Loki and Ingrid 10

This one has those pesky trials in it. Theory about Avenegrs 1, Thanos tortures Loki (not cannon...??????) idk but it wasn't explored in the movies what Thanos had to do to get Loki to work for him in Avengers 1.

Trials of the Frost Prince by Sarah B. Priest

Breathing heavily, I cautiously close the locket as the glow fades. I slide the cold, hard object into my pocket and begin to make my way into the forest.

          “Ingrid? What do you think you’re doing? The forest is forbidden!”

          I turn around sharply to look at my oldest brother, Canute, sprinting down the narrow path after me. “Calder said you’d gone out again. That isn’t like you. I thought you liked to stay inside and read? What prompted you to go out exploring, that sounds like something Colby or I would do, not you.”

          “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s none of your business anyways,” I say defensively, feeling for the locket.

          “What’s that?” He points at the second note, or the warning, that I am still holding in my hands then catches it quickly and begins to read.

          “What’s this thing that I’m not supposed to touch?” he asks, scanning the paper, “It’s freaking me out.”

          Yeah, me too, I think, but I won’t tell him yet. “Give it here!”

          “This isn’t one of Calder’s pranks, is it? No, it’s not his handwriting.”  To my dismay, he continues to read along, “This relic is not intended for rash or careless use? What relic? Do you know what this is talking about?”

          “No,” I lie, “No idea.”

          “Wait, this thing lets you see all the realms? Cool! But still dangerous! Don’t touch it if you ever find it…” he eyes me suspiciously but goes back to reading. “You must pass the three trials at the heart of the enchanted forest? Is that where you’re going, Ingrid? I bet it is! Trying to crack this ancient riddle without meaning? This paper isn’t wet or worn, so it can’t have been sitting outside which means you have that extremely dangerous relic on you right now, don’t you?” He scowls and holds out his hand, “Give it here. I’m warning you now. I’ll have it looked at by one of the professors. They’ll know what to do with it.”

          I remain silent.

          “Give it.”

          “No. I don’t have it.”

          “Wait, who’s L.? And what games is this L. playing?”

          “I don’t know; it’s really scary. I wasn’t going anywhere. I just want to be alone. That’s just something I found tucked into a book—I swear!” I can feel my face flushing as I know that my brother has detected the lie.

          “That’s a good story. You just don’t want to give it to me. This is your last chance before—”

          “I just want to be alone for a while,” I turn to go back towards the forest, hoping he won’t follow.

          “That’s it!” Canute has me by the shoulder now and is feeling all of my robes.

          “STOP! If I tell you the truth now, do you promise not to tell a soul?”

          Defeated, Canute lets me go, and sighs, “Fine.”

          “Yes, I have the relic, and no, I’m not giving it to you. It’s Frigga’s ancient locket of legend—”

          “And how did you find that?”

          “It’s a long story. It was a riddle in a book. Someone hid it for someone to uncover. A game.”

          “Another game.” Is this the same person? L.

          “L. Laufeyson,” I sigh, “Let me explain.”

          “Look, you’re creeping me out, Ingrid, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Bury the locket where you found it and come on!”

          “No. I’m leaving.” I turn away and dash for the forest as hot, angry tears begin to fall. “Centeroftheforest centeroftheforest,” I mumble over and over, as I dash through the trees.

---

After a long while, I begin to hear the ground crunch beneath my feet. I look down, startled. Snow. In summer. This must be it. I come to a crystal-clear lake in the very center, surrounded by an outcropping of evergreen trees.

          Shivering in the sudden icy blast of air coming from the lake, bend down to look at my reflection.

          “HALT!” The voice echoes throughout the forest in the ancient Elvin tongue. “All who pass through here must give up something of great value. Give it to the lake, and the trials be revealed.”

          “But I have nothing.” My voice echoes through the enclosure, small and frightened.

          “Give something dear to the lake. Give to the lake you must.” Shivering, I reach into my inner pocket, feeling for the piece of paper. “I will always love you, Ingrid.” I can hear his voice now, calling into the lake.

          No, that’s stupid. I vehemently thrust the Last Letter into the lake, tears falling freely now. “Forgive me, Loki,” I whisper to the darkness as the lake slowly begins to turn a murky color and spins.

          “ENTER YOU MUST.” The voice is louder now as I step to the edge of the lake, trembling. “THE TRIAL OF COURAGE. TO JUMP INTO THE DEPTHS BELOW. ONCE YOU JUMP IN, THERE IS NO RETURN FROM THAT PLACE.”

          My heart racing, I hold my breath and plunge into darkness.

---

I awake to a narrow corridor, dimly lit with flickering candles lining the walls.

          “FORWARD.”

I can hear another voice beckoning this one female. “In here. The test of truth.”

          I slowly enter the room to see a beautiful Asgardian maiden spinning in the corner. But this is no ordinary wool, no, it is the wool of truth that legend tells of. I freeze, staring at it. “Don’t be shy now,” says the maiden, “What am I really? Do not lie.”

          The legend—the Legend! “You are a frog, once a beautiful enchantress trapped here by Queen Frigga after you broke a blood oath!”

          “Very good, child. Now, you must tell me three truths from the bottom of your heart. The deepest darkest secrets you won’t admit even to yourself. The wool knows the truth. Spin once, twice!” The maiden fades, leaving the wheel of the freshly spun wool ready. I take a deep breath and spin.

          A voice issues from the very fabric of the wool. “What is your deepest desire?”

          “To be happy.”

          “Too generic. Spin.”

          “To get the locket.”

          “An interesting query. SPIN!”

          “To see my parents again—and to save the ones I love.” I shudder as the wheel begins to spin rapidly.

          “Good, child, very good. Next. Who do you truly love?”

          “No.”

          “SPIN!”

          “NO!”

          “Who is your one true love? Spin.”

          “No. I can’t.”

          “SPIN!”

          “Loki Laufeyson!” the wheel shakes with the force of my spin as I close my eyes.

          “Good, good. You are learning. And now for the last truth. “Would you kill for your first wishes? Kill millions? Kill them all? Everyone who ever wronged you?”

          “LOKI!” I holler, “STOP WITH THE ENCHANTMENTS!”

          “This is an ancient trap that predates Queen Frigga. Your love cannot help you now.”

          “He isn’t—!”

          “Now tell me. Would you kill for him?”

          “SHUT UP!”

          “Oh, but you have to finish the trial. It’s what he wanted. You mustn’t lie!”

          “YES!” The force of the wheel comes crashing down as I am flung to another room, this one brightly lit with sunlight poring through the windows, illuminating the room of pure gold.

          “And finally,” Loki’s voice is smooth and steady, “We have a special trial. Trial of the Frost Prince himself. Listen carefully—”

          I breathe deeply, bathing in his voice as one bathes in sunlight.

          “Do you trust me, Ingrid?”

          “Of course,” I say quickly.

          “Then you must give up the locket. Put it on the windowsill underneath by the far wall. Go on now, don’t be shy. Don’t you want to play?”

          I take one step towards the sill, then two. “No,” I whisper. “NO! This is part of the test isn’t it? To see if I’m too easily fooled—to trusting. That’s funny,” I say, trying to breathe evenly, “Since you’re the God of Lies.” I hear a loud whoosh, then everything goes black.

---

I awaken on the floor of the forest, bruised, sore, and freezing. The locket. Do I still have it? I reach into my pocket quickly, and I can feel the locket pulsing warmly under my clothes. I pull it out, and shakily whisper the key once more, then I am greeted with a blinding flash of light as the locket bursts open with a deafening high-pitched ring. Then all is silent. I pick it up slowly, my hands still shaking, and look into the inside. The golden interior glistens, as I begin to see shapes, colors. “Tell me,” whispers a fairy voice, “What do you wish to see?”

          “I want to see Loki Laufeyson!” I shout without having time to back down. After another flash of light, the image appears before me, a reflection projected on the forest wall.

          “Hello, Ingrid.”

          “Loki? Where are you?” He looks calm as ever, and is wearing magnificent green robes, and I fear that we are speaking after death.

          “Do you want to see?” he asks. I look at his furnishings for the first time, also glamorous.

          “I see you. Tell me!”

          “You won’t like it.”

          “I’m sorry, Loki. I’m—”

          “It’s your last chance, Ingrid. Your last chance to say no. Do you want me to show you?”

          Then I remember. He uses illusions all the time to his advantage.

          “Well, I see you found my note and passed the trials. Good job.”

          “Yes,” I breathe, “Show me.”

          As the illusion falls away, I see Loki as I have never seen him before. Surrounded by scraps in a dark, damp room. His hands are tied to the wall, cracked and bleeding, and his robes are torn beyond repair. He looks at me with a half-starved look, letting out a breath. “Those are harder to conjure these days.”

          “Loki? What happened? Where are you? You’re alive?”

          “I think so,” he says with a dry laugh, “Although I wish I wasn’t.”

          “Where are you?”

          “I—I’m not exactly sure—I tried to resist it! I told him I’d rather be dead! I said no! I wouldn’t do it!”

          “Do what, Loki? Who’s ‘him’?” I ask, terrified.

          “I can’t tell you—”

          “You have to. I can help you if you tell me.”

          “Alright. I’ll make this brief. He’s a space Titan named—Thanos!” he screams in pain after saying it. “I’m not allowed to talk about it, even to say his name—”

          “Don’t say it, Loki!”

          “THANOS!” his face contorts in pain as he fights the urge to scream. “He wants all of them!”

          “All of what?”

          “Infinity—st!”

          “Don’t say it, Loki!” I scream, “DON’T SAY IT!”

          “I’m done with serving evil, Ingrid. I want to come home. But he wants me to get it for him!”

          “What?”

          “The—tesseract!”

          “DON’T SAY IT!” I scream again, my voice echoing in the forest, thorough the trees. “You’ll hurt yourself! Please—” I reach out my hand to the illusion and his eyes meet mine with a longing look before the vison fades.

          “Loki? Loki!”

          “INGRID! INGRIIIIID! IT’S YOUR BROTHER, CALDER!!! CANUTE’S GOING TO BE FURIOUS! YOU NEED TO GET BACK HERE—I’m so sorry,” he says, looking at my distraught face.

          “No,” I whisper, “I am.”