The scarf flicked and licked the open air as Kari walked down the hall with a sealed bag. It soaked at the bottom but had yet to have begun to leak its fluids. The trip took longer than expected; the man she hunted was good at hiding. He hid high above her in the trees keeping his distance from the ground. It was until a branch snapped causing the bandit to rush from his spot and causing a commotion. It only took a second to have a dagger pinned into his shoulder and knocking the bandit down to the ground. Quickly she disposed of him peeling a piece of skin from his neck that was tattooed and taking it back with her as proof.
She never thought killing another human would become so easy. She had always despised it fearing she would be like Dominic. On earth she wouldn't have even dared to dream of becoming a paid killer even after stabbing her tormentor to death. This felt a little different, maybe it was because these people weren't exactly normal nor human.
As she continued guards walked passed sneering at the smell of blood.
It was dark and the cool wind of the early morning held a bitter bite to what skin shown. Her one eye almost glowed in the moon light giving it an eerie blue tint, it shown nicely in comparison to her red scarf. The noble waited on a bench beside the fountain. His mouth was open snoring into the wind. He must have fallen asleep waiting for her to return. As she approached she kicked his boot causing him to jump awake. He threw a hand above him protecting his face letting out a low shaky groan.
"Please wait I can pay you!" Kari chuckled.
"Yes, you will pay me." She tossed the sack onto his lap causing him to jump again at the moisture. "I would like the other half of my payment." He jumped feeling the coolness of moisture touch his skin. After kicking away the bag and noticing who stood before him he composed himself. "I have brought proof like you have asked." The noble wiped his robe looking at the hunter from the corner of his eye.
"When you're awoken from one of the best bounty hunters in Asgard in an empty garden, it is quite frightening." He pulled another small sack from his pockets. "Here take your money and go." The noble handed her a silken bag filled with coin. She weighed it in her hand mentally determining about how much was in it. Turning on her heel to leave the scarf smacked the noble in the face. He responded with a 'tch' swatting the air to get it away like a fly. As the bounty hunter entered the palace the noble got up a bit shaken by Kari; small but one of the most intimidating people he has ever met.
Kari walked down the hall keeping a look out for the guards who patrolled her hall. The magic she had been using to keep changed was slowly starting to fade. Her eye was now its normal brown color compared to the pale blue she had turned it. Her skin also became fairer next to the tanned rugged skin; she needed to move quickly before her stature shortens and the short black hair grows brunet and falls from under the scarf.
Armor clanked from one side of the corridor along with the rattle of chains. Kari slid herself behind a pillar keeping her flat against the surface until the sound of their armor faded. She peeked overseeing the black haired nord walk between the numbers of guards surrounding him. 'Loki must be going back to his cell, it must not have gone well with Odin.' she thought.
Frig appeared from a wooden door hidden from sight. Tabitha smirked still pressed against the pillar. The mother picked up the sides of her dress and began to walk in the direction of Tabitha's room. Kari slithered around tip toeing till she was behind Frigga then leaning in just enough to be by her ear.
"Good evening Ma'am." Frig jumped turning and slapping the air an inch away from Kari's face.
"Tabitha! For Odin's sake!" She clamped a hand firmly onto her mouth. She looked around again being sure no one heard her sudden outburst. She cleared her throat bringing her voice back to a normal tone. "Be lucky no one was here to hear me Kari." She looked into her shown eye grasping her hand tugging her to her room. "Kair you are becoming too reckless someone will notice these changes." Together they hurried down the halls till they found Frigg's tapestries; she was elegant holding her sword reversed in one hand with her crown placed beautifully on her head. She punched a small square in the marble then pushed a line of wood that bordered the floor with her foot. A thin rectangular opening appeared, the two slid in to a wider staircase that went down to meet a small oak door.
Tabitha pushed open the door to her chambers. A room the size of a small house decorated with paintings and drawings along its walls. With one window peering out over canal; from this floor you could see the two sides of the palace hugging the lakes boarders.
Candles lined every nook and cranny to replace the lack of a fire place for cold nights. Lucky for her she was able to sneak one or two of Loki's furs from his bed. They kept her warm and comforted her with his scent that still lingered. Frig walked to the cushioned chair in the middle of the room tossing herself into it with a huff. "Loki is sentenced to life in prison." Kari unwrapped the material from her head, slowly changing the rest of her features back to her normal female self.
"No chance of parole?" Frig rubbed her hands together nervously looking to the hunter as she disarmed herself. She plopped both belts onto a table near the balcony pulling the wooden chair out so she could sit.
"After he went and killed your sister the last time he was temporarily free, I fear not."
"HALF sister and good point." A loud boom startled the two from their seats. As the two made eye contact Hogun's voice bellowed out. He was calling solders to Vanaheim something was going on and it didn't sound to pretty. Guards yelled out running into the light, Fandral rode charged on a horse with Sif following suit at his heels. "Sounds like fun I think I might join to forget this dreary ordeal." Tabitha used the table to push herself off from the chair beginning to wrap the scarf around her face again.
"You're not around him often yet you are starting to speak like him." Tabitha stopped for a moment as she was buckling the belts back on. She desperately missed him. After taking a moment she continued to buckling the second one on. The features where still much like her own, she had yet to collect herself so she could cast a spell. "Come here Tabitha." The mother held out her hand to the hunter. Tabitha smiled though it could not be seen. Tabitha took the mothers fair hand feeling the burning sensation pass into her being. In a wave of red her features changed from delicate to hard sharp angles. Her eyes now an icy blue battered relaxing from the sudden rush. "Now go Tabi- I mean Kari, they'll need you." The hunter bowed leaving the queen in her quarters. Frig looked around the walls examining the drawings around her bed. She spent a lot of her time drawing when she was not practicing or out on a hunt. She had many scenic drawings and some of her life back on earth. Loki was looking back in a couple, some he read, others it was the two together embracing. In one he wore his crown smugly smiling on the thrown. She crinkled her nose a bit and gave a weak smile. "What am I going to do with her?"
Kari held the reins fast as Sleipnir trotted fast down the rainbow bridge. Just as Hogun and entered the bifrost the eight legged horse leaped in, Heimdall watched as the stead of Loki rode passed before him. The only one who has been able to approach or even tame the horse since Loki's absence has been Kari. Now it had remained her steed. It must trust her much like he does the silver tongue.
The horse was brought as a young mare carried by the prince. The poor thing was beaten badly and looked to have been starved. Despite the stable care takers protest Loki brought the horse in. He cared for it every day and nursed its wounds. People would talk about the deformity of it and complain saying it would only die. Children would even sneak in and throw rocks at the animal because it was different from the rest. Sleipnir began to avoid everybody who came near it. Loki had to start from scratch again to get close to him. He even stayed in the same stable just to prove he could be trusted. Though Sleipnir would whine and stay as far as possible it wouldn't try to buck at him like he did with others.
On one cold night as Loki laid curled into a ball the black stallion rested its body against the prince. Loki had awoken but did not move feeling the sudden heat present against his back. Since then the horse had entrusted Loki and cared for him as much as the prince did it. And ever since nobody could get close to Sleipnir like he could but the night a newly changed Tabitha looked for a steed, the horse was more than willing to oblige. Everyone watched the bounty hunter slide on a saddle and hop on with ease. The horse didn't fight her, the moment the two made eye contact it was almost like the understood each other. Sleipnir was now her horse, when they went into battle, when she traveled, or even when she just wanted to go for a stroll, the black stallion was her choice. Heimdall smiled, she will do well with the warriors in battle.
The light faded into the sky as the last round of men and Sleipnir led into battle. Rouges and thugs were attacking a small village killing those who got in their way. Fandral fenced his way between two men protecting a woman from their blades. Volstagg was using his brute strength smashing them down into the ground as they tried to attack. The soldiers clad in gold fought valiantly trying to protect the people. Kari trotted in with Sleipnir flipping off and smacking her fist into a enemy face. Hogun rammed his mace into the face of a poor rouge that attempted to get the upper hand on Kari from behind.
"I owe you one!" Kari spoke from the yells and screams. She hoped back on to the horse and pulled hard on the reins twisting the horse into the heart of the battle where Sif was also riding too. Sif swung low from the side of her horse knocking heads and breaking bones. Kari threw smoke bombs down engulfing the men around her. They coughed and wheezed trying to escape the smoke, with a head nod Sif rode close grasping a rope the hunter held out. Together they rode around the men entangling them in the rope, trapping them where they stood.
"Good work! I hope you have more rope!" Sif spoke grinning at the small victory.
"Of course! Plenty!" She pulled another out from her belt preparing it. A loud combination of battle cry's and metal erupted behind them. As they turned an army of men came charging down, some stayed high shooting flaming arrows down to the battle ground. The horses whined as the two watched en aw; the other warriors also turned watching the men charge. There were a lot more than what they excepted.
"Where going to need more rope."
