Author: @dm1n (Page 25 of 25)

It took Gamora a week to get Loki well enough to stand; neither of them were too enthusiastic at the fact that Thanos wanted him to be brought to his presence as soon as he could walk.
His hands and feet were shackled as he was led into Thanos throne room, his clothing had been replaced with a pair of black trousers and a loose long sleeve white shirt, no footwear had been provided.
-Well, well Loki. Finally we meet.-Thanos addressed him as Loki was forced by the guards to kneel.
-Yes, your majesty-Loki answered as he bowed his head- I would like to thank you for rescuing from the void, and humbly request that you return me to my parents in Asgard. I´m sure they will pay any reward you choose to claim- he knew it was a long shoot but he needed to try, if only Thanos craved for any of Asgard´ s treasures he might be able to escape this nightmare, he didn´t care what Odin would do to punish him, he just wanted to go home.
Thanos evil laugh made him look up as he abandoned his last hope –All I want from Asgard is already here in this room- he replied – Besides I´m pretty sure your parents are glad to be rid of you, disgraced prince.-Loki winced at his words, he might be right he had fallen out of Odin´s grace.
-Oh, but don´t worry little prince, I´ve got a special place for you in my realm. You´ll only have to renounce to Asgard and your family and embrace me as your father. Sworn yourself to me, I require complete obedience and loyalty from you in exchange I will give your more power than you´ve ever dreamed off. I have chosen you to become my son, resistance is futile. I always get what I want.
Loki was shaking as he heard Thanos words, he knew what he meant, and he was going to torture him until he agreed to become his son. He was scared; he knew Thanos would know if he was lying and probably punish him further for it. He was trapped, even if he could convince himself from renouncing to Asgard and his family the thought of calling Thanos father was unbearable. He was an asgardian prince no matter his true origin, he´d rather die than showing weakness before him.
He tried to steady himself as he answered –I´m afraid I can´t do what you ask from me-
Thanos grinned he knew Loki would be hard to break, he had never expected him to accept his offer- Very well then. Let´s teach you how we deal with disobedience, son- He signal the guards to tie Loki to the post that stood near the left side of the throne.
Loki´s eyed widened as he could see dry blood on it, he knew making a scene would only encourage the guards to hurt him even more so he kept walking while every fiber in his body screamed against it.
The guards chained him to the metal ring nailed to the upper side of the post making him raise his arms as he faced the wall. He could hear the sound of a whip being casted into the air, suddenly the whip landed in his back causing him to scream in surprise and pain, he bit his lip trying hard not to scream again as the whip landed again and again, he manage to keep quiet until the twentieth stroke, the next one broke his silence as his screams filled the throne room while the whipping continued. He lost count after the thirtieth stroke and lost consciousness between the fortieth and the fiftieth one.
When he woke up he was again in his chambers, he could feel Gamora nursing his wounds. The change in his breathing alerted Gamora he had awakened.
-You should´ve taken his offer-she merely stated.
-You know I couldn´t-Loki answered as he winced while she cleaned her wounds.
-I know-she sighed-but you should have, it will only get worse. Then as she lowered herself near the edge of the bed in order to see Loki´s eyes she asked –Why don´t you give in? You won´t be able to neither outsmart him nor escape. No one will be able to rescue you, you are alone. Hope is now your greater enemy, it will only cause you more pain.-
He could see distraught in her yes –Why do you care Gamora? It´s useless, I can´t I just can´t- Tears were flooding his eyes despair hurt as much as hope and his heart was full of both.
-Because I once were like you. Thanos is punishing both of us. He wants to remind me there´s no escaping him; why else do you thinks he orders me to tend to you? He wants me to know he can still break me further by taking away anyone I could care about. He did it before with Nebula and now he´s using you to get to me.-
-I´m sorry-Loki suddenly spat as he buried his head in the bed – I only bring pain to the people that care for me, you shouldn´t get attached to me Gamora. I´m not worth it-
Gamora heart broke as Loki uttered the words and started crying too ashamed to look at her.
-Loki, don´t say that- she caressed his hair uncertain of what to say to him. As his sobs quieted she gently turned his head so they were facing each other.-Thanos will keep torturing you until you break, if and when you accept him is your choice alone. He´s not our father no matter what he claims, but if it gives you any comfort I would be proud to call you brother. We are far away from innocent, but not even we deserve this. He will use our sentiments for each other to hurt us; we can’t let him see we care. Loki please, remember that. Don´t let him see you care, he´ll only use it against you-
Loki couldn´t figure Gamora out, she was just a humongous puzzle but she was right he was beginning to feel attached to her, she was his only source of solace, and he could understand why tending to him made her feel responsible for him. Thor had also felt the same for him once. How much he missed his brother now.
-I´ll remember Ga …, sister-Loki answered.
Gamora smiled –Never call me like that in front of Thanos unless you had made your mind-
-I won’t-Loki smiled sadly back at her.

-Father, why did you pull him out of the void?-Nebula asked Thanos- He really doesn´t look like much, I hardly think he will ever make a worthy son someday-contempt filled her voice as she angrily glared at the unconscious figure that lied in the chambers bed.
-Patience daughter – Thanos replied – He has been falling through the void for over a month and a half, the fact that he is still alive makes him an interesting acquisition to our family.-
-I heard he’s one of the strongest mages of Asgard- Gamora added – but he looks too young father, you think he´s strong enough to be at your side?- though her voice mirrored her sisters emotions her eyes pitied him; she knew what awaited him, he would´ve been better dead.
-We´ll just have to wait and see- Thanos replied –Though he´ll have to be broken first, you both know I demand complete obedience and loyalty from my daughters I will demand the same from a son.-
Shivers went through both Gamora and Nebula spines as he utter the words, memories of Thanos breaking them flooded their minds.
-Yes father- they answered at unison as they bowed their heads in obedience.
-As soon as he´s able to walk you will bring him to me. Gamora I leave your new brother under your care – he told her as he left the chambers already grinning with the anticipation of the tortures he would submit Loki to.
-Yes, father- Gamora replied as he watched him leave, then he turned her eyes to Loki, he was emaciated, his eyes sunken, the signs of famish all over him. She sighed, she would have to get him healthy as soon as possible, Thanos wasn´t patient at all.
-I guess you got the worst part of the deal sister-Nebula said to Gamora pity on her voice.
Gamora turned to see her and replied with a smile –You and I both know sister that it´s Loki who´s getting the worst part, have you forgotten father´s breakings?-
-No, I haven´t- Nebula said as she looked away feeling uncomfortable with her sisters comment as she unconsciously nursed her arms. -I´ll leave you to your duties then.-she added as she left the chamber.
Gamora knew why Thanos had entrusted Loki to her care; he wanted to bid them both in obedience to him as he once did with Nebula. No matter how much she hated him, she always had to reconsider her stand due to her sister wellbeing and now he was going to do it again. It was impossible not to care for them as she was forced to heal their wounds only to send them back to him so he could torture them some more.
She looked at Loki as she caressed his hair, she felt so much pity for him, Thanos was going to torture him mercilessly until he bowed only to him as she had done with Nebula ans herself. She wished for him to broke fast and spare himself some suffering, but she knew that even under such pain spirits weren´t easy to break.
-Mother?-Loki mumbled as he regained consciousness under Gamora´ s soft touch.
-No, I´m afraid you aren’t in Asgard anymore-she repplied, there was no point in sugar covering the truth of his current position.
Loki´s heart skip a bit as he heard her response, his instincts kicked in suddenly as he felt threatened by the unfamiliar surroundings and voice, he tried to get out of the bed he was lying in. He hadn´t taken under consideration neither the weak state of his body nor had noticed the shackle wrapped around his left ankle that chained him into the bed while also binding his magic.
As he felt into the floor with a hard clash he became aware of both. As he got over the initial surprise he asked the green skinned woman standing beside him- Where am i? Who are you? What do you want from me?-
-Well, I think we´d better get you off the floor before I answer to your questions, can you get up?-Gamora asked.
Loki tried in vain to get his legs to answer to him, he´d been too long in the void –No- he answered as he shook his head both in frustration and shame.
Gamora sighed-I´ll get you up then- she scooped him up and placed him back in the bed. “Shit, he´s too skinny, he must have lost most of his normal weight” she thought to herself. –Now, let me explain your current situation-
AS she told Loki where he was, who was her and what Thanos intentions towards him were Loki´s heart sank with fear as he became aware he had jumped into the fire, again he had miscalculated.

“I miscalculated; I should be dead but I´m still here. I´ve condemned myself to the void, to the non-existence. I should’ve plunged Gungir into my heart instead, at least that way the pain would be gone by now. I´m sorry. I was desperate. I miscalculated.”
Regrets turmoil in his mind as Loki kept falling, sometimes he wished he could find his way back to Asgard to his family and beg for their forgiveness, other times he wished Thor has killed him in combat.
There was no way to keep track of time or distance in the void, the silence, the darkness, Loki has no way of knowing how long has he been falling, he felt weary, his mind becoming numb as time passed by, memories of happier days haunted him as much as the events preceding his fall. Nightmares assaulted him even when he was awake, he had condemned himself to a far worst punishment Odin could´ve though for him. And he started to think he deserved it.
He cried for his mother until his voice failed him, he knew it was futile no one would be able to hear or see him, but that didn´t stop the ache in his heart.
-Heimdall, please. I´m here please, please see me.- he whispered as he shed his last tears. He was too weak, he hadn´t eaten or drank anything for what he guesses were at least three weeks. He started drifting in and out of consciousness as his strength abandoned him.
In one of those rare lucid moments he felt a presence reaching out for him, desperately he pulled all of what was left of his magic and cling to it, anywhere will be better than the void was his last thought before he lost consciousness.
Sadly he miscalculated again.