Chapter 26

"Love seeketh not itself to please,

Nor for itself hath any care,

But for another gives its ease,

And builds a heaven in hell's despair." - William Blake

Loki kept his promise and within a week the Bifrost pulsed with energy, linked once again to Yggdrasil and helmed by Heimdall. After all of their earlier struggles, that final magical link had slid into place effortlessly. That night, Loki and Eir slept in the same bed, needing that skin to skin contact more than ever before, though Loki had acceded to her demand that he wear a shirt as he used to, mostly because he was too exhausted to remove it. The next morning, after they bathed separately (Eir had maintained that boundary even with Loki's gentle hints that he would be happy to help), they found themselves constantly in each other's personal space, fingers straying, Loki doing his best to keep his arm around her waist or on the small of her back while she unconsciously leaned into him. Loki's heart soared with hope and gratitude that this beautiful woman was his to love, emotionally and someday physically. He could wait until she was ready. He would wait forever for her.

But soon after they woke, Loki could sense her growing unease. Their task lay finished but Eir had carefully avoided speaking too much of their future beyond it.

On Frigga's advice, Thor had kept his distance from Eir, granting her request to postpone any large-scale welcome or bestowal of gifts until the successful completion of the Bifrost. In the event that they were unsuccessful, she reasoned, it would be an embarrassment to Thor as well as Asgard to have shown such favor to her, but now that the Nine Realms were once again within reach and warriors awaited the command of their King to depart for Vanaheim, Eir could no longer avoid her future. It was time to have a long talk with Frigga and Thor then tell Loki about his brother's proposal and how she declined it, preferably in that order. She would do her best to steer Thor towards the Lady Sif to ensure stability in Asgard as well as her own freedom.

However, Thor clearly had other plans. He arrived outside of the secured quarters in his full dress armor just as they sat down to breakfast, bearing the deed to his largest estate and a bouquet of rare, iridescent roses. Loki's unsigned pardon lay next to the deed, but he needed to speak at length with his brother and Eir before he would feel comfortable trusting Loki not to abuse his new-found freedom. However, he could not deny that Eir's influence upon his brother seemed to have effected a very powerful, positive change and Thor desperately wanted to believe that the Casket alone had been responsible for Loki's insanity.

"My Lady Eir," Thor said with a smile, kissing the back of her hand and holding it a bit too long for Loki's taste. "Brother," he said, nodding at Loki cheerfully. A quick shake of Eir's head aborted Loki's plan to dispute their shared parentage but it failed to wipe the suspicious look from his face. "Please, do not allow me to interrupt your meal," he said, motioning to the chair she had just vacated next to Loki. Thor pulled up another chair and helped himself to one of Idunn's apples.

"To what do we owe the privilege of a visit from the great King of Asgard?" Loki said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.

"Lo-ki…" Eir warned.

"My apologies," replied Loki. "I seem to have left my manners in the dungeon." He gave a mock bow and returned his attention to Eir, offering her slices of fresh peach as he carved them expertly away from the pit.

Realizing she needed to take control of the conversation, Eir turned to Thor and said, "How may I be of assistance, Your Highness?"

"Please, Eir, we are not in front of the court. There is no need for such formality," Thor said warmly, patting her hand.

Loki visibly bristled at Thor's presumptiveness but Eir gave him no time to voice his objection. "As you wish," she said, inclining her head slightly, taking the slice of fruit from Loki. "I trust the Bifrost is performing adequately?"

"Better than ever before if you ask Heimdall. You have both done Asgard a great service." Thor's smile lessened at the unreadable expression on his brother's face.

"How soon will you depart for Vanaheim? I see your forces have assembled." Eir asked, hoping to keep the conversation out of tempestuous waters.

Loki sat back in his chair and silently sipped his mead, watching the interaction between Thor and Eir. She was hesitant around him yet he seemed to be doing his best to charm her. Why? Loki wondered. He already had what he wanted. Loki was alive and the Bifrost restored… what else could he possibly want from her? Did he simply wish to bed her? To show his superiority as he had so many times before with Loki's partners? For once, the thought gave Loki little concern. King or not, Eir was not a woman who would fawn over him just because he flexed his muscles and spun exaggerated tales of his prowess in battle. After centuries of studying the body language of attraction, Loki remained confident that Eir saw nothing desirable in the giant oaf.

Thor's expression turned uncharacteristically solemn for the eve of battle, Loki noted. Normally, Thor was as giddy as an adolescent prince on his first trip to a brothel. "Tomorrow morning. The marauders have run amok there for too long."

"Indeed," said Eir, brushing her knee against Loki's, the contact helping to quell his growing anxiety. "Shall I accompany you? I have considerable experience with battlefield healing."

"No, no," Thor said, shaking his head as if shocked that she would even suggest such a thing. "I would never dream of putting you in harm's way."

Loki offered Eir another slice of fruit before leaning forward and sucking the peach juice off of his fingers with a deliberate display for Eir's benefit. Her slight blush and hastily downcast eyes silently delighted him. Eir was his, body and soul. He only had to make her see the truth of it.

"I was not suggesting that I fight with you in the vanguard, but I have proven on multiple occasions that I am quite capable of protecting myself and my patients."

"On Midgard against the mortals perhaps, but—"

"She followed Odin's armies into battle years before you did," Loki stated with barely a hint of offense at Thor's implication. "Did you never wonder where she went when she left us that first time? Or what she was doing during those decades when she was away from Asgard?" Loki's anger rose. "She was knee deep in the blood of battle, healing you and most of your seasoned officers at one time or another. Did you truly never notice her there?"

Eir's hand on Loki's arm stilled him momentarily. "I'm sure Thor had other things on his mind besides the identity of any of the healers. We take no offense to our anonymity."

"My apologies," Thor said sincerely, surprising Loki. "I shall endeavor not to repeat that oversight in the future. However, it is my wish that you remain here in the safety of the capitol." Pulling out the land grant and presenting it to her, he said, "I imagine you will want to visit your lands and speak to the people as their new Countess."

Eir glanced over the document hesitantly. "I… I am honored, of course, but I think it best if I return to Midgard as soon as possible."

"For how long? I understand if you need to gather your possessions, but the people of Asgard need a chance to acquaint themselves with you before the wedding."

Glancing warily at Loki, she put a hand on Thor's arm in warning, squeezing as hard as she could but barely indenting the muscles. "We should speak in private, Thor. Immediately."

"Wait. Who is getting married?" Loki interjected, his confusion obvious.

Thor motioned back and forth between Eir and himself. "Why, we are, of course." Not giving Loki a chance for that information to sink in, he said, "What, you do not know? I have asked Eir to be my wife."

Loki felt like he had been kicked square in the chest by Sleipnir. Eir shook her head back and forth. "Loki, this isn't what it seems. Thor—"

Loki shoved himself back from the table, deliberately upturning it in the process. "Oh, I think it is. This is exactly what it seems," he spat at them. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Unleashing his magic, he threw the table against the wall and it shattered into hundreds of pieces just as Thor stepped protectively in front of Eir.

"Brother, allow me a chance to explain," said Thor, reaching behind him with an open hand to summon Mjolnir.

"You've done quite enough of that already," Loki said, his rage completely overtaking him. He glared at Eir, who attempted to sidestep Thor to face him. Loki pointed at her accusingly. "You came back and perpetuated this entire charade, made me think that you felt something for me, just to get your precious pardon and a crown!" he shouted at her. "You swore to me you never wanted power or title."

"Loki, please. I don't want any of that." This can't be happening, she silently repeated over and over again.

They both knew the prophesy naming her Queen but Loki never dared to imagine that it would come by marrying Thor. "Stop lying to me!" Loki bellowed, taking several menacing steps towards her.

With Mjolnir now in his hand, Thor blocked Loki's path as he tried to close the distance to Eir, holding up his free hand outstretched towards Loki in warning. "Back away, Loki. Your quarrel is with me, not with her. She is blameless in this."

"Blameless?" Loki threw his head back and laughed in a way that made it clear his tenuous hold on sanity had slipped. "Hardly. Though it seems I was right all those years ago." He stared at Eir with singularly-focused hatred as he tightened his outward appearance of control. "You really are a whore," he said to Eir, his voice dripping with venom.

Thor bristled. "You take that back," Thor warned, his voice raised.

"And why should I?" Loki said, appearing to casually pace in front of them but Thor knew better. Loki was searching for a weakness, an opening where he launch his attack in spite of the fact that his gaze never wandered. "After all," said his clone, materializing just over Eir's right shoulder and slipping his arms around her waist, his cheek brushing possessively against hers. "As so many have before her, in her scheme to win a place in your bed, dear Brother, she spent her nights warming mine."

"That's enough!" Thor roared and launched himself at Loki, bringing Mjolnir down upon his brother's shoulder only to find that Loki had vanished from the spot, leaving only his insubstantial clone. A split second later Thor spun around to catch the real Loki in the side of the head, throwing him into the wall. Spitting out blood from his mouth, Loki retaliated with a magical slice across Thor's unprotected biceps, severing the muscle and making it impossible for the god of thunder to hold his hammer or anything else.

The fighting continued, Thor swinging Mjolnir with his off hand while Loki danced around the larger man with two summoned daggers, slicing deep enough to wound but not enough to kill. Yet. Loki wanted to play with him, torture him, just as Thor had done to him for so long. "Just once, I wanted to love someone that would not slink off to your bed at the first opportunity. You couldn't let me have this, just once, could you, Brother?" Loki's clone provided the distraction while the he sliced Thor's hamstring. The blood that splattered from the wound and onto Loki's skin felt invigorating, like the perfect cool rain on a hot summer day, and he reveled in it. He moved to repeat the cut on the other leg but Thor was more adept than Loki planned, slamming Mjolnir into Loki's knee, shattering the bones instantly.

Once again, Thor raised his hammer, leaving his chest unprotected, and it was the opening that Loki had been waiting for. His brother had always been overconfident, to say the least. Loki loosed his dagger, but rather than striking home in Thor's chest, it skidded across the stone floor at a right angle from its intended path.

"Stop this, both of you," Frigga commanded. Both men's bodies slammed against opposite walls, propelled by unseen hands, and they were left hanging, their feet dangling more than a foot off of the floor. For nearly a minute, the only sound that could be heard was the dripping of blood onto the flagstones and the heavy breathing of Frigga's sons. Without turning to look behind her, she said, "Bring healers. Quickly." The guards scurried away as ordered, but the queen made no move to release either of them. She stepped into the room, carefully stepping over the shards of shattered furniture. "I don't know who started this, but I am very disappointed in both of you." They looked down, unwilling to meet the gaze of their angry mother. "Now where is Eir?"

In spite of their relative imprisonment against the walls, Thor and Loki raised their heads in unison and glanced around the room, surprised to find Eir absent. "She was here a few moments ago," said Thor finally.

Frigga sighed. "You were fighting over her, were you not?"

Loki's knee throbbed painfully but it was no match for the pain in his chest now that he realized she was gone. Reaching out to her though their bond, he knew she had left Asgard completely with her shields clamped down so tightly that he could feel nothing from her other than the vast distance between them. He resolved not to give Thor or Frigga the pleasure of seeing his sorrow or his pain, so he remained as utterly still and silent as if they were not even there.

"Apparently Loki was unaware that I had asked for Eir's hand and he seems to be in strong opposition to it," he said to his mother before turning to face the man he once trusted with his life. "I knew she was in love with you," he said to Loki, his anger replaced with regret, "but after how you treated her before, I had no idea that you loved her in return. I would not have asked her if I had known."

Loki refused to justify that admission of stupidity with a response in spite of it being a nearly-unique event on Thor's part.

Thor continued, "She tried to talk me out of it, you know, but I appealed to her good nature and her deep sense of responsibility. All the while, she thought of ways for me stay faithful to Jane and still outwardly fulfill my responsibilities as King." Thor's voice cracked as the healers arrived and Frigga released her hold upon him. He sagged against them, growing weaker as the pool of blood beneath him grew. "I want you to know that she never did accept. I assumed that she would, Loki, but she never said yes. I think it was because she still loved you." It took two healers and a guard to convey Thor to the stretcher and then away to the healing rooms.

Eir had tried to explain, but he was blinded by his own anger and despair. He was so quick to accept her betrayal that he never allowed her a chance to convince him otherwise. He truly was a monster.

When Frigga lowered him gently to the floor, she brushed her hand against his cheek but he barely felt it. "Oh, Loki," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

"Take me back to my cell," he said simply, his words completely devoid of emotion, the pain in his knee forgotten as he lay slumped against the wall, staring at nothing.

"The healers will be here in a moment. We will speak again in the healing room once they have finished," she said sympathetically.

His focus snapped back into place with a frightening speed and he grabbed Frigga's wrist, holding it tightly. "I SAID TAKE ME BACK TO MY CELL!" He screamed at her, madness in his eyes.

Guards swarmed him, gently pushing Frigga away as they secured Loki in chains and gagged him, wasting no time in shoving him forcefully down onto the hovering stretcher and then to the dungeons.