Maternal Bonds

The moment they arrived within the elven vessel, both Loki and his Mother were immediately confined. With their forces steadily being destroyed, Malekith and his people were forced to flee Asgard in order to regroup and the disgraced prince knew that they're put-off interrogation would come in only a matter of time. The legends of the Dark Elves relayed them to be a race that was hardly committed to keeping prisoners. They would come soon, he knew, and they would bring their rage with them.

Loki had placed himself by the wall where he knew the door to be only hours before. After clamping him in magical restraints and shoving him after his Mother, the passage had all but melded into the wall, leaving not even a crack to escape from. And while the air was stale, Loki was simply glad that the blockage had not taken their supply of oxygen with it.

He traced the unseen opening with nimble fingers, blatantly avoiding any confrontation with the woman who watched his back from the floor, her own wrists restrained like that of her son's. She would have heard and analyzed his words before their captivity. She had seen his reaction to the spilling of her blood and she knew, she knew that there was more to his burned heart then he let on. No doubt she would start digging through him to find the missing piece that was to be found, the part of the story that changed him so.

His emerald eyes slid shut. She could never know, none of them could lest they become distraught and look at him knowing how he had failed so devastatingly. How he had sullied his already tarnished name in ways no prince ever should.

"Speak to me."

Loki's head twitched back toward her, but he did not look at her directly.

"Something goes on within you, Loki." Frigga's gentle voice coaxed the darkness of their cell. "I will not leave you to suffer it alone. Not while I am here."

Loki turned, hands falling to his sides as his gaze was cast upon the sightless ground.

"There is nothing I desire to share with you." He let out a heavy breath through his nose, looking to the ceiling, determined not to see her face. "Your sentiment is misplaced."

There was the rustling of fabric as the Queen rose from the floor, stepping to cover the space between them. Her shoed feet made a comforting clack over the marble ground and when she came to stop before him a wisp of flourishing roses caressed his senses. It was a scent he had known even as a child, cradled to her bosom after running to her for comfort or love. How he craved to be held in those arms once again, untouched and naive to the cruelties of the harsh world.

Her hand came to rest on his cheek and Loki nearly flinched at the soft contact, lost in his mind.

"I know my son, Loki, do not try to hide yourself in the safety of your crude shell." Frigga's voice was tense, but true. "You have said I not your Mother, but your own actions contradict you. It was I who coddled you as a babe, little one, and you must know that your name is imprinted forever on my heart."

Loki's hand came slowly up to hers, pausing over her skin. It hovered there, unsure. He knew that what she said was truth, but he could not allow it. Already he had displayed too much to her. He had to cut the string before the knot was tied. No amount of love could justify what he would bring upon her if he enlightened her. Never did he wish for disgust to be directed upon him from the one person he held more precious than his own life.

Carefully, he clasped her hand in his, met her eyes evenly, and pulled it from his face with a cruel gentleness.

"Do not waste your affections on one such as me, Your Highness." He brought her hand to his lips and delivered a formal kiss to her unblemished skin. "I could not let the wife of my captor die within my presence. We both know my death would have been long and filled with agony had I not intervened when possible. Do not think it an emotional attachment between us."

"You deny your own actions?"

Loki smiled at her.

"I deny what you believe to have read and analyzed in my actions, dear Lady. You dig too deep and yet there is nothing for you to find."

The Queen straightened, not giving him any leeway in his implied words.

"The boy I raised, Loki." She stated. "He lies within you and I will find him."

The young man sighed, the tone of his exhaling breath pouring out a bitter sound. He looked at the woman before him, the one he had considered solitude his entire life.

"He is dead." Loki spit out emotionlessly. "Gone. Fallen into an abyss with no way of returning. You would have better luck looking to your golden son rather than digging for the silver outcast. He was always the more precious of the two."

"Not to me, never to me, Loki. You were both equal pieces of my heart, always."

"Always?" The dark prince demanded. "Always equal? Even before you were forced to take me in? When there was only Thor?"

The Queen did not hesitate in replying to the questioning of her affection and answered him truly.

"Even after Thor's birth I felt an empty spot in me, a desolate place that lacked the ability to make me feel complete. I could have no more children, I could not fill the desire to give life as any mother would and I was destroyed." She paused, eyes closing as if remembering something. "When you were brought to me, you made me whole and you made me see that though I could have no more children of my own, you had no family to call yours. I knew I had to try for you and for myself. I wanted to give you everything a mother could."

He stared hard at her for a few intense moments, soaking in the raw feeling her expression told of. Her words struck him deep and hurt him physically. Had he been so ungrateful of her in his younger years? Why had he accepted her motherly ways without question, yet had truly yearned for Odin's attention, the man who never paid him mind and had cast him away without a second thought. Why had he sought to be like his arrogant brother whose friends mocked and laughed at him? Why had he looked for his own friends, only to be scorned for his efforts? Why had he looked to others when his dearest and truest friend had always been her? He had asked himself these questions over and over, only to feel more depressed and bitter. Her blooming love was a sword in his heart and he couldn't allow it to affect him, who deserved nothing of her kindness.

He tore his gaze away from hers, determined not to reveal himself again.

"It seems that your efforts were not enough, Allmother. The beast you see before you is all that came of your toils."

His mother frowned, her orbs earnest.

"That is not-"

"I do not wish to speak of it anymore!" Loki snapped at her, snarling slighting with the words to define his point.

Frigga's lips thinned and her eyes sparked flames that came from the maternal instinct all mothers hold. However, she did not reply to his words, obviously taking the hurt and sorrow quietly. She only stood there, hands clasping the sides of her skirts and her head downcast and in Loki's eyes, she was as beautiful as ever, even in her anger and frustration that she contained. Even in the dull darkness of their prison, she lit his world like so many times in the past, being the star of his days and the center of his heart, but so, so looked over.

The present was a vicious monster and Loki understood that the past was written and would not be repeated. Now she was the just Queen of Asgard, not his mother or comforter, and he was nothing but a convicted criminal, trapped with her in the captivity of elves until they were rescued and then he would be returned to finish his life-sentence in prison.

The relationship of mother and son was gone now, and no matter how desperately either of them wished it back, it would remain shattered with no hope of being fixed.

"What do they want from you?" Loki asked in a collected tone, breaking the silence between them. "What is it that causes a supposedly extinct race to reappear so suddenly? What has Asgard, which could call Malekith's presence once again and induce the kidnapping of her Allmother?"

The Queen's shoulders slumped, the tension draining from her form as she looked upon her adoptive child through watery eyes.

"Jane…." Her voice trailed off as she regained her composure. However before she could continue Loki's face scowled and he cut her off.

"Thor's human?" He bit out, making his disgust known. "What has she to do with any of this?"

Frigga adapted a scolding look and her cool eyes berated her youngest for speaking in such a manner. Not that Loki felt any remorse for the words, or how they were spoken so carelessly. He had only seen the girl, this Jane, through the vision of the Destroyer and he had been repelled by the sight of her. She, the woman who took the credit for changing his brother and teaching him a lesson in the art of peace. She had stolen the products of his deeds and had named them her own, leaving Loki's involvement to be seen as villainous and wicked. The plan he had set to instruct his brother had worked, but the credit was once again slipped from his fingers by ignorance and stupidity.

Let the elves take her, for all I care. He thought angrily of the young woman. There are plenty of other women Thor could swoon and wed. He'd get over it in time.

"She uncovered something that should have been destroyed long ago." Frigga continued gravely. "Her body is holds the Aether, Loki. If it is not released from her soon….she will die."
Loki's eyes widened, his mouth dropping slack as he gaped at her. He had to admit, he had not expected that kind of news when it came to the mortal. The image of Thor being an oaf while visiting her and causing this mess came to mind first. He had had not idea to consider Jane the main factor of Asgard's destruction and his Mother's captivity.

"The Aether?" He shook his head, disbelieving. "That is not possible. Bor…he had it broke, demolished. How could a lowly human find that which is no longer?"

The Queen sighed, clasping her hands before her, her dress rippling with the movement.

"It seems that it was not as broken as we believed. Jane discovered it by accident, through a portal that should not have been easily discovered." Her face hardened. "Bor was an outrageous fool not to be rid of it when he had the chance. He held the power to do so."

Loki's brow creased in slight amusement, a small smile creeping onto his face as he listened to his Mother's condemning tone. Had Bor still lived, no doubt she would have given him a vast piece of her mind. The image was a curious one to behold.

"You would call your husband's father and your former King a fool?" He cocked his head to the side, the grin widening. "What happened to believing that such people have their purposes for doing such things?"

"He most likely did have a purpose."

Loki grinned.

"But to call one a fool?"

Frigga pursed her lips in a displeased manner at the tease.

"Even a King can be a fool at times." She stated sternly, her eyes boring into his with something that could only be described as rage.

Loki recoiled mentally at the sight, his brain making calculations.

The amusement he held vanished suddenly with her words and instead there settled a crude understanding. His hands clenched into fists and he turned briskly once more to the wall, his back all his Mother could see of him.

"I see."

The words were clipped cleanly as they left his mouth and he once again began to trace his fingers over the surface before him. Behind him, Frigga was staring at her boy, wondering what had turned his mood so flippantly.

"Loki?"

The dark prince made no response, firmly acting as though he may have found an escape route for them and putting all of his attention there. He ignored her, letting an impassive mask fall over him as she rounded to his side, concern glistening in her eyes. The rage was gone now, but the echo of her words and the look in her eyes remained planted in his mind.

"Loki…." She rested a hand over his moving digits, once more making contact with him in a maternal way. "What is wrong?"

He ground his teeth but did not look at her.

"Am I truly such a mistake?" He hissed out bitterly, though his reason was telling him to backpedal, that he could not make it seem like he wanted her love. "Was he a fool to take me? You say he had purpose for me, but you also say that Kings can have foolish purposes. Do you…am…am I one of those? Was my birth right truly to die?"

Frigga adapted an expression of pure shock as she listened and quite suddenly wrapped him in her arms and pulled him close. He made no resistance to the action, letting him be drawn near to her limply and rested his head against her shoulder. He closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of being held by her once again. He knew he was wrong for leading her on again, making her believe that their bond could be saved, but…a few moments would hurt nothing, right?

"Did Odin tell you this?" The Queen questioned, her heart pounding.

Loki made no comment, and she knew that it had been so. She brushed her fingers through the dark locks over her son's head, lamenting at the cruelty he'd been shown. He didn't stop her, though his duty was screaming at him now. For her safety, he could not allow this...!

"Odin was a fool when it came to you Loki, but not in the manner you think. He was a fool in his treatment of you and he should have been more kind. But the day he put you in my arms…" She moved her hands to Loki's face and held it between her hands, their foreheads touching. "The day he placed you in my arms was the day he did his most glorious action. I have loved you since that day and every day since. Thor is my child of flesh and blood, but you are the child of my heart. You and your brother are my whole world and I would crumble without either of you. Remember what I just said moments ago? You both make me whole and nothing can change that."

Loki kept his silence as she placed a kiss over his brow. She would not stop trying to make him open up, regardless of his avoidances. And he, even with the knowledge of why he had to push her away, was pained at the idea. He knew it, knew it was necessary, yet he could find no strength to do so.

"I…" Loki stopped, eyes snapping towards the hidden entrance in alarm.

Cracks that had been magically welded shut suddenly reappeared and bustling noises were coming from the other side of the passage. The elves were there and they were opening the door.

Without a second thought, Loki had an arm around a wide-eyed Frigga and was pulling her back from the wall. He pushed her behind him in a protective instinct as the passage was opened and a dim light poured into the cell. He felt his Mother's hand grip at the back of his shirt, whether to confirm to him her presence or from fear he did not know but it was reluctantly comforting and he was grateful.

Loki squinted at the new addition of light, watching as the form of Malekith and four other elves enter the chamber. He tensed as his vision adjusted, waiting for whatever they were to do. The silhouettes stepped over the passage and halted there, the frightening eyes of their leader boring into the prisoners.

"Where is the human?" Malekith demanded, cutting straight to the point with his attention entirely focused on Frigga.

Loki felt a gentle tug on his shirt as he mother calmly stepped more into their captor's sight from behind her younger son. He wanted to conceal her completely, hide her from the horrors of being under another's mercy, but her action displayed her fearlessness of the elves and if made Loki feel ashamed. It wasn't that he was afraid of Malekith, he had faced far crueler beings then he, but he had once been held imprisoned long enough to understand that one did not provoke those above them too much. At least not if you didn't want to be hurt.

Bravery, defiance, determination…they were all things that more often than not, riled the ones who had the power to make life miserable for a captive. He knew this from a horrible firsthand experience, but how was to make his Mother understand this?
Frigga's move, though flushing with all the might and boldness of a Queen of Asgard, would not please the elves. The last thing Loki wanted was to be left in the darkness of this cell, tearfully holding his not-Mother's corpse in his arms and wondering what Odin would do to him.
Regardless, she had made her move and Loki knew that there was no drawing back from the situation now, or ever for that fact.

"She is within the safety of my eldest son. You cannot hope to find her."

Asgard's Queen stood tall, his sharp chin raised royally as she stared down the creatures who had taken her and her son. Even in a bloodied blue dress and her hair slightly messed, she was regal to Loki. No doubt the elves saw this as well, but they were not a race to be easily swayed by the fierceness of a female rebel from another race.

"The Aether will be returned to us, your world will be returned to darkness and my kin and I will no longer suffer your parasite kind to linger." The unmasked elf to Malekith's right was the one who had spoken. "You had no right to take what was ours and we will have it returned to us."

"You killed your own people to ensure your own survival and yet you name us the parasites?" Loki scoffed at the elf, pulling the attention towards him. "Clearly you are confused in the mind. Only the humans imitate your destructive nature in such a manner."

The elf bristled openly at the words and opened his mouth to counterattack them before Malekith's hand rose to signal his silence. Smug, Loki watched as the elf shut his mouth and glared with icy blue eyes at the prince. It was not hard to see that he was young for his race, foolish and tactless. He was easy prey and practically blind in heavy matters like the one at hand.

Malekith leveled Loki with a glare.

"Your tongue suits you ill here, Liesmith." His tone remained ever impassive. "Do not make it necessary for us to cut it out."

"My son shall not be harmed in any manner, Malekith." Frigga spoke fervently. "Not if you ever wish to gain the location of the girl."

The elf turned to her, staring.

"You seemed to have it confused, Allmother." He signaled to the elves behind him with the wave of a hand. "I know you would never relay to me the information willingly, now or ever."
The elves moved forward and Loki's heart spurred in terror at the idea of them dragging his Mother away for torment. His pulse quickened erratically and he once again pulled the Queen behind him, concealing her completely from view.

They grabbed him by the arms with their frosty hands and began to pull him away from Frigga, who cried out against the action. He fought against them, not willing to let them hurt the Queen. They disregarded his struggles though, two of the creatures twisting his arms behind him on either side and yanking him away from his Mother.

"You would never give the location, Lady Frigga." Malekith continued tonelessly, watching as Loki thrashed. "Not through pain or desperation of any kind for you own sake."

He slowly turned his head to face the Queen, her complexion going completely white as she realized what he meant. Anguish sprang to her eyes and she drove forward, only to be held back easily by the two remaining elves.

"You will not touch him!" She shouted angrily, scratching and fighting the elves like a feral feline. "You will not!"

Loki looked to Malekith at his words, mouth slightly agape with shock as he was pulled bodily from the chamber, his mother crying out in rage and yelling his name. He battled to be with her, to ease her worries of what was to come but it was no use. He was dragged out of the cell with the echoes of Frigga's anger rattling his ears.

He wanted to let him know everything would be okay and not to fear for him.

But how could he tell her that when he already feared for himself?

Notes