AUTHOR'S NOTE: My apologies for the delay in posting this new chapter. My beloved grandmother passed away and I needed to be with my family. Quite honestly I wasn't even going to write until next weekend but I needed a distraction. Writing is my escapism and what better way to escape from my current sad reality than in the pages of my own story? This chapter sets up a major plot development that is coming in the next update and from then on it'll be one major event after another. My initial thought process was to reveal it on this chapter but I didn't have the focus or the mindset needed to give it justice so I left it for Chapter 11. This one mostly features humor and some fluff.
Enjoy!
Born to be a King
Chapter 10
Loki's eyes shot open. Sitting up in half darkness, a dagger formed in his hand as he looked urgently around him. His senses tingled with the unmistakable feeling of not being alone. His armor appeared on him as his eyes scanned the thick canopy around the clearing and the area around the lagoon, watching for the smallest trace of movement. He gave a small wave and the small bonfire magically went out without any smoke rising from the ashes, then he slunk to a tree and from the shadows continued to search for the intruder. The magic of the place did not make it easy to detect any lurking presence so he sent invisible holographic doubles of himself into various areas around the lagoon to scan. Cautiously he looked back at Barbara who remained asleep on the animal skins. Her armor magically appeared on her body, covering her nakedness. She stirred and stretched, then opened her eyes and looked down at herself in sleepy confusion. Looking next to her and finding herself alone and in the dark, she sat up in a flash and looked around her, searching for Loki.
"On your right..." came the susurration. She looked in the direction of the sound and found Loki staring right at her from behind a tree. He put a finger to his lips signaling her to not make any sound, then he beckoned her silently and she crawled to his side.
"We're not alone" he whispered when she joined him.
"Where are they?"
Just then, one of his stealth doubles halted. From the tree, Loki watched through him as he zeroed in on the traces of a presence high in the mountains. The double teleported to a densely wooded area of the mountain that overlooked the valley were the lagoon was located. Then he saw it.
Footprints. Not just a pair, but many.
A search party.
"There" Loki whispered to Barbara, pointing towards the mountain "we're being tracked"
"How the Hel did they find us? I thought we couldn't be seen"
"It was the fire" Loki grunted, cursing himself "we leave immediately"
As they set off back into the jungle, Loki suddenly stopped, then turned to Barbara with a mischievous smile on his lips.
"Those animal skins we were laying on would burn for a long period of time" he pondered.
"Fire stands out in a jungle that glows blue" she replied, nodding malevolently.
"I'll get some hares" Loki said.
"I'll get the skins and the ropes" Barbara said.
They scrambled quietly to retrieve them, and moments later, Loki held five hares by ropes attached to their tails with a ball of animal skin tied at the ends. Barbara held another five.
"Ready when you are" she chuckled.
Loki flicked his wrist and a surge of magic left his hand. Immediately, they let go of the ropes, and ten hares ran into the jungle in all directions, the balls of fire at the end of the ropes igniting and setting bushes on fire as they scrambled through the greenery. Loki and Barbara mounted their horses and set off in the opposite direction.
From deep within the jungle, an Inkeri search party looked on stupefied as different parts of the jungle suddenly became ablaze.
The suns were beginning to rise when Loki and Barbara emerged from the jungle onto a wide open plain. They stopped and dismounted, finally allowing the horses to catch their breath after having run all night. Now on foot, they began to cross the vast valley covered by high grass.
"I wish I could have seen the look on their faces" Barbara wheezed while she and Loki laughed at their mischief.
"I don't know about that. By the looks of what lives in these jungles, I'm not sure their faces fare any better" he laughed.
"Fuck. Do you think they saw us...?" she suddenly blanched and gasped at the memory of their lovemaking. Loki wiggled an eyebrow.
"I hope they did" he purred, bringing about another round of raucous laughter.
"Did you catch any glimpse of them?"
"No. But they have big feet" he chuckled.
"Ha ha!"
"You know this changes everything, don't you?" he said, becoming serious "no more fires which means we can no longer hunt for game. We must also travel by both day and night. We can't lose any time and we can't risk being detected"
"I know" she sighed with disappointment, her face falling "well, there goes all the wild shagging we could have done in the wilderness"
Loki stopped in his tracks and looked back at her, then his lips split into a lecherous leer. "I never said we were going to forego..." his eyes ran down the length of her body before meeting her eyes again "any pleasures this realm provides"
"Mmm... that makes me feel much better" she gave him the most lecherous smile and bit her lip lewdly. He looked at her through narrowed eyes and reached for her, but she stopped him by placing a hand on his chest and shaking her finger at him.
"Uh uh... after breakfast" she winked "I'll have you well fed before you even think of anything else"
He opened his mouth to protest, but then he registered the way his stomach grumbled at the mention of a meal. They had barely slept, had ridden all night, and they needed to regain their strength.
"After breakfast" he agreed, looking around for a sheltered, hidden area.
"Ehehehehe... Barbara please... oh that tickles" Loki wiggled while Barbara placed wet kisses and love bites all over his neck. Outside of the small dome created by the hanging branches of a grandmother willow tree, Twilight and Svartur looked at the curtain of leaves, curious about the weird noises coming from within.
"Ooooooh" Barbara giggled before she let out a small yelp and the sound of shuffling reached the outside. Chaka chaka...
The horses shifted uncomfortably on their hooves as the sounds became more urgent as if their two riders wished to finish quickly whatever it was that they were doing.
Chaka chaka... chaka chaka... chaka chaka chaka chaka chaka...
"Mmmmm..." came Loki's groan.
"Ahhhhhh..." came Barbara's sigh, then it all went quiet. A moment later the duo emerged, adjusting each other's armor and laughing to themselves. As Loki tied a bundle to his saddle, he stopped when he felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned to find Svartur staring at him as if he was questioning him and... did he just imagine it... judging him?
"What?" he challenged his stallion, who only snorted and shook his head "oh please, as if you don't spend your days in the stables rutting yourself into an equestrian stupor"
"Like horse, like rider" Barbara quipped, standing next to Twilight, holding his reigns and waiting for her husband.
"So says the one holding the steed who seemingly got a whiff of the scent of shameless rutting on your skin"
She looked at Twilight then gasped in shock and horror upon seeing him blatantly aroused.
"Take him" she said, dropping his reins in disgust and moving towards Loki's horse.
"Svartur isn't any better" he said through his laughter. Looking down, she realized he was right. The stallion had now gotten a full whiff of her and was growing a massive erection. He also scooted closer to her and bent down to smell her better.
"Gross!" she grunted and began to walk ahead "we need to find a river. I got to wash up"
"You might want to go thirty degrees to your left" Loki instructed when she began to lead the way. With a chuckle and a shake of his head, Loki took the reins of both horses and followed his flustered wife.
"I did good, didn't I?" he nodded to Svartur and Twilight who only snorted in return.
It was another day of trekking, keeping an eye out for dangers and watching for the unknown beings who had discovered them. They sheltered from the scorching heat of noon under another large tree.
Meanwhile, the initial Inkeri search party of five was now a large group made up of twenty individuals. It was late in the afternoon when by the use of their dark, powerful magic, they finally found the foreign travelers somewhere far in the East, no more than a day's walk from the capital city.
After crossing two mountains, Loki and Barbara reached a shallow creek. When they made it to the other side, they stopped in their tracks when they came a mere yard from a massive snake coiled on a rock.
"Holy shit" Barbara shrank back while Loki simply stared at it. Upon noticing them, the snake began to raise its body upright, then to Loki and Barbara's astonishment, stretched out a pair of large, colorful wings. Its feathers glowed in the sun, and its body was covered in sparkling green scales. As it moved to fly away, Loki reached out and grabbed it by its throat then wrapped it around his shoulders.
"Whoa, what are you doing?!" Barbara gasped, taking a step backwards.
"She's harmless" he said, caressing its skin. The snake took an immediate liking to Loki, and wrapped itself around his shoulders and arms as if embracing him. He loosened his tight hold on its throat and to Barbara's amazement, it did not strike.
"Look at her, she's the most magnificent animal I have ever seen" he admired, running his knuckles right under its chin. The serpent hissed, staring right into Loki's eyes as if transfixed by his emerald gaze.
"Finally, a creature in this realm that strikes your fancy" Barbara said, reaching out to caress the serpent.
"They are believed to be symbols of evil, and people are correct in their assumption. No other creature can boast of possessing such cunning, such ruthlessness, such intelligence. They strike and kill without their victims even knowing they were ever there"
"Easy there, Satan. One may think you describe yourself" Barbara winked.
"Oh yes, indeed I do" he purred "a creature after my own heart. Just like you"
Barbara smiled. Loki unwrapped the snake and let it go. Stretching its magnificent wings once again, it flew off into the orange sunlight that was slowly turning a deep red with hints of purple. Sunset was not far behind.
"Winged serpents. Aren't they also creatures of myth?" Barbara asked, watching it disappear.
"They are" he replied in awe, then turned his attention back to the matter at hand "we must find a safe place where we can rest until midnight, then we'll continue on our way"
Soon, they were huddled inside a cave carved into a massive rock formation behind a waterfall. Upon closer inspection, they were both stunned to find that the rocks were in fact gigantic black diamonds. The roaring water reverberated off the colossal crystals, creating a thundering symphony that mixed with the tinkling sounds of dripping water drops. The walls of the cave sparkled like the midnight sky, and the man and woman who stood within seemed to be floating amidst the stars.
"I thought the lagoon was the most beautiful place I ever saw but I think this surpasses it" Barbara said, laying her head on his chest. He sat back against the wall of the cave and she was settled on his lap.
"Hmm" he chuckled "sitting inside a gigantic diamond is grand in itself but you forget that we will soon see even greater things. Mountains suspended in the sky, a vast city whose majesty rivals that of Asgard..."
"These realms, and everything in them, will soon be all yours" she purred.
"Oh yes" he said, caressing her back "they will be mine and yours as well. You will spend your days in leisure once more, basking on the beach of that lagoon if that is where your whim takes you"
"And what if I have a sudden desire to have a palace built for me out of this very same diamond rock?"
"I will only ask: How big would you like it?" he said, kissing the top of her head.
They laughed, then Barbara stretched her aching muscles. "Sleep. I'll take this watch"
"No, I would rather let you rest. I don't think you are able to multiply yourself and keep fifty duplicates scanning the jungle while you sit inside this cave"
"I still cannot even begin to comprehend how you can do something that amazing"
"Magic" he whispered wickedly, waving his fingers as if it were a great, powerful secret.
Magic against magic.
Unfortunately, the powerful sorcery that Loki possessed would not be enough to protect him and Barbara from the large group of Inkeri scouts who desperately sought to find him. These large beings were invisible and moved through the jungle without disrupting any of the greenery. They were undetectable. The Inkeri were masters and lords of their environment. Protectors of the mystical forests and jungles of the great realm of Dwyvendale, they were revered and feared throughout the Five Kingdoms of Verdandi. At the fore stood Stingadr, unmatched master in the dark arts of death magic and leader of the Inkeri tribe.
They walked around the duplicates that Loki had placed in the area and reached the waterfall. Stingadr felt his presence within, then frowned upon registering the vibrations of another person in the cave.
"Nokust Asgardendi anunskka. Hadaskalar votte isukni acockhti poh vilimevala. Tede mehusvorat Oknskephe uthra"
The Asgardian does not travel alone. At midnight we will surround the cave and take them both. Then we will look upon The Promised One for the first time.
End of Chapter 10
Responses to reviews:
CLTex: Thank you Christi! There will be more creatures of myth featured in the story, a couple of them have already been hinted at in previous chapters! I can't wait for Loki and Barbara to finally come face to face with the people that inhabit these realms! :)
Forbidden Moons: Hahahahha! Well, as a respectable writer, I must place a warning at the beginning of every chapter that contains mature content. But I know that nobody pays attention to it lol. Most Loki fans read these stories for the smut. You know, you're not the first person to suggest that I publish my stories, but I am unable to. Loki, Thor and other characters are the property of Marvel, and the second I even think of publishing any of my stories I would get shot between the eyes by a Marvel sniper. As to your question on Loki fantasies, I have one that I was going to post as a oneshot that ties into Game of Shadows, but I decided to feature it in this story instead. It's coming at a later chapter, and it is as kinky as the sun is hot! lol You'll see when i post it! ;-) Hope you're doing great Seraphina! Thanks for your review, darling!
Guest: Thank you so much! :)
DoctorLokiLove: I'm so sorry to hear that darling, parents can sometimes be hard to deal with. At times it may seem like they don't understand you, but at the end of the day they are your parents and they love you. As to the cat mess, sounds like every pet owner's nightmare! I can see why you would be frustrated, but remember that you were out of town and your dad was left with the whole task of potty training your kittens. I know how difficult it can be to train them, I have two. There were times when I even found cat shit in my closet and nearly lost my goddamn mind lol. What finally did the trick was having more than one litter box. I had three, one in the two bathrooms and the other in my laundry room. I cleaned them daily and put them in there multiple times in the day. With time, they finally got the hang of it. Having pets is like having children, they require patience and perseverance. They are one hell of a responsibility. It sounds like your dad wishes you'd be more involved in their training, after all, they're yours. As to the cat smell, may I suggest the little purple miracle that comes in a bottle called Fabuloso? I promise you, it's like magic! I use it to clean my entire house (I prefer the lavender scent. It's divine). For your bathtub, you should use a mixture of Fabuloso, a bit of Clorox bleach and some baking soda. Scrub, scrub, scrub. That should do the trick! Let me know how it goes!
Anon fan: Why is it that I read your review in Samuel L Jackson's voice? Lol Thank you, hun! *whispers* motherfuckerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Hiddles-Skittles: Awww I'm so sorry I kept you waiting but here it is! And girl, with a vocab like that you should be writing some fanfic! lol Thank you so much for such sweet words Diana, got me all choked up! :') Muah! 3 ya!
LisaF: Thank you so much, Lisa! :)