No More Tears

Family Reunions...

"Ahhh I see you came back then?  Miss me?" Hela sneered as the three of them approached the throne.

Skurge had manacled them as soon as they landed back on Asgard. It had to appear he was still obeying Hela.  He would try to make sure no real harm came to them.

"Skurge? Take their weapons, oh and make sure Prince Loki wears this at all times." She tossed him a metal collar with runes on.

"What is it?" Susie spoke, the question out before it had finished forming in her head. 

"Oh don't worry my dear, it will only prevent his magic, not his breathing." She chuckled "I may be many things but a fool isn't one of them." She stood and walked down the steps to their level. "Take them to the dungeons. Make sure they're in separate cells. I want them to have a good view."

"What?  I thought we were going to..." Loki's voice almost shook, this was not going to plan.  Not at all.

"Oh my dear little Brother, always so curious, always so full of mischief. You'll see.   Take them away."  She turned on her heel and strode away, cloak billowing, laugh echoing.

Skurge led them out and down a corridor. Susie was scared now. She had little idea what was happening, the plan wasn't, well, going to plan.

At the first cell, Susie was unceremoniously dumped inside and the forcefield activated. She could see out clearly but when she tried to touch the gilded mesh, it threw her back against the wall.  Feeling like she'd been kicked by a horse, she scrambled to her feet.

"Are you ok?" Loki's voice carried across and she looked around. He was standing in a near identical cell, directly opposite.

She nodded, rubbing her temples. "Yes, yes, I'm ok. Just shaken." She tried to smile but it froze on her face.  The beast that had carried her to Asgard stood in the corner of her cell, just watching.  It's red eyes glowed and struck a cold terror into her heart.  This wasn't going to go well.

Over the following days it continued to stand and just stare, either at her or Loki in turn.  She was, to say the very least, terrified.  Loki tried to comfort her by saying he would watch as she slept, ready to warn her if it moved but it did little to calm her fears.  By the third day, after no sleep and little to eat, she was almost broken.  Almost.  She waited until it made one of it's rare moves to look over at Loki and then she attacked it.  Summoning all the strength she had left, she leapt on it, pressing it's face into the mesh.  It roared as the mesh glowed and sparked.  With a shower of sparks, the beast fell backwards, seemingly dead. She stood for a moment, then seeing the way now clear, she jumped from the cell into the main corridor.

"Go!" Loki shouted to her above the alarm that now sounded "Go, I'll keep them busy.  There are steps to the left that lead up to the public rooms." he looked at her for a moment, pride bursting over his face "Go my little warrior, make Asgard proud." 

"For Asgard" she repeated and made to leave.  She got as far as the foot of the stairs.

"So, you snapped eventually eh? I must say I'm impressed, not many people would have had the ability to kill The Kursed." the honeyed tones belied the cold, hard stare from Hela as she descended the steps towards her. "Now, will you return willingly or do I have to make you?  You DO remember our bargain do you not?  Subjugate and kill?  Let's start with the subjugation shall we?" she grabbed Susie by the shoulder and marched her back to Loki's cell.

She looked at the prone figure of the dead beast and shook her head. "Such a waste.  Won't see his like again." she remarked casually. Turning to Loki she smiled.

"Hello Brother.  Enjoying the accommodation?" she put her head to one side, considering her options. "So, are you going to come quietly or do I have to make you kneel?"

"I beg your pardon?" Loki was wary, why this?  Why now when she could have killed them both? He needed to rile her more.  To give Susie that added incentive to finish the job, no matter how scared she was.

"I said, are you going to kneel before your Queen?" 

"No."

"Really?  Oh I think you can do better than that, don't you?" she smiled and turned to Susie. With a flick of the wrist, she had Susie in a chokehold. Turning her head, she repeated, "Really?  Not even now?"

"Dont...do...it...Loki..." Susie managed to gasp "she's... not ... to... be... trust..." she stopped as Hela squeezed harder, her vision beginning to fade.

"Alright STOP!" shouted Loki, "Stop, I'll kneel to you.  Look, I'm kneeling." he sank onto his knees, all thoughts other than saving Susie flying out of the window.  He felt the panic rise in his chest as he heard her wheeze and turn bright red as she fought for breath.

"Good Boy!" Hela laughed and released her grip, Susie falling to the floor, coughing and spluttering and feeling like her head was about to explode. She scrambled to her feet, ready to attack when Hela held up a finger.

"Ah ah ah! No you don't little wildcat." she turned to Loki and this time, he was the one threatened with being tortured. "Either of you so much as blink without my say so, the other suffers.  Do you understand?" They both nodded. "Gooood.  You're quick learners I must say.  Better than this dim-witted oaf any day of the week!" She pointed at the now very uncomfortable looking Skurge. 

"Hey!" he started to object and Hela shot him a look.  He nodded and stepped back. "Sorry your Majesty.  You're right of course Your Majesty" he side eyed Susie and winked at her.

"Put them in together, now they know the rules, and that their survival depends on the behaviour of the other, they'll behave." she smiled cruelly, "and if they get any bright ideas, well, I'll just have to kill them both together and dirty my hands taking on Thor myself.  Won't be that hard.  Just break his hammer and he's nothing!" she crowed.

"Break Mjolnir?  I'd like to see you try!" scoffed Susie, "it's not possible!"

"Oh my dear, you have no IDEA what's possible!" and with that she turned and swept out of the dungeons.

"Well, that achieved precisely nothing" said Susie, sitting on a bench in the cell.  "What a waste of time I am.  Can't even escape from the hall outside my cell without getting caught.  What the hell do we do now?"

Loki sat next to her, covering her hand with his.  "We wait.  Something will come up.  There will be something we can do.  Patience little One.  Patience." he smiled at her half heartedly and she leaned against him. 

"We need to find a way to get out and get her to release us back to Midgard" he mused.  "What if we said we could recruit Stark?" Loki turned to her and said quietly.

"I don't know." Susie sat dejectedly. "I'm not strong enough for this Loki.  It doesn't matter what I do, I'm not strong enough to overcome her. You saw me, she took me down so easily.  I'm no Valkyrie.  I'm just a shadow of one. Asgard, the realms , they're all waiting for me and I'm not capable of stepping up. I'm sorry." she stood and turned away to face the back corner of the cell, distraught.

Loki watched with growing concern.  This wasn't his little warrior.  This was a beaten woman.  One too many chokings it seemed. It looked like she was giving up and that simply couldn't be allowed.  He had to give her the fire back in her belly.  The fire to kill Hela.  But how? 

There was only one way, one that he had anticipated and prepared for, but had hoped never to implement.  Desperate times called for desperate measures and this was about as desperate as it would get.

"Skurge?" he shouted "Skurge!" The figure of their secret ally appeared at the cell.  "Tell Hela I want to see her, and I want to see her now!" he said.

Skurge scurried away and returned a few moments later, carrying more rune covered metal.  This time chains and manacles. He nodded silently and as Susie watched on in horror, he chained Loki up and led him away. He turned to her and smiled.

"It will be ok Little One, I promise.  You'll see me again." something in the tone of his voice made her more terrified than any beast staring at her ever could. "You are a Valkyrie. You ARE strong. You CAN do this. WE can do this." he blew her a kiss and he was gone.

The sound of the chains clanking echoing up the hallway, Susie sank onto the seat again.  This was not going well at all.  She had a sinking feeling it was going about as badly as it could.