Chapter Text
Chapter One
A "Vanishing Act" refers to the sudden disappearance of someone or something, often without warning or explanation. It is commonly used to describe situations where someone has left a place or situation abruptly, often to avoid a confrontation or responsibility. The term can be used in various contexts, from personal relationships to business dealings, and is often associated with mystery or intrigue. In some cases, a "Vanishing Act" may be deliberate and planned, while in others, it may be spontaneous and unexpected. Regardless of the circumstances, the term is generally used to describe a situation where someone has disappeared without a clear explanation, leaving others wondering what happened and why.
Frigga couldn't help but feel a deep sadness as she looked at her son, now a prisoner in their home realm. It seemed so cruel that fate had brought them to this point. She gazed at him with a mixture of fondness and sorrow that time could never erase. It was a bittersweet moment, filled with conflicting emotions.
As she watched him, she couldn't help but wonder what had led them to this point. How had things gotten so out of control? She felt a sense of helplessness wash over her, knowing she could do nothing to change the situation. Her heart ached for her son, trapped in this prison. Worrying her fingers, she twisted them against her palm.
Despite the sadness that hung heavy in the air, there was still a glimmer of hope she kept hidden away inside. Frigga knew that she would find a way to overcome this. She vowed to do everything in her power to make things right by her son. To bring him back to the world he deserved. And with that, she took a deep breath and prepared to face the challenges that lay ahead. Visions were already forming before her eyes, within her mind.
"Odin continues to bring me new friends. How thoughtful."
"The books I sent, do they not interest you?" She wondered if there were anything she'd be able to do to take away the hurt and betrayal her youngest felt. She knew not of any remedy to untwine the spun threads of fate. Norns have mercy on her child. The trials of man could, ofttimes, be unkind. Frigga was forced to wallow in her sorrow and watch her child languish in his prison.
"Is that how I'm to while away eternity, reading?"
Frigga felt her heart plunge. She could only stand there helplessly, unable to reach out and comfort him. Her eyes followed him as he walked away from the barrier, his steps heavy with the weight of his confinement.
As he drew closer, she could see the exhaustion etched in his eyes, though he tried to appear unphased. How Frigga longed to embrace him and tell him everything would be alright, but the barrier wasn't nearly bright enough to blind him from the truth of the situation.
"I've done everything in my power to make you comfortable, Loki."
"Have you? Does Odin share your concern? Does Thor? It must be so inconvenient them asking after me day and night."
"You know full well it was your actions that brought you here."
"My actions. I was merely giving truth to the lie that I had been fed my entire life, that I was born to be a king."
Frigga could not deny the seething rage and anger that consumed him. She knew that feeding into it would only exacerbate the situation, but she could not deny that she and Odin were at fault for the root cause of his ire. Their mistake was heavy on her heart, and she could feel the tension in the air as if it were a palpable force. Despite the gravity of the situation, Frigga remained composed. "A king? A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took on Earth?"
"A mere handful compared to the number that Odin has taken himself."
"Your father..."
With a fierce scowl, Loki's voice boomed through the room as he shouted, "He's not my father!" His eyes blazed with outrage, and his fists clenched tightly at his sides. The very air around him was charged with the force of his fury. Despite his bluster, however, there was also a hint of vulnerability in his voice.
Frigga's voice trembled as she spoke, "Then...am I not your mother?" holding his gaze, she feared his answer.
Loki's fists unclenched, and he looked into Frigga's eyes as he went through all five stages of grief to arrive at his answer. His voice barely above a whisper, "You are...not."
There was a trace of pain in his words as if he struggled to accept the truth himself. Frigga reached out, extending her hands, a gesture of comfort and understanding. "Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself." She wished desperately to be there in person, to hold and embrace her son. The look Loki gave her was broken and permeated with despair as he reached out to grasp Frigga's hands. Her hologram flickered and dissipated.
Frigga's heart was heavy with the weight of a mother's love. She knew the path she was about to take would be treacherous, and the consequences would be dire. Regardless of whether she failed or not, her relationship with Odin would be irreversibly damaged, and Asgard would be put at risk. However, the thought of her beloved son trapped in a cell was too much to bear. She could not stand idly by and watch her child suffer. The cost of her actions would be high, but the value of her son's life was immeasurable.
"Frigga," Odin's voice interrupted her thoughts, making her lift her head to look at him.
She felt her heart wander dangerously close to the void she had been born from. If Gaia could see her now—well, she would have probably done the same, but much sooner.
"You are upset," Odin stated, his voice gruff and commanding.
"Am I?" Frigga asked, her voice lacking any feeling but her eyes revealing the turmoil of emotions within her.
"Do not hold that tone with me, my Queen," Odin warned, his words trickling with his familiar possessiveness, which made her feel disgusted and small.
Frigga narrowed her eyes, feeling her resentment towards Odin grow more potent than it had been previously before her son's imprisonment. He had forsaken their youngest son. Loki had been no more than the spoils of a war he boasted over feverishly. The baby he had stolen from the Jotunheim King was a twisted truth she'd turned away from to raise the child (her child) and see him grow. It made her quietly despise him more than she already did.
"Odin, I cannot sit idly by while you treat Loki like he is nothing," Frigga spoke, her voice trembling with emotion. She just couldn't comprehend how he could so easily cast aside the child they'd raised! She had no illusion that he'd focused his eyes on Thor. That was his son, after all. The son he recognized, acknowledged, trained, and would see King!
Frigga's heart ached for her son, for the pain he must have felt, for the betrayal he had experienced at the hands of his father. That said nothing for herself. She could feel the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over. But she refused to let them fall.
"I am the All-Father! I make the decisions," Odin bellowed, enraged, endeavouring to intimidate her.
"But he is our son, not a tool for you to do with as you please," Frigga retorted, her voice growing more forceful with every word.
Exhaling a breath of air, Odin narrowed his eyes on her, and for a moment, Frigga thought he would lash out. But he turned away, "Thor... is my son."
Frigga's heart was heavy with sorrow as she observed Odin's dismissive treatment of Loki. He deserved better than to be treated like a mere pawn in Odin's pursuit of power and dominion. Frigga had always hoped that Odin would show some measure of care and affection towards their other son, but his favouritism towards Thor was all-consuming. The pain and frustration that she felt was almost unbearable. Frigga turned away, her eyes catching the window's reflection as Odin turned, his mantle billowing after him.
"Remember your place, Frigga. You are just the Queen sitting to the All-Father's left."
The door slammed shut behind her, a symbol of her husband's indifference to her feelings. As she sat there, surrounded by the trappings of her royal chamber, Frigga felt a sense of clarity wash over her. She was an Asgardian Queen, an influential and respected figure in her own right. And she would not let anyone, not even her husband, diminish her worth or power.
For too long, she had been nothing more than a pawn in Odin's pursuit of sovereignty over the Unsung Coven. But now she was determined to break free from his control and forge her path as she had once set out to do. Great Mother, watch over me. Frigga thought as she pulled on her Seidr forth.
"Go ahead, dear husband. Underestimate me." Her eyes glowed dangerously with resolve; a silvery blue shimmer promised unspoken visions as she drew an invisible line between herself and Odin.