Caged Bird

2

Jane returns to Asgard a few years later. Her work in Midgard has been more involved than she had anticipated- there are always more questions to uncover that need to be addressed before getting back to whatever it is they are studying.

She returns for fun, rather than for business, and she has high hopes that she might be able to finally explore more of the realm. But when they arrive, Odin once again calls Thor. Frustrated, she has an idea. She will visit Loki. Thor has told her that he is forbidden from visiting, thanks to breaking Loki out to go to Svartalfheim, but no one has said anything about her. She has never been to the dungeons, but she asks a guard for directions and he doesn't hesitate to give them to her. She finds her way and, once there, asks for Loki. She is directed to his cell and stands outside it, watching. He is dishevelled, sitting in a corner, a blank look on his face. She says his name, but he does not glance in her direction. She returns to the upper levels of the palace and meets Thor at her room.

"Where were you while I dealt with Father?"

"I went down to the dungeons."

"Oh?"

"No one said I couldn't visit Loki."

"And what did he say?"

"Nothing. He didn't even move. He looks awful, Thor. Like he hasn't bathed in days...weeks...months, maybe."

"Well he is in the dungeon."

"In Midgard, our little stone age culture generally considers that inhumane."

"Prisoners are given the opportunity to bathe. Whether or not they take it is their own decision."

"Yeah, well make sure he's being offered, ok?"

"It does seem odd that he would not. He has always been proud of his appearance."

"Well he certainly isn't now. It's pretty bad."

That afternoon, Thor speaks with Fandral. Loki is given chances to bathe. Water is delivered to his cell every day and it sits, unused, just as his food is virtually untouched. He believes Loki is living in his illusions, but has no way to confirm this.

"But you should be able to see those, shouldn't you?" Jane asks.

"Not necessarily. He could be casting them for his eyes only, which he has been known to do- a private moving picture, like your device...or the unkempt man may be an illusion to mask whatever world he has built in his cell.

"So how do we find out?"

"We don't. This is his imprisonment. If he wishes to spend it living in his mind, let him."

She does not like this answer, but doesn't try to argue. But still, something worries her about this. It does not seem right to let a brilliant mind languish and she can't help but try to think of things from his perspective. She has been doing this with Thor for years- picking apart Loki and his motivations to try to understand him better.

She begins visiting him every few days, sitting beside his cell, telling him little details about her visit. What flowers she has seen in bloom, what the weather is like, and eventually she starts telling him children's stories and nursery rhymes because they are all she can think of to say and she can't simply leave him in whatever silence he has imposed on himself.

When Odin discovers Jane has been visiting Loki, he is furious. He calls for Thor and bellows about her place and where, exactly, it should be. But Thor does not get angry. He explains that there is nothing she can do to make the situation worse. Loki lives in his head, or they think he does, and he will not even speak to her. Odin calms a little. But he is still not happy.