Chapter Eight

"This is such a bad idea," Nel murmured to herself as she continued to walk towards the prison.

"What is a bad idea my child?" Odin's voice came making her jump.

"All Father!" she exclaimed as she spun to face him. She quickly dropped into a curtsy.

"There is no need for that. Come. I will walk with you to the prison. We can talk along the way," Odin smiled.

"How did you know?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"I have known you most of your life child. I can figure out with a glance. But enough of that, we need to have a conversation," Odin said swiftly.

"Yes All Father," she responded with a bow of her head.

"You stayed on Midguard after you completed your mission," he said matter of fact as he began walking forward.

"Yes," she responded as she fell into step slightly behind him.

"Thor told me that he made the decision for you and told you to stay behind and be happy," he continued.

"He did."

"He told me of your Midguardian and how he is an honorable man."

"He is."

"I just have one question for you my child," Odin said as he stopped in front of the prison.

"Yes?" she asked looking down at her feet.

"Does he make you happy and make you feel loved?" Odin asked as he gently lifted her face so that her eyes would meet his.

"He does. Very much so," she responded with a smile.

"He may not have been the match I chose for you. Nor is he one of my sons, but I can only wish you happiness. You have this new light around you, and it is wonderful to see you shine. If that ever changes, I will step in," he smiled at her.

"I could not have said it better myself," Frigga's voice came from behind her. Nel spun around and smiled at her. "I grew tired of waiting for you to come find me. While Thor is showing Jane around, I wanted to find you," Frigga said as she crossed and pulled Nel into a hug.

"It is wonderful to see you my queen," Nel smiled as she returned the hug.

"Oh, please call me Frigga, or Mother as you once did. Now let me look at you my dear child," Frigga said she as she held Nel as arm's length and looked her over. "You look so well and happy. I have not seen you so in quite a long time."

"Thank you, Mother."

"I must be off. I have things to attend to. Find me once you are done. We can discuss this love of yours that has made you positively glow," Frigga said as she placed her hand on Nel's face. "I love you, my child."

"I love you too Mother."

"My king," Frigga said with a bow of her head.

"My queen," Odin responded with a smile and Frigga walked back towards the castle.

"I will allow you access to speak to him. But Lithoniel, be careful. He may be in a cage, but he is still Loki," Odin said as he nodded to a nearby guard.

"Yes, All Father," Nel responded with a bow of her head.

"Take Princess Lithoniel to see Loki. Stay nearby. She should need only call out for you to return to her side and remove her from the prison," Odin stated to the guard. The guard bowed his head in return before he started to walk towards the prison door. "Be careful child!"

"I will," Nel responded before following the guard.

"You may speak. You need not keep silent," Nel said after a few moments of awkward silence.

"It is not my place, princess," the guard responded as he continued to lead her down the steps.

"It may not be your place, but I can tell something troubles your mind," she responded calmly.

"Forgive me princess. We all saw how the prince treated you during your marriage and wished we could do something to protect you. The All Father has allowed no one down here to see the prince since he was sentenced, including the queen. How is that you return, and he instantly grants you access?"

"There is nothing to forgive. It is true, Loki and I do have a complicated past. I am not down here for myself nor am I seeking any kind of vengeance nor closure. I am down here to help my brother and that is all. I want nothing from Loki for myself."

"Apologies Princess. I did not mean to overstep."

"It is alright. I bid you speak."

"Prince Loki's cell is there. I will be right here should you need me," the guard bowed before standing at the base of the steps.

"Thank you," Nel smiled back before crossing to Loki's cell.

"You are not someone I thought I would see ever again, let alone on Asgard. Where is your mortal? I am surprised he let you out of his sight," Loki greeted blankly as he laid on his bed.

"Hello Loki," she greeted ignoring his comment.

"Did he leave you? Or did you leave him?" he asked glancing over at her.

"Steve is fine. I am not here for that," she sighed as she took in his cell around him. He had been granted some luxuries not granted to other prisoners and she was certain it was Frigga's mothering that had gifted those luxuries to him.

"You are not here to discuss how you broke our vows to each other?" he asked as he sat up.

"I never broke our vows to each other. Even after you took many mistresses," she responded calmly.

"Why are you here?" he asked as he stood and crossed to her. "Elsker."

"Do not Loki," she whispered.

"Why?" he asked as he hovered his hand near the shield.

"I am here to ask you a question," she said straightening her spine and stepping closer to his cell. "What do you know of the Aether?"

"I know the same as you. We both had access to the same books our whole life. Why would I know anything different then you?" he frowned at her.

"Loki, you studied darker things then I. You know I focused on healing while you studied all you could about magic. Now, I ask again, what do you know of the Aether?" she gritted through her teeth.

"It was hidden by Odin's father. After that no one has seen it nor heard a whisper of it. Anything involving it has been stricken from most books. Even the books on dark magic," Loki responded.

"That is all you know?" she asked looking him in his eyes.

"Perhaps. Now answer me this. Why are you so interested in the Aether? What have you heard?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I have heard nothing. Call it an intrigue," she responded quickly.

"You are a terrible liar my elsker," he whispered before walking backwards away from her. "If you do not answer me honestly, why should I answer you honestly?"

"Loki, there are lives at stake," she said sternly.

"There are always lives at stake," he responded as he returned to his bed and began throwing a cup in the air. Nel sighed before sitting outside his cell and leaning against one of the posts.

"What are you doing?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"Waiting for you to have a conscious," she bit back.

"You will be there for a while then. You might want the guards to bring you a bed," he smirked.

"We don't have time for this," she mumbled to herself.

"Tell me the truth and I will tell you what I know," he said after a few moments of silence.

"It is not my story to tell Loki. I just need your help," she sighed.

"What do I get in return?" he asked.

"You know I cannot give you anything without Odin's permission," she answered calmly.

"That is not completely true."

"What do you want Loki?"

"I want," he started but was distracted by a commotion down the hall and the lights dimming.

"Did you just do that?" Nel asked as she stood up quickly and faced him.

"I did not," he answered as he sat up on the bed. An alarm began to sound, and guards ran down the hall to the other end of the prison. Nel turned to look for her guard to find that he was gone. When she looked back at Loki, he was walking towards the other window of his cell. "Elsker, you need to run out of here and quickly find other guards."

"Loki, I am more than capable of defending myself," she whispered.

"It is not about that. These prisoners will know who you are. You are in grave danger here. You must leave," he whispered back to her. She could hear heavy footsteps approaching along with yelling.

"What about you? If they can get out, then they can get into your cell. It is clear that you are not like the others here Loki. They will know who you are as well," she whispered as she hid herself against the outside cove of his cell.

"For once can you just do as you are told?" he sneered at her as the footsteps grew louder. "Hide and do now make a sound, do not even breath. My idiot brother should be here soon. He will see you to safety." Loki moved back to the other side of his cell and carefully paced the length of it while watching the outside. Nel pressed herself into the shadows of the cove by the outside wall of his cell and watched the scene playing before her while scolding herself for not bringing her dagger with her. She glanced at Loki and held her breath as she watched a creature walk up to his cell. The creature looked him over before walking away and heading towards the stairs. She thought she heard Loki say something, but it was hard to hear over the pounding in her ears from holding her breath.

"Breath my elsker, he is gone," Loki whispered softly.

"I don't know if you can tell, but there is still fighting going on and I am unarmed," she whispered back.

"Well then, I shall just sit here and read while we wait for this to end," he sighed as he picked up a book and sat along the other window and began to read.

"Are you honestly reading right now?" she asked.

"What else have I to do dear?" he asked with a bored smirk.

"I cannot believe you," she started to say but someone grabbed her arm and yanked her up.

"What do we have here?" a man asked as he looked her up and down.

"Let me go," Nel sneered as she struggled in his grasp.

"You might want to listen to her," Loki yelled from his cell.

"Oh, you are the princess," the guy smirked. "That will make this all the more fun. You are my ticket out of here."

"I warned you," Loki smirked.

"I am no one's ticket anywhere," Nel sneered before stomping her foot down on his and then bringing her knee up.

"You little witch!" he yelled grabbed her arm and threw her hard against the column.

"I did try to warn you," Loki smirked.

"That was nothing," Nel said as she turned back to face him. "Are you going to leave me alone or shall we continue?"

"Oh, I will take pleasure in hurting you," he sneered as he gripped her face and looked her over again. "Maybe I will enjoy some other spoils as well." Nel saw Loki tense out of the corner of her eye and his grip on his book hardened.

"Worry not Prince. I can handle myself," she smirked, addressing Loki.

"Oh, I am sure you can," Loki smirked.

A loud noise by the stairs drew their attention.

"Thor," she whispered with a smile.

"Return to your cells, and no further harm will come to you. You have my word," Thor declared right before someone snuck up on him and punched him. "Very well, you do not have my word," he added before he began fighting.

Nel took that small distraction as a chance and threw a kick straight into the man's stomach knocking the breath from him.

"Next time, make sure you pick on somebody your own size," she smirked before bringing his face to her knee and knocking him out cold.

"Nel!" Thor's voice came as the chaos died around her.

"I am alright brother," she sighed as he came into her view.

"Your bleeding forehead would say different," he said as he gently examined her face.

"It will heal in no time at all," she smiled as she gently touched the cut on her head.

"I want the healers to look at it," he grimaced. "I think you need to return to Steven on Midgard."

"Thor, Jane is still in trouble," she whispered.

"I will feel better knowing you are out of harms way," he added.

"Alright, I will see the healers and then say goodbye to Frigga and," she started but stopped when above them shook causing dust to trickle down on them.

"What was what?" Thor asked.

"Something is not right. Something feels wrong. This does not add up," she mumbled.

"What is it princess?" Fandral asked as he approached them.

"This was too easy," she answered.

"It was just a prisoner uprising. We had already fought most of the prisoners in other battles. Some were still healing," Volstagg added as he joined them.

"Where is Lady Sif?" she asked as the palace shook again. "I think we may be under attack."

"You think this was a distraction?" Fandral stated.

"Thor, where is Jane?" Nel asked grasping his arm.

"She is with mother. Mother said she would look after her," he answered calmly.

"We need to get to the queen," she stated quickly before running towards the stairs.

"Nelly what are you talking about?" Thor asked running after her.

"The thing that started the outbreak. It approached Loki's cell when I was hiding nearby. Thor, it was a dark elf," she said as she continued to run as fast as she could.

"If the dark elves are here," he started.

"Then they are after the Aether. The prison was a distraction so that they could lower our defenses and go after Jane. I know mother is a fierce warrior, but that elf took out two guards at the same time and destroyed multiple cells with one blow. If he attacks her, he will have the upper hand," she added quickly.

"I will go ahead," he said quickly before flying off.

"Hurry brother," she whispered as she picked up her pace.

As she approached Frigga's chambers, she slowed her pace and focused on her surroundings. She moved through the door and had to catch herself on the wall next to her at the scene before her. Thor stood on the stairs as Odin knelt on the floor holding Frigga in his arms. Nel looked from the floor to Thor who looked at her with question in his eyes. Nel shook her head as tears welled in her eyes. The queen was already gone. There was nothing she could do.

She slowly turned from the scene and took a step out the door.

"Princess Lithoniel," Odin's voice came.

"All Father," she said softly as she turned to face him.

"You will not return to the dungeon and tell him. I will send someone during the funeral later. You will assist with the healing and helping those who are in pain. After we send the Queen and the other fallen off to their afterlife, you will return to Midgard," he said sternly.

"Are you saying you will not allow him to attend his mother's funeral?" Nel gasped as she placed her hand over her heart.

"That is correct," he said sternly.

"Father," Thor said gently.

"Is this a command from my king?" she asked calmly as she stared at him.

"It is," he answered calmy.

"I will see it done then. Please excuse me. All Father, Prince," she said with a curtsy before leaving the room.

She quickly made her way down the hallway and towards the healers' chambers to assist them. She needed to focus on helping everyone she could before she herself broke a part. Frigga had always been like a mother to her. Frigga was the one who noticed her talent for healing and helped encourage that talent to grow into what she had become.

After an unknown number of hours, Thor came and informed her that it was time for her to go get cleaned up. Nel simply nodded at him before heading to her old chambers to wash and get dressed. Everything she did, she did without feeling and without thought. If she allowed herself to feel she would be broken for days, and she did not have that luxury. She needed to be there for her family, even if they did not realize it. She opened her door to find Thor and Jane standing there waiting for her. She took Thor's arm in hers and began to walk them towards the hall.

"I do not agree with him not knowing either," Thor said softly after a few moments.

"The All Father spoke from pain and suffering. I understand that. He lost his love and his Queen. He mourns her but he must also stand firm on Loki's punishment. I wish he would let one of us tell him," she responded quietly.

"I will check upon him later," he added with a gentle squeeze to her arm.

"I just…" she started softly before taking a deep breath. "Never mind. Please pass on my feelings to him. To lose a beloved parent…I just cannot imagine."

"Sister," Thor started coming to a stop and facing her. "Frigga was as much your mother as mine. You may have not been her daughter by blood, but she raised you from a young age and you were her daughter in every meaning of the word. Do not doubt that," he added softly.

"Thank you, brother. Let us go before we are late," she said before she motioned for him to continue.

After what seemed like hours of standing next to Thor emotionless, Frigga and the others had been sent off and joined their rightly place in Valhalla. They all silently walked to the Bifrost. Nel had to fight to keep her emotions in check as they reached the gate.

"All Father, Prince and Princess," Heimdall greeted solemnly.

"Heimdall, please send the princess back and then seal the gate. No one is to leave or enter," Odin said solemnly before turning to Nel. "Stay happy my child. I hope we will see each other again on happier terms." He placed his hand on her cheek before leaving.

"Sister, I shall see you soon," Thor said placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Please stay safe. Jane it was a pleasure to meet you. Hopefully we will see each other soon," Nel said with a sad smile. "Be safe Heimdall," she added before she crossed to the gate, she smiled at Thor and Jane one more time before stepping through.

Before she knew it, she was back on the roof at SHIELD Headquarters in DC. As soon as she caught sight of her surroundings, a sob left her mouth and she fell to the ground crying for the loss of Frigga and the loss of all the souls who died in the attack on Asguard. After what felt like a few moments, strong arms enveloped her, and she instantly knew it was Steve. She curled up in his arms and just let everything out.