AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm so sorry, I could not resist the urge to use the adjective 'azure' this chapter, it's kind of a staple of fan fiction and I felt it would be absurd to never use it but I've also never used it for that exact reason. This chapter it took me a long time to write, been so busy lately so I am sorry for the delayed updates. Enjoy!
x.
Loki wasn't certain how long they had stood there together with her hand on his arm and their eyes locked in place staring at one another. There was a look he could not quite place in those hazel eyes that stared up into his, he wondered if it was certainty or curiosity, perhaps it was a bit of both. But however long the moment had actually lasted he was unsure as the silence around them became so dense he could feel the nothingness gain mass and press on him from all sides as if trying to coax him into some sort of rash decision, he was not having it.
Jane flinched at the sudden movement as Loki wrenched his arm from her grasp and swiftly turned his back to her and retreated back inside from the balcony.
"Loki wait," Jane started
"No." He refused to look back at her and kept moving forward, the farther he got from her the stronger his resolve solidified within him, he would not look back at the doe eyed young woman that mortal enchantress whose magic was beyond his comprehension and at this point he no longer desired to find out. The risk outweighed benefit, what that risk was exactly even Loki was unsure but he knew the certainty of that risk was in the way his heart beat whenever around her.
"Loki, please..." Jane replied, hating herself for the slightly pleading tone that has erupted from her lips against her own volition.
"No." he responded again now even farther away, Jane walked back from the Balcony and just saw the end of his green cape flutter behind him as he turned a corner and proceeded up a staircase she was certain had not been there before.
x.
It had been close to a week since Jane's arrival in Asgard and in that time she had barely left the palace and since her first night she'd not seen Loki either. Though after a time she figured it was for the best since she never found herself in an amiable mood when around him. Of course, Thor occupied a large majority of her time and at first it had been awkward for her, not seeing him in years and suddenly seeing him for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as everywhere in between. But now she'd grown comfortable around him once more and occasionally found herself slipping into silent admiration of his cheerful grin and azure eyes.
Occasionally Jane ventured outside to accompany Thor and the warriors three to their daily sparring and verbal jest matches of one another, where she would sit to the side and watch or laugh along with them.
But every morning she awoke she stepped onto her balcony and saw that ancient tree line spanning across her horizon and the gardens before them. And the possibility of an Asgardian library looming at the back of her mind and the secrets and knowledge it could hold. This was what she often thought of in those moments she found herself watching Sif par Thor's hammer with an elegant but powerful staff or when Volstagg began another overly extravagant tale that would assuredly be told for the sole purpose of reminiscing over a fine feast or delicacy he'd once eaten.
Jane enjoyed their company and even Sif whose demeanor at times was icy, she was always included in their conversation and greeted with warm smiles and "good morrow!"s and friendly "fair the well"s at night.
x.
Today Jane awoke to the sound of a bird's song and made her way to the balcony across her room, a beautiful red bird that resembled the cardinals back on earth was perched in a tree to her left singing happily.
Jane ran a hand through her soft brown hair as her eyes fell on the forest and the gardens below, as they did every morning. After she let her skin soak in the warmth of the Asgardian sun, feeling at ease and warm she turned around and walked back into her room.
After the first few days of wearing her jeans and t-shirt, one morning Jane had awoke to find her earth clothes had been replaced with beautiful Asgardian gowns. Initially she had been overwhelmed and of course flattered as she ran her hands over the fine fabrics of cerulean blue, forest green, and midnight lavender.
But now she stared at them in annoyance because as beautiful as they were, they were also tedious. After an unfortunate scene on a flight of stairs, where gratefully the only spectator had been a palace guard, she'd almost fallen on her face in the most inelegant fashion.
Then again if the staff knows, everyone knows… she mused.
In a defeated huff Jane grabbed a green dress that was slightly shorter than the others, though everything it seemed in this realm was gown styled, this one at least stopped at her ankles. The top half of the dress was snug to the waist and the skirt opened up and was loose like a ballerina's.
Slipping into a pair of sandals that were very similar to flip-flops Jane exited her room and followed the paths that lead her to the dining hall every morning.
When she entered she expected the raucous laughter of the warriors three and Thor but when Jane entered the hall it was empty. She made her way to the end of the long banquet styled table that much like the rest of Asgard was ornately carved and resembled a table fit for a queen, which of course, it was.
Food had been placed out like every morning and at first Jane was conflicted with the trepidation to be courteous and wait for her friends and also the overwhelming emptiness of her stomach. In the end, her stomach won out, she'd waited a good ten to fifteen minutes when she decided that was sufficient enough. And as it turned out, had she'd decided to wait she'd have waited all through the time it took her to begin and finish her meal.
After Breakfast, Jane exited into the hallway and paused in the door frame as she looked one way then the other for some sign of Thor or the warriors three, but there was none. Bright light shone through the hallway windows casting the already glorious gold walls into an ethereal shimmer.
And with that she made up her mind to finally explore the palace grounds on her own, excitement filled her being as she made for the weapons room, which was down the hall from the exit to the gardens and to the training fields she'd frequented over the past few days with the warriors.
After a short walk Jane stepped out onto a forked path, today she veered left and made her way towards the gardens that from her balcony seemed to extend around the whole palace.
The grass was a lush shade of green that closer towards the woods took on a mossy texture over rockier terrain where large roots had pushed through the top soil. Jane's eyes lingered on the edge of the forest. Which against the beautiful bright gardens she walked through the dark forest stood out, there was not a sinister presence to them, but there was not the warmth of the open sky and sun within them. The trees stood thick and strong and closely nestled to one another. It reminded her of the forests she'd read in stories of Tolkien's Middle Earth and this made Jane smile.
The gardens she walked through were extravagant with beautiful green hedges and stone work arches through them to allow passage. Every now and then she came across an Asgardian in the gardens as well, admiring the beauty of nature.
Jane had spent hours out in the gardens completely enamored with the atmospheric effect it gave, making her feel warm and at ease. The sun it seemed never left the sky and it never burned too hot, but just right, gently warming her skin against the light breezes. Around midday she decided to go back inside the palace to get lunch (of some sort) and possibly find Thor and find out what he'd been up to all day. Her curiosity having been quenched by her exploration of the gardens she could now focus again on the more serious reasons for her arrival in Asgard.
Yesterday he didn't say anything about not being able to meet me…Jane thought as she got up from a bench she'd been sitting on under a tree. She knew that whatever had kept him must have been important; and she had a filling at the pit of her stomach that it had something to do with the reason why she was here.
Resolved to find out what, she got up and began her walk back to the palace, of course she'd asked Thor a few times but he'd get quiet and would often change the subject if it suited him. She'd allowed it because she was after all a guest and figured she'd find out when she needed to but it was nearly a week now and there had been no answers.
It was time to get the answers to those questions.
As Jane made her way back up to the palace she had not spared a glance toward the forest but as her mind began to drift, as minds often do when stagnant, she found herself looking to her left at the tall trees as she walked and this is of course when she stopped.
Jane was certain she had not seen this opening, but there it was.
The trees that had been so clumped together had parted and arched over to form a canopied entrance. She stood there for a very long moment and considered that perhaps she had missed it, but deep down she knew she hadn't.
Before she'd realize she was walking down the path, it was not as dark as it had seemed to her from the outside, small flecks of sunlight shone through the trees and the air had a misty quality that shown in the sunlight.
Where was she walking? Was this curiosity pulling her forward into the unknown?
Jane knew she needed to go back, find Thor and find out what was happening on earth. But there was this soft humming that filled her body and reverberated on the outside of her skin and there was fogginess to her mind she'd not had before. After some time or maybe none at all, she had no concept of time here, the ground now began to slope down into a large hollow filled with bright yellow flowers.
Jane was transfixed by the hollow's beauty, she knew it was midday but here it seemed like dusk, at that moment just before the sun succumbed to night and gave in to the moon. And in that soft blue light the trees seemed to soak it in and reflect it back into the hollow. A dusty mist hovered just over the bright yellow of the flowers and they almost seemed to glow and perhaps they were, Jane had to remind herself she was on another world. And if there was any world that had glowing flowers it would be in the realm eternal.
She walked through them letting her fingers graze the tops of the tulips and stopped amid the flowers, glancing up towards the canopy. Perhaps it was night, since she'd entered the otherworldly forest she'd lost track of time. Jane fought the urge to just lie in the hollow and daze at the yellow flowers and blue light surrounding her.
Though, inexplicably she felt this unnatural pull at her body to keep moving and so she did.
When she reach the other side of the hollow and was back on level ground she glanced back.
Magic must dwell here… she thought as she looked back down into the hollow in all its ethereal beauty.
And she walked on farther into the forest and the trees began to be more spread apart and the air became colder and the thick green was being replaced with brown here and there. Jane's legs did not tire and for some reason she kept on walking until finally she heard the sound of water.
Jane paused momentarily before continuing, a few meters ahead she came to an embankment were a small river was running through the trees. At the edges of the water there were small crystals of ice, residue from perhaps the night before. Here near the water the canopy had thinned and she could see the sun again. She glanced south and saw the river twist into the canopied trees once more and she almost considered following it, but when she glanced to her left she forgot this endeavor altogether.
The source of the water was flowing from an open cave in the side of a mountainous formation and it was now that Jane began to wonder just how far she was from civilization. But curiosity won over and she decided she would worry about getting back after this last endeavor.
The rocks outside the cave had a glossy sheen and she let her hand slide against the smooth wall as she entered. There was an unnatural light that lit the entire cavern and it seemed to be coming from the walls. She paused momentarily studying the rock and observing an unknown mineral that looked so much like the rainbow bridge of the bi-frost and considered that this was the source of the alien light. The scientist in her inwardly cursed herself for not bringing something to collect samples with, then she remembered that any containers for sample collecting that she had were back on earth anyway.
So she moved onward and soon the cavern floor ended and stairs descending down into the depths of the cave were before her, the unnatural light lighting the way of the narrow descent.
From the moment Jane had entered the cave a sudden clarity had come to her mind and the fog had dissipated and she was weary.
What would be down there? Clearly this was a place people came to at one point, but for what?
And why so far from the palace grounds?
These questions and more made Jane frown and she began to turn around and begin her walk back to the palace because at some point she had to call it quits, who knew how far down that went and to where. Finally her common sense began to weigh into her decision making and if she got into trouble here, there would be no help to come or anyone to hear her screams for help.
But then she felt it again that strange pull that originated from somewhere deep within her, urging her back towards those stairs.
Why can't I leave?
She bit her lip and tightened her hands into fists as she began to walk down the staircase, the decent was short and twisted and the only sound she heard was the light tapping of her feet on the stone and the bits of loose stone that tumbling down the steps at her descent. After just a few minutes she reached the bottom, here the cavern was dimmer; there was the same rock walls but there was heaviness to the lower cavern that made her uneasy, as if something had dwelled here that had left its mark in the very air, hatred so tangible it heaved the air of the cave.
As she walked down she began to hear the sound of water once more, but this time it was much louder and as she turned a corner she almost screamed.
She clasped her hand over her mouth and stared in horror, before her was a beautiful waterfall and a small pond surrounding it but next to the pond was a massive snake skin.
Jane's brows furrowed in uncertainty and her heart pounded in her chest because at first she'd thought it was the real thing, but the hollow greyness to the eyes and face of the large beast assured her that it was not. Slowly she walked up to it and as she did a small gasp left her lips as she realized it was not a skin at all but a carcass of a deceased and massive snake. Whatever it was had died a long time ago, but there was no foul smell. But it was odd that it had not seemed to decompose. Yet another mystery of Asgard Jane thought as her eyes followed the snake's length till-
"What.." Jane whispered as she saw its tail disappear behind the waterfall. Slowly she made her way around the pond inching against the wall, gulping as she did and hoping if she did find another snake that it was dead as well.
Behind the waterfall was a small space and Jane bit her lip as she stared confusedly at the medieval chains that hung from the wall underneath a massive ledge. Slowly she walked towards the chains and stared at them and at their edges were red stains.
Whoever was here…had been a long time.. She was horrified to think this could be from the world of Asgardians. But then again, the gods have never been known to be very merciful in Norse legend…She considered this for a long moment, wondering who and what they could've ever done to end up in such a place.
Slowly she reached out and touched the chain closest to her, it was so cold and unlike anything she'd felt since she'd come here. Behind the waterfall touching the chain is when she heard it, the small rustle of rocks. The Staircase! She let go of the chain suddenly and it rattled against the stone echoing slightly.
Jane's back was flush to the wall, her brown eyes wide in alarm, perhaps the cavern was not abandoned after all. After many moments of continued silence she realized she was holding her breath, someone had to be here why else would the rocks have shifted?
And for the first time since she'd been on Asgard, she was terrified.
Jane did not move for a very long time afraid to call attention to herself and the unknown entity on the other side of the waterfall. Soon she realized that all she could hear was her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.
After what seemed like possibly an hour or so Jane finally mustered up the courage to brave the other side of the waterfall. Slowly she inched to the edge of it and once more she held her breath as she peered around the water.
Maybe it was just an animal she thought as she looked around the cavern.
Nothing.
Jane exhaled loudly in relieved surprise.
That's odd I could've sworn I heard…Jane's thoughts trailed away, she'd had enough adventure for one day.
The mysterious manacles and the rainbow cave were certainly something she wanted to explore more of and ultimately find the secret of this cave, places such as this were never common knowledge. Whatever had happened here was shameful and not the boast of legend and she had an idea of who she could ask about this place once she returned to the palace.
But she was also very aware of her, albeit often amiss, but right now very active survival instinct and it was pumping adrenaline through her veins and urging her to leave this cave and forest immediately.
As she left the cave she looked up, the sun was still in the sky but she had about an hour till dusk. By the time Jane reached the hollow again she was certain dusk had fallen which was weird as she felt like the initial journey from the hollow to the stream to be only heartbeats from each other.
Jane was halfway across the hollow when a new sensation pricked the hairs up on the back of her neck and she stopped. Amid the blue light and star bright tulips of rich yellow she looked across the hollow and up into the trees to her left. It was dark now; any light that may have shed through the trees earlier was gone now. Jane narrowed her eyes and stared resolutely at the spot she was certain that whatever was here was in that tree line. After many long minutes she swallowed and turned her eyes ahead of her and began to jog slightly through the rest of the hollow.
Jane could not shake the feeling she was being watched and when she reached the top of the hollow and looked back her breath caught in her throat and terror coursed through her veins like liquid fire.
Down on the forest floor two yellow eyes stared at her from the foliage and a low growl rolled through the air.
Suddenly Jane was sprinting and it was a wild run and bereft of any direction other than away from the growling yellow eyes. Behind her she heard the heavy footfalls and crushing of grass and twigs as something large pursued her.
Her heart seemed like it might shoot out through her throat as she gasped for breathe and exhaled in quick bursts, attempting to ignore the stitch in her side she kept running. Soon the sound of the pursuer faded but Jane kept running and tears began to roll down her cheeks. She was unsure if this was out of fear or exhaustion, still she continued to run.
Soon the forest was too dark for blind running and she slowed down against a massive old tree, leaning against it she tried to take in her surroundings in the dark and from what she could tell, she had not been in this part of the forest during the day.
Which meant she was lost.
Jane tried her best to qualm the terror trying to overwhelm her as she slid down to the base of the tree and sat against it. Hoping beyond hope whatever had been chasing her had found something else to eat tonight. During the day she had seen no creatures, in fact she hadn't even seen bugs or any birds and her mind went back to her earlier thought, Magic dwells in this place.
And if magic dwelled here so did magical creatures and apparently those of the night, Jane was still sweating but a chill swept over her suddenly as her mind attempted to consider what else lived in this forest.
But as terrified as she was exhaustion began to flood her body and suddenly her legs that had not hurt all day began to throb. She closed her eyes Just a few moments and then I'll get up and keep walking…just a minute…just a…..
Jane drifted into sleep.
x.
Loki watched the large beast as it sauntered off into the woods with a slight limp and the green aura of his magic began to dissipate from his right hand.
What has gotten you so blood thirsty tonight…he wondered as he watched the Nykkjen, it was a water creature that rarely left its habitat unless something caught its-
Loki's head snapped to his right, his attention quickly shifted to the east, there was something in the forest that did not belong here, it moved loudly through the deadly realm as if wounded. His eyes narrowed, whatever it was, perhaps it was what had lured the water beast from its natural state.
Quietly Loki ran through the trees, muscle memory guided his feet as he leapt over every root and dodged every tree. He moved through the forest like wind, sometimes heard but never seen, and soon he could hear it breathing.
Its near…
Loki slowed his run to a precise and slow walk as he neared the heart of the forest's ancient tree; it was the oracle of the forest. It was the source of the celestial magic that coursed through the trees, soil, air and every creature within it and if it ever died so would forest with it. Along with all the magic that dwelled here as well.
When he reached the edge of the small clearing around the mother tree his green eyes widened in shock.
"Jane Foster.." he whispered, and he grimaced as his heart made this odd jumping sensation at the sound of her name.
Loki did not leave the cover of darkness; but leaned against a tree and watched her sleep, his green eyes not leaving her small sleeping form, but his senses stretching out into the forest around them.
The creatures of the forest were not near; though he knew they could feel her presence as well he and she would undoubtedly die here tonight if he left. He would watch her tonight and would not dare go nearer, the forest held many enchantments. And by the Nords, he was not going to let whatever magic she'd already used to command his pulse take any more hold of him.
No, Jane Foster perhaps you belong in this forest…Loki considered darkly as his eyes narrowed on her.
She slept completely unaware of his presence, she seemed so peaceful and her skin had a snowy gleam under the rays of moonlight casted down through the ancient tree's branches. Loki glanced up through the branches and stared at the moons above him. A breeze slowly floated through the forest and with it the distant sound of a flute was being played.
Ah, the Elves…He had not seen the forest elves in over a decade, but their flute playing was unlike any other, as it seemed to have the power to tug at heart strings and bring levity to any situation. The forest held so many types of magic and not all of it was dark, the forest elves were of that light magic, magic that seemed to have its source in the cosmos above.
Loki looked back up at the moons and realized they were celebrating beneath the starlight and wondered absentmindedly about the occasion.
When Loki's eyes fell back onto Jane's sleeping form they softened, no longer holding their narrowed glare and even the master of magic in that moment was unaware of the enchantment that had slipped into his heart. Somewhere during the flute music and the beautiful lunar light and the low rise and fall of her chest as she slept and the sound of breathing did Loki allow himself to silently admire the stunning ethereal quality of forest green cladded mortal before him.
And just for the slightest moment did his eyes linger on the beautiful shape of her lips.
In this moment Loki dared to cross the small space to her, toward the small enchantress that slumbered before him and the realization that he did not know what he would do when he was so near her terrified him.
Exhilarated him.
AUTHOR ENDNOTE: So, that was extremely long, hope you enjoyed it. I would really appreciate reviews and of course I was listening to Zelda soundtracks while listening to this, I really enjoyed writing this chapter I hope you had as much fun reading it. Sorry for the alarmingly small amount of Loki this chapter, next chapter there will be so much Loki you won't know what to do! Also, if you'd like to see the inspiration for the forest hollow in this chapter the link is below.
Also a large inspiration for this chapter was the Black Forest in Germany, I am currently taking a fairytale course this semester and I feel like this chapter was impacted a lot by that. (any forest in Grimm fairytales is based on the Black Forest).
Please review!
INSPIRATION FOR THE HOLLOW (it's #5 on the list):
/249-top-10-most-amazing-places-you-did-not-know-existed