~~Part Four~~
The plan wouldn't work unless Odin knew. Not necessarily who the father was, but just that Loki was pregnant. Otherwise, the next phase would be completely useless.
Loki started subtle, slow. Over the next month he made sure to eat a wide range of oddities that he would normally never touch. These included sheep heads and fermented herring, which he pretended to eat with particular zeal. He begged his father to go to Midgard where it was so much cooler and he wouldn't get hot flashes. Then in the next sentence he complained that his feet were feeling swollen. "Subtle" was not exactly used in a strong sense when it came to his thick-headed father.
It wasn't long before Odin accosted Loki one evening.
"Loki!" said the one-eyed one, glaring at his younger with barely concealed anger. Loki turned to his father, who was stomping down the hallway towards him. It was after supper and the God of Mischief was on his way to his rooms. He waited for Odin to catch up to him with a mask of innocence fixed firmly on his face, though inside he was wondering silently how it took this long.
His father halted in front of him. "Loki, do not pretend to hide this from me, are you-,"
Loki held up his hand. Of course he wasn't trying to pretend, this was all a part of his plan but he really didn't need Odin bearing down on him with his jaw clenched and his hands in fists.
"Yes," he replied to his father as solemnly as he could. Odin seemed taken aback but Loki had a plan and he generally stuck to his plans.
"Well, then," said All-father, "You realize that you will have to remain in your room, do you not?" he asked sternly. Loki nodded. He was expecting this, of course. He smiled and continued on towards his destination.
Thor found out that Odin knew Loki was pregnant the very next morning. The King of Asgard called his elder son and wife into his chamber to break the news to them. Thor was a little relieved, but also disappointed, when Odin stated that they knew not who the father was. Either way, it didn't matter. Loki was to be kept out of sight until he had come to term and he was also to spend this time in his female form. No one but they and the closest guards were to know.
Thor fidgeted restlessly and asked, "Why all the secrets, father? Why must we keep my brother confined every time he is with-child?"
Odin and Frigga exchanged a glance. They seemed to have an internal battle between them before the Queen spoke to the King, "Odin, if he is to be King of Asgard one day, we must tell him what we know," and her husband sighed. "Perhaps it would be better if you sat down, my son," he said, sighing again and taking one of the opulent chairs for himself. Thor sat and looked confusedly from his mother to his father.
"Thor, you know both your mother and I have the ability to see into events that have yet to come, do you not?" asked Odin, passing a weary hand over his eyes. Thor nodded, now unsure at whether he wanted to hear what Odin was to say. "Well, it has been foreseen that Loki will have three terrible yet powerful children. They will be instrumental to the eventual Twilight of the Gods. One will be a wolf large enough to swallow the sun, and he will be the death of me," here he paused and Frigga took his hand before he continued, "Another will be a huge serpent who will be large wrap itself around the world. One bite from him will cause the death of many strong men. And the third, the most terrible, will lead armies of the dead out of Niflheim. I have done everything in my power to halt these events but since the death of Baldr," again he paused and his wife let out a small sob. Everyone knew that the death of the purest of the Gods was a precursor to the evil that was to come. After composing himself, Odin began again, "Every time Loki becomes pregnant, I fear for our realm. If he ever bears these children and they are born as the monsters I have foreseen, there will be a panic all throughout Asgard. And that, Thor, is why I keep him confined. The future is hazy and I know not when the event will happen or how it can be prevented, but I must try. I only know that they possess a power and cunning the nine-realms have yet to see,"
Thor lay in his bed chamber that night, mulling over everything Odin had told him in his head. He could not believe it; that his very own brother was instrumental in Ragnarok was inconceivable to him. Yet he couldn't question the wisdom of his parents. He was not the one that could see the future. And there was something else nagging at him in the back of his head. Would it be this time? Could he be the sire to those monsters? He tried to write it off as paranoia, but he couldn't. His thoughts kept coming back to it.
They were subsequently shattered when a scream rose and peeled through the palace. Immediately Thor bounded out of bed, summoning Mjolnir as he did so. He burst out of his room as another scream pierced the silence. Guards were rushing down the hall and Thor grabbed one by the arm and asked him what was going on. "Frost Giants?" he said hopefully, itching for something to take his mind off of his brother. It wasn't to be so, however, when the guard shook his head and gasped out, "The Prince,"
The Thunderer stopped briefly in his tracks but took off again when he heard another unearthly scream. What was going on? he wondered, hefting his hammer higher in the air. The line of guards stopped at Loki's door, almost too afraid to go in. Growling, Thor pushed passed them and burst into the room. In the gloom, he could just make out a female figure with long glossy black hair bent double in the middle of the room. It was Loki in his female form and Thor rushed over to him.
"Brother, what is going on? What is wrong? What's happened?" asked the God of Thunder, placing a hand on the Prince's shoulder. The younger was sobbing into his hands uncontrollably and his green robes were tinged with something darker. "Somebody! Get the lamps!" Thor shouted to the mingling Guards. They immediately hopped to and started lighting the numerous lamps around the room. Thor gasped as he saw dark blood soaking Loki's clothes around his middle. Loki turned to Thor, his eyes shining and grabbed his arms. "Th-thor! I don't kn-know what happened! I-I I just woke up like this!" he shrieked collapsing into the Thunderers arms. He wanted to recoil – blood spilt in Asgard was considered taboo - before he realized that this was his brother, obviously upset and hurt.
"What's going on?" cried Frigga in the doorway, Odin close behind. She gasped as she saw the blood but quickly rushed to her sons. "Mother? Mother! What's happening to me? The pain – what's happened to me?" sobbed Loki. Odin's face flushed, "Get him to the healing room," he ordered to the mingling guards. They seemed to shudder slightly and gratefully relaxed when Thor said, "No, I will take him," before scooping up his brother bridal style and carrying him out of the room.
The three gods sprinted to the healing room. Once they got there, Frigga ordered a bed, warm water, and bandages. She then shooed her husband and son away - though Loki was normally male, in his female form he didn't need the other members of his family seeing him that way as Frigga peeled away the soaked robes to inspect what the damage was.
It wasn't long before the Queen came out, looking slightly relieved. "It seems he has miscarried," she said.
The lovely feeling of seeing reviews and faves and follows made me pump this out. And please forgive me if it seems like I'm rushing events along, I just really want to get to the time of the Avengers. This story takes place around 1300 so I really want to get to our era... And I know I may sound redundant, but even in his female form, Loki still considers himself male, and so does everyone else...
Can you feel the feels?
As always, I like reviews like I like cookies and I do so appreciate them!
~CAK
