Eira's eyelids flattered, slowly revealing her shining honey eyes. She looked around the room, spotting Loki in a corner, reading his book. She slowly sat up on her bed, stretching her arms above her head and letting out a delicate yawn, making sure to cover her mouth first.
"Good morning." Loki said, raising his eyes from the book. "You had a peaceful sleep last night."
"Yes, I did. After I had the usual nightmare. What did you do to me last night?" she asked, moving to sit opposite of him.
"A simple sleep spell. To make you sleep, without dreams." he said, indifferently.
Eira titled her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "What is this sudden interest about me, Loki?"
Loki's eyebrows shot up. "It's called solidarity between prisoners. I already have enough enemies. I don't need others."
"Ah, I see." she said, grinning mischievously while bending down to pick a book for her to read. Loki eyed her for a minute, before returning to his book.
He couldn't help but wonder what she had actually understood from his words. Of course he had lied to her about the 'solidarity between prisoners', but the truth was that he himself didn't know why he had showed such interest towards the goddess. He had barely spent three days with her and he was repeatedly finding himself helping her, or even enjoying her company. And, needless to say, this kind of behavior was rare for the young prince.
"What are we going to see today?" he asked, trying to take his mind off of those thoughts.
Eira looked up to him, flashing a genuine smile at him. "That's a very good question, my prince."
She stood up, placing the book on her seat and moving to the centre of the room. She took in a deep breath, the stone necklace shining and her eyes changing to a red color. The smoke came out of the stone and her hands, surrounding her and dividing itself in small windows. In each window appeared a view of the city.
Eira waved her hands in front of the screens, meanwhile the same song as the last time playing around her. In the stables, the eyes of each horse turned red, their minds going crazy. The horses suddenly bolted and kicked the doors, breaking them and finding the chance to run out of the stables. They rushed out, in the roads, kicking anything that stood in their way, destroying everything.
Then, a swarm of bees came flying towards the city, filling the roads and the houses. Everywhere you look, you could see people running like crazy from the horses, their arms and legs full of the signs of bee pinches. The people were screaming in pain and agony.
Even inside the palace, there was agitation. Servants and guards, every person inside the palace was in the same pain as the regular people of Asgard. Only the royal ones were forced to watch this hell in front of their eyes.
The sky was instantly covered with dark clouds. Then, a strong wind blew and the clouds started to spin around themselves, a tornado being created. The tornado fell on Asgard, destroying every house it found in its way. The dungeons shook, bees entering the corridor and attacking the guards. Horses ran inside as well, kicking the doors of the cells, ragingly.
Two kids ran towards the dead-end of an alley, trying to get away from a horse that was chasing after them. When they saw the dead-end, they turned to see with terror the horse to stop and stand on its hind legs, ready to step on them. The kids closed their eyes, waiting for the deadly hit.
Eira flicked her wrist. In an instant, the horse calmed down and stepped backwards, away from the kids. The bees immediately changed course and flied away from the city. The tornado dissolved in the blink of an eye. The only signs that there had been a disaster in Asgard were the pinches on the people's skins and the ruins of the houses.
Eira's eyes turned back to normal, the smoke dissolving around her. She turned to Loki, her face unreadable. "Good enough for you?"
Loki shook his head a bit. "Needs a bit more fantasy, but good."
Eira shot him a small grin. "So, have you any other habits, or your interests are confined only in books?"
Loki raised both eyebrows. "You show far more interest about me than normal."
Eira shrugged with a smile. "I'm searching for things we have in common."
Loki titled his head to the side, sizing her with his eyes. "Apart from reading, my interests pivot on magic and games of the mind."
Now it was Eira's turn to title her head, cocking an eyebrow. "Such as?"
"Such as, chess for example."
Eira frowned. "Chess?"
Loki's eyebrows shot up with shock. "You don't know what a 'chess' is?"
Eira shook her head. "I've never played chess. I used to watch my father play a board game with his council men or his guests. It was black and white, with pawns that represented an army with the kings. It seemed a nice game. But no one ever cared to teach me. Father said, it was a game for kings only."
Loki's eyes drifted across her face, thinking over her words. Hearing that someone so powerful and smart like her had no knowledge of a game like that, was something utterly unfair. "Would you like to learn how to play it?"
Eira looked at him, surprise and curiosity on her face. "I beg your pardon?"
"I can teach you how to play since I have no one else to be my teammate." he said, motioning towards a table with two chairs, where a chess table was ready for a game.
Eira's eyes shined brightly, a big smile appearing on her face. "How generous and polite of you, prince Loki. I would love to learn chess under your tuition."
Loki couldn't hold back a small grin that crossed his face, as he went to the table and pulled back a chair, for Eira to sit. "Then, please. Have a seat."
Eira gracefully took the seat she was offered, hardly hiding the excitement on her face. Loki took the seat opposite of her.
"I warn you, this is a very perplexed game for strategy."
She flashed a smile at him. "I learn quickly."
"My king." Heimdall bowed his head with respect to Allfather.
"Heimdall, I came to see you because Asgard needs your immense eyesight." Odin said, as he entered the Bifrost.
Heimdall nodded in acknowledge. "For the punishment of Asgard."
Odin stared at Heimdall with confusion. "Punishment?"
"Yes, my lord. The banes happening on Asgard are a form of punishment, meant for your highness. They resemble the pain of a long lost people, the memory of whom has survived in their protector's mind, filled with sorrow and hate towards your face."
Odin considered the words of the gatekeeper, realizing what he meant. "How?"
"They have a powerful necklace, created during the time of the disaster, that connected with their will for vengeance." Heimdall answered, a somehow regretful look in his eyes, like he didn't truly want to give this information to Allfather.
Odin's grip tightened on his scepter. "Eira Ecmosdottir."
"Mate. I win." Eira smiled triumphantly. She had started to like chess more than she had thought, she would.
"Beginner's luck." Loki responded with a smirk. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was proud that his student had learnt so quickly.
"If three wins in line are beginner's luck, then I'm a very lucky woman." she smirked as well, teasingly.
Loki chuckled, replacing the pawns in their positions. "Want another round?"
She smiled brightly. "Absolutely!"
They placed the pawns on their right places and they were ready to start playing, when they heard three pairs of footsteps approaching. Loki recognized a specific pair of heavy footsteps, as he rose from his seat, followed by Eira.
"Thor. After all this time, now you come to visit me." he said, hands behind his back, face indifferent.
Thor looked at Loki with hidden sorrow in his eyes, for his brother's actions. "Why do you insist on denying your family brother? You never had to be like that."
"Maybe I didn't. But you and Odin helped me to. And I truly prefer it like this." Loki responded, venom spitting out of his mocking face.
Thor turned to Eira. "I suppose you're lady Eira. I've heard a lot about you. Not all good things, I'm afraid."
Eira smiled devilishly. "Thor Odinson. I see the two princes of Asgard have so little in common. Fortunately."
Thor decided to not respond to her, seeing that the goddess was as tough case as his brother. "Odin has a new request for you. He demands you to give the stone necklace to him."
Eira placed her hand on the necklace, pretending to be surprised. "Oh. This. You know, Odinson, this necklace is the only thing I have to remind me of my home. My only heritage. It's a very precious object for me, to give it away so simply." she said, smiling mischievously at him.
"Except" she went on "if you return it back to my possession."
Thor's face was neutral. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
Eira putted on a fake sad face, before she smiled again. "Then, I can't give it to you. The only thing I possess, will stay in my hands."
"I understand." Thor said, regret in his eyes as he nodded to the guards.
Eira laughed lowly, as the guards opened the cell-door. "Oh no, prince Thor. You do anything but that."
Loki glared at the guards, as they chained up Eira and forced her out of the cell and on her knees. As one of the guards moved to take the necklace off of her throat, Eira's eyes turned red, glancing at Loki for a bare moment, before a wave of red electricity shot from the stone to the guard's hand, sending him flying on the nearby wall.
"What in the name of..." Thor grabbed his hammer, preparing for the worse, as he motioned to the other guard to try. Eira smirked up at him, as the same electricity hit the other guard.
Thor pointed his hammer at her, anger starting to boil inside him. "You stop the tricks and take it off, or I'll destroy it!"
Eira putted on an innocent face. "I can't. It has a mind of its own. I'm not doing anything."
"So be it." Thor gulped, guilt building up in his chest. He didn't want to do this, but Odin had clearly said 'by any means necessarily'. Thor made his hammer glow from the thunder collecting in it, preparing to shoot.
Loki's fists clenched along with his teeth, when he saw Thor hitting Eira with his thunder. The woman's body shook violently from the impact, her head falling forward, as the thunder and the stone shone in defense. It only took a few moments for the winner to end this.
Eira's head was thrown back with a low gasp, as the stone released a wave of energy in the form of circular shield, that pushed back the thunder and crashed both the guards and Thor against the walls. Eira breathed quickly, looking exhausted.
Thor rose to his feet, staring down at Eira in surprise and disbelief. The thunder should have at least destroyed the necklace, though the stone looked untouched. This power was not to be taken lightly.
"Put her back inside the cell. We're done here, for now." Eira felt being pulled by her arms, as the guards obeyed Thor's orders. Once inside the cell, Eira's legs gave up on her and she collapsed on the floor, using her hands to limit the fall on her knees.
"Eira?!" Loki was next to her, looking down at her with slight worry in his eyes, shocked with himself about his own strange behavior.
Eira breathed deeply, the pain fading away. "I'm fine. They did nothing to me."
A hand was offered to her, and when she raised her eyes, she was surprised to realize that it was Loki's. She hesitantly took it, and she felt being smoothly pulled up. They looked at each other for some time, not realizing that they were still holding hands.
Eira slowly took a step back, pulling her hand out of his own and muttering a 'thanks', before she turned her back on him and walked away.
Loki looked at her for a moment longer, before he glanced down at his hand. What had suddenly gotten into him?
The door to the deepest dungeon opened, a guard entering. In his hands, he was holding a tray with food.
"Here you go, you spoiled brat. Hope you enjoy your meal." he said mockingly, throwing the tray a few feet away from a weak Calder.
Calder glared at him as he walked towards the door, trying to reach for the food, though the chains holding him would not let him.
Another man walked inside the dungeon, his armor more sublime than the other's. He walked up to the boy, kneeling in front of him and holding the tray out to him, kindness and sympathy on his face.
Calder looked at him, thanking him with his eyes, as he took the tray.
The leader of the guard stood up and walked towards the door, looking back at Calder one more time. He had a bad feeling, that the innocent boy was going to have a very bad end, and very soon.
I'm very sorry I didn't update earlier, I was having a problem with my computer! Hope you like it! Tell me what you think!
