Guardian (Loki x Original Character)

Chapter 15. Dungeons and a Trickster

Astrid was standing with Frigga during Loki's trial. She wanted to be able to see Loki without his mother helping her get into the dungeon just to speak with Loki in his cell. As Loki walked in, he looked over to Frigga and then to Astrid, and back to his mother.

"Hello mother, have I made you proud?" Loki stated in a sarcastic tone.

"Please, don't make this worse." Frigga begged quietly.

"Define 'Worse.'" Loki asked and looked over to Astrid. "And you?"

Astrid walked over to him and raised her hands to cup his face only to hear Odin speak. "I shall speak with the prisoner alone."

Astrid looked up at him with pain filled eyes as Frigga laid a hand on her shoulder and walked her out of the throne room together side by side. Astrid took one more glance before they finally left. She could have asked Odin to stay, but she knew she would do anything in her power to make him a free man and be casted out of Asguard for her to be in the midst of Loki Laufeyson.

"He will be safe here, Astrid. Odin will not kill Loki." Frigga reassured her.

"But he will rot in the shackles that they have him in and not give him a fleeting chance to become king..." Astrid responded.

Frigga understood where Astrid was coming from, but also knew that Loki had to learn from his actions the consequences that bring forth. She hugged Astrid as any mother would as they made it to the gardens to try and take their mind away from the trial. But Astrid couldn't help but think of Loki and how Odin had treated him, lied to him and never told him the truth. If Odin spoke about his true origins in his younger years, then this would have probably never happen and Loki may still have a chance of being king of Asguard.

With Loki's sentence finalized and Frigga visiting Loki's cell to try and make it more comfortable for him, Astrid had made it her mission to visit him in person instead of guards informing him about her thoughts and wishes for him. Disguised as a normal guard, Astrid marched down to the dungeons with ease and grace. It wasn't hard to find Loki's cell as it was the first one when you'd enter the dungeons. Astrid made her way to the cell making Loki look over and look back down at his book that he was reading.

"Loki, it's me." She dropped her guise as her voice changed to her normal voice.

Loki glanced back at her, still as the male guard and walked over to her and couldn't help but smirk at her clever disguise. She had progressed with her teachings with leaps and bounds. But it wasnt going to last long as she couldn't keep looking like the same guard each time as someone would catch on and stop her.

"Very clever, but I wouldn't bother coming down here just to see me." Loki stated in a cold tone.

"And what makes you think I would stop? I'd rather take the chance to see you then only send my regards to you through the guards." Astrid said as they both began to walk around the outer borders of his cell.

"You must be dense then. I'm not here to get your affection or sympathy and I certainly don't want it." Loki added and turned to her. "Tell me, does Odin and Thor approve of this?"

Astrid dropped her disguise to reveal herself to him. With pursed lips, she hit her fist on the barrier that kept them apart and had rage in her tear filled eyes. Loki's bored expression never faltered as she dropped her head shook it in denial.

"Even if they banished me, I'd always come just to see your face and hopefully see your smile." Astrid admitted and closed her eyes to let a couple tears fall to the dark floor bellow her feet before looking back up. "If I had the power to change time and make sure that your life was peaceful and giving you the chance to become the king that you deserve to be, I would give my life for it just to make you happy Loki."

"Then do us a favor and get rid of Odin and Thor." He joked with a dark chuckle and continued his walk with Astrid slowly following suit.

They soon met the end of his cell wall where Loki leaned against the wall and looked her over from top to bottom. Astrid was wearing her palace dress that they had made for her once she became an adviser and welcomed to Asguard all those years ago. To him, she looked like the Goddess that she rightfully deserved to be. A queen. His queen. Astrid laid her hand on the barrier even though it wouldn't do much to physically hold Loki. He merely stared at her hand and then to her earning a small chuckle and a head shake from the White Stag herself.

"You always think about yourself and your own feelings, but never the people that care about you most." She stated softly.

Loki sighed through his nose softly and straightened up before placing his hand on the barrier where Astrid's was. Although they couldn't feel the warmth off each other's hand, the simple gesture meant more to the both of them than the physical aspect. The sound of guards coming down made Astrid pull her hand back and quickly shift back to her disguise as a guard herself before taking an adjacent exit back to the surface. She took one last glance at Loki before running up the stairs to safety where she slipped out with ease and shifted back to her normal self.