Eirlys found Sif later that evening, hoping that perhaps her friend would make sense of what had just happened. Instead, she found Sif exactly as she had always been, comfortably settled with the Warriors Three and completely unaware that Eirlys had spent the last hour trying to understand why everyone seemed determined to avoid answering a simple question. "Where is Loki?"
Sif looked up. "In the dungeons."
Eirlys stared at her. The words seemed to take several seconds to register. "The… dungeons?"
Sif nodded casually before reaching for another card. "Yes."
Eirlys's stomach dropped as she looked between Sif and the others, waiting for someone to laugh and reveal that this was some ridiculous misunderstanding but nobody did. "Why?"
That was when Sif, entirely lacking Thor's unfortunate hesitation, began explaining. She told her how Loki had gone to Midgard had taken the Tesseract, he had opened a portal, the Chitauri had invaded and then the Avengers had fought him. Thor had brought him back. He was imprisoned because of everything that had happened. Sif told the story almost matter-of-factly, occasionally interrupting herself to remember another detail. Eirlys barely heard half of it. Her mind had already become stuck on one particular sentence.
Loki had gone to Midgard while she had been in Vanaheim, surrounded by sick people, desperately trying to keep them alive. She had been worrying about him while he had been plotting all along, mortals died in the process. Her face slowly lost what little colour had returned to it. "He… did all of that?"
Sif finally noticed her expression. "Yes."
Eirlys lowered herself onto the nearest chair, she couldn't speak. She remembered Loki telling her that he was going to meditate but probably that was when he has started planning. She remembered the casual confidence in his voice and how easily she believed him. Now she was being told that, almost immediately after she had left Asgard, he had secretly travelled to Midgard and started an invasion. Her fingers curled tightly together. She didn't know whether she was furious, frightened or simply hurt. Perhaps all three. "What happened to him?"
Sif's expression became more serious. "Thor brought him back badly beaten. He's been kept in the dungeons ever since."
Eirlys looked toward the corridor, the image was impossible to reconcile. Loki, the prince of Asgard, her husband, in the dungeons. She stood abruptly. "I need to see him."
Sif rose as well. "Eirlys, perhaps—"
"I need to see him." She didn't know what she was going to say. She didn't know whether she wanted to shout at him, demand an explanation or simply look at him and convince herself that he was actually alive. Maybe she wanted all three. But the thought of Loki sitting alone behind those cold bars while she had been away made something twist painfully inside her. She walked toward the dungeons. Every step seemed heavier than the last.
Meanwhile, Loki remained completely unaware. He had spent the afternoon sitting against the wall, convinced that Eirlys was still in Vanaheim. He had imagined her return countless times, but always much later. He had pictured Thor eventually telling her. He had been thinking of the anger in her eyes, preparing himself for questions he didn't know how to answer. What he had not prepared for was her returning tonight. The sound of footsteps reached him through the corridor. He lifted his head, he expected a guard or perhaps Thor but certainly did not expect her. And Eirlys, approaching the cell with a heart full of questions, had no idea that the sight waiting beyond those bars would hurt far more than anything Sif could have told her.
Eirlys stopped outside the cell, she simply looked at him without saying anything immediately. Loki had imagined her anger, tears, shouting, perhaps even disgust but he had not imagined how deeply hurt she would look.
"You lied to me." The words were quiet. Somehow, that was worse than whatever he had imagined
Loki pushed himself upright, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at his still-healing injuries. "Eirlys, I—"
"No." She stepped closer to the bars, her hands clenched at her sides. "You don't get to explain yet."
He fell silent.
"I trusted you." Her voice trembled, but she refused to let it break. "When I left for Vanaheim, I was worried about you. I spent two weeks surrounded by people who were sick and dying, and even then, whenever I had a moment to myself, I wondered whether you were eating and sleeping properly, or if you were somehow getting yourself into trouble."
Loki lowered his gaze. "I was going to tell you—"
"You lied."
The words struck harder this time. Eirlys reached instinctively toward her wrist before stopping herself.
She showed him the bracelet on her palm, which he had given her. "Do you remember this?"
Loki's eyes followed the movement.
"I didn't wear it because I was ashamed of it," she said. "Not because I didn't value it or I wanted to hide that you gave it to me." Her eyes returned to his. "I stopped wearing it because I wanted you to understand something."
Loki said nothing.
"I wanted to show you that I believed you. That I believed you were finally going to stop hurting people. That you could have everything you wanted without destroying everyone else to get it."
Her voice became quieter. "I trusted you enough to believe that you would never lie to me."
Loki stepped closer to the bars. "Eirlys, I never meant for—"
"You don't get to tell me what you meant."
He stopped.
"I know what you did." Her eyes shone, but she refused to cry. "You took the Tesseract. You manipulated people and opened a damned portal, brought an army to Midgard. I don't really understand what you did, I know nothing about the portal or whatever I heard. All I know is that you harmed people, and they died because of you. You did all of it while I was away believing that my husband was simply somewhere, being harmless."
The word husband seemed to hurt them both.
"I am not angry because you wanted power, Loki." She shook her head. "I am angry because you made me believe I could trust you while you were already planning something else."
Loki's expression tightened. "I can explain."
"No." She stepped back. "I don't want your explanation tonight."
"Eirlys—"
"I will speak to Odin."
Loki went still.
"I will ask him to extend your imprisonment." The words were calm now, almost frighteningly so. "Because I no longer know what else to do with someone who has proven that my trust means so little to him. How ironical is that while I was trying to save lives, you were busy taking some?"
His face fell at that accusation. She stared at him for another moment. "And if you somehow get out of here, don't expect me to return to you as though nothing happened."
Her voice finally cracked. "I will never trust you the way I did, ever again."
She turned before he could see the tears gathering in her eyes but Loki reached toward the bars, holding them helplessly. "Eirlys, please."
She stopped and for one brief second, he thought she might turn back, but she didn't. As the footsteps slowly disappeared down the corridor, Loki remained where he was, his hand still resting against the cold metal. He had survived the Hulk in the battle, the defeat and imprisonment it came with, but none of it had prepared him for the sound of Eirlys walking away from him.
Eirlys barely remembered walking back to her chambers. Her anger had carried her out of the dungeons, but now that she was alone, it was slowly giving way to something far heavier. She had said things she knew she would never actually do. She would not ask Odin to lengthen Loki's imprisonment. Whatever he had done, she could not bring herself to deliberately make his punishment worse. And she knew, somewhere beneath the hurt, that she had not truly meant it when she said she would never trust him again. Trust had been broken, terribly, but she did not know whether it could ever be rebuilt. What she did know was simpler that she did not want to see him, not now at least. Perhaps not for a very long time.
Later, Eirlys found Frigga and quietly told her that she wished to return to Vanaheim. If Loki was going to remain in the dungeons for however long Asgard deemed necessary, she wanted to stay in her own realm during that time. "I think it would be better if I stayed there, while he is considered dangerous and still locked up."
Frigga looked at her sadly but did not argue, Eirlys lowered her gaze because distance felt easier than trying to understand the man she had trusted.