Frigga and Inge rode to the spot in the sand where they thought Lorien would be, finding a shoe and an empty beach. The Queen turned the horse, riding toward the Castle and dug her heels in as she rode toward her home. She hoped that she would find the girl before she got too far, Inge scanning the way for her sister.
"Maybe she went home." The girl said, her voice small and she held the cloak around her. The sun was setting behind them a blood red, and Frigga took the bad omen for what it was. Inge held onto her, amd she wrapped an arm around the child and urged the horse to run.
She only prayed that Loki had found her, that they would both be home and waiting. She prayed more for the innocent child the woman carried, and wanted her son to know he had helped to create something beautiful.
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The doors to the hall slammed open, a tall figure with blood red eyes entering and cutting off the protests of Princess Varka as she stood before Odin. The Council shrank back at the appearance of the Dark Prince, and Varka felt her mouth fall open as he strode forward. Odin stood from the throne, his hand on the staff and he gestured the Guards forward.
Loki threw them all back like toys, his magic, laced with pure rage, more powerful than any of them had expected. The Princess and her Maids retreated, and Loki grinned at his target. He took a step forward, his smile growing and he gestured with his knife at her.
"Hello Princess Varka." He said, bowing to her and flipping the knife in his hand. "Your judgment has arrived you murdering bitch!"
"No! I did nothing!" She protested, ducking around a pillar and Loki remained calm as he stepped toward the women. He laughed, his eyes wild and he felt the old darkness he once knew return. If it was a game of cat and mouse she wanted, it was one he was willing to play.
"Now, why lie, especially when it was your scheming that has robbed me of my Wife!" He hissed, and she shook as she ran toward a door. He threw the knife, it imbedding into the wood of a door in front of her and she changed direction. She ran back toward another door and he used a double to head her off, she stumbled back and shivered in fear at what was about to happen to her.
"I am not lying! I did not hurt the Slave Girl!" She shouted, her hair flying and the Ambassador from Vanenheim shook his head an took a large step to the side as they passed him. He blinked at Loki, holding up a hand and the Prince shoved him aside as if he were not there. He advanced on Varka, her chest heaving with exertion and he licked his lips as she ran past him. He grabbed a fist full of her hair, pulling her back against his chest and he leaned close to her ear. His breath hot, and voice dripping malice as he spoke, he raised the knife in front of her face and chuckled darkly.
"Did she beg you? Did she plead before you drowned her on the post?" He whispered, his hand yanking her head back and he growled into her ear. "I want to hear you beg the way she did before you killed her. Let's start with your face, shall we?"
He pressed the blade of the knife into her cheek, dragging the blade over her skin and blood trickled down her chin as she screamed. She wrenched her hair out of her hand, her eyes wide as he opened his long fingers and blew the curls of red hair out of his hand toward her. She gasped in horror, looking for a way to run and she cried as she pressed a hand to her cheek.
"I... I did not hurt her! Don't do this!" She whimpered, backing away from Loki and she cried out as he grabbed her throat and he cut open her other cheek. She screamed, he pushing her back and she fell to the ground and began to crawl away from him.
"Lie again, and I will cut off you nose next and feed it to your Maid!" He screamed at her, pointing at the blonde haired woman who swooned and fainted at the threat. Varka got to her feet, running toward the doors of the Hall and stopped dead as they opened. Standing behind them was a black haired woman with shells and beads braided into her hair, and she screamed in terror at the dripping girl as she walked forward. Her bare feet slapping against the stone, and her dress nothing but torn tatters. Varka screamed again, Lorien stepping through the door and Loki stopped short in shock at the vision. She walked toward the Princess, and the woman backed away.
"I am sorry! I only wanted him to be with me!" Varka screamed, Lorien holding up a closed fist and standing before the Princess. Loki dropped his knife, and he saw Lorien open her hand and held between her index finger and thumb was a skein of golden thread.
Loki checked his pockets, and the entire room fell silent as the Princess wheezed in panic and she backed from the pale girl. Lorien glared at Varka in anger, and she dropped the skein. She took another step forward, her ragged dress dripping water and she looked terrifying to anyone already out of their mind with fear and pain. Like a phantom, risen from her watery grave to steal the soul from the person who put her there.
Lorien stopped, the Princess pausing her retreat and she stood still. The entire room watched as the spectre like girl looked at Odin and raised her finger to Varka. The Princess fell to her knees, tears, blood and snot running to drip onto her gown and her mind cracked amd shattered. She started muttering to herself in madness, none of the words making sense as Lorien addressed her King.
"My King Odin, that woman attempted to kill me by tying me to a post and drowning me in the ocean. She terrorized me before she left me to my fate, and nearly took not one, but the life of the child in my womb. The child of my true husband, Prince Loki." Lorien said, Loki gasping as he looked at his wife. He fell to his knees, and he looked at the blood on his hands. He nearly gave into the darkness for this woman, and she came back to him and now carried his child.
"Is it true? Did you try to kill a member of my family?" The King said, the Princess muttering to herself and she pushed up to her knees. She clasped her hands together, begging with her eyes and cried out.
"I beg your mercy, I only did it because I love the Prince so dearly. He is all I wanted in the Nine Realms, I... I knew nothing g about the child. I swear it!" Varka begged, Odin waved two Guards over and Loki stared at Lorien. She walked toward him, standing in front of him and she placed a hand against his cheek. His hand covered hers, smearing the pale skin in the blood on them and he reached his other hand out for her belly. He touched her, his fingers shaking and he turned his face away in shame. He did not deserve her, nor the child inside her.
"Loki." She said, her voice the sweetest music to him and he turned back to see her press the hand to her stomach. "My Husband, you have been nothing but kind to me, and I now have a gift for you."
"Lorien..." He said, getting to his feet again and his fingers lifting the braid and he saw the shells and beads in it. His eyes went wide, and his lips parted as he found how she had survived. "The Merfolk, they saved you."
"They did." She said, and his hand slipped from her belly to her waist. He wrapped his arms around her, holding his wife to him and he realized how soaked she was. His fingers unlaced the back of her dress, stripping her down to her petticoat and she covered herself to spare her modesty as he turned her. He grew frustrated with her corset, picking up the knife and cutting the lacings down her back to remove it. He threw the wet garments aside, grabbing a cloth from a table and wrapped it around her. She was blushing as she turned to face him again, his eyes searching hers and she nodded that she was better at being out of the wet dress.
He held her to him, and she leaned into his chest. She felt tears strike her shoulder, and she slipped a hand out of the tablecloth to caress his cheek. He turned his face toward her touch, and he kissed the palm of her hand. They stood, her touch healing him and he held her to him more. She looked up into his eyes, her smile everything he needed in that moment and he leaned forward to kiss her.
"I am to be a Father." He said, and she nodded. Her eyes focused on him, and she kissed him again. Her fingers lay near his neck, and he stiffed as the doors opened. Frigga ran into the Hall, carrying Inge in her arms. Her eyes fell on Loki and Lorien, the look of relief on her face turning to a smile as they stared back at the couple. Lorien blushed, and Inge waved the cloak toward Lorien and Loki took it to cover her more as she held the tablecloth over her shoulders. Princess Varka cried about her face, her eyes puffy and she tried to stop the bleeding.
"Take the Princess to a Healer, she needs to be seen immediately." Odin ordered, and the Guards looked from one woman to another.
"Which one, My King?" The Captian asked, and Odin waved at Lorien. His good eye glinting, and he stared at her.
"Princess Lorien, and see that she is shown every courtesy as you escort her. She has... She has become rather endearing to me, as of late." The Old Man said, and the Guard walked toward her, bowing and offering her his hand to escort her. She put her hand on the Captian's, the both of them walking and Loki stood and watched them take her to be seen. She glanced back at Loki, walking back to home she she kissed him again before leaving him to be seen for any further injuries.
He watched to door close behind them, his heart sinking as Frigga embraced him. She stepped back, her smile filled with joy and she kissed his cheek. The Queen looked at the sobbing Princess, and she took several steps toward her. She let Inge down, and she ran to Odin, his arm around her in protection and he smiled at the child.
Before anyone could react, Frigga struck the girl across the face. Varka crying out in pain from the cut and she whimpered, a Maid walked over and cleaned the blood from the women's palm. She returning to her husband and she folded her now clean hands neatly, smiling at him amd he nodded.
"Husband, I am so very sad to inform you, that Princess Varka conspired with her Maids to murder our beloved Daughter and Grandchild..." Frigga started, but Odin stopped her with a kiss to her cheek. He stepped back, walking with Inge's hand in his and he waved a hand at the women.
"Take them out of here." He said, the Guards ushering them along and he regarded the Vanir Ambassador. "If I were you, I would inform her father of her deeds here. These charges are most serious, and may end in an execution."
"I will send word at once King Odin, amd may I express his Majesties sincerest apologies for her actions?" The man said, bowing and waiting to be dismissed. Odin waved him away, his eye falling on Loki and the Prince swallowed hard for a moment.
"You may... but it does little good to sway me." Odin said, the man leaving before he could upset the Old King. He put a hand on Loki's shoulder, his eye searching his and he was shocked to see Odin smile at him.
"Grief is a terrible thing, I am grateful that you did not mourn long, and that you were given back what you thought lost." Odin said, and let out a long breath. "Go to her, she has been through much and will need you."
"Yes... Father." Loki replied, bowing and turning to leave but a firm hand on his arm stopped him. He looked back at the Old Man, and he saw a hand outstretched toward him and Loki reached out and took it.
"Fatherhood is a tough mantle to bear, I am sure you will do it well." He said looking down at the hands. "Wash your hands before you go to her, I am sure she would rather not see any more blood."
"Yes Sir." Loki said, leaving and walking toward the doors. Frigga stood next to her husband, his arm around her and she smiled at him.
"I stole a horse." She admitted, laughing at herself for a moment.
"I know." He replied, amd she shook her head.
"I would do it again, should the need for one arise." She replied and Odin laughed, his hand on her cheek and he laughed.
"I would expect you to do no less, you always were devoted to the happiness of our Sons." Odin replied and he looked down at the little girl holding his hand, she waved up at him and he grinned at her. "And our two daughters now."