Author's Note: I'm so so so so so sorry this chapter took so long. I hit a bit of writer's block, and insecurity, and didn't know where I wanted to take this, or how. I also started a new job, so I've been busy with that! Along with working out for Basic Training I just come home and pass out. But, here's Chapter 11, it's really just a filler to move the story along. Buuuut Chapter 12 will be so much better. I'm excited to finally try my hand at smut, hint hint HINT. Not much editing because I really wanted to hurry and get this out to you guys, but enjoy!
Recap: If I went to Asgard with Loki, we'd get so much alone time. Away from SHIELD, away from prying eyes and ears, away from hidden cameras, away from hidden microphones. So much time to get to know each other, even with the surrounding circumstances. I'd see him in his natural habitat. He'd probably show me around and teach me things, since it'd been so long since I had been to Asgard. A little over fifty years on earth—much less time on Asgard, meaning things probably hadn't changed at all, but I'd forced myself to forget the place so much, I could hardly remember how it looked. As much as I wanted to avoid the place, I had to face it soon, and it'd be so much easier with Loki.
Chapter 11: Undesired Vacation
"Ellisif, I do not think you owe this mortal an explanation of your whereabouts," Loki said disapprovingly. He stared over my shoulder at the letter to Evander I was penning. His hand rested on the small of my back while he hovered curiously behind me. Our physical affection had grown slightly since I decided to go to Asgard with him
It took a week, but I got all the plans organized and put into action. All the Avengers were dispatched to their assigned places, with a few SHIELD agents to help. Now came the day Loki and I had to go to Asgard. I'd put it off for as long as possible, pretending to be swamped with work and planning, until Nick Fury himself came to my apartment door, lecturing me that it was time to stop stalling.
I'd packed a backpack of clothes, cleaned my apartment, and went to SHIELD to retrieve Loki. But before we left, I wanted to write a letter to Evander, explaining that I would be gone for a while.
"I've known Evander for a long time. He's my best friend," I said. Loki scoffed in disbelief at the word friend and I scowled at my paper before continuing, "I can't just disappear on him-even if he did disappear on me for a while. I don't know, I can't tit-for-tat. That would be childish."
Loki huffed. He hated Evander, and had consistently made it clear as soon as I pulled out the pen and paper and informed him of my intentions. "If he is your best friend, why do you write lies?" He asked, pointing to where I wrote I'd be going to Italy, subsequently smudging the ink a little.
I gasped, snatching the paper from his destructive finger. "I don't feel like I should tell him the truth, but he needs to know I put forth the effort of an explanation." Of course, my vague answer didn't satisfy him.
"Why do you feel he does not need the truth?"
I pulled away from him and moved to his bed to finish the letter. The buzz of the weather channel playing on the television mixed with his questions became overwhelming, so I turned the TV off. "I don't know, my intuition says so," I explained evasively, signing the bottom with a flourish.
"You are hiding something," he stated flatly. His voice surprisingly came from directly beside me and I turned to look up at him, just as he snatched the paper from me, and held it out of my reach. His long arms stretching miles above my head. He watched me with an annoyed expression. "Why do you always insist upon hiding things from me?"
"Loki," I said pursing my lips. "Give me the letter."
He tilted his head with dangerously narrowed eyes. "Not until you tell me what I wish to know," he persisted. "You said you would begin to tell me things. Does Thor know-"
With a huff I threw my hands up as if tossing the last of my patience. "Fine!" I cried out. "Last time we talked he asked me a bunch of weird questions about you. It was sketchy."
"Sketchy?" He echoed then lowered his arm along with the letter, which I snatched from his hands, subsequently wrinkling it. I smoothed it as much as possible and folded it neatly, stuffing it into an envelope already addressed to Evander's PO box.
"It means strange or suspicious," I defined for him. But an unanswered question hovered in his green eyes. "No, Thor doesn't know. You're the only one," I said with a sigh, before getting to my feet. Now, let's go, I don't need another lecture from Thor or Fury about how I need to stop stalling my Asgard trip." Just when I was about to pick up my backpack, Loki took hold of it in his hand, and effortlessly hoisted it onto his shoulder. I stared at him, shocked and flattered, but he shot me warning glance, daring me to say something lame and sappy. I kept my lips sealed as we went on our way.
Asgard was much more breathtaking than I could remember. It's been over half a century since I'd left it to start my new life on Earth. Most likely, I'd suppressed its glory to help myself forget it, just to make things easier. It was all golden, and luxurious with the organ-like palace stretching above everything else. Beneath my feet was the Bifrost in all it's rainbow glory. With every step, it rippled as if I were walking on water. I clung to Loki's forearm tightly, oddly paranoid that I'd fall off into the expanse of space below. On my other side walked Thor, and in front of us two guards, with two behind us, watching Loki's every move. When I looked back, I saw they were keeping an eye on me too, as if they didn't trust me. I wondered if they knew who I was, if maybe I'd become infamous or something on Asgard. Ellisif, the half-bred daughter of the crazy women who attempted suicide. None of the guards seemed to recognize me, though. To them I seemed to be just a mortal that couldn't be trusted. I had opted to wear my normal clothes too, tight jeans, and a tighter top that didn't leave much to the imagination-kind of a fuck you to the Asgard, really.
Thor had suggested horses to get there more quickly, but I refused adamantly, with plenty of explicatives to color my resolve. So we all had to walk. When we reached the palace, Thor dismissed the guards. They seemed hesitant to leave at first, but obeyed the orders nonetheless of their future king, and warily went about their business.
"I will show you to your quarters, Ellisif," Thor said cheerfully. We'd smoothed things over after our fight and gone back to our normal friendship. Next to me, Loki stiffened, and I knew why. He didn't like Thor being able to call me by my Asgardian name. He hated the idea of having to share things with Thor, even the permission to call me Ellisif.
I shuddered theatrically. "Call me Elise, please. I'm on Asgard but I'm still not of Asgard, you feel me?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I...feel you."
Loki relaxed, but his eyes remained forward, a blank stare, as if he were completely unaware of his surroundings. However, I was completely aware. People stared, their jaws dropped, others whispered, some even cowered slightly at the sight of him walking regally as if he were still king. They wondered why he had returned, why he wasn't chained, why he was able to walk freely through the palace.
"Where will he stay?" I asked Thor, tilting my head in Loki's direction.
"He will stay in his usual quarters," he looked at Loki over my head, "but Heimdal will be keeping a close watch on your doings."
Loki didn't reply. In fact, he hadn't even acknowledged Thor's presence since we'd met up with him on earth before traveling to Asgard. Just in time to quell the awkward silence that threatened to ensue, we stopped at a big oak door that reached far above my head, but compared to Thor and all the other Asgardians, it was normally sized. Loki handed me my backpack as Thor said, "Here you are, Ellisi-Elise. Your new home for the time being. You've also been assigned a chambermaid-"
"That's hardly necessary-"
"Odin and Frigga insist," he interrupted. "You are an honorary guest. A feast will be held tomorrow to welcome you."
I rolled my eyes. A feast. The last thing I wanted was to be in a huge room surrounded by the pretentious assholes I'd taught myself to hate. But I didn't say any of these things aloud. I couldn't bring myself to destroy Thor's optimism with my negativity. Thor was so happy and excited about my return. He seemed to feel it would be good or healthy for me to come "home" as he called it. To see my mother again-which I hoped to avoid as long as possible-to experience Asgard now through older more mature eyes. He beamed down at me, and I simply nodded, my lips stretched in some resemblance of a smile, before pushing the door open to my room. When I looked behind me, Thor and Loki were already walking away. Of course the room was giant and unnecessary, like everything in Asgard, including the people. First, was a sitting room with comfortable-looking chairs with golden ornate frames facing a fireplace. Between the chairs was a little table with grapes, cheese, and a golden pitcher of wine next to a matching goblet. I gladly picked up both as I continued looking around, careful to not slosh the liquid in the pitcher. A fire was lit and danced away, providing an ample amount of heat to the room. Through an archway to the left was a bathroom, with a golden bathtub in the middle, and to the right an archway that led to the actual bedroom. A large bed, more than king-sized, took station in the middle, covered with a canopy. I pushed back the thin fabric and tossed my backpack on the bed, before wandering to the balcony to the left while pouring myself a cup of wine.
Staring over the expanse of Asgard gave me mixed feelings. The view was breathtakingly beautiful, but held so many difficult memories I almost felt guilty for enjoying it. For enjoying the cool wind on my face, the fresh air free of pollutants. For enjoying the pure quiet, without the cacophony of cars honking, tired squealing, and strangers yelling. Everything felt so timeless. So calm. Time was nothing on Asgard.
The hairs on my arms bristled to alert me of a presence behind me and I turned just in time to see a young-looking girl-who was probably actually centuries older than me-cautiously approach. When our eyes met, she quickly looked away and bowed her head.
For some reason, I took a step back, my back pressed against the rail of the balcony. "Oh fuck, please don't do that," I said, wrinkling my face. "you can look at me."
Hesitantly, she brought her big blue eyes up to meet mine. "I-I am the chambermaid assigned to you for the duration of your stay, I just wanted to see if… there were anything you required. I could...draw you a bath perhaps?"
I smiled at her, hoping it would calm her down a bit. "That would be awesome, actually. Could you do that for me?" As I spoke I absent-mindedly took a sip of my wine, and nearly choked on the offensive liquid as I tried to force it down. "what the fuck is this?" I stared angrily at the goblet as if it'd answer me.
The chambermaid couldn't hide her smile. "Asgardian drinks are notably stronger than those of Midgard. But since you are half-Asgardian, you should become accustomed to them quickly-"
I froze, feeling the blood run cold in my veins. My hand tightened around the goblet I held. "How do you know about that?"
My reaction somehow scared the timid girl. "I apologize! Everyone on Asgard knows of you, Ellisif, I thought you kn-"
I could hardly get my voice above a whisper. "No, I didn't know," I said. "I thought no one knew. Or, that's what I hoped. That I'd either been heard of or forgotten."
She shifted uncomfortably, obviously wanting to leave, unsure of what to say to me. Confused by my reaction. I felt bad for her, and wanted to have some alone time after this new revelation, anyway.
"That bath sounds good right about now," I hinted, and with a nod she scurried away, happy to be released. I turned back to look over Asgard in a new light now. A light that felt judgmental, that felt like it came from a giant microscope that now examined and documented my every move. Immediately, I regretted my already reluctant decision to return.
