A/N So this chapter took a lot longer than I had expected! Sorry guys - was totally not my intention. I jam packed a lot of fun feels into this chapter, so enjoy!
Oh, also -REVIEWS! EHHHHHH! I legit cry in happiness when I read all your amazing comments. I want to jump through the screen and hug every one of you~
A Nice Person - Yes! She did go all badass with her book, kicking butt and taking names. I'm happy you loved their little "personal" section, it was my favorite to write as well. I've thought long and hard and decided I will be writing and incredibly sexy one-shot about that scene, but only after I've done the sexy part in this story. I feel like It'd be spoiling the punch line or something lol.
Kayla - I was seriously elated that my story is your favorite - all the giddy feelings! I'll continue to try and keep him in character!
Leo - Very happy to hear you liked this chapter! :D
"Did the scouting team make it through the portal? Was Asgard on the other side?" Thanos asked. The Other approached his throne, the dim lights of the ship shrouding the destroyer of worlds in shadow.
"They have seen Asgard," The Other answered, his head bowed low, "But they will not return - the team has been slain by the one who failed us."
"How long until we'll be able to open another portal?" He asked.
"It requires much power - power I am not able to easily give. Several days of rest will allow me to keep it open for longer."
Thanos nodded at him, his eyes staring vacantly and a small grin on his face.
"Then we wait."
Loki sat poised in a green trimmed chair, his only distinguishable movement was that of his finger - which idly traced circles over the cover of Nora's book. After the fiasco involving the Chitauri, Odin had to be informed. The AllFather was beside himself with anger when he found out that Thor had allowed Loki to move about the kingdom alone, and now insisted a guard be present at all times. Not that Loki really minded all that much, having a guard was basically the same as being alone - they were painfully easy to circumvent. The one that had been assigned to him at present, bold yet dim, currently stood outside his bedroom door.
After that had been settled, there was now the issue of how and why the Chitauri were in Asgard - and Loki had neglected to tell Thor or Odin anything. Though he was certain they both were aware he knew something, and he was sure they'd bother him about it later.
Loki had been staring vacantly at the wall across from him, and only looked down at the book when his finger came in contact with something damp. He stopped abruptly at the sight of blood and lifted his hand up, all his thoughts rushing back to the incident in the hallway. The frown that presently adorned his face deepened when he lifted the book to examine it, a third of the pages were drenched in blood. Nora's blood.
"Stupid girl." He thought to himself as he set the book down on the small table near his chair. "She should not have been near the body - not have moved out of our sight. His sight." Loki grimaced further and placed his face in his hands, aggravated by the situation. He wanted nothing more than to concentrate on the Chitauri - on Thanos - but he was horribly distracted. Thoughts of that girl and her current, dismal, condition kept creeping back into his mind. Loki hated not knowing her fate - and decided that he would rather her simply live or die then drag this out any longer.
His silent prayer was soon answered when a knock sounded at his door. Loki lifted his face from his hands quickly and stood out of his chair.
"Enter." He said, his voice authoritative. A young nurse peered around the door before fully opening it, and then bowed her head once she was completely in the room.
"Sir," She said cautiously, her eyes fixated on her feet, "I was told to inform you when the healers had finished with the girl. They've done all they could and she is now resting in the guest room."
"Will she live?"
"It is uncertain." She answered. "There was something on the blade, a type of poison, the wound is not healing as it should..."
Loki let out what sounded like a snarl and pushed passed her out the door, brushing by the guard as he did. The man turned his head in shock and followed behind prince, practically jogging to keep up with Loki's long legged stride. When he reached the guest room the guard attempted to enter with him, but Loki turned and gave him a heated glare.
"Odin has told me to stay with you." He said as steadily as he could.
"Then you will remain outside this room like you did before." Loki informed him, and promptly shut the door.
The room was quite, save the shallow breathing of the small, sweat covered figure in the bed. Loki approached her apprehensively, his gaze following the slow rise and fall of her chest.
"Girl?" He said curtly, moving to stand at the edge of her bed. Loki paused and he lingered by her side - he reached out tentatively to place a hand on her exposed shoulder. "Nora?"
She was unconscious. Loki placed the back of his hand on her head and his brow furrowed at the amount of heat he felt. In a swift motion he gripped the side of her blankets and peeled them off her body, her skin reacting and prickling at the cool air. He discreetly kept his eyes on the bandage wrapped around her abdomen. Loki hooked a single finger under the white fabric and pulled it back, revealing the red, inflamed, stitched skin. It looked horrible - but not fatal, as long as it was attended properly.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he now allowed his eyes to travel away from her wound. She had been stripped of all her clothes except for a pair of brown underwear and a long leather band around her chest. Without feeling his normal restraint under her accusatory looks, Loki took his time to examine her. The large scare he had seen on her back when he caught her bathing appeared to wrap around to her front, ending just inches from the bottom of her ribcage. His eyes roamed up till they reached her clavicle - where he now noticed that the small amount of freckles that embellished her face were also scattered around her shoulders. Unabashedly, he reached out and touched one, tracing his finger over her skin till he connected with the next. These small, seemingly irrelevant blemishes were so different, exotic even, from what he was used to seeing on Asgardians. Loki had noticed a few mortals on Midgard with the same markings, but thought nothing of them till now. He rather liked freckles.
Loki was abruptly shaken from his train of thought when Thor called through the door. He was able to hastily replace the covers over her exposed body before his brother boisterously entered the room.
"Brother!" He boomed, a smile stretching from ear to ear as he closed the door behind him. "I heard Nora had left the healing room, how-" Thor stopped suddenly at the sight of her, and his smile instantly drooped.
"I apologize," He said softly, reacting to not only Nora's fragile condition but Loki's scolding gaze, "I knew not of her condition. Will she make it?"
Loki turned his head back to look down at the girl, pursing his lips before responding. "It seems the blade was poisoned - but as long as it is taken care of properly, I think she will." Thor walked over to his brother to stand side by side in front of the bed. He hesitated for only a moment before he gripped Loki's shoulder tightly, giving him a firm shake.
"I do hope she pulls through - for her sake and yours."
"What?" Loki snapped, pushing his hand away. "Exactly what are you insinuating Thor?"
His brother gave him a reassuring smile, as if to tell him there was no need to lie. "You care for the girl - there is no shame in this."
"What I care about," Loki said aggressively, "is being out of my cell. As long as this girl continues to breath, I continue to be free." The air in the room became still and Thor shifted uncomfortably. "I am not you brother," Loki said while moving closer to Thor, "I do not have such trivial compassion for mortals - a boot feels nothing for ants."
Thor's eyes dropped away from Loki's gaze and a small, sad smile formed on his lips. "I pity you, brother. That you still think yourself so above them - or perhaps you've just gotten so good at lying, you've even got yourself fooled." Thor nodded at his brother before placing down an object on a chair Loki had not seen him bring in. He turned from the God of Mischief and left the room, letting him sit in the silence of his own lies.
"Such sentiment." Loki spat into the stillness. Thor and his unfathomable affection for mortals would end up being his undoing. He cared little about such creatures - be them glorified mortals or not. Nora - the girl - was simply his way out. If he kept up these silly little sessions long enough, he could find out more about Thanos - and have the upper hand on Asgard.
Loki now turned his attention to the weapon Thor had brought into the room - it was something he'd personally never seen before. He picked up the sharp object at its long, worn, wooden handle and examined the curved metal top. It seemed rather pointless to use in battle, and on scrutinizing it further, decided it was probably some sort of tool. The only truly interesting thing about it was the dark carvings that wrapped around the handle - black vines twisting and turning till they reached the metal top.
As this was something not of Asgard - Loki assumed it must be Nora's. He placed the tool gently on the table near her bedside and slowly shifted his head to peer down at her, his bottom jaw tensing slightly in irritation.
"Nothing but an ant." He said in affirmation, the reassuring lie calming his nerves. "Regardless, she still needs to live through this - and as the nurse has yet to come back - I'll wait." Loki gripped the back of a nearby chair and pulled it over to the girl's bedside, knowing full well a nurse would not return for hours unless summoned.
"I do not think continuing with the yearly banquet is a wise idea father." Thor said. It was later that night and both brother's stood in the throne room in front of Odin.
"I'm in agreement with Thor on this matter - Asgard has just been attacked, and you're thinking about a party?" Loki laughed and a large grin adorned his face. "I knew you were getting old Allfather, but I had no idea you were truly this senile."
"Silence." Odin said harshly, sending a sharp glare at his youngest son. "Asgard will be protected, as it always has. I do not want our people to worry needlessly - doing away with the banquet would only cause more concern. You will both be attending."
Thor and Loki turned to one another, their shared surprise apparent. Neither of them thought Odin, of all people, would want the forsaken, shameful prince in public.
"I will do no such thing." Loki said in contempt, "If this is some sort of tactic to get into my good standing - I assure you it won't work."
It was Odin's turn to laugh, and he pulled himself shakily from his throne. The king descended the small stairs that lead from his chair and approached the two men, his eyes never leaving Loki's.
"The only reason you are alive is the same reason you'll be attending this celebration. Your mother still remains to see the son she raised in you - it certainly only makes one of us."
Loki stood inhumanely still, returning the same cold stare his once father was giving him. This was not news to him, he'd known for hundreds of years that Odin preferred Thor - Loki's newest actions were just the excuse he needed to completely disown him. Any fond memories he ever had of this man were gone -only seething contempt remained. Frigga, on the other hand, though not his mother, was naively kind. Thor, seeing the obvious animosity of the two, stepped in.
"I will keep a close eye on him Father - you needn't worry of that. Loki has been very helpful thus far, and is exceedingly attentive to the gir-" Thor said, but his brother cut him off.
"Why must you continue to speak of the mortal as if she is of importance?" Loki said suddenly, breaking his ridged posture. Thor raised his hands in compliance and stopped talking, not wanting to set him off again on one of his superiority rants.
"The banquet is only in 2 days time, I would implore you to keep as many guards as possible out on patrol - this may be the perfect opportunity for attack." Thor said, now addressing his father. Odin gave his son a reassuring nod and turned from them, ascending back to his throne.
"Bring your brother back to his quarters - and make sure the guard is outside his door before you leave him." The king said, waving his hand at them in a dismissive manner. "Also," He added suddenly, his head cocked to one side, "Please make sure Loki is not to see this girl until she is better. He has no need to be around her while she is healing from her wounds."
Loki's mouth tightened into a thin line and he was about to object when he felt Thor grip his shoulder tightly. He snapped his head around to stare at his blond haired brother, who was giving him a firm look.
"I will make sure he stays in his room till Lady Nora is healed," Thor said, giving Odin a slight bow. He gave Loki a slight push, indicating to move, and the two walked out of the throne room.
Once in the hallway, Loki turned to Thor, a look of disgust coating his face.
"Must you always do as the AllFather says?" He snapped, "The girl has been poisoned - an attending nurse will not be able to help if her condition worsens."
"I know." Thor replied calmly.
"If you listen to Odin this girl will die - If I am occasionally able to check on her progress she will heal. When she does, Asgard will be safe - is this not what you want?" Loki said hastily.
"It is, and I know." Thor said again, placing a hand on his younger brother's chest to stop him from walking forward. "This is why you will continue to check on her - several times a day while I am present."
Loki's eyebrows raised in disbelief, but lowered when he caught Thor's mocking smile. This buffoon still continued to think he cared for this mortal - that his insistence on seeing her was more than just his want for freedom.
"Need I remind you-" Loki began.
"You do not brother. I am aware of your disdain for mortals - there is no need to remind me." Thor replied. "I'll come to get you in early tomorrow so you may check on her wound, have a good rest, Loki. I now must get the guard for your room - so please stay inside till I arrive in the morn."
The younger brother nodded and entered his bedroom, the shutting of his door resonating through the dark, empty quarters. He was pleased that Thor would be disobeying Odin, something he hadn't seen him do since they'd ventured to Jotunheim together. Loki smiled fondly at the memory till he remembered the horrible realization that came out of that day. Some days, he'd wished the venture never happened. That he could have continued on in blissful ignorance. But his pride would not allow such a luxury. He was lied to, deceived, by the people he called his family. There was no forgiving that - and though he could not blame Thor, as he, like Loki, had been lied too - he couldn't help but be jealous.
The prince situated himself on the large bed in the middle of the room, his hands cupped in his lap. These were passed slights, not ones that were worth dwelling on now. Though he would never say it again, and regretted ever mentioning it before - Nora's current condition was on him, was his responsibility. He may be the God of lies, but he'd told that girl no harm would come to her - and he'd broken a word he'd said in earnest. Loki reveled in the thought of when this escapade would end - and he'd no longer be around a girl who daily had him questioning his position on mortals.
ALL DEM FEELS. I'm sorry (not sorry) for this chapter. Poor Nora's unconscious, Loki has no idea how to handle the notion that he can actually care about another living creature, and Thor just such an intuitive older brother. (I love Thor if you guys haven't noticed. Not as much as Loki, but he's still wonderful.)
Doodles will be on my homepage later! I'll try and update soon!
EDIT: Doodles are now on my homepage :D