"Fallen angels at my feet,
Whispered voices at my ear,
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear"
~ 'Whisper' by Evanescence
Anja woke up the next morning with Loki's side of the bed empty. The bandage on her hand was the only sign of him being there the night before. She sat up slowly, reaching for her robe as she blinked sleep from her eyes.
She wanted to believe that he had meant it when he had apologized to her, but there had been something in his eyes that made her hesitant. Something had not been right. But how could she just let him suffer like he had been? The man that had come to her was not the whole, healthy man she had met late at night in the gardens. Now Loki was distant. He was paler- if that was possible- when she was not with him, but he seemed to come alive when she was anywhere near him.
She was not blind. She could see the jealousy that fueled his rage. If simply forgiving him was what it took to keep him happy, it was a strike she was willing to take. Her pride was not something she was worried about when it came to keeping the man she loved safe.
But she wondered where he was now. While Anja loved Loki, she was not stupid either. She knew what lurked in his heart. The jealousy he had for his brother had been small when she had first known him, but the years had hardened him. He was even more conniving and less loving towards his brother now, and no doubt his father's announcement that Loki was not even blood to the royal family had driven him over the edge. Try as she might, Anja worried for him. He had never left her alone without indication of where he had gone. What did this mean?
She dressed quickly in a simple gown. She braided her dark curls starting in middle of the back of her head and brining the braid down over her left shoulder. She lined her eyes in the typical kohl that was expected- make-up was something she had accepted long ago during her days at the Academy- and slipped into her slippers.
She padded down the hall, searching for Loki.
*o*O*o*
Loki felt a rush as he returned to Asgard. He all but ignored the gatekeeper as he strode with his head held high back to the rainbow bridge. Tricking his brother had been too easy, really. The big brute had fallen for his lies about the All-Father hook, line, and sinker. Loki inhaled as he mounted his horse, feeling the exhilaration that came with acts of mischief.
In another time and another situation, Loki would feel guilty about how he had treated Thor. Not now. Thor was not his brother. He never had been. Loki had done what he deemed necessary to protect the nine realms, and more importantly, Asgard. His actions had not been evil, this he knew.
As if to prove a point, Loki kicked his now booted feet into the sides of his horse, travelling quickly back to the palace. It would not be much longer before he was making this trip again to hatch the final part of his plan…
*o*O*o*
"Loki?" Anja said quietly as she poked her head in through his chamber doors. "Are you here?" She received no answer from the dark corridors and Anja shut the doors lightly. Where was he? The sun was peeking over the tops of the mountains now and he had no reason not to be at the palace. The warriors would be waking soon and they would need their orders as to how to train the new recruits for the day. Only the king was allowed to administer the orders.
Satisfied that Loki was nowhere to be found, Anja decided it was time to check on her bow. She donned a cloak- for the morning was a cool one- and followed the royal path that led to the gardens. The dew in the air had not yet settled and beads of water settled on Anja's skin. She inhaled, feeling invigorated by the energy that the water gave her. Water had always been her strong suit.
She could see the bifrost easily from this point as it jutted out into the waters of Asgard. But it was not the pulses of light that shot through the bridge that caught her attention. It was the image of Loki riding on a horse back from the golden globe-shaped building. Loki, what are you up to now?
With a shake of her head, she promised herself that she would speak with him soon. She entered the gardens, looking left, then right before proceeding to where she had stowed the bow. Her weapon had not been removed and she was able to retrieve it easily by the time she made it to the trees she had left it in.
With a little huff of air, she dropped down to the forest floor, whipping her hands through the air and forming a practice arrow from a stick that she had found. It was not much, but it would do. She could handle the manipulation of the wood easily. She slipped into a stance, raising the bow as she mirrored the way she had seen Andrew stand countless times.
She took aim at a nearby tree, knowing full well that the arrow would not stick, but it was at least worth a try. She inhaled, closing one eye in an attempt to better her chances of accuracy. On the exhale, she focused every bit of her powers on the arrow's molecular structure, sending it where she wanted it. To her surprise, the flimsy wooden stick lodged itself perfectly in the trunk of the tree she had been aiming at, quivering slightly in the morning light.
*o*O*o*
Anja could feel Loki's eyes boring into her yet again over breakfast as she attempted to down a plate of eggs. First of all, she had come in later than the others. She had found herself engrossed in the shooting of her bow. She had decided after several excellent successes at shooting it that she was ready for a full-fledged one. She would simply have to make a point of talking to the Warriors about gaining a real one soon.
The novelty of the idea was enough to distract her from what she had seen this morning, but only momentarily. The moment breakfast was over she scurried off, leaving the great hall in her wake as she made it back to her rooms. She had almost forgotten about the classes she needed to attend that day with everything that had happened. She would simply have to talk to Loki tonight.
*o*O*o*
Loki was not at dinner, though Anja hardly noticed his absence. She ate swiftly, her head reeling with what she was going to ask him. He had used the Bifrost to go somewhere today. No one had been allowed to use the means of transportation since the AllFather had fallen under and Thor had been banished. This struck her as extremely odd.
With a toss of her head, she pushed her suspicions from her thoughts, forcing herself to enjoy the food in front of her.
Outside, the bifrost touched down once more.
*o*O*o*
Everything was going according to plan. As Loki realized this, he let out a laugh as he surged through space back to Asgard.
Laufey, that despicable, inferior excuse for a king had fallen right into Loki's plans perfectly. It amazed him that the king could be won over to do Loki's bidding with the simple promise of an ancient relic. Loki's wants were not nearly so materialistic and he found it difficult to understand how those beasts were so easily swayed.
That was it, he thought to himself. They were nothing more than greedy beasts. That was what set him apart from them, made him better.
With that lost thought in his head, he touched down in Asgard, his body coming to a complete and utter stop as the bridge between Johtunheim and Asgard closed. The smile on his face was wiped clean from his face to see the Gatekeeper, Heimdall, looking at him with a strange expression. Heimdall's eyes had always unnerved Loki, but they did not hinder him from speaking today.
"What troubles you, Gatekeeper?" he asked sweetly. Nothing could make him feel remorse for what he had just done and he was nearly giddy from the power that he had to command.
"I turned my gaze upon you in Johtunheim and could neither see you nor hear you. You were clouded from me like the Frost Giants that entered this realm."
Loki fought the urge to roll his eyes. He did not wish to be stopped like this. He wanted to go find Anja. But he allowed his silvertoungue to do its work. "Perhaps your senses have weakened after your many years of service," he replied smoothly, stepping from his place at the edge of the bridge as he edged closer to the entrance.
"Or perhaps someone has found a way to hide that which he does not wish me to see," The Gatekeeper replied evenly. Damn that man. He was smart, smarter than most in Asgard. Loki would need to be careful with Heimdall. The Gatekeeper would not fall for Loki's charms like most in Asgard would.
Perhaps a threat would work better for this one…
"You have great power, Heimdall," Loki said smoothly as he continued to walk towards the exit. "Did Odin ever fear you?"
"No."
"And why is that?" Loki said swiftly. He had the Gatekeeper right where he wanted him now and he felt victory in this little argument approaching swiftly.
"Because he is my king. And I am sworn to obey him." The Gatekeeper replied as if on a gut reaction. Perfect.
"He was your king," Loki said icily. "And you are sworn to obey me now." When the Gatekeeper continued to look down at him, Loki added, "Yes?"
Several more seconds passed before Heimdall replied with a soft "Yes."
"Then you shall open the Bifrost to no one until I can repair the damage my brother has done," Loki said swiftly, his cape billowing behind him. He had won this round, but Heimdall would need to be watched.
*o*O*o*
"Loki?" Anja's voice cut through the darkness of his chambers as he came through the doors. His hair was still covered in snow and it was slowly melting as it became accustomed to the Asgardian air. He swooped his snow covered cape behind him as he walked further into the room.
"Hello, My Love," he said smoothly, the silver tongue preparing to do its work. "I would have thought you would be in bed at this hour." He steered away from her as he summoned a spell to make the remaining snow melt from his clothes. Damn, they were still wet though.
Anja stepped from the shadows, arms crossed. "Where were you just now? I asked Fandral and he did not-"
Loki let out a huff. "Nowhere of consequence, My Dear. Please. Try to trust me." He had discarded his cape now, sauntering over to her as a fire roared to life in the black marbled fireplace with the wave of his hand. He wrapped his hands around her elbows, looking her in the eyes. "It was merely a king's business, dreadfully boring." There, that was not entirely a lie…
She chewed on her lower lip, looking away as her eyes travelled to his cape then back up to his face. He closed his eyes as she trailed her fingers through his hair. "You are wet… and cold."
He opened his eyes, knowing she was only half a step away of putting two and two together and finding out where he had been. Before he could respond though, she spoke exactly what he was anticipating her to say. "Loki, have you been to Johtunheim?"
She had pulled away from him a bit, but he had maintained his grasp on her arms. The smirk on his face was bothering her more so than the idea of him fraternizing with the enemy though. It was a mad man's smile.
"Loki, answer me."
"What would it matter to you if I had gone there, Anja?" he nearly hissed. "I am king. You cannot tell me what I can and cannot do." Her eyes were wide as he pulled her to his chest, nothing but fear showing through the silver he had come to know like the back of his hand. "If I wish to go to Johtunheim I shall. If I wish to throw you down and ravish you senseless here and now I shall. Do not underestimate my power as king, My Love." His grip tightened on her arms as he hissed that last part in her ear.
"Loki-" She rasped his name out, clearly frightened. He had never treated her this way. He had always been calm, gentle, loving. He just looked into her eyes, his green ones had a glint in them that she had never seen. "LOKI!" Loki was still riding on the thrill of his newly discovered power and he paid little heed to his scared lover.
But at the sound of her voice, something changed in the emerald depths of his eyes. He let go of her and she stepped away from him, crossing her arms over her chest again as she tried to figure out what was happening. He blinked, a tear streaming down his cheek as he watched her. "Anja, forgive me."
It was barely a whisper, but Anja heard him. She was still crying. "Loki, I… What has happened to you?" Her voice trembled a bit.
"Anja… forgive me. I am…" He stopped, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I am merely adjusting to my life as a king. Please, My Love," he begged. Even to his own ears, his words seemed false.
She had looked over to the couch now, taking notice of the Midgardian clothing he had forgotten to whisk away after his return from Midgard. "And… Midgard? Did you see Thor?"
He set his jaw slightly. "No one shall be coming back to disturb us from there again," was all he said to her and her eyes widened as her hand shot to her mouth.
"Your own brother, Loki? How could you…" She was still crying, but he caressed her arm, comforting her. Anja was unable to register how twisted it was that he would touch her this way. She was unable to see Loki in any other light than the one she saw him in now. He was good to her. He was comforting her… Yet he was willing to cheat, to lie… was he willing to kill for the throne?
"Shhh," he said quietly in her ear as she stopped crying to look at him once more. "I am here."
She pulled away, looking at him. "I am done with this, Loki," she said as she took several steps back from him. He did not attempt to close the distance, his brow furrowing in hurt. "My love for you is the only thing keeping me in Asgard. Did you know that?" He did not answer. "Loki… I…"
He had turned on his heel, walking to look at the dancing flames in the fireplace.
"Damn you, Loki, look at me!" He turned around quickly at the desperation in her voice. She was no longer crying, but something else had taken the place of her tears. "Can't you just be kissing me now?" she said almost to the point of inaudibility.
That caught Loki's attention. "What-"
"Kiss me, Loki," she whispered, cutting him off. "I am done running from you."
Loki could not have been happier to oblige.
*o*O*o*
This time he took her without permission. She hated herself for not resisting, but it was too good, too sweet to say anything. In those moments, with each move he made, she could feel everything. They were one mass in his bed, rolling about under the sheets like burrowing animals.
And that was exactly what they were just then, driven only by one another's need to have some portion of the other. He wanted to devour her and her little sounds. He wanted her to see that he was right, love him for what he was doing, a fit queen for the rightful king of Asgard. Loki smiled at that thought. Where he had cringed at the thought of bringing one such as her down to his level just days before, he now reveled at the idea that he could be the poison that would destroy her. He wanted her to feel the way he felt. He rested his forehead in the crook of her neck, losing himself completely in her body. The mattress groaned under the stress of their love-making as they reached an entirely new level in their sexual relationship.
She felt nothing but love for him, despite what she knew he had done to his own family. In those moments she saw him for what he was, what he had grown to be, and yet she loved him. She was not sure if the scream that followed these thoughts was from that realization or the climax that took her just after. He followed her down, the two of them drowning in each other's love and emotions. She could not hate him. She never could.
"You are mine, Anja," he whispered into the crook of her neck. "And always will be," he finished as he planted a kiss there.
In another time and another place, the comment would have bothered her. Not when Loki said it. Not when she lay with him in his bed in his arms, safe and secure and sure of everything. All she knew was that she wanted more. She wanted more of the man that lay on top of her, the furs and sheets of his bed the only thing covering his body from her. She wanted to feel him, move with him, be next to him always. She loved him and always had. She truly was his.
"Marry me, My Love," he said darkly, biting down on her shoulder and grinning like a maverick to hear her little gasp of pleasure. "Be my queen." Anja took in a shaky breath as he travelled further down her body, planting a kiss just below her belly button as his breathing slowed. His hot breath tickled her stomach. He rested his head there, feeling her heartbeat slow from his own actions. He had taken her to this new height. He had been the one to do this to her. "There would be no secrets, no sneaking away from the others. It would be just you and I. Forever." He was whispering to her, his voice silky and still a bit breathless from what had just passed between them. She felt his weight shift as he traveled back up her body, leaving a trail of wet kisses over her breasts as he moved back up to the spot just under her ear. "What say you, My Love?"
His breath was icy now, and she outwardly shivered as it passed over her.
AN: And that is what you call the major turning point in the story, folks. What do you think Anja will say to him? ;) Yes, we had a slight back pedal with her character in this chapter, but it will come together by the end of the story. Just… bear with me. I've got it all mapped out from here.
As far as next update, I honestly can't say when it'll be up. It MAY be tomorrow, or it may be the next day.
Until next time!
Review? :D
~Sirius
