Hello everyone! First, I want to give a shout out to A Wild Clover and Cougar rolypoly bug for your reviews on the last chapter! Aurora's hair is a mahogany brown color and her eyes are hazel, so they are green with flecks of brown in them making them not quite as green as Loki's eyes. I only mentioned her eye and hair color in maybe two of the chapters so far, so hopefully this will clear up the confusion. And Cougar, thanks for picking up on the subtle inclusion that Loki might not be of Asgard :) I wanted to find a way to work that suspicion in there.

This is chapter 12 and while it is a bit shorter than most of my chapters have been lately, it is pretty much all dialogue between Aurora and Loki. It's a bit different than other chapters I have written so far and when you start reading, you'll see why! Happy reading!

"You should have let me punch him." You sighed as you and Loki walked down the palace corridor toward Loki's room.

"What good would that have done, Aurora? You can't expect to end this quarrel between Fandral and I by just punching him in the face. All that would do is create more trouble which is not going to benefit anyone." Loki grimaced as he clutched his right side.

"Do your ribs hurt?" You asked Loki, changing the topic because you became concerned as you eyed him holding his side.

"I'll be fine." Loki said, still with the pained expression on his face.

"Here, let me help you, just lean on me." You said as you rushed to his side and brought his right arm around your shoulder and placed your left arm around his back.

Loki didn't argue with you or insist that he could walk properly on his own which you took as a sign that he really was in pain. You continued supporting Loki as the two of you finally reached his room. You opened the door and led him over to his bed where he slowly laid down in order to avoid hurting himself any further.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" You asked Loki who looked worn out.

"No, I'll heal relatively quickly on my own. I just need to rest." Loki responded wearily.

"Okay, but after you rest you should tell Queen Frigga or King Odin about Fandral." You said softly.

Loki's eyes shot wide open as he sat up on the bed with newfound energy as he said, "Absolutely not."

"What do you mean no? You have to tell them, Loki." You said knitting your eyebrows in confusion.

Loki shook his head rapidly which only caused him to wince and put his hand to his head. "Mother and father are too busy caring for the kingdom to have time to deal with my juvenile problems. This matter is too trivial for them. I do not wish to burden them nor do I think it requires their attention."

"You can't be serious Loki. You're their son! You are more important than the kingdom!" You raised your voice.

"I am just one person in the midst of our whole realm; I do not take precedence over the others." Loki said with his voice still soft.

"You do though, Loki! This isn't right, you must tell them!" You urged him as you sat down at the edge of his bed.

"I know it isn't right, but like I told you earlier, I will handle it myself. Why can't you listen to me?" Loki asked, growing slightly frustrated.

"I can't because if you say nothing, this will continue to go on and it will probably get even worse!" You said gesturing wildly.

Loki sighed as he placed his head in his heads and mumbled into his palms, "Please, Aurora. Why do you not understand that I do not wish to tell my parents about this?"

"I know that it won't be easy, but you need to, Loki. You need to speak up…if it helps, I'll go with you to tell them." You said lowering your voice as you placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not telling them." Loki said into his palms.

"Then I will." You said as you stood up.

Loki grabbed your hand lightning fast and looked at you with commanding eyes that were almost angry.

"You will not tell them." Loki said firmly.

"Loki," You squirmed in his grasp, "let me go."

"If I let you go, you'll tell my parents and I can't have you do that." Loki said as he kept your wrist in his grasp.

You sighed, "I really don't understand why you won't just tell them."

"I'm ashamed, that's why! Okay? I'm embarrassed that I was singled out as the target and that I'm too weak to defend myself, or to win. I'm ashamed and I don't want my parents to think I'm worthless too!" Loki yelled as he finally broke down right in front of you.

"Loki…" You began as you felt tears behind your eyes.

Loki's hand was still clasped around your wrist as it began to shake while Loki fought back the tears that he did not want you to see leave his eyes.

"You cannot change my mind on this. Just leave the matter alone." Loki said shakily.

"I don't know if I can." You said.

Loki lifted his head and turned his piercing green eyes toward you as he stared intensely at you, so intensely that you felt as if you had been pinned against the wall and were immobilized.

"You have to." Loki spoke.

"You're better than this, Loki. You aren't a coward and you aren't weak. By speaking up you'd be stronger than Fandral, than all of them." You said as you stared back at him.

Loki's eyes changed at that moment, it was if a storm that had been gathering power had finally let loose.

"Do not tell me what I need to do to be better or stronger than them." Loki seethed.

"I-I-I'm not." You stammered, taken aback by Loki's tone.

"You just did." Loki hissed.

You had never heard Loki speak like this to you, or to anyone before and even though it frightened you, you refused to back down.

"Don't twist my words, Loki. I merely said that you're more than they think you are and you just need to show them." You said, regaining your composure.

Loki's grip tightened around your wrist causing you to wince slightly as he stressed the words, "You are trying to trick me into doing what you want. You want me to comply with your demands so you are altering your speech in hopes that you will smooth talk me into acting according to your wishes. Well, Aurora, I am not, nor will I ever be, anyone's marionette."

You scoffed, "You think I'm trying to control you?"

"That is precisely what I am insinuating." Loki narrowed his eyes at you.

"I don't know what 'insinuating' means, but you're getting on my nerves!" You yelled.

"The annoyance is mutual." Loki said firmly.

"Well! I don't know what I've done wrong here; I'm just trying to help you!" You huffed.

"You have surpassed help, you are attempting to force your whims upon me when I repeatedly told you that I do not share the same compulsion that you do. It is my life, my problem, and I told you I would deal with it. Why do you not trust me? Oh wait, you do not think I'm capable of handling it! I should have known!" Loki said as he grew angry at the end when he discovered your true reason for wanting him to tell someone else about what was occurring.

"You know," You sighed in frustration, "I really wish you'd stop using words that I don't understand. You're making me angrier in the process. Are you belittling me?"

"You avoided my question, and your wish is just another one that is not going to come true, I fear." Loki paused and then continued with an unfriendly laugh, "Why would I waste my time belittling you when I am trying to get you angry enough to leave?"

"Well, you succeeded! If you want me to leave so badly then let go of my wrist and I will!" You yelled at Loki.

Loki smirked and released his grip on you, bringing his hand up to eye level and twisting it side to side, "I've done my part."

"Now I'm going to do mine." You said furiously as you turned around and walked to Loki's door.

You opened the door and before you left Loki's room you turned around and said, "Oh, one last thing. You're right; I don't think you're capable of handling this on your own."

Loki looked positively irate as he glared at you in a way you didn't even know he was capable of doing. You gave Loki a blatantly fake smile that epitomized sarcasm as you slammed the door shut behind you.

Immediately as the door slammed behind you, you let out a groan of frustration as you stormed off to your own room. Loki also released his anger as he picked up a glass and threw it at the wall causing it to shatter into a hundred pieces.

"I'll show them all. They'll all see." Loki growled at the shards of broken glass, as if it had been guilty of some transgression as well.