Christie took a mightily deep breath before bursting through the Throne Hall doors, immediately faced with the throne that Odin once sat on. But now Loki sat there instead, his head resting on his palm, his long legs dangling over the side and his face strained with nothing but boredom. He raised a cocky eyebrow of wonder once Christie stormed through. "I see you somehow made it back out of the dungeons then?" he sighed. Christie bit back her cutting words and strode over to where he sat, until she was standing right in front of the golden podium holding the royal chair that her lover was lazily draped over.
Or…ex lover.
"Your mother bailed me out, as if that makes a difference. Listen - I know your games Loki," Christie murmured as she gradually climbed up the throne steps. Loki raised an eyebrow again - but this time in interest. It was obvious that her change in behaviour had intrigued him. "I know what you're doing here - and I want in." For a split second, Loki couldn't leave the shock out of his face. But then, out of nowhere, it fell back to neutral.
"Ah. Now why don't I believe you?" he asked with what sounded like a hint of sadness lingering in his words, looking up at where Christie was now stood towering above him. She carefully mounted herself on his lap, making no sudden movements, and slid her hand across his chest to cup his chiselled chin. She lightly ran her tongue over her bruised bottom lip before speaking again.
"Why don't you believe me? Is that a serious question? We all know you've got trust issues, lad," she hummed softly, bringing her face slightly even closer to his. Loki's bottle green eyes briefly flickered down to her lips and before working their way back up to her steely grey eyes again, biting back what he truly wanted to do to her in that very moment.
Christie could tell she was getting to him - so she pressed on before she lost him. "I really don't get why you wouldn't trust me, though. We've shared so much in the past and you had no qualms about it then-"
"Yes well things were different, then. I was different. And you know that if I find out that you are lying to me now, Annerledes - I will lock you and your little friends up in a heartbeat, and you know it to be true, because I've done it before," he whispered, voice dripping with danger but also a hint of lust. Christie was now desperate not to lose her cool with his threats, so she kept her composure and slowly licked her lips again. Deliberately keeping eye contact. Keeping her breath steady. Her mouth was getting drier and drier by the second, but she just couldn't show weakness.
"You wouldn't lock me up again, Loki, so we both know you don't mean that," she muttered, leaning her forehead against his. His skin was cold to the touch…clammy.
"Oh but Annerledes - I honestly do mean it. I don't like betrayal," he corrected her softly, placing a cold hand on her upper thigh. Christie's breath hitched in her throat - she hadn't felt his touch in so long, and now that the 'honeymoon stage' was over, it was more uncomfortable than she last remembered it to feel.
"Mmm. I'm sure we could work something out," she murmured straight into his ear. She had performed this act many times before with a host of different men - so why this one was paining her so much, she had no idea.
Maybe was because those feelings were once real.
"So that's it? You've just randomly changed your mind? Suddenly I'm not everything that you were shouting at me saying I was?" Loki clarified slowly, clearly still sceptical about her swift change of heart. But before he could challenge her again, Christie had suddenly leaned in and kissed him. She couldn't afford for him to probe into this any deeper. Any other day she would've melted into the kiss and his hands would be entangled in her hair, dipping her lower and lower as the kiss intensified - but Loki had been acting so awkward and off key that the whole thing was just…stiff. She literally had to force herself to loosen up a bit, and even then it made her feel slightly queasy to do so. Loki snaked his hand up to her bruised cheek as he slowly broke this kiss and stared at her face again. "I suppose I can make an exception," he muttered, his husky voice barely audible.
Target secured.
Christie quickly latched her lips to his again to try and solidify the deal - but was this time interrupted by the great Throne Room doors bursting open yet again.
It was Sif. And when she saw Loki kissing Christie and Christie kissing him back, she was less than impressed.
"Did you knock?" Loki called over to her, deliberately dragging out each word, whilst Christie immediately hopped off his lap and sped down the steps and straight over to where she stood. Her eyes were practically begging for her not to make a scene.
"After everything I told you! I warned you about him and this is how you betray me? Betray Asgard?!" Sif hissed, far too full of rage.
"Lady Sif, go and check on the girls," Christie muttered calmly, taking her shoulders in her hands. She was well aware that Loki was listening in on the entire conversation.
"For what?! I don't want to go and check on the girls! Annerledes, I cannot believe you've gone back to him!" Sif snapped, still in a wild frenzy.
"SIF!" Christie barked, shaking her shoulders. Loki snapped his head up and squinted at them both, and Sif shut her mouth for a second even though her face was still plastered with rage, so that Christie could whisper as quietly as she could, "Go...to...the...GIRLS. When you get there, clear the air. Got it?" Sif lingered a little, still furious - but she gave a reluctant nod and spun on her heel to leave. Christie took a deep shaky breath in before turning back to face Loki, who was now staring at her with expectant eyes.
"What was that all about?" he asked coldly.
"Nothing, my king," Christie muttered, giving him a stiff smile as she made her way back up the steps to rejoin him on the throne.
…
There was a loud hasty knock at the door of Christie's quarters just a few minutes later. Renesme glanced up from where she was preparing bedding for herself and the girls whilst Jennie glanced up from her book to frown at all the noise. Delilah finished dishing out their meat and salad dinners and wiped her hands clean on her dress before tiptoeing over to the door. Once she looked through the peephole and saw it was Sif, she flung it open without hesitation and hurried her inside. "WHAT THE HELL IS SHE PLAYING AT?" Sif burst out in a torrent of anger, barely making it past the doorframe. Renesme finally finished plumping all the pillows and decided to slip over to join the commotion, hopping down the steps to meet the baffled Delilah and Jennie.
"Lady Sif? Whatever is the matter?" Renesme started off with a worried frown, sitting herself down on one of the other pillows with her knees drawn to her chest.
"Your beloved Annerledes is all over that slimy beast, THAT'S what's the matter!" Sif fumed, storming into the room and slamming the door shut behind her. Jennie closed the book she was studying and threw it to the floor with a tired yawn.
"Look, Lady Sif, there's a logical explanation for this," she assured her. "Please calm-"
"There better be! I cannot believe after everything I told her..." Sif began - but suddenly she felt a presence cover her like a thick blanket.
Loki was watching, the girls knew because they could feel it too.
"LOKI. LEAVE!" Sif commanded authoritatively - and automatically, the women no longer felt that they were being watched.
"Annerledes is only acting this way to find out his plans so that we can stay one step ahead," Delilah explained with a hurried whisper as she passed each of the girls their dinner. Sif's angry face fell into one of horror.
"What?! That's dangerous. Stupidly noble, yes - but dangerous! If he finds out he'll kill her within seconds! That man is far from his right state of mind!" she gasped. "She's a fool for doing so!" Jennie nodded and took a seat on the fluffy rug beside Renesme, who was already eating.
"Perhaps - but she's also a courageous fool," she shrugged. "And we need to trust her without making it look worse than it already looks to the madman sitting on the throne right now before Asgard ends up in flames. Yes?" Sif glared a them all for a second longer, before clenching her jaw and agreeing.
"Fine."