture, Odin being kind to him, albeit it was mental torture, but it was torture all the same, because Loki did not know what would happen next. That scared the raven haired god, just as much as Odin scared him, scared his very being with his presence. So it was, several days later, Loki laid in his healer’s bay bed, still feeling weak and tired from the tortures he had suffered at Odin’s hands.
The healers were bustling around him the first few nights, trying to get Grimnir to eat, but he was not hungry. He did not wish to put anything into his mouth. For he feared it was poisoned and would surely kill him instant. The healers had left him alone for a day or so, possibly even several days, and he was all right with that, for he did not wish them to be around him. He had spent most of his time sleeping and lying awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling, so there was nothing they could do for him.
Once again, the healers still had not returned to look after him, leaving him alone to his own defenses, and he was just starting to fall asleep, but that was not to be. He could see the healers were not there, and knew Odin would have full reign to hurt him again, and make them believe he had taken his personal Royal Einherjar on another quest to a different Realm, to fight for his King. Little did the fools know, Odin only faked that and used it to torture Loki more often when not in their presence.
Loki nearly jumped out of his skin when later that night Odin burst into the healing room shouting his old fool head off. It was then Loki knew the old man had never intended to keep his word on making Loki his ally, or considering him his son and a Prince of Asgard. “What?!” he asked, incredulously, as he sat up abruptly in the bed and leaned against the headboard, the blankets had fallen away from his body, and he shivered in fear as he listened to Odin’s hardened words and saw that look of hatred and contempt in the King’s one good eyes.
"No, Father, I promise you, I was not lying. Thanos should have been there. He had not moved from there, his lair was at the top of a very long rocky staircase, which led into the sky. Please, you must have gone to the wrong realm," he begged, as he folded his arms over his middle, for he knew what was coming next. He knew he would get another beating, and this one would leave him even more crippled and bedridden for possibly a month, maybe longer. He started shaking and whimpering as he stared up at Odin, and tried to plead his case.
"Please, let me help you find him. I know he is there. I will come with you, Father, and I will help you defeat him. Father, please, don’t hurt me again? Have mercy on me, Father?" he begged, and then gasped when he saw Heimdall enter the healing rooms. He could see even more hatred and contempt in the gate keepers eyes and he swallowed hard when he realised his Father was going to leave him alone with the powerful god, and this was how he would punish him. He would allow this beast to beat Loki within an inch of his life, and he feared for that very life for in that second, his face paled and he started shaking violently.
Loki whimpered and sobbed in anguish when Odin spoke his words about Loki refusing his help, for that confused him, as he never said he did not want that help. Odin just never offered it, but in his sick and twisted mind, the old man believed he had. He cried out when Odin flicked his wrist and he was suddenly changed back into his true form, to that of the fallen Prince Loki. He watched Odin walking away and reached out to him, in one final plea. “No, Father, please do not leave me alone now. He will kill me, father. Please, come back. I am sorry, I did not lie to you. Please, let me explain to you. Father, please?!!!” he screamed, and struggled when the gate keeper held him down with his strong hands and pressed so hard on his chest he broke the ribs which had only just healed.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME YOU BEAST!" Loki howled in rage and anger, as he twisted his body away from the gate keeper, and had mistakenly turned his head away from him. He exclaimed and his body shook when he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head from the hilt of the gate keepers sword. His hands flew to the injury and when they came away they were covered in blood, and he cried out in agony. He stared up at Heimdall with his own hatred in his eyes, but then they became cloudy from the head injury and his body swayed, as he scrambled out of the bed to stand up to the elder god. He could hear the gate keeper speaking hateful words to him, how he spoke ill of the AllFather.
"Well, those words are true, the old man is feeble and a fool, full of fake sentiment - but ah!" he started to say, and then cried out again when he felt a dagger being stuck into his right thigh. His hands moved to the wound and he felt it was embedded all the way to the hilt, but what really scared him was the fact that it was one of his own daggers. He knew the dagger was magickally enhanced to give the maximum amount of pain to the person injured with them.
"What have you done, you beast? Oh, that hurts. I despise you!" he cursed out his words, as he crashed down on one knee and before he could even retaliate and attack the gate keeper in his own defense, he cried out again when the elder god spat more words at him, about regretting betraying the King of Asgard, he felt a hard punch to his face, and he fell back onto the hard floor of the healing room. He felt his nose was broken and his mouth bloodied from the hard punch, and he spat out blood on the floor, as he laid there staring up at the elder god with more hatred in his emerald eyes.
Loki lay panting and gasping and sobbing as he listened to Heimdall sprouting the venomous words at him. Goading him about the Casket of Ancient Winters, about not having his magick and called him a pest. That did not bother him, nor did that make him react, what made him growl angrily and made him pull himself up off the floor was when the elder god called him Thor’s concubine and a disgrace to their Mother. How she would be sickened and how her heart would break if she saw the two of them - calling them filthy animals.
"No! You will not speak of Thor and I in that manner! You know nothing of our love. How dare you even ordain to speak of my Mother in that disgusting manner! You are not fit to even be in her presence. You are unworthy to have her as your Queen - you disgusting vermin! I will kill you - you heartless beast! I do not need my magick, I have my fists to defend myself!" He called out in a mad rage„ as he sprang toward Heimdall and punched him as hard as he could in the middle of his face. He felt the bones of his hand break from the hit, especially when they connected hard with the elder god’s nose and his teeth, but he could see the hit was right on target. The skin in his hand tore apart in a large gash, and he fell to one knee when the wound of the dagger made him lose his balance. Then he cried out again when the gate keeper kicked him in his face.
Loki whimpered and held his face in his hands when he crashed to the hard floor of the healing rooms again, his head pounded and his face throbbed from being punched and kicked by the gate keeper. He knew he was a bloody mess again, for he could see it all over his hands, and he could feel it running down his cheeks and chin. The dagger was still inside his thigh, and that too throbbed painfully, as the blood slid down his leg and pulled on the floor around him. He sobbed when he heard Odin enter the room again, and felt the pull of the magick spell as he was once again changed into the fake visage of Grimnir.
He watched with hooded eyes as the mad old man sent the gate keeper away hurriedly, then called in the healers again. Once again lying to them on how he had fought bravely, but was foolish to believe he could follow the old man into battle.Odin made them believe he had gone with Odin and his Army to search out Thanos. “No, no - I was not - oh - I could not…” he whispered heatedly, as his head swam from the pain of his injuries from Heimdall. His words trailed off into a loud moan of pain and he felt the healers moved him into his bed. Maybe they believed Odin had carried him into the healing rooms again, straight from the dark realm where they did not find Thanos at all. Another cleverly thought up lie, which Loki could not even hope to defend himself against.
Loki opened his eyes and saw the fake glint of joy in Odin’s one good eye when the healers once again believed his lies. He glared hatred and murderously at the old fool. He watched him leave the healing rooms and then he gasped as he felt the healers quickly remove the dagger from the wound on his right thigh. He was not even strong enough to cry out anymore, and he only sobbed softly as his body fell back against the mattress of the bed, falling unconscious again.
He knew they would do their best to heal his injuries, but he also knew he would be left a bloody bruised mess. He knew he would sleep for hours, or at least until the next morning, and only hoped Odin would not return to inflict more pain on him. He welcomed the blackness of unconsciousness, as he fell into a deep sleep, whimpering and sobbing in pain from his injuries which had been inflicted upon him by the all powerful Aesir gate keeper Heimdall, the all seeing.
Loki slowly awoke the next morning, with his head pounding where Heimdall had hit him with the hilt of his sword. His face throbbed from the hard punches and kicks the gate keeper had given him, while his right thigh was tinged with small tingles of pain, where his own magickal dagger had been shoved into his skin by the angry gate keeper.
The first thing he noticed was the sun shining brightly into the healing rooms, and he cried out and shaded his eyes from it. Then the next thing he saw, was his beautiful Mother, Frigga, standing over his bed. He knew she would see him not as Loki, but as Grimnir, his heart broke just then, for she would never know it was her own son lying there all bloody and broken and beaten, for if she did, he knew Odin and Heimdall would have Hel to pay for what they had done to him.
He lowered his hand from his eyes and tried to sit up, but only cried out in pain as his body fell back against the mattress again. Tears flowed from his blue eyes, the fake blue eyes Odin had given him when he magickally changed him into Grimnir, as he reached his hand out to her. He sobbed softly as he stared at her, looking so regal and beautiful in his lovely blue gown, and her golden hair flowing past her shoulders. She looked like a blue and gold Asgardian Rose, and was even more prettier than that sacred flower. He noticed she held a lovely purple and red flower in his delicate and petite hands, as he smiled softly at her.
He knew he would not be able to speak to her and call her his Mother, but that did not stop him from trying, as he choked out the first letter. “M-M-M-ooh- M-my Q-Queen. I am - honored by - by - your - presence. Might I - I - ask - what - brings you - here to see - the wounded - and broken - Einherjar of your - husb- oh- the - the King of Asgard?” he breathed out his words in a pained baritone whisper, as tears streamed down his face and his body trembled in the same pain from the injuries. If only she knew where they really came from, and how happy he was to see her, and he wished he could tell her. Then thought maybe he would get the chance to do so, without choking to death from the action.
