Chapter 14
Lagertha altered her torn dress to be sleeveless, thus allowing her the freedom of movement necessary to do whatever work was required around the palace. Every night since that day, she had spent in the library, reading into the small hours of the morning, having done the general upkeep of the rooms she and Loki used in the palace through the day. She revelled that her work load was near halved when Loki concentrated his albeit weakened seidr to help her. But she insisted that she still tended to her garden and her cooking without assistance of any kind. At first, Loki was resistant, but Lagertha was persistent, and he finally caved to her wishes, allowing her to do it herself. Although he gave them a little magical encouragement when he wandered passed the growing patch alone, something Lagertha pretended not to notice.
It had been two weeks since her return, and finally the dark and angry bruises on her arms were nothing more than light marks of yellow and green, and her frost burnt skin, though slightly more red than the surrounding areas of skin, it felt the same and did not feel irritated when touched.
Lagertha sat in the library, reading of the war between the Light and Dark Elves, when she heard a loud thud noise somewhere in the palace. Wondering what it could be, she placed the book on the window seat she was sitting on and went to investigate what Loki had done. She left the library and walked the halls in search of the prince, looking at the setting sun in the evening's sky as she went.
Loki had been in his rooms readying to join Lagertha in the library when he heard a peculiar bang. Worried that Lagertha had injured herself, he walked through the palace, leading to the library, where he suspected she would already be. He felt the cool evening breeze on his neck as he walked the halls and made note to close the offending window on his return from checking on Lagertha.
It did not take long for the pair to find one another. They collided painfully as they simultaneously turned the corner atop the main stairwell. Loki, who had only been on one foot found himself uncharacteristically off balance when he hit into Lagertha, resulting in him tumbling over. With a quick movement, he grabbed her arms to ensure it was she who fell on him, and not the other way around.
Lagertha stared blankly into Loki's scarlet coloured eyes as she attempted to figure out what just happened. It gave her a moment to look at the markings that shaped his face as she did so. They always fascinated her, were they similar amongst all the Jötnar, were they as individual as the being that donned them, or were they family lines, passed from sire to child.
Loki watched as her eyes darted over the features, taking them in, but never showing any sign of revulsion or fear. He wondered if she ever felt such, or if she was truly just curious. The feeling of her on his chest gave him an odd sensation of warmth. He knew it was in part due to their differences in temperature, but also, he felt it was I part due to her and the manner in which she always seemed to cause him to feel.
"I told you." Her voice was a whisper, and her smile a timid one. Loki frowned, not knowing what she was referring to. "I told you; you would not harm me."
Loki's eyes widened as he realised what she was saying. He only then notices his hands were touching her bare arms. Her skin was warm, soft and smooth. He could not help how he ran his fingers over it, adoring the feel of another after so long without any form of physical contact. He realised her skin began to rise slightly in goose bumps. If she felt warm to him, then he was certain that he felt somewhat cold to her. Feeling guilty, he gently rolled her off him so that she was sitting up on her knees beside to him. "Sorry." He mumbled, hating how he had been forced to cease holding her.
"What for?" Her voice seemed husky.
"I made you cold." He indicated to her arms.
"I hardly noticed." She shrugged bashfully. Loki sat up and Lagertha looked at his face again. She raised her hand slightly, but drew it back again. "May I?" She asked nervously.
Loki nodded without even really thinking. He simply prayed to the Norn's that he would not harm her. He watched as she nervously brought her hands forward, towards him, slowly and with a slight shake. Her small delicate fingers lingered just over his face. He took a deep breath and waited. Touching her had felt odd to his cool skin, but it sent an incredible sensation through his fingers. Her touching him was something indescribable altogether.
Her touches were soft and gentle. She did not apply much pressure to them, and slid them tenderly over his skin. She seemed cautious at first of his markings. Had he not known of her curiosity toward them, he would have assumed her apprehension to be something negative. When finally she braved touching one, he gasped slightly.
"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" She asked worriedly, pulling away.
"God's no, it felt sublime." He sighed back. "How are you not repulsed by touching me?" He asked, staring into her chocolate brown eyes, seeking the truth in her response.
"Why would I be?" She gave a small smile. Some of her hair fell loose over her face. Loki found himself playing with it. Even his hand being so close caused her to shiver in excitement, she sighed as he placed it behind her ear again.
"Because I am a monster." He answered sadly.
"How so?"
"Look at me."
"I don't judge books by covers." Lagertha shrugged.
"What?"
"Have you not ever heard that saying?" Loki shook his head. "It is a saying that refers to assuming the quality of a book, solely on its outwards appearance alone. It gives you no true indication as to the value of what is inside. The best example I can think of is this very book I am reading." She named the book on the Elvin Wars. "To some it is tattered, old, dull, wouldn't you agree?"
"Of course it is, it is thirteen thousand years old." He exclaimed.
"So, does it look particularly appealing based on its appearance." Loki shook his head again. "But it is one of the most renowned literary pieces in existence, is it not. Is it not one of the most sought after books in all the realms for its contents? Hard to believe with such an outwards appearance, do you understand yet?"
"So you are implying you are not interested in the fact I look old and dull?"
Lagertha could not withhold her laughter. "You are neither old, nor dull, so cease such thoughts. I mean that I do not put emphasis on your features alone."
"I am not exactly renowned for my good deeds either need I remind you."
"No, but as much as I do not understand how you could have done such things, I understand some of the reasons as to why. Though I can never condone annihilating other races, it is hardly the best way to deal with injustices dished out by your ass of a father." Loki was shocked at the way she referred to Odin, but also self-conscious of her referring to his less than stellar behaviour. "But Lady Sif told me of your work to aid defeating Malekith, even to risk yourself for Thor and his mortal. Without your help, we would most certainly have plummeted back into eternal darkness."
"Why are you doing this, why are you so adamant to see the good in me?"
"Because since the day I first met you, you have never been anything but kind to me. Even after I first came here, I showed insolence, and yet you did nothing to correct it. As we have gotten to know one another, you have shown me more and more kindness and compassion. I believe you deserve the same in return."
Loki looked away, unable to keep her gaze. He recalled the reason for their collision and their resulting impromptu chat on the hallway floor. "I forgot to ask, are you alright?"
"Yes, I am fine, I just told you a few minutes ago, it does not hurt me. Nothing has changed in that time." She frowned in exasperation.
"I mean your fall, or collision or whatever it was that caused you to hit into something. I came out to check on you."
"I thought it was you, I came to check were you alright."
Both looked at the other, half expecting that the other would declare they were just jesting. "How peculiar." Loki commented. "Oh, and I also forgot, I thought you said you closed all the windows." He added as he felt a cool breeze on his neck again.
Lagertha felt it too. "I did, but I only opened the ones in our rooms, the library and the kitchen. I opened none that I should be able to feel a breeze from here." She edged closer to Loki as she began to feel unsettled.
"I did not interfere with any myself. It is all quite odd." Loki was almost as unsettled.
A sharp bang rang out throughout the palace, causing Lagertha to jump in fear and issue a small squeak while Loki immediately got to his feet. "Lagertha, go to my rooms, hide under my bed. Do not get out until I come and retrieve you, do you understand?" He whispered, pulling her to her feet.
Fear filled Lagertha as she nodded back, she looked into his scarlet red eyes. "What about you?"
"I am just going to ensure that there is nothing to be concerned about, nothing more." He stroked her cheek to sooth her. "I will not be long, I swear."
She took his hand for a moment and studied it, designs and all, before kissing one of his knuckles, causing him to stare in shock. "Please be careful."
"I will, if the Kursed cannot end me, some noise in an old palace most certainly will not." He smiled, his features calm and soft. But another noise caused him to become stern faced again. "Now go."
Lagertha only glanced back once as she ran back upstairs, passed a window she knew she had never opened, yet whose curtains flailed in the wind. She ran passed Loki's rooms, passed the old Allmother's, and down a small stairwell. She had only used the stairwell once before and only out of curiosity. But now she thanked her inquisitive mind as she ran to a room with large intricately designed doors. They were difficult to open and heavy to push, but she used all her strength and weight and got one open.
She had not taken time to really study the room on her last visit, which was before she had been dragged away less than happily by Thor, so she had taken little note of it, but one of the things she had noticed was that of the most prominent features of the room did not seem to be as obvious as others for its importance, that is, until Sif had told her of it. She found it next to an exuberantly large table she had little doubt would do something along the lines of show you any terrain on all the Nine Realms were you able to wield the power for it.
Looking around, she found a way to light a fire, so she went to the pyre pit and got it alight. Sif had not informed her as to how she could communicate with it, so that caused her some issue. When nothing happened after a few moments, she decided just to speak. "Please, Lady Sif stated that I was to use this in a form of emergency. Something is not right. There appears to be someone in the palace, an intruder, to the extent that it is clear even Loki is concerned. Please send someone." She begged.
There was a loud crashing noise from somewhere else in the palace, followed by a yell and glass shattering which resounded through the halls towards the War Room. Lagertha looked around in utter terror. She decided to do as Loki had instructed and as silently as possible, she went to the stairwell and back towards his quarters.
She was just about to push open Loki's chambers door when she was pulled by the hair backwards, into Thor's rooms with immense force. "So, he has poisoned your mind." A cold voice sneered.