*Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of the original characters depicted in the comics/movies.*

Chapter 2: Bonds

Estiel was hoping a walk through the gardens and fresh air would ease her frayed nerves. She picked up a book in case she needed to sit and look busy—she preferred not to make small-talk with anyone today. Wrapping a colorful scarf around her neck and shoulders, she proceeded to the door.

Three days. Three whole days…well, not quite, nevertheless, it was close enough. She wondered if she would find him in the library; if he was waiting for her.

"No, stop it, stop pondering such nonsense. You are driving yourself mad." Estiel muttered to herself.

As she thought to herself, her face flashed different emotions. Her curiosity overcame her—she paused in the hall near the entrance to one of the libraries she would normally meet him at. So many significant moments occurred in this very room she stood in front of. Her mind went back in time to when they first had begun meeting there.

Estiel and Loki met once a week after their first encounter in the library. They mostly discussed the books they read and exchanged philosophical opinions. Some meetings were for a short time, others would go on into the night. Estiel recalled how quickly she grew fond of him, even his snide, charismatic comments, excited her. He offered her a challenge of sorts, a battle of wits. She began to feel eager to see him after particularly deep lectures at academy. After a few months, she started to seek his company more often until they met regularly, and some weeks, daily. She thoroughly enjoyed the sparring nature of their discussions—he would criticize her opinions more bluntly when he was in a foul mood, however. It became apparent that Loki was rather uptight about his family, and never openly spoke of them except when she asked. She eventually accepted that the prince was simply moody, and a channel for his frustrations was to play tricks on people. Though he really did not use magic on her, save a time or two, to change words in a book to win an argument. He preferred to challenge her in their talks and, at times, be purposely contradictory—even if he agreed with her.

She also noticed how much he needed to control as many aspects of his life as possible, and if he could not, he always sought a way to make it known that he would have the final say. If Estiel was ever late to their meetings, he would sometimes leave the moment she appeared. Other times, he would not converse at any length with her and be very curt in his replies. Though this frustrated her, she always tried to tell herself that he could be immature if he wanted; he was the prince after all. Their meetings did not always end pleasantly, but Estiel always made the attempt to show up. She thought he was incredibly intelligent, and he entertained her to no end. Her perspective of the bigger picture was to continue seeing him, while his was to always show he was in control. There was a level of comfort in their routine, both being rather predictable in their behavior towards one another.

Their bond solidified one evening when he was particularly upset, most likely a result of a disagreement with the Allfather or Thor. She saw just how dark his thoughts really were. Behind formalities and his quick wit, he was a defensive, insecure young prince who yearned for validation. Though she recognized his need, she was not the one to satisfy it. Nonetheless, she tried to lull his angry emotions and reassure him.

"I understand that you may not wish to discuss it, but would you please sit and try to calm yourself?" She pleaded as he paced back and forth in the private study. A look of pure hatred on his face, he glared at Estiel as she spoke.

"NO! I will not calm myself! I will be as vexed as I wish! In fact, you should be grateful that I am not smiting every pathetic, measly imbecile in sight. I could end the lives of all of you worthless individuals! Maybe then the King would take me seriously." Loki stepped quickly to her, coming within inches of her face as he seethed vile words. She turned her gaze to the desk as she sat in silence.

"Everyone would finally have a reason to truly fear me, wouldn't they?!" He practically yelled at her, causing her to flinch and dart her eyes up to meet his. She stood and crossed her arms.

"Enough sire. I will not hold your foul words against you for I know your pride is wounded, but I will not tolerate a verbal bashing when I am not the cause of your frustrations. Good night to you." As soon as she turned to walk away from him, Loki lost control and grabbed her by her arm and spun her around to face him. His emerald eyes burned into hers with a terrifying darkness. She attempted to pull away from him, but it was pointless. He growled and shook her violently, then pushed her against the wall. He pressed his chest to hers and stared into her soul.

"You do not walk out on your king, stupid girl. I should have your head for such disrespect. Do I make myself clear?" He spoke in a controlled, calculating manner. He expected to see fear on her face, but it was unreadable. Estiel's face looked almost soulless for a moment before she found her voice.

"Yes, my king. Forgive me, please." Her apology was flat and insincere, he sensed. It was so unlike her to lie, so out of character. Loki felt his anger dissipate from his body at that moment. He wanted a reaction, but she gave him none, as always. The burning fire of hatred could no longer be fueled, so he scoffed and removed his hands from her. With a seed of regret growing in his mind, he sat down at the desk and rested his face in his palms.

"Leave me." He spoke, sounding defeated by his own doing. He heard Estiel sigh softly and felt her hovering over him. Estiel contemplated for a moment on what she should do. A part of her was obviously hurt by his behavior, but an even greater part of her felt sorry for him. She wondered if he displayed such tantrums to others or if he was experiencing a breaking point in front of her. Loki was, in her opinion, a great man with astounding capabilities. Sadly, she also believed he was nothing short of a child emotionally.

What she did next was the last thing either of them ever expected: she leaned down and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Though he did not make a sound or twitch a muscle, he was in a panic internally. She simply held him, knowing he was remorseful of his actions. Loki did not understand why she was not upset; why she was kind to him. Perhaps she was foolish, but he would never call his mother foolish for her kindness. He did not know what to do, but he felt the comfort she was conveying in that gesture. Estiel took a deep breath to relax the tension between them. Eventually she let go and sat in the chair next to him.

"I'm sorry, I –" he started to say but she interrupted.

"I don't think much of Gravun's theory. He sounds like he prefers a society that bases their success on chance, not effort." Estiel felt it would be best to let the situation go, pretend it never happened. Loki was thankful for this act of mercy on his pride. For the first time in his life, he really wanted to call someone his friend.

Loki never lashed out at her to such an extreme after that night. He had been upset many times over, but he hid it well, perhaps better than before. She thought he might have become more guarded, or maybe he was more at ease with her company, because he seemed more content in general. Nonetheless, she appreciated his efforts in being less brooding. Over time, trust began to develop between them. Estiel was as open with him as she could be, given that she had little of her feelings to show. Estiel was not an overly emotional woman in any regard. She had been raised on too much logic and independence to be a hopeless romantic. In some aspect, she empathized with Loki's emotional immaturity. Her constant oppression of feelings became a way of life—she worried that she, too, would one day lash out in unpredictable ways.

There would be moments when she thought he would be flirting with her—a sly wink, a back-handed compliment, making observations of her appearance if it changed at all. Though the thought was flattering, she dismissed any romantic notions. She believed her ego was feeding her more than she could chew—surely the prince had other, more suitable, females who interested him.

"Why do you do that?" she asked him after he pointed out how her hair was pulled up into a bun that day.

"What am I doing that appears unclear to you? I'm reading, does that answer your question?" Loki glanced up from his book to her with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I am referring to you noting my appearance lately. First it was my choice of dress, then my necklace, and now you're mentioning my hair. I find it odd since you've never done so before."

"Ah, yes, well I asked about the dress because I believe green is more of a color that suits you over that dreadful red. I asked about your necklace to see if it was a recent gift. And today I inquire of your hair because of how the light plays on your features." Loki stated nonchalantly.

"That's fascinating to know. However, you evaded my question. Answer it, please." He heard a slightly sarcastic tone in Estiel's voice, a sign she was being impatient. Loki leaned forward from his seat and reached for her hand. This caused her to freeze and a puzzled look crept over her face.

"My lady, isn't it obvious? I'm trying to court you." He spoke with a cheeky grin then began to chuckle. Estiel immediately withdrew her hand and looked at him with a soured expression.

"You're shameful, I hope you enjoyed that." She pouted and focused back on her reading.

"Oh, you're blushing. My apologies, dear." He continued to snicker to himself. He was beaming in accomplishment.

"Pfft, you should not offer insincere apologies." Estiel spat.

"It was hardly insincere! I truly did not mean to turn you into a tomato." Loki sat up straight in his chair while still grinning widely.

"Oh, so is that to say you're not sorry for spouting fallacies then?" she said without looking at him.

"Who says I was 'spouting fallacies'?" he stated seriously, causing her blood to rush to her face again. Estiel turned her head to see his expression, which was blank as he stared at the book in his hands. She rolled her eyes at him and cleared her throat.

"You're insufferable." She whispered and returned to her reading. A smirk came on his lips as he heard her. He did enjoy this new game of getting a rile from her.

A couple of people bustled by Estiel in the hall. She came out of her thoughts, but a small smile grew on her face from recalling their playful banter. She had to see him. Estiel took a deep breath, and walked into the library.

*Hoping the direction I went in makes sense. Trying to get more of the OC's personality in so you all can get to know her. I'm letting it flow naturally without forcing it. Enjoy!