Loki's POV
Food. Why do I smell such wonderful, delicious, and intoxicating aromas? I'm alone, in the void. Falling, and falling for eternity. And yet, I can feel silky sheets against my skin. I can feel the soft cloud beneath my head.
I shift my body slightly, and take in the smell of food, spices, and something unknown. It is overwhelming after so long of smelling nothing and hearing only silence. I can hear so much now. Small things like birds singing, wind rustling through trees, and the creaking of wooden floor boards, and more prominent sounds. Sounds like someone rummaging through dishes and cutlery, and an animal skittering around, claws clacking on the ground.
I slowly peeled my heavy eyelids open, and pushed myself up to a sitting position. Everything is blurry as I squint, trying to come into focus. The first sight to greet me as my sight clears is a large room. Straight across from me are two small beds, with two nightstands in between them. In the middle-left there is a large bookshelf filled with books of all sizes, and a sizeable chest at the foot of the large double-bed I am laying on. Then to the middle-right there are two doors. One closer to the single-beds, and one closer to the double bed. Lining the walls are shelves, full of strange trinkets and colorful, bottled liquids.
I jump in surprise as a large canine jumped on the same bed as I am on. His fur is a deep brown, almost black everywhere other than his face, chest, and belly, which is a stark white. He resembles a wolf, but his fur is thicker, and his ears are smaller. His tongue is rolled out to the side as he sits on his haunches next to my legs.
He seems peaceful enough, but I am still wary. He is an unknown. Just as everything around me is. there is no way I can be here, wherever here is. The void is just that. A void. Perhaps I am hallucinating, but then again, no. It is far to lucid. Little is known about the void other than no one ever returns from a venture into it's depths. Perhaps it is more like a portal than a void, or perhaps it had a break; a crack. There is too much unknown.
My body tensed and my eyes darted to movement near the doorway. Striding in my direction with feline grace is a woman. She stops about halfway to the bed, either for my comfort or hers. She is tall for a woman, only about a head shorter than myself. Her skin is the likeness of gold, and hair like liquid rubies, pulled back into a braid that hung between her shoulder blades with two strands of hair on either side of her face. Her face is angular, with pale gold lips, a small, but sharp nose, and eyes of different colors. Her right eye is an iridescent green, and her left, an icy, iridescent, light blue. She is obviously an elf from her large, pointed ears and almost unrealistic beauty.
Her armor is almost as impressive as she herself. It is fine, scaled, ebony-colored armor with a silver designs decorating the entirety. It hugs all of her curves like a second skin. Her armor in addition with the beautiful sword hanging from her hips, made of a material that resembles black glass, and a bow with arrows of the same strange material, gives her the same beauty that a wild feline might have. The kind of beauty admired from a safe distance.
Her stance is balanced, and relaxed. Not one of which one would expect from someone with a potentially dangerous person in their home. She obviously does not feel threatened by my presence, and that both annoys, and worries me. It annoys me because although I have low energy, my magic is great in both quantity and strength. However, it makes me uneasy because, as an elf, she should be able to feel my magic. And if she still seems so indifferent, she must be either very arrogant, or a very formidable force. Knowing elves, it was likely both.
She gestured to a steaming, wooden bowl in her hands. Her voice is like low waves lapping against the seashore. It flows softly, but with the power to wipe out entire civilizations shimmering just below the surface,
"I thought you might be hungry."
She began inching towards me while I watch avidly.
" Stew will help you regain your strength. Something you will need in these lands," she says as she stands about a foot from the bed, offering the food.
I look at her and the stew cautiously. Hungry, but wary of the golden elf's intentions, something that she notices. One side of her mouth quirks up and she tilts her head to the side, saying, " I wouldn't have went through the trouble of dragging your arse all the way here, from the top of Monahven, the highest mountain in Skyrim no less, just to poison you now."
Her tone is teasing, and I consider refusing it just to spite her. But she speaks the truth. I do need my strength. Besides, my magic would destroy any poison that enters my bloodstream.
As I reach for the bowl I gasp in shock; the skin of my forearms has turned to a deathly shade of blue! What magic or poison has struck me!? Am I dying!? I frantically claw at my arms as if I can peel the taint away.
Calloused hands are wrapped around my wrists holding them tight. It is the elf! She looks at me with her brows lowered in confusion, and, concern? No! It's another trick! My heart hammers against my chest, each breath a strain.
"Helt(stop)! You are injuring yourself!" Her words echo through my head as I try to grasp their meaning. I am having trouble focusing. All I know is that my skin shouldn't look this way. As I stare at my now scratched and bleeding arms, it hits me hard and I feel disappointed in myself. How silly of me to lose my composure. Not at all behavior fitting for a prince of Asgard. This is my blue skin. It tells of the monster inside me. The monster that is me. If only I could cut that horrible beast out. But, you cannot very well cut out a piece of yourself.
The woman lets go of me after seeing that I've calmed myself. I continue to stare at my arms, blank faced as she straightens and turns, announcing, " I will go and fetch some bandages. Kriid, will keep you company." She leaves the room with the forgotten bowl of stew, and I sigh. The canine must be this, Kriid. I look at Kriid curiously. He licks his chops and shifts his weight while looking at me. I do not recognize the language his name is in. It is nothing that I have heard before. Neither have I heard of this, Skyrim, that the elf mentioned.
" I have brought bandages and some warm water. Will you allow me to clean and bandage your wounds?", came the voice of the woman as she walks over with a bucket with a rag on the rim, and some fresh, cloth bandages. I look at her warily before nodding my consent. If she meant to kill me, there would have already been an attempt, and my aching muscles and pounding headache protest greatly against any more movement. She sits in a chair to the right of the bed I had not noticed before and holds the bucket between her knees before gently pulling my arms closer to her. She dips the rag into the bucket and squeezed out the excess water, then set to cleaning my wounds. I flinch slightly at the sting, then I relax as much as I dare near the stranger. Though, staying alert is difficult when your mind and body just want to sleep.
I look to the woman's eyes as she spoke quietly to me, " I do not suppose you are willing to explain why you clawed your arms."
"No"
"Thought not."
She began to wrap my arms in soft white bandages. Then she spoke again, " Surely you will allow me to know the name of my new guest?" she said with one raised brow. I consider telling her my name, and can not find a reason not to. Besides, I wish to know her name. I cannot keep referring to her as "she-elf" or "woman". Plus, it is only common courtesy. One which she has at least earned for not leaving me to whatever may roam these lands.
"My name is Loki. Of Asgard. Might I, in turn, know the name of the fair maiden that has cared for me thus far?"
She seems to sit taller at my compliment.
"Drem Yol Lok(greetings). My name is Solace, but you may save your honeyed words for another."
I grin as she tries to deny that my silvertongue had any effect on her. She clearly enjoys compliments. An easy weakness to exploit.
" I have not heard of this, Asgard."
"As I have not heard of this, Skyrim."
She finishes up her task, sets the bucket to the floor and looks into my eyes, seemingly in thought.
" You fell. Through a time rift. I happened to be nearby when you did so. You could have fallen backwards, or forwards. Either way, it was a long time for you to not have heard of Skyrim. We are on Nirn, in the kingdom of Skyrim, one of 8 kingdoms that make up this seemed to be a Breton at first, but your skin changed into the likeness of the Dunmer. Both have known of Skyrim for quite some time."
I see her questioning look at the mention of my skin changing. I poke my magic, and it sends out a slight flare. "This skin is temporary. It will fade as my magic returns to me."
She nods in acceptance. No scathing words fell from her lips. She breathes no word of magic being a woman's trade. Not even a laugh at my expense. Is a man practicing magic not as taboo here as it was on Asgard?
Did I fall forwards? Is Thor king now? Being in the future would explain the odd armor and objects. Then again, so would being in the past if you went back far enough. That's it! My eyes widened in surprise. It couldn't be! Could it? Could I really fall that far?
Solace notices my expression and asks, " Loki? What is it?"
I respond thoughtfully, " I knew I recognized that word you used, Nirn. I read it in a book. But, it was just a theory!"
"And that theory was?"
I sigh and run my hand through my hair, wincing at the friction of the bandages against my arm.
" Where I come from, there are nine realms. Different planets that the races live on. Yet, it is theorized that at one point, we all lived on one planet called Nirn."
"An interesting theory. So you believe that you are of the future?"
"It is my best guess, as well as what is most likely."
Her eyes bore into mine with intensity. " Not to long before you, someone else fell through the same gap as you did. Alduin. He then attempted to burn the world to ash. What do you intend to do here?"
"I did not plan to come here. It was by mistake. I have no knowledge of this time, and so I am no threat to it."
She seems to accept my words as truth,"Very well. You may remain here, and I will teach you to survive on this world. However, I do this not out of kindness of my heart. Your magic is strong. Almost as strong as a dovah, a dragon. You will aid me on my adventures. With us together, not but few will be able to challenge us."
I consider her words. She offers unlimited information on this world for my companionship. I see no downside to her offer. I get I'm formation, and judging by her words, power.
" I will agree to this arrangement, though, I must gather my strength before setting on a quest."
She gives me a slight smirk before emotionlessness falls back over her features.
" Good. Sleep. We shall speak on the morrow."
I want to protest. There are so many questions I wish to ask. But, I am indeed tired. I am not even close to half my full strength. I need to regain it so I might hide this hideous blue behind my skin. I nod and lay my head against the pillow, watching as Solace calls Kriid and leaves the room with the bucket and the forgotten stew. Though my internal clock is screaming at me that it is day, my need for sleep over rules it and I am soon succumbing to the darkness.