They were both a lot taller than she had originally thought. Nora walked between the giant Norse Gods, the two of them towering over her by more than a foot. She wondered idly if the rest of their race was like this - or if they were just abnormally big. Her species was lucky to hit above 5 feet.
Nora felt exhausted - the day's events seeming to blend into each other creating a giant mass of confusion. She still vaguely felt the light throbbing in her head from the wound she received when escaping her planet, the dry blood now starting to pinch the skin on her face. The ache in her head didn't distract her from the obviously awkward looks the brothers were giving each other. Well, it was more Thor looking over at his brother, and Loki trying his utmost to avoid all eye contact. It would have been funny, if it wasn't so apparent that something very wrong had happened between them.
It wasn't long before they reached the throne room, and Nora's mouth opened slightly in awe of its beauty. Gold. Gold everywhere. so much gold, in fact, that it covered almost every inch of the floor and walls. She quickly spun around, losing her balance for a second, as she tried to take it all in. Thor smiled down at her affectionately, taking obvious pride in her astonishment. Loki, though, hadn't seem to notice her amazement, as he was much too busy scowling at the king.
"Father," Thor began, "This is-" He stopped suddenly, realizing that he hadn't gotten her name. He turned to her for an introduction but Loki beat him to it.
"Her name is Nora, brother," He said pointedly, "Apparently she happened upon a portal while escaping her planet - her people were being slaughtered, that's why she left, and now is here."
Nora physically shivered at the word slaughtered and she shut her eyes to try and focus. Loki glanced over at her, a frown still plastered on his face, before looking back at his father. Odin lifted himself from his throne, his expression placid and firm - Nora imagined that's probably where Loki learned it from. The king made his way down the steps and towards his sons, stopping between them to position himself in front of Nora. They stood in silence for a moment, Nora's eyes scanning up his broad figure till she reached his face. Yup, she thought they're all this big. Odin gave the girl a reassuring smile and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a firm grip.
"Do you remember anything about the people who attacked your planet? Did you know who they were?" He asked evenly.
"I wish I could tell you more sir, but honestly, I don't remember much. I had hit my head during all the confusion," Nora motioned to the dry blood on her face, "and before I really knew what was happening, my parents had shoved me into a ship and sent me off...everyone on the planet was grabbing any transportation they could. The invaders were just killing-" she shut her mouth tightly, forming a thin line and turned away. Odin nodded at her and let go of her shoulder - she actually hadn't even noticed he had still been gripping it.
"That's why I asked you to speak with Loki father," Thor said quickly, "He's by far the most talented person in the kingdom when it comes to magic and mind tricks," He gave his brother a quick glare, "He could view her memories and see if he recognizes anything."
Loki let out a spiteful laugh and gave Thor a mock smile.
"Oh, wait, you were serious brother?" He chuckled and turned from him. "What exactly makes you think I'll just go along with all this? I'd be quite happy to see Asgard burn." The tension was palpable as the two stared one another down - their gaze only broken by Odin's voice.
"Loki, you will be able to live outside your cell - but not without an escort." Odin started, "Thor will be with you at all times, and I will make sure to have Heimdall keep a close eye on you."
"That's not really going to work for me. If you wish me to read this mortal's mind, then I must be in complete concentration and away from unwanted distractions." Loki said, indicating towards Thor. Odin was about to protest, before Nora spoke up.
"It's ok, really. I don't want what happened to my people to happen here," she said, her voice showing no hesitation, "If that means I have to be in a room alone with this guy - then I will."
"You know not what you say," Thor started.
"I think she said exactly what she wanted to," Loki retorted, a small grin on his face as his eyes moved from Thor to Nora, the look making her skin start to prickle. Odin walked back to his chair and sat in contemplation, his gaze shifting between the three young people in front of him. He let out an overly exaggerated sigh before nodding.
"You will only be alone during sessions Loki, otherwise Thor will be with you," He finally said, "But first, you must be hungry child. I will let Thor bring you to the dining hall to get you something to eat."
Nora didn't really feel like she was in an eating mood, though she couldn't deny she was hungry. Now that most of the stress of being in Asgard had passed, she was left with only the grief of losing her family. She knew Marek was dead, even though it pained her to admit it, but it was almost worse not knowing if her parents shared the same fate. Thor, who sat across from her along with the Warriors Three and Sif, leaned over to give her a nudge. Nora's focus shot up from the full plate in front of her to Thor, who looked on at her with concern.
"You do not seem well Lady Nora."
Nora gave him a polite smile and averted her eyes back down at her plate, contemplating how much she was willing to tell. She had, for whatever reason, spilled her guts out to his brother - who now she thought hardly deserved her time. Thor, though, looked so earnest, like he actually wanted to help.
"My brother, Marek, died during the attack."
"I see, I'm sorry to hear that-" Thor started, but she interrupted him.
"He was a great man, you know? Always had plans to help our people escape, constantly talked about our home planet - and how he promised to bring us all back there one day." Nora grinned widely at the memory. "Marek went completely out of his way to help anyone he could - even when it meant putting his own life in danger."
Thor chuckled, his eyes smiling as he turned to the warriors, then back to her. "Tell us about one of his adventures!" He boomed as he passed her a drink - and so she did.
Loki had been sitting near the back of the dining hall, watching the small girl yell boisterously at the top of her lungs. He had been allowed back to his room, while accompanied by a guard, to change into some better clothes. On his return, he'd assumed to get right down to business - not see the girl tell a story about her dead brother, swinging the fork she had in her hand wildly about. He thought it was amusing, in all honesty, until he realized her behavior reminded him of Thor. Loki's small unconscious smile immediately vanished and he stood from his seat, taking long, even strides over to her.
"Then Marek emerged from the mine with two men, one under each arm!" She bellowed, plopping back down into her seat. "They both would have died if he hadn't gone back for them."
"Your brother was a hero, Nora, and you should be very proud of him. I'm sure the afterlife will treat him well." Thor said, causing Nora to blush with pride. Her glow didn't last long though, as Loki seemed to have materialized next to her.
"I assume you're ready for our first session," He said bluntly. Nora turned her head up, surprised to see how much a person could change after washing their hair and getting a new set of clothes. She lifted her eyebrows at him, noticeably scanning his body till she reached his slightly confused expression.
"You clean up nice, huh?" She teased, letting out a laugh. Nora tilted the goblet she had in her hand forward to take a drink, only to find it empty.
Loki now lifted his eyebrows as well, which was accompanied by a good humored smile. "I'm guessing the drink was to your liking?" He teased. Thor joined in the conversation now, shaking his head slightly, the ghost of a grin on his lips.
"I had forgotten our guest was not used to the potency of our mead brother, my apologies if this interferes with your session."
"It may," He said plainly, "Now come along girl, I don't want this to take any longer than it has to." And with that, Loki turned on his heel and started towards the exit, Nora stumbling close behind him.
The two walked in silence down the hall, Nora occasionally looking up at Loki with a pleasant expression, hoping for some kind of conversation. After several minutes of him pretending not to notice, he stopped, turning to her and glancing down.
"Is there something you need girl?" Loki spat out in an irritated manner. Her smile immediately wilted and she rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
"Well, I figured if you're about to get into my head and stuff, we should talk a bit. Learn a little about each other before you go digging around."
Loki regarded her for a moment before starting to walk again, his hands clasp behind his back.
"It's unnecessary. I won't be looking at any other memories."
Nora let out a sigh and hurried to catch up to him, placing herself in his path. Loki let his hands drop to his sides in exasperation.
"You can at least apologize to me. The pain you put me through in that cell was uncalled for..."
Loki clicked his tongue in annoyance and leaned in to be at eye level with the young girl, his presence completely overwhelming next to her small frame.
"You want an apology? For what, pray tell? I was merely giving you a stern lesson on how to treat your betters." He hissed. Loki started to move closer to her now, forcing her to press against the wall. His arm shot out above her head, allowing him to lean in even more - his brow furrowed. "You need to watch your tone mortal - I don't take kindly to people who don't know their place."
Loki didn't break his burning stare until he heard Nora let out a nervous breath, her face contorted in a mix of fear and submissiveness. Smiling wickedly, he pulled away from her, straightening his outfit and turning away.
"My room is here," He said evenly, gesturing over to the elaborate door to the left of them. He waited for her to regain composure before stepping inside, soon positioning himself cross-legged on a soft green mat in the middle of the floor. Nora stood in the doorway for a moment, a little unsure if she had made the right decision when agreeing to do this alone with him. She could tell he was a bit of a mean spirited individual– but she had no idea to what extent until now. Loki smoothed out the wrinkles in the blanket he was on then looked up at her expectantly, his expression placid and his eyebrows raised. Nora shifted uneasily before walking over, sitting as far back on the mat away from him as possible.
Loki sighed, leaning forward and placing his forehead in the palm of his hand. From this position he glanced up at her, giving Nora a look that indicated her presences was exceedingly vexing to him.
"I understand you have not done this before," He began, his jaw tight, "but you must be sitting close enough for me to physically touch you."
Nora's eyes went wide at his seemingly inappropriate comment and he straightened his posture, giving her a scoff of disgust.
"Do not flatter yourself girl, I merely need to place my hands on your head – I am not at all tempted to touch elsewhere. Believe me."
It was now Nora's turn to be a little offended, but she figured his aversion to her was probably a blessing in disguise. She huffed and shifted herself closer to him, wrinkling the blanket they were sitting on in the process. Loki watched the mat he had just straightened out bunch up under her rear end and grunted, pinching his eyes between his thumb and pointer finger.
"Fine, just please - sit still. I'm going to get this done as quickly as possible." And with that, Loki reached out and placed both of his hands on either side of her head. Nora noticed how cold they seemed, and she flinched away at first when he touched her. She sat there, wide-eyed for awhile, Feeling awkward looking at him so focused with his eyes closed - so she did the same. They sat in silence for a while, Nora questioning if anything was actually going to happen, when she felt him. It was weird – the light pulsating in her head was almost negligible at first, but it started to grow. She winced slightly as his grip on her head became tighter, and she opened her eyes to see his face contorted in frustration. He must have felt her watching, because he too opened his eyes then pulled away.
Loki seemed to cuss under his breath as he lifted himself from the floor, his aggravation obvious. The girl's mind was a complete mess – the few memories he was able to see were scattered and disjointed. A couple flashes of her family, the news of her brother's death, and the tearful goodbye's of her parents. Nothing he wanted to see. Nora wobbled to her feet and caught herself on the side of a bookcase, her head feeling dizzy after he hastily pulled out of her thoughts.
"What did you see? Did you recognize anything?" She asked in a shaky voice.
"Hardly," He spat, "All I was able to see in your intoxicated and fragile mind were flashes of your family. You're obviously in no condition to endure this today - leave. I'll summon for you tomorrow." Loki turned from her now, running his long pale fingers through his black hair before stepping over to a full sized window.
Nora had steadied herself now, her head almost fully clear. She watched him as he stood by the window, his back straight and tense, and wondered how someone as jovial and kind as Thor could be related to a man so empty. She mimicked his action and turned from him, getting ready to head towards the door when she paused, shifting to face him.
"You're lucky to have a brother who cares about you so deeply. It would be foolish to ignore it, to be honest, you never know when you might lose him."
Loki whipped around now, his eyes filled with unbelievable rage and confusion. He stalked towards her before Nora was able to move and gripped onto her arm tightly, pulling her to him.
"You are not allowed to speak about what you do not understand," He said, his voice quivering in anger, "Thor is not my brother, Odin not my father. We are not related by blood." He let out a painful chuckle and tugged her closer, his breathing uneven, "You see, girl, I'm the monster mother's tell their children about at night. I'm no Asgardian. " He flashed a pair of red eyes at her before letting Nora fall back a bit, his breathing becoming steady again. Loki kept his grip on her tight, though, and was perplexed as the girl mirrored his stern gaze.
"My brother and I aren't related by blood," She said, being as firm as she could.
"Then he, too, was not your brother," He replied slowly, "and I think you mean were - as we are speaking in the past tense, are we not?" Loki let her go now, backing away from the girl when he saw the devastation and pain on her face. "I did not mean to-," He paused, waving his hand in front of himself as he tried to clear the air, "-to say it like that. You may feel for this boy however you wish."
Nora nodded at him, convinced this was probably the closest she was going to get to an apology. "Have a good night Loki," She said, her body half way out the door, "and just so you know, you're not a monster. At least not for the reasons you like to think." He stood in shock for a moment, but before he could start to protest, Nora left.
So look! An update! I'll probably be posting a new chapter every week or two - but with finals coming up soon, it may take a little longer. Trust me, I'd much rather be writing/drawing Loki things then doing management and finance studying. But, alas, not how my life works.
Anyway, the chapter. So this turned out to be significantly longer then I wanted it too, but there was just so much I needed to say and have done. I'm really trying to develop their relationship slowly and as realistically as possible. Though I'm all for purely sexy fanfiction, it always rubs me the wrong way to see the two characters just fall in love and get it on right off the bat. I hope you all bear with me! This fanfiction is going to end up being 11+ chapters if all goes as planned.
P.S. I like making Loki an ass sometimes - I think it makes it all the more heartwarming when he finally chills out later.
Also - I drew things. They are on my front page :) I'll be posting doodles every few chapters.