Silver and Scales

Chapter Thirty-Two: A Plan of Mischief and Mayhem

Loki and Vyperia took their evening meal in the dining hall. Aside from the hand-maidens, servant boys, and the guards that were placed at the four entrances of the hall, the regal couple was alone. They were quiet; the only sounds that echoed between them were the small tings of silverware lightly clattering against plates as they ate in silence. Loki sat across from her, glancing up to observe her inaudible expressions. He gazed at her hands, which were slowly shaking even as she raised the fork to her mouth and ate the roast duck on her plate. When her hand clasped the goblet, his eyes noticed the nervous shudder in her face as Vyperia sipped the wine.

She felt his eyes on her.

"Vyperia."

His queen sighed as she gazed at the crimson red liquid in her glass; she lapped at it like a thirsty dog. Loki leaned back in his seat, watching her. Her fingers turned the goblet's thin body thoughtfully. The events of the day settled on her thin eyebrows; Vyperia held an expression of one being troubled. Loki took his napkin from the table and wiped his hands. He gestured to the right; as ordered, a servant lad appeared by his side.

Loki whispered something in his ear and the lad nodded obediently. Loki watched the boy walk out of the dining hall.

"You have not looked at me since we sat down," said Loki.

"I know what you look like, Darling," muttered Vyperia shakily.

"Are you angry with me?"

"No."

"Are you sad?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?" remarked Loki calmly.

Vyperia's eyes shifted from the glass in her hand to meet his hard gaze. She licked her lips with reluctance and placed the goblet back on the table. Loki saw several expressions pass her beautiful face: hesitation, complication, confusion, irritation, and conflict. Those green eyes left him to stare about the guards and the hand-maidens in the room with them. Loki nodded slowly, realizing that this was a sensitive matter.

"Leave us."

The guards bowed, turned, and walked out. The female servants exchanged curious glances but didn't wait around to be told to leave. The servant boy to whom Loki had spoken returned as others were walking out; he held a sealed bottle in his trembling hands. Vyperia looked at the boy with a passive smile. Loki relieved the young man of his burden, replying with a word of thanks. The servant lad bowed and followed the others. Soon, there was no one around them.

"I don't know what is troubling you," said Loki as he secured the bottle in his hands, "but I can assure you that whatever female-driven emotional conflict that burdens your mind can be solved with simple male-driven logic and reasoning."

Vyperia, who had been watching the servant's retreating back, turned to see Loki uncork the wine bottle and place it on the table.

"Calm your nerves," he gestured for her to pour her a glass.

"How can you be so collected," asked Vyperia with a smooth, but low voice, "when the Destroyer hunts for your brother and your friends?"

"First," Loki began with a raised finger, "they are Thor's friends, not mine. They respected me because Thor respected me. No longer. Second, this had to be done in order to secure whatever loose ends there are to stop me from destroying that race of monsters."

"The Frost Giants seek out redemption, as do you," said Vyperia. "What makes you so certain that Thor will not find a way back into Asgard and show his people who you really are?"

"Is this a wave of a guilty conscience? Because," said Loki, still calmly, "I remember you telling Laufey that you had no intention of giving back your title as queen. Your guilt lies in the balance of your duties as goddess. They no longer apply since I am King. You can bury those feelings with the idea that you are forgiven."

"If Thor comes back and Odin awakens, they will know what you tried to do."

"There is no try; it will happen." Loki retorted.

He leaned forward and grabbed the bottle. Vyperia watched him pour the wine into her glass.

"It is treason," muttered Vyperia without looking at him.

Loki held her glass in his hand. He stopped pouring when she uttered those three words. He sighed and leaned back in his seat, becoming impatient. Loki took her glass in his hand and drained the wine in his mouth, perhaps attempting to salvage the oncoming argument with his own attempt to calm his nerves.

"Vyperia," he said after he licked his lips, "there is nothing wrong here. Everything is as it should be. You are the queen of Asgard"—he indicated a hand to her—"and isn't that what you wanted? Would you give it all back willingly if Thor returned and Odin awakened?"

"No." Vyperia admitted.

"Exactly. Then why torture yourself with these thoughts?" he rose to his feet.

"The Warriors Three said that I would be exiled if Odin awakened," Vyperia remarked, looking up at him.

"I have no intention of having him killed," Loki said seriously.

"What?" asked Vyperia, staring at him.

"No," said Loki incredulously.

He laughed slightly.

"What sort of king do you think that I am?" Loki remarked. "It is all a trick, a prank, a folly. Laufey intends to kill him; but I intend to stop him. When Odin awakes, I would have destroyed Jotunheim—something Odin and Thor could never do. He will see that I'm the worthy son, capable of running a throne that Thor does not want."

"He will exile me even if he wants you to do this," said Vyperia anxiously.

"No, he won't. You have played your part well, have you not? The loyal queen, the faithful wife—it is part of the plan, pet."

Vyperia passed a hand over her face.

Loki strode around the table.

"I have thought about this at length, Vyperia," he said. He reached for her hand. Vyperia rose to her feet and stepped away from him. He looked at her as if she had rejected him, and she did.

"No, no, no," Vyperia said quickly. "This is wrong, this is bad…Loki, this is terrible. Darling, you speak of searching for Odin's approval—but you sent that Destroyer to kill your brother. This is wrong."

"This is what it should be," Loki told her seriously.

"What will happen if they realize the truth? You could be killed for this!" Vyperia breathed.

"Calm down," soothed Loki, approaching her.

"No, you don't see the impact that this could have on the Nine Realms. It's not taking care of loose ends. You want to destroy the whole planet. Loki, that is—"

Loki steadied her shaking head with his hands on either side of her face, his lips only a few inches from her.

"Now, Darling, shh…"

She looked at him with worried eyes.

"Vyperia, do not lose your focus."

"Loki, this is madness."

"Is it?" Loki told her softly.

Her eyes widened.

"Loki, please. Reconsider what you are doing…what you are about to do."

Loki uttered an empty chuckle.

"Have you lost your nerve?" he asked her quietly.

"This is not a joke," Vyperia hissed at him.

"Yes, well, it never was," remarked Loki.

Vyperia pried his hands from her face.

"You sent a monster to kill your brother. You ordered for it to kill Sif and the Warriors Three. You want the Frost Giants to enter Asgard only so that you can kill them yourself. And you take a step further and want to blow up that planet? Loki, that is not justice. That is murder. You're not better than Odin when he wiped out the Dark Elves!"

"Is it any better than what you do every day?" he said coldly.

"What?"

"As your duty as a goddess of guardianship, is it not your duty to decide who lives and dies?"

"That's not the same thing—"

"Oh, my pet, it is the same thing; except this time, you can't turn your back on this." Loki said evenly. "You want to mean something to Asgard, but you are not willing to take the right steps to do it. This will stop everyone from speaking such disgusting falsities behind your back. This is what needs to be done."

Vyperia shook her head. She turned away from him. Her stomach churned with anxiety, helplessness, and overwhelming fear.

"What have we done?" she whispered.

"There is nothing that you can do to stop it, Vyperia."

"This is a crime. This is treason…"

Loki grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him; she gasped as he held her so close. His eyes penetrated hers.

"How many times must I tell you? This is not treason!"

"You want acceptance and truth; this is not the way to get that. You risk the lives of everyone here—you want the throne, but it was never yours to have! Odin said that it is your birthright—but you said it yourself. He never wanted a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of As—!"

Loki clasped a hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking any further.

"Stop. Stop right there." Loki hissed at her.

Vyperia uttered a small cry as he silenced her.

He glanced over her shoulder to see a guard standing by, entering without invitation. Loki didn't remove his hand from Vyperia's mouth; instead, he peered at the soldier, agitated.

"Sir," said the guard hesitantly, "I heard raised voices. Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine," Loki said coldly. "Be on your way."

"Your Highness, I—"

"Now, guard!"

Vyperia heard the guard's footsteps leave. Loki looked at her. She stared at him, shocked by his behavior. Loki lowered her hand from her lips. He observed her carefully. She was definitely petrified as his revealing news. He slowly released her. Vyperia crossed her arms tightly, frightened.

"Do not think for one instant that your importance to me was put aside in order for me to get here," Loki said, his voice trembling with simmering anger. "I was thinking of your safety and your significance the entire time."

"Then think of me now." Vyperia said, straightening. "Please. Don't. Do. This."

Loki considered her for a moment.

He stepped away from her.

"I'm going to bed, Vyperia. There is nothing more to be said between us."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"What you are asking me to do is to throw away everything that we have worked for in the last two weeks because you can't bear to see a few creatures die for our cause."

"They aren't a few, Loki. They are hundreds. Thousands. A…An entire race should perish because you desire a throne?"

"It is my birthright!" Loki said angrily.

Vyperia winced as he said this, wounded by the pain in his face.

"It was taken from me when those precious Jotuns of yours abandoned me on a frozen rock, left to die. If you love them so much, go to Jotunheim and perish with them."

Vyperia's mouth hung open in pain.

He didn't apologize.

He said nothing.

He turned on his heel and walked away from her, unable to stand in the same room with Vyperia any longer.