Calm before the Storm
The sky was black like the darkest of abyss, and the courtyard was as silent as the grave. Cold wind blew; fog and mist grew thicker and thicker from the very stone ground beneath, twisting and swirling, curling over stone pillars. The horses snorted as they were brushed and fed with oats and apples. The great bell dongs five in the morning. The cutting wind howled as the clicks of footsteps echoes. A slight figure clad in white robes crosses the courtyard to the stables.
The stable boys shivered as they took care of the horses. Their breath misty and their arms shook from the cold.
"Get a move on you mangy brats! The night is almost gone!" Frey shouted.
He is the stable master. A grumpy old man with grayish hair. He crosses his arms in cold as he made his rounds, shouting at the boys for their sloppy work or if they were slow. They hadn't all day! The night was almost over and the boys have still about a hundred horses to brush and clean and feed.
Those old lords and ladies and big warriors only wanted the finest stallion but have not a clue how to care for them. It's down to lil ol man like him and naïve green boys to keep these animals at its finest. Take them out of the job for a month and half these fine beast would be sick.
He gritted his clattering jaws; his dark eyes took in the thickening fog.
Strange…strange indeed.
All his years working here since he was a boy, he had never felt such cold before. And the mist, it was fogging everything about him. It was unnatural.
"Aren't you boys supposed to be in bed?" Came a gentle voice.
At once Frey turned to see the slight figure standing amid the foggy place. There was a hush silence, followed by fearful whispers from the boys as they pointed and backed away from the figure in obvious terror.
"Who are you?" Frey demanded.
Though he could see no face beneath the white hood embroided with gold, but it was obvious from the stranger's form that she was a woman. And by the state of her silken robes she was most probably a noble. A noble's daughter sneaking around for some secret rendezvous with some man she fancies most likely.
The figure did not answer.
Frey frowned, going up to her.
"Look! I couldn't care less what you young brats get up to. But you need to leave. We are working here" He said.
They need to get these horses cleaned and fed before those stuck up high lords get up and decide to go for a ride.
The figure lowered her head when Frey was almost upon her.
"You are all very dedicated men" She said.
She did not sound young. A Lady cheating on her Lord husband then.
"Look Lady, why don't you get your man over to the other side of the courtyard hmm? There's a broom closet. It is just as hidden there"
The figure let out a sweet little snicker and started singing. Her voice rose and resonated, piercing into Frey's mind.
"Hey!" Frey cried in alarm.
This is seid!
"Stop it!" He grabs her arm.
At once he howled, pain shot up his entire body and he collapsed onto the ground clutching his red blistering hand. The song continued, fogging his mind, his blistering hand, numbed. His eyes going heavy but he fought it, trying to lift his head to see her hidden face. He could not. An exhaustion like he had never felt was drenched upon him. There were thudding sounds all about him and the neigh of horses seem a distant. And then he knew no more.
The fog thickened, the temperature plummeted as the gentle song resonated for a little while longer. Then there was silence. Frey and all the stable boys are asleep. The figure stood unmoving, waiting, until she hears the tapping of more footsteps.
She turns to see Thor and Loki clad in black hooded robes standing at the threshold of the stable.
Thor beamed when he saw her. "Mother!" He went up to her.
"You are late" Frigga said.
"I apologize"
"You are sure no one saw you two?" She asked seriously, pushing her pristine white hood back.
"Yes"
"Good"
It would not do that for people to know that the King was going on a private trip with a Jotun Prince.
She turns to Loki who was still in his Jotun form. His horns could not be hidden under the hood.
She knows that Loki is stealthier than that if he wishes to be. No doubt Loki wanted to be caught. It will surely be the scandal of the millennium that the King of Asgard was sneaking around the grounds under the cover of night with a Jotun Prince. Well, he will have no such luck. She had made sure that the guards patrolling this section of the castle are all sound asleep.
"Loki" Frigga gave a nod.
"Your Grace"
It was their manner of greeting.
"Watch" With a smile Frigga bows her head and moves her slender hand over her fair face. As she does this, icy blue spread over her fair skin, her golden locks morphed to black, horns grew from her forehead and when she lifted her face, Loki was staring at his own image.
"Impressive" Loki said. Frigga had even grew a good couple of inches. Her pristine white robes were a little too short for her now.
Thor beamed. "Come Loki"
Thor hurriedly went to grab the saddles. Loki did not follow. His scarlet eyes staring into identical ones.
"What are you planning witch?" Loki growled.
"That you would mop and sulk all day because Thor has gone to rescue a village from a herd of bilgsnipe" Frigga smiles in Loki's image. "Then you will lock yourself in Thor's room until Thor returns"
"Why are you doing this?!" Loki demanded. This is madness! What is the witch planning?!
"I am a mother before I am a Queen"
"Is that suppose to mean something to me?"
Frigga ignored the question, taking a step back as Thor brought Loki his mount.
"We must leave" Thor insisted, mounting his stallion.
Loki was still looking at Frigga. His expression as unreadable as ever.
"Loki dear, please wear your Aesir form. It would be rather hard to explain the sighting of another Jotun across Asgard" Frigga said. This time she spoke it in Loki's voice.
Loki took a step towards her. "If you mess with me, you will be very, very sorry" he whispered.
At once, Loki felt the prick of steel against his robes as Frigga twisted the point of her dagger against his abdomen. Then she pressed her darkened lips against Loki's ear and whispered back. "By the Norns, I swear to you, if you hurt him, I will gut you and tie you with your very entrails on the highest point of Asgard for the sun to burn the skin off your bones and have the crows and flies feast on your insides as you pray and cry for death that will not come" She took a step back, giving Loki a sickly sweet smile.
Men read all sorts of things into a sweet smile if you let them.
Loki hissed.
"Loki" Thor called.
Loki turns to the golden oaf and shed his Jotun skin for Aesir ones.
"It truly amazes me everyday how Asgard still stands with an oaf like you on the throne" Loki gritted, mounting his stallion.
Loki could hear the loud incessant bangs of fireworks just outside the inn's window. Red, green, blue and gold lights flashed across the small dark room. He reached out to pull the curtains back a little and looked out.
The night sky above was an impressive sight. Light erupting, flashing and twinkling across the little town, lighting up the entire place. From where Loki stood, he could see the ivory temple atop the hill on the other side. Hundreds of little burning torches framed the marble stairs leading up to its entrance.
"To whom do Gods appeal for mercy?" He wondered; placing a hand over the glassy window.
There was a creak of the wooden floorboard, followed by the soft tapping of footsteps. A gentle hand touches the back of his neck, before shifting to grip his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" Thor asked softly, standing close by Loki's side.
Is he alright? Loki lowered his gaze. The streets below were bustling with drunken travelers, none the wiser that the King of Asgard, the most powerful man in the entire nine realms was in their midst, merely a few feet above them.
"The most powerful man…I have just run away with the most powerful man in all the realms"
After a day of riding without rest with the sun burning down on his back and exposed hands; fearing that the guards would come after them or that they would be recognized on the road…it took him a while to realize it. And when he did, a laugh burst from his lips and he kept laughing.
"Loki…"
"Norns!" Loki laughed, running his fingers over his black tresses. "Why are we here Thor?" He turns to look at the man, but Thor was not looking at him.
Clear cerulean eyes seeming to look at nothing beyond the window. Loki wasn't even sure if Thor actually even heard him.
"Thor"
"Fyrisvellir… A town with two faces. In the morning it is quiet but it is dub sin city by night. It is almost impossible to get room at any time of the year, but most travelers had gone to the city for my…celebration" Thor muttered. "The temple, it is one of the main attractions. It was built in tribute to the Norns and homed to some of the greatest seers on Asgard. Many go in hope to have their future unfold before them…I can take you there tomorrow"
Thor knew that wasn't the answer Loki wanted, but that would have to do for now.
Truth, he needed to get away from the castle to think. He needed to think about everything – about his family, his duty as the King, about Asgard, about the war that seems inevitable…about Jarnsaxa, Elise and Vigdis, about relations with the other realms; but most of all he also needed to think about Loki, and what his marriage would mean to Jotunheim.
He had never given any thoughts about Jotunheim before this, before Loki. Loki changes everything…
Thor turns to give Loki an assuring smile when Loki continues to look at him. He will think of Loki when he weighs his decision. That is a promise he makes to himself.
Loki is not his pet, Loki is not his prisoner, Loki is not his hated jailer. Thor reached up, brushes Loki's face with the back of his fingers. Truly, what Loki is to him, he does not know. But…
"I give you my word…whatever happens, I won't let anyone hurt you" He said quietly.
The wind blew, caressing over Thor's face and braided hair. He could hear the birds singing and the willows that grew on each side of the pavement whistled as the breeze swayed their little leaves. Shops on either side on him were still firmly shut, not a soul in sight.
Loki walked close by his side beneath the pale pink dawn as they make their way across town. Soon they would have to put their hood over their heads, but not yet… They made their way to the temple and up her ornate marble steps.
"You told me once that you do not know what your future holds…would you like to know now?" Loki asked.
"No"
"Do you not believe that the future is written?"
Thor shrugged. "I believe…the future is not for us to know. It is for us to live, to find out"
When they reached the top to the step, there was an old man in black robes waiting for them.
"Wel-welcome…your Grace…" He stammered.
He was a frail, bended, shriveled thing. His head was almost bold and what was left were snowy white. Great chains hung from his neck, looking much too heavy for him to carry and his once blue eyes were cloudy.
A seer.
"We've…we've…been expecting you, your…your Grace…" His bony fingers that clutch his chains shook.
He made to bow but Thor stopped him. The seer was so old that he seems he might just keel over anytime.
"It is quite alright good sir" Thor smiled at him.
"Ye-yes…come…come…we foresaw your…your visit and kept…kept the pla-ce empty today" The old man turns, limping towards the close titan door of heavy marble.
Giant pillars stood on either side of Thor and Loki, framing the way to the great entrance. Thor looked at Loki who was looking intently at the hundreds of runes etched into every pillar. Thor did not understand them, but he was sure Loki did, by the why he was studying them.
"Come…!" the seer called. His croaky voice echoed.
Thor gave Loki an assuring smile and reached to take Loki's hand. He had a distinctive feeling that Loki was a little frighten. By of what, he did not know. The Norns are not really here. This is just a temple.
"Do you want to leave?" Thor asked.
"No"
"You sure?"
"I'm fine!"
"Okay" Thor gave Loki's hand a little squeeze and they followed the man.
The old man reached up with both his bony hands towards a great iron ring on the door. He grips it and pushes it against the door. Loud bangs like thunder rumbled and erupted, vibrating the ground beneath their feet. Then the door creaks open.
The seer turns towards them. "You...you may see things in there… some…some do…but do not believe everything you see" The seer warned. "Some are re-al…some are not…you may see your past…perhaps…your future, or simply…an illusion that holds no truth...Be careful what you wish to see…for that is what you will see…."
"And if I do not wish to see anything? Neither the past nor the future?" Thor asked.
"Then you…you will see…nothing" The seer answered, before slipping in.
Thor meant to take a step in when he felt Loki tense beside him. He turns at once to the Jotun Prince.
"We do not have to enter. We can lea-"
"I am not afraid" Loki insisted.
Thor frowned at Loki's stubbornness. He didn't mean to scare Loki. Travelers came from all over to try their luck on what they would see. It was not meant to be frightening. Sure…some had a fright, but none entered terrified.
What is it that Loki fears he would see?
"I want to go in" Loki said.
"If you insist"
The moment they enter, the titan door slams shut behind them sending a great rumble through the entire place and shutting out all light. For a moment all they could see were bodiless yellow lights swaying from one side to the other, and all they could hear was the beating of their hearts, the soft chimes of bell in a distant and the songs that echoed through the halls. And then slowly, the high ceiling above and every wall, started to glitter like thousands of diamond across the entire place, giving just enough light for them to see more.
They could make out at least three dozen seers walking the halls, and the swaying lights were the oil lantern that they hold in their hand. In the middle of the hall, was a well…no doubt it was meant to represent the Well of Uror, the Well of Fate. Three great statues of the three Norns stood against the wall, their eyes boring down on them from their great height.
They were carved from the finest of marbles, their beautiful features neither young nor old; time having no power over them.
Loki resisted the urged to hiss. Uror, Veroandi and Skuld. He remembers each of their face as if it were only yesterday.
Mist thickened and rose, swirling, twisting and turning beneath their feet, caressing over their hands.
Loki was clutching Thor's entire arm so tightly that Thor's hand was going numb. Thor looked at Loki a little concern but did not say anything. It would be best to take a quick walk around the place and be off. He would have taken Loki away from this place now if Loki would let him. But he knows that Loki's pride would not.
"Come" Thor urged, walking pass the first statue, the statue of Skuld. Then came the statue of Uror and the Well of Uror.
They were almost passed them when Loki suddenly let out a chilling scream of terror. He stumbled away from Thor before Thor could catch him. His arms were flailing, fighting and swiping at nothing.
"Loki!" Thor cried, rushing towards him.
"Get away from me! Get away!" Loki shrieked. "Get away!"
"Loki!" Thor roared in horror when Loki was backing into the well.
"Don't touch me!"
"Stop!" Thor tackled him to the ground before Loki could fall back into the well. "Loki!"
"Nooooo!"
Thor pins the prince to the ground as Loki struggled and fought with ferocity that Thor had never saw. Nails clawed at Thor's face, knees jamming into his side and teeth tearing at his skin but he held on.
The seers rushed to surround them as Loki screamed and screamed, in pure terror. His eyes wide but unseeing, a shadow stirring and roaring at the back on his emerald eyes, almost snuffing the light out of those brilliant gems.
Something is very wrong.
"What is happening?!" Thor demanded; fighting Loki as Loki struck him across his face, splitting his lips.
No one answered him.
"Do something! Help him!"
Still no one move.
Loki let out a blood curdling cry; his back arching his nails tore at Thor's arms, drawing blood.
"You know me! You've seen me coming! So I command you as your King to help him!" Thor bellowed in desperation. "I command you!"
Suddenly a young seer move forth from the crowd.
"Hold him!" The young seer said urgently, reaching out his hand.
Thor did as he was told, holding Loki's trashing hands down. The seer placed his hand over Loki's head and started chanting. Loki struggled and fought, shaking his head from side to side as his feet kicks.
"No! No!" Loki shouted.
The seer chanted louder and louder, his voice echoing through the hall. The shadow in Loki's eyes started to fade and Loki let out a great cry in a voice not his own. A voice that made the hair on Thor's back stand.
"You bastard!" A high pitch shrieked sliced through the hall.
The shadow vanished and Loki's body went limp.
"Loki?" Thor called urgently, releasing his brutal hold to cup Loki's tears stricken face.
"Thor…." Loki breathes, his lids shutting.
"Yes...shh...I'm here...I'm here" His thumb brushes Loki's cheeks.
Loki is back. Loki is back! Relief washed over Thor and it was then that he realized that he was shaking; it was then that he realized that his heart had been beating so fast. At some point the chanting had stopped but Thor could not remember when. It does not matter.
"You are alright" Thor let out a laugh. "You are alright"
"You didn't leave me there…" Loki murmured; his consciousness fading.
Thor has no idea what Loki was talking about and he wasn't even sure if Loki knew it himself, but there is only one answer that came to his mind, only one reply that seem right to his tongue.
"I'll never leave you" Thor promised as Loki's eyes slid shut.
A King commands and his will be done. Loki's ideology which Thor never truly believed was dashed rather quickly. Standing in the oval office of the head seer with the other seers, they had refused him answers even when he threatens to demolish their temple.
"See into the future with your clouded eyes and declare me a liar!" Thor said. "Declare that I would not dare harm your precious temple and you need not give me my answer!"
They had all glared at him with hatred and rage.
"Fire! Fire!" One cried.
"That monster would rain down fire upon Asgard!" Said another.
"He would bri-"
"Silence!" Thor roared. "I do not ask for the future! I do not seek to know what he would bring! I refuse to know but the answer to my question! Tell me! What happen to him?!"
They mumbled to one another, shaking their heads stubbornly.
"Leave!" the head seer said. "Leave cursed King! You are not welcome here!"
Thor reeled. "How dare you!" He roared, anger sheered through him. "Have care how you speak!"
"Then have my head! Have our heads! We would tell you naught! Leave! Take your beast and leave!"
"Leave!"
"Leave!"
"Leave!"
One after another cried.
"Leave!"
Thor could feel his conscious slipping. A red haze of rage, spreading through him like a disease, eating away at him. He turns to leave at once before he could hurt anyone. The seers parted making way for him as if his touch would curse them too. He left to find Loki in the little room he had left him.
The young seer and the old one that had welcomed them sat by the bed where Loki rest; wiping cold sweat from his face.
"My king…" the young one bowed.
The young seer was a boy no older than himself, Thor reckoned.
Messy brown hair, a lean face and pale blue eyes that were starting to cloud. He was not blind yet, but would soon be as all seers would be in time. A curse to those that seeks the future too much.
"What is your name?" Thor asked the young man.
"Alfr…and that's Edgar, my teacher" He motioned to the old seer.
"Alfr…Edgar…You know the questions I have. Will I not have my answer?" Thor asked.
"You seek to know what happen to your beast" Alfr said
"His name is Loki" Thor was getting annoyed.
"Aye, Loki…the Jotun Prince"
"Yes"
"It is not our place to give you such answer. It is Loki's"
"Will he tell me?"
"I thought you do not seek to know the future, my King"
Edgar seems angry at this.
"Do not…tease your King! Tell him at…at least that" Edgar snaps as well as he could in his age, then he turns to regard Thor. "The Jotun will not…tell you…And…and you should not pry…"
"…"
"If…if you accept him…then you have to ac-cept all of him….but know that if you choose him…he is a creature…with a past you cannot imagine…A past…better left….forgotten…" Edgar warns. "He will defy…everything you've been taught…everything you know…Do not…do not choose him out of pity…or duty…You must…truly love him…for you will…have to fight for him…in every sense and for every day…The fight will not just be…for his life…or his he-art….but…but also his soul…That…is what it means…to choose him"
Thor wanted to ask if he would choose Loki, but he stopped himself. No…the future is not for him to know.
"It is best…that you…take your beast away now" Edgar smiled at him.
The veil between the living and the dead, between worlds, between the past, present and future…between fate and destiny, they are thin here. Hela, the queen of the underworld nearly tore it all apart in her wrath to have the Jotun before his time. And the others would have let her and patch the tear later if Alfr hadn't stop her.
They all knew this would happen. They have all seen it. The others had wanted the Jotun dead, for they have seen the future with him at the head of an army coming to destroy Asgard.
Edgar may not know everything, he may be dead wrong in many things…but he believes that the future is written. Even if Alfr had not stopped Hela, he believes that Hela would have failed, for it is not Loki's time yet.
You cannot change what is to come. What will happen, will happen; though not many shared this believe. They will ceaselessly attempt to end the Jotun to stop a future they fear.
"It is best too…that you…do not return here" Edgar said.
Shouts and clashes erupted all over the training field. Laufey watch his armies continue practicing even after Thrym's assurance that they are ready.
"They are ready for combat. They are all prepared to die for Jotunheim" Thrym stood tall beside his King.
"And none have broken oaths before I am sure" Laufey walks on to survey another part of the field.
"They will die for you" Thrym insisted.
Laufey snorted at that. An ice blade bloomed from his hand.
"My King?"
"They will die for me you say" Laufey move towards a battling pair.
Thrym tensed at once. "My King! Forgive me if my words upset you!"
Laufey ignored him.
"Men!" Laufey interrupts the pair closest to him.
"My King" They bowed.
Laufey surveyed the two foot soldiers. One was tall and lean while the other was more brawny and hard around the edges. Laufey held out his blade.
"You!" Laufey looked at the leaner one.
The soldier tensed.
"When you join the army, what was the oath you took?" Laufey asked.
The young soldier was looking left and right and he seems frightened and confused. All around, the training field had gone silent; every eyes were upon them.
"I ask you a question" Laufey pressed the point of his blade against the terrified creature's chest. Just over his heart…
The soldier swallowed. "That…That I will live and die in your service and in your command"
"Impressive words!" Laufey declared loudly, turning to look at his remaining hundred thousand soldiers who too took the same vow. "Impressive how many brave men I have in my service. I am fortunate indeed!"
"I live to serve you my King" The soldier said.
"Then I command you to thrust yourself upon this blade" Laufey pressed the blade harder against icy flesh.
The soldier panicked. "I…I…" He stammered. Fear and horror was so clear on his sharp face. He was not expecting this.
"My King" Thrym hissed but Laufey's eyes were unyieldingly cold and ruthless. He twisted his blade, cutting through skin, drawing blood.
"Do it…as you swear or I will name you an oath breaker and have you executed…" Laufey whispered harshly.
The poor soldier couldn't utter another word and Thrym could not save him. Not unless Thrym seeks to challenge Laufey's authority in front of their army!
"I…no…."
"No?"
Suddenly the soldier fell to his knees. "Mercy! Have mercy on me my King! Please!" He begged. "Have mercy!"
Laufey's lips curled in disgust. Without a thought, without hesitation, he lifted his blade and sliced it down, cutting the soldier's head clean off his shoulders. Blood spattered, drenching Laufey's fur breeches and rolling down his firm cerulean body.
"Have his head on a spike on the training ground" He threw the bloody blade away and turns to return to his castle.
He has seen enough.
"Get back to training!" Thrym roared at the rest of his stunned soldiers. "Move it or you will be next!"
There was a great scramble and murmuring and then the sound of clashing blades again. Thrym caught up with Laufey easily, trailing by his side.
"What was that for…?" Thrym hissed the moment they reached the palace. "Do we have so many soldiers that you could afford to use some as practice targets?"
Laufey sneered. "In the war, it is every man for himself"
"…"
"These men do not fight for me. They will certainly not die for me" Laufey said. "They fight for glory and they fight for gold. Half will desert me at the height of war, fearing for their lives. We've both seen this damn charade of loyalty before"
"Not all men are like that. I fight for you. And I will die for you"
Laufey halted, turning to look at his General. "You are different. And they are not you Thrym"
"I sure hope not. Farbauti would not be very please"
A smile twitched at Laufey's lips. He placed a hand over Thrym's shoulder. Jokes aside…
"You want them to stay? You best have them fear us more than they do the enemy. You best remind them that only death and suffering awaits deserters and those who defies. Better still if you could find some deserters from the last war and parade them on the field" Laufey said.
In the last war more than half his armies deserted him at the height of war when Jotunheim was on fire. Laufey did not forget, and he did not forgive.
Oh no…
When everything had settled, he had all those who were left round up every surviving deserter and ordered their knees broken. Then he strip them of all their assets, have their mates and children put to the sword and have the sinner themselves thrown to the marketplace to live as crippled beggars for the rest of their lives.
Let all see their shame. Let all see what happen to deserters.
They do not talk about the incident at the temple, but it was by no means forgotten. Thor took Edgar's advice and did not pry.
He took Loki to the marketplace the next day when he was better and told Loki that he could choose whatever he liked. If Thor had a suspicion that Loki love fruits before, with the way he kept eating them out of decoration bowls back at the castle; that suspicion had all but vanished. Loki wanted all the fruits in the marketplace, picking at least half a dozen of every sort.
"Are you planning for us to have them for every meal, for the rest of our stay?" Thor asked in incredulity.
"Why not?"
Thor grimaced. He rather preferred meat to fruits by a whole lot.
"What about the boar…should we get some of that?" Thor asked hopefully, each hand carrying half a dozen bags of fruits.
He really didn't think he could survive on fruits alone. The boar seller was looking at Loki, no doubt hoping Loki would say yes. By then it was rather obvious to the entire market that the leaner figure in hooded robes was dominating what was being bought and paid for in lovely gold by the larger figure trailing behind.
Loki frowned. "I do not know how to cook"
"I do!" Thor said at once, turning to the seller. He will not live on fruits for the next three days just because Loki did not know how to cook! "We will have a whole boar!" And that was that.
Thor then taught Loki the art of seasoning meat and cooking once they are back in their inn. In all honesty, it could have been worst…the boar was slightly overcooked. Well, actually it was more like it was charred to rock solid and frankly it was quite amazing how Loki actually managed that when Thor only took his eyes away for a couple of minutes. At least they didn't burn the inn down was all Thor could say.
"Fruits are easier" Loki said haughtily, tossing Thor another apple.
Thor was never letting Loki cook again. Dinner was taken outside. He refused to have fruits for dinner too.
And after, Thor took Loki to partying on the streets. There were dances, songs, fireworks, performances, drugs and lots and lots of booze.
Loki did not protest to anything, seeming eager to try everything. But Thor was no fool to think that Loki was truly enjoying himself. Everything…the excessive buying, the reckless cooking, and now this, they were all meant to be a distraction. Loki did not want to think, he did not want to remember the incident at the temple. And that was fine by Thor. He would give Loki the distraction he needs, the relief he needs.
"Come on! Dance with me!" Thor shouted through the blaring music.
"I don't know how!"
"It doesn't matter! Just move about!" Thor laughs.
It seems that the entire street had turned into a dance floor when the sunsets.
Loki hesitated for a moment before he started imitating someone behind Thor.
"There you go! There you go! Loosen it up!" Thor cheered.
Though Loki's limbs were stiff and he had no idea what he was doing, Thor continued cheering him on and danced with him. Thor got them meads that were being sold in tankard all over the place. And Loki drank and he drank. With every gulp everything seems better.
Loki had to give it to the Asgardians that they really know how to party. Truly…his world was starting to spin.
Laufey would have a fit if he saw him now, positively drunk… brushing and grinding over another creature not his mate. Laufey had always forbidden him to drink much or stay too long after feasts because of his size; terrified that he would be trampled upon or taken advantage of. Well, Laufey is not here now! Ha!
Their hoods slip off their heads at some point of the night, but they could not remember when.
Loki wraps his arms about Thor's neck and kissed him. Thor moans, kneading his hands over Loki's body.
"Hmm" Loki smiles, pulling back a little.
His face was flushed and his head definitely spinning with mead. He was not so drunk that he did not know what he was doing, but just drunk enough to think that it was alright to kiss Thor, or so he tells himself.
"Thank you…" Loki slurred; swaying terribly on his feet.
"For what?"
"Not asking…Letting me forget"
Loki did not need to specify what he was saying but Thor understood.
"Are you tired yet? Should we go?" Thor asked. "You won't want to sleep your day away. There are still plac-"
"Hush…shhh" Loki placed a finger over Thor's lips, smiling mischievously. "You talk too much"
"Oh?"
"Yeah…just kiss me"
The golden ray of sun poured into Elise's chamber where she took her breakfast with her father and her little sister. Elise was still in her emerald nightgown, her golden hair that trickles down her back were styled back much like the Queen of Asgard. It seems like a long time before anyone spoke a word.
Dalla, her dear little sister was too young to notice the heaviness in the atmosphere ate away at her pastry happily. She loves Asgard's pastry. Baldur had snuck into the kitchen and got her some the other day and she had been demanding them for breakfast ever since.
"It is that whore…Jarnsaxa was it? Yes…it is her that you need to watch out for" Bjorn picked up his tea. "She is the competition. And that cow of an elf, she is nothing. Ha! I've seen a cow in silk looked better than that plain little thing. Shocking really!"
Elise simply smiles as her father went on and on. She loves her father but sometimes she wished he wouldn't say half the thing he did.
Bjorn is a great father, a great man, but a lousy diplomat. It is an irony in itself that Bjorn doesn't play politics. He sugar coats nothing and speak it as it is. A hard man to get along with. But she is different. Charm is a woman's armor.
"Where is the beast?" Elise asked.
Dalla perked up at the word beast. She had always love horror stories or stories of fire breathing dragons. A strange little thing.
"Sulking in some room from what I heard" Bjorn shrugged.
"Ah…" Elise nodded.
"Beast? What beast?" Dalla asked curiously.
"That ugly little Jotun dear" Bjorn patted his daughter's head.
"But why is he a beast?" Dalla asked. "He is not mean or scary. Baldur said he is harmless when he is not angry. He got the guards chasing him around the castle and makes a fool out of them all and everyone laughs! He makes pretty illusions too! He made some for the King's lady friend to make her laugh! Baldur said so! And! And Baldur said he will ask for an illusion for me when Loki is happier. Baldur said that if you ask him now, he would likely hex you because he is sad that the King went away for a few days"
Bjorn shook his head. "Asgardians"
Elise had always found it amazing how her father could imply so much with a word.
"For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would keep such an ugly thing as a pet. They are better off with a court jester, a fool, if they want a laugh!" That was the start of another speech from their father.
Elise lets her father speak as he please.
Her father was too blinded by prejudice to see that it is not Jarnsaxa that is the competition. It is as everyone so eloquently puts it – the beast; that is the real competition.
Her father had not seen or refused to see the way Thor acted around the Jotun.
There was a sort of gentleness and care in the way Thor handles him; as if he fears to hurt him. There was a sort of intimate closeness between them as they move with ease about each other's personal space.
The Jotun is more than a pet to Thor, that she is sure. But how much more is the question. Is it enough to blind Thor to his duties?
Loki was surely not thanking Thor for the hangover the next day. His stomach lurched, acid raced up his throat and he threw himself over the edge of the bed and threw up into the wooden bucket beside his bed. Damn…
"You look a right mess over there" Thor laughs, crawling up behind him. Hands reaching over to pull Loki's bangs back.
"I'm…going…to kill you" Loki mumbled before his stomach decided to empty itself again.
His head felt like it was lead and it hurts so much. He'd screamed at Thor to shut the damn curtains the moment he woke up. The sun made his headache worst. Every part of his body ached in exhaustion. He felt like he could die.
"No…more parties…" Loki moaned.
Thor simply laughs and took care of Loki for the rest of the day as Loki sleeps it off. Loki ate nothing as food made him ill, but Thor shook him awake several times, forcing him to take sips of water. Loki would have slept though the next day too if Thor hadn't forced him to go out.
"Come on, fresh air would do you good" Thor said, tugging Loki along the streets.
Thor refused to be stuck indoors on their last evening before he'd have to go back to his gilded cage. Yes…his golden castle is a cage.
Just as in the game called chess that he'd seen Midgardians play a long time ago; the king is the true prisoner of the board, just as he is the true prisoner of Asgard. He cannot leave his throne, he cannot live his life as himself, he cannot speak his mind freely or act as he sees fit without considering Asgard and her people…he cannot even love without considering Asgard.
"You know…I am starting to think that your low tolerance to alcohol might be the real reason why you refuse to feast with us" Thor teased.
Loki mumbled something Thor could not hear as he trudges along under his hood.
Thor took Loki to the lake, avoiding the growing crowd as the skies dim and rented them a little boat.
"Come…I want to show you something" Thor helped Loki into the boat.
Loki did not argue. He was in no condition to argue. Exhaustion was still heavy on his body.
By the Norns…what did Asgardians put in their drink?! If he hadn't known better he would have thought he was poisoned.
He slumped back against the front of the boat as Thor got them off shore. He let his eyes shut; the soft cool breeze of wind brushes his burning face. He could hear the soft singing of birds, the creaking of insects and feel the river moving beneath the boat as the sweep of the oars sends them towards the red dusk.
After a moment when Loki thought they were far enough from shore, he slides his hood off, letting the wind caress his black tangled hair.
"Where are we going?" Loki asked.
"Perhaps I'm taking you to be sold off to some slave trader"
Loki chuckled and they both laughed.
"Then you are out of luck. No one would want me" He pushes himself up, opening his eyes.
"I would" Thor said quietly.
Cerulean meets emerald.
"Would you?" Loki sounded surprised.
"I would…"
"In this false form?"
"In any form, in any image…I would want you. And I would protect you"
"Ah…." A mischievous smile spread over Loki's lips. "Is that your answer King of Asgard?"
Thor simply smiles offering no reply; the long muscles of his arms stretched and tightened with each stroke of the oars. Further and further Thor took them down the stream, away from the growing noise of the town.
He had done a lot of thinking while Loki slept.
He knows that Loki wanted to be chosen as his consort. He knows that Loki wanted his attention; wanted his eyes upon him only.
Why else such a curse? Why a curse so that he could not leave Loki for long? Why a curse that left him wanting and craving Loki's body? To torture him? Perhaps...
But there are simpler ways to torture just as effectively without involving sex… He did not think he has the build that young Jotun dream of. He must be repulsive in Loki's sight and yet…
So… It could only mean that Loki wanted his heart from the beginning.
But why? Why would an ambitious crown prince soon to inherit an entire realm seeks the attention of another King?
It is surely not out of love. When the curse was cast, there was no love between them. They couldn't even stand the sight of each other. Love…The idea in itself was a joke!
So where does that leave him now?
"I am a fool…truly…A fool who had come to care for an enemy" Thor thought.
"You seem to know this river" Loki commented.
"Aye"
"Do you come here often? I reckon you do"
Thor chuckled. "Aye…in my youth I was wild. I would stay here for weeks with my friends" He admitted.
"And now?"
"I grew out of it. Or rather my father made sure I did"
"What happen?"
"It is an old story"
"Tell me…"
"Ah…" Thor hesitates.
"Come on" Loki grins. "You are hesitating. This has to be good"
Thor chuckled, shaking his head. It was an old memory really; an old tale.
"Come on…" Loki nudged.
"Okay...umm….I was young, naïve and deep in my drink" Thor started, lying down some securities. A lousy excuse but an excuse nevertheless.
Loki snorted.
"And…and I was gambling…"
"Go on"
"You are enjoying this aren't you" Thor accused.
"Oh yes" A mischievous smile twitched at Loki's lips.
Thor chuckled. "Alright. I will amuse you. See…I was winning at first but as the night passes, my gold dwindled to nothing. Angry and frustrated and my head spinning with drinks I place Mjolnir on the table. My drunken friends were no better; they thought it a mighty idea too and spur me on. I would bet Mjolnir for all the gold on my opponent's side" Thor said. "Needless to say, I lost, and Mjolnir was taken from me. Too late was I to realize my folly and I had to return home in shame"
"And your father got your prized hammer back for you no doubt"
"After some yelling but yes"
Loki smiles. Odin is soft. The only artifact belonging to Jotuns that could match Mjolnir was the casket. He tried to imagine what would happen to him if he had lost the casket in such a manner.
"Dam would surely do more than yelling"
Laufey would have at least had him whipped after giving him an earful and ordered him to be thrown into the dungeon for a time.
"The Allfather…He seems like a good father" Loki said.
"He is" Thor smiles as he brings the boat to a halt.
Loki looked about him. They were far off shore and the town was but a little speck in the distance.
"Is this it?" Loki asked.
"The water is deep enough and it is quiet enough…no one comes this far from shore usually. They will be curious"
"They? Are you really planning to sell me?"
Thor chuckled at that, lifting the oars into the boat. "You told me once that you came here to explore a world beyond your cage of ice…"
A truth weaved with lies. Thor lifted his gaze to the sky.
Night was starting to fall but not yet. Soon…perhaps in the next half hour or so.
"Are we waiting for nightfall?" Loki lifted his eyes to the sky too, where darkness was starting to engulf the red of dusk. The wind tangling with his hair and brushes his face.
"Aye…" He looked upon Loki. "I want to show you another world"