Evolution

Chapter 32

Loki was very uncomfortable after having spent the night sleeping on the floor of the cell, though not sleeping very well. He still could not see out the barrier. He heard guards coming down the stairs and positioning themselves nearby. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, wondering if the sounds were indicative of his impending death.

The barrier disappeared and he saw Odin, Brynja and Frigga on either side of him. Both were smiling and he figured that probably meant he wasn't going to die yet, "So have you decided my fate yet, Allfather?"

Odin nodded, "Yes, actually, I have...at least for the present. Your freedom will be provisional. So long as you do not begin to act against this realm or any other, you will be allowed to live freely here. Bel's testimonly convinced me that you have been, against all my expectations, an honourable man since you left this city for Jotunheim. As you live here, Brynja will, though, be listening for acts of treason. She has agreed to help intervene if it seems as though you are planning an uprising or takeover. Other than this, however, there are no conditions on your release, though you may find yourself heavily watched. I do not yet trust you. I do not yet know who you have become. Prove you are worthy and I will watch less closely. If there is something in you that makes my only daughter find your life worth saving, I am willing to trust her to find out just what that is."

Loki stood, "This is real, isn't it?" He stepped down in front of Odin and dropped to a knee, "Thank you, Allfather."

Odin extended his hand and helped Loki stand, "I only hope you will give me the chance to get to know the Loki Bel speaks so highly of instead of the Loki who stole my throne."

Loki nodded and shook his hand as Frigga stepped forward and embraced him, "My wayward son."

"Thank you, Mother, for whatever role you have played in this."

Frigga nodded and stepped aside, allowing Brynja to step into his arms, "Loki, my darling..." Her words trailed off.

He sighed, "Bryn, you know I... You're..."

"No, not anymore. Father released Fandral and I from our marriage. I'm free," she said. Loki held her even more tightly, nuzzling his face to her hair, unable to respond in any other way.

Frigga gently interrupted, "Now, let's show you to your chambers, shall we? I've picked a room I think you will both like."

Loki released Brynja as they followed Frigga from the dungeon. Both were smiling as they walked through the halls, stealing glances while holding hands, a vast contrast to the anxiety that had accompanied their previous walk over a decade prior. As before, people stared. Brynja the princess, Loki the traitor, hand in hand, following the queen through the halls.

They turned down one of the outer hallways and Brynja smiled, "I've always loved this side of the palace- the rooms are glorious, the light in them bright every morning, moonrise just outside the windows at night."

Frigga stopped at one of the doors and opened it, "Then you will be quite pleased with the room I have chosen."

They followed her in and Brynja gasped in wonder, the smile never leaving Loki's face. The walls were draped in red and gold silks, brocades, and tapestries just as her illusion had been in Loki's cell. There were two adjoining rooms, one of them a large bathroom, the walls tiled in yellow and orange, fabric draping the walls farthest from water. The second room was draped in greens and blues trimmed in silver, a small bathroom in one corner and its own entryway beside the bathroom. Across from the entrance into the main room was a wall of tall arched windows, steps leading up to them and a large balcony outside. The sun streaming into the rooms made the gold and silver in the fabrics glow and shimmer. Their belongings from Jotunheim had already been stacked along one wall.