The Myriad Misadventures of a Midgardian Queen-In-Training || Loki x Reader

Chapter 22

"Do you have a death wish?" he hisses as soon as you land back in the hallway, pulling you into a little enclave carved into the wall, no bigger than a broom closet. Your dress barely fits. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm not letting you face whatever attacked her alone!"

He sighs. "This is not a time for any of your silly Midgardian sentiment, girl, this is - "

"Girl? I have a name. And this isn't sentiment, this is me being a decent human being, because you don't deserve to die ." He takes a step back - as far as the wall allows, anyways - and his eyes soften. Does he really think I think that little of him? Although, considering he did try to enslave your entire species... Ok, we don't have time for this. "So, like, just tell me what we're up against, yeah?"

He pauses a moment, considering whether or not he should. "Chitauri."

"Chi what now?"

"Aliens. They...helped me when I tried to conquer Midgard."

You bite back a bitter remark. "Aren't you guys friends, then?"

"I was looking for a kingdom. They were looking for a snack. Consequently, I banished them to a far end of the universe."

"Okay, see, what I don't understand is how the hell they were able to get in here . "

He runs an agitated hand through his hair. "They're shapeshifters, but there are protective charms surrounding the palace. It shouldn't be possible, but the shape and form of Lady Alexandra's wound are unmistakable."

"What about the other girls? And the staff?"

"Look." He points out into the hallway, and you see the air is tinged red. Lady Amara had taught you the security protocol before your first lesson, and you recognize the warning. "Chitauri have incredible powers of hearing, but they're completely color blind. The rest of the palace residents will see the signal and know to take cover."

"Right." You nod. "So...what's our plan of attack?"

"The infirmary will already have put up barriers, so I can't send you back there." He sounds reluctant, not to mention frustrated. But you know that he knows that he's going to have to trust you if his plan is going to work. One of him against an army of shapeshifting monsters? He wouldn't stand a chance. "I - "

"We. " He glares at you, and you cock your head innocently. "Go on."

"We are going to wait here. They're bound to come back to where they left Lady Alexandra, to...dispose of her." You wrinkle your nose, reading between the lines. If I hadn't found her... "Then I will attack, and you will run to safety."

"Like hell I will."

"Yes, you will. "

"Don't you think I'll be safer here with you than wandering the palace on my own?" you point out. "I can barely make it from the dining hall to my room without getting lost." He purses his lips, and you know you've got him there. Against your better judgement, you grab his hand. It's cool, and soft, and feels oddly familiar. "Let me help you."

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Even after last night's candor, he would never have expected this. Any rational girl - any rational human, rather - would have broken down in a panic by now at the very thought of the Chitauri. Any rational girl wouldn't have left the infirmary with him to begin with.

Clearly, (Y/N) is no rational girl.

But what she lacks in self-preservation, she apparently more than makes up for in fearlessness - he vaguely remembers an advisor warning him about the impulsivity of Midgardian teenagers, back before the competition was announced - and while that will make it a little more difficult for him to keep her alive, it is also...admirable. And useful. And comforting. In the farthest back corner of his brain, he is a little relieved that he isn't alone.