Spoiler alert:
This is meant as an addition for chapter 14 of the multiple chapter story Shared Silence!
craftymind asked for Loki's thoughts on their journey to the Rainbow Cave, since in Shared Silence he is only described as quiet and brooding while Jane talks to Arnbjørn and Steinar. This is Loki's POV.
I thought it was an interesting idea, so this is a kind of short "extended scene" from Chapter 14: "Intruders".
To the Rainbow Cave
He was indeed surprised when she showed up. Since their last meeting had been ….well, interesting, Loki had thought that she would go to great lengths to avoid him – which would have suited him just fine. But his mother the Queen had oh so kindly "asked" him to bring her along and for all his anger towards his adopted family, he could not refuse Frigg in anything. He had sent someone for Jane, and she had come.
She seemed timid when she walked out in the courtyard, like a part of her wanted to turn around again and return inside. The sight of the horses made her face light up, however.
"They are magnificent," she breathed as she nodded shyly as a way of greeting.
"This one is yours," he said, pointing to a beautiful chestnut mare. "I trust you know how to ride a horse?" Loki asked her, a hint of challenge in his tone. If she wanted to come, she had to deal with it. He would not molly-coddle her, Frigg could damn well do that herself.
"It's been a while ago. I'll figure it out," Jane replied with a hint of stubborn confidence in her voice. Loki regarded her for a moment. He suspected it had indeed been a while ago, from the unsure way she approached the horse.
"This is Arnbjørn Greirson and Steinar Fridason; they'll be accompanying us today," he continued, with a gesture to the two Æse who regarded her with polite interest.
He had picked the two Æse because they hadn't given him any trouble during the past few weeks' strategy work. Some of the Æse were more than sceptical of him and his newfound will to help the Æse – though few dared to openly object to Odin's orders. These two were wary of him, as they all were; but they still treated him with respect. Though he did not care much of others' opinions of him, he still was grateful for their polite demeanour towards him – working with them would have been difficult otherwise.
Jane greeted them warmly; she instantly connecting with them, especially with Steinar. His natural charm made her feel at ease, Loki observed. Her broad smile was genuine and her entire body relaxed in a way he had not seen too often, except in the company of Thor. Loki's eyes narrowed slightly, as he felt a small pang of unease. He pushed the unfamiliar feeling of jealousy away before he even registered it consciously.
"No time for pleasantries, we ride!" he interrupted them, more brusquely than he had intended. He jumped on top of his horse and spurred it, while forcing himself to keep a reasonable pace for Jane's sake.
Loki glanced back and saw Jane struggling with the unfamiliar feeling of being on horseback. He had picked her horse with great care however; the mare trotted softly along the dirt road, obediently following Loki's horse. After a few minutes, Jane began to adjust to the movements and seemed more comfortable.
He was not surprised when she asked him about the rumbling from the Ancient Forest following them, but it surprised him that he felt so pleased that she did. Part of him wanted to snap back at her, but it was easier to be polite, even a little playful in his response to her. It would be easier to uphold the status quo and continue to be civilized to each other. She was a guest, he was a representative of the house of Odin – however unwilling – and he would be courteous and respond to her questions.
But for all his intentions, he could not help but feel increasingly irritated as Jane soon fell back to talk their companions. Jane generally put up a good show of easiness and politeness when she talked to him, but when he heard her conversation with the two Æse, he fully realized how restrained she must be with him. With Steinar and Arnbjørn, her guard was down. He listened to all her questions, her comments and her outbursts of happy laughs, and something inside him twisted into a knot.
I do not care, he thought to himself. He focused on the task ahead of him and used the time to himself in silence to plan ahead for the troubles he suspected lay ahead of them all. Yet, the sense of being left out of something important lingered all the way to their destination.
AN: It's short, but I hope it explained Loki's POV a little.
As for Shared Silence, I can only apologize for the wait. Life happened, and then some serious computer crashing happened, and also some back-ups dying. The story's still not abandoned, but it won't be done in time before "Thor: The Dark World" and we all know we'll be busy when that happens :)