There was a stillness in the air as Jane stroked the mane of Thor's horse. Thor wanted to meet with her at sunset, but the moon in the sky told her that he was running late. Jane wasn't upset, though. News that the King had passed left the entire town shocked. The funeral was first thing in the morning and Jane wondered if meeting with Thor was appropriate during a time of mourning. He did say that he wanted to see her, though… Jane's body stilled as the horse began to whinny. She turned as she heard footsteps crunching in the snow. They were far too quiet to be Thor's. "Loki?" she asked with a smile. "Congratulations on your daughter." At least the family had something to celebrate about.
"Tell me what you did to us!" Loki glowered.
"What?" Seeing Loki glare at her with hateful eyes made Jane worry.
"That damned spell I told you to perform!" Loki snapped. "She remembers Barton! That damned child made us remember everything!" He began to shout, startling the horses in the barn.
"Loki, calm down!" Jane carefully approached him, looking around to make sure no one else was around. The prince grew silent, giving Jane a glare that could kill. "I told you, Loki," she began, "she'll remember if she ever saw him… The baby's eyes must have reminded her… the both of you, rather…"
Loki whirled around, disgusted that his plan had backfired. Killing Barton seemed to be the only way he could ever be happy. It would leave Natalia heartbroken, but it needed to be done. He couldn't have her fleeing the castle to go off and find the archer. God forbid the two decided to elope! Loki scowled at the thought. He would kill the child if such a thing were to happen.
"I never knew this would happen," Jane admitted as she hurried after Loki. "Loki, please let go of the anger!" she begged, grabbing his arm.
"Unhand me, you bitch!" he yelled, shoving Jane's petite frame to the ground.
"This isn't you, Loki!" she yelled as she got back onto her feet. His rage was only going to lead to more trouble. "I know you're upset… You've lost your Father and I'm sure Natalia is angry, too, but don't you dare lash out on anyone!" she warned him.
"As if I care about Odin!" he spat. "The throne is mine and so is Natalia."
"Is that any way to talk about your wife?! You love her. Don't be a selfish ass!"
"Go whine to Thor!" he drawled. "I have a kingdom to manage," he remarked before making his leave.
Loki allowed himself into his wife's chambers. He could make out Natalia's form in the dimly lit room. She was alone, as expected, busy nursing the bastard child. He stepped closer towards her bed, but she never acknowledged him. She was either doing it on purpose, or she wasn't aware of his presence. "Natalia." He didn't want to frighten her only because he feared that the baby would start screaming.
"I know you're there," she answered, a small smirk across her lips. "Join me." Natalia needed a good look at her husband's face when he saw how much hair she had lopped off. He drew closer, eyes staring at the bed sheets as he sat down beside her. "Something wrong, Loki?"
He shook his head and slowly let his eyes meet with her face. Something was off, something that made his eyes widen in shock. Her hair. Her long, beautiful curls were gone. "What did you do?" he breathed, still winded from her surprise.
"I wanted a change," she shrugged, admiring the look of shock that was frozen across her husband's features. "I like it better short. Don't you?"
"No," Loki snorted without giving her question a second thought. He hated the change, mainly because of how much it seemed to please her. "Odin's funeral is tomorrow. Show some remorse," he rudely stated as he rose from the bed. "Sif's, as well."
"I'll be mourning from up in my confines," Natalia drawled.
"Mother said you will be allowed to attend."
Natalia perked up at the mention of being allowed out in public. She had been told to wait a month before she was to be properly welcomed back into society.
"The bastard is to stay, though," Loki finished.
"'Bastard?'" Her hopeful smile fell as her rage began to flare. Natalia gently set Merida down on a pillow before standing to confront her husband. "That's our daughter you're-"
"Your daughter!" Loki snarled, the muscles in his neck becoming more prominent.
Natalia smacked him across the face so hard that her hand felt numb. "You better shut up and think about your Father and what he did for you!" she threatened. "If not for him, you'd be dead! Are you listening to me?!" she yelled as his gaze shifted to the side. "You aren't his son, but he loved you! He gave you his throne-his legacy! Why can't you show my daughter love the way Odin loved you?!" she demanded.
"Strike me again, and I'll cut off your hand," Loki coldly stated.
Natalia turned away to go back to her bed. "I wasn't thinking about seeing Clint if that's what has you worried," she said quietly. "But if you don't love me, then I'm better off with him. At least he loves my daughter."
"Of course I love you," Loki growled.
"Well it doesn't feel that way," she bitterly remarked as she picked up her baby. "I really do love you, Loki, but seeing you like this makes me question myself…"
Loki clenched his fists before leaving the room. He purposefully slammed the door and heard the baby begin its wailing.
"What can you two possibly be fighting about?" Frigga asked as she made her way down the hall.
The prince stiffened when he heard her voice.
"Loki?" The Queen walked up to her son and placed a hand on his back. "If you are upset, then this is no way to act out," she warned.
Loki stepped away from her gentle touch. "This isn't about Odin," he sulked. "I don't understand how you can grieve for such a man! A witch!"
Frigga bowed her head. "You saw his eye, then?... His patch was missing when I saw his body." Her son began to leave, so she continued in hopes that he would listen. "Everyone loved him. He intended on stating who he truly was before officially giving you the throne… Loki, when I see you so angry, it reminds me of when Odin came across a book of spells."
Loki froze in place and turned his head to stare at the Queen.
"They consumed him," Frigga continued. "He could never perform any tricks, and I believe those books corrupted him. I had to hide all of them away just so he would never get to them."
The story sounded all too familiar to the prince. He recalled Odin telling him a similar tale, only his Mother was the one engaging in witchcraft. "You never performed magic?" he asked.
"After seeing what it turned my husband into, of course not… He discovered that I hid those spell books and he hit me. Thank goodness that seeing me in pain brought him to his senses. He made it his goal to kill the witches for the lives they took and for how their magic drove him mad. He led an army into Jotunheim where he crossed paths with Laufey…" Frigga paused. "When he returned home to me with a bandage over his eye, I prayed that the injury was minor… but then he took it off to reveal the eye of a witch. And you were in his arms, Loki. Odin told me that he learned a valuable lesson that day. Laufey tempted him with power, power that my husband couldn't deny that he wanted. He took Laufey's blood and felt himself begin to change. All of his hatred returned, but that wasn't what he wanted. He stopped, spitting out the blood, but that didn't stop the change. Praise God that my husband had his heart in the right place… We both agreed to raise you and help unite our people with the witches."
"Why?" Loki asked. "Why help when they've killed so many?"
Frigga smiled for her son. "Because we both saw how innocent you were. So small and unaware of all the chaos in the world... We wanted to work for peace so there would be no need for wars."
Loki turned his head to stare at Natalia's bedroom door. What if he became like Odin's former self? He was past the power hungry stage and well on the way to physically harming his own wife. Loki didn't want that. He could already sense that his marriage was crumbling. If he didn't stop it, he would be forced to live an unhappy life without the woman he loved most.
"Loki?" Frigga gently asked.
"I will see you in the morning," Loki promised. "I'm very tired…"