**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of the original characters from the movies/comics.**

Chapter 7: Acceptance

As soon as Estiel was outside the banquet hall, her lips began to quiver as she held back her turmoil. The chill of the night air did not faze her while her stride broke into a race. She was sprinting—her pale blue dress bunched up in her fists. In her mind, she could not understand where she had gone wrong with Loki. How could she have been so incredibly blind? Off the main bricked path, she decided to take a shortcut over a hill. The questions did not halt as she ran to her home.

When she was about halfway to her destination, tragedy struck her again. All at once, she saw it: a puddle of mud lay in front of her path. It glittered in the starlight, almost taunting her with a much-too-late warning. Estiel attempted to bring her run to an end, but it was wasted. She tripped on her own foot and began to tumble. Sliding hands first into the cold, slimy sludge, she wore a shocked expression on her face. Thankfully, she caught herself enough on her hands and knees to prevent from going in head-first.

"Oh, no. Oh no…nooo…" She implored over and over. Her body was shivering from the combination of embarrassment and being covered in chilly goop. Estiel slowly assessed herself before moving in case she received an injury. She noted that her knees were stinging and her palms ached from the impact, but most of all, her pride was severely sore. With wide eyes and a grunt, she pushed herself up. She eased onto her feet when one foot slipped from under her. It was almost humorous, the pose she struck with her leg lunged out and her arms spread like wings. She gasped loudly, fearful of another meeting with the ground.

After carefully positioning her shaking legs, she took a step big forward and out of the sludge beneath her. Looking down, she whimpered as she saw her beautiful dress: the dark mud was all over her arms and hands, with two vertical columns imprinted from her knees down. Some had splattered up to her neck and face; she could feel its wetness against the breeze. Estiel huffed pathetically—she was cold now and could not bring herself to cross her muddy arms in front of her. Stretching her arms out and down her sides, she began to walk with her shoulders completely stiff.

At the thought of how she must look, she began to chuckle to herself. She was certain she had lost her mind when the sounds of her own laughter reached her ears. Given all her bad luck today with the dinner and witnessing Loki, the love of her life, basking in such happiness with another, Estiel hoped that tomorrow would be a much, much better day. Her teeth was starting to chatter—she felt numb inside, so she thought it was fitting that the rest of her body felt numb, too. The situation reminded her of a time when Loki, completely doused in water, met her one evening.


"Look at you! Are you not cold? You're completely drenched!" Estiel stared at the soaking wet Prince of Mischief. He grinned from ear to ear as he answered.

"No, I am fine. I could use a change of clothes, however." Loki sauntered over to the fireplace in the study, trailing drops of water behind him. Estiel observed with her mouth agape.

"Did you fall into the fountain?" She tried to reason with herself since it had been a perfectly sunny day. Loki had striped his armored vest and began taking off his matching pants. Estiel would have panicked, but she noted that he would not remove his beige underclothes.

"Something akin to that, I suppose." His words were playful. It intrigued her even more.

"Do I even want to know what you've done? By the way, this look does not particularly suit you." Raising an eyebrow at him, she began helping him by collecting his outer layers and placing them over a chair. He turned to gaze down at her with his bright green eyes whilst wearing a sly smirk.

"A prank gone wrong, that's all. However, would you like to know what I plan on doing next?" his words were steeped in honey. Estiel's eyes shot up to his; she must have looked like a helpless lamb at the slaughter house. A drop of water fell from the tip of his nose and onto her cheek. His cool fingers reached up and gingerly wiped it away. She blushed, and then shyly stepped back.

"Why must you do that?" her voice sounded meek. Loki moved closer to her again.

"Do what, exactly?" still with a smirk on his face; he placed a hand her shoulder.

"That…" she motioned her head toward his touch.

"Does my touch scare you, my lady?" he spoke in a velvety voice. Estiel knew he was toying with her again. For the first time, she decided to play back.

"I am not frightened by a dog that barks, but does not bite." She tried to keep a straight face—the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.

"Oh, is that how you view me; a barking dog?" Loki questioned her in a mildly surprised tone. She had him. Feeling more confidence reaching her, she continued.

"Hah, hardly so, my prince—perhaps, more like a yelping pup." Estiel almost burst into laughter at the sight of the man staring at her. He was completely taken aback, ego wounded. He removed his hand from her shoulder.

"Well, you seem to have found your footing in this battle. Well done." Loki cleared his throat and pursed his lips together, feeling a bit awkward. Estiel, however, enjoyed the moment far too much to stop. With an air of superiority, she tilted her head and lifted her hand to his face. He watched her with caution. She softly brushed back his loose, damp hair, and caressed his cheek with the back of her hand.

"Who said anything about a battle? More importantly, who said I was done?" a charming, devilish smirk accented her features. She was relishing her control on him. Or so she thought.

Loki swiftly took hold of her wrist and pulled her in. He placed his other hand firmly on the small of her back, pressing her to him. Estiel exhaled sharply, she did not expect him to make such a move. He was cold and clammy, which only added to the effect he had on her.

"Careful, my lady, you forget that pups have teeth. You might provoke this one to nip you in your most delicate areas." His expression was passionate, alluring, and dangerous. It stirred something in her; something she did not know existed until that moment. Estiel began to pant as her pulse quickened.

He felt the warmth of her body against him, and though he believed to be in command of himself, he had difficulty in letting her go.

"Are you always this feisty when you're all soaking wet?" she held his intense emerald eyes in her own, trying to sound brave.

"Coincidentally, I was going to ask you the same question…" Loki murmured. She blinked and flared her nostrils in astonishment. Estiel literally felt her face ablaze as she blushed. He released his hold on her and stepped back. He dipped his head to indicate she should look down.

"Ah…" she was speechless. His wet underclothes had dampened the torso of her dress; turning the light, peachy color into a darker auburn.

"You really are an amusing woman. I believe I would die of boredom if it were not for our time spent together." Loki smiled genuinely at her. He knew the teasing would need to stop before they would open a door that could never be closed. Estiel returned his smile shyly and moved closer to the fireplace.

That moment had been the most intimate they had been with each other. In fact, it was the most intimate they ever were thereafter, too.


Estiel's pace was slow and stiff. She was afraid to run lest she face another tumble. Her whole body shook from a gust of wind that rolled by. She sighed at the memory of Loki's touch, his sweet words, and the passionate stare he gave her. He was always leaving her wanting just a bit more. She sniffed, feeling jealous and sad. Estiel was tasting bitterness at the thought of him and that other woman in the banquet hall.

They actually kissed… on the lips. The many times she had wanted to do the same when he made her laugh—made her smile. The tears were tracing down her pale, mud-splattered cheeks. If there was a sadder girl in all of Asgard, she noted that she would have to befriend her. Her chattering teeth slowed as she began to sob quietly.

Estiel stopped herself. Something beside her caught her eye as it moved into view. She immediately balled up a fist and jabbed, making contact with a stocky figure. Estiel centered herself and took a defensive stance. The person made a step backwards and let out a low, pained moan. It was a man; he covered his face with his burly hands and lurched over.

"Who are you?!" Estiel yelled, ready to fight. The man stood up straight again. He scoffed and felt his nose to check for injury.

"My lady, I mean you no harm. You have an amazing right hook, by the way." The man was no more than her height, which was not exceptionally tall, but above average for a woman.

"You startled me. You should not creep out of the brush in the dark like a common criminal if you had no intentions of scaring people!" her voice was hoarse and angry. She held her stance.

"It is me…" the man spoke softly, looking into her stern eyes.

"Excuse me? You must be mistaking me for someone else." She said curtly.

"No, I'm afraid not." He replied and motioned towards her. Estiel took another step back and raised her fists to eye-level.

"Do not take another step closer, I will not tolerate you—" she paused, rendered silent by what she was seeing. The stocky man began to grow and stretch out. Estiel was horrified; about to scream, the man lunged forward and covered her mouth. She twisted about, turning away from her attacker when muffled cries escaped her. The burly hand over her mouth suddenly felt cold and soft.

"Shh, shh, no need for that, my darling. I am sorry to meet you like this… I just cannot help myself." Loki's voice mused from behind her neck. Estiel's temper flashed rage at the recognition of who was holding her. She froze and became silent.

"Good girl…" Loki leaned into her, smelling her hair. In an instant, he felt the air in his lungs escape violently. Estiel had elbowed him directly in the diaphragm. He held himself and gasped for air. She quickly turned to look at him, giving him a deathly expression. She brought her arm back and jabbed him as hard as she could in the face. Loki huffed and fell to his knees.

"Enough!" He screamed.

"With pleasure!" Estiel said vehemently as she walked passed him.

"Estiel… wait." Loki coughed and heaved.

"I am done waiting!" she continued to march on.

"Please!" He begged. Estiel stopped. Her heart ached from the tone in his voice. She cursed herself for being so weak. After turning in his direction, he stood up again.

"What do you want with me, Loki?" she spat.

"Nothing, I simply want to talk." He replied sincerely.

"Have you not taken enough of my pride? Or would you like some more of my self-worth?" She choked out, while her eyes brimmed full; tears beginning to trickle down her face.

Loki's chest grew tight, his jaw stiff. He could not find the words as he stared at this angry, mud-covered, crying woman.

But this was his woman, he thought, and he was the sole cause of her undoing. Much like a child, whose curiosity might have killed an innocent baby bird, Loki saw what he had done. His lips twitched at the idea that he might truly lose her. With a lump forming in his throat, Loki felt powerless.

Estiel waited, but he simply looked at her with pity. This only made her feel more pathetic. She closed her eyes in defeat.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

Estiel opened her eyes to his words, watching as his raw emotions left him helpless. She took a deep breath.

"Loki, I accept you, with all your shortcomings." Her voice cracked.

"However, no, I cannot forgive you. Not after everything you have put me through…" she trailed off when she saw the defeat in his eyes. He kept a straight face, unmoved, not blinking. He only bowed his head slightly to her. Estiel opened her mouth to speak again, but the prince faded into the dark of night.


So, do you think he had it coming or do you feel terrible for him? I'm torn... Don't worry too much, it'll get better for them :)