Chapter 4: These Creatures of Myth

Loki

He actually ached. That stupid, impossible bed which was basically two sheets on a wooden slab with a balled up blanket had made his back all stiff. Loki had changed into some simple sailing gear, much to his chagrin and had stashed his warrior's garb and sash in the corner of the room. He stood, clad in black leather pants and a dark grey cloth top which opened wide at the neck, revealing the beginning of his sculpted chest muscles. He also wore half calve boots, which he had borrowed from his previous outfit and hoped never to wear again once he regained his abilities and could change his appearance at will. As for food, he found he needed sustenance as regularly as a human would but for now had to make do with what was available on the ship, namely staple food such as grains and dried fruits. The drawbacks of mortality were limitless it seemed. Impatiently brushing a hand through his raven hair, Loki felt a small fizzle of energy crackle at his fingertips. He smiled triumphant as he lowered his hands and stared at the faint traces of magic that had started to return to them. He was gaining his abilities back even faster than he expected. Though, he puzzled, this should only happen in the presence of other magic, like siphoning energy from a nearby power source. A throaty screech from above made him start and he stared at the door which led upstairs. What the...? Loki pushed open the door, listening tentatively. He heard the shriek again, albeit softer this time and he moved beyond the doorway, taking the steps two at a time leading to the deck. He had heard a similar sound before, but not for eons.

Several men moved swiftly out of his way, surprised by his abrupt entrance on the upper floor of the ship as they unravelled ropes and secured cargo items. Loki ignored them, glancing around for the source of the noise and his eyes caught a glint within the water to his right. Cautiously, Loki approached the ship's railing and he stared at the jostling waves as they slapped against the ship. He thought he saw something, however the water continued to slosh against the side of the ship and Loki could no longer here the shrieks. Again, something flashed beneath the water and Loki jumped back abruptly as a dark, scaly creature about the size of a large dog with scarlet red claws broke the surface, flying straight for him. He ducked but it flew overhead with a large fish dangling in tatters from its talons. He stared in amazement as the creature used its fiery breath to scorch its prey into cinders as it roared its pleasure. Two answering roars had Loki turning as two more of the beasts emerged from the water and skidded onto the deck, shaking themselves off like dogs and sporting similar catch. The Dothraki around him seemed fairly undisturbed by the magnificent creatures and carried about their business, only moving so as to make room for their enormous wingspan. The creatures' wings, he noted, were almost triple their own body length.

"Dragons." Loki breathed as he stared astounded at the mythical beasts which had been extinct for many centuries across the nine realms. They were the stuff of legends, creatures of immense power and beauty, and it was suddenly no mystery as to why Loki could feel his power returning. Feminine laughter reached his ears and Loki turned to see Daenerys emerging from her own cabin, clearly amused at his display of awe. Purring, one of the dragons on deck approached her and Loki's first instinct was to warn her away for dragons were possessed of a scorching temperament which matched the very fire that they breathed. Instead, the dragon bowed its emerald head and allowed Daenerys to settle a delicate hand on its scalp and to gently stroke the scales there. He took a step back as he witnessed this mortal woman pet the dragon as if it were a common trained housecat! What was even more astounding was the dragon seemed to be enjoying her ministrations as it gave a throaty purr and rubbed its neck against her arm. Daenerys laughed again at Loki's dumbfounded look.

"You should see your face," she said, a knowing smile crossing her face. Loki forced himself to close his jaw just short of it thudding to the deck and he pointed a hand, gesturing to the dragons.

"You... command them?" he asked, thunderstruck.

Daenerys smile grew and she gave a slight shake of her head. "No, they will generally do as they please. For the most part, they will listen to my instructions but at times they can be as disobedient as young children."

"But you control dragons," Loki insisted, unsure of what to make of her now.

"Control is not the right word for it," Daenerys said with a frown. "I do not own them for they are free to do as they like. I have raised them from hatchlings."

"How?" Loki demanded, coming to stand directly before her and causing her green dragon, Rhaegal, to bristle in agitation. "The dragons are all gone! They do not exist anymore!"

Loki's outburst made Daenerys wary and she noted that he did not retreat from her dragons even as they eyed him in warning, baring their teeth. Drogon flapped his wings harshly and landed directly above Loki on the mast, ready to spring should he make any rash movements. Loki's eyes tracked the dragon but he did not seem afraid, merely cautious as Drogon too kept his gaze on him. Viserion joined her at her side and Loki watched with morbid fascination as the two dragons crouched at her feet, aligning themselves directly between them. "They are the first of their kind in centuries."

Daenerys extended her fingers and lightly traced the ridges on Rhaegal's head. "How did you come by them?" Loki asked, truly fascinated.

"Their eggs were a wedding gift," she responded, though she missed the subtle tightening of Loki's jaw at her words. "The ages had turned them to stone. Though not entirely for I was able to eventually hatch them."

"How?"

"Fire," she said. "And dark magic." Loki was surprised that she had used dark magic to conjure them but was quickly learning that this woman was much more than she appeared. She was quite possibly the most stunning woman he had ever seen, even on Asgard. She had a fire to her that was in stark contrast to her silver hair and translucent skin. She was both dark and light at the same time and he was beginning to understand that this term, 'Khaleesi', in fact meant 'queen'. Queen of dragons? Impossible Loki thought she's just a human.This did not remove the fact however that, in a day, this woman had saved his life, revealed to him the continued existence of dragons and had managed to surprise him. Loki could count the number of people who could do that on one hand.

"Who are you?" he asked quietly, but it seemed more a question to himself.

Daenerys stood still, not quite sure how to answer him. "I have already told you my name. I did not lie to you," she responded honestly.

"I know," he snapped, turning from her. "That's why this does not make any sense."

He paced for a moment, placing his fingers to his lips in deliberation and Daenerys was shocked to see Viserion get to his feet curiously and shuffle towards Loki. As his claws scrabbled across the deck, Loki noticed the commotion and looked down to see the pearly, gold dragon almost level with his hip. He slowly lowered his hand as he contemplated the dragon before him before his eyes darted back to Daenerys. Her name. "You are Daenerys of House Targaryen," he recalled aloud what she had told him the night before. "What does that mean?"

"What does that mean?" she echoed, not understanding. Her Dothraki brothers watched the exchange, though she knew they only understood partial phrases of the common tongue.

"Your name. It holds power, I can feel it," Loki persevered. "What is the significance of 'Targaryen' in this land?"

Daenerys stared at him strangely and tried to formulate an answer that would fit his question. She opted for a brief description of her bloodline. "My House is one of the great Houses in Westeros. Our words are "Fire and Blood". The sigil is-"

"A dragon." He finished for her.

"Yes."

"What else?" he asked, watching Viserion as he tittered playfully, eyeing Loki. There was something in Loki's face as he stared at her dragon, almost like reverence.

"You truly do not know the history of the Houses?" she asked, confused. "Where exactly is it that you come from?"

He hesitated and she saw it. "A lot further than one can travel by ship."

"Where?" she pressed, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I promise you that you would have never heard of it."

"Well, not if you don't tell me."

"It matters not."

Daenerys gave a soft sigh of frustration and resumed petting Rhaegal's head. Loki mimicked her sigh and glanced out to the horizon. "Where are we going?" he asked suddenly aware that he had not the slightest clue where the ship was headed.

"Astapor," came the rather masculine reply. Both Loki and Daenerys turned to see Ser Jorah as he descended from the steering helm. "That's where you get off."

Loki raised his eyebrows but did not smile at the man. "Oh really? And when do we arrive at this harbour?"

Ser Jorah seemed pleased with the prospect of saying goodbye to this man. "In a little under five days."

Loki looked at Daenerys. "What's in Astapor?" He was curious to see her averting his gaze as she idly stroked Rhaegal's horns.

Ser Jorah answered for her. "Astapor is not our port of destination, merely a stop off." Loki glared at him before returning his gaze to the woman before him.

"Daenerys?" She looked at him then, surprised he would address her by name and chose to give him as vague an answer as he had provided her.

"There is something there that I need."

Loki could tell she was being deliberately unforthcoming in retaliation for him not revealing where he was from but he chose to ignore it because he needed to know more about this land and its inhabitants. Did other humans wield similar abilities as to hers? Or was it simply her house, her line that called to the power of dragons? A thought occurred to Loki as he turned to regard the dark Dothraki warriors that looked up to this petite blonde, before placing his gaze upon Ser Jorah who had excused himself to return to his post at the helm. Daenerys had a knight in her service and several barbarians who despite their appearance, Loki was sure could handle a blade. She also carried herself with a respectful composure and dignity that was expected of a high born lady. Her determination, however, was what caught his attention and as the pieces fell into place he began to ponder if she was perhaps royalty, or even a contender for the throne of Westeros. Though he lacked the names of the contestants, he knew the game all too well. This game of thrones. He wanted the power of this realm for himself, but he knew with certainty that others within this world also sought dominion by ruling through the iron throne. It was the only thing he knew for sure of this realm, that it was ever plagued by magical beasts and throne usurpers. That would cease the moment he came into power for once he held the throne he would ensure that no one would dare challenge him. Not even this girl.

A light growl from below interrupted his thoughts and Loki stared at the gold and white dragon before him and had the strangest urge to touch it. He moved his fingers towards the dragon, but decided against it as he clenched his hand into a fist.

"He won't bite, you know," Daenerys assured him softly. Loki looked to the dragon again.

"He'd come off second best if he tried," he warned and Daenerys gave a short laugh at his quip. She moved away and stood at this ships railing, gazing out to sea and looking thoroughly the part of a lovely siren, ready to lure men to their deaths.

Loki shook himself from his thoughts, feeling somewhat nauseated and put it down to sea sickness as he began pacing again. "You must tell me more about Westeros." He stared at Viserion for a moment as the dragon seemed to grow bored of the exchange and spread his massive wings. "And the houses," he added quickly, stepping back as Viserion took to the sky.

Daenerys continued to contemplate the open ocean, enjoying the breeze upon her skin. She shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Daenerys

Daenerys almost jumped out of her skin at his closeness as she whirled to find him right there, whispering in her ear. She opened her mouth to demand he move away from her, that this wasn't appropriate when he reached forward to brush a blonde curl off her cheek. She jerked her head away from his touch and he smiled grimly.

"And in return," he continued. "I will tell you about where I'm from, and how I came to be in the position you found me." She looked up then and met his icy blue eyes, but all she could read in them was sincerity. Her curiosity was going to get her into trouble some day if it didn't right now. She could feel her resolve wavering and he saw it. He resumed pushing the lock of hair away from her face, and gently tucked it behind her hear. "So, what do you say?"

...

Over the next several days, Daenerys felt somewhat like a historian as she recounted the names, words and sigils of the respective houses in Westeros. Loki hardly made any comment, at least not on the subject matter as he listened intently to her recount of how the iron throne was forged, the birth of the seven kingdoms in Westeros and eventually how her family had been forced into exile in Essos.

He seemed thoroughly engaged as she described the dragons that her family had rode throughout history, and the size of the skulls they had left behind. She was pleased to note that his admiration and fascination was not just for the dragons themselves, but for the blood link that her family shared with the creatures. They would sit on deck and she would demonstrate the connection and empathy she felt for her dragons through touch and spoken commands as they gradually grew more comfortable within Loki's presence. He had almost opted to touch them but he stayed his hand, out of respect she presumed. Ser Jorah did not like it, but it was more for the amount of time that she spent with Loki than any real concern for her safety. After all, Daenerys pointed out to him one day, she was not giving Loki any information that was not already widely known. At Jorah's insistence however, she relinquished her disputes against having a guard posted at her door of a night, for she still had many enemies who could reach her, even by water.

During their sessions, Loki had broached the subject of how she had ended up in her current position and of her marriage to Drogo. Daenerys found herself hesitant to talk of the subject as the pain was still very much fresh and it felt strange to discuss even the topic of her brother's execution. She had likewise attempted to persuade Loki to share his own background for she was certain that he was more than he appeared. He would smile mischievously each time however and insist that it was not the time to tell her. He promised that as soon as she had had finished her lessons on Westeros, he would reveal all. This kept Daenerys coming back and as a consequence he had since grown bolder in his attempts at seducing her, much to her mortification and to the dismay of Ser Jorah. When they were alone, he would crowd close as she narrated the histories of the Seven Kingdoms, never taking his eyes off of hers. Touching was minimal but he left a scorching heat upon her skin whenever they came into contact.

Now, alone in her chambers, Daenerys was forced to admit that she found him irrefutably appealing, however her heart still mourned the loss of Drogo. This did not stop her mind however from drawing similar comparisons between the two and she wondered if this was her way of explaining her fierce physical attraction to this man. They both had dark hair, though Loki's reminded her of midnight and silk whereas Drogo's battle braid had reminded her of black leather and stallions. Drogo's skin was rough and weathered whereas Loki's was smooth and untarnished. Loki had the same formidability that Drogo had and yet she had never once seen him demonstrate any skills in combat. Ser Jorah still had his weapon stowed away on the ship and she was surprised that Loki had not asked for it again.

Despite his attentions, Daenerys forced herself to repress any sexual desires she harboured for him since she knew they would part ways in a matter of only two days. A light shiver ran up her spine that had nothing to do with chills and she raised her hands to ghost them over her arms. Her breasts felt heavy and it did not help that her nipples were taut thanks to her shiver and were uncomfortably chafing against the thin material she wore over her chest. She crossed her arms, annoyed since it was surely drawing near midnight but Daenerys could not force her body to rest. She wanted to be wrapped in muscular arms again, to feel safe and secure and not have to be the strong, stubborn Khaleesi all the time. Knowing that Loki was only a matter of metres away, she stared at her door almost willing her feet to get up and find the man who had haunted her dreams these past few nights. She huffed, reprimanding herself for even wanting such a thing. She barely knew him after all! Despite her objections, she found herself not caring and it was this part of her which also wanted to take the risk, to throw all caution to the wind and surrender to selfish agenda. Would it be so wrong in the grand scheme of things to indulge their mutual attraction for a night even, when they would not likely cross paths again?

She had wanted to raise the subject of his leaving for days, wishing to know where he would go from Astapor however she knew it was bold to ask since she had not yet even revealed her final port of destination. Furthermore, he had not asked. She knew Ser Jorah was right about them having to leave Loki in Astapor once she acquired her army of Unsullied. This was her true purpose in sailing to the slave city. Not for any other reason would she make berth in a slave city as her disgust at the trade and selling of humans like mere possessions was overwhelming. She was still uncertain she could even make the deal, for Unsullied were exactly that - slaves.

Either way, she was eventually destined for Westeros, and here Loki could not follow. Any man not intending to join the fight for Westeros would die there as surely as any soldier under the strict orders of the current ruler, the little prince prick Joffrey. It was rumoured that Joffrey was the product of an incestuous relationship between the former false Queen Cersei and her brother, no doubt explaining the current predicament as to who should rightfully inherit the throne. Never mind the fact that it was her family who rightfully brought the Seven Kingdoms together! It was only a mere traitor who had acted against her father which forced her family's removal from the succession of the throne. Since then, the Seven Kingdoms no longer flourished with trade and wealth, and the news of babies being slain in their mother's arms made Daenerys sick to her stomach. She had every intention of changing that and the first thing she would do, she vowed, would be to make the insufferable bastard Joffrey pay for every life lost to his selfish whims.

Perhaps she would let her dragons play with him first, she thought harshly, gazing to the corner of the room where the three of them slept soundly. It was the most unusual thing to watch a dragon sleep for, though they did not snore, odd wisps of smoke would occasionally rise from their nose and then descend again into the nostril from which the arose. As she was contemplating this, she again thought of Loki as she watched her dragons all curled up together, content and comfortable. Biting her lip, she removed her dressing gown and crawled into her bed which should have felt warmer than it was. Attempting to force sleep, she closed her eyes once again before she sat up with a sigh of frustration and removed her under chemise as well, leaving her top half bare. Without the added heat of her clothes, she settled back into bed and as her breathing slowed she at last fell victim to her exhaustion and drifted off to sleep, unaware of the cold blue eyes that watched her from the darkness of her room.

Loki

Loki jerked back within his own body with a ferocity that almost sent him tumbling from his pathetic excuse of a bed. He gasped and braced himself against the wall as he found himself sweating, exhausted from the effort it took to hold his astral form. That he had gained this ability back so quickly was promising, but it exerted a toll on him that he would have to get used to until he was at full strength again. He had practiced this ability every night since their sessions had begun, watching her as she slept although this was the longest he had been able to hold it.

He gave an evil smirk as he contemplated what he had just witnessed. Daenerys was fighting her attraction for him with every ounce of her being and he could only wonder as to why. Although he could not fully interpret her thoughts as of yet, it was not fear or the cold that left her shaking and quivering in her bed as she stroked her arms and chest.

He could not have predicted that she would then shed her top, leaving her perfect boobs naked to his hungry gaze. Of course it also snapped his concentration and sent him reeling back into his corporeal body, though it was well worth the sight of her exposed flesh. He had not even begun to pull her strings like the beautiful instrument she was and still she was tuned and ready. His groin ached in anticipation and he had decided long before this that he would not be leaving them in Astapor. Loki would not be denied and he would not be played as a fool. He knew their intended destination now was for Westeros where Daenerys intended to reclaim the iron throne although it seemed they would make several stops along the way. If her objective was the same as his then so be it. He would play along. He would use pretty words, lies, seduction, power, whatever was necessary to get her to trust him and to let him into her heart. And then, when her defences were down, he would claim her and the iron throne. He would have both, the supremacy of Hygard... and the Mother of Dragons.