CHAPTER 4

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CHAPTER 4 Daughter of Lies

Loki ran through the halls of the palace as Hela wreaked havoc on Asgard outside the palace doors. Hel followed him silently and invisible. He seemed to be a completely different person. He works with his brother in harmony. The Valkyrie is not attempting to kill him. All good signs. He seems happier than ever before. Maybe the death of Odin was all he needed to make his peace with his upbringing and family.

And for you to disappear from his life, a mean voice in her head echoed.

Hel pushed the voice away. Still, she felt a dull ache in her chest. Somehow it always hurt whenever she thought of her loved ones. The ones she had sacrificed to keep on living. The scars she retained from the fight with Hela were proof enough of Hel's own suffering. Not enough. Never enough.

Loki had reached the vault and entered without even slowing his steps. He is a completely different person. So determined.

Loki stopped. His eyes strayed towards the Tesseract. The glowing orb could come in handy in their future. Its powers were something Loki treasured, Hel knew. Thus, she wasn't surprised in the least, when Loki swiftly pocketed it. Hel almost laughed. Well, maybe he didn't change all that much.

With the Tesseract in his possession, Loki continued on, grabbing the crown of Surtur in passing and quickly depositing it into the eternal flame. Hel saw him linger around long enough to witness the beginnings of flames licking up to form the enormous lava monster. He still lingered. Seemingly lost in thought about something. For all his grandeur, Loki appeared to have lost his survival instinct.

Hel felt fear knot her stomach. Maybe he retained some sort of memory from me, telling him he doesn't have to fear death. That wouldn't be good. If he dies now, I can't bring him back. The rules are clear now. No one knows of my existence. It's a spell I cannot break. Not even for Dad. Come on! Go! Don't die.

But Loki stood stock-still.

Surtur rose higher from the flames. His lava body expanding flames, licking over the floor.

Not waiting around any longer to see what Loki would do, Hel bolted forward. She evaded the flames crackling and expanding around them and grabbed Loki's arm. Before he could even think to protest, she teleported them right into the ship he had come in. Even, if it was no ship she was used to, Hel quickly figured out how to fly the machine and brought them a safe distance away from Surtur.

"Where are you?" Loki fell into a defensive stance. "Show yourself."

Hel allowed her invisibility to drop.

A dagger appeared in Loki's hand. He looked ready to fight this woman, who wore a scar across her face, eyes sunken, only dully gleaming. Her frame hunched as if in pain.

"I saved your life," Hel responded calmly. "Because you deserve to live."

"Who are you?"

The question hit Hel into the gut like one of Hela's blades. Her heart constricted. She didn't seem able to breathe quite right. A small part of her had hoped against hope. Hoped, that her own father would be able to remember her above and beyond all spells she cast. That his love for his daughter would be enough. But it wasn't, Hel thought bitterly. He forgot me just as I planned. It might have protected him. Might have even helped him.

She curled slightly forward, arms coming up to cradle her middle. Her back ached, the wound dripped once. A single drop of blood trailed down her back into the folds of her clothes. Then the scar tissue closed over the wound. There would be nothing left but gnarled flesh above the place where her heart was.

It hurt. But not as much as seeing her father stand before her and not being able to give him anything. Not even a hug.

Because he had forgotten her.

Forgotten her just as she had planned.

Something wet trailed down her cheeks. Tears, Hel realised a second later. She cried.

For a father, who couldn't remember her.

For the life she erased herself.

A broken smile curved her lips upwards. She forced her pain to disappear from her face. Loki didn't need to see it. It would only confuse him. He didn't need to worry about the pains of a stranger.

"I'm no one."