Like a Hurricane

Chapter 7 – Home

'You?' Thor looked over Loki's shoulder, at Chantrea. She had never seen him so confused.

'Ah, yeah...' she waved awkwardly, hanging onto Loki's shoulders, but the younger brother had had enough of being a crutch and shrugged her off.

'Woah' Chantrea struggled for a moment to find her balance, before glancing up at Loki, annoyed. He blinked indifferently. Chantrea rolled her eyes. 'Alright, sorry, but I didn't have much of a choice.'

'What are you doing here?' Thor asked and she turned to him, arms crossed.

'I've always wanted to visit the legendary Asgard!'

'And this seemed like a good moment to make this trip?'

'Exactly!' Chantrea nodded, smiling brightly.

'If that was the case, you would have told us beforehand' Thor pointed out and she frowned.

'I really wanted to see Asgard. But I agree, it was the spur of the moment.'

Loki, who was looking bored, glanced up at the sound of footsteps. A very tall man approached them. He wore a golden armour, complete with helmet and a long sword. His booming voice greeted Thor.

'The king and the queen had been informed of your arrival, my prince.'

'Heimdall' Thor nodded, smiling. 'Good to see you again.'

The man bowed a little and that's when he noticed Chantrea looking up at him, mouth slightly agape. He glanced at her, questioningly. She shut her mouth with a snap, before extending her hand.

'Nice to meet you' she said. 'I'm Chantrea.'

'Heimdall' he replied after a pause, shaking her hand awkwardly. It was clear he was not used to such greetings.

Chantrea couldn't help herself:

'Are all of you giants?' she asked, glancing between the three men.

'No; you're just tiny' Thor answered simply and she sent him a glare. He just laughed, before turning serious. He gave the Tesseract to Heimdall, and grabbed Loki by the arm.

'It's time we go see father.'

Loki glanced at him, annoyed, as he was being lead. Chantrea walked behind them, next to Heimdall. The silence which covered the group was too much for the lone woman there. Soon, she turned to Heimdall, curious.

'So... what do you do here? Are you maybe... a guard?'

Heimdall glanced at her briefly, before answering:

'I am the gatekeeper.'

It took a moment for Chantrea to realize what he meant.

'You mean, of the Bifrost.'

'Indeed.'

'Hmhmm...'

After a couple more unsuccessful attempts at making a conversation, Chantrea gave up and decided to entertain herself by examining their surroundings. They were currently on top of a bridge, which sparkled in every imaginable colour of the rainbow as they were walking on it. It didn't have any fence on the sides. Chantrea glanced down, over the edge of the bridge and saw dark water. She looked back, noticing how the bridge suddenly cut off, as if it was broken. She could hear the sound of a waterfall near.

She decided to concentrate on the sight before her; they were nearing the majestic city of Asgard. As the last rays of sunlight touched the buildings, everything shone in a bright, golden colour. Chantrea found it curious that the sky wasn't the usual dark blue or black, dotted with stars as she had come to expect on Earth, but it reminded her of pictures she saw of outer space. She stared in awe, completely dazzled by the beautiful sight.

When she had regained her wit, she noticed they were heading towards a huge building, not that far from the city's gates. Chantrea suspected it must be the castle. It had golden towers and everything was enormous. A whole army could have fit through the gate, and the guards, who could be found on almost every corner, stood at attention, with excellent armour and weapons.

Chantrea unconsciously straightened up as they stepped inside the huge building. Her whole demeanor changed at the moment they had crossed the threshold. She held herself regally, ignoring the curious stares she had received from people they had encountered. From the little group, only Loki had noticed her strange behaviour as he narrowed his eyes.


Danna realized that the last time she raked through her hair, she gathered some strands in her hand. Sighing in frustration, she showed them into the ocean and opted to tap with her foot, which in turn made her companion annoyed. But he didn't dare say anything, just continued rowing. Or more precisely, making the ladles row with his telekinesis. Danna might have had the gift of teleportation, but it was useless in this situation and she had never got the hang of how to make objects move with her mind.

This situation was nerve wrecking every damn time. The only place on Earth that she couldn't just pop in and out of was, ironically, her homeland. It was hard to get near to the island, because the strange magnetic occurrences nearby. The ocean was cruel, so was the magic that surrounded the place. If any human tried to get near, they never returned, and that was only if they were lucky.

Danna shivered as they entered the coastal range. It wasn't long before their boat started shaking, trying to survive the violent currents and electric storm in the area. Danna gripped the edge of the boat tighter. She trusted her navigator would get her to safety and she secretly murmured a grateful prayer to her ancestors that she was never the kind to get sea-sick. Her late sister, Leakena wasn't so lucky and Danna remembered that she had hardly went out into the mortal world.

'We have arrived, Danna-sama*' the boatman said and Danna realized that somewhere along the way, she had shut her eyes. Now, she opened them and mumbled a thank you, scrambling out to the shore. It was heavenly to feel the land below her feet, again.

Danna sighed, happy to be back and took a moment to appreciate the sandy beaches and the lush greenery that surrounded her. She glanced up at the ever-present stormy clouds. They changed colours as often as the traffic lights in the human world, except they were in all the colours of the rainbow.

A lightning struck in the distance and Danna felt it time to go on and face her parents. She was not looking forward to this meeting, but she had a duty to fulfil. She needed to report what had happened with Chantrea.


Thankfully, inside the island, she could use her teleportation skills, so it only took a matter of seconds for her to appear in front of her parents.

'Danna!' her mother spoke, surprised when she caught sight of her daughter.

'You are alone' she noticed, her eyes narrowing. Hastily, she dismissed the people around. Only Danna's father remained with them. 'Explain this to me: you were supposed to come back only if Chantrea's memory is back, with her. If her memories are still sealed, you shouldn't be here. So what are you doing here, alone?'

Seyha was a kind mother, but a very strict ruler. She had long, straight, black hair and ruby red eyes. Her rather intense gaze was focused on her daughter.

'Mother' Danna bowed, respectfully. 'I've encountered some... unexpected complications.'

'Does it have anything to do with what's been happening in New York?' Orion, her father asked. He had a grim character and his short-cropped silver hair just added to the effect.

'Indeed' Danna nodded. 'Chantrea's memories are back.'

Tense silence followed her words.

'Is she responsible for that destruction?' Seyha asked, cautious.

'No-no' Danna quickly shook her head. 'She was helping the mortals.'

Her parents didn't need to know that Chantrea needed a little nudge to do that.

'Then...?'

'Well... I think she noticed me and... well, fled.'

Orion's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Something was still not adding up.

'Where to?'

'Asgard?' Danna gulped at the stormy look on his father's face.

'What?' her mother asked, straightening in her seat. 'But the Bifrost is gone!'

'The battle in New York was over the Tesseract. Thor used it to go back to Asgard with Loki and Chantrea... hitchhiked.'

'Hitchhiked' Seyha repeated, disbelieving. She took a deep breath and leant back on her throne. She buried her face in her hand, while mumbling. 'Why does she love to make things complicated?'

Orion didn't seem fazed as he immediately concentrated on a solution to the problem at hand:

'We need to finish the prototype as soon as possible.'

'Prototype?' Danna asked. 'For what?'

Her father turned to her:

'Ever since the Bifrost was destroyed in Asgard, we've been working on a way to reconnect the two realms' he explained. 'I believe we're close to accomplish it.'

'Oh.'

'And since it's your task to oversee Chantrea's return and you're gifted with teleportation, you'll be the one to retrieve her' Seyha finished.

'Oh.'

Danna couldn't find any words to describe what she felt at that moment.


After a relatively short walk, Thor's group had arrived at the throne room. Noblemen and warriors murmured on the sides of the room as they caught sight of the small group.

Thor advanced, with his brother at his side. Loki was still cuffed and muzzled. He stared straight ahead, at the throne where Odin sat. His gaze was hard as granite.

Heimdall followed and Chantrea suddenly realized she didn't know what to do. Her fingers twitched as she fought not to fidget. She finally decided to step away, into the crowd, but she followed them closely, on the side. She stood at the front of the crowd when Thor stopped a few steps from the throne. The murmurs quieted down.

'I have returned with Loki, father' Thor bowed a little, before nodding to Heimdall who stepped up to the throne. 'And with the Tesseract.'

'My son, it's good to see you alive and well.'

It took a moment for Loki to realize that Odin wasn't talking to Thor, but to him. If the muzzle didn't prevent him from speaking, Loki would had immediately protested. As it was, only his eyebrows furrowing let his displeasure known.

Sadness reflected in Odin's eyes, before he continued, turning to Thor:

'Thank you, my son. I am proud of you.'

The twitch in Loki's eyes didn't escape Chantrea's attention. Odin turned back to the younger brother:

'Loki...You have made me very disappointed.' Loki was unmoving, like a statue, his face blank. However, Chantrea couldn't help, but imagine the comment stung deeply. 'You have allied yourself with our enemies, attacked Midgard and killed countless people. And this was not the first time, either.' Odin waited for a moment for everything to sink in. 'This cannot go unpunished.'

Whispers ran through the crowd and Chantrea didn't need to strain her ears to get the gist of them; it seemed as if everyone was anticipating this for a long time. Long before Loki had even thought of subjugating Earth.

'He was mischievous even as a child' one older woman was whispering behind Chantrea.

'You know, every time I saw him, I knew nothing good would become of him.' Another commented. Chantrea had to fight a snarl.

'Do you remember that one time when–'

'And the front giants–'

'Enough!' Thor bellowed and everyone instantly quieted.

Odin nodded at him, before turning his attention back to the younger prince.

'Some may persist I sentence you to death' he started and Loki gulped, subconsciously. Murmurs ran through the throng of noblemen and warriors at this, but Odin lifted his hand and everyone fell silent. 'However, I do not believe it would be a punishment fitting for you.'

Everyone held their breath, tense with anticipation.

'You will be banished to Midgard, without your powers, in a mortal body,' Odin spoke above the whispers around the throne room, 'and devoid of your memories.'

Chantrea's gasp was swallowed by the muttering that instantly rose into a normal volume. Loki's punishment was eerily similar to the one she had to suffer. "No wonder our parents were friends" she thought darkly, glancing at Loki. His expression seemed shocked, but couldn't be seen fully, because of the muzzle. The latter also ensured that he had no way to defend himself or talk himself out of this cruel punishment.

Chantrea felt a pang in her heart, not unlike the first time she had met Loki, in Stuttgart. So many things happened since then, it seemed like a lifetime away. The difference was, she now could pinpoint the feeling. It was a reminder of her old life, of the mistakes she made, of the bitter life she had to lead because of her wrongdoings.

She drew in a shaky breath and squared her shoulders. Stepping out from the crowd, she walked next to the brothers. She went down on one knee in front of Odin, resting one hand on her knee as she bowed her head in respect.

'Honourable All-father of the Aesirs' she addressed him, aware of the shock that immediately went through the crowd at her brazen move. It was eerily silent. 'May I suggest an amend, regarding prince Loki's punishment?'

She kept her head bowed, not daring to glance up at Odin. Maybe she was foolish to speak up for him, but she had made her decision and now she couldn't do anything, but go all the way. Silently, she cursed her impulsiveness, but couldn't deny her feelings.

One of the noblemen from in the crowd stepped forward to reprimand her:

'How dare you–' he started, but Odin stopped him with a lift of his hand. Curiously, the king turned to the woman kneeling before him:

'And who you might be?' There was no anger in his voice and for that, Chantrea was grateful.

However, she could literally feel the anger rolling off in waves from Thor. She suppressed the urge to shiver, because of his animosity and continued, all or nothing.

'I am Chantrea, daughter of Orion and Seyha' she introduced herself fully. Loki furrowed his eyebrows hearing that. Now why were those names familiar...?

After a moment of silence, Odin spoke:

'So you've returned.'

Chantrea's whole body instantly went tense and her head snapped up. She opened her mouth to ask, but thought better of it. "It shouldn't come as a surprise that he knows about it. My parents were his comrades, after all." The knuckles of her hand went white as she gripped her knee. She bit down on her tongue, before bowing her head again and replying:

'Yes.' Fortunately, her voice didn't waver. She focused on a point in front of her, on the floor, feeling more exposed than ever.

Odin leant back on his throne and his posture became a little bit more relaxed.

'Very well, I will hear you out' he said. 'What do you propose?'

'I ask of you, if I may, to let Loki keep his memories.' At her words, indignant murmurs went through the throng of people around them. Chantrea continued, determined: 'You may strip him off of his powers, banish him to the human world and force him to live in a mortal body, but please, don't take away his memories...' She was silent for a moment, before adding: 'How would he be able to amend his ways if he doesn't remember who he is and what he has done?'

'You ask too much' Thor chocked out. Even he wouldn't dare go against his father's decisions! Not anymore! 'How could you–'

'Thor' Odin's leveled voice cut him off. The prince promptly fell silent, and the All-father turned to Chantrea. 'Indeed, child, that was a harsh punishment.'

She wasn't sure if he was referring to Loki's or hers. Maybe both. Silence followed for a long moment as Odin carefully considered her words. For Chantrea and Loki, it felt like a lifetime.

'Very well' the All-father announced a moment later. 'I will contemplate your request and come to a decision later.'

Chantrea let out a breath she didn't remember holding in. It was half-success. She bowed her head more deeply in respect:

'Thank you, sire.'


To be continued...

-sama: It is a honorific used in Japan; for people of high rank. Now you wonder why the heck should I mention it in this kind of fanfic, right? Well, Danna's homeland is pretty close to Japan, so naturally, it had some influence on her homeland and vice-versa.


A/N: Uh. Ah. This chapter... I was pulling my hair out! A huuuge thank you for Jazz & Sweet for pointing out... certain things. This story wouldn't be as well told without You as it is right now.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Jazz, Sweet and my (other) reviewers! Yes, all of you! Donnabella2k7, Opera123, soundnebula, Wolf, ElleJTrix, Ju, Savysnape7, bookswalower (wow!), HinaTea, CaribbeanTrinidadian, Cassandra Auditore, dfxcm, Miss Sofie who gives me virtual cookies ever since she started reading this story (btw, you avatar is the same as the bg for my phone ;)), VictoriaSketch, xxyangxx2006, SceneNeko, Ninnny and IsabellaCain.
YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! Your kind and thoughtful words make me want to continue and give my best writing this story. I love you!

And thank you for the alerts/favs ;) (I have way more than reviews, so I'd rather not start listing everyone here :'D But know that I'm really happy for every notification I get because of you^^)

Yes, this was an appreciation author note. You deserve it ;)


PS.: OK-OK. Yes, Chantrea was that from the very beginning. But I don't like to give away everything early - which sometimes backfireˇˇ" I hope this wasn't (too) abrupt? Tell me your thoughts!
Next chapter: the muzzle will be down! Yay! Loki will be more active (hopefully, I only have part of it written) and Odin will react to Chantrea's presence in Asgard. And many more, which I really don't know if it'll fit in 1 chapter or more. Ehehehe^^"