Chapter 27: Truth
Loki was wishing he hadn't agreed to have lunch with both Cephera and Shay. He sat at the table with only the two of them while Shay was going on about her new 'boyfriend' Cephera called him. A Midgardian term for a significant other. Loki was glad Shay was happy and had found someone who seemed to respect her. It wasn't the first man she spoke of with such enthusiasm but Loki did hope it worked out. However, this kind of conversation was not Loki's cup of tea. In fact the only thing helping him not get a headache was the wine.
He hadn't spent any quality time with Shay since she had ended their affair. In a way it had put a wedge between them as he did, in some ways, feel like she abandoned him for Cephera. He didn't feel that way anymore but there was that awkward feeling still there. Perhaps it was because life had changed so much. Everyone was moving on with their own separate lives. Thor was struggling to save his fading relationship with Jane and had been gone for a week to Midgard in an attempt to rekindle something.
In his absence Odin had called Loki to the throne room to have him attempt to reintegrate within the politics surrounding the throne. Loki felt there was more to Odin's sudden suggestions but Loki had stayed for each meeting. He always enjoyed the political part of ruling. A lot of thought went into the decisions made there and Loki had always been a thinker.
The progression between himself and his wife was drastic in its change since the day she was thrown from her horse. Loki no longer saw each day they spent time together as a way to get to know her he saw them as opportunities to stay at her side and enjoy life with her as part if it. It would always be a working relationship. As far as Loki was concerned every relationship was under construction as there were news things to learn about the other person as you grew together.
Cephera was part of him and his life. He didn't just wake everyday and decide to spend time with her. He woke everyday looking forward to those things. When their one year anniversary rolled around they hadn't celebrated it because as far as either of them was concerned their lives together began not during their vows but that first night Loki had finally consummated their marriage and opened his eyes.
Everything during that year since had been wonderful with a few fights in-between. Loki had finally gotten to teach Cephera how to ride and together they had races across the fields. Cephera never got a chance to saddle up Spirit but she enjoyed the fact that during their races Spirit would race beside them. Cephera was content with a palace horse but she never stopped trying to calm her own.
Her magic skills were improving according to the teacher he had brought in though she would never become a master of magic. Loki didn't care. He had his own magic to protect her with. Even though all was going well there were still things in his life that he had not shared with her or anyone for that matter. And it was only a matter of time before they would come to light.
(Cephera)
Cephera eyed her turn on the chess board and then finally made her move. She had been bringing games in from earth that her and her sister enjoyed playing for something new for him and her to do. The first game she brought in had been Jenga. He hated it claiming it took no real skill to deduct which pieces to take. He insisted if she was to continue this 'game night' she needed to produce games meant to intrigue the mind. So of course she brought in chess.
Cephera herself didn't like chess and always lost to him. It was like he played it with ease and it almost irritated her but not quite. Tonight she was distracted. She had a question that had been bothering her since she had been bringing games home. Tonight she was trying to gain the courage to ask him.
"Why did you attack Midgard?" She finally asked. Loki looked up from his move on the chess board.
"Because it's a realm of unorganized chaos. I planned to put it back to order, to rule the people." He answered looking back down to choose his next move.
"Loki.." She said forcing him to look back up at her. "You spent so much of our beginning shunning me for being human, I'm sorry, I don't believe you when you say you wished to rule them. To save them from themselves by subjugating them as a king." Loki stared into her eyes as if trying to stare her down and then sat back in his chair. He then stood with his hands clasped at his sides and looked out the closed balcony door windows.
"You're right." He said without looking at her. "I have told not a sole why I really did what I did." Loki said. "Perhaps it's time I did." Loki turned a fraction and looked over his shoulder to her. "As my wife you are bound to keep what I say to yourself." He said to her almost in a warning.
"Like husband wife confidentiality? Would you like me to sign a non-disclosure agreement?" She joked. Loki gave a slight smirk but it faded quickly as he seemed to prepare his tale.
"I did it because I had to." He admitted. "I was forced to do so."
"Forced?" Cephera inquired her eyes pinned on him but he'd gone back to looking outside. She could see his tense shoulders and a part of her felt bad for making him relive whatever it was he had been hiding.
"Best to start at the beginning." He said. "When I fell from the Byfrost I wasn't sure what would happen. Even with my magic my fate was uncertain. I floated for what seemed like forever in nothingness until my magic found a pathway hidden among the darkness. I followed it and landed on a bleak rock of a realm." Loki growled the last part.
"Loki, you don't have to tell me if you're not ready." She said quickly worried this might be too much for him.
"It was there I came across the 'Others'." He continued as if she had said nothing at all. "At first I thought I could smooth talk my way around them. Use them to my own advantage. By then all I wanted was to return to Asgard and fix the problems both myself and Thor had started."
Cephera shifted in her chair an unease settling in her stomach. "As I tried to weave words of offers and deals with these people they played along. Led me to see their leader, Thanos." Loki paused. "Until that point in my life I thought of myself as an almighty warrior. A god, untouchable and above all others that were not Asgardian. I thought myself infallible." Loki growled at his own arrogance. "I feared nothing outside my own universe until I met Thanos. He made me an offer. One I outright refused." Cephera licked her dry lips.
"Loki..." She began but he held up his hand for her to stay quiet.
"He gave me a chance to rethink my decision. When I wouldn't change my mind that's when the torture began. I'd been in battles. I'd been harmed in many of them but I know now I was seriously over protected. Nothing prepared me for the horrors I was put through. Physically, mentally." Loki shivered. "He would visit me day after day to see if I had changed my mind but I had not. But what Thanos didn't know was that even through the pain I was plotting. I was doing what I do best and listening to every one around me and thinking of a way to trick them." Loki turned then and his green eyes fell to Cephera.
Cephera's heart was pounding and her breathing heavy as she listened to her husband. The manner in which he spoke of the torture sent her chills and she didn't dare ask how he was tortured. "Finally I devised a plan." He smirked. "I agreed to the offer but only if my needs were met and everything I felt I needed would be provided. Thanos agreed to everything I asked for giving the word to the 'Others' to make sure I got what I needed. He wanted the tesseract and so that's why I ended up on Midgard. The change of mind he thought I had was based on my need to rule that race. But I knew that if I played my cards right I would gain the attentions of Asgard." Loki paced a second before stopping.
"I grabbed the tesseract as per the plan but from there I was in the dark. I had to make my moves perfect as I was being watched through the staff given to me. They were always in my head and the power the staff wielded using the tesseract sometimes clouded my mind. It was difficult to stay on course for myself but I managed. I was running blind at first. Using the humans to prepare the tesseract to bring my army to Midgard but I needed a way to destroy the army. I never planned to give the tesseract to Thanos." Loki explained.
"So if you went in blind you obviously ended up with another plan." Cephera finally said.
"I did. By way of a human actually. I may view humans as weak creatures but there are a select few who drew my interest. Agent Barton gave me information that I found potential in. I manipulated the humans like a chess board, even Thor moved how I needed. I continued on my seemingly loyal path to Thanos while the group now known as the avengers did my job for me. It couldn't have gone better. There were hiccups of course but in the end I got what I wanted. I was brought back to Asgard." Loki stopped to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Why didn't you tell anyone? Odin might have understood, he might have never put you in prison." Cephera couldn't fathom what Loki was thinking once he returned home.
"Cephera when I got back I had already committed crimes against another of the nine realms. Because of me Thor had destroyed the Byfrost and cut off all nine realms from Asgard. War raged everywhere. What I did on Midgard was never solely why I was imprisoned. His making me marry you was his way of trying to make me accept humanity but my crimes on that realm alone were not enough to grant me the imprisonment I did get." Loki paused. "It's only been recently that I realize that."
"So in a way I was Odin's punishment for that crime." Cephera said. She didn't feel sad about it like she once had. She'd grown to close to Loki now to worry about it.
"Maybe. It no longer matters."
"What did Thanos want you to do that was so bad you wouldn't help?" Cephera then asked. Loki gave her an appreciative look like he thought she'd forget about it.
"He wanted to use the tesseract to gain access to Asgard. Asgard is home to a vault of many powerful and unique relics. Thanos wanted one of those. But without the tesseract he no longer has a way to enter Asgard." Loki told her.
"Did you ever considering telling Odin that at least? In case anything should happen."
"I'm not sure he would believe me. He may now but back then I think he might have thought I was trying to get off easy. A threat from Thanos is unlikely now. We are safe here." Loki told her moving to her his hand resting to the side of her face.
"One day, tell him. It might become important." Cephera didn't want to push it
"One day." He bent down and kissed her forehead like he did often nowadays.
STILL NOT THE END! Had to do a time jump. I have decided that this fic is winding down for me. I am tying up some loose ends that need tying before my ending should happen. Should reach at least chapter 30.
Review please!
- Benfan 1: awesome!
- Celestial Wolves: haha I like to take it the extra step in really pulls it all together. :P
- Katarina Lillis: I'm very glad you enjoyed my new addition to the fic. Also they new bond Loki had been creating with Thor. :)
- Exploding Sushi 15: wahoo! So glad you like it.
- Cosplayer Hikari: thank you. I'm sure loki would make a great father should he ever change his mind.
- Twifan 1987: haha yeah had to add that tidbit of smut in there. As for the next fic it's not gonna be quite how you think...but I'm sure you will like it all the same. ;P
- Gfor098: it was cute. :P and I can't wait to see what you think of the next fic.
- Reneemm: oh the feels! Glad you felt them.
- Guest: I was a little confused about the point you were trying to convey in your review about animals. :(
- Loki's Dreamer: he is a romantic in some ways. He certainly has grown attached to her.
- 88 Dragon 06: tower time is going very good. Lol. Yeah her move to jump in the horse was safe in her mind but she didn't realize how much her getting hurt might effect Loki.
- Carlos Diaz: I know you weren't on this chapter at the time but I'm glad your still reading and enjoying!
