Ella had sought Loki out after her disagreement with Sif and the Warriors Three. Rushing through the halls of his quarters, she found him in his chamber. She knocked twice and the guard opened the door once Loki had informed him that she could enter. Ella let her cheeks tinge red as she saw Loki stood in the doorway of his balcony, his arms folded over his chest.
His brow seemed to furrow at the sight of his sister as the door closed behind her. Taking steps towards him, she moved with haste to wrap her arms around him. She held her brother close to her as Loki startled for a moment, his arms moving to wrap around her as his hand found the back of her head.
"What has happened, Ella?" he enquired from her, his voice holding a sign of concern as he watched his sister shake her head back and forth against his shoulder.
"Nothing," Ella said, not wanting to burden her brother with what had happened. "I just…I understand, Loki."
"And what has brought this behaviour on, Ella?" Loki asked from her and she shook her head at hearing him, pulling back and composing herself, sniffing loudly as she looked to him with wide eyes.
"I just…I just want you to know that I am with you, regardless of anything. You are still my brother and I believe in you."
Loki was about to smile at hearing her, but he kept his lips lowered as he slowly pieced the pieces together. Nodding his head, he dropped his hands from his sister and let his hands rest on his hips. He nodded his head before letting out a deep breath.
"What have Thor's friends been saying?" Loki asked and he saw her huff and moved by him towards the balcony, pushing the mesh curtains out of the way. She came to stand at the balcony edge, her hands resting on the ledge as she peered over the city.
"You can tell me, Ella," Loki urged from her, moving to stand next to her on the balcony. She shook her head slowly as Loki moved a hand to rest on her back, scrunching up material that sat there.
"They want you to bring Thor home, but they do not understand why you would not," Ella said. "And they said some things that I didn't appreciate. I know that you were never close to them, not like Thor was, but they have no right to talk about you like you are beneath Thor."
"I am used to it," Loki responded, not particularly interested in what those four warriors had been discussing. Their thoughts did not concern him, nor did he care for their gossip. "Ella, do not concern yourself over them."
"But I do," Ella replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "How can I not? They were mean and cold and they just don't understand. It's not fair for them to question you."
Loki remained silent, knowing full well that he had his sister firmly on his side. He suspected she might not be if she knew what he had just done. Thor was staying on Midgard and Loki would make sure of that. Of course, Ella didn't need to know. A part of him felt horrid for keeping her in the dark. He hated that, really. But it was for the best.
"Ella," Loki whispered her name and she moved her gaze back to him as he offered her a small smile. "What they say should not bother you. Believe me, you have other things to worry about…such as helping me rule over Asgard."
Ella scoffed as she moved, her legs turning to rest against the stone as she looked to Loki. She had her eyes set on Loki as she folded her arms over her waist and Loki saw her shiver as the sun slowly set and the cool wind rolled over her Asgard.
"You can rule without me," Ella said to him.
"Do you think so?" Loki wondered back, moving to the large chair that sat on the corner of his balcony. He picked up a blanket that sat on top of it and moved with it over to Ella, draping the blanket over her shoulders and letting her hold it around her body.
"I know so," Ella replied.
"No, I cannot do this without you," Loki informed her as he saw her shake her head, but he soon stopped her as he moved a hand to her arm, holding it in a soft grip. "I need someone next to me, Ella. I…you underestimate how much I need you. You are good with the people…you are clever…believe me, ruling is a lot better with you next to me."
Ella smiled softly at hearing him, unable to stop her lips from quirking, her anger soon disappearing as she moved forwards to peck Loki on the cheek, the motion tender and soft. Loki smiled back to her before he watched her turn back around to look over Asgard.
"It is so strange," Ella commented. "How has all of this happened out of nowhere?"
"I know," Loki agreed with her. "Perhaps we should rest for the evening? Today has been quite challenging for both of us."
"I suppose so," Ella agreed and Loki bid her goodnight before she left the room and Loki was alone once more, pondering over what he had discussed with her just now. He needed to keep everything safe. He needed to stop the Warriors Three and Sif from digging any deeper.
…
"I miss him," Ella admitted to Frigga as she sat next to her mother besides Odin's bedside. Loki had been there for a few minutes, but he had told her that he had to go as he had business to attend to. It was then when Ella spoke.
"We all miss him," Frigga assured her daughter. "But Thor will make his way back home to us."
"But when?" Ella worried. "Mother, the Odinsleep is deeper than we have ever seen it before. I understand why Loki has Thor banished and why he refuses to let him home, but that doesn't mean that I don't miss him."
"Of course you miss him," Frigga said, moving to take hold of her daughter by the hand, leaning forwards and offering her motherly comfort. "I know that you miss him, just as we all do."
"I just want it all to end," Ella said in a whisper. "I want everything to go back to how it was."
"Darling," Frigga said in a small voice, "nothing will ever go back to how it was. Things have changed. They had to change. Thor could not keep on acting how he was and Loki had to know the truth. Things might have changed, but never doubt that Loki is your brother, just as Thor is."
Ella frowned for a moment. "I know that Loki is my brother," Ella said. "But what concerns me is the fact that we should all be together right now instead of being separate."
"Perhaps so," Frigga agreed. "However, your brother is the one who is ruling Asgard and we already know his feelings on the matter."
"I know," she mumbled and then moved to her feet, looking over to Odin and bending down to kiss him on the cheek. She was still angry with what he had done, but her anger was slowly dying down with each passing day.
Turning to her mother, she offered her a small smile as Frigga gave her a nod of encouragement, trying to tell her daughter that she could get through this. She could get through anything that was thrown at her. Ella tugged at the skirts of the blue dress she wore, the light material pooling around her feet as she left her father's chamber.
Wandering down the corridors, Ella continued on her way towards the Throne Room, but she couldn't find Loki there. She couldn't find him anywhere. Arching a brow, she wandered off towards his quarters but he also was not there. Ella didn't know where he could possibly have gone. Returning to the library, Ella found herself picking at a book to pass the time away, tugging one from the shelf.
Heading out to the balcony, she was about to settle down on the bench there before she noticed a familiar sight in the distance. Her brows rose on her forehead as she wandered towards the balcony ledge, hands holding onto the stone and the book resting under her grip.
"What is he doing?" Ella whispered as the sight of Loki coming over the Rainbow Bridge. She could see him in the distance due to her height. Where had he been?
Ella moved back into the library, tossing her book onto the seat before rushing through the halls. She made it to the stables in time to see Loki dismounting from his horse. Moving towards him, she saw him look to her with intrigue.
"Ella," he said, shocked to see her.
"Where have you been?" Ella enquired from him. "I saw you on the Rainbow Bridge. What has happened?"
"Nothing," Loki lied to her. "I went to check that all was well."
"Could you not have sent someone to see to that?" Ella asked back in a small voice and Loki chuckled, letting someone take his horse from him before he offered his arm to her and she took hold of it.
"Yes," Loki said, "but I needed time away form the castle."
"I see," Ella responded and Loki could hear the disappointment in her voice.
"Had you expected me to go and see Thor?" Loki wondered of her and she shrugged nonchalantly, keeping her grip on Loki tight as he watched her with intensity, his gaze unrelenting as she did her best not to seem too obvious. "I take it from that silence that is a yes."
"I just wondered if you had checked that he was safe," Ella said.
"He will be fine," Loki declared. "Do not worry over Thor."
"But I do," Ella said. "I know that you do not think you should bring him back and I respect that decision. I have told you that. I respect everything you decide, but I just would like to be able to make sure he was safe. He might be a brute, but he is still our brother."
Nodding his head, Loki agreed. "Yes," he said in a drawl, "however we have other things to worry about, not just Thor. Father is ill and I believe that the Frost Giants are not appeased."
"The Frost Giants?" Ella worried, stepping back from Loki as they stopped walking through the gardens in the middle of a row of fountains. She said nothing for a moment, choosing to keep quiet as Loki looked down to her.
"I have heard that they are still angered over what Thor did," Loki declared and Ella shook her head, hands going to wrap around her waist as Loki saw the fear rise in her eyes. He didn't mean to scare her. He never meant to scare her. He only meant to warn her and make the events that were going to unfold appear calculated.
"But they were the ones who attacked Asgard," Ella said. "They ruined Thor's coronation. Loki, father made certain that all was well between us and them."
Loki nodded, "I know," he spoke, "but all is not well. I have asked Heimdall to step up his watch over them. I do not wish to startle you, dear sister, but I thought that you should know."
Nodding in agreement, Ella moved to take hold of her brother by the hands. "And I thank you for that," Ella declared to him. "But I just want us all to be safe, Loki. Perhaps we should tell mother?"
"And add more stress to her?" Loki asked, shaking his head. "No, we can deal with this together, Ella. We can show father that we are able to do this."
Ella bit down on her tongue as Loki moved to kiss her on the forehead. She did her best not to appear too nervous about such a situation as Loki smiled softly and took her arm again. Ella trusted Loki. Of course she did. But she knew that there was something else. She wanted to tell her mother. She needed to.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think!