Again I must apologize for taking so very long to post. This story fell a bit lower on my priority list as time dragged on. I will try to keep up better but comments are always a welcome motivation. Please enjoy.
When Frigga and I reached the sitting room of her chambers, I was confused to see neither Thor nor Loki waiting for us. Frigga had already set herself down in a chair by the time I started my question. "I thought you said we would be finishing our conversation from last night." She nodded as she picked up her embroidery. "Thor and Loki will be along shortly." She held out the blue fabric I had begun to decorate last night. I accepted it and sat down in the chair next to her. "Thor left this morning to retrieve his Midgardian friends, the Avengers. Odin has requested their presence at Loki's trial tomorrow." She paused in her stitching to smile at me. "There will be a feast tonight to honor them as our guests."
/
Loki had fallen asleep amid the warm bookcases. The nightmares of last night had kept proper sleep at bay. Even now, in the warm light of the library, his thoughts plagued his slumber.
Loki found himself walking through a great forest. He wandered aimlessly for a while, finding no distinguishing landmarks whatsoever. After an indefinite time spent wandering, he heard a soft rustling just ahead. As he approached, he saw the little fawn from his earlier dream. It lay unmoving in the fallen leaves. For a moment he thought it dead. Then it lifted its head suddenly to look at him. Loki held the fawn's gaze until it flopped it's head back down onto the foliage.
Loki stepped closer to see what was so clearly wrong with the animal. Upon reaching the delicate thing, he knelt next to it. The fawn's eyes were wide and it breathed in sharp, labored gasps. Loki recognized it to be suffocating. Then he noticed the thin gold thread wrapped around the creature's neck.
Loki quickly began to unwind the thread. He worked as fast as he could but it didn't seem to help. No matter how hard he worked to release the fawn, the loops around its neck never seemed to diminish. The fawn's eye rolled forward to watch as Loki tried desperately to free it. Soon, Loki found that his hands were becoming increasingly tangled. The more he unwound, the more trapped he became while the fawn was none the better for his efforts. Still he tried. Even when he felt the fawn's heart beat faster and it's breaths grow more ragged.
After what felt like hours of frantic effort, the fawn took one last labored breath and its eyes rolled back into its head. Loki felt on the verge of panic. For no reason he could discern, the death of the fawn drew forth a feeling of emptiness and loneliness within him. He looked down at his hands. Beside being thoroughly entangled to the elbow in thread, he saw that his fingers were stained with quickly congealing blood.
Loki stood, trying to rid himself of the animal's corpse and thread. Instead, his movement seemed to only increase the volume of thread wrapped around his person. In a panic, he tried to pull the tangles off more violently. Each movement only served to engulf him further and further until he was completely swallowed up in gold thread. He struggled until he could no longer move or see through the coils of gold.
In a cold sweat, Loki woke suddenly. He bolted upright in his chair. Seeing that he was in the library and not cocooned in string, he relaxed. His mind having caught up to his body, he saw that it was midday and decided to retire back to the chambers where he had left Elizabeth.
/
I had almost finished my embroidered motif before Thor burst through the doors wearing the biggest grin I had ever seen. He reminded me of a large puppy bouncing around with excitement. Following him into the room were the welcome faces of Stark, Banner, Rogers, and Natasha. They were accompanied by the slightly less welcome sight of Barton and Fury.
I just barely kept myself from rushing to them like a moth toward a flame. Smiling brightly, Frigga bade them welcome and sat them down to wait for Loki. She engaged in light conversation regarding their stay and other mundane matters. While the cheery conversation hummed on, I inspected each of their faces to gauge their reactions to Asgard.
Stark, dressed in a slick and probably expensive suit, seemed the most relaxed. He sat with legs crossed next to a slightly overwhelmed looking Banner. Rodgers was rigidly planted next to a completely stoic Natasha. Barton fidgeted slightly on the edge of a chair and Fury looked completely underwhelmed by the company. Each of them was dressed in luxurious evening wear with varying degrees of comfort.
The conversation was still murmuring happily when Loki finally strode through the doors. Everyone turned to face him and the conversation flicked out like a candle flame. He glanced around the room, his face a perfect mask. After a moment, Frigga broke the tense silence with a cordial smile. "Loki, we were waiting for you. Please, come sit with us."
Loki stood for a beat longer before replying. "Thank you, but no. I have not been feeling well and would like to retire to my chamber." He turned stiffly and made his way toward the bedroom. Just before disappearing from view, he turned again and looked at me. "Elizabeth, won't you accompany me?"
I opened my mouth to deny him but the prickle of magic traced a cold finger down my spine. I sighed, "I guess that counts." I rose to follow the disappearing footsteps of my captor. I clutched awkwardly at my embroidery as I hurried past the collection of visitors. When I had almost reached the door, a worried voice stopped me. "Do you want someone to go with you?"
I turned to Steve. He was half standing already. I forced a dismissive smile. "Why? I think it is better to leave you alone to discuss things. Besides," I said with a shrug. "I am beginning to enjoy his company." Steve furrowed his brow, but sat back down.
I turned and left the room before he could say anything else.
/
I pushed through the carved door and almost ran into Loki. I muttered a vague apology and tried to push past him. At the last moment, he reached out and wrapped a hand around my wrist.
/
Loki pulled the girl around to face him. He felt an intense need to see the fear in her expression, to feel a sliver of control over something. He held her gaze for a few heartbeats.
/
Loki held my wrist tightly. I couldn't help but watch his face flit through his thoughts. First a desire for something, then, a rush too quick for me to follow. He finally settled in a stony anger. He gripped my wrist tighter, threatening to snap bones.
/
Loki was confused to find no real fear in her eyes. He looked harder, but what he searched for still evaded him. Loki felt his lack of control over her rub harshly against his tired thoughts. She yelped and he realized he had strengthened his grip. He watched with a mix of guilty sadness and hollow glee as a tinge of fear bled into her face. Clinging to a shred of childish satisfaction, he refused to release his grip. He watched as the girl twisted and clawed at his fingers in pain.
The girl was pleading now, her eyes damp and shining. He followed the movement of her lips but heard no sound.
/
I tried to pry his fingers from my arm but found my efforts increasingly futile. As my hand began to go numb and my fingers stopped moving, my mind forced me to focus on something else. The sparkle of a gem was the perfect place for my watering eyes. His outstretched arm had revealed the magic inhibiting bracelet.
My arm groaned in pain and a stream of foul words slipped between my lips. My eyes fogged over with tears and I turned my blurred vision back to his face. "Please," I begged him, "please let go. You're hurting me. Please!"
The tears finally dripped down my face and I could see his features clearly. The sadistic smile clashed with the apparent sorrow in his blue green eyes.
/
The last 'please' broke through Loki's thoughts and he released his fingers. Brought back to the present, he watched as she snatched her arm close and nursed it for a moment. He saw the thin finger marks on her delicate skin and knew that there would be bruises there soon.
Then she turned her tear streaked face up to his with a glare of intense anger and pain. She locked eyes with him and he felt a sting of guilt. Still holding her injured arm close, she planted her good arm, palm out, on his chest and gave a hard shove. He was unaffected by the force and she only managed to make herself stumble back a pace. With her bottom lip pushed out, smacking his chest again only served to make her look like a moody child.
Thwarted in her attempts to physically affect him, she stomped to her bed and plopped loudly down on the golden covers. After a moment, Loki followed suit.
/
After I had choked back the tears of pain in my throat, I forced out the only words on my tongue. In an embarrassingly weak and scratchy voice, I managed to croak, "I hate you."