Loki and the Oracle Chapter 5: Blood Spilled is Freedom, a thor fanfic

Neala was full of nervousness as she and Loki paused briefly before opening the door to Odin's chambers. They made eye contact for a second, and she saw that Loki was nervous about it too. Loki opened the door and they walked in. For a moment Neala thought everything was fine, but then she noticed it was not just Frigga and Odin in the room. There was a man speaking quietly to Odin and Frigga looked upset. Neala immediately recognized this man to be Ehrlo. Neala was instantly filled with anger at the sight of him but she knew she had to hide it. Instead she smiled.

"Very nice to see you awake again, my king." Neala said with a little curtsy.

"Father." Loki smiled slightly and bowed his head a little.

"Loki, Neala! Come in, come in. We have lots to talk about!" Odin looked happy but still a bit weak from his unexpected drift into the Odinsleep. Loki and Neala stood on the side of the bed opposite of Ehrlo. Neala could feel the tenseness of Loki's body.

"First of all, I have been informed of the deal that was made with the Frost Giants, Loki. I have to say, I did not expect you to make such a decision! Nonetheless, I am proud of what you have done. You united Jotenheim and Asgard just as I wanted you too. For that, I thank you, son." Loki smiled like he never had before. Neala knew all he wanted was to make his father proud of him. And even after Loki had found out that Odin wasn't his real father, this still came as a great surprise and made him happy. Ehrlo made as if to speak and Odin silenced him and looked to Frigga, then to Loki.

"Frigga has mentioned that you have good news for me?" Odin looked expectantly to Loki. Neala was filled to the brim with anxiety as Loki started to speak.

"I do have good news to share. I have chosen Neala to be my wife." Loki said it shortly and to the point, but the way he said it made Neala's knees feel weak. Odin smiled abruptly, laughed of joy and congratulated Loki. Loki smiled, Neala blushed, and Ehrlo glared. Odin seemed to remember something and became more somber than happy. He turned to Neala.

"Well, this further complicates your situation, Neala. Your father has sent for you to come home. I am not to question his authority. After all, you are his only child. You are always welcome here and you are definitely welcome to marry my son. However, you have to go home and do as your father wishes before anything else." Neala went from beaming to holding in her tears within seconds. She wanted to argue, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. All she could manage was a slight curtsy and excuse herself from the room. As soon as she shut the door she bolted to her room. Once she was into her room she flung herself onto the bed and let her tears run free. She knew her father would send for her eventually. She also knew that he would never allow for her to marry Loki. He wanted her to marry Ehrlo, to marry another Light Elf. She sobbed uncontrollably as she saw her illusion of a happy world crumble before her. It was like her own tears were washing away the beautiful painting she made over where she really belonged. I never belonged here, it was foolish for me to think such a thing, she thought. She suddenly got very angry and used this new found energy to start packing. She would come back for Loki, no matter what her father said. Even if it meant there was to be no heir to the throne. Her barren mother gave her father no sons, only her. She knew it broke his heart to only have Neala. She knows that it couldn't have been easy for him, but she also knew that it was not his choice of who she fell in love with. She packed her dressed sloppily in a trunk and about halfway through Loki barged into her room. He saw her and he ran up to her and took her in his arms. He held her tightly as the tears came down yet again. They toppled to the floor and just held each other, not caring if anybody found them. She pulled away a bit to look him in the eyes.

"I'll come back for you, I promise. Without you I am nothing but a pathetic excuse of a future queen." Loki stroked her face.

"If you do not come back, be assured that I will find you and steal you away. If it comes to that we can find shelter in Midgard. Of course, it would be half the life we are living here but we'll be together and that's all that matters." Loki kissed her passionately and held her even tighter. In his rush, Loki forgot to close the door and soon Ehrlo appeared in the doorway. Loki and Neala quickly got on their feet and Neala made as if to charge. The only thing stopping her from physically harassing Ehrlo was Loki's arm around her waist. She glared at him and continued packing in silence. Loki helped her as best he could and when they were done they shared another passionate kiss, not caring if Ehrlo was watching or not. Loki grabbed Neala's luggage and walked her out to the front gate where horses were brought to take them to the Bifrost. There were only two horses: one for Neala, one for Ehrlo. She wished Loki could accompany her to the Bifrost, but that was apparently not planned for. Once Loki loaded one of the horses with her luggage he hugged her tightly. She never wanted him to let go.

"If you think your father will even think about allowing this infatuation to continue any longer with Loki, you are wrong. I told your father about what I saw between you two and he became smitten with anger." Neala decided to not even acknowledge him. If she did she feared she would kill him in some horrible manner. Not before long they arrived at the Bifrost and were transported to Alfheim. Guards were waiting for them when they arrived to take them straight to the throne room. Neala's face was cold and emotionless as soon as she arrived in Alfheim. Seeing the familiar silver buildings with similar architecture as Asgard made her feel empty. People named it the "Silver city". It was truly beautiful, but what is a beautiful place worth if you have no one to share it with? She has never felt as alone as when she is home. Asgard was just so warm and welcoming, and Alfheim was cold and judging. Neala found that the Bifrost took a lot out of her and she was starting to lose her composure because she was falling asleep. When they finally arrived in the throne room her father was seething with anger at the sight of her while her mother was smiling softly. Neala approached the throne, stopped a few feet away and looked at the ground.

"What relations did you have with Prince Loki during your stay in Asgard?" Neala wanted to run away at hearing her father's voice again.

"He wants to make me his queen." Neala said softly. This seemed to make her father even angrier than before.

"You are to be queen here, not in Asgard! You did not answer my question." Neala knew that arguing in her current state would only lead to more trouble, so she decided to stay silent.

"Fine. You are to be locked in your room until you decide to cooperate." Without waiting to be dismissed Neala exited the throne room and was quickly followed by guards to her chambers. Once she entered them and closed the door she heard them chain it shut. This just gave a physical description to how she felt inside whenever she is in Alfheim under her father's rule. She knew she would have to give up her right to the throne in Alfheim to marry Loki, and that idea was very pleasing to Neala. All she wanted was to be in Loki's arms. At the thought of what she had just left behind the tears started falling all over again. To take her mind off of Loki she decided to unpack. As she was unpacking something fell out of her powder blue dress. It was a small marble that had what seemed like green smoke inside of it. It seemed simple at first but then she couldn't stop looking at it. It intrigued her and she wanted to know what exactly is was. She had been examining it for quite a while when a sharp pain entered her mind. For some reason she could not let go of the marble even though she knew that it was causing this blinding pain. She fell onto the floor and writhed in pain. It seemed like hours went by before the pain subsided, all the while she held onto the marble. Then, out of thin air, came Loki's voice.

I'm sorry you had to endure that pain, but this is the only way we'll be able to communicate while you're a world away. Neala was startled and looked around, trying to see him. She then looked at the green mist within the marble and realized this was something he had made and dropped into her clothes while he was helping her pack.

Am I doing this right? Neala heard a slight chuckled.

Yes, darling, you're doing it right. Now, what has happened thus far?

My father has forbidden me to leave my room because I would not tell him the extent of our relationship. Neala heard a sigh.

Would telling him make anything better?

No.

That's what I thought. What are you planning to do?

I need to regain my strength and then I'll approach father. Until then I can try to convince my mother so she'll wear away at him.

Sounds a good enough plan to me. You always do think of everything.

It's not always a gift, you know

I know, my lady.

Are you still king or is Odin taking over the throne once more?

Odin has retaken the throne for now and has ordered the guards to bring back Thor and the warriors. I'm worried that he will still choose Thor over me for the throne even though I did everything I could to make things right. But, also, me as king without you by my side only makes the throne half complete. You help me think through the problems when I would rather submit myself to my emotions.

I know, my prince. I will try to work everything out with my father as soon as possible. It might involve him disowning me, but at this point I couldn't care less about that.

Odin will take you into Asgard even if you are disowned. Now, to relieve some tension…. Neala felt a wave of pleasure course through her body. This is new, she thought. Just as she was completely submitting herself to Loki's magic she heard her door being unchained.

Damn. My door's opening I'll speak to you later. Neala hid the marble in her wardrobe and tried to make the crimson color go away from her cheeks before her door was actually opened. When the chains were finally brought off her mother appeared in the doorway. She gently closed the door behind her and gingerly sat on Neala's bed and patted the spot next to her, indicating where Neala should sit. Neala did as her mother wanted and sat beside her.

"You're father only wants the best for you."

"No, he wants what's best for the kingdom. He doesn't care about my feelings."

"Do you love Prince Loki?"

"Yes, with all my heart."

"I will bring this up to your father. I hope this is what you truly want. If you marry Loki, you cannot be queen of Alfheim."

"I never wanted to be queen of Alfheim." Hearing this, Neala's mother stood up and went to the door. Just before she opened it she turned back and looked at Neala. She looked as if she was going to say something, but instead she opened the door and left. Once Neala heard the chains around the door she quickly grasped the marble once more, but found that Loki could not be reached. She sighed and watched the sun set through her window. She thought about how her mother could possibly convince her father to let her leave Alfheim and the promise of the throne behind. Neala backed away from the window just as the sun disappeared and flopped onto her bed. She instantly fell asleep.

Neala woke up to guards pulling her out of bed. Groggily she went along with them since they weren't giving her any other choice. She was pushed into the dining hall where her mother, father, and Ehrlo were eating. She sat down opposite of Ehrlo and kept her eyes on the table.

"Why do you not want to marry Ehrlo? Is he not good enough for you?" Her father spoke through a mouth full of food.

"Ehrlo is a vile being who doesn't deserve any woman's company." Her father nearly choked on his food and glared at Neala.

"How can you say such a thing?" Her father demanded an answer.

"I can say such a thing because he has treated me horribly ever since I went to Asgard."

"Rightfully so, in my opinion! You appear to have lost your decency."

"I never had decency. All I had was a better control over my tongue. Now I don't care what you think of me. Loki and I are going to be wed no matter what any of you do to prevent it."

"Is that so? I'd like to see that happen when you're chained in your room for the rest of your pathetic life." Neala's jaw tightened and she conjured the courage to glare at her father.

"I am not the same person I once was! I now have the courage to stand up for what I believe in, and you're never going to take that away from me. I'd rather die alone in my room than stand an eternity beside you. You are just as wretched as Ehrlo and I will not be associated with such a monstrosity." Neala's face turned red with anger and she ran out of the hall. She didn't hear her father yell for the guards to stop her but she knew he must've when one clotheslined her and dragged her back to her room.

Hungrily, she looked out of her window. She longed for freedom from Alfheim, from her father, from her room. She debated many times the pros and cons of jumping out of her window. She barely heard the chains on her door being removed as she paced the length of her chambers. Ehrlo closed her door behind him and stared at Neala until she stopped pacing and glared at him.

"All of this is your fault! If you hadn't been such a spiteful being I could be happily still living in Asgard with Loki!" Neala noticed Ehrlo was kind of hurt by what she said.

"Neala, I never wanted you to be this unhappy. I never wanted you to be locked in your room until your death. I love you, I always have." Neala scoffed at him and continued pacing. "Remember when I said I'd do anything for you?" Neala didn't answer. "I meant it." Ehrlo's words were soft, but his voice was firm and Neala knew that he meant every word. What she couldn't figure out is what Ehrlo was offering to do.

"So what, you'll whisper in my father's ear to let me go and then I'll be freed?"

"No… He is beyond reasoning with now. I'll have to resort to… something else. Neala, at midnight you will be liberated from you room. I want you to run straight to your father's chambers as soon as that happens." Neala furrowed her brow as she looked at him. "Neala, promise me that you will!" Neala was stunned and confused about what was happening.

"I promise." Neala's words were almost a whisper as they escaped her lips. Ehrlo nodded and left her room. Neala couldn't stop letting her thoughts race about all the possibilities of what Ehrlo could've meant. She forgot about the marble and about her imprisonment. All she thought about now was what was going to happen at midnight. She was lying in her bed because her hunger pains were making her weak. Finally, she heard the chains on her door seemingly fall to the floor. She quickly got out of bed and opened her door to find no one but two sleeping guards. She looked at them for only a moment but her senses kicked in and she ran for her father's chambers just like Ehrlo told her to do. She didn't trust him fully so when she got to the right door she hesitated on opening it. She didn't have to open it, she realized. The door was slightly open already. Neala's heart was pounding as she inched open the door. She heard a guttural noise and pushed the door open more quickly. It took a second before her eyes to adjust but when they did all she saw was red. It was on the floor, the bed, and the walls, everywhere. Then she saw him. Ehrlo was standing above her father with a dagger, breathing heavily. Neala screamed.

xxx

Loki felt stung as he heard his father complying with the Light Elf King's request to send Neala home. Once Neala curtsied and left the room Odin turned to Loki.

"Now, about this kingship business. For now, I will take over the throne once again to sort out Thor's banishment and also sort out the warriors' punishments for disobeying their king. Once I am finished with those things then I will decide who shall be king once and for all. Understand?"

"Yes, father." At this, Loki bowed and excused himself from the room to find Neala. He didn't bother knocking and instead just opened her chambers door and ran to embrace her.

He held her tightly as she cried. They toppled to the floor and just held each other, not caring if anybody found them. Neala pulled away a bit and looked him in the eyes.

"I'll come back for you, I promise. Without you I am nothing but a pathetic excuse of a future queen." Loki stroked her face.

"If you do not come back, be assured that I will find you and steal you away. If it comes to that we can find shelter in Midgard. Of course, it would be half the life we are living here but we'll be together and that's all that matters." Loki kissed her passionately and held her even tighter. In his rush, Loki forgot to close the door and soon Ehrlo appeared in the doorway. Loki and Neala quickly got on their feet and Neala made as if to charge. Loki grabbed her waist to hold her back. She settled for glaring at him then she continued packing. Loki helped her fold her dresses and once he got to the powder blue one he folded a marble into it and placed it into her bag. He had bound magic to the marble some time ago, and it made it so whoever held the marble could telepathically talk to Loki. Loki grabbed Neala's luggage and walked her out to the front gate where horses were brought to take them to the Bifrost. There were only two horses: one for Neala, one for Ehrlo. Loki did not trust Ehrlo with Neala alone but there was no way for him to follow without a horse of his own. He loaded Neala's horse with her luggage then gave her a tight hug. He just wanted them to vanish so they could be together where no one would bother them.

Ehrlo cleared his throat, clearly not wanting to watch Loki and Neala together for another second. Neala climbed onto her horse and longingly looked back at Loki as they started moving to the Bifrost. Loki stood there looking at them until they were transported to Alfheim. Even after she was gone he did not want to move. He did not want to believe that she was gone. He had a feeling that this would not be solved and they would have to go to extreme measures to be together again. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Frigga standing next to him. He looked back at the Bifrost.

"Loki, she'll come back."

"She won't be allowed to."

"Maybe your father and I can talk some sense into him to let her marry you. I've never seen you look at another like you do to her. Love always conquers all in the end." Loki stayed silent. Frigga gave Loki and reassuring shoulder pat before she left him alone. He finally found the strength to enter the palace once again. He went to dinner, but found he could not eat anything. He then went to the library to drown himself in knowledge. Thinking about the unfairness of his situation would only drive him mad. His was halfway through a small book about healing spells when the pain came. It was a sudden sharp pain that pierced his skull and he immediately recognized it as Neala coming in contact with the marble. Once the pain subsided he tried to talk to her.

I'm sorry you had to endure that pain, but this is the only way we'll be able to communicate while you're a world away. Loki heard nothing for a little bit. He guessed she was surprised and was trying to figure out what was going on.

Am I doing this right? Loki laughed lightly.

Yes, darling, you're doing it right. Now, what has happened thus far?

My father has forbidden me to leave my room because I would not tell him the extent of our relationship. Loki sighed, thinking about the possibilities of what might be done to fix this mess. Telling her father what they have done alone wouldn't make anything better, Loki thought.

Would telling him make anything better?

No.

That's what I thought. What are you planning to do?

I need to regain my strength and then I'll approach father. Until then I can try to convince my mother so she'll wear away at him.

Sounds a good enough plan to me. You always do think of everything.

It's not always a gift, you know

I know, my lady.

Are you still king or is Odin taking over the throne once more?

I know, my prince. I will try to work everything out with my father as soon as possible. It might involve him disowning me, but at this point I couldn't care less about that.

Odin will take you into Asgard even if you are disowned. Now, to relieve some tension…. Loki sent a wave of magic to relax her. It must have been doing other things to her body because of the sound she made through her mind as he sent it.

Damn. My door's opening I'll speak to you later. Loki was worried at how abruptly she ended the connection but he just figured someone was bringing her food or something. He tried reading his book further but found he could not concentrate enough. He went onto the library balcony and stared out across Asgard. That's when a guard opened the door and told Loki that he had been summoned to the throne room. Loki was irritated by this, especially because this probably meant Thor and the warriors were back. He walked briskly to the throne room, never looking at the guard who escorted him. He quickly opened the door and found Odin in the throne and Thor and the warriors bowing before him. Loki took his pace on Odin's left. He glared at the bowing figures before him.

"Thor, what have you learned from your banishment?" Thor raised his head.

"I have learned that it is not enough to be a warrior, but it is also needed to have compassion and to leave behind arrogance." Odin seemed satisfied with his answer. Loki's jaw tightened. He had to hold himself back from assaulting Thor right then and there. Odin turned to the warriors.

"Lady Sif, warriors three, you have disobeyed your king and went to Midgard to 'rescue' Thor. This is not a crime that is going to go unpunished. You will no longer be noble warriors of the palace and you have lost your right to live inside the palace. I hope you have learned your lesson as well as Thor has." The warriors remained silent but their bodies were as tense as they could get. Loki held in his satisfaction and continued to glare at Thor and the warriors. "Warriors, you may go now." Odin added. Loki felt Neala calling to him again but he blocked it out as he watched Thor move a little closer to the throne.

"Father, I am so sorry for what I have put our family through."

"I am sure you are, but there are things that have happened since you were gone that you need to know about. A truce was made with the Frost Giants by Loki when I fell into the Odinsleep. Your brother was very wise in what he has done. With this, you can understand why you will no longer be eligible for the seat of the throne as Loki has proven himself worthy of such a power." Thor looked defeated and Loki felt like he could fly with how much happiness was inside him upon hearing Odin say those words. Odin turned to Loki.

"The truce with Laufey was made by you, and is conditional on your kingship. I will prepare a coronation ceremony at once to pronounce you king officially."

"Thank you, father." Loki was just about to burst with pride and excitement while Thor looked like he would rather die than watch Loki become king.

"Now, I think I'll rest in my chambers now." Odin made as if to get up and Thor and Loki each grabbed Odin to help him get up. They walked Odin to his chambers, and then left them. Thor stood outside the door, waiting for Loki. Loki expected Thor to say something harsh to him, but Thor could no longer hurt Loki for he had everything Thor wanted.

"Brother, I am truly sorry for everything. I wish you the best of luck on the throne."

"Thank you, Thor."

"I… I have a favor to ask of you." Loki knew there was a reason for Thor apologizing to Loki.

"What is it?" Loki sneered.

"There's this woman on Midgard that I have fallen in love with. I want to bring her here, but I do not think father would want me to marry someone from Midgard." Loki stared at Thor, thinking if he should grant him this wish of his. He looked into Thor's eyes and saw the same sadness that was in Neala's before they parted. Loki's expression instantly softened as he realized Thor was genuinely in love with this woman.

"When I am crowned I will let this woman into Asgard." Thor smiled and gave Loki a bone crushing hug. Once Thor put Loki down, Loki straightened his clothes and bid him farewell. Loki headed back to his room and tried to contact Neala, but found she was sleeping. Loki felt somewhat relieved to feel her mind at rest, so he too laid down and fell asleep.

The next morning Loki woke he had a tortured feeling about him. He knew these weren't his feelings, but they were Neala's. The power in the marble connected Loki and Neala and Loki could feel the strong emotions of Neala. He went to breakfast and felt uncontrollably irritated even though there was nothing for him to be irritated with. He was confused and worried, so he ran to the library after barely touching his food. He looked in books about these sorts of connections to find out what exactly he could do to help Neala. Loki felt a different emotion from Neala then. It was mass confusion and worry. He spent the rest of the day reading from book to book but none had definitive answers. It grew dark outside and still he looked. Even though Loki could feel Neala's emotions, he could not reach her. Out of anger Loki threw a book across the library. He felt so frustrated that he couldn't help her through this. He also felt lonely because she wasn't trying to reach him and talk about what was going on. He sat down and held his head in his hands. His heart started pounding and his thoughts raced with Neala's emotions. He tried to focus in on her signal and see how far he could get with it. He was struggling with it when all of a sudden an ear-splitting scream rang out across his mind. Loki fell to the floor cupping his ears.

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