Unbroken

Chapter 73

Loki opened his eyes and was met with the cold darkness of jotunhuem. He was right outside his dungeon this time instead of inside it. He took a deep breath, he knew he wasn't really there but it was still creepy to be there in that place again.
"Alright... find Laufey" he told himself. He knew what Laufey did during the day, so he knew where he'd be; he'd be in the throne room. He started to head to the throne room but he was very alert, he checked to make sure he wasn't being followed every few seconds as he walked up the stairs to get to the ground floor of the palace. Loki's dungeon was deep under the surface of the realm, so he had to go up several flights of stairs before he could reach the level where the throne room was.
He was able to sneak through the stairs and halls without being seen, and he was now right outside the throne room. He got low so he wouldn't be seen and looked around the corner, he barely saw anything but he was able to see that Laufey was sitting there on the throne and he was talking to someone. Loki ducked back behind the corner and stayed close the the wall, he wanted to hear Laufey but he didn't want Laufey to see him.
Loki was more focused on getting into a position where he wouldn't be seen that he wasn't paying attention to the conversation Laufey was having. Until Laufey shouted.
" there's nothing else to discuss!" Loki jumped when he heard Laufey, but then he stayed perfectly still so he could hear.
"Laufey please calm down" Ilkay said, sounding pretty calm even though Laufey was obviously angry. Though, she doesn't have any reason to be afraid, she's not loki.
"I will not calm down. They're past the point of no return, even if I wanted to, I couldn't bring them back. So why are you now telling me you think this is a poor strategy?!" Laufey bellowed. Loki was surprised, Laufey never shouted at Ilkay like that, even when he was angry, but Loki's confusion was cleared up when he heard someone else replying.
"Sir I don't doubt you" a third voice said, who must've been the one Laufey was shouting at. "But infiltrating Asgard won't be easy, and you didn't send very many men" he said. So Laufey already sent soldiers to Asgard, but how? Laufey doesn't have a bifrost, and Odin took the casket. Odin even told loki that there wasn't any way for the frost giants to travel, so how did they work around that?
"I already told you, they're past the point of no return. Besides, this first attack is for show more than anything. If the boy refuses to return then we'll send in the real army." Laufey said back, still angry but not shouting.
"Loki won't return Laufey" Ilkay said. There was a moment of heavy silence, like someone had just committed a terrible offense and was awaiting their judgment.
"Don't use that name" Laufey finally said in a low growl. Loki knew that voice all too well. It was the deep quiet anger that was the most terrifying, like the calm before the storm.
"It's his name" Ilkay said back.
"He doesn't have a name!" Laufey shouted at her.
"They gave him a name" Ilkay retorted, her voice raised as well. "Whether we like it or not, they gave him identity, and if they care enough about him to do that, then I doubt they'll let him return here. Even if he wanted to" she said definitively. Loki thought it was amazingly disgusting that she considered naming someone to be some great act of love.
Loki decided that he'd heard enough, he knew Laufey was sending men, he knew they were on their way and would probably be to Asgard soon. He didn't need to stay any longer.
He stood up, about to leave, but when he turned around his heart nearly jumped out of his chest, standing in front of him were three of Laufey's guards. They all had their weapons raised, ready to kill him. Loki reminded himself that he wasn't really there, which gave him an idea..
"How did you get here?" One of the guards asked. Loki acted scared, he put his hands up defensively and backed into the wall.
"I just- I was sent here by Odin" he said in a fearful tone. He was wondering why they weren't hurting him though, normally if he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to, the guards had their own share of fun before turning him in to Laufey.
"To do what? Were you listening? Spying?" The guard asked.
"Yes" Loki said. He wasn't sent by Odin so he wasn't betraying anyone's trust, and he figured if he answered their questions it would help with his plan.
"Move. You're going to see Laufey now" the guard said, taking a step closer in a threatening way.
"Why- why haven't you hurt me?" Loki asked. It was a stupid question that he definitely would've asked a few years ago if this was happening. Surprisingly, the guard grinned.
"Laufey wants to be the first person to hurt you" the guard said, then his face went back to being unamused. "Now move!" He shouted. Loki stayed where he was, but the guard moved forward to grab him and Loki scrambled away from the wall, stumbling into the throne room. If they touched him then it wouldn't work.
Laufey saw Loki fumble into the room and stood up from the throne.
"We found this lurking around outside. Apparently Odin sent him in as a spy" the guard said. Laufey got up and walked toward Loki, Loki swallowed hard and tried to back away, but the guards were there. He didn't have anywhere to go. Perfect. Laufey had a sinister grin on his face as he approached Loki. Loki remembered his nervous habits, so he replicated them; he wrung his hands and glanced around nervously, but he never actually looked up at Laufey, and he slouched this shoulders forward to cower.
"Get on your knees" Laufey ordered. Loki stayed standing. "Get on your knees!" Laufey shouted again. Loki jumped a little bit and knelt down like Laufey instructed.
"It was a big mistake coming back here boy. And you're going to suffer for everything you done" Laufey said, then looked to the guards "take him to the lower dungeon" the guards eagerly moved forward to grab Loki but Loki had to stop them from grabbing him.
"Wait- wait please" Loki said in a begging way, pulling back from the guards. Laufey held up a hand and the guards stopped.
"What? You want to beg for your life? Nothing you say will stop me from peeling the skin off your bones" laufey told him.
"I- I know I just- just call off the war. Please. I'm here now, you got what you want, you don't need to hurt anyone else" Loki pleaded. A look of amusement came over Laufey's face.
"So, you're begging for their lives. They send you in here to get captured and now you're begging me to spare them. Don't waste your breath, my men will be to Asgard by morning and the war will start." Laufey said.
"You- you can call them off you can-" Laufey didn't let Loki speak.
"They're too far. The portal is on the other side of Jotunhiem, it's taken them days to get there but they should be near it now. They'll be on Asgard by morning" laufey told him.
"The portal? What portal?" Loki asked. Finally, something useful.
"There are portals on every realm, connecting them all to each other. We were able to find them" Laufey said.
"And where does the portal open up to on Asgard?" Loki asked. Laufeys guard was down so he didn't think about what he was saying.
"It opens up at the edge of the realm, unfortunately, so Asgard might have a little bit of time, but not much" laufey said. Then seemed to realize that he was answering Lokis questions rather than beating him.
"You've wasted my time boy, and you will be punished" Laufey said, then grabbed a sword from one of the guards. The sword had a jagged blade that would be equally painful coming out as it would be going in. A sadistic smile came over Laufey's face. Then he pulled the sword back and stabbed loki in the stomach. But the sword went right through Loki. In half a second Laufey's face shifted from dark pleasure to confused anger. Loki dropped his act of being afraid and looked up at Laufey, a mischievous smirk playing on his face.
"What is this?!" Laufey bellowed as he swung the sword at Loki again, trying to kill him now. But the sword continued to do absolutely nothing, and simply passed through Loki.
"Seeing Your face when you found out  made it worth coming" Loki said as he stood up "oh I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that I'm not really here?" He asked mockingly, he was happy to be petty toward Laufey. It felt good.
"That witch has been teaching you her tricks hasn't she?" Laufey asked in a low growl. Loki raised his eyebrows.
"So you knew this was possible but you didn't bother to check and make sure I was real? Come on Laufey, that's just foolish" Loki said back. Laufey was more angry than he'd been when Loki visited him in the healing room.
"You can't know how to do this! This is complicated magic, and a stupid creature like you can't learn this!" Laufey shouted at Loki as he continued to try and beat Loki. But Loki just shrugged.
"Well I might be a stupid creature, but I just outsmarted you" Loki said "I got you to believe that I came back, and I got you to tell me your entire plan" Laufey was fuming, he wanted to wring Lokis neck but Loki wasn't even there "thank you, I'll be sure it inform Odin of the portals and tell him that your army it's on it's way and will arrive by morning. We'll be ready and waiting" Loki said. Laufey yelled in anger and took one more swing at Loki, but Lokis image shimmered away and turned to nothing.
Loki opened his eyes on Asgard and stood up to go tell Odin's all about Laufey's army.