Chapter 10: Friends?
Loki was not just overjoyed he was ecstatic. Shay was to the medic and she was not pregnant but she however was still ill. She had gone through many tests and come to realize she was infected with a parasite that she most likely got from food. At first they all thought she'd been purposely made ill. An act against the princes mistress but the medic confirmed it was not such an act and so Shay was being treated and Loki was happy to have life back to normal, or as normal as it got nowadays.
He had said very little to his wife and she seemed to have taken the same measures as him. Her foolish offer meant nothing now. The girl was free of having to actually play out her silly promises. Odin had not spoken to Loki since Shay had revealed her news and so Loki took it upon himself to finally see her. He entered her room with an arrogant swagger and the simple knock he always made.
Shay stood from her seated position and looked at him with a frown. What could she be frowning over? "Well crisis averted this time. Do take measures to be more careful next time." Loki told Shay as he walked across her room floor toward her.
"There won't be a next time Loki." Shay told him firmly. Loki paused to give her a once over look before waving off her previous words.
"Don't be absurd, Odin won't take measures beyond..."
"Not because of Odin. I refuse to be your mistress any longer." She interrupted him. Loki stopped in his movements again to stare at her.
"What foolish babble is this? Is this because of that silly woman..." Loki began and Shay cut him off once more.
"That foolish woman is the most selfless, caring and brave woman I have ever met and is your wife. If I was half as selfless as her perhaps I could be less ashamed of myself for the heart ache and dishonour I have helped you reap on her." Shay spat. "That woman has a name and a title. I realize now that she doesn't deserve this treatment you have bestowed upon her." Loki's face turned a shade of red as he glared at Shay.
"Odin has only himself to blame for..."
"Odin?! No Loki, Odin has nothing to do with your treatment to your wife. Your childishness is to blame and your stubbornness. She is a good woman. Much better than you'll ever deserve. I was a fool to have allowed myself to be so blind to the kind of person she was. To become your mistress for my own selfish reasons and forgetting that she too deserved consideration in all of this. Go back to your room Loki. Go back to your wife. I'm done with you." Shay's words stung more than Loki would have liked to admit but all the same he turned and left her room.
As he made his way down random corridors his mind was reeling. Odin had gotten to her. His wife had gotten to her emotional just as she had him. Shay would no longer allow him to her bed and though Loki understood her line of reasoning he hated it. He didn't return to his room he instead went to his tower to blow off steam.
(Shay)
Shay was not sure what happened once Loki left her room but she slept more soundly than usual. She woke early and tracked the princess down to the gardens. "Hello." Shay said to the beautiful girl sat in the grass enjoying the sun. Cephera looked up to her and looked shocked. This had been the first time Shay ever spoke to her. "I'm Shay." She said not sure what else to say. The princess stood and looked at her, confusion clear on her features. "I wanted to thank you." Shay began after a second.
"There's no need." Cephera said not allowing Shay to go any further. "You don't have to thank me. I would have done it for anyone." She said.
"I believe it." Shay dropped to her knees in front of Loki's wife. "But I have much to be sorry for as well." Shay said hanging her head. She was startled when two hands came to rest on each side of her face. Cephera tilted Shay's face up toward her and she was smiling a meaningful smile.
"You've nothing to be sorry about either." Cephera assured her.
"Yes I do. I feel as though I have taken an opportunity away from you. Had I said no to becoming Loki's mistress from the beginning he would have not had entertainment to take his mind off you. He would have had to at least spoken to you. Gotten to know you. In my own selfishness I allowed myself to just pretend you didn't mean anything. You didn't exist." Shay knew she sounded desperate in her words but she really wanted Cephera to realize she was sorry. "You don't deserve how you're being treated and I'm no longer willing to play a part in his treatment of you." Shay declared.
"You don't have to do that." Cephera said shaking her head.
"Yes I do. I already have. I'm ashamed of my actions. It would be different had you been a monster. Unkind and unloving toward him but you're none of those things. You are beyond kind and understanding to a point that I wish I could be more like you." Shay was trembling. She had never felt so bad before.
"He'll find another." Cephera said looking down toward the ground her hands letting Shay go.
"No he won't. He kept me because he knew me. Loki's picky with lovers. If he found another it won't be for a long while until then he has you." Shay was looking at Cephera and realized just how defeated she seemed. She wondered if she had any hope left in her for her marriage. More shame hit her. "You can change his mind." Shay said an idea forming in her mind.
"Change his mind?" Cephera inquired puzzled.
"About you. You can make yourself known to him before another comes along like me. Prove to him he wants you. Show him what's he's missing." Shay felt her apprehension and her curiosity.
"Show him? I'm not sure I'm the right girl for that." Cephera replied swallowing and looking slightly frightened. Shay couldn't help but laugh a little. His wife looked so much like a child right now with her wide unsure eyes.
"No one is ever the right one but with the right kind of training we could make you the right one." Cephera was shaking her head already before Shay was done her words. "You want to make your relationship with Loki work right?" Shay asked hands now placed on her hips. She was determined to help this girl somehow after the way she was going to help her.
"I do but..."
"Look we can both agree that the things you've been trying in the past have been useless so you need to try something different." Shay studied Loki's wife. She was clean cut girl with innocent written all over her. "Why haven't you tried to bed him? To seduce him?" She asked curious now.
"I don't believe selling myself out, even to my husband, to gain attention is right." Cephera answered chewing her bottom lip.
"But it's not selling yourself out. Look, clearly Loki finds it easy to ignore you and avoid you but give him something that he's going to want to come back to then he will have to lavish attention on you. I'm just saying sex is a powerful weapon and it's one you haven't tried." Shay saw her face shuffle through thoughtful emotions. "What was your next plan?" Shay asked stopping her in thought.
"I didn't really have a plan to begin with." Cephera admitted shifting on her feet. Shay's questions were making her uncomfortable but Shay didn't mind that. "I've never really had much to do with men because they never wanted anything to do with me." Cephera told her. "I've never kissed a man save for Loki and I wouldn't count that peck a kiss." She frowned.
"Have you pleasured yourself? I mean you at least know what sex is right?" Shay was worried she would say no but come off it she couldn't be that daft.
"I know all to well what it is and what's involved I've just never done it...and yes. I've pleasured myself. Not often lately as I've been afraid I might get caught but I have in the past." Shay let out a sigh of relief.
"Well that's still workable material. At least you know what you like." Shay smiled then. "I helped Loki make a mess of this marriage and now I want a chance to make amends to it. Will you allow me that opportunity?" Cephera looked into Shay's face and nodded after a second.
(Cephera)
Cephera wasn't sure what Shay had in mind but she had asked Cephera to come to her room the next day and Cephera was a little worried. She didn't know the woman to not be a little apprehensive of what ideas she might have. A part of Cephera worried this was a plot by Loki to send Cephera into a situation that was both embarrassing and dishonourable. She was afraid her husband was finally deciding to get rid of her.
With his still constant ignoring of her and his avoiding her she felt like she might have put a target on her back somehow. Cephera wasn't sure what to make of all of this. Would Shay try to harm her? Would Loki for that matter? Cephera had never had so much trouble trying to get someone to like her. She was the kind of person that tended to draw in friends and the longer it took to draw in the man she was married to the more hopeless she felt. Perhaps her sister and father were wrong. Maybe being herself was not the answer at all. Maybe she needed to become someone else.
Cephera didn't like the idea of changing everything about herself just to satisfy the needs of anyone that was not herself. She had always tried to stay true to herself and hated to think that she would need to change anything about the way she carried herself to make someone else happy. It was an idea she simply couldn't abide by and she would not do it.
Cephera spent the rest of her day in the library. She found herself there often reading many different kinds of books. She avoided the magic books to keep unwanted questions away. She missed her magic. She would love to practice some stuff she had learned off of Loki. Cephera was special. With one touch she could copy the magic other people knew, however because she was human the magic she preformed was weaker and less effective. She had only one spell she could preform that was extremely useful and that was healing. She had learned that from an angel. She wondered how Loki would feel when he finally realized what it was Cephera could really do.
Until the day came that she got him to speak with her or like her to any degree at all she had to stick with books that told tales of ancient Asgard and books about the history of Asgard. She often found herself thinking back to what Shay said and she was curious as to what she had planned to help her. If she was telling the truth then Loki was now alone and without a woman to warm his bed. Maybe Shay was right. Maybe Cephera needed to up her game so to speak. The thought made her nervous.
She hoped Shay's decision to stop seeing him would not reflect back on Cephera and cause him to blame her for it. If that was the case all chances of gaining his attention of any positive kind were dead.
I simply cannot thank you all enough for the continued support! The reviews are wonderful and I will not argue with more. :)
- Chiavra (guest): I'm gonna guess you missed the authors note at the beginning of chapter one that stated this is a Loki/Cepjera fic. :( all the same I do hope you enjoy how this all plays out. As for the turning point I hope I pull it off right. :)
- Twifan 1987: it's not so much that Loki's dumb but he's stuck on this one idea and he's stubborn. He hates to allow reasons to like his wife to come around because he wants to scorn all things decided by Odin. He's just being complicated. As for finding out her talents...well that will come in time.
- Poodle Warriors: yes I do so love Frigga.
- Loki's Dreamer: haha. Loki and Cephera will not be having kids any time soon.
- Miss Padawan: I love writing Frigga! And Loki's just being difficult. In a way he's much like a kid right now.
- Jane Doe (guest) I feel your love!
- Lightning and Ice: don't feel bad. I'd rather know how you feel. I was panicked more about trying to make sure it didn't turn out that way. Cephera is not meant to be perfect. Even her powers have downfalls. When I created her I didn't want her perfect. As time goes on I'm hoping to get back the less childish loki and return to the sexy demanding Loki. Lol
- Nightmare of Cat: I love causing feels! And ouch...Loki's poor nuts are not safe around you. Lol
- Doctor Loki Love: I took the Frigga thing to mind when writing and am glad how I put it together. :) as for children right now he's got enough to deal with mentally that the thought of children is also negative. No telling what will happen later on. For our RP I know you tend to stick with a less assholeish Loki so I knew this would be different. Lol
- Akera Writer of the Night: I love the crazy reviews I'm getting. I'm not sure it's so much about me becoming popular but maybe about my asking for them. I always knew people were reading. :) I was always happy to have followers in general but I thought asking for reviews couldn't hurt either. They really do help inspire and build motivation. And I remember a time when I had only a few people to answer as well. I've been posting this fic on 2 other sites and it's being received well there too.
- Hello (guest): it's always nice to have an escape from everyday life and I'm glad my story has become one of those escapes. :) thanks!
