37

Treasures Untold, Secrets Unfold

The past hides treasures and secrets~ Loki

Sam picked up Max while they entered the mouth of the cave and the floating orbs started glowing in a bright white light.

"I hope we find a huge treasure." Vince grumbled .

"Ooooooo!" Aleta said as she looked at the crystals hanging from the rocks on the ceiling and the whole cave shimmered. There were opalescent crystals across almost the entire surface of the porous limestone. Even in the dimmer light of the mageglobes, the entire cave glistened like something out of a myth or a legend. Serena, Lucy and Belle picked up some crystal shards lying on the ground as they walked along and Fenris sniffed the air. It was cool but not damp and there was an odd scent of frost in it. Loki noticed some writing on the walls as he blinked and realized the words were Jotun.

"What do they say, Dad?" Hunter asked.

"This says My dearest daughter. If you found my journals, follow my clues and you will find something amazing," Loki said.

"This cave is amazing." Sam said and looked at the gems.

"Are theses diamonds?" Vince asked, his jaw dropping.

"Not diamonds. They are rarer than that. These are Frost Opals." Loki replied.

"But I thought they were only native to Jotunheim" Belle said.

"Yes . . . except if you are an earth mage with a specialty in gems," Loki answered quietly. "Most earth mages have a plant specialty but some-a rare few-have a specialty with gems and crystals. It would seem Rhiannon's mother-I wish I knew her name-had that ability."

"How do you know, Dad?" Nate asked, looking about in awe.

"Because a gem mage can create veins of ores and mines of gems wherever they choose," Loki explained.

"Then why was Rhiannon poor?" Serena queried.

"Obviously, her mother did not wish to share that knowledge with her husband," Loki surmised. "Given his nasty nature. I can see why."

"Should we take these to Rhiannon?" Aleta asked, touching the pale blue stones with hidden fires deep within them.

"I think we should bring her here," Loki said. "This was left for her to find."

"Go get her. We will wait." Lucy encouraged. "She will be so happy to see this. They are beautiful!"

"These Frost Opals, are they worth a lot?" Vince wanted to know.

"On Jotunheim, they are a semi-precious stone. But here in Asgard . . .they are worth more than diamonds because they are so rare." Loki replied.

"Wow!" Vince said, touching one. "Rhiannon could sell these and make a lot of money."

"I will go and bring her here. All of you stay here and make sure you are quiet. We don't want anyone else knowing about this place." Loki cautioned.

"We will," they assured him. He teleported away.

Rhiannon started at his arrival, nearly dropping one book that she read from.

"Oh! It's you!" She gasped and closed the journal. She had tears in her eyes, and she wiped her face.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He said. "You're upset, love. Why were you crying?" He knelt beside her, concerned.

"I wasn't . . . it's just that what I read . . . both shocked me and saddened me." She said, looking at the journals. "Mother was forced to marry Father... and I... I have relations in Jotunheim that still live."

"It was an alliance marriage? Like mine with Boda? And your relatives are alive? That's great news!"

"Yes. Only . . .." She bit her lip, her expression one of mixed anger, sorrow, and hope. "Father lied to me. He told me they were all dead."

"I am sorry for that. I know how that feels," he said sympathetically.

"Thank you, Loki. You would know, if anyone would, how it feels to find out what always believed about yourself was fake. I know this shouldn't come as a surprise, not after what I already learned he had done, but I feel as if I don't know who I am anymore." She blinked down at the books, a name embossed into the covers.

"Larimar," Loki read. "That's a blue gemstone in Jotunheim. Was that your mother's name?"

"Yes," she said while tears rolled down her cheek. He reached out a hand and gently wiped the tear away, and their eyes met in shared understanding.

"How well I know what you are feeling." He murmured. "For it is what I felt when I learned that I was an adopted Jotun prince. All I had once known crumbled like sand beneath my feet and I was left with nothing but dust that slipped through my fingers." His hand cupped her cheek.

"Does it get better?" Her hand closed upon his wrist, and clung like a lifeline to him.

"Yes. When you accept that your past is only part of who you are."

"Let me show you something," she said as she opened one of the journals. "She mentioned she was going to leave my father," she said, pointing at the journal entry. "She was going to take me, she wrote that she had been beaten terribly, and that she was weary of his treatment."How could I have been so blind? How could Father?"

"Rurik thinks Frost Giants are monster, but it is HE who is the monster!'," Loki said as he read the entry and he tried hard not to growl. Then he looked into Rhee's tear-glazed eyes and murmured, "Rhee, you were a child. You shouldn't blame yourself for not seeing how unhappy she was. Lots of times parents try and hide their feelings from their children, to protect them. As for your father, he only saw what he wanted, he was a selfish kvarik!" The word Loki used was Jotun for "cruel-hearted bastard."

"There is so much more. I was to be a sister, but Mother lost the child because he hurt her terribly." She wept into her hands.

Loki paled. "Norns have mercy! Tell me." He sensed she needed to confide in someone, so she did not make herself sick from keeping everything inside.

"He poisoned her to keep her from using magic, he kept her too weak to protect herself."

Loki hugged her. "Poisoned how?"

"He made her drink some potion, to prevent her from shifting or using magic." She said and sobbed. Loki stroked her hair and handed her a handkerchief.

"I'm so sorry. May I read it?" Loki asked, and she handed him the journal. He read aloud, " 'I fought back from his abuse. I am a princess as well as a warrior and I will not be forced to bow to his wishes. He became frightened when I did fight back and swore he would do something to prevent me from attacking him again."

"Yes, she was a proud woman. She would not let him touch her after a while." She said, wiping her eyes.

Loki looked through the pages when he found what sort of potion was used and his heart slammed hard in his chest.

"What is wrong, Loki?" Rhiannon asked him, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"I just read what sort of potion she was given. It has to be taken daily or the potion wears off."

"He forced her to drink it every day?" Rhiannon asked, her face shocked.

"Yes, and he didn't care about the side effect."

"What sort of side effect?"

"Taking this daily caused her to become barren."

"Was she...? Was she taking it while carrying me?"

Loki looked through the journal.

"'I stopped taking the potion for a while. I prayed he would finally allow me to have a child, and finally I persuaded him he needed an heir," he said and Rhiannon placed her face against his shoulder. "'I was overjoyed when I became pregnant, but he forced me to take the potion again. I begged him not to, as it would harm the baby, but he didn't care. He would pour it down my throat and laugh about me miscarrying. I prayed for that not to happen, but I was also afraid what the potion was doing to my baby. When Rhiannon was born, I was glad she was healthy and whole, but she showed only some magical skills. Was she barren as well? And Rurik was furious, saying I had given him nothing but a useless girl."

"Damn him! Because of him I face never having a child!"

"You will have children. Meadowsweet cured you," he reminded her and she sniffed, nodding her head. "And no man has the right to make decisions such as that over a woman's own body. I never have."

"That is because you are a gentleman."

"And I also know what it is like raise a child of a forced union. You see, when I took down Grimes, I found in his records that Serena's father forced himself on her mother."

"No!" she gasped.

"Yes. He was a drug lord, a person who ruled over people who sold illegal medical substances, and she was his girlfriend. According to what I found out, he had attacked her and she became pregnant. She gave Serena up so she wouldn't have to live with the shame, but Serena doesn't know."

"And she never will," she promised and he gave her a small smile. "I suppose, that I should take these books back with me. And the trunk." She said softly.

"You should. And the saddle."

"It was hers," Rhiannon confirmed. "But Father sold her horse before I was born and so she put it away."

"But, before we go, I need to show you something," he said and she gave him a puzzled look. He slid his arms around her then they teleported, arriving in the cave.

"Oh!"

"Surprise!" Aleta and Max said with their arms up, Rhiannon looked at the Frost Opals and other gems in awe.

"It appears your mother was a gem mage," Loki said.

"Did she do all this?" Rhiannon gasped.

"Yes. Remember in the journal where she said she stopped taking the potion to stop her from shifting and using her powers? She must have found this cave and used her powers to make all this."

"Why didn't she...? No, I know why she didn't tell my father. He would have used all this to buy women and drink," Rhiannon growled, her sapphire eyes flashing.

"What would you like to do with the Frost Opals?"

"If you don't mind, I would like to give them to Odin as my way of thanking him for allowing me to marry you."

"What?!" Vince said and Hunter nudged him.

"Shut it," Hunter hissed.

"He wouldn't want you to give him something," Loki said as he hugged Rhiannon. "He agreed to our marriage because he wants me to be happy and he cares about you."

"Then I will give it as a gift to Asgard," Rhiannon said.

"Cool," Sleph said.

"Yeah. That would be really cool," Jorgy said.

"Wouldn't that make them not as rare anymore?" Belle asked.

"You're right, Raven," Loki said.

"But I wish to share them," Rhiannon protested. "I do not need all of them."

"Let us talk about what to do with them with my father. He might have some suggestions."

"I agree," she said with a nod and picked up several smaller pieces of Frost Opals.

"Is this the gift she left me?" She asked, looking around her and her toe brushed an old, metal chest.

She tripped, falling to the ground and rubbed her knee.

"Are you okay?" Loki asked, helping her up. "What is that?" He indicated the old metal chest.

"I don't know," she said, looking at the trunk.

"Open it!" Vince said.

She crawled over, running her hands over it and finding a lock.

"It is locked." Rhiannon frowned and picked up a rock to smash it with.

"Wait," Hunter said. "I can open it." He took out a thin metal instrument. "Lockpick."

"Where did you learn to do that?" She asked him, her eyes going wide.

"Dad didn't tell you? I used to run with a gang. Called ourselves Fenris. I was the best pickpocket and second story man in it. Nobody ever caught me, and I could pick any lock they had-as long as it wasn't magnetized." Hunter answered. "But that was before Dad adopted me."

"He did not mention this." Rhiannon said, watching him open the lock. "I suppose I should have him tell me about all of you."

"Or you can all tell Rhiannon about yourselves," Loki said calmly. "It's usually better if it comes from you."

"Man, there could be something valuable in that box." Vince said and rubbed his hands together.

There was a click and the lock sprang open. "Easy as pie," Hunter declared. "But I'm slow. I used to be able to pick a lock in ten seconds."

"I appreciate your effort." Rhiannon said and opened the box.

Inside were thousands of gold coins, a necklace of frost opals, diamonds, and pearls, and a bracelet with a set of earrings to match the necklace. Vince's eyes went wide at the sight and Rhiannon held the necklace in her hands.

"That is beautiful!" Serena said in awe.

"I bet that was your mother's wedding jewelry. And this was probably money given to her by her family for her new life." Loki surmised.

"Or she was hiding it to run away from my father." Rhiannon said, and Vince picked up an earring.

"You could pay for the wedding on this." Vince said and held the earring up to the light.

"That won't be necessary," Loki demurred. "I can pay for whatever we want. Or we could split it."

"Perhaps I could give these to Queen Frigga, she has pierced ears." Rhiannon offered.

"Dad could pierce your ears." Serena offered, and grinned.

"Why don't you wait a bit before giving anything away?" Loki suggested.

"Yes. Perhaps I should." She said and smiled to herself. She held the necklace in her hands, and picked up the bracelet. "I hope that I am not robbed on the way back for all of this."

"You won't be. Number one, nobody knows you have it, and I can hide it and number two, I can protect you and you can protect yourself if it came to it."

She nodded. "That is so. Where did you learn to pierce ears? Is it with an awl and a cork as Mother's was done?

"In New York. I ended up learning so I could pierce all my girls ears at one time. I bought an ear piercing gun and gold earrings with their birthstones in them and I froze their ears with my frost magic. It took two seconds and was painless. Right, girls?"

"It was." Sam agreed, the rest of the girls nodding.

"And nobody's ears got infected, because Dad made sure everything was sterile and we took care of them right," Serena remembered.

"I don't remember it," Aleta said.

"That's because you were a baby, spark." Loki told her.

"You pierced her ears as a baby?" Rhiannon asked.

Loki nodded. "She was eleven months old when I did that. Some people on Earth have their babies ears pierced a few weeks after they are born. That way they grow up with the earrings."

"And it does not hurt at all?" Rhiannon asked, thinking of having Loki pierce her ears.

"No." Belle assured her. "Once Dad numbed our ears we felt nothing. Even after it wore off it didn't hurt."

"Oh. I never had mine pierced, only nobles did that." Rhiannon said.

"You can do it now." Aleta said

"I can hold your hand." Max said and reached up for her hand.

"Would you like me to pierce your ears?" Loki asked.

Rhiannon hesitated. "You don't need to—" she began.

"That wasn't what I asked," Loki said patiently.

"We-e-ll . . .."

"Do it! Do it!" the girls encouraged.

"Oh why not?" Rhiannon chuckled. "Go ahead."

"You can squeeze my hand if it hurts," Max told her.

"It doesn't," Serena informed him.

"Okay." Loki said, and summoned two things. One was his ear-piercing gun, the other was the set of Frost Opals that had been Astra's. "These are a gift from my mother," he said and he placed them on the gun. "They were Astra's and she would want you to have them. They have an enchantment upon them that prevents anyone from controlling your mind—magically or otherwise."

"Oh Loki! Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now this won't hurt, because I'm going to numb your ears with my frost magic," he explained. "Just stay still, darling."

Rhiannon remained very still and Loki used his magic to numb her ear lobes. Then he cleaned them with a cotton swab dipped in a small amount of alcohol from his medic satchel. After that he held her head and used the gun to pierce her ear and place the earring in. He did the same to her opposite ear.

The entire operation took seconds and did not hurt at all.

"You didn't cry!" Max exclaimed. "Wow! You're brave!"

"It did not hurt, little scamp," Rhiannon told him, tousling his hair.

"Here. Look!" Loki held a small mirror for her to see her newly pierced ears.

"They are beautiful," she said, admiring the shimmering jewelry. "Thank you, Loki."

"You will be the envy of all the ladies at court," he chuckled and kissed her lightly.

She laughed and kissed him back.

The boys groaned at the display.

"Come on, we should take this chest and some of the opals and put them on the horses." Loki instructed.

A/N: I would like to clarify something because a reader was confused. This story takes places over WEEKS in Asgard, and sometimes several chapters span a DAY or TWO DAYS. For instance the last few chapters and three more upcoming ones span a DAY. While it might seem to some people like months have passed in Asgard for Loki, Rhee, and the kids, that is not the case. So much has occurred within the span of a few weeks, that it may seem like longer. I'm saying this because a reader complained to me about how it seemed as though Loki and Rhee were never getting betrothed and married. Well, it's not going to happen overnight. I am a fan of the slow romance, where people take time to get to trust each other and know each other before they suddenly get married or sleep together. Remember, Loki and Rhee both have huge self-confidence and trust issues because they were abused and hurt before so that will take time to overcome. However, never doubt they love each other. Because they do, very deeply. But the first and most important cornerstone of any relationship is trust. So for those of you impatient that Loki and Rhee are not kissing behind the pillars and shrubbery every second, keep in mind that their passion is secondary to trust and self-confidence, especially in Rhee's case.