A/N: First of all, I'm terribly, awfully sorry and am very ashamed that I've gone so silent and haven't uploded in such a long time. I am truly sorry! OTL I hit a rough patch, then started working, then there was Thor 2 and I was wondering if I should do something about it here, then came Avengers 2 and you know what, I'm just going to ignore them as far as this fanfic goes. In short, I am really sorry and am crappy at time management when it comes to my writing.
Now, without further ado, this chapter is for all of you, who still haven't given up on this story and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Thank you very much for your patience! *bows*
Like a Hurricane
Chapter 11 – Closer
After the morning meal – which had passed with very little and tense conversation between Chantrea, Danna, Thor, and the warriors three – the guests from Midgard were allowed a brief respite before they were called to the throne room for an audience with the king and queen.
'Are you nervous?' Danna asked as they were slowly making their way to the throne room. They both wore long, flowing dresses and they were a bit hard to move around in.
Chantrea snapped her gaze toward her sister.
'Is it that obvious?'
'No, you don't look it, at all. That's why I asked,' Danna replied. Chantrea let out a breath she'd been holding.
'Let's just get it over with,' she said, glancing at Danna. 'I need your support.'
'You always have it.'
'Thank you,' she let out a small smile as they reached the entrance to the chamber.
The doormen announced their arrival and opened the huge double doors for them.
Thankfully, their only audience were, aside from the king and queen, a handful of guards. It helped ease Chantrea's nerves. She didn't know what to expect from Odin as she had yet to put a finger on his nature. The only thing she did know however, that he was just as strict as her own parents. On the other hand, he did hear her out before.
'King Odin,' Chantrea curtsied, before indicating to her sister: 'This is Danna, my younger sister.'
Danna also curtsied.
'Welcome, child,' Queen Frigga said, allowing a small smile to grace her face and she looked at the younger sister.
There was a brief moment of silence, which Danna couldn't stand. She blurted out the first thought on her mind:
'I'm here to take Chantrea back.'
Odin nodded, contemplating.
'For the coronation ceremony, I believe.'
'You- what?!' Chantrea couldn't help it. She narrowed her eyes, trying to regain a shred of her composure. Unfortunately, she couldn't fully erase the accusative tone from her voice when she spoke next. 'You knew what happened in my absence. You knew Leakena died.'
The king and queen looked at her with concern. Eventually, it was Frigga who answered:
'Yes, we did.'
'You did not tell me.'
Frigga straightened herself in her seat.
'When we saw you, you had just gotten your memories back. It would have been cruel of us to tell you, while you were still getting used to everything.'
'As much as I appreciate your concern,' Chantrea began in a low tone, 'I would have wished to be informed of the fact.'
Frigga furrowed her eyebrows, but didn't take offence.
'I understand.'
'The Queen and I both thought it would be better this way,' Odin spoke up.
"Of course. You seem to be the kind of parent who always wants to decide what's best for their children, and doesn't entertain the thought that you're wrong, even for a moment." Chantrea thought darkly, reminded of her own parents and of Odin's attitude to Loki. However, she didn't let these things reflect on her face, as she carefully kept a blank expression. She didn't want to aggravate the All-Father.
'When do you plan on going back?' Odin continued their discussion effortlessly.
'In a few days,' Chantrea replied, before her sister could say anything. She felt Danna tense next to her.
'The Mabon festival is in three days, we would be delighted if you could celebrate it with us,' the queen interjected.
Chantrea considered the request. She nodded shortly.
'Thank you for your invitation. We would be happy to attend with my sister, before going home.'
Frigga beamed at them.
'Wonderful.'
The good mood instantly evaporated as Odin said:
'I shall make my decision that evening, regarding Loki's punishment.'
'Well, that went well' Chantrea sighed.
'Well?' Danna echoed. 'I thought I was going to faint! Odin is so...'
'What?' Chantrea asked when her little sister trailed off. 'Stuffy?'
Danna looked around, before leaning in to whisper:
'He looks so scary, especially with that eye-patch.'
'He is strict, like Orion.' Chantrea agreed and Danna shot her a warning look, but didn't comment on it. Rather, she revealed that their parents wanted Chantrea to get back to Earth as soon as possible.
'I see. But, the soonest would be in a couple of days. Can we agree on that?' Chantrea looked at her sister curiously.
Danna sighed.
'Well, you're the boss now,' she shrugged, crossing her arms in front of her.
'Then-' Chantrea suddenly went quiet and she had to lean on the nearest wall. She felt sick and short of breath.
'What's the matter?' Danna was instantly fretting over her older sister.
'I can hardly... breathe...'
'Let's go over to the seat over there. There's a window,' Danna suggested, worried, and helped Chantrea to the seat. 'The fresh air will help. Here, sit. I'll get water. Don't go anywhere.'
She looked around, trying to judge where would be the nearest place where she could acquire a glass of water, before giving up and picking a random direction. Soon, Chantrea was alone. She leant back, the cool stone helping anchor her to reality. A crispy, but light breeze brushed her sweaty face from the window next to her head. She felt slipping away and found it hard to breathe.
Chantrea felt as if an hour had already passed, before she heard footsteps again. In reality, it had only been minutes ago that her sister went in search of water.
She opened her eyes, but colourful spots danced everywhere, making it hard to make the form of the person out who neared her. It was dark, followed by two other figures. And the footsteps were too heavy, too confident to be her sister.
'Oh, you,' she said with strength she didn't feel, when she realised who it was. Chantrea closed her eyes, trying to look bored, hoping he would leave her alone. She had to realise moments later that it wasn't a surprise she had never won an Oscar.
'Are you unwell?' she heard Loki's smooth voice. She was startled by how close it sounded. Opening her eyes, she realised he had stopped next to her. His two guards lingered in the background.
It was hard to focus on his face, but Chantrea mustered her will to concentrate.
'I am fine.'
'You don't look fine.'
'Fine.'
A moment of silence passed.
'Well, it was a pleasure talking to you, as always,' Loki commented dryly, turning on his heels.
She didn't know why she did it, but she grabbed onto his sleeve before he could get away. Loki turned back, halfway, looking at her curiously.
'What is it?'
'Stay.' She just didn't want to be alone.
'Why?'
Chantrea let go of Loki's sleeve, but he didn't walk away.
'Then don't,' she whispered.
This woman puzzled him like no other. One moment she looked vulnerable, the next, she stood her ground as fiercely as a warrior. And even though it was obvious she was feeling unwell, she was just too stubborn to admit it and accept help from anyone. Or was it just him that she didn't want to accept help from? The thought irked him more than he cared to admit.
Well, if he was to execute his plan, he needed to change her perception of him as soon as possible. He sat down next to her and put a hand gently on her knee. She looked at his hand pointedly, but didn't make a move to remove it. Inwardly, he smirked. That was too easy.
'What's the matter?'
'Just a bit tired, is all.'
'You're a terrible liar,' he accused.
She glanced at him sideways. It was easier to see his face if he was this close.
'That's a terrible thing to hear from you. Maybe you should give me lessons.'
'I would be happy to be of help,' he replied effortlessly, with a small smirk.
Chantrea chuckled and shook her head gently. The motion made her feel sick, and she put a hand to her mouth. When the feeling passed, she sighed, looking at the ceiling.
She could breathe easily now, but she still felt shaken. And it felt as if her strength had completely abandoned her.
Oh, wait, she was shaking.
"Damn," she thought painfully, closing her eyes. "I don't wanna end it like this..."
'You should lie down,' Loki suggested, seeing her struggle. 'You look pale.'
Chantrea didn't answer.
'I'll bring you to your room.'
'I can walk.'
'Sure you can,' he replied sarcastically as he helped her up.
She stumbled and he caught her.
'Chantrea!' They both glanced up at the voice of Danna. She carried a glass of water in one hand and sweets in the other. Jogging up to them quickly, she thrust a small chocolate bar into Chantrea's free hand – the other was gripping Loki's shoulder.
'Eat.' Danna ordered and her sister complied. She was too tired to argue.
'Here's the water.'
As Chantrea drank, Danna looked at Loki suspiciously.
'What were you doing with my sister?'
'Danna!' Chantrea chocked on the water.
"Interesting. So they are sisters." Loki thought.
'I was only helping her up.'
'What a wonderful idea, when you can clearly see she's unwell?'
Chantrea opted to sipping her drink slowly and ignoring their banter.
'I suggested she lay down and was helping her to her room.'
'Ah-ha. And how would you know-'
'Danna, that's enough,' Chantrea whispered, tired. She really was ought to lie down. She pried herself off Loki and took a few steps in the direction of her room.
'I don't thi-HEY!'
Chantrea promptly swooned, in the middle of her sister's speech. Thankfully, Loki's arms caught her before she made contact with the unforgiving stone floor. Her last thought was how strong his embrace was.
'What is wrong with her?' Loki asked as Danna arranged the covers on Chantrea's body. The latter lay in bed, unconscious. Her breathing was normal and she looked paler than usual. Tired.
'She is just exhausted,' Danna replied easily.
'From what?'
'All the running around in the last-'
'Do not lie to me,' Loki said, his voice threatening.
The guards didn't follow him into this room, because Chantrea and Danna had forbidden them. Danna turned around and looked at Loki sharply.
'Who are you to speak to me in that tone?' Her temper rose.
'Loki, you may've heard of me.'
Danna looked at him blankly, before shaking her head.
'Nope.'
'No?'
'Not one bit.'
'Well, I'm an... acquaintance of your sister,' he chose his words carefully, and before Danna could consider the meaning of his words, he pressed on:
'Is it the Waning?'
Danna's eyes narrowed for a nanosecond, but he saw it.
'What would you know about that?'
'It's a curse that follows your people. She will slowly... fade away.'
Danna held his gaze for a moment, before glancing back at her sister. She sighed sadly.
'She is too young for that.'
'Yet it still happened to her,' Loki mused.
'Because of her punishment,' Danna answered. Loki was listening carefully. 'My sister – the other one – died from the same ailment. I don't want her to go away like that, too...'
'Is there a cure for it?' Loki asked, interested to see if his suspicions were correct.
Danna glanced at him sideways, looking for his reactions.
'There is. Half of it depends on her.'
'And the other half?' Loki whispered, wanting her to share the secret. He stepped closer, crowding her.
'You know, it's not like a pill you take. And I'm not sure she wants me to tell you. I've already said too much,' Danna said, taking a stand back. 'Let us leave her to rest. Come.'
Loki sent one last glance at the unmoving form of Chantrea before following Danna out of the room. As soon as the door shut behind them, Chantrea opened her eyes wearily.
"You shouldn't have told him anything," she thought, looking up at the ceiling. She sighed and closed her eyes again. A short nap sounded wonderful.
Chantrea opened her eyes a little while later, looking around the room. Nothing seemed to be misplaced, yet it was somehow different, and she felt a threatening presence. She sat up and got off the bed, walking towards the door on tip-toes. Before she could reach it, however, Loki appeared between her and the exit.
He was smirking and Chantrea hated to admit to herself, he was devilishly handsome looking like that. She still felt a threatening presence and realised it came from him. Upon second glance, he didn't have his restraints on. "So he did manage to get out of the shackles," Chantrea thought, taking a step back.
Loki matched her steps, his smirk never faltering, not even for a moment. He picked up the pace and Chantrea quickly backtracked. She didn't want to collide with him. He looked dangerous and she felt so, so weak like never before.
Soon, she bumped into the bed, falling backwards. She saw Loki moving towards her, but Chantrea quickly climbed up and crawled back until her back hit the wall next to the bed. There was nowhere to go. Loki didn't stop at the end of the bed, he dared climb up, and Chantrea realised she was trapped. Loki's smirk widened a fraction and excitement danced across his eyes.
Finally, she got the nerve to speak up.
'What do you want?' Chantrea hated that her voice didn't sound strong. At least she wasn't stammering, that would have been very embarrassing!
Loki crawled up in front of her, trapping her between his arms. His biceps brushed her drawn up knees. He cocked his head sideways, focusing on Chantrea's features. He leant a bit closer, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them, they were like emerald flames.
'You fear me. Good.'
'I don't,' Chantrea replied immediately.
He leant closer, to her neck. He didn't touch her, but she could feel his breath around the area where her shoulder met her neck. Without realising it, she turned her head to give him more access. As soon as she became conscious of this, she stopped her movements, but a telling shudder ran along her spine.
Loki leant back a fraction to look into her crimson eyes.
'You tremble.'
'It's not what you think.'
'Maybe it's exactly what I think,' Loki whispered.
Chantrea took a deep breath to calm herself down, but she only made the situation worse as she got a full whiff of Loki's scent that had surrounded her. They stared at each other, neither of them moving an inch.
Eventually, Loki scoffed, amused and turned to move away.
Chantrea grabbed him, making him pause. He glanced down at the hand gripping his coat, then up at her, questioningly.
'You don't want me to go?' he asked. His voice seemed to get a bit rougher.
Chantrea didn't move for a long moment, fighting an inner battle with herself. What did she want? Why did she prevent him from going away when she had been so eager to be as far from him as possible just a minute before?
"Why does everything have to have a logical reason?" she asked silently, frustrated with herself.
In a smooth movement, she yanked Loki closer and kissed him, hard.
He didn't protest.
'Whoa, what the-' Chantrea woke up with a start. Her dream was so intense, she had to look around her room to see if Loki was indeed there, free of the bindings. Fortunately, she was alone and could calm her erratic heartbeat.
When she was better, she climbed out of bed to go to the bathroom. Meanwhile, she was pondering over her dream. It felt so real and the worst of it all was that she didn't regret kissing him. She was even enjoying it!
She buried her face in her hands as she stepped inside the bathroom and padded to the sink. She splattered some cold water on her face to get her bearings. She needed to separate dreams from reality, and everything would be just fine. She refused to wonder what his kiss would feel like if it really happened...
She glanced up sharply at her tired face in the mirror, determined to chase the foolish thought away, but what she saw, gave her quite a shock: a wide lock of her hair had turned silver in her sleep.
'Oh no...'
She had less time left than she thought.
To be continued...
A/N: What was with that weird dream? And what exactly is Loki's plan? And that silver lock of hair looks like an omen... :( Well, three more days before Mabon and Loki's final sentence! Just how long does Chantrea have? o.O
Thanks for reading and as always, I would appreciate some comments! :)
And double thanks for sticking with me and this story! *hands out special cookies from Asgard*
