A woman clad in black armor with long black hair cascading down her back walks swiftly through the halls of the Asgardian palace. Her jade eyes moved to and fro, observing her surroundings as she made her way to her destination. A towering set of double doors decorated with intricate designs quickly came into view and she readily approached them. Using both of her hands, she opened the doors to reveal the room of none other than the God of Mischief himself. His sleeping figure rested soundlessly on his side within the king-sized bed under a white, satin blanket. The woman quietly entered the room with careful footsteps as to not wake the raven-haired prince before making her way into the adjoined washroom. She turned the knobs on the tub's faucet and waited for the water to turn the perfect temperature before filling it. Once the tub was at full capacity she added an assortment of scented oils as well as bath salts to the water. The woman then made her way to the god's bedside, eyeing him before exhaling an irritated sigh.
After a short while, the women spoke. "It is time to wake up Loki." She said while slightly shaking the sleeping prince.
"Leave me be, Lilith," Loki replied groggily as he turned away from the woman, much to her dismay.
"At this rate, you are going to be late for the morning meal with Thor and the others
Loki stubbornly continued sleeping which occurred often and with each time they arrived late to the meal, Lilith would be scolded by either Frigga or the mighty Allfather himself. They considered it her responsibility to manage Loki when in all actuality it should be the other way around. She was technically a familiar, his familiar, and that is all anyone else has ever viewed her as, even with her Asgardian appearance. There were exceptions, such as Queen Frigga and the man whom she's supposedly contracted with, Loki. Others in her position would be furious, but how could she be angry with the ones that took her in and cared for her. Lilith owes everything to Frigga, to Loki, she would not be who she is today without them and for that she is eternally grateful.
The prince covered his face in pillows that muffled his voice as he tiredly spoke, "Then grant me ten more minutes of rest."
"We can either do this the easy way or the hard way~" Lilith sang. She patiently for a reply, but when she receives none a mischievous smirk formed on her lips, "Well, I suppose we will have to do it the hard way then, not that I have any objections."
A lizard-like tail suddenly appeared from her lower back which she used to strike Loki's rear end like a whip. The blanket that covered him proved to provide little protection from her attack as he jolted up in a sitting position with a surprised shout. Lilith could not help but laugh at her own actions.
After running a pale hand through his messy hair with an aggravated sigh, he stared menacingly at the women standing at his bedside. "You are going to pay for that," Loki growled, his voice hoarse from a night of disuse. He adjusted himself, prompting the remainder of the blanket that covered his body to fall and expose his pale, bare chest. She would not admit it, but it was quite an engrossing sight to behold.
"I'm sure you will. Now hurry and go wash up, I already drew you a bath." As Lilith said this, she took a hold of Loki's forearms and pulled him from his bed. He now stood before her, being the same height they easily made eye contact. She then began to examine him closely, her brows furrowed in utter concentration.
He grew concerned from her unusual display of body language, "What? What is it?"
"Nothing it's just that-" Lilith unexpectedly began to repeatedly prod him in the chest, more specifically his pectorals. "You are more muscular than I thought. With a little more training you might turn out like Thor." She joked.
Loki rolled his eyes, his trademark smirk threatening to grace his features. "Stop that!" He chided, swatting the female's hand away.
Lilith laughed, annoying the prince was one her favorite pastimes, "Fine. Fine. Here are your clothes, now hurry along before the water becomes cold," She said while pushing him into the washroom and slamming the door closed. As Loki readied for the day, she quickly prepared his bed and repolished the armor that he wore often since it was still layered in grime. "I swear, the handmaidens can never do anything right. How in the Nine Realms is this still dirty?" She muttered to herself. Once that was concluded, she made her way over to his weapons cabinet where he kept his vast collection of daggers. Upon inspection, she noticed that some were quite dull while others seemed as if they had never been used before.
"Why do you never allow the Handmaidens do their duties?" Loki spoke, startling Lilith, who jerked forward. Accidentally injuring herself with the dagger she that was attempting to sharpen in the process.
"Dammit! If they knew how to do their job correctly I would." She looked down at her hand to see that there was an extensive, bleeding cut across her the palm of her left hand. An icy pair of hands soon held her own as they placed a soft cloth over her open wound, she looked up to find a set of emerald eyes that were a few shades brighter than her own.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-Yes." Lilith pulled her hands out of Loki's, "No need to worry, it will heal on its own soon enough...You really need to stop scaring me like that."
"Consider it payback for earlier." He began as he walked towards the door, "Are you going to join me or not?"
"I am!" Lilith returned the dagger she was sharpening to where it belonged. She then shifted into the form of a small dragon and perched herself on top of his right shoulder as he made his way out of the door. Currently, on their way to the banquet hall, a soft yawn could soon be heard escaping his lips, a hand politely placed over his own mouth, "Why must I spend another day around that blundering buffoon and his companions?" He complained.
The creature on his shoulder perked up at upon hearing his words, "You could always spend a day or two with me on Midgard?"
"Midgard? That would be impossible, Heimdall would never allow us to use the Bifrost without Father's permission,"
"You forget that I am capable of traveling between realms of my own ability as a result of being half dragon,"
Loki halted in his steps. "I have forgotten nothing, this is the first I am ever hearing of such an ability,"
"Is that so? I could have sworn I told you as soon as I discovered it?" Lilith shrugged, taking a moment to analyze her memories. "Now that I think about it, I have not told anyone of it before. Oops." She laughed, feeling embarrassed. A brief moment of silence hung over them before he returned to making his way towards their destination.
"Is that where you disappear to during the day, Midgard?
"Yes. I am proud to say that have built quite the life for myself amongst the mortals,"
"I see. I have not visited the realm in a few millennia, it would be interesting to see how much it has changed. I doubt they would worship me as a god at this point."
"Obviously, they are far too evolved for that now."
"Oh shut up, what do you know," Loki grumbled as he stopped once more, seemingly pondering something. Lilith saw this and questioned the mischievous prince, "What is it?"
"How has Father not yet discovered your ability, surely either Huggin or Munin have noticed your frequent absences and informed him of such?" Loki asked as he began walking once again.
"How could they? It is not difficult to outsmart a pair of bird brained Ravens. I wait until after they depart in the mornings before traveling to Midgard like any intelligent being would. But I always have to cautious and return before they do in the evenings to whisper into Odin's ears. Which, I might add, is quite unsettling, to say the least."
"I agree, there must be more efficient ways of keeping watch over the realm."
Before Lilith had a chance to reply, she was interrupted by a thunderous voice, "Brother! I see that you are on your way to banquet hall as well! Would you mind if we joined you?" Thor asked in an unnecessarily loud voice as he approaches the duo. The warriors three, as well as Lady Sif, were following close behind while having a friendly conversation about Thor's amusing behavior.
"No, of course not," The Trickster replied, sarcasm evident in his voice. The only one who noticed his harsh tone was none other than his entrusted familiar.
After a minute or two of walking, with Loki leading the way, they had arrived at their intended destination. They quickly seated themselves at the far end of the elongated table. Loki sat next Hogunn while Thor placed himself in between his brother and a starving Volstagg. Lady Sif was across from them next to Fandral.
Everyone soon began eating the food that had been set out by servants prior to anyone's arrival. Which consisted of roasted pheasant, boar, loafs of bread, and an assortment of fruits and vegetables. Loki cautiously chose an appropriate amount of whatever he desired, careful as not overeat. In contrast, Thor and his companions ate as if it was their last meal, sending bits of food in all directions. All except for Sif that is, she ate in a more civil manner.
Loki watched the men eat in the corner of his eye, 'Why must they always eat like pigs, it is quite disgusting,' He complained telepathically to Lilith. She was still in dragon form and rested on a custom made perch in front of him.
'If you are that bothered by it then tell him yourself out loud instead of mentally to me,' She chided in reply.
'We have been through this before, that of never listens to what I have to say. No one does,'
'That is absurd, I listen, and so does your mother. If anything people listen to your words too well because of that silver tongue of yours.' As she thought this, Lilith stole a piece of meat off of Loki's plate, 'How else would you have earned the title of the God of Mischief and Lies?'
'I suppose so. My silver tongue can only take me but so far,' He sighed, fiddling with the food that was still left on his plate, 'It cannot work for everyone. I have learned through experience that manipulation is the key to achieve whatever your heart desires.'
'Well, then it is a good thing that you are skilled at it.'
Loki was about to speak, but was interrupted by Volstagg, "Lilith! My Pheasant here seems to not have been cooked all the way!" He held up the drum of meat while arching his eyebrow, "Would you mind doing the honors and roast it for me?"
"What will I receive in return?"
"A good portion of red meat as well as a good friend's gratitude!"
The dragon hybrid did love her red meat, "Alright," With that, she flew from her perch and landed in front of the large man. Who in return held out the poultry as she regurgitated flames from her esophagus, roasting it to perfection. Sharing the enormous pile of with Lilith, Volstagg continued eating his meal. This was a common occurrence between the two since they bond over anything edible.
Loki observed the scene unfold before him, igniting a fire of jealousy in his chest. He was not fond of the idea of his familiar spending time with anyone else but him. After all, he did not want to lose only true companion...or is there something more to this than what meets the eye?
Seeing the speed at which Lilith was eating caused Volstagg to speak, "Be careful not to overindulge yourself, you might gain unnecessary weight," He joked, mouth full half chewed boar.
"What? Afraid that I might turn out like you?" She quickly retorted.
A heavy layer of silence fell over them, neither of the two breaking eye contact as they stared sternly at one another, moments later they burst out laughing.
Sif did not take her words as a joke but instead as an insult. She stood up abruptly from her seat, slamming her palms on the table, "I will not stand idly by as my friend is disrespected in my presence!"
"Lady Sif, there is no need to overreact it was just a joke between two friends." Volstagg Defended.
Fandral grabbed ahold of her forearm, "How about you step outside for a moment, to calm yourself down. Right Hogun?" The blonde haired man looked at his friend with a crooked smile on his face. All he received from him was a grunt in reply and a slight nod of the head. He did not even bother to turn to Thor for assistance because all he was interested in seeing the two women finally fight each other for the first time in centuries.
"I have no need to calm down because I am not overreacting!" She yelled, yanking her arm out of Fandral's grip. Her eyes met with the familiar's, anger present in every aspect of her face "I challenge you to a battle, if I win, you will apologize sincerely to Volstagg."
"And if I win, you will have to kneel on the ground and apologize to me. Deal?" Lilith devilishly smirked, adding more fuel to Sif's enraged fire.
"Deal!" With that, she quickly left the room and head towards the training field, her opponent doing the same.
Everyone who was present to witness the sudden outburst hastily returned to their meal so they could arrive in time to watch the brawl. Loki, Thor, and the Warriors Three were the first to leave.
"Do you really want to do this?" The raven-haired prince questioned.
Lilith flew into the ring made of wooden fences before returning to her Asgardian form. She stretched her muscles in preparation for the oncoming battle, "Sif was the one who started this, I will be the one to finish this"
"The last time the both of you disagreed, she was the victor."
"That was only because I let her. It was part of my plan to have Sif become overconfident in her own abilities and underestimate me the next time we faced."
"A plan for what exactly?"
Lilith looked back at Loki, a sinister grin was plastered on her face, "To humiliate her."
Just the Lady Sif had entered the ring and the last few spectators had arrived, forming a rather large crowd. She had her signature weapon, a sword, in her right hand with a small shield worn on the other. Slowly, the two began to circle each other in wait to see who would make the first move.
"What? Are you too frightened to pick up a weapon, or even attack me?" The brunette taunted prior to beginning her assault. Sif slashed and stabbed at Lilith but each attack was met with her armored covered forearms as she defended herself. This went on for a few more minutes before the hybrid was struck in the face by a shield, losing her footing, falling back onto the ground. The people around them gasped in surprise, some of them even began chanting the female warrior's name.
She looked down at the individual she had challenged in a spiteful manner, "I would hurry at apologizing if I were you," Her back was now turned as she celebrated her supposed victory before a malevolent laugh could be heard from behind. The crowd halted their actions at the sound of it. Sif aggravatedly turned around to witness Lilith standing up while wiping a thin line of blood off her face. Her once jade irises were now crimson as well as the tips of her black hair.
Without warning, Lilith charged towards her opponent at an amazing speed, she ducked and maneuvered around the incoming attacks. She jabbed Sif in the throat, with her elbow, forcing the warrior to move her left hand to clutch the impacted area. Before she had time to do anything else, Lilith rushed behind her and kicked the of her in the back of her knees. Resulting in Sif collapsing to the ground, dropping her sword in the process and allowing Loki's familiar to steal it away from her and place it less than a centimeter away from her carotid artery.
"You were saying?" She mocked whilst tilting her head much like a child would. Stepping back to give the woman some time to recollect her bearing.
"This is far from over," After Sif had steadied her breathing and stood back up, eyeing the one who had landed her on the ground in the first place. A bead of sweat running down her forehead. An anonymous person threw another sword into the ring, while another handed Lilith a shield, which both had happily accepted. Each took a moment to adjust to the weight of their new items and as if on cue they once again began attacking one another.
*Lilith P.O.V*
This time I was the first to attack. I plunged my sword forward only to have Sif dodge it entirely, annoying me. Next, I swiftly swung her shield around, hitting her in the head and catching my opponent off guard once again. Distancing myself in order to prepare for my next move, I waited for an opening before leaping forward and in a futile attempt to injure her. At least I was able pushed back a few feet, giving me a chance to gain the upper hand. She then forced my sword to the ground as I was momentarily blinded by the bright rays of the sun. Followed by her counterattacking, I was barely able to block it since it took me by surprise. I dodged her once again, succeeded by two minutes of our weapons clashing together. My forehead was now covered in perspiration from the summer's intense heat. Meaning I had to end this quickly before it begins to spread across my entire body.
Refocusing on the matter at hand, I saw that Sif had leaped into the air, acting upon reflex I utilized my shield in order to disarm her. I gave out a triumphant shout when she cried out in pain, a black bruise was beginning to appear on her arm. Using the distraction caused by her pain, I used all of my strength to kick her in the abdomen. Sending her flying backward before she fell face first into the dirt, shield no longer in hand. While struggling to get up, she rid her mouth of any dirt that had entered her mouth earlier. I had to hold in my laughter at the sight.
I could hear faint curses emanating from Sif's mouth as I approached her after relieving myself of my own shield. In offense, she held up her lost sword and swung it tiredly in my direction, which I easily avoided by stepping to the side. The action was repeated as I parried the blow, spun around on my heel, and sliced the brunette's knee cap. I assaulted her with multiple strikes not too long afterward, she was only able to duck out her head of the way. Sif wants for my legs but I lifted them out of the way and sent the butt of my swords handled into her upper arm near the shoulder. Fed up, she ran at me flailing her weapon around without a single thought. I maneuvered around her uncoordinated movements and simply used my hand to propel her away from me. I adjusted my position so that I was now standing directly in front of the female warrior.
Just by observing the expression on her face, I could see that she was mentally as well as physically exhausted (I am surprised that she has not given up, or even fainted yet). But that was soon replaced by a look determination as she began her onslaught once again, for the final time. I grabbed her arm, tossing her weapon outside of the rink and into a group of spectators, who (luckily for me) were left unharmed. Noticing a weak point in her armor, I shoved my sword straight through her shoulder. She shrieked in agony and fell to her worn torn knees I then pulled out the melt weapon and lunge aggressively forward. My sword was halfway toward its destination when I could have sworn that I heard Thor faintly call out my name. I chose to ignore the thought as I continued my attack.
"LILITH! STOP!" Loki! Hearing his voice commanding me to stop snapped me out of my fighting trance. It took a second to realize that I was only a millimeters away from piercing Sif's heart, ending her immortal life. I dropped the weapon and saw her collapse, she was now lying unconscious in the dirt. Thor carefully cradled her body in his arms, so he could take her to the healers along with the Warriors Three.
*Loki P.O.V*
Lilith stared unblinkingly at her surroundings after her victory, seemingly detached from reality. This was a rare occurrence for her, which worried me. I was soon by her side and rested my hand on her shoulder. No reaction. Moving so that I was now in between her and the dispersing crowd, I could see that her eyes were now red in color. A sign that she had briefly lost control of her feral behavior and was truly intending to kill Lady Sif.
I gently placed my hand on either side of her face, caressing my thumbs on cheeks, "Lilith," I called her name and earned no reply, "Lilith!" I shook her. To my relief, her eyes returned to their original shade as she finally responded to me.
"I guess I won?" She sheepishly smiled at me. I pulled her close into a hug and moved a single hand to place it on the back of her head. The thought of her losing complete self-control evident in mind provoking me to do so to my surprise she returned it, "I apologize for worrying you."
"Apology accepted, but the ones you should be apologizing to are Sif and the others. You are never battling again unless it is necessary."
Lilith suddenly pulled out of the hug, "The whole point of this was to get her to apologize to me."
I could not help but roll my eyes at that statement.
