Hello guys! I missed you so much! Summer is nearly over but luckily, our bitter-sweet god of mischief has still a lot to live and tell!
Enjoy!
xx
L.
CHAPTER 5
Hush, child
The darkness will rise from the deep
And carry you down into sleep
Child, the darkness will rise from the deep
And carry you down into sleep.
Guileless son,
I'll shape your belief
And you'll always know that your father's a thief
And you won't understand the cause of your grief
But you'll always follow the voices beneath loyalty.
Mordred's lullaby
~•~•~•~
Thanos was sitting in silence, his eyes blankly towards the girl. Around him, his army was poised, waiting for his orders. He tilted his head and rubbed his chin with a finger.
"Call the Trickster." He murmured in the end.
Loki was not slow to arrive. When his slender figure entered the room, the light thud of his steps was the only noise to be heard and his curved- horns helmet shone bright under the light of the torches. A deep wrinkle, right between his eyebrows, furrowed his forehead and made his expression a bit vexed
"Have I troubled your sleep, Laufey son?" The titan teased him, as their gazes met.
"Nights are too precious to be wasted on sleeping". He replied calmly. "How may I serve you my lord?". He asked.
Thanos narrowed his eyes for some seconds, studying him; then spoke, uttering slowly each word.
"I need another proof of your gratitude, Asgardian". He said.
"Anything you desire my lord, but if I am allowed, once again, I am not Asgardian." He clarified, careful not to displease him.
Thanos raised an eyebrow, without answering back and beckoned at one of his servants.
" The dagger". He said peremptorily.
As the servant accomplished his will, a sharp silver blade appeared into his hands, glimmering, when the moonbeams poured on it. He lifted it closer to his eyes to examine it with care; then, started to glide his forefinger all over the cutting edge of the knife.
"That girl saved me." He said. "She saved us all". "Too bad she won't know." He concluded, when he reached the top of the blade.
He lingered on the pointy extremity for a short while; afterwards, with a sudden movement, he plunged it deep into his fingertip, letting dense red blood drops ooze from the split skin. Loki winced, whereas the titan's mouth lifted in a faint smirk.
"Excelent weapon." He stated. "Nevertheless, I wonder if you possess the same mastery." He added, mockingly.
Loki tightened his jaws. "Try me". He challenged him.
"Very well." He shot back, as if he had been hoping for that response. He stood up and gave Loki the blade.
"Cut her throat". He commended.
Loki blinked. His guts turned over "Pardon?" He asked, horrified.
"You heard me well." Thanos flatly answered.
You gave me your word you wouldn't have harmed her in any way!" Loki retorted
"Indeed, that's why I'm asking you to do it." He replied with a wicked, satisfied smile.
Thanos stood up and loomed over him but Loki did not step back. He lifted his chin and kept his gaze on him.
"Is that hesitation or cowardice?" The titan taunted him again.
Loki swallowed hard and bit the inside of his cheek not to counter.
Thanos chuckled bitterly. "Choose"- he said through his teeth- "her throat or yours"
Loki flinched. He grabbed the knife and took some steps aside. "As you wish, my lord." He finally hissed.
~•~•~•~
The rain was whipping wildly against the windows of the palace and Loki knew it would have soon turned into a storm. He felt his stomach knotting while his heart started to hammer so fast inside his chest, that it almost hurt. Her mother, instead, looked not worried at all, so absorbed as she was, in the book she was reading. Her pupils were fixed on the pages and he could even catch a blaze of amusement rushing through them.
When a lightening slayed the sky, with a sudden boast, Loki was caught by surprise. He startled so violently that he hit his shoulder against the door and the pillow he was holding, fell off his hands with a dull thud.
"Hello Loki" she greeted him from the cot she was lying on. There was nor surprise, nor amazement in her tone.
Loki moved some shy steps forward and stopped under the full light of the chamber.
"Hello mother" he answered below his breath, deeply embarrassed.
"I was wondering how long you meant to stay hidden behind that door" she added with a sly smile. Loki gulped and ducked his head. Every single shade of red spread over his cheeks.
"I...I must have sleepwalked and got lost he tried to explain, staring at the floor you were reading and I didn't mean to disturb you."
"Of course". Frigga replied with a nod of understanding. "So, you're not hiding because you're scared of the storm. Are you?" She inquired, keeping her smile on.
Loki snapped his head up. His face clouded.
He suddenly felt tears of pride and resentment pushing against the verge of his eyes and swallowed to hold them back. His lower lip began to quiver
"I'm not that weak". He lied, turning his back on her mother.
Frigga sighed deeply and cantered her head.
"Loki, my child come here, come and sit next to me." She begged him.
Loki sobbed. For a few seconds, anger kept twitching his face.
He turned fumingly towards her, ready to shot her one of his sharp retort but when he met her gaze, the tension in his body eased and his forehead and cheekbones slowly smoothed.
Without saying a word, he run to her , got up on the cot and let her warm hug overwhelm him.
"Fear is not a weakness" she told him, wiping smoothly his dried tears away, without it, courage would not exist."
He gave her a small smile in response and leant his head against her breast.
Then, safe in her arms, he closed her eyes and fell asleep, cradled by the soft sound of her mother's heartbeat.
~•~•~•~
The same cot that centuries earlier had witnessed that tender embrace, was now hosting Lisa. Her eyelids down. She looked just asleep but Loki sensed that something was wrong with her. His eyes darted from a point to another of her figure.
She was still wearing the red tunic she had on, the last time he had seen her but she was barefoot and her hair, now partly loose, was hanging out in dishevelled locks, over the squared marble floor.
Loki cautiously stepped closer and lowered his gaze on her; through the cloth brushing against her feet, he glimpsed purple- rimmed bruises marking her ankles, while on her belly, a large irregular spot made the fabric darker.
He clumsily stretched his wrist out to reach it and as his fingertips met the fabric, it felt hot and drenched. Reflexively he withdrew his arm and turned his hand up. Fresh blood stained his palm.
Loki's eyes widened in utter bewilderment, his bowels constricted.
"What have you done to her? You filthy animal!" He harshly snarled to the Mad Titan, completely out of control.
He approached him, the dagger still gripped in his fist, his irises blazing with fury.
"I said, what have you done to her?" He yelled at him.
Thanos didn't moved a inch of his muscles. That grin of mockery was still printed on his face.
"You have not changed, Trickster, and you never will." He just commented in a scornful voice.
Loki suddenly halted.
A flash of shrewdness made his eyes sparkle.
He let the dagger go and clamped his fingers down on Lisa's wrist.
"Yes." He answered. "I think you are quite right."
From the spread palm of his left hand a blue light swirled and jolted, a second later, the Tesseract came out in all its glimmering perfection.
"I will never change." he confirmed, gloating at Thanos' shocked expression.
Then, before a sound could emerge from the titan's parted lips, they both disappeared in the blink of an eye.