Dark Loki/Sif. Inspired by song 'Mercy' by Hurts. I don't own anything.
Just so you don't get confused:
present ( sort of ) - normal
past ( sort of ) - italic
future ( sort of ) - bold
I'm sorry for any grammar or spelling mistake I've accidentally made. I hope they won't ruin the story for you.
I've never written anything that could actually be classified as dark, so I have no idea how it turned out. If you have a moment or two to spare, please leave a review.
He can hear them.
Loud, impatient steps.
She wants to be done with this as soon as possible, as if disgrace of the Asgard's prisoners is contagious, a disease that deprives its victims of their lives.
Diseases do take lives, but there are other ways of losing one's life but death. He ought to know. This is the third time he loses his life. The third time he is forced to wear these chains, made not of steel, but of knowledge he has never nor will he ever belong here.
Laufeyson.
No, Loki.
Your birthright was to die.
Each word a death sentence. Each word a loss of everything he knew before it.
The steps suddenly stop. Without a warning, without the echo of them gradually disappearing.
She is still here.
She wakes up with a terrible headache.
Consequence of last night's feast – if it was last night. As much as she knows and how awful she feels, it could have been days since the feast. Judging by how heavy her eyelids are, she could have been sleeping for at least a decade.
She doesn't even remember how much she drank, but she assumes it was a lot. What she does remember is that it all had all started as a challenge made by Thor and Volstagg that women cannot drink as much as men.
Of course, she is too stubborn to admit they are better than her at anything, so she foolishly accepted the challenge.
After that she remembers nothing, not even how she ended up in the bed. She desperately hopes someone has been kind enough to carry her all the way to her room before she started vomiting randomly at people.
In attempt to ignore the pounding in her head, she opens her eyes. Dawn is upon Asgard, so there is enough light for her to see her surroundings.
She is not in her room.
She is not in her bed.
Only now does she realize that beneath sheets she is naked as a newborn.
And he is lying next to her, in a sleep so deep as if he has no worry in the world. She watches his naked chest as it rises and falls, desperately trying to remember how they ended up naked with each other. She does not succeed.
She has to leave before he wakes up.
Her clothes lies mixed with his on the floor. She picks it up and puts it on as fast and as quiet as she can. Her eyes go back to him every now and then, but luckily, his eyes remain closed.
When she is ready to go, she lets out a small breath of relief. She heads for the door, but as soon as she reaches for the doorknob, a laugh echoes behind her back.
"Running, are we?" he drawls in mocking tone. "A day ago, I would have been surprised by your shamelessness, but after last night, I think you've been stripped of any shame with me."
She can't even remember what he speaks of, but it makes no difference.
Unfortunately, she has no doubts what happened beneath those sheets last night – if it was last night.
"Hello, Odin."
Once all-powerful All-Father now hasn't even enough strength to raise his head to meet his eyes. Defeated and chained, Odin reminds him of the day the parts were reversed; when he was standing in front of Odin, right after his defeat on Midgard by Thor's new friends who called themselves the Avengers.
Smirk escapes his lips as he remembers how he killed each and every one of those arrogant Midgardians who tried to stand in his way.
The man in the iron suit fell first. He wasted no time trying to control him with Chitauri specter like he had done the first time they had met, but just cut off his head. Erasing that self-satisfied smirk from his face was priceless.
Then the bowman, with his bow and arrows that did not miss their target. He cut off both his arms before finally letting him die. He had considered letting him live in misery, but dead can't get revenge. He can be cruel, but he is not stupid.
Then the woman. He enjoyed that one especially, for she had sweet-talked him into revealing his plan the first time. Nobody tricked him; he was the God of Trickery. He laughed as spark vanished from her eyes, her stabbed heart bleeding out.
Then the man in the funny suit. It took dozens of men to take him down. He fought until his last breath, for a purpose greater than his own life. Captain was the only one he felt any kind of respect for. As the man was stabbed with dozens of blades, he watched in silence, wondering where he could find a man as loyal as this one once he takes over the throne of Asgard.
Then the green one. Or, rather, its weaker form. He left it to use up all of its anger and then killed the man in his sleep. Not his most honourable victory, but he wouldn't be where he is now if he had played by the rules.
It was all worth to see All-Father humiliated and on his knees before him.
But, it is not enough. He can play a little, make Odin pay dearly for every time he hurt him.
There have been so many times.
"Where are your manners?" he pulls a dagger out of his pocket. "I greeted you."
He runs the dagger into Odin's forearm. The old man yells in pain as blood splashes on the white tiles under his feet.
"Please ..." he mutters, which only makes him laugh.
"Oh, now you are begging me?" he raises the dagger again. He caresses Odin's cheek with the dagger, leaving a wound so thin it barely bleeds. Still, Odin flinches, much to his delight. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear those words. I have to admit, I do like the sound of it."
He runs the dagger into Odin's shoulder, a little above his heart. He can control himself that much. He wishes he could take it out of the All-Father's chest and crush it in his hand as it still beat, as a revenge for every time his own heart had been broken. In less literal ways, but still equally as painful.
But, he can't.
Not yet.
"How can I be of service?" he gets up from the bed and comes closer to meet her eyes.
If someone had said to her few days ago that she would come to him with such a request on her mind, she would have killed them for assuming her capable of such betrayal. She was a warrior of Asgard, loyal to its king and the idea it represented. The idea of peace and prosperity for the Nine Realms.
But, things have changed. Her peace has been taken away from her. She will collect what is owed to her. In blood.
"Odin." she spats the name. "I want to destroy him. And everything he holds dear."
Her words catch him completely off guard, if only for a moment. He composes himself quite fast and raises his thin black eyebrows.
"That is quite a change of heart." he observes mockingly, but he cannot hide his interest from her. "May I ask what caused it?"
"He took something from me." she offers no other explanation. He doesn't need to know, not yet. She needs his mind clear and focused, not blinded by rage and hatred. She has enough of that for both of them.
"And you want it back so desperately that you are willing to betray everything you have spent years fighting for?"
"I can't have it back." tears form in her eyes, but she does not let them fall. He will not see her weak. "I want to avenge it."
His delicate features shape a frown. She can practically hear the cogwheels of his witty mind trying to put the pieces together, to understand what could possibly have meant so much to her that she came to hate Odin for having taken it away.
"Will you help me or not?" she asks, more for the sake of distracting him than out of impatience. She can't afford herself to be rude to him; she needs him. She knows she has no one else to turn to.
He is the only one who can give her what she desires.
He is the only one who shares her hatred, something she can feed on like a starved animal that she is in a way. Her body feels as if dried of blood, of life. The revenge is the only thing she has left.
"How do I know you are not lying to me?" after everything she said, he still doubts her. No wonder, knowing their history. "You've betrayed me once before. What guarantees me you won't do it again?"
"If you help me, I am yours. In any way you want me or need me." she says and she means it.
She is willing to offer her entire self in return for his help.
Whatever he wants.
Her mind.
Her abilities.
Her body.
None of that means anything anymore to her. But, she knows it means to him. She knows he wants all of it, wants her.
Satisfied grin appears on his face. She has said the right words. Now he has to say them too.
"What do you have in mind?"
He watches her every step during the evening, counting.
How many fake smiles.
How many stiff curtsies.
How many disinterested gazes.
Since that drunken fiasco, he has found himself unable to look away whenever she is in the room. She avoids his eyes, pretends it is all forgotten. Perhaps she has forgotten.
But, he hasn't, not those little parts he remembers ( he drank a lot that night too ).
He remembers the smoothness of her skin burning under his fingertips like wildfire. He remembers soft moans that escaped her lips as he kissed her neck. He remembers her fingers ruffling his hair as she brought him closer to kiss him once and once and once more.
He would have to be dead to forget that.
He pours himself a goblet of wine and watches as Thor leans closer to her and says something in her ear. Jealousy burns within him at that single moment of their closeness. His oh-so-charming brother has always known how to make her laugh. No doubt she will laugh at his words now.
He gets on his feet and heads for the closest door, not looking back.
It was but a one night. he clenches his teeth, trying to make his own foolish self see reason. She wasn't even aware what she was doing. One night gives him no right to her.
Still, there is a longing ache in his chest, ache he never thought he would feel. Is this what one passionate night with the woman who has never seen him as anything more than Thor's little brother can do to him?
Luckily, if signs of her thoughts of their night together, or lack of thereof, makes any point, he won't be making love to her again anytime soon.
Soon he finds himself in an empty corridor, so far away from the centre of the events that he doesn't hear voices anymore. He takes a deep breath, leaning against the wall to compose himself, when he hears another pair of steps.
"Wait." she stops but a few steps away from him.
He turns around to face her, a smirk on his face. He will not show weakness in front of her.
"How can I help you?"
"You can stop staring at me, for a start." she rolls her eyes.
He raises an eyebrow, faking innocent naivety.
"Even Hogun has noticed it." she says as if no other argument is necessary. "Even he has made fun of me. Stop staring at me."
"One would think you'd be flattered." he observes casually, slowly waddling to close the distance between them. "Women are usually flattered when men, especially princes, mind you, stare at them. But, not the shieldmaiden of Asgard, huh? You are too good to be stared at."
Irritation sparks in her eyes at his drawling of that one particular word. Yes, she is good. Good at sword-fighting, good at drinking, good at love-making, good at everything.
"I'm warning you." she snarls.
His smirk widens even more. Her fury amuses him greatly. She is even more attractive when she is angry.
"Once more ..."
He silences her with a kiss.
Those are the words she whispered in his ear that night. Kiss me once more.
He is happy to oblige.
Somewhere deep in his mind, he is aware it will not last. She will reject him.
One second passes.
Two seconds pass.
Three seconds.
Four.
His lips are still on hers.
She is kissing him back.
The moment he realizes that, self-control becomes an unknown concept.
His arms encircle her waist and he pulls her closer, deepening the kiss. He breathes in her scent deeply as her fingers intertwine with the locks of his hair. His tongue enters her mouth and battles hers playfully, but she asks for more, wants more.
He grins against her lips.
He will give her more.
"You were saying?" he pulls away from her for a moment.
Her hands grab his collars, her thumbs rubbing against his jaw line.
"You will pay for this." she breathes, her eyes darkened by lust. "Tomorrow."
The way she kisses him after that makes him feel like there will be no tomorrow at all.
He finds himself failing to care.
"Hello, Thor."
Once powerful God of Thunder, her once closest friend, is now but a shadow of his former self. He kneels in front of her, completely naked, his hands chained to the wall behind his back. The sight of his nakedness doesn't bother her at all. Innocence has been long lost to her.
She watches him silently for few moments. His golden hair is full of dirt as is his face. The blue eyes she used to admire so much have lost their spark. His lips have forgotten how to smile.
She doesn't enjoy his suffering, but hasn't even the slightest intention of showing him mercy.
Mercy.
She will make him scream for it, just like she has.
This is how one makes a point.
"Why?" he asks as he raises his head to meet her eyes. "I know we have wronged you, but she was too dangerous ..."
He screams in pain as a knife she has thrown runs into his shoulder. She approaches him, but doesn't take the knife out, leaving him to realize on his own how it feels to live with pain that doesn't go away, no matter how much one tries to ignore it.
"She posed no danger to anybody." she says fiercely. "Yet, you killed her in cold blood."
"I didn't ..."
"I begged you to keep her existence secret." she cuts him off. "Yet, you told Odin where to find her. You might have as well cut her throat yourself. I cannot forgive that, Thor. Not in a million years."
"I am sorry for that."
She scoffs. Not a thousand apologies could make up for his betrayal.
"I am not sorry for this."
"You sealed the fate of the Nine Realms when you joined forces with him." he plays his one last card, her honour, her conscience. He is still not aware she possesses none of those anymore. "Men and women now suffer as you have suffered. And revenge didn't bring her back to you, did it?"
She laughs deeply and loudly. Oh, how ignorant he is.
"Actually, I'm closer to her than I've ever been since that one moment I held her in my arms." she smiles, memories of more beautiful times rushing back for a single moment.
She notices the confusion in his eyes, but it is it there only for a moment before it is replaced by resentment. He has finally realized there is no reasoning with her.
Maybe she is mad.
Pain tends to drive people mad.
"I've never told you her name, have I?" she mocks him. "I'll give you a little hint; what do people beg for when they are in pain and there is a person who can end their suffering?"
There is a spark in his eyes; he knows the answer. Still, he refuses to give it to her.
It doesn't matter. She will answer the question herself.
"All those people screaming her name." she raises her hands graciously, conjuring up the size of the Nine Realms that are all under her feet to stamp onto them as she pleases. "They called for her, begged me to show her to them. But I couldn't, because she had been taken away from me."
"You are mad." he spats, his last attempt at resistance.
It is admirable, but useless.
"Perhaps." she doesn't disagree. "It happens when one loses the most precious thing in the world. You ought to know."
She killed his beloved mortal Jane herself right in front of him, having run a spear through her heart. The girl didn't even resist, so weak and vulnerable, like most Midgardians. Her friends were not much of a challenge either. She never understood why Thor liked them so much.
"I'm not mad." he says fiercely. Unlike you.
"But, you are broken." she sneers. "In the end, it will make no difference."
Her last sentence is true, but the one before it isn't.
He just looks a broken man. But he is not.
Not yet.
"I intend to deprive Odin of everything dear to his heart." fire burns in her eyes, fire of pure hatred. He has never seen a woman more beautiful and yet so frightening. "That includes Thor and Frigga."
He freezes at the mention of his mother's name. He would let Thor fall with no regrets, but Frigga is different story. Odin has never been his father, but Frigga is still his mother.
"If you can't handle it, give up now." she commands, feeling his hesitation.
Her request lingers between them. Their breathing echoes in the silence that has emerged between them as he tries to make the choice.
Mother. The only one who has ever truly loved him, who will always love him, no matter how many times he breaks her heart.
She. The only one who has ever given him what he desired, who will now always give him what he desires, no matter what it will cost her.
The choice is simple, yet so hard to make.
"So?" she demands with finality in her voice, as if this is her last offer before she turns to someone else for assistance. "What's it going to be?"
He shivers, but his voice is calm as he says:
"When do we start?"
She can't bear this anymore.
Pain streams through her body like blood. It feels as if fire is burning within her veins and her skin is the only thing preventing it from burning down the room, the house, all of the Nine Realms. For a second, she fears her screams are so loud that they are heard even in the palace, but then the pain comes back, blurring all of her thoughts but one:
Make it stop. Make it stop.
"Just one more push, milady." voice of an old woman says encouragingly.
She gathers all of her strength and does as asked to. She lets out one last scream and then it is replaced by a sound of a child crying. Her head drops on the pillow as she takes a deep breath, her body exhausted beyond imagination. She has been in so many battles, but none of them can compare to childbirth.
"It is a girl, milady." the old woman approaches her, smiling with joy as she hands her something small wrapped up in a small blue blanket. "A healthy baby girl."
She is afraid to take the child into her arms, afraid she won't know how to handle something so small and delicate.
Her father would know how. the thought comes uninvited to her mind, but she chases it away. She has just given birth to this child. Holding it should be less painful, if nothing else.
As soon as she puts the child onto her chest, the baby stops crying. Her eyes are grey, like that of any newborn, but she immediately notices her daughter shares her father's hair, black as ink. Despite herself, she likes it.
"What is her name?" the old woman asks curiously.
She thinks the answer over for a moment.
"Mercy." she replies at last. Both of her parents need it, need her. "Her name is Mercy."
"It is a lovely ..." but the woman is interrupted by a sound of steps and voices yelling.
She stiffens. Her hideout has been found. They have been found.
But, there is nothing she can do but to hold onto her child.
Odin must see reason. He must show them mercy.
It is just the All-Father who enters the room first, Thor at his heels. She meets the blue eye for a split second before it fixes its gaze on the baby in her arms.
"Traitor's child." he spats as he unsheathes his sword.
She knows what is coming. She can't allow it to happen.
"Please, no." she begs with all of the strength she has left. "She has nothing to do with her father. Please, show her mercy."
Odin looks at her. His expression is full of hatred and he doesn't even try to hide it.
"I've shown mercy to their kind once." he says disdainfully. "Betrayal is the only thing I got in return. I will not make the same mistake twice."
She knows of what he speaks of. Thor told her the truth the night his brother fell, before his attempt of conquering Midgard. Still, she cannot hate the child that is lying in her arms now, for as much as she is partially his, she is also partially hers.
"Please, no." she tightens her grip on the baby. "Show her mercy. She is mine as much as his."
"You should consider yourself lucky that I will spare your life." he dismisses her pleadings scornfully. "You cannot imagine my disappointment in you when I found out about this. I thought you better, stronger. Yet, you had given in to him."
He reaches for the baby. She tries to shield her daughter, but she is weak and he is strong. He pushes her hands out of the way before grabbing the child roughly.
"No, please!" now she is screaming, helplessness and horror finally getting to her. Mercy starts to cry the moment she is taken out of her mother's hands, her screams filling her ears, driving her mad. There is an ache in her chest that tears her apart thousand times more painfully that childbirth did. What kind of mother is she if she cannot protect her child?
For a moment, her eyes meet Thor's. He is her only hope.
"Thor, please! Stop him! Please!"
"Stay where you are, son." Odin commands without even turning to look at Thor, his eyes fixed on her child as he raises his sword. "This has to be done. For safety of the Nine Realms."
"No, please!" she yells once again, reaching for him, but he dodges out of her reach.
She is crying and so is her daughter, but none of their tears have no effect on Odin. His expression hardens even more, as if he is remembering that day long ago when he held another baby in his arms and decided to spare the boy's life.
History does repeat itself most of the times.
But, not this time.
"Mercy!" she pleads and calls for her daughter at the same time.
Suddenly, the crying ceases.
Odin's hands are filled with blood. So is the blade of his sword.
She is sure she can literally hear her heart break.
She has lost her.
Her only child.
Her sweet innocent Mercy.
She lets out a scream filled with pain. She can't think, she can't breathe. Her heart is pounding painfully against her temples, louder than even her screams. She wants to die and it seems her body is granting her wish.
She has just given birth to her daughter. How could she lose her so soon?
Odin doesn't even return the body to her, but takes it with him as he bypasses his son.
Thor comes closer to her and reaches for her hand. He mumbles something, but she doesn't hear it. She doesn't care.
She has lost everything. Including herself.
"Just in time."
He notices the knife in Thor's shoulder. The amount of blood on his body suggests it's been some time since it was put there. I guess I'm not the only one who has been having fun.
"You said you wanted few minutes alone with him." he says in what appears to be polite manner, but in reality it is nothing more than taunting their prisoners. "And I so enjoyed catching up with the All-Father. The part where he begged me for mercy was truly worthy of listening."
Her body stiffens, but for a moment so short he is not sure if he has imagined it. Her eyes fix on Odin, who has just materialized out of thin air thanks to his magic. Father and the son now stand next to each other, both in chains and both defeated.
Defeated, but not broken, as she said.
Not yet.
She approaches the All-Father and uses her blade to lift his chin. She is careful not to spill blood. They have a deal and she will respect it to the very end.
Oh, how he loves her sense of honour and loyalty. Especially when they are meant for him.
"You took everything I held dear from me." she snarls to Odin's face, her voice full of long buried hatred which is finally let loose. "Now you will watch as I take the thing you love most before I let you die."
She lets Odin's head fall and walks back to Thor. The man he once called brother tries to shake off his chains, but he has done his work perfectly. Magic that surrounds those chains is too powerful for even a god to break, let alone former god.
"Please." he asks of her as she raises the blade. "You don't have to do this."
"I promised you you'd scream her name." there is some strange cheerfulness in her voice, like a child who is planning a mischief. "I do not break my promises."
"Brother!" Thor gives up on reasoning with her. "Brother, please!"
"I am not your brother." he dismisses his pleadings coldly. He has come this far, had watched Frigga being killed in front of him. He will not break now. "I promised you I'd have my revenge. I do not break my promises either."
"I'm glad that I've killed her."
"Of whom he speaks?" his eyes find hers, acknowledging Odin's words even if they shouldn't do it.
"My daughter." she says with first true light in her voice since she asked him to help her destroy Odin. "Our daughter."
The way she says the word 'our' makes him stiffen. She cannot possibly mean ...
But, they did sleep together. It is possible. It explains everything, now that he thinks about it.
"I have a daughter?" he knows he shouldn't give his feelings away, but the shock is too great even for him to handle it with his mouth closed and his feelings hidden.
"Had." she corrects him, rage burning in her eyes as she looks at Odin again. "He murdered her in cold blood as I watched and this one," she points at Thor. "Just stood and did nothing."
"When did you plan to tell me?" he demands. He knows he is ruining their victory, but can't help himself but to think she ruined it first when she chose to keep this secret from him. He had the right to know, yet she took that right away from him.
"I needed your mind calm and focused." she explains coldly, as if his reasons, his anger means nothing to her. "It doesn't matter anyway. She is gone."
"What was her name?" he ignores her attempts at finishing the conversation quickly.
A daughter. He had a daughter. Was she more similar to him or to her? How did it feel to hold her? How did it feel to look upon her and know she was yours, part of you?
She avoids his gaze and looks at Thor instead.
"Will you tell him, Thor?" she asks almost sweetly as she kneels next to him.
Thor remains silent.
"Alright." she sighs. "If you won't tell him, I will make you."
She takes his hand into hers and leans the blade on his thumb.
"M."
Thor screams, but still there are no words that can be deciphered.
She takes hold of his forefinger.
"E."
Another scream. What is left of Thor's hand is covered in blood.
She moves onto the next finger.
"R."
Thor's middle finger joins the thumb and the forefinger on the floor.
She doesn't stop.
"C."
Thor now has but one finger on his left hand.
He knows now what his daughter's name was. He cannot think of a more perfect one.
"Y." she cuts off the last finger.
Thor screams once again. His body has been tortured and exhausted, but when he looks at his now finger-less hand, he vomits.
"Stop it, curse you!" Odin yells.
She ignores him, moving so she can grab Thor's other hand. But, before she starts to repeat the process, their eyes meet and she removes the blade from Thor's hand.
"She was your daughter as much as mine." she offers him the blade. "You have the right to revenge too. If you want it."
He kneels next to her. Fingers of his left hand intertwine with her right as they both hold the blade. His other hand encircles his hip and pulls her closer to him.
"This is for our daughter." he leans her forehead against hers. "And for all of our children who could have been, but had had the luck not to be born and see what monsters their parents have become."
He tightens the grip around the blade and runs it deep into her torso. She collapses into his arms and he watches as the spark of life vanishes from her eyes. She doesn't even seem surprised. She seems ... grateful.
"Go be with our daughter." he whispers to her gently. "Tell her her father loves her."
She smiles.
At the next moment, she is gone.
He lays her body gently on the floor before he pulls the blade out of it. Her blood is on his hands, but he doesn't feel sorry.
He has let her go. He has let her find peace. It is more than he is capable of doing for himself.
He raises his head and grabs Thor's hand. Their revenge isn't complete yet.
"You still haven't said her name." he points out nonchalantly, as if this is but a game. "C'mon, you couldn't have already forgotten it. If so, let me help you remember."
M.
E.
R.
C.
Y.