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"You were cast into the void. How did you survive?"
The arrogance that the accused had displayed against Heimdall and Thor seemed to bleed away. Loki looked downwards, swallowing, and his eyes were shadowed. "At first… I did not wish to." There was a murmur through the crowd as his words sunk in. Loki looked everywhere but at the Allfather's throne.
Thor shifted in his seat. All knew how much he had mourned when he thought Loki dead, despite his crimes. Frigga had not left her chambers for days. No matter his transgressions Asgard had still thought of Loki as their prince, and the thought that he had reached a state where he felt he could live no longer…
What had transpired on the bridge was not known to any but Thor, Loki and Odin. No one present could help but speculate what could possibly have swayed Loki to take such a drastic measure.
"You had no plan to survive?" the advocate's eyebrow was lifted in delicate incredulity. Loki was well known for his sense of self-preservation.
The accused shook his head. "My… the Allfather… " he took a breath and shook his head. "After the Bifrost… " he paused again and his brow furrowed. He took several more breaths, then raised his head, face smoothing, any trace of emotion removed. "No," he said simply. "I did not."
There was a murmur from the crowd. To see Loki unable to speak clearly was more than unusual. The advocate's eyebrow was still aloft, and her eyes widened in surprise at his reactions. "What happened?"
Loki squared his shoulders. "I drifted for some time. My magic sustained me for a little while but eventually I was…" he swallowed, "…found."
"By the Chitauri?"
He nodded tightly.
"What happened then?"
"I was weak and injured. The Chitauri… cared for me. They had a use for me, they said. After a time… an emissary of their leader came to me and explained that they had located the Tesseract."
"The tesseract was on earth at the time?"
Loki nodded. "And the Chitauri desired it."
"How had they located it?"
"They had an artifact…" he looked at Thor, "the spear. It was made using the tesseract. Through it, they knew that the humans had uncovered it, but they had no way of reaching earth in order to do so."
"Which is why they needed you?"
The accused nodded again. "With my magic I found a way to use the spear to activate the tesseract and open a portal. The Chitauri agreed to… help me conquer Midgard. The tesseract would be their payment."
"You admit that it was your plan to conquer the human world."
"It was... not my plan. It was the Chitauri's plan. I was compelled to go along with it."
"So you are guilty of all the crimes attributed to you!" Sif shouted.
Loki did not rise to her anger. "I am. But in this case… I was coerced." There was a pause. Loki did not raise his head, and his voice fell so the assembled had to strain in order to hear. "The Chitauri are not a gentle race, and they are powerful. Thor saw the extent of their army on Midgard — they are a force to be reckoned with. When they saved me… a connection was formed." Loki made a face and sucked at his cheek, his eyes focused on the far wall, lost in memory for a moment. "Through it we were able to communicate and they were able to… " he shuddered and stopped. "Let us say, it was not a pleasant experience. Yet it went both ways. While we were… connected, I was able to glean much of their plans for the tesseract. Should they have reclaimed it, the Chitauri would have waged war on all the nine realms. Such a thing would make our war with the Jotuns seem like children at play."
"So you decided to help them?" Thor said.
Loki glared at him. "I decided to do my utmost to stop them."
Thor laughed. The room knew that Odin's son had a large capacity for mirth, yet the laughter that boomed across the hall was tinged with desperation. "Your deceit knows no bounds, brother! You led the army that attacked Earth. I was there."
Loki lunged forward, his teeth bared. "You know nothing. As usual, ….brother. Your ignorance will doom us all. The tesseract was on Earth and had to be reclaimed, you knew as much, it's why our father sent you to me, but the humans were building weapons with it, the humans — fractious and pitiable as they are, would have waged war with it just as the Chitauri planned to. Can you imagine for a moment, brother, what the humans could have done with the tesseract, had they had more time with it? They routinely attempt to destroy their own world, with the tesseract I have no doubt they would attempt to destroy every other."
Odin had gone beyond simply thumping his chair and was on his feet, but the brothers were too involved to be stopped. No other dared come between them. The advocate shrank back, watching as they argued. Some of the gathered throng swore later that lightning began to gather around Thor's fists. "So this justifies the slaughter? Thousands died Loki. You had the tesseract in your grasp and you could have brought it back to Asgard…"
"And the Chitauri would have followed! Forgive me for not wishing their full horror unleashed on my home. You saw them, brother. You know what they were capable of. I lived with them, for months. Whatever I went through on Earth…" Loki shook his head. "However it ended it was better than what I endured in their care. No. Even if I had been able, I would have hesitated before bringing down their wrath on my own people."
"Better us than earth!" Thor said.
There was a pause as Loki studied his brother. His eyes crinkled at the corners and he leaned back, catching his breath. The shadow of a smile played around his mouth. "I wouldn't be so sure everyone here agrees with you about that." The advocate cleared her throat and Loki glanced her way, before giving a small shrug. "In any case, it was not an option. I told you the Chitauri made a connection with me. You saw what the power of the spear did to the earthlings. I had… very little room in which to plan, Thor. Had I openly defied the Chitauri they would have killed me and found another to carry out their plan. Had I failed and the Chitauri been at full strength, they would have exacted their vengeance. The only way I could be certain of the safety of Asgard was to lead them into defeat. And at least with me there, I could mould events in order to give the humans a fighting chance."
"You call what you did to the humans a chance?"
"Of course. I brought them together. Without my influence… your…" he looked up, thinking, "what was it you called them? Your Avengers would never have joined forces."
Thor sat back, mouth agape. "You would take credit for bringing us together?"
Loki smiled. "Thor, I watched you from the mountaintop. You flattened a forest because you could not bear to work with the one they call Stark. It took the intervention of the least of you to bring you to your senses, and how much worse would it have been had… " Loki looked a little pale "the… others been present? Those fools would have spent all their time attacking each other while the Chitauri laid waste to their planet. You cannot deny it." Thor looked uncomfortable. "It is very like the humans, to have such …resources yet no understanding of how to use them."
Again, the advocate cleared her throat. "Enough, Thor," Odin said softly. "These are questions we all wish answered, but your outbursts do none of us any good."
"The death toll on the human world was extreme," the advocate continued, wisely choosing to ignore the exchange between the Allfather and his son. "I believe the humans wished to keep you to answer for your crimes?"
Loki spread his hands. "I doubt I will be welcome there again, advocate."
"You insist you did all in your power to limit the damage to the human population?"
"I did. I do regret their deaths. But the humans are stronger now, and the Chitauri are all but destroyed. You cannot deny the realms are safer because of it." Loki's gaze swept the hall. "I will not deny that what I did was extreme, but at every point I attempted to mitigate the damage. I allowed myself to be captured before the Chitauri could force me to kill more than a few of the mortals, I left the scientist, Selvig, a measure of free will so he could find a way to close the portal, I brought the… the Avengers together so they would be able to fight against the Chitauri, I did this, all of this, to make sure their first strike hit away from my home, and to be certain that the strike would fail."
There was a silence as the hall contemplated Loki's words. Some faces were set against him, but others, others held doubt and even fear. Thor had described his battles with the Chitauri. The full might of Asgard surely would have been able to repel them.
Surely.
"You said the Chitauri promised to punish you if you did not succeed in taking Earth for them," Sif said, finally, after glancing at the Allfather for permission to speak. "You put the wellbeing of the realms above your own skin, then?"
Loki's eyes narrowed. "I did."
Sif didn't say anything further, but it was clear from her expression that she thought him lying.
Loki's head tilted. "I do not doubt your lack of affection for me, Sif. But believe me when I say that even from where I stand, the prospect of the nine realms united under the Chitauri has no appeal."
"Had you succeeded on earth, you would have had your own planet to rule," Thor pointed out.
Sif nodded. "Hardly a position that lacks privilege," she said.
Loki shuddered. "Believe me, the price was not one I was willing to pay."
Again there was silence. Loki stood tense and coiled, his eyes flicking over the crowd. Perhaps he was searching for sympathy, or marking enemies.
"Have you anything to add in your defense?" the advocate said, after glancing towards the Allfather.
Loki licked his lips, then shook his head.
"I would speak," Thor said. Loki rolled his eyes, but Odin inclined his head.
"You give us a story full of holes and assumptions," Thor said. "How much do you believe we are willing to swallow?"
Loki looked at his brother for a long, long moment. "I speak only the truth," he said. "As I swore to, when this began. What I say is how things were. Should you, or the Allfather, choose not to believe me, I will face my punishment…" his lips twisted in a semblance of a smile, "as true citizen of Asgard."
Thor shook his head slowly, but sat, motioning to the guards next to the dais to replace his brother's gag. A pained expression crossed Loki's face, but he bent his head and allowed it to slip back into place. He lifted his head when it was done and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.
The clerk rose. "The Allfather will require time to deliberate and consult with his advisors," he said. "All…." there was a boom from deep inside the palace, and a shudder ran through the building, "…rise…" the clerk trailed off as heads began turning this way and that. Thor got to his feet, looking at Loki.
The trickster's eyes were wide with fear and he began to strain against his chains.
Another boom, longer and deeper, and the room began to shake. Lights flickered and some of the crowd began to push towards the doors.
A lone guard fought his way towards Odin against the push of the crowd. "My leige!"
"Let him pass!" Odin cried. The crowd parted, allowing the guard to reach the throne where he knelt. "The tesseract, it has activated!"
Odin's eye flashed and he rounded on the accused. "Loki, What have you done?

Description

"You were cast into the void. How did you survive?"
The arrogance that the accused had displayed against Heimdall and Thor seemed to bleed away. Loki looked downwards, swallowing, and his eyes were shadowed. "At first… I did not wish to." There was a murmur through the crowd as his words sunk in. Loki looked everywhere but at the Allfather's throne.
Thor shifted in his seat. All knew how much he had mourned when he thought Loki dead, despite his crimes. Frigga had not left her chambers for days. No matter his transgressions Asgard had still thought of Loki as their prince, and the thought that he had reached a state where he felt he could live no longer…
What had transpired on the bridge was not known to any but Thor, Loki and Odin. No one present could help but speculate what could possibly have swayed Loki to take such a drastic measure.
"You had no plan to survive?" the advocate's eyebrow was lifted in delicate incredulity. Loki was well known for his sense of self-preservation.
The accused shook his head. "My… the Allfather… " he took a breath and shook his head. "After the Bifrost… " he paused again and his brow furrowed. He took several more breaths, then raised his head, face smoothing, any trace of emotion removed. "No," he said simply. "I did not."
There was a murmur from the crowd. To see Loki unable to speak clearly was more than unusual. The advocate's eyebrow was still aloft, and her eyes widened in surprise at his reactions. "What happened?"
Loki squared his shoulders. "I drifted for some time. My magic sustained me for a little while but eventually I was…" he swallowed, "…found."
"By the Chitauri?"
He nodded tightly.
"What happened then?"
"I was weak and injured. The Chitauri… cared for me. They had a use for me, they said. After a time… an emissary of their leader came to me and explained that they had located the Tesseract."
"The tesseract was on earth at the time?"
Loki nodded. "And the Chitauri desired it."
"How had they located it?"
"They had an artifact…" he looked at Thor, "the spear. It was made using the tesseract. Through it, they knew that the humans had uncovered it, but they had no way of reaching earth in order to do so."
"Which is why they needed you?"
The accused nodded again. "With my magic I found a way to use the spear to activate the tesseract and open a portal. The Chitauri agreed to… help me conquer Midgard. The tesseract would be their payment."
"You admit that it was your plan to conquer the human world."
"It was... not my plan. It was the Chitauri's plan. I was compelled to go along with it."
"So you are guilty of all the crimes attributed to you!" Sif shouted.
Loki did not rise to her anger. "I am. But in this case… I was coerced." There was a pause. Loki did not raise his head, and his voice fell so the assembled had to strain in order to hear. "The Chitauri are not a gentle race, and they are powerful. Thor saw the extent of their army on Midgard — they are a force to be reckoned with. When they saved me… a connection was formed." Loki made a face and sucked at his cheek, his eyes focused on the far wall, lost in memory for a moment. "Through it we were able to communicate and they were able to… " he shuddered and stopped. "Let us say, it was not a pleasant experience. Yet it went both ways. While we were… connected, I was able to glean much of their plans for the tesseract. Should they have reclaimed it, the Chitauri would have waged war on all the nine realms. Such a thing would make our war with the Jotuns seem like children at play."
"So you decided to help them?" Thor said.
Loki glared at him. "I decided to do my utmost to stop them."
Thor laughed. The room knew that Odin's son had a large capacity for mirth, yet the laughter that boomed across the hall was tinged with desperation. "Your deceit knows no bounds, brother! You led the army that attacked Earth. I was there."
Loki lunged forward, his teeth bared. "You know nothing. As usual, ….brother. Your ignorance will doom us all. The tesseract was on Earth and had to be reclaimed, you knew as much, it's why our father sent you to me, but the humans were building weapons with it, the humans — fractious and pitiable as they are, would have waged war with it just as the Chitauri planned to. Can you imagine for a moment, brother, what the humans could have done with the tesseract, had they had more time with it? They routinely attempt to destroy their own world, with the tesseract I have no doubt they would attempt to destroy every other."
Odin had gone beyond simply thumping his chair and was on his feet, but the brothers were too involved to be stopped. No other dared come between them. The advocate shrank back, watching as they argued. Some of the gathered throng swore later that lightning began to gather around Thor's fists. "So this justifies the slaughter? Thousands died Loki. You had the tesseract in your grasp and you could have brought it back to Asgard…"
"And the Chitauri would have followed! Forgive me for not wishing their full horror unleashed on my home. You saw them, brother. You know what they were capable of. I lived with them, for months. Whatever I went through on Earth…" Loki shook his head. "However it ended it was better than what I endured in their care. No. Even if I had been able, I would have hesitated before bringing down their wrath on my own people."
"Better us than earth!" Thor said.
There was a pause as Loki studied his brother. His eyes crinkled at the corners and he leaned back, catching his breath. The shadow of a smile played around his mouth. "I wouldn't be so sure everyone here agrees with you about that." The advocate cleared her throat and Loki glanced her way, before giving a small shrug. "In any case, it was not an option. I told you the Chitauri made a connection with me. You saw what the power of the spear did to the earthlings. I had… very little room in which to plan, Thor. Had I openly defied the Chitauri they would have killed me and found another to carry out their plan. Had I failed and the Chitauri been at full strength, they would have exacted their vengeance. The only way I could be certain of the safety of Asgard was to lead them into defeat. And at least with me there, I could mould events in order to give the humans a fighting chance."
"You call what you did to the humans a chance?"
"Of course. I brought them together. Without my influence… your…" he looked up, thinking, "what was it you called them? Your Avengers would never have joined forces."
Thor sat back, mouth agape. "You would take credit for bringing us together?"
Loki smiled. "Thor, I watched you from the mountaintop. You flattened a forest because you could not bear to work with the one they call Stark. It took the intervention of the least of you to bring you to your senses, and how much worse would it have been had… " Loki looked a little pale "the… others been present? Those fools would have spent all their time attacking each other while the Chitauri laid waste to their planet. You cannot deny it." Thor looked uncomfortable. "It is very like the humans, to have such …resources yet no understanding of how to use them."
Again, the advocate cleared her throat. "Enough, Thor," Odin said softly. "These are questions we all wish answered, but your outbursts do none of us any good."
"The death toll on the human world was extreme," the advocate continued, wisely choosing to ignore the exchange between the Allfather and his son. "I believe the humans wished to keep you to answer for your crimes?"
Loki spread his hands. "I doubt I will be welcome there again, advocate."
"You insist you did all in your power to limit the damage to the human population?"
"I did. I do regret their deaths. But the humans are stronger now, and the Chitauri are all but destroyed. You cannot deny the realms are safer because of it." Loki's gaze swept the hall. "I will not deny that what I did was extreme, but at every point I attempted to mitigate the damage. I allowed myself to be captured before the Chitauri could force me to kill more than a few of the mortals, I left the scientist, Selvig, a measure of free will so he could find a way to close the portal, I brought the… the Avengers together so they would be able to fight against the Chitauri, I did this, all of this, to make sure their first strike hit away from my home, and to be certain that the strike would fail."
There was a silence as the hall contemplated Loki's words. Some faces were set against him, but others, others held doubt and even fear. Thor had described his battles with the Chitauri. The full might of Asgard surely would have been able to repel them.
Surely.
"You said the Chitauri promised to punish you if you did not succeed in taking Earth for them," Sif said, finally, after glancing at the Allfather for permission to speak. "You put the wellbeing of the realms above your own skin, then?"
Loki's eyes narrowed. "I did."
Sif didn't say anything further, but it was clear from her expression that she thought him lying.
Loki's head tilted. "I do not doubt your lack of affection for me, Sif. But believe me when I say that even from where I stand, the prospect of the nine realms united under the Chitauri has no appeal."
"Had you succeeded on earth, you would have had your own planet to rule," Thor pointed out.
Sif nodded. "Hardly a position that lacks privilege," she said.
Loki shuddered. "Believe me, the price was not one I was willing to pay."
Again there was silence. Loki stood tense and coiled, his eyes flicking over the crowd. Perhaps he was searching for sympathy, or marking enemies.
"Have you anything to add in your defense?" the advocate said, after glancing towards the Allfather.
Loki licked his lips, then shook his head.
"I would speak," Thor said. Loki rolled his eyes, but Odin inclined his head.
"You give us a story full of holes and assumptions," Thor said. "How much do you believe we are willing to swallow?"
Loki looked at his brother for a long, long moment. "I speak only the truth," he said. "As I swore to, when this began. What I say is how things were. Should you, or the Allfather, choose not to believe me, I will face my punishment…" his lips twisted in a semblance of a smile, "as true citizen of Asgard."
Thor shook his head slowly, but sat, motioning to the guards next to the dais to replace his brother's gag. A pained expression crossed Loki's face, but he bent his head and allowed it to slip back into place. He lifted his head when it was done and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.
The clerk rose. "The Allfather will require time to deliberate and consult with his advisors," he said. "All…." there was a boom from deep inside the palace, and a shudder ran through the building, "…rise…" the clerk trailed off as heads began turning this way and that. Thor got to his feet, looking at Loki.
The trickster's eyes were wide with fear and he began to strain against his chains.
Another boom, longer and deeper, and the room began to shake. Lights flickered and some of the crowd began to push towards the doors.
A lone guard fought his way towards Odin against the push of the crowd. "My leige!"
"Let him pass!" Odin cried. The crowd parted, allowing the guard to reach the throne where he knelt. "The tesseract, it has activated!"
Odin's eye flashed and he rounded on the accused. "Loki, What have you done?