Thanks for being patient once again. Many things going on so this unfortunately gets pushed to the back burner. I am hopefully spending the weekend on this project in honor of The Dark World coming out on Tuesday. So Excited! So if all goes well, I will manage to put more than one chapter on over the weekend.
Thanks for the comments and keep them coming. And thanks to everyone that is giving this story a shot.
Thor and Loki landed on the balcony outside of their parents chambers. They could see Frigga and Ellie lying injured on the floor and Jane being held in the air by a Frost Giant. Both reacted instantly, but before they could make it into the room, Ellie started to shake and a purple glow began to surround her. Everyone froze and stared as she slowly began to rise and float about a foot off of the ground. The purple glow intensified as Ellie glared at Byleistr.
"You will not hurt my family," she growled as the power resonated through her voice.
Loki watched in awe as Ellie raised her arms and purple sparks jumped from her fingers. The Frost Giants were surprised and took a step back.
"Put her down," Ellie rumbled.
Instead Byleistr moved as if he were going to throw Jane. Ellie's glare intensified and just shook her head. With a slight wave of her hand, she sent an energy burst right past him and into the giant behind him. The unsuspecting giant vanished in a burst of ash.
In a rage, Byleistr threw Jane towards the wall. Before Jane's body hit, she was surrounded by a purple globe of energy which slowly lowered her to the ground. Ellie looked to make sure Jane was alright and then slowly turned her gaze back to the giant.
"Wrong move," she said with a sly grin.
Byleistr rushed at Ellie in an attempt to take her out. She raised her arms and threw the energy right into his chest and then he was gone. The other Giants stared in disbelief and rushed for the door. Before they could reach them, the doors slammed shut. The air began to swirl and a purple haze started to flow out from around Ellie. The giants pounded on the doors, but they could not escape. The room hummed with energy as the giants came to the realization they were going to die. Slowly they lowered themselves to the ground, one by one, in defeat.
The swirling calmed down as Ellie's feet slowly lowered back down to the floor and the purple glow faded away. Jane crawled over to Frigga to make sure she was alright and they both looked up to Ellie with total surprise. Ellie brought her hands up to cover her face, took a deep breath and then ran her hands back through her hair. She shook her head trying to make feel like herself again, then spun around to check on Frigga and Jane.
"Are you guys alright?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes. Thanks to you," Frigga replied.
There were suddenly sounds of chaos on the other side of the door right before they burst open with a flash of light. Odin appeared with guards. A look of surprise passed across his face as he saw the giants kneeling on the floor in surrender. Odin ordered the guards to take the prisoners to the dungeons.
Thor finally overcame the shock of what he just saw and ran to Jane and Frigga. Jane picked herself up off the ground and threw herself into Thor's arms.
"You're alive!" she exclaimed.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Thor retorted.
Jane laughed and reached up to kiss him.
Loki stood in the doorway, like he was rooted into place, looking in at Ellie. He was utterly amazed at what he just witnessed. Somehow his woman, a human woman, had done the most remarkable thing. Ellie had conjured powerful magic and wielded that power with the utmost restraint. He had studied for years to learn how to use his magic and control its outcome. She was the most amazing woman he had ever known.
Ellie walked over to Frigga to help her up off the floor so Jane and Thor could have their moment alone. "Are you hurt?" she asked.
"I will be alright, my dear. I have been through this before," Frigga replied and hugged Ellie tightly to her. "Thank you."
Pulling Jane with him, Thor came to check on his mother and Ellie stepped away. Jane grabbed her arm as she passed and turned her toward the balcony. There stood Loki just looking at her. Ellie did not know what to do. No one had looked at her like that since her mother had died. Loki looked at her with pride.
When Ellie's eyes met his, Loki did not know how to react. She was dressed in his battle gear. Of course, his mother would save his very first battle outfit. The memory of when he was eight years old, running around in fake battle with his brother, flashed in his mind. He remembered how proud he was when he first got to wear it. Now Ellie wore the gear like she belonged in it.
A small smile played across Ellie's lips as her cheeks slowly began to turn a shade of pink. Loki finally felt as though he could move and entered the room. She watched him walk towards her and her shoulders slumped like the weight of the world was taken off.
"Now who is the one that looks fierce?" Loki murmured as he gathered her in his arms.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Ellie uttered, sounding choked from unshed tears. "When I saw the Frost Giants coming into the palace, I thought they had killed you all."
Loki brought his hand up to Ellie's face and stroked her cheek. "They almost did, my love."
Ellie reached up and grabbed Loki's face to pull him down to kiss her. He wrapped her tightly in his arms and kissed her without hesitation. The world melted away as he held her in his arms. Loki had been afraid of what they would find when they returned to the palace. Once again he witnessed Ellie using magic. How was she doing it?
After a few moments of the three couples having time to themselves, Odin asked, "Now what transpired here?"
The three women immediately went into trying to explain what occurred. They each enthusiastically told their side of the story. Odin listened intently while Thor hugged Jane. Loki slowly rubbed his hands up and down Ellie's back as he held her close.
"Father, what is going on?" Thor asked.
"I believe this is retaliation for Loki killing Laufey," Odin stated.
Ellie looked up into Loki's eyes. "Who was Laufey?" she asked confused.
"Laufey was king of the Frost Giants and my real father." Loki answered quietly.
Ellie could not make sense of what she just heard. She knew Loki was adopted by Odin and Frigga, but now he turns out to be the son of the Frost Giant king. Who he killed. Ellie had a hard time wrapping her head around that. He looked like everyone else. She opened her mouth to ask more questions, but stopped herself. She felt these might be questions to ask him in private.
"What do we do now?" Loki asked. "They are obviously after me for what I have done. That is why they were after Ellie. They wanted to hurt me by hurting her."
"They did keep saying something about an eye for an eye," Ellie said looking up at Loki. "Now it makes sense."
"They will never get near you again," Loki growled. "I am going to end this once and for all."
"We will take care of this, my son. First we must discover how they are getting into our realm without being detected," Odin said as he walked over to Loki and put a hand on his shoulder. "And how they are blinding us to their actions and then we will set things right. We need to figure out how to protect everyone. They have depleted our numbers and we cannot afford to be taken by surprise or no one will survive."
"Unless Ellie uses that magic again. That was badass!" Jane exclaimed as she walked over to Ellie and hugged her. "We would not be here if it wasn't for her."
"The same would be for us on the battlefield if Loki had not used the same power," Thor seconded as he slapped Loki on the back. "How did you do that, brother?"
"I do not know. I am at a loss for an explanation, but what I would really care to know is how Ellie has the use of magic," Loki said as he turned Ellie to face him. "What has changed in you?"
"I don't have any idea," Ellie said clueless, shaking her head. "I could never do anything until I touched that glowing purple box in the vault."
"Father, you must know something," Loki said turning to Odin.
"Let me ponder on this mystery, but first we must gather everyone into the protection of the palace. We need to bring in all the guards we have left and organize all our people into more easily protected groups. We will house as many people as we can inside the palace and surrounding buildings and set up a perimeter around them," Odin ordered and guards left to do his bidding. "Bring home any men we have in other realms and allies that are willing to help. We will protect what we have."
…..
Ellie and Jane helped Frigga gather the women and children into the palace. They went from room to room finding them comfortable places to stay. They used all the available rooms to house as many people as they could. People also brought blankets and pillows to help make makeshift beds. Ellie was so moved by watching how everyone helped each other to get settled in like one big family. She was happy that she was here even though these were uncertain times. Her mind wandered to Loki.
Loki and Thor were helping usher all the women and children into the palace and surrounding buildings. Once everyone was inside, they began to organize the men around the perimeter. Many men had been brought back from other realms and immediately took up their stations. Rotations of men to stand guard were organized and streets were blocked to help prevent attack from all sides. Once all was prepared, Loki and Thor made their way into the palace.
As they walked into the palace, people were everywhere. Children running around and adults stood in groups talking. It was dinner time and the palace kitchens had cooked up a feast for all the extra mouths to feed. People made their way to the huge dining hall and Loki and Thor fell in with the crowd. Just as Loki was about to walk into the hall, a group of children ran by squealing. Loki had to jump back to get out of the way. The child at the tail end took such a wide turn and ran directly into him. Grabbing them by the arm he kept them from falling over.
"Oh sorry!" they exclaimed.
Realizing it was Ellie, he said, "Now you must pay the price."
Knowing that voice anywhere, Ellie looked up with feign shock. A smile spread across her lips and Ellie threw herself into Loki's arms. "We gotta stop meeting like this."
Loki remembered back to the first time they met and smiled. "What are you doing?"
"I'm playing tag with the children. I wanted to help them have some fun in all this chaos," she said a little winded.
Loki smiled down at this amazing little woman. Ellie was the kindest woman because she never thought of just herself.
Proving him right, she asked, "When was the last time you got any sleep?"
"I do not believe I have slept since you disappeared." Loki had not realized how tired he was, but now felt the exhaustion creeping in.
"Let's grab a bite to eat and then you can go get some rest," Ellie grabbed his hand and walked into the hall.
Odin sat at the head of the table while Thor filled him in on all the preparations they had made in the city. Frigga and Jane were walking around making sure everyone had something to eat and drink. Loki fell into his chair as Ellie quickly filled him a plate of food and grabbed him a goblet of wine. She made sure he was eating and then walked away to help gather the children.
Odin smiled at his sons. "You both have found exceptional women. Both with good qualities befitting a queen."
They then ate in relative silence. Loki felt his body getting more tired the longer he sat. Ellie came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.
Leaning down she whispered in his ear, "You should go and rest. Come on. I'll take you back to your room."
Loki stood and nodded his head goodbye to everyone. Ellie put her arm around his waist and walked with him out of the hall. The children continued to play in the hallway, running and screaming.
"Ellie! Ellie! Ellie! Come and play with us!" All the children were yelling at once.
A small blond girl came up to Ellie and grabbed her hand. "Can you show us a game from Midgard?"
Ellie looked down at the girl and cupped her cheek. "A quick one."
Loki went to lean up against the wall as she taught the children rules of some game. A child would one by one spin another around real fast and then let go. The child that was spun would freeze into a position and then the spinner would have to guess what they were. Even Ellie got into the game. All Loki could do was smile at how comfortable she looked playing with the children.
After the child guessed what she was, Ellie excused herself and rejoined Loki by the wall. "Are you ready to go up?" she asked.
Loki grabbed her hand and looked down at their entwined fingers. "Yes," he said as he brought her hand to his lips.
They quietly made their way up the stairs. Ellie led the way because Loki was about to fall asleep on his feet. Not even thinking about where they were exactly headed, Ellie opened the door to his chambers.
"I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna be staying in your room with you. Mine is otherwise occupied with a mother and her six children," Ellie smiled.
Without a word, Loki smiled back and pulled her into the room. He walked over to the bed and fell face first into the mattress. Ellie laughed out loud behind him.
"Roll over," she ordered with a smile in her voice.
Loki complied and Ellie grabbed one leg and pulled the metal plate off his shin, then removed his boot and did the same with the other leg. Reaching for his hands, she helped him to sit up and removed the rest of his metal plates. Ellie helped him to remove his coat and shirt and then walked into the washroom. A few moments later she walked out with a cloth and a bowl of warm water. Sitting down on the bed next to him, Ellie began to wash the wounds on his face.
"Ow! I did not even realize I had those." Loki grumbled.
Ellie smiled at him and continued to gently clean his wounds. Once she was done, she set the bowl aside and then leaned in to kiss every single one.
"There. All better." She pulled back the covers on the bed and pushed him to lie down. "Get some sleep. You have got to be exhausted."
"Lay with me. You must be as tired as I am," he said trying to pull her into the bed.
"I was going to go back downstairs and help some more."
"Stay with me."
Ellie looked at the man she loved, crawled up onto the bed and sat next to Loki. "Lay on your stomach."
He rolled over and Ellie began to rub the knots out of Loki's shoulders and back. Her small hands worked all the muscles until Loki fell fast asleep. Ellie looked down at the peaceful look on her warrior's face and couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
…..
While Loki slept, Ellie went back downstairs to see if anyone needed anything. The palace was quieting down as people settled in for the night. She helped the mothers gather their children and made sure that everyone had a place to sleep. Once the last child was tucked in, Ellie made her way out to the veranda. She was not tired yet and felt compelled to look out over the gardens. Sitting on the stone railing and pulling her knees up to her chest, Ellie enjoyed the silence. Her mind began to wander as she thought about the events of the last few days.
"This is a wonderful place to come and ponder one's many thoughts."
Ellie turned to see Odin walking up to join her. Moving to stand he held up his hand to stop her.
"Please, do not get up. I do not want to disturb you, but I wish to speak with you alone."
Ellie rested back into her position and motioned for Odin to join her. He stepped up to stand next to her.
Odin rested his hands on the stone wall and looked out over the garden. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine, but I am so confused about what is going on," Ellie replied.
"I believe that you would be. There are definitely many questions that have gone unanswered. That is why I wish to speak with you." Odin paused. "You could not do magic before you entered the vault?"
"No. I have never done anything even remotely like magic. I can't even do magic tricks." Ellie said exasperated. "Do you know what happened to me?"
"I believe that I do," Odin said turning towards her. "What do you know of your parentage?"
"Well, my mother died when I was young. She was orphaned as a child so I don't know any of her family. I lived with my father after my mom was gone and he stopped talking to his family before I was even born. So my father was all I knew and he was nothing to talk about." Ellie finished, shaking her head.
Odin looked at her with a questioning look.
"After my mother died, Bill became angry towards the world. He began to drink way too much and eventually started taking his anger out on me. I went through a rebellious phase and things escalated until I would avoid him at all costs. I got into trouble and finally I realized I needed to change my life. So I put all my effort into school so I could make a life for myself and get away from him." Ellie finished.
"Well it seems you have been able to overcome adversity," Odin stated.
"Yes. I think I have become a much stronger person due to my past and recent events," she agreed.
"Then I believe you will be able to overcome the fact that I do not believe you were truly the daughter of your mother or father." Odin said looking her straight in the eye.
Ellie was taken aback for a moment. She could not believe the words that just came out of Odin's mouth. Shaking her head, she dropped her legs over the side of the wall. "That's not possible. I look exactly like my mother."
"Well then I do not believe that Bill was actually your father."
Ellie sat and thought about it. She remembered back to something that Bill said the last night she saw him. The night Loki had walked her home after saving her from Cody. Bill had seen her walk up to the house with a man and called her a whore. He said that she was just like her mother. Bill had even made a comment the night he picked her up from jail, that he didn't know why he had to get stuck with her. All of the seemingly benign comments that Bill said over the years flooded back to her. If what Odin said was true, then Bill was not her father and he had known it.
"So what are you saying?" Ellie asked.
"Your father may have been from a realm other than Midgard," Odin answered keeping his eyes locked with Ellie's.
"Wow," Ellie uttered, jumping down from the wall. "Just give me second."
"Take all the time you need." Odin said as he went to sit at the table.
Ellie paced back and forth across the veranda trying to organize her thoughts. They were a jumbled mess and she could not think of any intelligent questions to ask. Odin just simply watched her and let her be.
"Okay," she finally said. "So if Bill was not my father, then do you know who was?"
"I have my suspicions. When you were in the vault, the Frost giant pushed you into the purple casket?"
"Yes."
"Then, only after touching it, you were able to use magic?"
"Yes."
"How many years are you?"
Ellie began to feel a little frustrated with all the questions, but she held back. "I just turned twenty before I was brought here."
"I believe your father may have been from Alfheim, the realm of the elves," Odin said, rising to stand next to Ellie and look her in the eye. "If my calculations are correct, your father was Ellador, king of the elves."
"What?" Ellie said breathless.
"For many years Alfheim was at war with Niovellir, the realm of the dwarves. They fought many battles and many a man was lost. Ellador came to me with his casket to protect before the dwarves could take it from him. Before he gave up the casket, he confided in me that he had found a woman to bear his child. His wife had died in childbirth and he did not have the heart to find another. Ellador felt the battle was to be lost against the dwarves and forbid me to interfere. I have been entrusted with the protection of his realm until his child came to take their rightful place."
Ellie looked up into Odin's eyes. "How can you be sure that it's me?"
"Only someone with royal elven blood can wield the power of the Alfheim casket."
"So if you think that my father was this elven king, then that would make me an elven princess?" Ellie said trying to wrap her brain around this.
"You are the elven queen, the rightful ruler of Alfheim." Odin stated plainly.
"Well damn."
"There is more to this story." Odin said, sitting back down at the table. "Please sit."
"How could there possibly be more?" she asked, but sat down next to Odin. She took a deep breath and composed herself. "Alright, I think I'm ready."
Odin smirked. "Many centuries ago, Alfheim had been at war with the Frost Giants. Ellador wished to spare the lives on both sides, so he struck a deal with Laufey. The first born son of the Frost Giant would marry the first born daughter of the Elves. As the dowry, Laufey's son would be given a pendant that would bestow upon him the ability to use the elven magic."
Ellie's mind went to the pendant that her mother had given her before she died. The pendant that Loki took from her apartment and now wore. "I think I might have that pendant. My mother gave it to me. Loki has it now."
"Well that is fitting," Odin said simply.
"What do you mean?"
"When Loki was born, he was small, and Laufey believed him to be unworthy. So he was cast aside and left to die. I found him and raised him as my own, but he is Laufey's first born son. Ellador's wife died giving birth to their first child, a son. However, he met your mother and you my dear are his first born daughter."
"Holy shit," Ellie whispered.
"So, it would seem that you were born to marry my son."
