"Loki, what the hell?" She didn't respond past shrugging her jacket back up onto her shoulders. "Who did that? Why?"
"It's the mark of a traitor, Elliott." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. She still wouldn't look at him. "An Asgardian ritual almost as old as our great civilization. The betrayer is branded with the mark of Nidhogg and stripped of their status in Asgardian society and any magic they might possess."
"Then how do you still have yours?"
Loki smirked. "I jumped off the Bifrost Bridge before the Usurper could take it from me."
"Who?"
"Odin. He stole the throne from my mother and lied about my parentage to cement his claim. When I found out... it did not end well."
"You tried to overthrow him." It wasn't a question.
Loki turned to him, locking her gaze with his. "Put yourself in my place. Your people are suffering. Your older sibling is oblivious and practically worships the source of their troubles. No one else can do anything. The man you thought was your father has lied to you your whole life and is plotting to have you killed now that you know the truth. More realms will be brought to woe if he is not stopped, for he will continue to conquer until the whole universe is ground under his heel."
As she spoke, Elliott felt waves of emotion radiating off her: pain, anger, betrayal, but mostly a deep, aching sadness.
"Now look me in the eyes and tell me you would not have done the same thing." He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He could say it, but it would not be true. Loki nodded slightly, as if she were confirming something. She didn't say anything else after that.
Elliott didn't remember falling asleep, and he certainly didn't remember falling asleep with the goddess of lies wrapped in his arms. Yet, somehow, that is exactly what had happened. He should move, he knew, and yet he stayed. Her ebony black hair was sprayed out around her head. In the morning sunlight it seemed to shimmer with a thousand other colors underneath, much like a raven's feathers. It was a sharp contrast to her pale skin, but not an unseemly one. For once, her face was relaxed. It seemed like it would be such a shame to move and wake her. He slowly reached up and brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. She smiled briefly, mumbled something unintelligible, and snuggled closer into him. Elliott lay there, staring into space. This felt so... right, for some reason. It shouldn't be. She was a royal alien sorceress from a fucking alternate reality for crying out loud! He'd only known her for a few days! And yet, when she smiled, his heart glowed with a warmth unlike anything he'd ever known. But did she feel the same way? He didn't know.
The first thing Loki noticed when she woke was that she wasn't screaming. Normally, the nightmares jerked her awake, terrified and ready to fight. This morning was different. She awoke slowly as the morning light danced over her eyelids. Elliott had his arms wrapped protectively around her - when had that happened? She didn't know, and she realized with surprise that she didn't care. It felt good...safe, even. She peeked up at him to see that he was already awake.
"Good morning, sleepyhead." Elliott grinned, and Loki's heart did a small somersault. Gods above, why did he have to be so handsome when he flashed that cocky smile of his?
Loki mumbled a string of Jotun curses under her breath.
"What?"
"I said we should get something to eat before we leave."
"Oh." Elliott gently released her from his arms. Part of Loki wanted to say no, let's stay here and never leave: This is good and warm and safe. The rational part of her knew that wasn't an option, at least not if they wanted to save this universe from certain destruction. In the end, that part of her won out, and she swung her feet down onto the cold floor.
"So, what's the plan?" Elliott asked.
"We need to get to Kamar Taj. That's the plan."
"That's not a plan; that's a half baked idea!"
"Got a better one?" Loki shot back as she shrugged her jacket up onto her shoulders and pulled her wavy hair back into a messy ponytail.
"No."
Loki chucked Elliott's boots at him, who barely managed to catch them before they hit him in the face. "Then shut up and get a move on."
Elliott grumbled under his breath but didn't argue. Loki elected to ignore him. On the way out of New Asgard, she quietly swiped a pair of muffins from a bakery stall. Once they were out of sight, she passed one to Elliott. He looked at her sideways. "Isn't that stealing?"
Loki glanced back at him incredulously. "With everything you know about me, do you really think petty theft is something that bothers me?"
"No. Just thought I should ask."
"Mortals." Loki shook her head and kept walking.
Elliott shook his head and sighed dramatically. "Asgardians." Loki was glad her back was to him, so he wouldn't see the smirk that flashed across her face.
Author's Note:
For those who are wondering, Loki has what is essentially the Asgardian version of PTSD. I am working off what I know from the internet (which, as we all know, is always completely reliable in its information). Anything and everything I may get wrong can be explained by the fact that she is an alien, and I am the author and I said so. That said, I am doing my best to keep it reasonably realistic. This is also the reason for some - but not all - of her instability. The rest of the explanation will come later.
Also, Nidhogg is a real figure in Norse mythology: the snake (or sometimes dragon) that gnaws on the roots of the world tree, often synonymous with villainy or a loss of honor. The existence of Nidhogg is also canon; it is carved on the hidden drawer that the Tesseract was in when Red Skull finds it in the beginning of Captain America. The rest of that part I made up.
Anyway, thank you to everyone who has been reading this story. I really appreciate the encouraging reviews and hope you guys continue to enjoy it.
-Silmae