Loki watched Terezah walk away and then turned back to Freya. The halls were always empty near his room. Freya glared at him. "Having a fun time, Loki?" She asked irritated. "You do remember she is a dark elf, right?! You shouldn't be wasting your time with her!" She shouted.
"And you control my life now? You forget, my dear, that I am a prince." He said annoyed.
She stuttered and looked down at his feet. Tears slipped from her eyes and fell to the ground. Loki rolled his eyes. "What is wrong?"
"I knew you would turn your attentions towards her…" She said in a quiet whisper.
"No… She is just a guard!" Loki reasoned. Freya got jealous whenever he spent time with any female besides herself.
"Is she?!" Freya shouted.
"Yes!" In honesty Loki had only begun to see her as a friend.
She gave him a fake smile and started to walk away. She should be called the Goddess of Jealousy… "Wait." He commanded. He pulled Freya towards him and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer. He let go of her before it became more than a simple kiss. "Don't be jealous of someone I don't love." He said and plastered a smile on his face.
"I've got to go… my father needs me." She said. "Tomorrow at our usual place?" She asked with an innocent look on her face. "Yes." Loki said as she slipped down the hall.
He had been with Freya secretly for almost three years now. She did indeed live up to her name as the Goddess of Love and Beauty. She was absolutely stunning. Her golden hair flowed down her back and her beautiful blue eyes sparkled like diamonds. She had almost every man after her, yet he hadn't been won over by her good looks and charm. Well… partly her looks, but she was witty and funny. She agreed with everything he said most of the time and almost worshipped him.
Their usual spot was on a hill in the outskirts in the city. There was a tall willow tree on the hill that swayed in the wind. The green hills around it were filled with the scent of the strawberry bushes scattered over them. Freya had picked it as their spot when they started courting in secret. He had to admit, it was a beautiful place, especially at sunset.
"I see your girlfriend is gone." He heard a voice right behind him say. This time he didn't jump. He was getting used to it.
"Yes. She had to attend to her father." He said while turning to face her.
"So you're still not going to tell me about the two of you?"
"Nope." Loki replied sternly. He didn't feel like sharing. She just shrugged. The sun was now setting, casting a final golden glow as it sank below the horizon. The golden light filled the halls of the palace, illuminating the shiny halls. He turned from the open windows back to Terezah. The light was illuminating her golden eyes, making them shine like jewels. She looked really bored.
He started walking down the hall towards his mother's chambers where she would most likely be. He wanted to see her. He hadn't talked to her for a few days. Terezah followed silently behind him as he made his way through the palace. Finally, he came to a pair of huge golden doors with intricate carvings of flowers and various designs. The guards on either sides of the doors opened them immediately. Loki and Terezah entered the room. The sweet smell of flowers drifted over the both of them as they walked farther into the room. Frigga was sitting on a huge floor pillow. She was surrounded by handmaidens that she was joyfully talking to. When she saw Loki she said, "My son!" with a growing warm smile. Loki gave his mother a rare genuine smile. Frigga stood up and walked over to Loki and embraced him.
Terezah watched the mother and son embrace and start talking to each other. Her mind drifted to her own mother. Her mother had been beautiful and loving just like Frigga. Her real father had died when she was too little to remember. Before her mother had remarried, they were happy. She remembered sitting on the back porch as the sun went down. They had made sweet juices all day from their fruit trees out back. They sat there drinking the sticky juice, laughing, talking. Those were the moments she cherished. Then her mother met a man that had put on an act. Once they had married, his true character came out. He was a drunkard with a quick temper and he beat the both of them when he felt like it. She remembered the first time he had hit her mother. It was a shock to both of them, but then the abuse became more constant until finally both her and her mother lived in fear. Her step-father didn't allow them out of the house and sometimes forced them to skip meals. She watched as her mother withered away. Her happiness draining until she became an empty void of despair and hopelessness. Her mother became sick and pale and wasn't able to move fast because of her growing weakness. But she remembered the happy moments they had shared, when her mother's golden eyes were filled with life and happiness. She touched her shoulder where her scar was hidden under the black cloak she wore.
Terezah smiled to herself as she remembered those happy days. She snapped out of her daze when Frigga spoke to her. "My dear, how are you?"
"I am well my queen." She said with a polite nod.
"Will you have tea with me tomorrow?" The queen asked.
She had never had 'tea', but she couldn't say no to the Queen of Asgard. "I would be honored to."
"Wonderful!" Frigga said enthusiastically. "I hope you are not missing your home too much?" The queen asked.
"Not excessively." She replied. The only thing she missed was her mother's grave.
"I am glad you are here." The queen said with a warm smile.
Loki and Frigga continued to talk for almost two hours. Terezah was beginning to fight the hunger that ebbed at her stomach. Finally, Loki said his goodbyes to Frigga and left the room, Terezah trailing behind him. He was headed for the dining hall. She was overjoyed when he entered the room and went to get food, only this time she joined him. He sat down on the empty table where Thor and his friends usually sat. They must have already gone or not gotten here yet. She sat across from Loki but he didn't look at her. He was concentrating on a book she hadn't noticed him carry with him. It must have been one of the books he had gotten at the marketplace earlier that day. He turned the page. It was silent as the two ate. She finished off her bread and let one of the serving girls took her plate.
She was getting bored just sitting there, so she took a dagger out of a sheath that was strapped to her arm. She studied the dagger closely, looking for any imperfections. She pulled out a sharpening stone from a pouch on her belt and started grinding it on the surface of the blade. She looked at Loki who didn't seem to even notice the noise. She continued sharpening the dagger. She borrowed a napkin and rubbed off the marks from the sharpening stone. She threw her dagger at a wooden plank leaning against the wall in the corner of the room. She again looked at Loki who was still reading, unaffected by the sounds.
She conjured dagger after dagger and threw them at the wooden plank. Finally the plank grew heavy enough it fell over. She walked over to the plank and made all the daggers she had conjured disappear. She pulled the dagger she had sharpened earlier from the plank and put it back in the sheath strapped to her arm and sat back down across from Loki. She sighed and pulled out a different dagger from a sheath on her other arm and started sharpening it. It had been almost two hours when Loki finally closed his book and stood up. She had almost fallen asleep on the table, her arm under her head for comfort. She shook herself awake and stood up. Loki took his book and started walking back to the direction of his chambers.
Loki went into his room and shut the door in her face. She decided to sleep in her bed tonight. She climbed up the column and grabbed her pillows. She threw the pillows off the column and slid down. She picked up the pillows and walked to her room which was just around the bend of the next hall down. She entered her room and locked the door behind her, throwing her pillows on her bed. She changed into her sleeping clothes and plopped down on her bed and drew the covers over her small body. She reached under her pillow and felt the cold handle of the new dagger there and fell asleep.
She was running. She tripped and her small ten year old body crashed to the floor, completely out of breath. Her step-father loomed over her. He laughed and pulled out a knife. He lashed at her, cutting her shoulder open. She tried to scream but couldn't. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, and all she could do was sit there in terror as the knife dove towards her again. Then a body jumped in front of her and the end of the knife poked out of the person's back. Her mother slid off the knife and onto the floor. Her step-father got angrier than she had ever seen him. "You foolish woman!" He screamed at her and, dropping the blood covered knife, ran out the front door. She moved slowly towards the woman lying on the floor, a puddle growing under her. "Mom?" She asked shyly. "Mom!?", "Mom!" She started to panic. She cradled her mother's head as her life slipped away. Hot tears ran down her cheeks and splashed onto her mother's shirt. "I love you… Never be afraid…" She heard her mother whisper as she clutched her child's hand. Then she went limp. "No!" She screamed. "Mom! Come back!" She sobbed. Angry and desperate tears blinded her as she cried and cried. "I need you…" She whispered in a broken voice. "I need you…"
Terezah woke up screaming. Cold sweat running down her face. She breathed rapidly, trying to calm herself. Tears ran down her face. She hadn't had a nightmare since coming to Asgard. She threw the knife under her pillow at the nearest object to her. She screamed in rage. She hadn't been able to stop the death of her mother. She had never found her step-father either. She laid back down and let the tears drip off her face and stain her pillow. She curled into a ball and sobbed until morning, when she finally fell asleep.
Loki went into his chambers and closed the door. He had been reading about an invisibility spell for almost the entire evening. He went into his bathroom and set his book on the floor. He stood in front of the mirror and muttered the spell. He saw his image in the mirror flicker and disappear, only to reappear a second later. He tried again and again. Finally, exhausted from using so much energy, he decided that was enough practice for now. He picked up the book by his feet and entered his bedroom. He sat on a chair by the fireplace and started reading again. Hours slipped by and finally his eyes started to become heavy and he fell asleep in his chair.
He woke up to light filling the room. It was a little later in the morning than he was used to getting up at. He stood up from the chair and went into his bathroom. He washed and got dressed. He opened his door and stepped out into the hall. Something felt different. He started walking towards the dining halls and when he got there he saw his brother and Volstagg eating their breakfast. "Brother! How are you this morning? And how is Lady Terezah?"
"I am well. I do not know about Terezah…" He trailed off, realizing that was what had been different. Usually he felt her golden eyes on him the second he stepped into the hall, but today she hadn't been there. He sat down and ate. Maybe she was just off doing something real quick. After he was done eating, he walked to the library and sat in his spot. "Terezah?" He asked. Silence followed and he expected her to sneak up behind him any second now. Minutes passed and still nothing. He stood up and left the library.
He walked to Terezah's room and was about to knock before he decided to listen instead. He put his ear to the door and heard absolutely nothing. He muttered a spell and the door clicked. He opened the door and peered into the dark room. Terezah was still asleep, curled into a ball under her covers. Loki smirked. He would scare her just as she had scared him that one morning. He crept into the room and neared her bed. As he got closer, he noticed the dagger lodged into the trunk by her bed. Taking a closer look at her, her hair was an absolute mess and she didn't look peaceful at all. She looked sad. Her pillow and face were damp. He reached down and shook her. She flinched and her eyes shot open at his touch. Her eyes were blood-shot and dark circles were under her eyes. It looked like she had been crying for hours.
She looked at him with pure terror in her eyes, but it quickly faded. "What are you doing in here?" She asked sitting up. The blankets fell off her shoulders. She was wearing a black tank-top, and she quickly covered the shoulder with her scar.
"It is late morning. I thought you always got up before me."
"Sorry… I… didn't get much sleep…" The woman stammered. She pulled the blankets off her legs with her free hand and swung her legs out of bed and stood up. She wore loose black pants. She pulled the dagger out of her trunk and placed it under her pillow.
"Are… you alright?" Loki asked awkwardly.
"Yes! I'm fine…" She responded quickly. "Now get out so I can get dressed!" She said pushing him towards the door. She shoved him out the door and slammed it in his face. Loki stood there confused at what had just happened. She had clearly been crying, but he couldn't imagine her ever crying. She acted so tough and dangerous all the time. She came out a few minutes later dressed in her usual black get-up with daggers strapped to her arms and legs. He could see her more clearly now, the dark circles under her eyes very noticeable. The redness had disappeared which made him wonder if she had used magic to get rid of it so fast. She closed the door to her room and flipped her hood up, casting a shadow over her face so he couldn't see the dark circles under her eyes. The hooded figure standing in front of him looked fairly creepy. Her golden eyes glowed from under her hood as she watched him.
"Alright then…" Loki said and started walking back to the library, deciding not to press her for more information.
Almost a month had passed now and each morning he had to go and get her and would find her in the same state. The dark circles under her eyes grew and she started turning pale. He had asked her if she was sick and she had simply told him she was fine. Tonight as he shut the door to his room, he decided he would watch her and see what happened that night. He had been practicing the invisibility spell and had almost mastered it. He wanted to see what was making her so… sick. After an hour, when he was sure she would be asleep, he left his room and crept down the hall. He used a spell to get into her room and shut the door behind him.
Terezah was lying in bed asleep. He sat in the corner of her room and waited invisible. An hour passed and still nothing. Then she started tossing and turning. Tears leaked from her eyes and she started screaming something in her elven tongue. She bolted up, sweat running down her face. She panted, drawing in as much air as she could. She started sobbing, muttering stuff in her native language. She finally laid back down and stopped sobbing after another hour. He slipped out of her room before she woke up again. He had seen enough. Nightmares.
He kept the word she had screamed in his mind and went back to his room and shut the door. He walked over to his desk and opened the drawer where a black arrow and some books lay. He took out the book on dark elven language and culture and sat on his bed. He opened the book and started to search through it. Almost two hours later he found the word he had been looking for and read the description. Atara meant Mother. Why had she been screaming 'mother'? He remembered their fight months ago when she had mentioned her mother's grave. He had to figure this out. She had nightmares about her mother and her mother was dead, and a weird scar on her shoulder she hid whenever it was exposed, yet she wouldn't tell him anything!
He closed the book in frustration. He had to get some sleep. It was already passed midnight, when he heard a knock on his door. His heart pounded as he realized it might be an angry Terezah who had found out he had been in her room. He opened the door and saw Freya. she entered his room without saying anything or giving him an explanation why she was there.
"Can I help you?" Loki asked irritated.
She pushed the door closed and locked it. He moved towards his desk to try and hide the book on dark elves, not wanting to make her angry. She slowly advanced towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer. He really didn't want this tonight. Then he felt something cold against his throat. Freya's image flickered into that of a dark elf. Loki was shocked. He looked down and saw a silver dagger pressed against his skin.
"Now prince, you die." The dark elf woman said smiling. Then he saw three other dark elves jump into his room from his balcony. They advanced towards him. Where was Terezah when he needed her?!