There was only a couple hours left before Loki had to be at Thor's coronation, so he decided to visit Neala. He walked briskly to Neala's room but before he knocked he made sure he was alone. She answered hesitantly and was surprised that he called on her. Loki gave her a smirk and walked in. He was very excited for today's events, but he could see that Neala was worried.
"What are you worried about?" Neala gave Loki a small smile.
"I'm just hoping everything goes according to plan."
"It will." Loki stepped closer and moved her hair out of her face. He gave her a reassuring smile, and she smiled back at him. Loki then planted a kiss on her forehead, looked her deeply in the eyes and left her chambers. He didn't want to be caught with her before he announced it. Besides, they never had that conversation of what they are to each other and what they wanted to be. Loki planned to tell her about his feelings after everything blew over from the storm that's brewing today.
As he was walking down the hallway to seek out his brother, a man was walking the opposite way.
"Do you know where Lady Neala's chambers are?" Anxiety built up in Loki's chest and he tried not to show it as he saw that this man was also an Elf. Loki pointed to her door, bowed his head and left. He quickly turned a corner and cast a spell to make himself invisible. He wanted to know what this man wanted. He wondered back into the hallway and slipped into her room as Neala answered. Neala's face was so surprised to see this man, and even a little happy. This made Loki irritated and also made him want to know who this man is even more.
"Nice to see you again, Neala." The man smiled and walk courteously into her chambers.
"Same to you, Ehrlo." Neala responded with an even bigger smile.
"What brings you here in Asgard? Attending Thor's coronation?" She inquired.
"No. I've come to see what you are up to. I've sensed a… disturbance. How are you doing on your mission?"
"I've made some headway, but I cannot reveal any details. Just know that I am working my hardest to prevent the disaster." The man did not seem satisfied by her answer.
"I demand to know the details." All courtesy was lost. Neala stood there silently contemplating on what to do.
"I cannot divulge the secrets that I have been commanded to keep."
"Commanded by whom?"
"Prince Loki."
"Your loyalty of Prince Loki overrules the loyalty to your own people?" At this Neala swallowed hard and knew that she had to do something to make him go away.
"You do not trust me?"
"This is not a matter of trust, Neala. This is a matter of competence and I do not think you have what it takes to complete this mission. I'll be watching you very carefully. I do not suggest doing anything that would hurt your reputation." The man walked out of the room quickly after having said this.
Neala was visibly hurt by this, so Loki made himself visible again. She was about to scream when Loki quickly held her from behind, covered her mouth and made a "sshhh" noise. His other hand that wasn't across her mouth was on her hips, and Loki felt her tense up. He took his hand away from her mouth and detached himself from her.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, baffled as to where he came from.
"I wanted to see the man's purpose for being here."
"So you heard everything?"
"Yes. I respect your loyalty to me but why does he know why you're here?"
"He knows because he's the one who initially saw the vision of you falling. He met you some time ago and knew who you were and he wanted to prevent it from happening. At the time, the king was in need of him so he sent me here in his place. My first night here was when I started having the visions on my own. I'm sorry for not telling you the whole truth but it would've been even harder for you to believe me if I told you this sooner." Loki stroked her cheek, letting her know it was alright and that he understood.
"I have to start heading to the coronation, you should too. As much as I would like to walk with you there I think it would create a lot of unwanted attention. I bid you farewell, Neala. I'll call on you again tonight if I am able to." He smiled as he took her hand and kissed it, all the while looking her in the eyes with his sparkling green eyes. She blushed and he smiled wider as he left her chambers. As he made his way down the stairs he heard her door open and close again as she also needed to make her way to the celebration.
Loki took his place to the left of the throne and watched as Thor made his way down the long aisle to receive the crown. Thor reached the steps, took off his helmet, and kneeled in front of Odin. Odin began his speech with a thump of his staff hitting the floor.
It was nearing the end of Odin's speech and no interruptions occurred. Worry started to build up in him as he tried to find Neala in the crowd with his eyes. The moment before Odin pronounced Thor king the all-father muttered, "Frost giants" and with a thump his staff hit the ground again. The coronation was stopped and Odin, Thor and Loki made their way into the weapon's vault. As expected, Thor lost his mind when their father chose not to take action against Jotenheim. Loki tried to hold in his excitement as Thor charged off in anger. Loki kept his gaze locked on the floor and silently followed Thor into the room where they were going to feast.
Watching Thor be banished by Odin would have been tremendously delightful for Loki if it hadn't been for the fact that Loki's hand and forearm turned blue as one of the frost giant's touched him. He was lost in thought pacing his chambers after his minor cuts were looked after and also after he told the warriors that he had been the one to tell the guard to go to Odin. The only logical reason why his arm would turn blue is if he was a frost giant as well. Binding magic could've been used on him when he was a baby that couldn't be broken and would conceal him for life, if he never came in contact with a frost giant or their weapon, of course. He decided to test his hypothesis and go to the weapons vault. As he was picking up the cube Odin yelled at him to stop. He froze with the cube in his hands and watched as his horrors came to life before him. His whole body turned blue with intricate designs in black tattooed deep within his skin. He turned around to greet Odin and soon found out what he really was and how he came to be. Once Odin passed out and the guards took him away, Loki ran up to the observatory and paced with his thoughts racing.
Laufey's son, of course. This is why Odin never wanted me to be king.
These thoughts ran repeatedly in Loki's mind, and he was sure he was losing his mind. He developed a hatred for Odin, Frigga, the warriors, and most of all, Thor. He could never let him come back, and if he did it will be to get buried with all the other royalty that has passed away.
The sun was far gone when he heard small footsteps coming his way. He felt gentle hands on his left arm and he turned around to greet the brave maiden. Neala looked at him with concerned eyes.
"What happened?" Neala asked while stroking Loki's hair out of his face like he had done to her.
"Thor was banished."
"What else?"
"There is nothing else." Neala could tell her was lying, but she didn't know how to get the truth out of him.
"Why are you so upset? This is what you wanted." Neala was leading Loki into a corner from which he could only tell truth out of.
"The all-father fell into the Odin sleep as I was screaming at him." Loki tensed up and grew irritated. Neala caressed his face and jaw line to keep him calm for a little while longer.
"Why were you screaming at him?" Loki moved away and looked around the observatory as if interested in something else. He slowly walked back to Neala and took her hands in his gently.
"I'm a monster, Neala." Loki's face had pain written all over it as he confessed this to her. Neala was confused and squeezed his hands to tell him to explain. He was so close to letting go, and Neala never wanted him to let go.
"Loki, you are no monster. I know you do not feel this way because of Thor's banishment. There is something else you're not telling me, I know it. You can tell me anything and I will always be here to hear it." She let silence fall and when she realized he still had no intent on telling her she added, "Loki, I fear if you do not tell me the vision will still come true. I do not want to watch you fall. Either you tell me now or I will find out another way that you will dislike." This moved something in Loki. Although he did not want to tell Neala, he did not want her to find out from somebody else or from some other method other than asking him. He knew the elves had powers that could be used to steal memories and truths not said aloud.
"I am not a true son of Odin. I am in some form or another… adopted." Neala looked cautiously at him.
"Whose son are you really?"
"King Laufey's." At this Neala's brow furrowed as she tried to comprehend what Loki had just revealed.
"How?" Is the only word that Neala could get out.
"I was placed under an illusion spell when I was a baby that bound to me for life. The only time the bond breaks is when I come in contact with something distinctly frost giant." Loki looked intently at Neala to see her reaction. It was not what he expected, and he was happy for that. He ran through situations like this in his head and they all ended with Neala being so repulsed that she ran off. This was not the case, as was evident by her still looking up and Loki with her hands in his.
"Everything will turn out just fine." She reassured Loki. Neala was the only person in his life that reassured him, pushed him to do better, and, most of all, give him the love that he so desperately needed. She believed in him, for some odd reason. Loki leaned in and kissed her roughly and Neala was surprised but she went along with it. His hand caressed her cheek and her hand and arm curled around his neck.
"What are you doing?" Yelled a man from the entrance of the observatory. Loki had a trying enough day so when this man said this Loki quickly unhanded Neala and started charging at him. Neala acted quickly and grabbed his arm to hold him back. Loki did not want to pull Neala, so he stopped and glared at the intruder. Ehrlo's face came into the light and Neala moved in front of Loki.
"This matter is none of your business."
"While you are here in Asgard everything is my business to know. You have failed your mission by developing a relationship with prince Loki. You are hereby released of your duties and are ordered to return home at once." Ehrlo was seething with anger, as was Neala.
"I will not return home even if it means banishment from Alfheim! I have nothing there, and before I came here I didn't have anything anywhere. I found something worth fighting for here, in Asgard! I am not giving it up to please you and your childish dreams. If you had any remaining hope to marry me, I suggest letting go of it because that is never happening. I am not an object and I am not somebody that can be ordered around and be expected to obey like a puppet. You go home and tell my Father I will not be returning anytime soon. These are orders coming from your princess; if you do not obey them I will make sure you will never see the light of day again." Neala's lips quivered with anger and her stare was full of the hottest flames. Ehrlo studied Neala then turned on his heel and exited the observatory. Neala was still breathing hard from the effort and adrenaline rush but in the midst of calming down she smiled at Loki.
"Remind me to never cross you." Loki smiled and held her close. Neala pulled away a little to look him in the eyes.
"What now?"
"I am king, and I will do my kingly duties to the best of my ability."
"Loki, don't hide your intentions from me. I had another vision, which is why I came to find you in the first place. This vision consisted of you killing Thor, but because of the spell that the all-father cast on Thor before he was banished Thor came back to life and was able to return to Asgard. Do not do anything more than be a good king and you will be rewarded for such a thing. If you do, it will cause Thor to become a person whom your father sees as the rightful king of Asgard." Loki stared at her lovingly and stroked her cheek.
"As my lady commands." Loki smiled at her and added, "Will you help me?"
There's that question again, Neala thought. This time there was no risk. This time he would treat her like another person, and not just an object. She started beaming at him.
"Of course, my king." She leaned in and kissed him gently. They heard footsteps approaching the observatory so they quickly separated and pretended to be talking casually. A guard walked in and informed Loki that there was a matter that was of importance. Loki excused himself from Neala's presence with a glimmer in his eyes. He made his way to the throne room only to be greeted with some financial responsibilities a king has to deal with.
When he was finished his slumped over in the throne and rubbed his temples, hoping he was doing the right thing. This was when the warriors entered the hall. After the surprise of seeing Loki on the throne, they asked for him to end Thor's banishment. Of course, Loki denied them that and they looked at him with disgust. He did not know the all-father's intentions and how he wanted to handle Thor's banishment. Loki decided to wait and see if the all-father woke from the odinsleep. There was also Loki's hatred for Thor that caused him to not let Thor come back. He had a secure reason for not letting Thor come back, but the warriors thought Loki a cruel man who would never do something nice for anyone, especially Thor. Loki ignored their looks of disgust and glared at them as they left. He had more important matters to think about other than Thor. Loki had to find a way to put peace between Asgard and Jotenheim. He didn't want to make this decision alone, so he left the throne room for the night. He found Neala on the balcony outside of the dining hall. He breathed in the crisp night air and took in Neala's beauty as she turned around and smiled at him.
"I need to discuss a matter with you. In fact, I need to discuss two matters with you, my lady." He smiled as he slipped the last two words out. He purposefully emphasized the my to assert that she was his and no one else's. His eyes glimmered and he saw her tense up and bite her lip.
"You better talk about the more serious one first." Neala said and cocked an eyebrow.
"Very well. We need to talk about what to do about Jotenheim. I'm trying to think of a way to bring about a truce with the barbarians but I can't."
"Loki, isn't it obvious?" Loki looked at her with sad eyes. "The all-father took you from Jotenheim for a reason and I think that reason was to unite Jotenheim and Asgard through you. Even though things have not gone as planned, we can still try to do that. You can reveal yourself to them as one of them, and they will listen. They have trouble listening to Asgardians because when they are seen the horrible memories of war are brought up again. Jotenheim has fallen from grace and if you unite them with Asgard we could raise them up again. And if not, if they chose not to listen, we shut off their planet so they can't go to war with anyone." Loki could tell she thought this through before he even brought it up. This is why he came to her. He knew that she could shed some light on the subject. He felt a sense of pride while looking at her, thinking that she cared for him like no other.
"I will start in the morning. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you by my side. I'll send messengers at once to let them know we are to have a… discussion. Now, do you want to talk about the other matter?"
"After you send the messengers out." Loki's eyes glimmered as he looked at her.
"Very well. I shall be in my Chambers shortly." He paused and added, "I expect you'll be in them when I arrive?" Neala blushed and nodded. He then walked quickly inside to find a messenger. He quickly found one outside the throne room doors and approached him.
"Guard, you will deliver a message to Jotenheim's king Laufey and tell him negotiations will be performed tomorrow morning. Also, tell him this will not be normal negotiations as information not before known will be coming to light and because of this there are to be minimum guards. We will meet on the barren land floating around Jotenheim. Ride swiftly." The guard saluted and ran off to find a stead to take him to the bifrost. Loki paced silently outside his chambers just to keep Neala waiting and build up her anticipation. When he walked in he saw that Neala was in a nicer gown than the one she was wearing earlier. This one was midnight blue that came into a deep V showing her breasts a little and accentuating her hips. The dress also showed some of her left leg with a deep slit in the side of the dress. She stopped pacing around his bedroom and smiled shyly at Loki.
"What took you so long?" Neala looked as if she had been worrying, and Loki smiled and cocked his eyebrow.
"What, did you miss me?" Neala playfully pushed him gently when he walked towards her.
"You wanted to talk about something?"
"You're wearing a different dress. I like it." Loki looked at her hungrily. She noticed his hungry stare and blushed a deep crimson. She played it off with a smirk.
"I don't think that was what you wanted to talk to me about." Neala looked deeply into Loki's eyes as she walked seductively towards him. She was so close to him now, but no one made a move. Loki wanted to do so many things to her and it was taking all of his will to not act upon his lust.
"Right. I want to make our relationship… formal." Neala broke her seductive stare and beamed. Her hair was shining brightly and her eyes seemed to lighten from their normal deep blue.
"I-I'm completely fine with this proposition."
"Neala," Loki said gently, "I want to make you my queen." At this Loki leaned in and kissed her and she kissed back. Loki held her close to him roughly as he kissed her more passionately. She made no move to get away so Loki picked her up and put her on his bed. He pulled the straps of her gown down all the while kissing her. He moved to kissing her neck and feeling the curve of her breasts that were still covered by her dress. He tore her dress down further and exposed her breasts. He moaned slightly as Neala ran her fingers through his black hair and he moved to kissing his way down to her nipples. At the moment he reached her nipples a flash of light filled the sky. Loki quickly looked up and recognized it as the bifrost being used. The guard had already left and come back, so there was no reason that the bifrost should be used at this time. He ran out onto his balcony, leaving Neala trying to fix her dress. Loki let out a grunt of frustration and stormed out of his chambers to see what was going on. Neala ran after him but did not interrupt him. He made his way to the bifrost and demanded the gate keeper to tell him what happened. The gate keeper said the warriors went to Midgard to bring Thor back. When Loki demanded an explanation as to why the gate keeper let them go, the gate keeper got into a fighting stance. Loki summoned his scepter and also got ready to fight. Neala was seeing this unravel in front of her eyes and finally ran in between the two of them.
"STOP THIS MADNESS! Asgard is on the brink of war and you decide to disobey the King's orders? And for what? Some childish fantasy that Thor will come back and save everyone? At least Loki is trying to develop another truce with king Laufey. Thor was banished for a reason! Why does no one see the fault in his ways? Loki, do not fight this man. It will only make things worse."
"What do you suppose I do?" He sneered.
"Imprison him for his crime and leave the others on Midgard to make them learn their lesson!" Loki grimaced and slowly lowered his scepter. He then called on two guards to escort the gate keeper to jail and Loki also confiscated his sword that can be used to open the bifrost. Loki sighed and looked at the bifrost, contemplating on how easy it would be to send the destroyer to Midgard to obliterate Thor and the warriors. Neala placed her hand on his shoulder and forced him to look at her. When he wouldn't she grabbed his face with her hands and forced him to.
"Don't do anything you might regret later." Neala held a firm stare on Loki. Loki finally let go of his stubbornness and looked Neala in the eyes.
"I can control my urges to kill them all."
"I would hope so. That would surely cause your downfall."
"Will you stay in my chambers tonight?"
"I do not think that is wise, my king."
"Why not?"
"We do not want to consummate so soon, do we?" At this Neala let a smile escape her lips. Loki smiled maliciously back at her.
"You're right, of course." They walked back to the palace together and Loki kissed her hand as he said farewell at her chamber door. As he walked into his own room he couldn't help thinking about what was to happen come morning. He sighed as he realized this was going to be a sleepless night for him. He is far too nervous to sleep. At least I'll have Neala by my side, Loki thought. Loki thought about all the times Neala has been there for him and has given him advice on how to deal with the different situations. He smiled to himself as he thought that she should be the ruler, not him. Yet he could not get that thought out of his head. She handled things better than Loki ever could. He spent the rest of the night contemplating and worrying about the negotiations that were to happen in a couple hours' time.
At dawn Loki rose from his chambers to attempt to eat some breakfast. He ate very little and so did Neala when she joined him. They didn't make much conversation as they were both fiddling with their food. Loki got up and Neala and he walked to the Bifrost with only two other guards. Loki was dressed in his armor and Neala was dressed in her silver elven armor. They were beamed to the barren moon to find King Laufey and three others with him. They looked ready to kill. Loki Approached the king with his head held high with Neala to his right.
"Why have you come here to die?" King Laufey glared Loki with his deep red eyes.
"I have some… news that might interest you."
"Stalling will not make me want to negotiate any more than I already do." Laufey sneered and Loki smirked as he took off the glove of his right hand.
"Well, then. Shall I show you? Here, touch my hand." Loki extended his right hand to king Laufey.
"What is this? Some kind of trickery?"
"No tricks, I promise. Now, grab my hand and see for yourself." Laufey cautiously looked at Loki's hand and roughly grabbed him by the wrist.
"Now what." Laufey spat all the while his eyes never leaving Loki.
"Look," Loki called attention to his hand that turned the same shade of blue as a frost giant's. The blue crawled along his body and finally made it up to his neck and covered his face. Loki's eyes turned red and king Laufey stared in bewilderment, not knowing how to take Loki's sudden change in appearance.