A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back. First of all I'd like to thank all of you for your reviews. I can't express my happiness over them. Thank you SnowGlobeQueen, She-who-lack-jamz, BacchikoiBABY21, crimson.blood.witch and all the others who reviewed.
Now about the chapter, this one is full of drama and both Loki's and Sif's emotions are tested. Also, we knkw how Sif has never really been friends with other women and no girl's life is complete without girl love so I'm gonna give her some avenger gal pals. Also, special shoutouts to my girlfriends theperpetualnisfit and highfunctioningpotter for being the best mates one could ask for. Also, this chapter is slightly longer than others and I hope that's fine. Now on with the story...
Of swords and words
Sif simply could not have been more pleased with the choice for her contendor. Ever since she had left home, she had felt somewhat invisible. Unwanted. As if, she could be out of the story of this epic battle and it wouldn't make a difference. And the worst thing was, she felt she was the only one who had no importance in thr bigger narrative. No glory awaiting her in the big battle. No feasts to celebrate her victories to follow. After all, she was just an Asgardian with a sword. And not a king like Thor or legend like Valkyrie, just another civillian.
Although Thor already had secured her the position of the royal Shieldmaiden of Asgard, she knew it'd be years before Asgard returns to it's former glory. Till then, she was just another soldier of the Avenger's Initiative, but never quite an avenger herself.
So, she mostly prefered soltitude over company, even Thor's who according to her was much changed now. He was no more the boy she loved. He was a king now. Much more responsible and selfless. But today she'll have her way. She thought, finally, she'd have a vent for all her frustration over the past events. And most of all, the disgust, the anger, the hate and the (jealousy?) she felt towards the slimiest snake of all the nine realms, Loki.
So, at sharp 10:55 AM, Sif put her armour on and left the personal training room, or what the midgardians refered to as "gym". She took the stairs all the way down to the hall, stepped out in the sparring grounds and made her way to the sparring arena 2. Loki was already standing there with regulator Maria Hill. The air was filled with the sounds of metals and shields clanking together from various other arenas. And all the heat that the power blasts and energy reactors were generating was enough to overpower the pleasant Norway weather.
"My Lady" , Loki greeted in customary Asgardian greeting, looking bored, but with a slight hint of scepticism in his eyes.
Sif half-grinned from the corner of her left lip in response. As if threatening him. Loki smirked.
"Agent Hill. Shall we start? " , Sif nodded at Maria Hill.
Maria Hill went and stood at the edge of the rectangular arena before starting the match:
"Alright! Both the contendors will be fighting with one sword in their fighting hand. The minute a person is disarmed, or yields, the sparring session ends. Use of any means of combat other than what's stated will result in immediate termination and a possible suspension from the grounds. A reminder: this is only a practise, we are not enemies, we stand together. In both glory and in defeat. Now, GO" And so it started.
Both Loki and Sif advanced at each other with their swords. Sif attacked first, Loki easily blocked it with his left arm plate and kicked Sif in the gut. He then aimed for her sword meaning to disarm her. But Sif was too experienced a warrior to not have anticipated this. Before Loki's sword could reach Sif's, Sif ducked with her leg strecthed out and did a 180 degree sweep on the ground till it met Loki's feet knocking him down. Loki fell on his back and just barely retained his sword in his hand. While Sif got up Loki threw his fists behind and pushed himself off the ground with a jump. There was an eye contact of half a minute while they both caught their breath anticipating the other's move. And then they charged at each other again, this time with equal vigour. Both meaning to attack. Both wanting more than anything, to win. It almost looked impossible for anyone of them to do so. They both complemented each other's fighting style perfectly and hence none was able to get an upper hand. While Sif was fiery and and vigorous Loki was cold and calculative. So their swords clanked, their feet kicked, their arms blocked several times. But all their moves resulted in a stalemate. But Sif had a leverage. Vengeance. Sif demanded vengeance from Loki most of all. He was the reason Asgard perished. He was the reason Odin and Frigga died. He was the reason Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun died. And he was the reason she couldn't die with them. It was all HIS fault. Her life had become so meaningless because of HIM. And when that thought entered her head, it persisted. So she delivered the final blow. Her sword met Loki's. And both of them held their arms in front of their chests. Their blades making an acute angle with each other. That is when Sif, taking advantage of her offensive position, hit Loki's sword hand with her knee harder than ever. Loki lost the grip of his sword, not having expected that brilliant move. Before he could catch it in the air, Sif elbowed his face with her own sword hand and Loki fell back, 2 metres aways from where his sword fell on the ground. And just like that, Loki lost. But that wasn't it for Sif. She got up and dropped her sword on the ground. Then she ran towards Loki and kicked his stomach. Loki groaned as she straddled him and punched his face. Hard. Really Hard. Her right fist met his face once again and with equal vigour. Then again. Then again. Then again.But she didn't stop and kept punching Loki rhythymically. Not even when his lip punctured. Not even when his cheek started bruising blue. She punched and punched. As if he were a half-deflated punching bag.
"STOP! LADY SIF STOP! I SAID STOP! NOW! OR YOU'LL KILL HIM. STOP RIGHT NOW OR YOU WILL FACE SUSPENSION FROM THE GROUNDS" Sif could hear the screeches of Maria Hill iin her ears but she didn't stop. All she could think of was Asgard, Odin, Frigga and her friends. And all that this man had cost her. All that she had lost. And something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was like this blood lust had controlled her. She wanted to stop but she couldn't. She wasn't going to stop.
Hearing Maria Hill shrieking and threatening someone of suspension, combatants of the two adjacent arenas 1 and 3, which perchance happened to be Thor, Valkyrie, Natasha and Clint left their training and came out to see what's wrong. What they found was a smothered Loki being beaten up by a very furious "what was her name? Thor's lady friend?" "Sif! " , bashing Loki up as they watched her, aghast. Even Valkyrie was stunned and witnessed the whole thing with a knitted eyebrow. Thor desperately called out Sif's name urging her to stop.
"THIS IS REGULATOR 03. I NEED IMMEDIATE SECURITY BACKUP HERE. ONE OF THE COMBATANTS HAS TURNED ROGUE. " Maria Hill was shouting holding at her earpiece.
But backup wasn't needed. For the moment Sif paused, her hand suspended in the air, to take look at Thor for a fleeting second. Loki conjured a silver dagger in his right palm and stabbed Sif's side with it. Right below her rib cage. She winced in pain as he flipped her from over him and they both laid side by side in the mud and grass. Maria made to help Loki up and called out for medical aid for both of them. As Sif made to stand up Maria Hill towered over her.
"WHAT the hell was that? " she asked.
"With all the due respect to you Agent Hill, I don't answer to you. " Sif replied, not being in control of herself.
"Well then, Lady Sif, on the grounds of defiance of rule, unwarranted violence and hurting a fellow soldier, I suspend you from all your duties and prohibit your entrance in the training grounds for as long as SHIELD deems fit. You'll be informed shortly of the duration of your suspension."
"You know you can't do that? I'm the shieldmaiden of the Asgardian Royal Palace."
"THIS ISN'T THE ASGARDIAN ROYAL PALACE until the upcoming war is over. This is the Avengers Headquarters which is being sponsored by the Wakandan republic and Stark Industries and being run by SHIELD. And I, am the Vice President of SHIELD. So, if a need arises, I can and I will suspend anyone. Even your dear king Thor."
And with that, Maria Hill marched furiously out of the grounds while Loki and Sif were escorted by the on call paramedics to the medical clinic.
Scene/Change
Thor was confused. To say the least. After witnessing what he just had he didn't know what to think.
"Boy they have a lot to talk about" he heard Valkyrie remark.
"About what?" He asked.
"I don't know. They have so much of sexual tension amd heat going on there definitely is a past."
"Sexual tension? Not possible." Thor replied disbelievingly. He was met with Valkyrie's very own "bitch please it's obvious to everyone else" look.
"You know nothing your majesty. Start seeing with your... eye open" She remarked in her soft and feminine voice which no one used to expect having newly met her.
"I know pain and enstragement whenwhen I see it. And that's What Lady Sif is experiencing right now." she continued.
"Do you think I should go talk to her? " asked Thor chosing to overlook Valyrie's stupid juvenile joke in favour of the more serious discourse at hand.
"You could but, I think I want to try. I might have more experience here than you do. " Valkyrie said looking at the now deserted sparring ground with unseeing eyes.
"Yeah you might as well"
"And we could deal with that Sif-Lackey thing later"
"IT'S LOKI. And there is no "thing". " (Haha Quotesception)
"You wanna bet? " She asked with a huge grin. Her mood suddenly changing from sullen and nostalgic to cheerful.
"I bet. " Thor grinned back. And what a grin it was.
Scene/Change
Loki stood at the railing of the long corridors of the archaic midgardian building. It's architecture was, he onlonly now noticed, surprisingly similar to the palace in which he had grown up. His palms were placed on the blunt, curved edges of the waist-high railing as he peered into the dark night sky. He thought, Midgardian night sky was beautiful. Which was unlike the thoughts he usually entertained. But after today's ordeal, he was willing to be easy on himself. Sif had humiliated him and thrashed him like a ragdoll. And to say that he was furious and enraged would've been a fierce understatement. But he'll plan his next move later, if at all. Tonight, he had simply decided to lay low. It may have been a result of the Pain-killing sedatives he was on, or all the wine he had consumed in the evening, but today he just wanted to calm down and relax. He could think about his imminent threat to life and how to deal with this crazy version of Sif later. But when did Loki and luck ever go hand in hand. His luck advanced upon him once again, and this time HE was ready.
"If it isn't my fallen prince" , Sif appeared from the shadows around the corner of the long corridor.
"My Prince." she nodded in mock greeting.
"Good job at veiling your bruises under illusions. That doesn't mean they aren't there."
It was Loki's turn to meet her formal greetings with a menacing half grin. He was ready this time.
"Good evening, My Lady Sif. Or as apt for the siultuation shall I say, How is the Rejected Hag of Asgard faring nowadays." Blood in Sif's veins started boiling once again. But she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of getting on to her nerves.
"So how does it feel? Losing? How does it feel losing every fight you've been in to every other man and woman? Asgard, Newyork, and today you couldn't even hold yourself up against a "rejected hag". As your silvertongue puts it." Sif spat at him with all the venom she could conjure.
Loki turned around and his red lips spread across his pale face. He smirked with a terrifying monstrous savageness in his eyes.
"And how does it feel to you? Losing? How does it feel losing every man you ever loved to another woman? Lorelei, Jane, and now what chance do you have against Valkyrie? ". Loki retorted. And every word stabbed. Not because she was still hurting over Haldor or Thor. But because he was right. She had lost at love. Every. Single. Time. But she wasn't ready to back down as yet.
Seeing the hurt in her eyes for a second, Loki let his guard down. Fearing he had gone too far but not exactly knowing what it was he feared.
"And how does it feel being a killer? Knowing that you killed hundreds of innocents, friends, both your fathers and your only mother? " Sif blurted unable to stop herself.
Something snapped within Loki, his cool facade dropped, his deathly smirk faded and his eyebrows knitted together. He lifted his chin and looked down at Sif with nothing but pure pain and guilt in his eyes. He then moved past her and walked away. Sif turned around to watch his retreating back. She knew she had now crossed a line. She saw in his face a reality she wasn't ready to face. A reality that invalidated all her hatred for him, all her disgust for him. The reality that he wasn't what he had done or had been somehow made to do. That inside he was still Loki the trickster and nothing more. That he wasn't really the monstermonster she had told him he was. Sif made to speak but stopped. Sif made to reach her hand out to stop him but stopped. Now Sif, dare she admit it to herself, was sorry. She hadn't expected him to not retort. And her instinct wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Just before turning around the corner Loki stopped. Turning to face Sif with a murderous glint in his eyes and crushing his teeth together. He approached her with large strides.
"Was that supposed to hurt me? Do you think I don't realise the monster I am? That I don't know who I've killed? For your knowledge, good Lady Sif, I am aware and I. Don't. Care." Now he was so close to Sif that she debated turning around and running away. This phase of Loki was menacing, threatening.
"But you know what? I don't think that's the reason you've turned into a psychopathic blood thirsty harriden. I think that's because you see how you don't matter anymore. You see that despite what I've done. Who I've killed. Asgardians remember and respect me more than they do you. After all I saved them from Ragnarok while you were in another realm. Safe and sunny." At this, Sif made to slap him. It hurt. It was true. And it was HIS fault. So she couldn't control her hand as it flew up to make contact with Loki's perfect porcelain cheek.
This time, having expected it, Loki easily caught it mid air and turned Sif around. He swiftly trapped both her hands behind her in the long slender fingers of his left hand and conjuring a silver dagger in his right one, pressed it against Sif's throat. Just barely not cutting into her skin. He had had enough for the night. Enough from her.
He brougth his lips close to Sif's left ear and whispered,
"Here's the thing. No matter how much you try, how much you want it. You'll never be good enough for him, or any man for that matter. And I know how not being good enough, EVER does to you. So here's an advice, spare yourself some discomfort and accept what it is. And if you ever as much tried to touch me in a way of harm again, I'll kill you. You know I can. And it'll only be self defense. Haldor left you for an enchantress, Thor didn't even consider you over a mortal woman. There is a reason why. Just remember. Never. Good. Enough." And then he let go of her. And without anothet word, left. Sif knew if she turned around to look at him she'll again physically attack him, and she couldn't afford to be banished from the headquarters. Not when she didn't even know what she did and didn't want. She'd just had to accept defeat this time. One battle she had won. One battle he had won. That one was of swords. Which happened to be her weapon of choice. But this one, was of words, which also happened to be Loki's weapon of choice.
A/N: so there you go! This was intense huh? Too much violence? I know. Both Loki and Sif are fighting mental battles of their own and while I don't condone unwarranted violence, Sif's going through a sort of emotional breakdown right now. That doesn't justify her behaviour but it certainly explains it. As for Loki, you know he doesn't bear things lying down. They both behaved immaturely in this one but please forgive my babies they're under a lot of duress. They will make amends in future.Anyhow, I promise next chapter will be lighter. I'll give you the interactions and friendships I've promised. Also, I'll be updating every three days so keep coming back for more.