AUTHOR'S NOTE: Man, talk about Loki and Barbara having some serious marital issues! Too bad they don't have couple's therapy in outer space because they really need some right about now! Lol We're entering the major events that will bring this story to its climax and this series to a close. We're nearing the end of this three-year journey. Wow, has it really been that long?! I love you all! Thank you for sticking with me all this time! :)
A song recommendation for this chapter: 'Once Upon a Dream' by Lana Del Rey (from the Maleficent soundtrack).
Born to be a King
Chapter 32
"Where is mother?" Arik's eyes burned into Loki's.
"She's on a mission" Loki lied as cheerfully as he could "she wished for nothing more than to be here to welcome you, but alas, she could not make it back in time for your arrival"
"But where did she go?" the boy asked concerned, his face falling "uncle Thor said you and mother were in great danger"
Loki gave Thor a sharp glare before turning once again to Arik. "I assure you she's safe. She travelled to a world far away to find an item of great importance" he said the last words with emphasis to sway the boy's interest away from Barbara's absence.
It worked. "What is it?" Arik's eyes now shined with curiosity.
Herself, was on the tip of Loki's tongue. "A source of great power. A system of intelligence unlike any other found in the universe. It has been used to great harm and she has gone to reverse its destructive power. She sent this for you"
He took a small device from his coat and presented it to Arik. When he took the device it activated, and a small holographic image of Barbara beamed out from it. It was a recorded message.
"Arik, my darling son, how I long to be there at this very moment and embrace you as we welcome you to our new home. Oh, what I would give to see the sparkle in your eyes when you see all the wonders that we've waited with bated breath to show you. I promise I will return to you soon. Until then, keep me in your heart as I keep you in mine"
The message ended, and the device closed again. "I missed you both" the small boy whispered, wrapping his arms around Loki's neck. Thor and Loki exchanged a painful, knowing glance at the way the fib Loki had fabricated soothed Arik. Hopefully it was enough.
"We missed you too" Loki sighed "would you like to see our new home?" he then asked, trying to keep things light.
It was then that Arik finally took notice of the majestic palace.
"You mean we'll live here?!" he asked astonished.
"We will" Loki laughed and took his hand, guiding him toward the doors. When they entered the grand hall, as Arik looked around him in awe, Thor's eyes locked with Loki's who in turn nodded at his silent request. Thor set off into the palace and Loki guided Arik toward the throne room.
"Father, does the king live here too? Do you help him rule this kingdom the way you help Uncle Thor rule Asgard?"
Loki chuckled. "Aye, the king lives here, but my duty is not to help him rule. I rule" he said as the doors to the throne room opened and they walked inside.
"Welcome home, little prince" Stingadr greeted Arik.
Arik stopped in his tracks, then looked up at Loki who was smiling down at him.
"Father... you're the king?!"
"I am" Loki confirmed proudly. He felt his heart burst when he saw his son's eyes go wide with realization, then his face lit up with sheer delight.
"My father is a king! My father is a king!" Arik shouted, letting go of Loki's hand and running toward the dais. He raced up the stairs to the throne and sat upon it, studying every intricate detail carved into the solid gold, and admiring the statues of the wolf and the serpent on each side.
As Loki stood watching his son marvel at the splendor around him, he felt Stingadr come to stand next to him.
"What news?" he asked in a hush tone.
"The metal man and his fleet are on the move toward Neffarim"
"Stall him. Order all legions in Neffarim to attack. I want the realm deserted when Barbara arrives at dawn"
"As you command" Stingadr replied. He looked up at Arik who was now pretending to be Loki giving orders from the throne.
"It is a happy moment my king, worth enjoying amidst the sorrow" he whispered, then left the throne room.
At the soft click of the doors, Barbara turned her gaze from the jungle to the sight of Thor standing in the middle of the chamber.
"So Loki got to you too" she chuckled drily.
"It is good to see you, Lady Barbara" he greeted, placing Mjolnir on the table.
"Tell me, did he put you under the same type of mind control he tried to use on me? Did he bend your perception of reality using The Ocular?"
Thor laughed softly. "I wish I could answer that he had, for it sounds like something Loki would do, but he did not. And in your case, he presented you with a luxury he has never before bestowed upon anyone: The truth"
"There is no truth in him" she sighed, looking down at her hands "he is the God of Lies. To say that he speaks the truth is no different than saying snow falls on summer"
"It has happened before" he said with amusement, remembering the time Loki made it snow on Harrukin to disorient the barbaric hordes in order to allow Thor and the Asgardian army to surround them.
"Has it?" she asked, playing along.
"It has, and by Loki's doing"
"A deception no doubt. Trickery and deceit are at the core of his existence"
"You are absolutely right. He is a talented liar, always has been. My brother is neither noble nor honest, but he does not trifle with what is most precious to him"
"Arik" she whispered.
"Do you remember him?" Thor asked hopeful, walking toward her.
"Loki told me of him, and I saw him on The Ocular. He can't be real. And if he exists, he is definitely not my son"
"He is as real as you and I, currently only a few floors beneath us. Barbara please, wake up from this nightmare placed upon you. Return to your son. Return to my brother"
"Is what he showed me real? All of it?" she whispered, looking at Thor with pleading eyes, asking him to answer with a 'no'.
"It is real" Thor said, and sighed when he saw her burst into tears. He stepped over the heavy chains coiled on the floor and crouched down in front of her. She sat slumped against a column on the balcony, a heap of sorrow and despair.
"Barbara" he began "I know that the path you've walked with Loki has not been easy or just. You don't deserve all the pain and strife he subjected you to when he took you for his own. But somewhere along that journey, you came to love him and he you. How, I cannot imagine. But you did, and when you made that choice you knew there was no turning back. Find that resolve again, and I assure you that your memories will return"
"My life with Victor is the only life I know to be true"
"Are you certain that life truly happened?"
"I am" she replied, but instead of looking at Thor with certainty she turned her head away.
Moments passed in silence before she spoke again.
"How could I love someone like Loki? You know what he is. What he's done"
"Loki's mind is something I will never understand. If he is ever vulnerable I will never see it, and if he is ever truthful I will never know. He is far too lost in the darkness of his own psyche for me to grasp. Our rivalry will never end and our struggle will go on for as long as we live. But I've finally come to realize that all along he was only searching for the one thing that was denied to him his entire life"
"And what is that?" she whispered.
"Transparency, and he finally found it in you. That is why he loves you so passionately. The ties that bind you to Loki are baneful and toxic, but Barbara, I have yet to meet any other who can boast of such a fierce and intense bond as the one you share with my brother"
"Ah... the typical tale of a villain redeemed by love" she scoffed.
"Oh no, not at all. Loki will never change and you have no desire for him to mend his ways. You revel in his mischief and you encourage him in his schemes. You incite him to achieve his ambitions, no matter how misguided and sinister said ambition may be..." he paused, and looked about him at the splendor of the palace. "But were it not for you, he would either be imprisoned, lost in some forsaken world, or still the usurper of my father's throne. Even worse, he would probably be dead. He is now here, king by birthright, because of you. Think on that"
He stood, retrieved Mjolnir from the table and walked to the doors. Before stepping out he turned to Barbara once more.
"For Arik's sake, I hope you awaken soon. Your son doesn't have much time"
Then Thor left, leaving an already troubled Barbara more confused than ever before.
"I hope I can visit Midgard again soon! Sir Stark and the other Avengers made me promise to return. They were such great company! I didn't know you had friends on Earth, father" a giddy Arik exclaimed as he climbed into the massive bed.
"Arik, they're not our friends" Loki said sternly, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"But they said they were. Sir Stark showed me how you threw him out a window in jest to see if he really knew how to fly" Arik giggled.
"Oh did he?" his father replied, unable to mask the sarcasm in his voice "perhaps I shall do it again. Now rest, and put Earth's heroes out of your mind"
The small boy settled back into the plush pillows as Loki drew the covers over him. Now tucked in, he grew silent and began fiddling with his fingers, then his eyes became moist.
"What's wrong?" Loki asked concerned, though he already knew what troubled his small son.
"I wish mother were here, but I miss Fenrir and grandmother too" he confessed, much to Loki's surprise "I couldn't take him to Midgard with me, and now he's the only one who stayed behind with grandmother"
"I'm sure I can arrange their retrieval" Loki said, laughing inwardly. He was so much like Barbara, naïve and melancholic. He took the holographic device from the bedside table and placed it in Arik's hands. Arik pushed the button and watched Barbara's message again.
"Whenever you miss her, watch this. She will return before you know it, I promise"
"Now that you're a king, things will be different won't they?" Arik mused.
"They will" Loki answered truthfully "our life in Asgard is over. We will never return to the peace of our home on the island. Your days will no longer be spent in placid idleness, careless and carefree. You're a prince Arik, the son of a king. You're my heir. You will see your mother and I go off to war many a time, and will not see us again for many a moon. You will train tirelessly to become worthy of following in my footsteps and one day you will sit upon a throne of your own. You are destined for greatness but with that privilege comes a heavy burden. But never forget, and never doubt that your mother and I love you"
The small boy nodded, and his father placed a kiss upon his head. Soon Arik slipped into a peaceful sleep. Loki stood and took the holographic device from his hands. He placed it back on the nightstand and waved his hand. The sheer curtains around the large bed closed magically, and all torches were snuffed out, save for one.
With stealth footsteps Loki retreated from the chamber, and the doors shut silently behind him. He closed his eyes and sighed, then began to walk slowly toward the grand staircase that branched out into the many sections of the palace. He took the one that led to the highest tower, and as he ascended, he began to register the faint traces of a song that gently drifted towards him in the breeze. It was somber and barely audible, but as he climbed higher and higher the song grew louder and louder.
Someone in the palace was singing.
When he reached the landing he stopped when he realized that the singing was coming from Barbara's chamber. As if transfixed by a siren's song he walked down the long hall toward the double doors at the end. Barbara's voice was now recognizable, and he could finally make out the words:
"I know you
I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you
That look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam...
And I know it's true
That visions are seldom what they seem
But if I know you
I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once
Away you did once
Upon a dream..."
End of Chapter 32
Responses to reviews:
CLTex: Writing that future scene was very hard for me to write, because it is the perfect ending for a story like theirs. I've said it from the beginning, Loki and Barbara share a very tragic and twisted romance. Thanks Christi! :)
Raquel337: Hahahaha... wait until you get to all the parts that you made me put in the story... *coughthelagoonscenecough*... yeah... te vas a miar lol Te quiero mucho mi biscochito! ;)
Arista: Hello! I believe this is the first time you review so allow me to welcome you! I totally understand how you feel about the two ships that have surfaced among the readers. I think the reason why some ship Barbara/Victor is because he is a worthy competitor to Loki. I wrote him as intriguing and alluring as I could, especially considering that he and Barbara share a bit of a history that predates her encounter with Loki. I thought of writing a separate story with Victor and Barbara, but I figured that the memories he programmed into her mind were enough to satisfy those who ship them. Like you said, this is a Loki/Barbara story, there is no room for another. And yes, Barbara is starting to become a bit irritating, but given Loki's dishonest nature, one can see her inner struggle to believe. Don't worry, Loki will soon blow over in true Loki fashion and all this will come to an explosive climax ;) Thank you so much for reviewing Arista! :) Oh, and Arik's name is pronounced 'Ah-rick'.
Anon fan: Oh, you think you're sweating like a whore in church right now wait till you see what's coming on the next chapter! Girl you're gonna need some holy anointment then! Lol You're nuts lmao. Much love to you too boo!
Hiddles-Skittles: As you requested, milady! Lol Glad this was one of your favorite chapters! As for Arik seeing Barbara... probably not yet. But it's coming though! ;) Hope you're doing great darling! :)
LisaF: Thank you so much Lisa!