"Hime-sama," Lillian said in a worried tone, "Please don't do this."
Starlight caught her maid's gaze in the mirror. The blue-haired girl's eyes were full of anxiety as her mind processed her princess's plans for the day.
"Please calm down, Lillian." Starlight chided gently. "There is no creature, in this or any other world, that can sneak up on me. I'll be fine."
Lillian sniffled and blinked back her tears as she finished tying the sash on the princess's yukata. Starlight studied herself in the mirror. The gold embroidered maple leaves that decorated the purple cotton were starting to come undone. Understandable, since the yukata was Starlight's favorite and she had worn it into many battles.
"With all due respect, Hime-sama," Lillian said softly, "There may not be a creature that can sneak up on you, but there are many that can defeat you. I believe Loki is one of these beings."
The princess spun on her maid and, much to her surprise, Lillian didn't jump back. The tiny water-nymph was scared of many things, but her princess wasn't one of them. Starlight was a benevolent ruler and rarely ever became violent. This was mostly because Souls were not a violent race, but also because Starlight took great care to hide any demonic side her mixed lineage had given her.
"He may be." Starlight said in slight agreement, "He may not be..."
"And you would rather not find out which?" Lillian asked hopefully.
Starlight chuckled lightly and gave the maid a small pet on the head. "You know me better than that, Lillian."
And the nymph did. She knew her princess wanted the exact opposite of what she had hoped; she knew that Starlight would give anything to spar with Loki, even if it meant the risk of losing her life. Starlight loved to try and see the strengths and weaknesses of other beings, especially when she visited a new world.
"I'll be going now Lillian." Starlight swept gracefully towards the door. "There is nothing I need you to do today, so just relax."
The door shut firmly behind her with a clang. Lillian sighed, sinking down onto the princess's bed.
"I won't relax until you come back unscathed, Hime-sama."
On the other side of the door, Starlight was sighing too. She knew that Lillian had every right to worry about her. She also knew that Lillian was right; Loki could be a being that Starlight couldn't beat. He could find out about her plan and kill her for it. Then, he would most likely kill Lillian, too. But Starlight's curiosity was getting the best of her. She needed to know what had happened to the All-Father, since she didn't know if Loki had killed the man or simply imprisoned him. And once she knew the fate of the previous king of Asgard, she could put the rest of her plan in motion.
By now, all of the people employed in the palace knew of Starlight's presence. As the princess padded around the palace in her quiet flats, she kept her fox ears perked, listening to the hushed conversations of the servants.
"She's so pretty." A couple of maids whispered to each other, staring at Starlight in awe. In response to the young girls, Starlight smiled kindly. They both blushed and darted off around a corner.
Suddenly, a girl who looked no more than seven came barrelling around another corner, crashing right into Starlight. The child 'oomphed' as she hit the ground. Then, an older woman came around the same corner and gasped when she saw the child on the ground in front of Starlight.
"Obelia! How many times have I told you not to run in the palace?" The woman rushed over and picked the little girl up off the ground. Then, she gave Starlight a small curtsy, keeping her eyes down. "I'm so very sorry, uhh... ma'am."
The little girl hid behind the woman's skirt, looking up at Starlight with fear in her eyes. The princess knelt down to the girl's height and gave her a warm smile. The girl blinked, her eyes travelling up to Starlight's fox ears in wonder.
"Would you like to feel them?" Starlight asked in a soft voice.
Obelia looked up at the her mother, silently asking if it was okay. The older woman was still somewhat suspicious of the palace's strange guest, but she nodded anyway. Obelia stepped out from her mother's skirt and reached up to touch Starlight's ears. The ears were velvety smooth in the girl's hands. In curiosity, she scratched behind the ears like she would a dog. The ears twitched, scaring the girl, but not enough for her to pull her hands away. She went to do it again, but Starlight laughed lightly and gently removed the girl's hands.
"None of that, now." The princess tutted with a smile.
Obelia was still obviously floored by the ears, so Starlight asked if she wanted a pair of her own. The girl's eyes widened as she nodded. Starlight flicked her wrist and conjured up a brown headband (to match the girl's hair) with a pair of fox ears attached. She handed them to Obelia, who immediately placed them on her head. The girl turned to her mother, looking very proud.
"Look, Mommy! I'm a fox."
"That you are." The woman said, love evident in her voice. "Now go back to the kitchen before the All-Father sees you running around." The girl disappeared back around the corner. The woman turned to Starlight. "Thank you. I haven't seen her smile like that in ages."
Starlight stood back up and nodded. "Ah, it was my pleasure. The smile of a child in the purest thing anyone can have the pleasure of seeing, in my opinion. If you don't mind me asking, why hasn't she smiled like that in a while?"
The woman shuffled and glanced around nervously. Starlight figured she didn't want the 'All-Father' hearing whatever she was about to say, so Starlight pulled her into a corner and put up one of her special barriers. The barrier prevented anyone from seeing or hearing them. The woman gaped at the pink, shimmering orb in amazement. Starlight assured the woman that nobody could hear them, and she finally spoke freely.
"Ever since the Convergence, the All-Father has been acting... strangely."
Starlight fought the urge to snort at the woman's words. She had no idea.
The servant continued. "He used to be a kind (if not, distant) leader. Now, he's more hands on and... well, I don't want to say cruel, but... he's.." The woman sighed, searching for the right word.
"Stricter?" Starlight offered.
"Yes. His punishments have gotten harsher, and it is also easier to get punished. One of the king's personal servants once dropped a tray with His Highness's supper on it. He got so angry that he ordered her to stay in the Servant's quarters for a week with little to eat or drink. She came back at the end of the week, thin as a sheet of paper, I swear. There have been many other incidents, too, but I won't bore you with the details. The All-Father didn't want any of the servants' children running around, but he decided to tolerate it, as long as we can keep them in check. Sadly, Obelia is one of the rowdiest ones; she hates sitting in the kitchen all day. She's bored, and that's why she hasn't smiled so brightly in a while."
Starlight placed her hand on the woman's shoulder sympathetically. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what it must be like to live in constant fear like that."
The woman sighed, then peered at Starlight peculiarly. "Do... do your people live like this?" Then her eyes went wide. "Not that I'm saying you are harsh, or anything, ma'am. I just.." She trailed off, looking ashamed.
"It's alright. I know you're just curious to know if there's a better place than here. I am very happy to say that no, my people also do not know your suffering. I like to believe that I am a very compassionate ruler. I rule firmly, but with equality in mind. Now, you should be getting back to your daughter. Thank you for speaking so truthfully with me. And if you're still curious about how I treat my people, please seek out my maid, Lillian. She'd be happy to tell you all about our home world. Oh, and you wouldn't happen to know where the dungeon is, would you?"
The woman gave Starlight some vague directions, since she didn't know the exact place of it. Starlight nodded her thanks, dropped the barrier and swept away.
Neither woman was aware that they had just been seen magically reappearing by one of the Warriors Three, Volstagg. The wide man gasped, dropping the chicken leg in his hand. Without picking the food back up, he thundered towards the throne room as fast as he could go. When he got to the huge double doors, he burst in without knocking.
The All-Father was talking quietly to Sif, and glanced up when Volstagg tumbled in. The big warrior tried to tell the king what he had seen, but he was too out of breath to speak. Sif got Volstagg some water, which he swallowed greedily.
"What is it, Volstagg?" The king asked, sounding mildly annoyed.
"Your guest, Your Highness..." Volstagg was able to get out, still breathing heavily.
The King perked up. "What about her?"
"I just saw her talking to one of the kitchen maids."
"Was she saying anything suspicious?" The All-Father asked.
Volstagg shook his head. "I don't think so, but.."
Odin's interest deflated slightly. "Then why are you pestering me?"
"Because they appeared in front of me- out of thin air! It was like they just... materialized out of nowhere!"
Sif quirked an eyebrow, remembering that she had used the same terminology to describe how the princess had come to be in Asgard. "This girl seems to be able to materialize out of a lot of things, doesn't she?" Sif asked, looking at the king.
The king rubbed his chin with his index finger, a very non-Odin move that nobody really noticed. "So it seems..." He murmured, then said louder, "Where is she now, Volstagg?"
"Last I saw her, she was headed towards the southernmost stairwell."
The All-Father thanked Volstagg and went of to search for the princess on his own.
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After about half an hour, Starlight was able to find the dungeon. There were guards standing on either side of the doorway, but it was easy for Starlight to convince them to open the doors for her; Asgardians seemed to be weak against her particular brand of mind-control. Once through the doors, she was also able to persuade the guards inside the dungeon to ignore her and pretend she wasn't even there. She looked around, studying the underground room with a keen eye. There were prisoners behind many of the orange, transparent walls. However, none of them contained the real All-Father. Starlight wasn't surprised at this, though, since she didn't expect Loki to just keep his adoptive father out in the open where anyone could find him.
She ventured further into the dungeon, running her hands along the walls in search of a hidden passage or false partition. When she got all the way to the end without finding anything, Starlight huffed in annoyance. She closed her eyes and sent out a soundwave, hoping that it would bounce back and reveal to her some kind of secret behind one of the stone walls.
It didn't, but it did expose a man-shaped form behind her. Starlight spun, magically producing a pair of swords from her long sleeves and crossing them in front of her in a blocking motion. Something hit the princess's blades hard enough to rattle the bones in her whole body. She glanced up to see Loki, in his own form, wielding Gungnir. He looked severely pissed off, but Starlight pushed the slight fear she felt away, giving the black-haired god a sweet smile.
"I'll have you know that it is impossible to sneak up on me." She said.
Loki pulled Gungnir away and Starlight dropped her block. She didn't put the swords away, however, in case Loki was angry enough to want to fight her. Starlight noticed there were no guards in the dungeon, so no-one for her to control if Loki decided to attack.
"What do you think you're doing down here?" Loki asked with a growl, narrowing his eyes at her.
Starlight looked around at the prisoners casually. "I wanted to see how many prisoners you had." She lied smoothly. "Not as many I would expect, since people are saying that you rule with an iron fist."
Loki chuckled, not believing a word she said, but deciding to play along. He circled Starlight and came to rest behind her. He watched as her shoulder tensed and the grip on her swords became tighter. Despite her cool exterior, he knew that she was quivering in fear on the inside.
"That's because I usually just kill anyone who disobeys me." Loki said, "Sometimes, however, torture becomes a better punishment for their crimes. It is only then that I put them down here, to suffer out the rest of their miserable lives in constant agony." He came closer to her, nearly pressing against her back. "Would you like to see?"
Loki was somewhat surprised to see the princess nod. He glanced into her eyes for a second to see that her purple irises were staring to turn slightly golden. Loki wondered what that meant, but ignored it for the moment. He led her up to one of the walls and put his hand on it. It fell away, revealing a long corridor. Starlight wondered why she hadn't noticed it. They went down the hallway a little, then rounded a corner. At the end of the hall was a cell just like the ones out in the main room.
But this one contained the All-Father. He sat against the back wall, dressed in nothing but a simple and ratty robe. His eye patch was gone, too, revealing the empty socket of his ruined eye.
"This is what you were looking for, wasn't it?" Loki asked darkly.
Starlight nodded, knowing there was no point in denying anything now.
"Watch." Loki told the princess, who did so eagerly, her eyes completely gold now.
Loki raised his hand, using his magic to pick the old man up without even touching him. Odin started flailing around, whimpering and pleading for Loki not to do it. Loki paid no mind to the man's pleas and continued. The All-Father floated towards the front of the cell, as if a ghost carried him. Starlight licked her lips in anticipation, already having a good idea about what Loki was about to do with the man.
And just as she thought, the man flew into the orange barrier forcefully. The electricity in the barrier surged through the man, making his body spasm wildly. Starlight gasped, but not in fear. There was a familiar and intoxicating feeling stirring inside her; an immense pleasure. She continued watching, unfazed, as Odin screamed in agony. The old man had become weak in the months since he had been put in the dungeon, subject to constant torture.
Loki kept Odin up against the barrier until he sensed the barrier's breaking point. It was only then he dropped Odin to the ground. Starlight let out a strangled cry, her eyes fading back to purple. She had let the demon inside of her take over, which was something she always used all her willpower to prevent. Loki watched as the princess gasped for breath, coming down from whatever high she had been on. He took the moment of vulnerability and grabbed Starlight by the throat, pinning her against the wall.
"Listen here, you mewling quim." He said in a harsh voice, "There is not a thing you can do in this palace that I will not find out about. If you cross me again, I will lock you up next to Odin and force you to watch as I slowly kill your pretty little maid. Then, I will deliver to you so much suffering that you will beg for your own death. Have I made myself clear?"
Starlight stayed silent. She refused to say yes, not wanting to show how much Loki really scared her, but also knew that saying no would make Loki do exactly what he had just promised to do.
The princess's apparent calm infuriated Loki. He growled, his skin turning blue as he took on his Frost Giant form. If he couldn't get a reaction from her by mere threats, then he would see if biting cold would make her answer him. Starlight tensed and closed her eyes, ready to feel the arctic temperature she knew he could make to prick into her.
It never did.
Starlight blinked her eyes open, shocked at what she saw. The skin on her hands, where she gripped Loki's forearm, was turning blue but not becoming frostbitten. Loki widened his red eyes, instantly dropping the girl in his hand.
"You're immune." He said, keeping his voice neutral. "What exactly are you?"
Starlight calmly adjusted her yukata. "I am... many beings." She glanced at her arm, where the skin was starting to go back to it's normal color. "Though, I wasn't aware that Frost Giant could be one of them."
Without another word, Starlight spun on her heels and marched swiftly out of the dungeon. Loki let her go, feeling like she wouldn't cause any more trouble anytime soon, since she had seemed slightly distraught at the fact that she may be part Frost Giant.
A weak, throaty laugh came from being Loki. The god turned to see Odin struggling to sit up. When the All-Father finally got himself into a sitting position, he smirked at Loki.
"What are you laughing at, old man?" Loki snarled.
"That girl," Odin whispered, his voice hoarse, "She will be your undoing. I have seen it."
Brushing off Odin's words, Loki used his powers to force Odin back against the orange barrier. However, he only left him there for a few seconds before dropping him again.
"You know nothing." Loki said simply, leaving his adoptive father to suffer once more.
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"Hime-sama, please calm down!"
Lillian pulled at her princess's arm, trying to stop the older girl from tearing everything to shreds with her claws. The bedsheets and the drapes were already laying on the floor, tatter and ruined. Starlight was now trying to tear the bath towels up, but she was being held back by the unusually strong water-nymph.
"Hime-sama," Lillian said, using a comforting voice, "I know you're upset, but you need to get a hold of yourself. You'll destroy everything!"
Starlight ripped her arm out of her maid's grip, but stopped trying to slash at the towels.
"I have another demon inside of me, Lillian! Another... monster that I may not be able to control." Starlight sighed, her anger finally dying away. She sunk down onto the bed, placing her head in her hands. "I can't take anymore demons. The youkai inside of me takes over enough as it is."
"Hime-sama..." Lillian sat next to the princess on the bed, rubbing her back. "I know it's hard, but you are such a strong woman. You can deal with this."
Starlight shook her head. "No, not here I can't. You weren't there, Lillian. Usually, I can fight the bloodlust that the youkai wants. But this time... I couldn't. I just stood there and watched as Loki tortured the All-Father; and I enjoyed it!"
The maid leaned in and whispered soothing words into Starlight's ears, the words part of a nymph spell that took effect immediately. Starlight closed her eyes and fell back onto the bed, her breath even as she slept. Lillian knew that the princess would be angry at her once she woke up, but the maid thought that her princess's relaxation was worth the punishment. She quickly left the room, only to smack straight into a rushing servant. Lillian saw other servants bustling around too, talking in hushed and excited tones.
"What's going on?" Lillian asked the girl she had bumped into.
"Oh, it's so exciting!" the girl said giddily. "You and your princess came at the right time!"
"Why?"
"Prince Thor is coming back, perhaps to take the throne."