Hey! So, this one is kind of technical. The next one will be way more concentrated on Ran and Loki.
A big thanks to Queen Serenity for telling me about the pairing feature and to all of you that reviewed and favorited. Ya'll are awesome.
"Ran?"
She sat on his bed. The green sheets still smelled like him. Deep pine and sweet peppermint filled her, trying to recreate Loki in some way. The silk bedding brushed against her skin as she wrapped it around herself. How many times had she been in his bedroom, wrapped in his sheets? Too many to count now.
"Sister?" The voice's deep timber was all too familiar to her. Her eyes remained closed, ignoring his calls.
"Ran. Look at me."
Uncovering her head, she looked to him, the Thunder God standing in the doorway with a plate of food in his hand. His blonde hair looked longer to her, his clothes more loose-fitting from being trapped in Midgard and not getting the daily nourishment he was accustomed to.
"What do you want, Thor?" Her voice was flat and emotionless, cutting him like a razor. His smile was so forced, that it almost caused him pain. He wanted to scoop her into his arms and sob along with her, but such emotion would break him as it was breaking her.
"I wished that you would join me for a meal. Just the two of us." His voice was hoarse and grated from grief. The pain they shared collectively shared was too great for them separately, but together, maybe they could heal. At least, that is what he had hoped.
"Alright."
Thor's bedroom was adorned with tapestries and carpets of ruby red that complemented the gold of the walls and floor. Ran always loved the brightness of his room in contrast with Loki's. They sat at the long dining table near the balcony with a large spread of food. Ran took very little, barely eating, while Thor took much, barely eating. They pushed their food around in silence for about fifteen minutes before it became too much to bear.
"I did not know he was going to let go." Thor began, not lifting his head from his plate. Ran sat, trying to keep herself from crying or exploding. Dropping her fork on the table, she pulled her hands up to her ears, not wanting to hear any more of his explanation.
"Ran, what he did was on his own accord. He was out of my grasp, so-"
Thor continued, only to be cut off by Ran banging her hands on the table.
"Stop!" her voice cracked from lack of use for days. "Do not tell me of your false, altruistic ideals. My brother is dead and you did nothing to save him! You did nothing!"
The look on his face changed in an instant. At that moment, she knew she had gone too far over the line.
"My brother died as well!" Thor stood, in his anger, throwing his chair behind him. "You do not tell me that I did nothing to save him! He was my brother! I loved him!"
Ran sat in her chair, unblinking at his actions. For minutes, she stared at her older brother, anger building up in her.
"I loved him more."
"Take Princess Ran to her chambers." Odin spoke sternly to the guards as he led his sons toward the weapons' vault.
"But Father-!" She trotted after them trio only to have him yell back at her,
"Do not try me, Ran."
Loki turned back to her, gesturing for her not to press the issue, before walking off with Thor and their father. Before she could go after them, a heavy hand fell upon her shoulder.
"Come, Princess."
Desperation built up inside of her as the three got farther and farther away from her field of vision. She knew what she had to do.
"Say," she said, looking up at the guard standing beside her. Her eyes connected with his, catching his full attention. "Would it not be safer for me to be with my Father and brothers than with you?"
She could see his internal battle between what his king told him to do and the desire to obey her commands that she had implanted in him. It was one of her gifts, being able to persuade people to do things they did not actually want to do. Not by force, really, but simply by invading their mind and moving things around. Persuasion. The act always made her feel guilty, but at that moment, time was of the essence.
"Of course, Your Highness."
Following the men down into the bowels of the palace, Ran stayed hidden in the shadows. She watched as her father and brothers traveled in silence, making her weary of every one of her foot falls in the dark passageway.
From the doorway of the vault, she could see the fallen guards in small pools of frozen water and the dust of the Frost Giants that had been obliterated by The Destroyer. The air was still chilled from the presence of the invaders, the dry bite of winter striking her even from far away. Her eyes jumped to the casket her father had taken from the Jotuns after the war, sitting peacefully on its pedestal. How did these men get into Asgard, she wondered. How did they slither past Heimdall the gatekeeper?
The questions that flooded her mind soon were dammed by Thor's bellowing voice echoing through the chamber. She listened to the exchange. Thor, in his strong will, wanted to go to war against the Jotuns, but their father thought differently.
"As King of Asgard-"
"But you are not king!" Odin stood above him, looking down at his son. A small glimmer of disappointment shown in Odin's eye, making it known to Ran that his worst fear had been confirmed. His son was not yet ready for the throne. "Not yet."
The look on Thor's face was that of pure anger and hurt. Ran could feel the embarrassment radiate from him. Loki stood in the corner of the room, measuring the intensity of the situation. He did not speak a word.
Nothing good could come of this, Ran decided, nothing good at all.
Ran sat on the far end of Thor's chambers, watching his tantrum with reservation. Even though he was the oldest, Thor threw more fits than Ran and Loki combined, and they were usually more volatile. The dining table was flipped, slipping all of the delicacies that were prepared for Thor as a congratulatory gesture and clanging the metal plates and goblets on the marble floor.
When his strength was exhausted, he plopped down on the steps leading to his balcony, his forearms on his knees.
He wanted war with the Frost Giants. He wanted to make them pay for even threatening Asgard with their presence. Why could he not get his father to see the same way he did? The pride of Asgard had been injured, and he wanted restitution.
From behind a pillar, Loki glided his way down to the steps and seated himself beside Thor.
"It is not wise to be in my company, brother." Thor said, trying to gain solitude, but ultimately failing as the Warriors Three and Lady Sif entered the room.
"What has happened?" Volstagg cried, looking at the food-littered ground. His cries, however, went unnoticed by the siblings.
"If it is any consolation," Loki whispered, "I think you are right. The Frost Giants need to be taught a lesson before they take more liberty with Asgard. Who is to say that they will not infiltrate again, next time with an army?"
Crossing the room, Ran sat on the opposite side of Thor, her hand on his knee. Panic rose within her, telling her that it was time to put an end to the madness. She cursed herself for her inability to control her brother's actions. She would have given anything for one moment inside of his mind if it had meant the chance to change it.
"Thor, I want you to think of what this means. Do you want to be responsible for a war?"
By this time, however, she knew her words were in vain. Thor simply smiled at her, kissing her forehead as he leaned closer.
"I have thought on this, and I have decided we travel to Jotunheim!"
Only one thing stood in the way of the small band reaching their destination; and that was Heimdall the gatekeeper. His golden eyes saw everything that happened in Asgard and the rest of the realms, and Ran was sure that he could see their intent.
"Good morning, Heimdall." Loki started, walking toward the guardian casually, trying to ease his mind to their plan.
"You are not dressed warmly enough." with that, Ran could feel the collective morale of the group plummet. She quickly walked to the guardian, a smile on her face and her eyes locked with his.
"Heimdall, do you not wish for the people that have threaten your Asgard to be punished?"
The man stood, unblinking at her. His mind was like a steel trap, almost nothing could penetrate it, and Ran was getting tired just attempting.
"Save your tricks, Princess. It is in vain."
"Enough." Thor stepped closer to Heimdall, hammer in hand. "Grant us passage to Jotunheim."
Heimdall hesitated for a moment, looking at the three royals before speaking again.
"In all my time as gatekeeper, no one has ever gotten past me. I would like to know how the Jotuns managed."
Thor's face hardened in determination, "Grant us passage to Jotunheim, then. We will ensure that it never happens again."
"Very well." Heimdall turned, walking into the portal. The other followed him, leaving Ran and Loki stunned that their brother could manage to persuade him and not them.
"That has never happened before. How embarrassing." Ran mumbled, running her thumb over the engraved handle of the large golden axe she held in her hand.
"I know the feeling." Loki grumbled next to her.
"Is something wrong, twins?" Volstagg's voice grated her nerves as he walked by them into the portal, laughing and causing Ran to grit her teeth, "Silver tongues turned to lead?"
Sharing a glare, the twins stepped in unison into the portal, Loki pulling ahead and taking his place behind Thor.
The inside of the portal, to Ran, looked as though she was stepping inside of a giant clock. Cogs and bolts decorated the copper walls, each serving a special purpose and plan.
"Be warned," Heimdall spoke as he took his place at the keyhole and pushed the blade of his sword into it, "If your return threatens Asgard, I will not open the gate."
The portal whirled around them as brilliant lights flashed in streams of electricity and power. A beam of energy shot from the portal; the gate had been opened.
"Could you not just leave the gate open?" Volstagg laughed nervously, looking back at the guardian.
"If I do that, it will unleash the full power of the Bifrost, destroying Jotunheim with you on it."
Ran swallowed hard, anxiously repositioning her armor and starching at her neck. Looking back, Thor smiled reassuringly at her and Heimdall.
"I have no plans to die today."
Heimdall let out a small scoff. "They never do."
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