My semester and finals are over, so now, I have a lot more time on my hands, and you know what that means! I have more time to write and post! I have a few chapters done of this story, so expect another one pretty quickly.
Thanks to Chosen of Eilistraee's Drow translator for helping with my elvish dialogue. I thought it would be fun, but I couldn't find anything for the dialect they speak in the movie. I figured drow would be the closest.
I own Vielae. Everything else belongs to their respective owners.
Another group of prisoners was brought into the dungeons. This had been happening almost daily. With the Bifrost repaired, Thor and the Asgardian army were busy taking care of armies of bandits who, while Asgard was isolated, had risen up and started terrorizing the middle realms. This group, from what Vielae had heard the guards saying, was another group from Vanaheim. Vielae was re-reading a history book as they were brought in. She, like Loki, gave them a glance over to see if there was anything interesting. Normally, there wasn't anything. This time, however, was completely different. As Vielae scanned the group, there was a hulking form in red armor. Though Vielae could not see his face, she gasped when she saw his eyes.
Ice blue eyes with black sclera...just like hers.
It apparently surprised the prisoner, because he stared back at her, even as he walked by her cell. Loki, who had looked at the group at the same time as Vielae, saw this exchange and was surprised at the horror on Vielae's face. Her white skin seemed even whiter as she stared at this prisoner, and he stared back. He and the other prisoners were placed in a cell 4 down from Loki's. As the cell wall was activated, Loki put down the book he had been reading, waited for the guards to walk away, and looked at Vielae, who was still staring in the prisoner's direction.
"Vielae?" Loki called softly. After a few moments, Vielae shook her head slightly and looked at Loki.
"Hmm?" she said, her thoughts still on the prisoner.
"Are you alright?" Loki asked. Vielae seemed slow to comprehend the question, which worried him slightly.
"His eyes," she finally said. "His eyes were like mine." No one's eyes are like yours, Loki wanted to say. He caught himself before he spoke, and chose instead to say nothing. He tilted his head slightly and fixed a quizzical look on his face. "No other race in the Nine Realms has eyes like a Dark Elf, Loki," Vielae said, certain of it. "And I doubt magic could create such a convincing illusion," she added, noticing Loki looking skeptical. You haven't seen me at work, Loki thought.
"That doesn't explain why you look as though you have seen a ghost, Vielae," Loki said.
"I thought my people were gone," Vielae stated. "I know you think I would be overjoyed to see one of my kin, I didn't have a great relationship with them, save one or two. Surely you can imagine how this would worry me." Loki thought carefully, prying his mind to imagine how Vielae could feel. When he finally found it, the realization must have shown on his face, because Vielae began to nod. Loki began to ask another question, when they heard screaming from down the aisle. It was the cell that had just been filled. The hulking figured in red armor was seizing horribly, and the prisoners were calling to the guards for help. Suddenly, there was an explosion of black smoke. When it cleared, the hulking figure was even bigger. From what Vielae could see, he seemed to have magma coming from cracks in his skin. She could barely breathe. Loki watched as the slight look of terror became clear and more pronounced, turning into pure horror.
"Vielae, what is it? What's happening?" he asked, straining to see. This time, Vielae didn't even seem to hear him at all. "Vielae!" Loki called. Not taking her eyes off of the scene down the aisle, Vielae uttered one word, so softly that Loki had to read her lips to understand her.
"Kursed." Loki probed all of the information stored in his head until he found what that word meant. According to legend, Dark Elves had small pods that, when crushed, released an energy into a hosts body, giving them incredible strength and power, but also ultimately consuming them. Many a soldier had been killed by Kursed in past wars, but it was said that all of those pods had been destroyed. Apparently not, Loki thought wryly. His thoughts were interrupted by a man screaming in fear and pain. Unable to see the action, Loki studied Vielae's reaction. She was leaning against the corner pillar closest to the door, and it seemed that her knees had begun to give way. The terror was clearer than day on her face, and her skin had gone whiter than snow. Loki began to worry. He had never seen her this frightened before.
Vielae was truly frightened. She felt her knees go weak as she leaned against the pillar of her cell for support. She felt the breath catch in her chest, along with a scream. The Kursed warrior was pressing a man's head against the outer wall of the cell, making it bend. With a mighty punch, the warrior struck right next to the man's head, shattering the wall and two of the cells next to him, as well as a few across the aisle. After a moment of silence, the now-freed prisoners ran out of their cells and out of the dungeon, hooting and hollering as they did. The Kursed walked slowly up the aisle, studying his surroundings. Loki immediately guessed why he was here. Asgard had powerful defenses against airborne attacks, and they can only be disabled from the inside. Still seething with rage against Odin and Thor, he was more than happy to point the Kursed in the right direction.
"You might want to take the stairs to the left," he said simply. The Kursed regarded him for a moment, and gave no sign that he had even heard Loki. However, something told him that the huge warrior understood. Then, the Kursed looked toward Vielae, gave a slight gasp, and – much to Loki's surprise – went over to her cell and dropped to one knee.
"Jallil Vielae," he said. (Lady Vielae). Vielae stared for a moment, and then pressed a hand against the wall, her face a mixture of relief, fear, and sadness.
"Algrim? Vel'bol inbal dos xunor?" (Algrim? What have you done?)
"Usstan ssiggrin dos zhahen eighinyrr," the Kursed replied. (I thought you were dead) "Dosst ilham nau'thale nindol thrityh ulu ragar l'Aether. Doer lu'valm udossa, ussta jallil. Senger Malekith orn tlu sae'uth ulu kyorl dos 'sohna." (Your father leads this attack to find the Aether. Come and join us, my lady. Lord Malekith will be pleased to see you again.) Loki watched this exchange with interest. Though he could not understand everything, the words 'Aether' and 'Malekith' came through, along with what he assumed was Vielae's title. Vielae almost accepted his offer. However, at the mention of Malekith, the offer of escape lost it's luster.
"Bel'la dos, ussta abbil, jhal nau. Usstan orn naut alu ulu Malekith suul. Uk zet uns'aa shil ulu skiki cos. Ele zhal'la usstan dortho ukta a jal?" (Thank you, my friend, but no. I will not go to Malekith's side. He left me here to rot. Why should I aid him at all?). Vielae became increasingly more angry. The memories of Malekith's betrayal were suddenly pushed to the forefront of her memory, and her loathing for him boiled like an angry sea. Algrim seemed surprised.
"P'wal dos ph'uss d'udossa. Dosst lodias ssinssrigg dos, ussta jallil," he replied softly. (Because you are one of us. Your people love you). Vielae turned away from him, unable to face him. His plea was sincere, and he had been one of the few people that Vielae had been friends with on Svartalfheim. I cannot, she thought. I cannot allow father to succeed.
"Ein taudl. Usstan shlubnaut alu xuil dos. Nin alu, p'los dos lle'warin dosst mayar," Vielae said, finally turning to face Algrim. (I'm sorry. I cannot go with you. Now go, before you miss your chance.)
"Jallil Vielae," Algrim said, pleading with her one last time. Vielae's sad expression turned to one of ferocity.
"Alu!" she commanded. (Go!). Algrim slowly rose, and then saluted her.
"Usstan orn tesso Senger Malekith nindel dos ph'ghil. Uk zhal doel whol dos, ussta Jallil. Udos orn dormagyn dos," he vowed. (I will tell Lord Malekith that you are here. He shall come for you, my Lady. We will save you.) He then turned and left. As the dust settled, Vielae closed her eyes.
"Vel'drav chath tu'kath pholor Jotunheim," she said quietly. (When fire falls upon Jotunheim). With a sigh, she dropped to her knees and just sat there, not saying anything, not moving. Loki watched her for a few minutes, waiting to see if she would do anything. Questions were storming to be answered, and yet, he was hesitant to ask. Vielae had just been reminded of something horrible, and Loki could tell that she didn't want to talk. But he would not have his curiosity go unsatisfied.
"Vielae?" he asked after a full five minutes. Slowly, Vielae raised her head and met Loki's gaze. Her face was streaked with tears. Despite giving no signs, she had been weeping. "Are you alright?" Loki asked, choosing to ask after her first. Vielae's face showed absolutely no emotion, but her eyes said everything. She was not alright. Once again, Loki was overcome with the urge to embrace her, kiss her tears away, and promise that everything would be fine. He even moved towards her, reaching out to her slightly. As he did this, he saw her eyes light up for a brief moment. She even shifted her weight slightly, as if to get up and fall into his arms, which was something she desperately wanted now. Both realized that there were walls between them, and relaxed back a bit. "What was that?" Loki asked.
"'Who would be the more appropriate question," Vielae answered. Loki could not help but grin at the slight cynicism in her tone. "Algrim the Strong, the greatest warrior my people have seen, and the most loyal soldier Malekith has ever had."
"I did hear him mention Malekith when you two were talking," Loki commented, sitting cross-legged on the floor close to the glowing prison wall that faced Vielae's cell. "There was something he called you, as well. Jallil?" Vielae smirked slightly. His pronunciation was perfect.
"Jallil means 'lady'," Vielae answered, slowly coming to terms with the fact that Loki was about to discover everything that she hadn't told him yet.
"You're nobility?" he asked. Vielae nodded. "This Algrim seemed very devoted to you, as well. He seemed hel-bent on getting you out of here. Why is that? You said he was loyal to Malekith." Vielae took a deep breath, calmed her nerves, and looked Loki straight in the eyes.
"Algrim's loyalty to me is second only to the loyalty he holds for Lord Malekith...my father." Loki, for the first time in a long time, was speechless.
"Malekith...is your father?" Loki repeated, stunned. Vielae nodded. "But...if you're his daughter, how did you end up here?" Vielae said nothing. Instead, her expression darkened to one of pure, unadulterated hatred. She gave a sigh that sounded more like a growl. The light in her blue and black eyes was replaced with the angry fire that Loki could tell burned inside of her. Just the expression on her face gave him all of the information he needed. "He betrayed you. He left you to Bor to be captured." Vielae gave a small nod and rose. Loki observed her closely.
Her whole body was tensed. Her hands were curled into fists so tightly, Loki swore he could see blood dripping from her palms. She was shaking, and her breathing was shallow. She was bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. Then, without warning and with a shout, she punched the column next to her, causing a sizable dent in it. Loki jumped slightly. So this is what rage looks like on a Dark Elf, he thought as he watched her. Vielae raised her eyes, locking with Loki's. Her face was a picture of rage so perfect, she could fell the most fearsome beast with a look. Even Loki's resolve balked and he took a step back.
"Asgard is doomed," Vielae said quietly, her tone low and menacing. She then returned to her sofa, sat down, and began to meditate.
For the next few hours, they heard nothing but the occasional explosion. Slowly, Vielae was able to calm down. She even went through the second level of the Surit'sa Rahi to relax. As things quieted down, Vielae noticed a guard come in and walk straight to Loki, removing his helmet. Vielae paid full attention. None of the guards ever respected him like that.
"My Lord, Queen Frigga is dead," the guard said solemnly. Loki said nothing. Instead, he nodded his thanks, and the guard departed with a small bow. Vielae's heart dropped. Frigga was dead? How can that be? She watched as Loki slowly got up and moved to the center of his cell.
"Loki?" Vielae called softly. He didn't answer. Instead, there was a blast of power from his body, and all of his furniture went flying. Vielae gasped. She watched in horror as Loki went ballistic, throwing and breaking anything he could get his hands on. Her horror quickly turned to pity as he finally met her gaze. The pain that was reflected in his eyes was immeasurable. Vielae knew it all too well, but all she could do was watch. Overcome by her feelings, she longed to break from her cell, break into his, and hold him. She wanted to take the pain from him. She wanted to be there for him to release his emotions. After breaking everything there was to break, Loki collapsed on the ground and began to weep. "Loki," Vielae called again. Loki's crying stopped for a brief moment, and looked at her. His green eyes were red and watery. He wanted to feel her arms around him. He wanted to be held to her breast and cry until he could cry no more. At that moment, that moment of shared pain and despair, the two hardest hearts in Asgard finally, at long last, softened. Vielae began to cry with him. Loki managed to move toward the outer wall of his cell, getting as close as he could to Vielae, and the two wept together. "I'm so sorry," she managed. "You're mother was the first person here who was kind to me."
"Her kindness was never matched," Loki said quietly. "Though she was not my mother," he added, his voice slightly louder and more stern. Vielae's tears halted briefly as she looked him square in the eyes.
"Yes, she was," Vielae stated. "She took care of you from infancy. She raised you as if she had carried you, and saved your life when your punishment would have surely been death. She WAS your mother." The truth of Vielae's words cut into Loki's heart like never before. He realized she was right.
"I will avenge her," he vowed. He expected Vielae to protest, and was surprised when she merely nodded.
"If I can help, I will," she vowed, determination echoing in her voice. Each of them pressed a hand against the glowing wall of their cells and imagined them touching, making a solemn promise to each other.
They would do this together, no matter what.