Hello All! If you've noticed, I've changed the rating of this fic from Teen to Mature. After re-reading the guidelines, I've decided that this story is rather violent and will contain adult themes. Also, this chapter is rather long, but I believe you'll find it worthwhile when you get to the end. ;)
Chapter Seven: I Believe I Shall Collect on My Wager Now
Yevanna strode into the practice yard before dawn the next morning in dire need of something to vent her anger at. She had not slept a wink of sleep the night before, but had paced about her pavilion trying to sort out many a confusing feeling. Curses upon Loki Odinson and his silver tongue, she thought as she thwacked mercilessly at the practice dummy with a blunted sword, not excepting Theo for a few more hours.
She did enjoy spending time with Loki. She liked his wit, something many of the elves she knew were in dire need of, and last night it had been fun hiding from Beowulf with him. Though she hadn't known him long, she considered Loki a friend. But the way he had looked at her with his piecing green eyes had made a heat spread through her stomach that she wasn't sure she was comfortable with. It felt as if he could read her soul with that gaze. A blush came to her cheeks as she thought about the way he made her feel in the dark of the pavilion. Spinning around she hit the dummy's head so hard it went sailing clear across the yard. She motioned to the arms master's apprentice to bring her another one.
She rolled her shoulders back and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. Perhaps making such a fuss over everything was the problem; if she simply ignored the way he sometimes made her feel, the feelings could go away and she could resume her friendship. Possibly, hopefully. It could be better to focus on what the pool had shown her last night; it had been perplexing to say the least. The throne she had seen herself sitting on was not the one in the Hidden City. The blood on snow, was perhaps, easier to work out given the issues with Jotunheim. Though whose blood it could be was less clear. As for that strange child, Yevanna was at a complete loss. Keeping her mind working on the puzzle of her vision, she worked her way through half a dozen straw dummies before Theo entered the yard, still blurry eyed and wild haired. Behind him trailed Thor and Loki. Her heart sunk slightly, but she decided to ignore that as well.
"You look as if you just rolled out of bed, Theo!" She called with bravo, tossing a broken practice sword to the side and picking up another.
"Quite astute, Yeva and you look as if you haven't slept all night."
She shrugged, ignoring his comment and circled him, getting into position to spar. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the two Asgardians stand off to the side, as if to watch. "What took you so long heading down?"
Theo motioned to the princes. "I ran into them; they wanted to watch."
She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it; she was used to people watching her every move in public. "The usual, then?"
"Yes I suppose. When do you think we can start practicing like we used to?"
Theo looked a little abashed; Yevanna wondered if he was feeling uncomfortable with Thor and Loki present and if she should have said something. It seemed rather late, and rude, to ask them to leave, however.
"When you can land more hits on me that I can on you." She answer not unkindly, then they started.
She took it slow with Theo, as always, but focused on launching attacks on his left. He had progressed enough that she could work on the more advanced aspects of basic swordplay. Anyway, he needed to learn how to block from that side as enemies would natural go for a perceived weakness. Feigning seemed to give him some trouble after a while and Yevanna could tell that Theo was getting tired, and possibly ill from all the wine he had imbibed last night; she herself was ready to take a break. With one final move, she feigned right and swerved left hoping to finish him off, but Theo met her halfway through the swing and snapped her practice sword in half.
She gave him an astonished smile. "Very good, Theo. We'll be back to regular practices in no time."
He laughed, but the frowned, looking a little green. "Can we be finished for today? I feel as if last night's feast may reappear."
She nodded. "Of course, go sleep off your wine." Theo scurried off, possibly to the back of the sables to retch up his dinner. Yevanna walked over to Thor and Loki, after getting a drink of water, to see if they needed anything.
"Good morning, my lords." She chirped.
"Morning, lady Yevanna." Thor boomed, not the least bit affected by his revelry last night, for once. Perhaps he was getting used to elvish wine.
Loki nodded. "Morning."
"I trust you enjoyed the festivities last night?" The question was more directed at Thor, since she more or less knew how Loki has spent the evening.
"I quite enjoyed it! I have once again proven that I can hold my liquor better than any Elf or Aesir." Thor's grin spread and Loki looked slightly embarrassed at that remark; as the only other aesir in the realm, Yevanna surmised he had lost a drinking match to Thor last night. She raised her eyebrow.
"Oh, truly? Perhaps I should contend you on that." She said jokingly.
Thor laughed, gesturing at her small frame "Of course, a short game I think! But in truth, I did not venture here this morning to boast. I wish to request an opportunity to spar with you… In the practice yard, not the drinking table."
Yevanna was slightly taken aback by his request, as it was quite unexpected. She looked at Thor critically trying to decide if that was a wise course of action. He was literally twice her size in terms of body mass and head and shoulders taller. If she did practice with him, she'd have to beat him before he got one swing in and she wasn't feeling quite that fast this morning.
"In truth, Prince Thor, I do not know how to spar with a hammer like Mjölnir. And as for a warrior of your stature I would prefer to use diplomacy and cunning to defeat you rather that meet you head-on on the battlefield. I do not judge my battle prowess to be sufficient. At least not this morning."
"So you refuse my request?" He sounded surprised, but was smiling, so he could not be too disappointed.
"Yes, I'm afraid I must if I want to live to fight the frost giants at your sides." She motioned to both of them with a wave of her hand. "Besides, that is the advantage of a woman warrior; we can choose to disarm you with our charm on the dance floor or our swords on the battlefield."
"Like when you vanquished the troll king?" Loki asked.
"Yes, that was rather more luck and quick thinking than premeditated seduction." She retorted.
"I shudder to think what you would do if you were trying to seduce someone. It would kill the poor bastard!" Thor joked. Yevanna decided Thor had a strange sense of humor to joke about such personal things, but she didn't mind as much as she should. It made her feel like he was her friend as well. Besides, she had brought it up.
"That's usually the objective…" She trailed off.
"Will you fight me?" Loki asked suddenly with an amused look on his face.
Yevanna narrowed her eyes at him; that look usually meant trouble. However, if she were able to beat the ever-living Hel out of him, those feelings that had kept her up all night might go away. He'd be just another brother in arms, rather like Theo. She ran her eyes over his body weighing her options and tried to ignore the voice at the back of her head that told her that certainly wasn't helping anything. He was more lithe than Thor, so she wouldn't have to worry about him accidently crushing her spinal cord. However, he was a skilled magician, and she had little experience with fighting magic. Come to think of it, she wasn't even sure what weapon he fought with, besides magic. The thought that he might be insult if she agreed to fight him and not Thor crossed her mind, but given the fact he had asked she decided it wouldn't be too much of a slight on his honor. He usually had a reason for everything he did.
"Alright. What is your preferred weapon?"
He raised his right hand and, moving his fingers in a subtle manner, a three pronged golden staff appeared. "This…and throwing daggers. But I'll restrain myself for this fight."
Yevanna bristled slightly at that; she didn't need anyone holding back for her, for any reason, and for a split second she felt like telling him exactly where he could put his restraint. But that was the lack of sleep talking, so instead she motioned for a squire to bring her Eld. Secretly she couldn't help feeling a little impressed at seeing Loki use magic for the first time. He made it look effortless.
She swung Eld around in a circle, getting used to the weight after the wooden practice swords.
"Shall we make it more enjoyable and bet on the outcome?" Loki asked with mischief tingeing his velvet voice. He was looking at her with a half smile on his face, head cocked to the side as if he were reading her like a book. She tried to ignore that look made her feel and instead focused on reading him back.
"Fine. What shall we bet?" His smiled widened and she got a peculiar feeling in her stomach that she wouldn't like what he said next.
"A kiss." Her mouth dropped in shock at his audacity. She was really going to break his nose if she got the chance, but she couldn't back out now. If she did, she'd look foolish and betray more than she wanted to. If it appeared that a simple kiss was not an issue for her, not one would think twice. Besides, if she won, there were no rules that demanded she collect on it and perhaps Loki had only said it to get a reaction out of her. He was the God of Mischief after all.
"Fine."
They shook hands to seal the deal and moved into the center of the yard, facing each other. She clasped Eld in both hands and held it before her, warily waiting for him to make the first move. She didn't have to wait long; Loki swiped at her legs, as if to knock them out from under her. She blocked it easily and they circled each other like two mountain cats ready to pounce. She lunged forward towards his chest, but he knocked her sword away easily. They returned to their circling. He jabbed the spear forward and she spun to the side and batted the spear shaft out of the way before swinging her sword towards his now vulnerable arm. He side-stepped her attack lazily and reestablished his defense; the problem with spears was that it was difficult to get within sword's length. Yevanna was vaguely aware that the yard was filling up with spectators.
Loki smirked at her. "You're doing much better than most."
His condescending attitude coupled with her lack of sleep made her blood boil. Fine, she would show him why they called her the Iron-Maiden. She launched a fury of attacks on him, pressing ever closer. The smirk faltered from his face as she moved close enough to render his spear offensively useless. Trapping him into a defensive position, he was locked into using the shaft to rebuff her strikes and she pressed her advantage, slowly moving him back towards the wall. She got under his guard and sliced into his armor before he blocked her. His face was screwed up in concentration, but there was something else behind his eyes. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable; this was all going too well. There was no way she was going to win this so easily. The second the thought crossed her mind he disappeared from in front of her. She spun around quick as lightening, sword raised; it clashed with his spear dangerously close to her face.
"That's cheating." She snapped, pushing his weapon back.
A smile spread across his face. "You never said I couldn't."
He had her there, and now she was the one with her back to the wall, moving as quickly as she could to block his attacks.
"Why do I feel like you're playing with me?" She grunted as she wacked the spear away from her legs with a hastily downward pointed sword.
"Because, my dear, I am." With that, he swiveled his spear in a circle, sending Eld flying from her grasp. Yevanna probably could not have looked more surprised; no one had disarmed in a real fight her when she was lacking a significant injury in a very long time. She raised her hands and slowly walked backwards, towards the wall.
"Give up yet?" He teased, though not unkindly.
Her foot hit the stone and a smile spread across her face. "Not quite yet."
Using the wall for momentum, she ran at him, pulling a dagger from where it was strapped her wrist. Not expecting her sudden movement, Loki was caught off guard as she knocked him to the ground. They tumbled for a moment, limbs entangled, before she rolled away from him and crouched low. The spear clattered on the cobblestone ground and he was slowly rising to stand. It was a few feet away to Loki's right; Yevanna knew she could let him reach it, armed with only a dagger it would only be a matter of minutes before she was defeated. She barreled towards him again; knocking him over once more with thud, her legs straddling his hips, and pinning his arms to the ground. Raising the dagger high with both hands, she was ready to bring it down a hair's breadth from his throat. And then suddenly he was gone and she was pitched forward with just enough warning to allow her to roll onto her back if not hold onto the dagger. His spear, which he must have used magic to retrieve, was at her throat. She grabbed the blades and thrusting upward, hit him in the face with the blunt end; shredding her hands to ribbons in the process. He grunted in pain and stumbled backwards, giving her enough time to flip onto her feet and pull a small knife out of her boot. If she had learned anything from Beowulf it was always carry as many weapons as possible on your person. It hurt like Hel to hold the blade, but she managed. Suddenly, she felt cool metal at her throat and the Loki before her disappeared in a shimmer of gold. She was beaten, if not fairly. How fitting for the God of Mischief.
"Alright, I concede." She rasped, out of breath. Given Theo's injuries, it had been a while since she had such a physically taxing bout.
The blade from her throat disappeared and she dropped the knife she was carrying. Turning, Loki was right behind her, grinning. As his eyes fell on the blood gushing from her hands and his self-assured look faltered.
"Let me see." His voice brooked no argument, so she held out her injured hands to him. He dragged his long fingers gently down her palms, leaving golden thread in their wake. The cuts knit themselves back together as the threads vanished. She looked up and him to see that strange look on his face again.
"Thank you." She murmured.
He nodded, but was distracted from replying by Thor's deep laughter.
"Pray tell, what is so humorous, brother?" Loki snapped, looking somewhat annoyed.
"You, little brother! The look on you face when she landed upon you. I shall never forget the sight!" He choked out his reply between hearty guffaws. "You looked quite determined, Yevanna. I would not cross you for all the riches of the dwarves."
Yevanna rolled her eyes and decided perhaps it would be best to ignore both of them. Leaving the Asgardians to themselves—Loki had not taken kindly to Thor's mirth—she retrieved her fallen blade, and checked it over for damage; Eld was one of the most precious things she owned, one of the most precious treasures in all Alfheimr. Her father said that it had belonged to his father, Fingole, and the High Kings of Alfheimr before him. She knew too that his first son had been its keeper before her. But he had perished in the Great War and now it was hers, as of her hundredth birthday, when she came of age. The same time she decided her life would be a solitary one.
She had been standing in the great hall, directing servants with childish excitement in preparation for the party that night; her father had trusted her with organizing everything. Yevanna was looking forward to it mostly because she was now an adult and a woman's first dance was the most important one of her life, second only to her first dance as bride. She knew she wanted to share her first dance with Beowulf, he was her dearest friend in the world and she could think of no one better to share her special moment with.
"Blue and green lanterns, I think! Those are my favorite colors. No, don't move that. Put those flowers around the columns!" She ordered.
Soon, Theoderic, stately and solemn as ever, walked in carrying a large, thin box. Placing it on the recently erected dining table and he motioned the servants to leave. He sat. Yevanna felt excitement well up in her at the sight of her present.
"Yevanna, my dear, come here." His mood was strange and not at all as she expected. Her excitement turned to trepidation and she approached slowly. He clasped both her hands in his. "You are an adult now, and one day you will be queen of this kingdom. What I say now is not to frighten you, but to make sure you grow strong. You have walked in the summer sun and been a child of the forest, and, you'll forgive me if I say, you have been happy with that. But now you must put away these childish things and take up the mantle of leadership. You come from a long line of kings and queens who ruled all of Alfheimr and it is time to acknowledge that.
He let go of her hands and pulled the box onto his lap, before opening it. Inside was something thin and long tied in grey velvet cloth. "This is the Sword of Kings, the Sacred Flame, Eld. It is yours now, as it is always for the worthy heir."
The blade itself was rather plain, except for a subtle rippled down its length, like fire. The hilt contained a large sapphire.
"The worthy heir?" She questioned, wondering if it had belonged to any of her father's sons before her. The sons who were never spoken of except in whispers, the sons who had died before she was born and who she couldn't truly call brothers. The sons whose memory she had to live up to. A look of profound sadness crossed Theoderic's face as if he were sharing her thoughts.
"Yes. You must be worthy: be the wielder of the flame in this darkness. It will not be easy and it will not be free of pain, there is great darkness in this land now." His voice was little more than a whisper, and it seemed his mind was on far off things, though whether they were in the past or the future she could not know. Yevanna thought about all the pain her father had been through: the regicide of his father by his uncle which brought untold sorrow. The subsequent death of his brothers and his sons in battle, not mention numerous friends. The death of his wife in childbirth, the loss of his true throne, the belittling of his kingdom, the utter darkness that poisoned his land and what it meant for all of Alfheimr, especially the women; the list went on and on. He was king because he bore that pain, and that pain was his to bear because he was king. And someday so would she.
In that moment Yevanna grew up.
To rule was to bear the burden of everything and everyone, she could see that now. To be a ruler who loved another being was to invite unimaginable heartache for both of them. She knew, with sudden clarity, that she could never take anyone into her life the way most would expect her to. To be queen would be her burden to bear and she found herself incapable of imagining putting someone else in her position if she truly loved them. If she wanted to be a strong queen who could lead her people for as long as they needed, she could not risk her life to love. For now love meant only death for the women of the Elvenhome.
She did not share her first dance with Beowulf that night, but her father instead.
That was why she was so cold to Beowulf. And that was why it was so important to rid herself of these strange thoughts and desires concerning Prince Loki. She left the yard without looking back, in dire need of some sleep. Loki could come find her if he wanted to collect his damn kiss.
Some days later, Yevanna was eating an apple in a tall tree in the gardens. A group of small children were playing tag on the forest floor about fifteen feet below, no doubt having given their nursemaids and caretakers the slip earlier. They hadn't taken notice of her yet, so she watched their game uninterrupted. Their shrill laughter and cries filled the grove with a special kind of light and for a moment Yevanna was sorry she never would have children of her own.
She had been spending most of her days since losing the bet with Loki moving from one hiding place to the other. Not that she was avoiding him; she just needed time to herself to think. Think about what it meant to be queen, about what the pool had shown her, about everything, really. She was quite accomplished at not being found when she didn't want to be, and except for dinner and when she was required at court, she had managed not to see either of the brothers, or anyone really; though she often told Theo where she would be if case of an emergency. It was not as if Loki could approach her in front of everyone and collect on the wager. On top of that, she was more than a little embarrassed that he had been able to beat her in their fight. Though in her defense, he could teleport. She finished her apple and threw the core on the ground; maybe a tree would grow from it someday.
The children chased each other further away from her perch and sound of their laughter faded filling the air with a perfect silence. The warm afternoon light filtered through the ever present leaves casting gold and green pools of warmth on the ground below her. The wind picked up a little, rustling the leaves. The hair on the back of her neck prickled and she thought she heard footsteps, but she couldn't see anyone.
"If I did not know better, I would say you are avoiding me."
Yevanna almost fell out of the tree in surprise as Loki materialized out of thin air on the ground right before her. "You should not sneak up on people so!"
"This has nothing to do with our wager, I hope?" He said, ignoring her chastising.
"I simply prefer to be left to myself sometimes." She said, not really answering his question. He looked away for a moment.
"I can understand that." After a pause he looked back at her and held out his hand. "Will you come down from there?"
She crossed her arms. "I'm rather happy where I am, thank you."
He sighed and pulled off the black leather overcoat he was wearing, revealing leather armor of the same color with silver scales on his wrists and chest. He approached the tree.
"What in Asgard's name are you doing?"
"If you will not come down, it seems that I must come up."
She snorted, not believing he would actually climb the tree. But to her surprise he wrapped his hands around the lowest branch and pulled himself up slowly working to where she was perched near the top. He appeared across from her, his dark hair slightly mussed from its usual neat state; a few stands fell into his eyes. He sat down, no different than if he were in a chair at dinner, his long legs dangling below him.
"How did you find me, anyway?" She questioned, suppressing the urge to brush the hair out of his eyes.
"Thor is quite hurt by your avoidant manner, you know." She was almost certain he was exaggerating, if only because his eyes were sparkling with trickery.
"I am sure Thor is fine. How did you find me?" She repeated.
"It is not truly difficult if I put myself in your mindset." He paused. "Also Theo told me your favorite spots."
She rolled her eyes, of course Theo would. "I should have guessed."
"Do not be cross with him; I do believe he's worried about you."
"That's completely ridiculous." She snapped.
"Well, you have been hiding in trees for the last two days."
"I am not hiding. And that's not true: I've been in the library, the stables, the kitchens, my room, and trees." She corrected matter-of-factly.
"I know; I searched all of them." He sounded a little cross. She felt a degree of satisfaction that it had not been so easy for him to find her as he led on. She was also pleased that Theo had not right out told Loki where she would be.
"Why did you want to find me so badly?" Yevanna was truly curious for his answer.
"Because, you're the only one who knows anything about fun around here. You've got something of a trickster in you, I think. Under all that propriety and armor." He smirked.
She laughed. "Takes one to recognize one, I suppose."
His smirk softened to a smile. "Something like that, yes. Now about my wager…"
Of course he would climb a tree to bring that up! She moved to shove his shoulder lightly, but he caught her hand in his with a chuckle and held her back. "Has anyone told you that you're rather violent?"
"It's the only mechanism I have for dealing with someone who flirts with me."
"Do you think I'm flirting with you?" He teased making her blush. Really, she wasn't sure if he was genuinely being flirtatious or just friendly; she didn't have much experience with the former except from Beowulf and that hardly counted. Sure, flirtatious comments were common from her male peers, but they weren't to be taken seriously. Loki hadn't let go of her hand yet and was rubbing circles onto her knuckles with his thumb almost absent mindedly. She told herself, to little avail, not to like it.
"Honestly? I have not an idea what you're doing. You are unlike anyone I have ever encountered before." Yevanna was surprised at how truthful she was being.
He tilted his head to the side a regarded her coolly. "Of course not, there are no men like me."
She really did push him with that remark; his hubris really was astounding sometimes. He wobbled a moment on the branch before losing his balance and tumbling backwards. Loki hit the ground with an audible thud and Yevanna waited to hear what sarcastic comment he would have for that.
"You're really not fooling anyone!" She called to him, after a few moments of silence. Surely he was just fooling with her mind. He didn't respond and, she realized with dread, his body wasn't moving.
"Blood and Damnation!" Scrambling down from the tree as quickly as she could, and ran towards his limp form; if she had killed him, she would be in more trouble that she wanted to begin contemplating. Not even her father would be able to get her out of that bind. Kneeling down next to him, Yevanna tried to discern if he was breathing.
"Please don't be dead!"
She felt his neck for a pulse and with relief found one. Absently, she rested her hand against his cheek, trying to think of what to do next. He groaned suddenly and leaned into her hand.
"Yevanna…" He whispered, voice tingled with pain. "I…I need…"
She leaned forward, placing her ear close to his lips to hear him better. Did he need a healer? Water? Something to lean on as he walked?
"I…need…a...kiss."
Yevanna pulled back abruptly; Loki cracked an eye open and grinned at her, laughter dripping from his lips. She smacked him in the chest as hard as she could, eliciting an audible "ooof" from him.
"You complete ass! I thought you were actually injured!"
He sat up rubbing his chest. With one leg bent and the other straight he rested his arm on his knee. "I do believe I actually might be, now. Oh, relax, Yeva. You should have seen the look on your face."
Silence ensued as she tried to calm her temper; he wasn't hurt, so there was no harm done, really. Except to her pride maybe; she hated being scared like that, especially because part of her knew she hadn't just been afraid of the consequences she would face. With that thought she became acutely aware of how close he was to her. His lips, which she'd never really looked at before, were parted slightly and his emerald eyes were full of something she couldn't identify. He moved suddenly, entwining his finger in the hair at the nape of her neck gently, cradling her head in his large hand.
"I believe I shall collect on my wager now." He murmured, leaning closer to her with laughter still in his voice. "No hitting me, darling."
Yevanna remained still as stone, at a complete loss as to what she should do. If she ran she would be going back on a bet, not to mention looking extremely foolish doing so. It would be painfully obvious that her mind was harboring something for him. Still, if she let him kiss her, well, it would make ignoring those irritating feelings a lot more difficult. Before she could decide to stay or go, Loki closed the distance between them. His lips were cool and soft as he pressed them firmly against her mouth. She could taste the sunlight on him; it was delightful in a terrible sort of way. She leaned into him without thinking, savoring the feeling. Moving her lips against his, involuntarily it seemed to the corner of her mind that was still functioning. Abruptly he broke the kiss, though he kept his face close. Pushing some stray hair behind her ear, he smirked.
"That was not as terrible as you expected, was it?"
Without waiting for a reply, Loki disappeared, leaving Yevanna to the pounding of her heart in her ears and a rosy blush across her cheeks.
Well, are you hyperventilating? Because I totally was when I wrote that. Yay! Finally! (Seriously, I don't control my characters, they do what they want and I just write it down). Honestly, I feel like Yevanna's jam is "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash. Or Maybe it's Loki's...haha.
A heartfelt thanks to all the people who added this story to their Alerts / Favorite lists. There was a ton this time around! Also, a special thanks to DeathCab4Kimmie for reviewing the last chapter (and, like, every chapter. You rock!). Also, an apology to you for not getting around to what Loki's up to this chapter like I hinted. Maybe next chapter. ;)
Questions, concerns, comments? Review or PM :)
