Chapter 4 – The truth is out
Time passed for Loki and Eris, days turning into weeks, then the weeks turned into months and so on. How they never became anything but friends – much to both of their dismays. Despite this, their time together only fuelled their love for each other, Loki had taken to calling her his 'little shadow' because they were never really apart for long. They had spent their time together talking and getting to know each other better, however there was one topic that they stayed away from, and that was Eris' family. So one night, Loki decided to ask her during one of his night time visits because this was the only time that she could speak freely without being overheard by anyone.
"Eris, my little shadow, can you tell me why you and your parents have such a bad relationship?" He had asked her this question specifically because he had noticed that her parents treated her like a commoner compared to her younger and blonde sister.
This question cut Eris to the quick and she looked away from the prince, but Loki put his hand to her chin and turned her to face him.
"Tell me." He whispered to her, not meaning to push her, at least that much was made clear to Eris in how he was acting.
"Do you really want to know Loki?" She asked him, and as he nodded, she could see he was genuinely both intrigued as to how she had grown up, but also concerned as to why she had kept her past secret from even him. "Ok, well the short bit is that my father has always wanted a son, and well you can just imagine the amount of disappoint and almost fury that I caused by being born a girl. Mainly because my father wanted a son so badly that if he could, he would have killed for one. In basics because I am a woman, he really doesn't like me, he had me treated like a bilgesnipe. I trained like a guy, worked with the men in the army in order to build my strength and fight properly, and yet no matter what I done, his hated for me grew." She told him shrugging it off like it was normal for a father to have that much hated for a daughter.
Loki looked at her as she told him and for once, he felt sorry for her, his best friend, the person who he secretly loved, was living in hell all because she was a woman! This angered Loki more than anything ever had, he wasn't about to see her live like this any longer. He spent the rest of their talk and the rest of the night coming up with ideas in order to free her from her prison. He was still thinking about it as he joined his parents for supper back on Asgard.
"Loki dear, you haven't been this much in thought since you were younger, what is it dear?" Frigga asked him, as she thought back to when she had asked him virtually the same question and how similar the circumstances were, Thor and Odin talking of war and past battles, and Loki looking deep in thought as he stared at his food.
He looked at her. "Nothing mother, I assure you that I am fine."
"Maybe he has finally found a woman who tickles his fancy." Thor joked, having actually been listening to his brother and mother for once. "Some do tell brother, who is the unlucky woman?" He joked, but this just had Loki look at him with his usual raised eyebrow.
"Thor, be nice to your brother and don't pry into your brother's business. Even if he has found someone who has taken his interest, he doesn't have to tell you the entire time sweetheart." Frigga told him, and this has Thor go back to his and Odin's conversation. Loki went back to staring at his food, and Frigga didn't press the subject. Then suddenly as he lay in bed that night, he came up with an idea. "I'll get Eris out of there." He thought to himself a he looked around his dark room. "And I'll do it tomorrow."
The next morning, Loki was up early and waiting for his father to walk to the throne room, and Loki was sat in his father's throne. Personally he didn't see the big thing with being king, and he would gladly let his brother have the throne, he just wanted to be treated equally to his older brother.
"Loki, why are you sitting in my throne?" Odin asked warily as he walked into the throne room and caught the eyes of his son.
"I need to ask you a favour and it is important." Loki told him as he stood and let Odin sit in the chair.
"What is it you need Loki?" Odin asked looking at his son.
"I was thinking, maybe we should get a new guard, not a lot, just one person." Loki suggested.
"Do you know anyone who is worthy?"
"The King of Tartarus' daughter looks like she could do a good job." He hinted. "After all, if she could nearly take Thor out, just think of who else she could fight and win."
The king thought about it for a while, and Loki grew ever more nervous and impatient. "I think that that is a good idea Loki. I will send word to the King or Tartarus, requesting his family comes here."
Loki nodded at his father's words. "Thank you father." He silently praised his silver tongue, and walked towards the door and just before he got there, he disappeared.
Back in Tartarus, Eris was waiting for Loki, and she had been waiting for a while, which was quite unusual. "Where is he?" She wondered.
"Sorry I'm late." Loki told her as he appeared behind her, which caused Eris to jump and whip herself around to look at him. Even the look of shock on her face was enough to make Loki's heart skip a beat, and his smirk that followed was enough for her to have to restart her heart.
"Oh there you are I got worried." She smiled.
"Aw, she was worried about me." Loki told himself, feeling thankful that mind reading wasn't on Eris' list of specific abilities, and as Goddess of Chaos, it was a really long list.
"Where were you?" She asked, snapping his attention back onto that present time. "And remember you can't lie to me." She told him playfully, though she knew that Loki would never lie to her over anything.
"I was talking with my father." He told her simply.
Eris didn't think much of it, instead she just enjoyed her time with him, which mainly consisted of walking around her father's palace and Loki occasionally watching Eris as she done her job in dealing with the amount of chaos which she inflicted in other realms. However, their enjoyment was broken the minute Eris' father appeared. Loki had come to despise the man because of the way he and the rest of the family treated Eris.
"Eris! You're meant to be working!" He thundered. "You still have to sort the hall for your sister's coronation…"
Loki zoned out after that, as his anger built as seeing how Eris was being treated and he knew that Eris noticed. "The sooner I get her away from here, the better." He thought to himself as Eris was dragged her way to do yet more tasks, and he disappeared, ending up in his room back in Asgard, where he found Thor by the fireplace, and it was easy to see that he looked to be in a bad mood, a very bad mood. "Great, as if one airhead wasn't enough." He thought to himself.
Loki moved to stand beside his big brother as he spoke. "What do I owe the pleasure?" His voice holding slight amusement, but his big brother looked at him in a rather uninterested way.
"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" Thor asked him rudely.
"That is probable." Loki answered back almost immediately. "Why are you in my room Thor?"
"You're inviting her to stay here with us, that monster of a girl who tried to kill your own brother?" He almost thundered.
Loki didn't look fazed at the anger, but when he called Eris a 'monster' he wanted to react, but somehow he kept his eyes on the fire, his face composed, just watching the flames of the fireplace.
"She needs to be protected." He replied simply.
"No brother, we need to be protected from-"Thor stopped as he suddenly realised something. "You love her! You actually love Eris, the Goddess of Chaos!"
Only then did Loki look at his brother, grimacing at the fact that his feelings towards her had been portrayed so easily on his face that his dumb brother had figured it out. "If he can work it out, who else can?" He thought to himself as he replied to his brother. "What I would love brother, is to see the point to all of this."
This had Thor laughing loudly. "My little brother has finally found someone who can handle his stupid tricks."
Loki frowned and he would have retaliated, if he hadn't been so preoccupied with his thoughts.
"Bring us both wine, we must celebrate!" Thor ordered a maid and within minutes she had returned with a tray, holding two goblets which Thor was able to take just before the maid dropped the tray. Both Thor and the maid looked at the floor as green snakes slithered from the tray and they went towards Loki who had gone back to watching the fire.
"Brother enough of your tricks and drink your wine." Thor told him.
Loki rolled his eyes and moved his hand, the snakes disappearing into green smoke and he took the second goblet and drank from it.
"Don't breathe a word of this." He warned, when he had finished drinking.
"I'm not fully happy about this bother, but I won't tell anyone." Thor promised, and he seemed sincere since he knew how much his brother hated people knowing his secrets.
It took until the moon had appeared that day, for Odin to call his sons and wife into his Hall, both brothers new the purpose of this summoning and despite Thor still not being happy about this, the thought that after tonight, Loki wouldn't need to be a realm away from the girl he loved, made him almost giddy with excitement. His only wish now was that Eris would agree…For her sake as well as his own.