Chapter Two
It had been a couple of days since Thor had been banished, and I stayed in my room for that entire time, unable to look at my father. The only ones permitted in my room were Loki, who spent almost all of his time with me, and my mother who had spent almost none.
"Your father requests your presence at the gate." Ava said as she swept into my room. "He demands you wear the coronation dress and your cloak." She pulled the dress out of the wardrobe and looked at me, demanding that I would stand up. She dressed me quickly, and I walked wordlessly to the stables where I was put onto a horse and escorted by three guards down the bridge to the gate.
I thought my father's demand was strange. He had never let me go over the bridge to another realm. He said it was much too dangerous for a princess. In all reality, he didn't let me go very far without either him, Thor, or most often Loki. I was a sheltered princess, so this sudden change caused me cautious.
When I got to the gate I saw my mother, looking just as bewildered as I, my father looking angry, and Loki with red, puffy eyes. I was helped off of my horse and I ran to my brother. "What is the matter Loki?" I asked him but he said nothing. He only wrapped his arms around me and buried his face into my hair.
"That's enough. Let us go." my father spat and two guards pushed Loki and I towards the gate a little too roughly for Loki's liking because he jerked away from their hands and walked with me to the gate.
The gatekeeper opened the Bifrost and I felt the oddest sensation flying through the Bifrost. We found ourselves in a cold realm and I looked at Loki who simply said, "Jotunheim".
I shivered and Loki pulled my cloak tighter around me and wrapped his arm around my waist in an attempt to keep me warm.
We walked through a very tenuous path up to the Frost castle. I could see the damage that Loki had described to me after Thor had been banished.
"Why have you come back so soon...Odin." I jumped when I heard the deep, grimy, loud voice that seemed to come from all directions. He said the words slowly and precisely, which made shivers run up and down my spine.
"We have come to negotiate a treaty Laufey." My father said loudly, and with complete authority.
"Speak." Laufey, the Kind of the Frost Giants said.
"Years ago, when Asgard defeated Jotunheim, I took more than the Caske" my father said, and it reminded me of when he used to tell Thor, Loki, and I stories. "We took it for a purpose, to unite our kingdoms." he said.
"What was it?" Laufey asked, sounding angry, like he already knew but didn't want to believe it.
"A baby." As soon as he said it, Loki clenched up. I looked up at him and wrinkled my forehead in confusion.
"A baby?" Laufey said slowly and then realization filled his face. "The forgotten prince."
"Yes, the forgotten and abandoned future king of Jotunheim. I raised him as my own, my own Loki." I froze as my father said the words and stared up at my brother. That's why he was so upset, because of this. Was it a lie? Punishment for going with Thor to battle the Frost Giants. I held onto him ever tighter, not wanting my father to take him away from me.
"Have you come to give him back? A Frost Giant polluted with Asgard morals?" Laufey said. Tears welled up in my eyes as these two men talked of Loki as if he was nothing but a thing to barter with, and they froze on my face as they rolled down my cheek.
"I have come to offer you something much better. A union between our worlds. Your son will marry my daughter, the fair and beautiful Ella. She will bear children, one for the thrown of Jotunheim and one for the thrown of Asgard. Both half Asgardian, half Frost Giant. It will unite our realms forever." As soon as the words were spoken, I froze and then looked at my father like he was crazy. Loki was my brother, I was not marrying him, and even most certainly not having children with him. Loki held onto my arm tightly.
"She is very beautiful." Laufey said and I jumped as he came quickly towards me, propelled forward by ice. He looked at me and then at Loki smirking when he saw how tightly he was holding onto me.
Loki's face turned cold and angry, as if he was ready to kill this King if the chance presented itself.
"Will this end our feud?" Laufey asked as he left the spot right in front of Loki and I, and walked towards my father and mother. "May we have the Casket back?"
"When we give you the future king of Jotunheim, we will send with it, the Casket." My father said like it was obvious. I, feeling my heart hurt so much, buried my face into Loki's chest, where he held even more tightly to me.
"They will live on Asgard. I have no need for a forgotten prince, and Asgardian princess," Laufey demanded and my father laughed.
"I would have it no other way, my friend." My father put his hand over his heart.
"Then I accept." Laufey said. "You will understand if I do not attend the wedding myself. I find Asgard, entirely to warm for my liking."
"Of course. We will welcome any diplomat you send to witness the union." My father said bowing to Laufey and turning around to leave. Laufey let us leave and all the while I wondered at my father's cruelty.
The Bifrost opened at my father's command and after we arrived back on Asgard I simply looked at my father with disgust.
"Not here." he commanded and went to mount his horse.
I ran to catch up with my mother, "Mother," I started, as I grabbed her arm. She stopped walking and looked at me, her face riddled with pain.
"Not here!" My father's roaring sent me reeling and Loki walking ahead of me to face him.
"Never speak to her like that." Loki said roughly, more roughly than I had ever heard him speak.
"Son, you will not dis-" my father started but Loki stopped him, coolly.
"I am not your son. You made that obviously clear at Jotunheim." Loki spat.
The Allfather looked at him hard, then mounted his horse and road down the bridge quickly.
I looked at Loki and shook my head at the cruelty of a man, who, only yesterday, called me his little princess.
...
There was a small eating hall down the hall from my father's chambers. My mother, father, Loki and I were sitting at the table none of us looking at each other, all of us angry.
"It is for the good of the realm, daughter. You must understand, your sacrifice will save countless lives." My father said, trying his best to sound calm.
"There must be another way. You would not be so cruel as to make your only daughter marry her brother." I pleded, not sounding calm at all.
"Again, he is not really your brother. He was taken from the Frost Giants when he was an infant. He is of no relation to you, my princess." my father implored. He banged his hands on the table for emphasis.
"We were raised as siblings. Blood means nothing here!" I yelled and stood up from my chair.
My father stood up and roared, "You weren't supposed to be!" He looked at Loki, "You were supposed to be raised secretly, but she found you. When she was born she cried and cried and the only thing that would calm her down was to be placed in the cradle next to you. I had never seen anything like it, and I couldn't bear to see her unhappy, my little princess." He said this last bit to me. "You will learn to love him. You will forget about your rearing, and you will live a long and happy life, alongside your best friend." He was almost pleading with me.
"I will not do it," I stated bluntly.
"You will, or I will kill him!" He screamed, pointing a large finger at Loki.
I froze and looked at him with a heavy heart, and pure fear. "What?" I breathed, unable to wrap my head around it.
"What use do I have for a stolen prince if not my initial purpose. I will kill him and not think another thing of it if you don't marry him," he said slowly knowing that his words were resonating in my skull.
"Then I won't do it." Loki said as he stood up in defiance. "Kill me, I don't care."
"Then I will kill her." my father smirked. I looked at my father with horror, and Loki did the same before looking at me. "What use do I have for a disobedient princess?" he said. "The only way that you two will ever see each other again alive will be if you obey my orders."
I covered my face with my hands and sat back down.
"I see that you have made your decision." he hissed. "The wedding will be in three days time. You will stay in your room, Princess Ella, and the only people that will be permitted to visit is me, and your...fiancé." I could hear the smile appear in his voice, and knew that he was completely lost.
A guard escorted me to my room but only minutes later there was a knock. I opened the door and saw Loki standing there. "Come in," I murmured. The moment I heard the door shut I turned around and was enveloped into his waiting arms.
"Let him kill me." I whispered. "Live your life the way you want to." I said. He took my chin and made me look into his eyes.
"I will never let anyone harm you. And really, do you really think he would let me live after he kills you? Or vice versa?" he spoke logic as always, and he spoke of his death knowing that any language about it, would cause me to panic. I held onto him a little bit longer, and then let go. We moved to sit on the end of my bed.
"Why are you so concerned about me? It should be me that is more concerned about you." I touched his shoulder and he looked down at his lap.
"Why, because we found that I was a monster." he said. His words hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Monster? I didn't think you were a monster. You are Loki, best friend of Ella." I looked down and saw the shadow on the ground change as he looked towards me.
"No longer brother of Ella?" he asked.
"No, when you become husband of Ella, you can no longer be brother of Ella." I stated. "But I love you no less, Loki." I rested my head on his shoulder and yawned loudly as I suddenly got very tired.
He chuckled a bit, "You are tired," he declared. "Come, you must lay down." He gestured towards the bed and I followed his orders. He took the blanket and tucked it around me, "I will see you first thing tomorrow." he smiled.
"Stay," I said drowsily. I hadn't noticed how tired I was until now, as I felt safe. I knew that sleep would leave the moment he did, and I would feel much safer with him at my side.
He nodded and laid on top of the blankets, letting me rest my head in the crook of his arm. I sighed, and tried not to think of the day's events.