After Frigga left, Astrid rattled around her chambers like a pea in a can. She decided that she needed to settle down, so she drew a bath and slid into the water letting its warmth soothe her aching body. Her thoughts naturally gravitated to Loki and the awkwardness of their relationship. She wished she hadn't divulged her feelings to him but at the time she felt it was the right thing to do. He was vulnerable standing there with his beautiful blue skin. She had to let him know that he was accepted, wholly and unreservedly, even if it meant laying all of her cards out on the table.
She glanced over her shoulder hoping that he would be standing in the archway of the bathroom wearing a grin ready to scare the daylights out of her. But he wasn't there. No smirks, no teasing remarks… nothing. She took a deep breath, let the warm water roll about her body one last time, and begrudgingly began to emerge from her rose-scented, watery cocoon.
She put on a dark blue gown with long flowing sleeves, combed through her damp hair, and sat at the piano in the sitting room. She played for a while, choosing dark and brooding songs to fit her melancholic mood. Sure, most of these songs were stored on her phone and she could sit and listen to them, but there was something healing about playing the notes and singing the lyrics herself. It helped her get it all out and purify her mood. She knew if Loki was in his room he could probably hear her but she didn't care. Let him listen if he wants to. I don't give two shits if he hears me.
She played until her fingers ached. She shut the keyboard cover and strolled over to the large bookshelf. An old leather-bound book caught her eye and she pulled it from the shelf. She opened the cover and was met with disappointment. It was written in runes which she couldn't read. 'Guess I won't be doing any reading,' she thought as she reshelved it. She was bored out of her mind and thought maybe a stroll through the palace would do her well.
She had no idea where she was going so she meandered through the halls until she came across an open-air arena filled with racks of weapons and several training dummies. Sif was at the near end of the ring swinging her sword and attacking one of the dummies, effectively kicking its ass. Astrid was impressed by Sif's prowess and decided that it might be best to stay in her good graces.
Sif caught sight of her spectator and nodded to Astrid. "Good afternoon, Lady Astrid," she politely called out as she beheaded the dummy.
Astrid smiled. "Remind me not to piss you off," she said jokingly as she gestured to the headless dummy.
Sif retracted the blades on her sword. "Out for a stroll?" She cautiously peered around the mortal to see if perhaps Astrid was accompanied by the traitor.
The smile faded from Astrid's face. "Yeah. I got tired of just sitting in my chambers. Thought I'd wander around and try to get my bearings."
Sif nodded, satisfied that Astrid was alone. "Are you well? You seem… unhappy." As a warrior she was slightly uncomfortable dealing with the emotions of others but she noticed the dark circles under Astrid's eyes and her sunken, defeated posture. The sparkle she had observed within Astrid at the celebration was all but gone and she assumed that Thor's brother was the source of the mortal's dismay. If that were the case, then she could sympathize with the tiny woman. Loki's constant tricks and pranks had been a burr under her saddle for centuries. The final straw was when he sent the Destroyer after Thor. She would never forgive him for that.
Astrid shrugged as she answered, "I'm okay."
Sif beckoned her to the arena. "Come. Pick out a sword."
Astrid walked through a small gate and grabbed a long, double-edged sword from one of the racks. It was surprisingly lighter than she had expected but still cumbersome and oddly weighted. She tried to hold it upright; the blade wobbled about like a fish as she approached Sif.
Sif gave a small laugh. "Have you ever held a sword, Lady Astrid?"
Astrid's lips twisted into an embarrassed grin. "No. Is it that obvious?"
Sif smiled proudly. "Whenever I am in foul humor, I find it quite gratifying to dismember one of these stand-ins," she said, gesturing to the dummy in front of them. "Not nearly as satisfying as slicing open the person with whom I am angry, but there is less blood to clean up."
Astrid nodded and smiled. "So what do I do? How do I use this thing?"
Sif demonstrated as she spoke. "Grasp the handle just below the guard with your favored hand and grip the bottom with your other."
Astrid did as Sif instructed and grabbed the top of the handle with her right hand, her left just below.
"Grip tightly with your left hand and hold your sword so that the bottom end is right above your navel. Point the tip at your opponent's chest or throat. If they charge you, they will run into your blade."
Astrid pointed the tip of the sword at the practice dummy. The sword suddenly felt heavier now that she was holding it properly instead of dangling it about like a fishing pole.
"Good. Now place your left foot behind your right and stand on the ball of your left foot to keep your balance," Sif said as she demonstrated the stance for Astrid.
Astrid did her best to mirror Sif's posture. She had never even touched a sword before and she felt ridiculous.
"Now, lift your sword like this," Sif instructed, raising her own sword above her head. "Bring your left hand up even with your eye and strike down, using your right hand to guide. Push with your left foot and slide your right foot forward." She swiftly brought the sword down to strike. Sif gestured for Astrid to try.
Astrid tried to remember what Sif had said and made her first clumsy attempt at a strike.
"Keep your right arm straight but do not lock your elbow. Try again," said Sif encouragingly.
Astrid knew she looked silly. She didn't know what she was doing but it did feel good to crack the weapon down at the dummy. "You weren't kidding. This is… gratifying!" she exclaimed with a laugh.
"Keep on, you'll improve," Sif said with a smile. It brought her no small amount of satisfaction imagining Astrid charging Loki with a blade. Sif understood that this type of training was well beyond the mortal's level of comfort and expertise but Astrid seemed eager to learn. She found it rather admirable.
Astrid continued to practice her strike. At one point she got a bit carried away and the sword flew out of her hands. It was embarrassing but Sif continued to encourage her.
Astrid leaned the sword against her leg as she rotated her shoulders. "This has been great but I'm really kind of sore," she said grimacing.
"You did fairly well for your first attempt at swordsmanship. You should have seen mine," she replied with a small laugh. "It was quite pitiful."
Astrid chuckled as she envisioned Sif being anything less than graceful with her blades.
"You are welcome to come back and train again if you wish. This is where you will usually find me," Sif said with an inviting smile. Her first judgment of Astrid may have been harsh but after interacting with her twice now, she was beginning to see that the mortal was nothing like her traitorous charge.
"Thanks. I really enjoyed this. I feel a lot better," Astrid replied. "I'll… see you around then?"
"That you shall. Good day, Lady Astrid."
Astrid smiled and left the arena. She wandered around until she came across a maid who, when asked politely for directions, coldly gave her instructions on how to get back to her chambers. 'What is it with this place and the snotty staff?' she thought.
She opened her door to find Loki seated on her sofa.
"Where were you?" he asked impatiently.
A lot of nerve he had, asking her whereabouts after he all but shut her out last night. Astrid crossed her arms and replied, "What am I supposed to do? Sit on my ass and wait for you to grace me with your presence?"
His face fell slightly. He had been worried that perhaps she had come to her senses and returned to Midgard.
"I got bored and went for a walk," she said after she noticed the change in his expression. She took a seat beside him on the sofa. "Look, I'm sorry for shoving my feelings on you yesterday. I shouldn't have done that."
He gave her an odd expression that she couldn't quite place. She still wasn't able to feel any of his energy and without that, she had difficulty deciphering his mood. She was certain he was somehow shielding himself from her ability.
"Do you mean it?" he asked quietly.
"Of course I mean it. I shouldn't have dumped it all on you."
He shook his head. "No. Do you mean what you shared?"
She fidgeted slightly in her seat and swallowed hard before asking hesitantly, "Are you asking me if I really feel what I sent to you?"
"Yes."
She lowered her gaze, ashamed to look at him as she answered apologetically. "Yes, I do. I'm sorry."
He gently placed his finger under her chin and lifted her face. "Do not apologize for your emotions."
She was completely baffled. Last night, he gave her the cold shoulder and now he was telling her not to be sorry for loving him. She sighed as she leaned back on the sofa, tenting her fingers over her eyes. "What are we doing here? What do you want me to do?" she asked slightly exasperated as she pinched her fingers together at the bridge of her nose.
He rose from his seat and walked slowly to the dining table. He gazed intently at a bowl of apples in the center of the table and carefully picked out one golden yellow apple. "You must be famished from your walk," he said, holding the apple out to her.
She was even more confused. She stared at the apple and then up to him. Since she was unable to sense his mood, she was blind to his intentions. The conversation had jumped from emotions to fruit. What the hell was he trying to do?
She cautiously took the apple from his hand and held it. She was pretty hungry after walking and then training with Sif. As she took a bite of the apple, she found it odd that he was watching her so attentively. While she chewed, his gaze intensified. She wiped her face, smoothed her hair, and looked down at her dress. Nothing was out of order. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like how?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Like you've never seen anyone eat an apple before," she replied as she took another bite.
A roguish smile spread across his lips.
"You're being weird," she said as she chewed. She suddenly felt very tired- more tired than she should be. It came over her so suddenly, she was suspicious as she swallowed the bite. Her eyelids were unbelievably heavy and drifted together on their own accord. "What the hell is…" going on here?
His smile was the last thing she saw before her eyes shut. She heard him say, "There you go, just lie down and rest." And then it went dark.
Her eyes cracked open and blinked a few times. She was in her bed, in her nightgown. Loki was sitting in a chair at her bedside. "How long was I out?" she asked groggily, thinking she had taken a nap.
He leaned forward. "Nearly two days."
She laughed, certain that he was joking with her. "Feels like it. I didn't miss dinner, did I? I'm starving."
He smiled as she lazily sat up in the bed. "You've missed it twice over."
Her brow furrowed in confusion. "I was really asleep for two days?" She was famished, her mouth was parched, and she really needed to use the bathroom. Could it really have been that long?
"You were."
"Why was I out that long?" Her brain felt fuzzy and she couldn't remember getting sick or being injured.
"Your body needed rest to regenerate," he said matter-of-factly.
"Regenerate? Am I a Time Lord now?" she asked, half-joking. "Look, I'm a ginger," she giggled as she pointed to her hair, not expecting him to understand the reference. "Seriously, why did I need to regenerate? What happened?"
His face softened into a smile. "You ate one of Idunn's apples."
"What?" she asked hesitantly. She vaguely remembered a story about golden apples granting immortality to the gods or something along those lines. Then she remembered that he gave her a yellow apple. She shook her head and drew a very slow, deep breath. "I'm going to the restroom and I'll need to eat something before I fall over."
She retreated into the bathroom while Loki rang for a servant to bring food. He waited for her in the sitting room while she relieved herself and washed her hands. She was trying desperately not to think about apples and immortality as she splashed some cool water over her face. She felt quite dizzy and weak- she needed food in very short order.
As she walked into the sitting room on wobbly legs, she raised a trembling finger and spoke, "I don't want to hear any more about this until after I've eaten." Her blood sugar was extremely low and she broke out into a cold sweat.
"Your food should arrive shortly," he said as he guided her to sit on the sofa.
"Thank you," she replied. They sat in silence until a maid brought in a tray of food. It was the same rude servant that showed Astrid to her chambers on that first day. The maid sat the tray on the dining table and shot an indignant glance at Astrid, who did not notice the slight.
Loki saw it, though. "Come here," he said acidly to the servant as he stood from his seat.
The maid cautiously approached him and curtseyed. "Yes, my prince?"
He towered over her, eyes blazing with malice. "Apologize to her."
The now very timid maid swallowed hard and softly said to Astrid, "I am sorry, my lady, for my infraction."
"She is to be treated with the utmost respect. Do I make myself clear?" he asked in a deadly quiet tone.
The maid nodded vehemently. "Yes, my prince."
"Now leave my sight," he spat.
The red-faced servant quickly curtseyed, spun on her heels and left the room as fast as her legs could carry her.
"What the hell was that about?" Astrid asked as she took a seat at the table and started shoveling food into her mouth.
"Did you not see her disdainful expression? Utter disrespect, and I'll have none of that."
She stopped chewing for just long enough to raise her eyebrows. A snide look from a servant made him respond in such a defensive manner. She wasn't sure what to make of that.
She continued to gracelessly shove food into her mouth. She was so hungry that she didn't mind looking like a slob. She finished the last morsel of food and drained a glass of water, already feeling much better.
She dabbed her mouth with a napkin and spoke, "Okay. Now tell me exactly what happened." She braced herself for his answer, suspecting she probably would not like it.
"As I said, I gave you one of Idunn's apples, which drastically increased your lifespan."
She nodded slowly, trying to process what he had told her. "By how much?" she asked cautiously.
He beamed proudly. "We now share the same life expectancy… about five-thousand years."
Astrid choked and coughed. "Excuse me?" Her hands shook as she rubbed her face. She was going to live to be five-thousand years old. He gave her an apple that she ate and now she would live for millennia. "You did this to me? Purposely?" she asked as anger boiled inside her.
He looked at her quizzically, as if he expected her to have figured this out by now. "Yes," he answered frankly.
Her eyes shot daggers as she spoke sharply, "You didn't think to ask me if this was something I wanted? You just took it upon yourself to decide for me?"
"It was the only way to guarantee that you-"
"How could you?" she shouted. "How could you take away my choice?" She shot to her feet and leaned into him, her hand on her chest. "It was mine to make... for myself!"
His face fell. He had expected her to be upset but her reaction was more severe than he had anticipated. "I am sorry that I upset you. I only wanted-"
"You only wanted what?" she yelled. "It was my decision! You should have asked me!"
He knew it was unfair to take away her voice in the matter and he genuinely felt sorry for hurting her. "I could not ask you to choose. I could not run the risk of you declining the offer."
"Why in the hell would you do this to me?" She was absolutely seething. She hated not being in control of her own decisions. "What the fuck were you thinking?" She was so angry that she couldn't see the true reason why he gave her the apple.
His eyes closed for a moment before he opened them and stared straight into hers. "I did not want to face a time when I would have to say goodbye to you all too soon. Human lives are fleeting- a heartbeat. I knew you would be stolen from me in half a century but I could change that. I could cheat the hands of time and keep you here for far longer," he said softly as his eyes pierced through to her very soul in a moment of rare and pure honesty. "I am very sorry for robbing you of your decision, but you see, I had to be sure that this would happen. I cannot lose you… I hope that you can one day find it in your heart to forgive me."
Although she was still very angry with him, the fury had fizzled. He gave her the apple because he didn't want to be alone after she died. She was one of only three people in the entire universe that gave a damn about him. It made sense that he would want to keep her around for as long as he could. She understood his reason for his actions but that didn't excuse them. She was still pissed.
'But is that all?' she asked herself. She had to stop her mind from filling in the gaps the way her heart wanted to. He didn't say anything other than he didn't want to lose her in fifty years. With only visual clues to give her any indication of his emotions, she was all but blind. She had depended on her empathic abilities to read people for so long that she couldn't decipher much without them. And he was definitely blocking her- she knew it now. She wished could sense something, anything, to let her know what he was feeling.
"Why are you blocking me?" she softly asked him. "Why are you hiding?"
She was met with silence.
"Don't be afraid to tell me. I'm just me," she said.
Still, he remained silent, blocking his energy from her perception. Whatever reason he had for keeping her here for thousands more years was known only to him.
Astrid of course wanted to think that perhaps he didn't want to lose her because he felt something for her but she knew that was only wishful thinking. It could be that he just didn't want to let her go for some other reason. Pride, companionship, control? Hell if she knew.
Loki shifted and the vulnerability drained from his demeanor. "You should get dressed. There has been an interesting turn of events and our presence is requested in Mother's chambers, now that you are awake," he said.
"What happened?" she asked with a furrowed brow. 'And he's changing the subject again,' she thought to herself. His inability to stick to one topic was really irritating her.
"Do you recall Thor's mortal friend Jane that he mentioned at breakfast that first morning?"
"The astrophysicist? Yeah," she replied. She had heard of Dr. Jane Foster even before meeting Thor. She read an online article written by Neil Degrasse Tyson about Dr. Foster's work on some kind of Einstein-something bridge. Astrid enjoyed reading geeky, science stuff every so often. She found it fascinating even if she didn't fully understand it.
"She's here."
Another human in Asgard? "Sweet," she replied with a smile. Someone who 'spoke her language'.
"I'm sure she is 'sweet' but forgive me for not sharing the sentiment. She slapped me."
Astrid felt anger and defensiveness rise into the red upon hearing that Jane had slapped him, had slapped her husband. "That bitch…" she said with a scowl.
"No, no, no. I deserved it. It was her retaliation for my actions in New York," he explained. "Also, I… placed a dear friend of hers under mind control," he added, speaking quickly and sounding slightly abashed for once.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Mind control? You can do that?" she asked with a stern look on her face. Well, that changes things. Maybe he used it to make me eat the apple. Maybe this whole thing has been some sort of mindfuck. What other powers does he have that I don't know about?
Loki felt what little faith she had left in him quickly fading. After his dishonesty with the apple, he knew had to tell her how and why he employed such an invasive tactic if he was to ever regain any ground he had lost. "I was in possession of a scepter, which I used to place her friend and several others under my control on Earth. I was… encouraged to solicit help from Midgardian sources in this manner, if you understand my meaning," he said, appearing very deflated.
"Oh… I didn't realize it was…" she replied. "I'm sorry." She had assumed the worst and jumped to the wrong conclusion. She hadn't even considered that he had been forced to do it and she felt awful, but giving him the benefit of the doubt was not as easy as it was before the apple incident.
He nodded once, dismissing the topic. "You should get dressed," he said.
The couple set out for the queen's chambers. Astrid looked to Loki and sternly asked, "Does your mom know about the apple?"
"Yes," he replied. "And she did not approve of my tactics either, if it is any consolation to you."
"A little," she said sharply. The myths back home said that the apples grew in a magical orchard and she didn't recall seeing any groves of fruit trees on the grounds. "So how did you go off apple-picking if we can't leave the palace?" she asked.
"I procured one several centuries ago. Idunn's apples do not spoil so I hid it away in case I ever had need for it," he answered, looking straight ahead to avoid meeting her gaze. They had just arrived at Frigga's chambers and he opened the door before Astrid could respond and ask any more questions.
The pair entered and found Frigga, Thor, and Jane seated on the sofa. "There you are, Astrid!" Thor bellowed as he rose from his seat. "Please meet Jane Foster, also of Midgard," he said with a wide smile.
Astrid looked to Jane and was immediately overtaken with utter darkness. It wasn't Jane herself, it was something within her. Astrid's eyes grew wide in horror as her body began to shake violently. She collapsed, seizing, and would have hit the floor had Loki not caught her.
Jane's hands flew to her mouth as both Loki and Thor rushed to Astrid's aid. Loki lowered her down to the floor and turned her onto her side. He glared at Thor. "I told you this was a bad idea! Get that woman out of here!" he shouted. "Now!"
Thor whisked Jane out of the queen's chambers. Frigga raced over to Loki, who was kneeling over his seizing wife, holding her hand. Now that Jane was gone, Astrid's seizure subsided. Loki carefully lifted her and laid her out on the sofa, positioning her so that she was still on her side. She was unconscious but otherwise not hurt. He knelt down beside her on the floor, holding her hand.
"Astrid?" He brushed her hair from her eyes with his long fingers. "Astrid, please wake up." Jane was infected with the Aether, a dangerous force that could be used to turn the entire universe into darkness. Loki tried to warn Thor that bringing Astrid into its proximity may have negative effects on her but Thor wanted her and Jane to meet. Loki knew that Astrid's empathic abilities were strong but her reaction to just being in the same room as the Aether was not what he had expected. He shuddered to think what would happen to Astrid should she touch Jane.
Astrid's eyes slowly cracked open. She looked around the room, disoriented. "What happened?" she asked as she sat up. She was drained from her ordeal and felt a bit dizzy.
"You had a seizure when you saw Jane," Loki explained, still holding her hand. "How are you feeling?"
Frigga brought a glass of water to Astrid. She accepted the glass with her free hand and took a few sips. She tried to recall the events that took place before she had blacked out. She remembered seeing Jane and feeling an ominous presence but then it went all dark. The next thing she could remember was coming to here on the sofa.
"I think I'm okay. Is there something wrong with Jane? Is that why I blacked out?" she asked.
"I believe so," said Loki. "Jane is currently possessed by the Aether and I suspect that it overloaded your abilities, temporarily shorting them out," he continued.
"What the hell is an Aether?" It sounded pretty sinister and felt even more so. Never before had she felt such a bleak and utter… nothingness. It seemed devoid of anything yet overpoweringly hopeless and dark.
"It is a powerful and ancient force, capable of plunging the universe into darkness by changing everything it touches into dark matter. It predates the universe itself and, until now, had been hidden away for the last five-thousand years," Loki explained.
"We suspect that the upcoming Convergence is to blame for Jane discovering it. Odin's father, Bor, had it hidden away after the last Convergence of the Realms," Frigga added.
Astrid was confused. She had never heard of a convergence or the Aether. None of this was really making a lot of sense to her. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said as she shook her head.
"The Convergence happens when all nine realms of Yggdrasil align every five-thousand years. When it occurs, the boundaries between the realms grow thin, allowing gravity and matter to pass freely from one realm to another. Does that make sense?" Loki asked Astrid. He had never personally witnessed one but had read about the phenomenon's dangerous and potentially catastrophic nature.
"Yeah, sort of. But what does this Aether have anything to do with it?"
"During the last Convergence, beings called Dark Elves attempted to use the power of the Aether as a weapon to bring the universe back into complete darkness. They were defeated, or rather slaughtered, by Bor and his army. The Aether is too powerful to destroy, so he hid it away. But as the Convergence is approaching again, Jane passed through a temporary portal to the vault where it was stored. She came into contact with it and became infected. She is its host," Loki explained.
Astrid rubbed her head. It all was a bit much for her to take in: worlds aligning, Dark Elves, parasitic forces, snuffing out the universe… "So what happens now?"
Frigga answered, "We must find a way to remove it from Jane. It is draining her life force and if we do nothing, she will die."
"Shit…" whispered Astrid. Oops. She realized that she had just cursed in front of the queen. Not very polite. "Sorry. Pardon my French," she apologized. She didn't know Jane at all but she didn't want anything bad to happen to her. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I'm afraid not," Loki replied, absentmindedly stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "You are entirely too sensitive to the Aether to be anywhere near it. If simply being in the same room with it sent you into convulsions, I would highly recommend that you stay as far away from Jane as possible." Loki didn't want to take any risks with Astrid. "She may appear to be fine for now but I believe that if it were to see you as a more suitable host, it would use you up completely. You possess capabilities that Jane does not and it may rather take advantage of you and your abilities."
"You're telling me that this thing is… sentient?" Astrid asked with trepidation. This was sounding more and more like a sci-fi novel than real life by the second.
"Partly, from what we have witnessed so far," answered Frigga. She and Loki both knew that if Astrid was to become the Aether's new host, it would be devastating. It was possible that she could unwillingly destroy the universe. "If you have recovered from your episode, I shall go find Thor and Jane. I will instruct them to be mindful of your whereabouts and to avoid you at all costs. I suggest that you remain in either your own chambers or Loki's until this is resolved."
Astrid nodded as Frigga took her leave. She looked to a very grim-faced Loki. "This is some serious shit, isn't it?"
"It is."
"What if it finds me? What'll happen to me?" she asked. Her face was wrought with worry as she grasped his hand desperately with both of hers.
"It will not find you." He appeared as concerned as she was. He knew what could happen but did not want to tell her for fear of her fretting. He was not going to let anything happen to her.
"But what if it does?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She wished he would let her feel his emotions right now. Maybe it would offer her some comfort but maybe not. He didn't appear very confident.
"It won't," he replied, giving her hands a small squeeze. He spoke adamantly but he was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to reassure her that she would be safe.
She knew it was a promise he couldn't necessarily keep but she also knew why he said it. He didn't want her to worry. As much as she despised being lied to, she couldn't be angry with him for this one.
Loki and Astrid returned to his chambers and sat on the bench out on the balcony. The air in Asgard was a bit cooler than she was accustomed to but it felt nice, like an early spring day back home. She didn't recognize the lovely blue flowers in the pots beside the bench but the scent they gave off reminded her of jasmine. She slid her shoes off and the cool marble soothed the blisters that the shoes had rubbed on her toes. She rested her elbow on the arm of the bench and rested her chin in her hand.
Not only was she still mad at him about the apple but now there was this business with Jane and the Aether. Her life had been turned upside down the moment she met the god of mischief and she wondered if this was how she was to spend the next few thousand years. How many times over the centuries would he lie to her? No, he hadn't lied, per se. He had just left out key information then dropped it on her like a bomb.
She couldn't hold the bonding against him. She had asked him for help and there wasn't any time for him to explain what he did as it happened. But the apple was another issue entirely. He deliberately left her out of the decision, didn't even give her a chance to consider if she actually wanted to spend millennia with him. If he had bothered to ask, she might have agreed. But maybe not. It was too late for her to contemplate an answer- what's done is done. She heaved a sigh without realizing it.
"I'm sorry…" he said quietly. "If you never had met me, you would be at home, carrying on as usual and in no immediate danger."
She raised her face from her hand and gave him a nasty look. "That's not what I'm pissed about." She crossed her arms over her chest and focused her gaze out to the mountains. "We need to get a few things straight here." She whipped her head around, looked him straight in the eye and pointed her finger at his face. "Do not ever make decisions for me. I am perfectly capable of making my own. And if there's something I need to know then you'd damn well better tell me before you do something. Especially if it's going to directly affect me. Got it?"
He admired her independence and straightforwardness. She was a woman who would not tolerate any nonsense or rubbish from anyone, including him. Her kind heart, though, and her loyalty were what he truly prized. She was in every way his opposite and he knew that she deserved better than what he had done to her. "I apologize for being so presumptuous and I swear that it shall never happen again."
She eyed him suspiciously. "It better not. I don't want to have this conversation with you ever again."
He nodded and opened his mouth to speak when they heard an enormous explosion from the direction of the Bifrost. They whipped their heads around and saw smoking wreckage on the bridge. They stood, staring in disbelief as they noticed Heimdall running from the smouldering heap back into the Bifrost observatory.
Suddenly, a huge black spaceship appeared above the Bifrost. Smaller black ships spat out into the sky, splitting from the sides of the larger one. The entirety of Asgard erupted into explosions, shots, and screams as the black ships zipped through the city and streaked towards the palace. Flying boats appeared from all angles and pursued the ships, firing at them and even taking some down.
Loki grabbed Astrid and whisked her inside as a golden forcefield began moving up around the palace. But just before it was fully in place, it abruptly dropped. "The shield has been disabled. We are defenseless," he said as one of the smaller ships flew straight into the front of the palace. The entire building shook with the impact.
"We must go," he spoke quickly, grabbing her hand.
"Where are we going?" she asked as they began to run out of his chambers.
"I'm taking you someplace safe where you will stay until I return for you." He knew exactly where he could hide her: the library. There was a niche, high above the windows at the top of a column where he used to hole away and read as a child. It was out of sight and no one would notice her up there.
Loki's long legs were running too fast for Astrid's considerably shorter ones to keep up. She hadn't put her shoes back on and her bare feet slipped as she desperately tried to keep Loki's pace, which was far faster than when they were eluding the pranked guards. Her foot caught the hem of her dress. Her hand ripped from his grip as she went down hard, landing roughly on her thigh and shoulder, skidding a short distance along the marble floor.
He picked her up and dragged her along down the hall. "Where are your shoes, woman?" he asked.
"I took them off. They were giving me blisters," she answered, gasping for breath. "And this goddamn dress is in my way." As they continued running, she gathered up the skirt and tied it into a knot at her upper thigh. That was better, but she could hardly sprint along with ease with a giant, throbbing welt taking hold on her thigh.
Loki glanced at her. "Asgardian women do not display so much bare skin, darling."
They were running for their lives and he was worried about a fashion faux pas? "It didn't seem to bother you before," she replied. So what if her legs were showing. She would much rather be alive and tacky than dead and stylish.
As they passed the corridor that led to Frigga's chambers, an unknown male voice shouted, "Witch!" They stopped suddenly as Loki's eyes widened in horror.
"That came from Mother's room…" Loki said. He swung Astrid around and pulled her along to Frigga's door. As they ran in, they saw a tall, lithe man in black with long, pointed ears standing before Frigga while a massive hideous, horned creature held her neck in one monstrous hand and a sword pointed at her back in the other.
"Hey, jackass!" Astrid shouted. She saw the queen about to be stabbed and she just blurted out the first thing that popped into her head in order to focus the ugly guys' attentions onto her instead of Frigga. She didn't know what she would do after that, though.
Both creatures turned their heads to face her. Loki shot his hand out, projecting a green glow that turned the horned monster's sword into a snake. It coiled itself around the beast's arm and constricted.
The monster shook its arm, attempting to dislodge the magical snake. Just then, Mjolnir whizzed over Astrid's head and smashed into the Dark Elf's face, knocking him down. The monster dropped Frigga, grabbed the elf, and both of them ran crashing through the balcony railing. Thor took off running after them just in time to see one of the ships catch the pair and fly away. Mjolnir returned to Thor and he gave a guttural growl as he threw it again, the ship disappearing before the hammer could impact.
Both sons raced to their mother's side. "Mother, are you alright?" asked Loki.
Frigga stood from the floor. "I am fine," she answered in a hoarse voice.
"Where is Jane?" Thor asked, looking around the room.
"I hid her in my wardrobe and instructed her to remain there until I fetched her. She is safe," said Frigga, somewhat shaken.
"Who were those guys?" asked Astrid.
"Malekith and a Kursed." Frigga answered grimly.
"I thought the Dark Elves were extinct," said Loki. Supposedly, Bor had killed them all five-thousand years ago.
"That is what we were led to believe," said the queen. "Evidently, they still live. Malekith wants the Aether and we must not let him take it."
Casualties from the attack were numerous. Countless innocents and Einherjar had perished. The palace shield was destroyed and Asgard was in smoking ruins. A crashed ship lay in the middle of the demolished throne room.
Later that night, there was a mass funeral for the fallen. It was somber but Astrid found it a poignantly beautiful tribute. Flaming funerary boats drifted across the water until they dropped over the edge of the ocean. People that lost loved ones held white glowing orbs that floated up into the sky. The sorrow and loss of the Asgardians weighed heavily on Astrid, sending fat tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn't dare leave, though. If she did, it would appear incredibly disrespectful and she couldn't bear to add to the suffering.
Everyone was looking up to the orbs in the sky and saying their final farewells, including Astrid and the royal family. Jane had been confined to her chambers so she was not in attendance. It was safer for her and for everyone else that way.
The agony of the moment pulled Astrid into the depths. She felt a sob coming on and she swallowed hard to keep it down. More joys of being an empath. She felt a hand wrap around her own. She glanced down at her hand clasped in Loki's and then looked up to him. He gave her a sad smile as he tenderly placed his other hand under her jaw and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb.
This time, it was his turn to feel her pain. He hadn't wanted her to attend the funeral for fear that she would be overwrought with the sorrow of the realm but she had insisted. She had also requested a black gown to wear, as it was the Midgardian customary funeral attire. He tried to explain that Asgard had no such tradition but she was adamant on the black dress. When she set her mind and heart to something, apparently there was no changing it.
He embraced her and pulled her in close, not caring who saw if anyone was even paying attention to them. Her cheek rested on his chest as they watched the glowing orbs float in the night sky.