Chapter 29

Devian was in his room and had stayed in there for the remainder of the day. He felt horrible and yet not at the same time. He was more afraid and intrigued by his decision than anything else. He was afraid of what to expect and intrigued as he saw potential in the union. As thoughtless as his decision had been at the time he now saw it for so much more than a mistake.

His parents might not agree, but Asgard had been at odds with the Jotuns since as long as they could remember. Until Odin finally took their power from them they had always been a threat. A volatile race of giants who lived to fight and yet that wasn't completely all they were. Clearly the need for battle was one they were raised with not an urge they were born with. Loki didn't show an interest in fighting unless he had to. He was a thinker and strategist.

Devian saw this as a way to use it and mould the race into something a little different. To teach them to respect and see reason with the other realms. Wars wrought nothing but tragedy and the unnecessary loss of lives. Devian was hoping to maybe stop that. He wasn't sure how yet, but his bride-to-be he would insist was to stay in Asgard with him and through the use of his heavy thinking and words he would convince her that peace needed to have a more steady balance between their realms. He hoped that she would all least be smart and understanding.

This was the part that made him worry. What if she wasn't understanding? What if she ran off once she was pregnant? Too many 'what ifs' and not enough solid ground to stand on. Yet, he wouldn't take back his decision. He knew his parents would seek a way to help him, but he was determined to make a difference to the realms one world at a time. The frost giants were a powerful ally should they manage to rally them. Devian had never really thought of marriage and lately had been second guessing if love was worth the heartache. Perhaps a marriage of convenience was better as one could think more clearly and not base their decision on the heart alone. Besides he was half frost giant and doing this brought him back to that part of his heritage.

Devian jumped from his bed when his room door swung open harshly and with a thud it collided with the wall. Diana stalked in her eyes narrowed at him. Apparently she had just gotten the news. Devian had been avoiding her as he hadn't wanted to see her anger. His sister scared him sometimes. "What the hell?!" Diana said approaching her brother with force and pushing him so hard that he fell flat onto his back, sprawled across his bedroom floor. "What were you thinking!" She yelled it at his fallen form. Devian led there staring up at his sister. He could understand her anger.

"I did it to save our father and his life." Devian told her.

"Bullshit," She said. "What happened to the girl you've been sniffing after?" Devian stared at her surprised.

"How ...?"

"How do I know? You're my brother. I'm not stupid." She hissed. "What the hell happened?" She demanded. Devian sat up and crossed his legs. He looked down at the tiles a deep frown across his face as he began to tell his sister what really happened for Devian to spiral into a decision he didn't think about first.

(Flashback)

With his father now out of his cell, sneaking his lover Delilah into his room had become difficult. Tonight he had managed and was lying with his arms wrapped about her soft shoulders his thumb caressing her skin. "I like this." He admitted to her making her look up.

"You have improved greatly." She replied giving him a kind smile.

"No, no. I don't mean the sex. Sex has always been great I meant just lying her with you in my arms. I'm lucky to have had you fall into my life." Devian knew his face had turned red with his admission, but he wanted her to know how he felt. "I want you to meet my parents. I want them to understand I'm proud to be with you. Being a servant doesn't matter to me." Devian kept going. Abruptly she sat up and got out of bed.

"Sir ... I'm sorry you're ...this has become complicated. I thought you wanted me to teach you the ways of a man and a woman. I didn't expect this," She said frankly and began to dress. Devian stared at her confused.

"Surely you know that I love you. I've always told you how much I enjoyed your company," He said sitting up his eyes wide.

"Yes sir, company I thought to be of the sexual nature. I'm so sorry please don't punish me." She pleaded getting to her knees her hands together and her head bent down in both shame and fear.

"What no?!" Devian pulled her to her feet. "I wouldn't hurt you. You're not a servant to me. Just a girl I want to be with." Devian insisted.

"If I had known this, had I known it would become complicated I would have never accepted your invite to your room. I was afraid of insulting you and I feared punishment. I do what I do because I thought you wanted my help not because of love." She was shaking as she spoke. Her eyes pinched shut like she was afraid he might strike her. Devian's mind was reeling. How had he missed the signs? How had he not known she was acting as a servant doing as her master wished and not a girl in love?

Devian let her slip from his grasp and he bent down to pick up the rest of her clothes. "Dress and you may go. Forget what we spoke about here. I no longer need your services." He told her his voice void of emotion as he closed them off before he made a further fool of himself.

"I am sorry. I truly am," She said rushing into her garments. He didn't look at her as she hurried to the door. "The woman that loves you will be lucky to have you, but I'm not that woman." She told him as if that would calm his pain. His room door opened and closed leaving him alone to wallow in self-pity, anger and hurt.

(End of flashback)

"So this was the better option? To marry a woman you've never met and might never love?" Diana scoffed and Devian finally looked at her with a glare.

"Love serves no real purpose in life but to cause you hurt and your head to swell with unnecessary thoughts. Love complicates things." He blurted out getting to his feet. "You wouldn't understand." He growled. "You've never loved anyone." Diana narrowed her eyes further.

"At least I didn't throw my life a way on a whim. You talk about love making things complicated, but what about anger? Anger and hurt caused you to jump to this decision, not rational thinking." She accused. Devian sighed. She was right of course. Unlike his sister anger wasn't something he kept with him long. As much as he was angry at Diana for yelling at him he could no longer keep up the tone he had been speaking in.

"I just wanted to make things right for father and mother."

"How will this make anything right?" Diana questioned shaking her head.

"If anything should happen between them father is free to pursue her." Diana's face fell.

"What do you mean pursue her? Her as in our Mother?" Devian felt like he put his foot in his mouth now. Diana might have begun to get along with their father, but when it came to their mother he had forgotten how much she was against their parents getting together. "Well with your new marriage proposal and outlook on love I guess it makes sense why you wouldn't mind our parents getting together. He doesn't need to love her to be with her after all." Diana scowled harder than ever.

"Diana don't you want a happy family. For them to get married and maybe have another child or two. Mother always wanted more kids." Devian pleaded.

"More kids with him?! She'd be a fool. He's arrogant and selfish. He looks at her like a sex toy. I'm sure any child they had together now would have a warped mind being raised by him." Devian was a little dumbfounded about how adamantly she felt about their parents not getting together.

"I thought you were getting along with him?" Devian questioned.

"Yes, but that's between me and him. I warned him to stay away from our mother. He doesn't deserve her." Devian slapped his hand to his head.

"You what?! Diana you can't keep interfering with her this way. Can't you see it, she loves him already. Any fool not ignoring it could tell just by the way she looks at him. Her eyes light up when he speaks to her no matter how small the conversation." Diana's mouth fell open.

"She doesn't," She said denying his words. "She wouldn't allow herself to love him after what he did to me. As my mother she shouldn't forgive that so easily. She wouldn't give up her heart to that criminal." Devian hadn't realized just how blinded his sister was. She reminded him of a child who was afraid of losing their mother and suddenly Devian wondered if that was just it. Diana had gotten very attached to Cephera after their years of fighting, maybe his sister was now afraid to lose her attention and love. It was foolish to think their mother would toss either of them aside for the love of any man and the future of more children, but he was beginning to think that was exactly her problem. She was afraid.

Devian really wasn't sure what to say to her. He had made her angry enough and so much was happening he didn't want to broach the subject now. Now wasn't the time. "She deserves to be happy, if he makes her happy shouldn't that be all that matters?" He asked her instead.

"She can find happiness elsewhere. She has everything she needs anyway." Devian frowned and dropped the subject before things got out of hand. When the silence fell between them Diana finally left him alone. Devian went to the table in his room grabbing a quill, ink and book along the way. He had begun to keep his own journal. He sat at his table and began to notate everything that had happened, his feelings and what he hoped to achieve from it all. He also noted his suspicion that Diana was jealous to not have their mother's full attention. He believed now that no matter who the man might be no one would ever be good for their mother if Diana had a say in it.

When he was done he grabbed a blank book and moved from his room to the library. He could at least do some research regarding Jotun women and their attributes. He made note of any traditions regarding the female and male. He studied the meanings of a blood bond and even moved further into their laws. Maybe he could find something that would give him an edge against them. Something that could put him in charge and secure his place among them to work on his alliance from within their culture. If this marriage did happen he needed to know what he was getting himself into.

He would make the best of this. He would not brood over past love or what could have been. He would come at this new life head on, but he wouldn't do it blind. His mind was the most powerful thing he had and he would use it. Devian spent the rest of his night in the library before his eyes began to close of their own accord. Sleep stopped his extensive research and he sluggishly pulled himself to bed.

Thank You's

- Malfoy Horan Kim: I thought the fluffy was needed with these chapters being pretty serious.

- Short Haired Me: I think the question is will they get out of this not how. Lol. No worries about not logging in. Hehe

- Twifan 1987: it certainly did.

- Gfor098: don't I always have lots of stuff on the go. Lol and I wanted to use the Jotuns this fic. :)

- Loki's Dreamer: no worries we all have social lives that get in the way of other stuff. :) Odin is defiantly not thinking as a father but more as a king.

- Benfan1: we'll see.

- Doctor Loki Love: I'm glad you like the family emotions coming into it. It s not all sexual tension and family fights after all. Loki is new at parenting but he's doing pretty good.

- Loki's Dreamer: ahh come on now. It might be nice. Different doesn't mean bad. :P

- Reneemm: interesting thought. :D