"Ageless beauty
Cruelty makes its holes
But on the shoreline
Time will hold its promise
We will always be a light
You can see it from the surface, see it"
-Ageless Beauty, Stars
Ursa found Sif and the Warrior's Three sitting together, looks of worry on all of their faces. Loki stood by the fire, staring down at his hand. When she entered, all heads turned towards her except Loki's. Without a word, the girl went and snatched a piece of meat away from Volstagg's plate.
"Hey!" The warrior barked at her. "That's mine."
Ursa stuffed the food into her mouth. "Not anymore." She said, her words barely understandable.
"Stop fooling around." Fandral snapped. "Thor has been banished and we sit here, unpunished when we are just as guilty."
"How did the guard even know where we were going?" Volstagg asked, wincing as a healer rubbed in an ointment on his arm.
"I told him." All heads turned to Loki now.
"What?" Fandral asked, shocked. Ursa stared at him, wanting to smile at everyone's reactions. How could they be so surprised by it?
"I saved out lives." Loki defended himself against their harsh glares and Volstagg's words. "And Thor's. I had no idea that Father would banish him for what he did."
Sif stood then and strode towards the prince. "Loki, you must go to Odin and convince him to bring Thor back."
Ursa rolled her eyes, sneaking another bite of food from Volstagg, who was too shocked to notice her. She did not care for their arguing, not even for Thor's banishment. He was safer in Midgard. Though, she could see him now as he fought nearly twenty men to escape a white building. Even in a mortal body, he remained strong. But he was still also foolish. He did not stop to maybe observe his surroundings, perhaps realize that he was there for a reason and he was not going to come home anytime soon.
Ursa watched as Loki stormed out of the room. Odin would be falling into a deep sleep very soon hopefully, and Thor would remain safe where he was and the light would fall upon Loki. Perhaps then the fool's reign would be over and no more innocents would be hurt.
"Laufey said that there were traitors in the house of Odin." Hogun spoke. "A master of Magic could bring three jotuns into the palace." The warriors faces now darkened, realization flickering across their features. All except Fandral.
"Loki has always been one for Mischief, but you speak of something else entirely." He turned away from the others, but Ursa saw the doubt in his expression. Even he did not believe his own words. Below them, she saw Loki lift the so very precious casket, a look of terror creeping into his eyes as his fingers began to turn blue.
Ursa ran a hand through her hair. She knew she could not go down there now. He would have to discover this on his own. If she were to tell him, it would only hurt worse. She could not see them in Jotunheim, but speaking to Odin earlier and seeing Loki, she had seen every lie the king had told him. He was no Asgardian, he had no relations to anyone here.
She had wanted to tell him herself, but knew that there were some things that she could not do. He had to hear it from Odin, not her. To tell him herself would be cruel, she would be doing to him what Hugo had done to her. He had not realized it, perhaps, but he had hurt her deeply. There was no doubt that he knew who her father was. Loki had told her that Hugo could simply look at you and know nearly everything. To find out that someone else knows such things about you, that even a stranger knows more than you do, it's infuriating.
She would allow him to tell her later on, when Odin had fallen asleep. Soon, she told herself. Ursa let herself out of the room and began walking through the halls, but was followed by Sif.
"Ursa," The warrior caught up with her, taking hold of her shoulder. "You did not say a word in there. What is your opinion on this?"
"I think that there are many things that your king does that are believed to be wonderful and glorious and always with purpose. But that there are some things that are wrong, even if it is done by the All-Father." Ursa continued her walk, pacing herself so that Sif would not have to rush to keep up. Not that it would a problem for the warrior. Still, she was a friend and her company was welcomed.
"So you agree that Thor's banishment should be cut short, and that he should be brought back?"
Ursa did not look at her, simply stared ahead as she walked. "No. I think he should remain on Midgard. While I disagree with the king on many things, banishing Thor is not one of them."
"What are you saying?" Sif beamed at her friend. "What is it that our king has done that has upset you? If it not Thor's banishment, then what is it?" Sif took hold of Ursa's arm, stopping her.
"He will protect his favored child at all cost, leaving his other to suffer in the dark and question his existence. He will teach his oldest son, but the other must teach himself. What is worse than being berated and punished for your actions is being ignored and waved away like nothing, because no one expects anything from you." Ursa stared strait into the eyes of her raven haired friend. This would be most confusing to her, considering she was blind to anything but the glory of Thor and believed there was nothing better than the hammer-wielding God. "And as for those he claims to be the friend of, he will let them walk into death without a second thought. That, his lies are what have upset me so. The only good thing he has done is sent Thor to Midgard. At least there he is safe and those around him are as well. And Odin can not play favorites when there is only one to play with." And soon he won't be able to play at all, she added in her head.
And then without a word, Sif released her arm, turning away and walking back to the lounge in which the other three were. Ursa continued her walk in the opposite direction.
She waited a long time, sitting on a boulder in front of a river running through the gardens of the palace. He would need to time to process everything, she knew. She was still processing her own affairs as well.
While waiting, she finally cried. Not the sobbing that was seen by Odin, but harsh cries of agony followed by waterfalls of tears. Her mother was dead. The woman who raised her, made her into who she is today was gone forever. Why had this happened? Because of her. She was the reason her mother was dead. If she had not been born, if she had never existed then none of this would have ever happened. She would never be favored by Zeus, never made Aphrodite angry and Hera would have never known about anything.
She saw the woman now, completely careless as she dined with the many Gods of Olympus. And Aphrodite, displaying herself to the other men and not caring for her husband. She hated them. Except Hermes. He was her only friend on Olympus. He and Persephone.
She only saw the bubbly girl when she was not with Hades. Even now, with her powers to see all of Asgard, Midgard and Olympus, Persephone was hidden from her along with the entire underworld where the dead were. Perhaps Hades did not wish anyone to invade his privacy. She understood. Even Heimdall disturbed her, with his powers to see all of the nine realms as well.
But she soon figured out that she could not see absolutely everything. Only Midgard, Asgard and Olympus and certain planets she had traveled to lay within her vision. She chalked it up to only seeing places she had been to before. Which made sense to her. Alethea had been alive a long time before she was born.
Before she was born she was happy. She probably had nothing to do with any of the Olympians, simply traveled on her own and lived happily. This thought brought on more tears and anger. As she began to sob once more, a soft hand came to rub the back of her neck softly. A very familiar hand.
Loki let the guards take Odin to his chambers, Frigga rushed to his side frantically. She sent for Hugo, who placed a spell over the king, the golden light shining over him. Loki stood by the door, waiting. He could not go in there now. Hugo came out and spared him one glance before lighting up his pipe.
"Before you ask, yes. I knew." The old man started. "I've known all along. There are only four of us who know. Three are here right now."
"Who is the fourth?" Loki placed his face in his hand, his head now feeling very full.
"It doesn't matter now. She is dead." Hugo looked down. "A shame, really. She was a fine woman, a bit on the soft side. But she had her secrets as well. Secrets that are becoming more exposed by the minute."
"Dead?" Loki looked up. "Who?"
"You may want to find Ursa and ask her." And Hugo walked away, his body slumped.
Loki sighed and entered Odin's chambers to speak with Frigga. After a few words of explanation, that she loved him still, he left. Ursa was in the gardens, alone and crying. He could not bear the pain he felt rolling off of her in great waves. He placed a hand on the back of her neck, both of her own ivory hands shooting up and holding it there. She heaved out a few more sobs before turning to face him. Her eyes were red and her cheeks wet.
"You go first." She blubbered, holding his hand tightly. He continued to look down at her, worry clear in his eyes. He had never seen her in such a fragile state. He wondered if this had ever happened before, that she had cried so much and hurt so badly. Perhaps she had and no one had ever seen her. Or maybe this was the first time for it to happen and he was the first to witness it.
Either way, he knelt down and placed his free hand on her cheek, wiping away the wet tears. "I am the son of Laufey, a frost giant. I have no relation to anyone here. I am not prince of Asgard, but of Jotunheim. My so-called father has just fallen into his Odin Sleep and my brother still remains the glorious hero he was, even on Midgard. My friends do not trust me, and I shall be forever in the shadow of Thor." He stared at her, licking his lips in anticipation of her reaction. She only cried harder.
"My mother is dead." Ursa squeezed her eyes shut. "Hera murdered her and still remains the queen of Olympus. Aphrodite caused her death and has received nothing but compliments from the men. No one mourns her death and she has faded away. My friend has been sent away to a planet he knows nothing about and the man I looked at as a father is now just as terrible as my real father." She spoke the words so quickly and mushed them together through tears that Loki had to struggle to understand her.
"And I have a confession." She squeaked. "I knew that you were Jotun. I discovered it only today. I saw you and-" She stopped, opening her eyes wide, as if she were looking at a ghost.
"I can not see." She breathed. Her tears had ceased, but she continued to hold onto Loki's hands with an iron grip.
"What is wrong?" The God of Mischief questioned, eyeing her warily.
"I can not see beyond what is in front of my eyes."
"What do you mean?" Had she gone mad? Of course, he believed her to have gone mad a long time ago, but this...
"My mother." Ursa spoke. "She could see everything. All nine realms at once. But she could also see what was inside as well. The Truth that lies in everyone. When she-" Ursa swallowed. "died, I absorbed her powers. I could do the same, but now I can't." The girl blinked hard and let go of Loki. Instantly, everything that she could see before came back and she saw Frigga sitting over Odin, close to tears.
Quickly, she took the prince's hands once more, and it disappeared. "It's you." She gasped. "You-" A wide smile broke out across her face.
"What?" How could she be smiling right now?
Without answering his question, she mashed her lips into his. "You-" She spoke between kisses. "Take away-the pain."
He pulled her back. "What do you mean?" He asked seriously. While he was enjoying this, he was utterly confused.
"You and I are opposites." She laughed. "It's so simple. We cancel each other out. I do not have the entire universe in my head when touching you, nor can I see what is inside, nor use it." Tears welled in her eyes once more. "With you, it's all gone."
Sighing, she leaned her head onto his shoulder, her face buried in his neck. For a moment, he held her contently. But there was something itching at his mind.
"You said you saw me. What exactly did you see?" He asked into her hair.
"I saw the confusion and hurt inside. The reality hit me, I could see what you are and when I looked back to Odin, it became clear. You opened my eyes to his lies and deceit."
"But-" Loki pulled Ursa back once more, earning a scowl from her. "If you knew I am Jotun, why have you remained close to me?" Yes he had told her of his birth origin, but he had expected her to run after laying all her grief onto him. Like everyone else would if they found out.
"Why would I not?" Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "You are still Loki." She placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing circles there lightly with her thumb. "You are still the only boy I would marry. Nothing will ever change that." She giggled. Even in this rut that they were in, there was still that light, that one silver lining in this dark cloud.
He stared at her, seeming to not notice the hand on his face, but just studied her. If she had been anyone else, they would have beaten him away like a monster. But she welcomed him still, accepted him, willing to marry him. Then it sank in. She wanted to marry him. The vow he had made came back and he let out a breath, holding onto her hand on his cheek. He couldn't ask her right now, for if he did that would simply be too much for her and everyone else. A wedding would not be the top thing on everyone's priority list. So he would wait. But it still made him happy.
"Loki?" Ursa asked, holding him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Loki smiled. "Perfect." For the moment, anyway. He leaned in and kissed her deeply. He took her hands and held them in his own, leaning his forehead against hers, both their eyes still closed. For just a moment, the world around them disappeared and they only thought of the here and now. They were together. That's what mattered.
Then- "Let's get married."
Loki's eyes couldn't open wide enough. "Did a lady just tell me to marry her?" That was not how he had imagined any proposal of any kind going.
"No, I am no lady. But yes, I am telling you to marry me." Ursa's eyes wondered about her for a moment. "Right now. Before anything else happens."
"Right now?" He looked at her incredulously. "But-"
Ursa put a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Midgardians do it all the time. They're very loose in their culture, some only know each other for a few hours before getting married." She held his chin now. "I know that usually the man proposes, and they tell every person that they know and then start planning a wedding. But we can have one of those later." She stood up, bringing Loki with her. "I want to marry you right now." Again, her eyes wondered. "And then tell everyone else later."
And that's exactly what they did. Frigga would later scold them for being so careless in the grand scheme of things that were happening. But the both of them needed it and Frigga knew it. At least something good had come out of this. With one of her sons gone and her husband unable to open his eyes, and her best friend dead- her youngest son being married to a girl he loved made her heart swell with happiness for a moment.
Loki only released Ursa's hand once throughout the entire night after that. And when he did, Ursa could see Midgard once more and nearly laughed and cried at the same time as she heard the words;
"Meow-meow? What's meow-meow?"
Gotta love Darcy. Seriously, she's freaking hilarious. Oh, man I can't wait to write more. But I only have a week and then my writing time will be cut in half. Not even in half, it'll be pretty much gone, but again, I won't stop writing. I'll just be a little slow about it. I apologize ahead of time in case I cause you to be like me when I'm waiting for someone to update. Freaking. Furious. Anyway, enjoy your summer while it lasts. I will update as soon as the next chapter is written. And tell me what you think, maybe give me a few song suggestions-that'd be cool. Man, it's midnight. I'm going to bed.
~SDG
