"I swear to you my life" Nyx chanted. Her eyes were steadily planted on the brown pair across from her, glints of sparkling lights from the destruction behind her were reflected in his eyes.
"You've lied before, you can lie now. You've betrayed me before, and you are capable of no different" his low voice was resonate, the ground beneath her shook.
"I speak the truth, Sir. I will prove to you my loyalty in any way you wish, and for as long as you wish shall I serve" she explained, knelt in front of him, internally pleading him to believe her.
His eyes narrowed in question, then he slowly nodded his head as he came to terms."I understand" he said.
Nyx gazed up in anticipation and invaded his thoughts. She listened to his plans, what he wished to do with Nyx if what she pledged was true, then finally she understood what needed to be done.
She smiled.
"Your request will be granted" she nodded, getting to her feet as slow as possible to prevent the man across from her initially reconsidering his trust in her. She got to her feet and turned, her back now to the brown-eyed man she pleaded for forgiveness. The ruins he left behind were evidently sprawled across the battlefield. Broken buildings crumpled into a pile of technology, live wires dying out at the contact of the suddenly stiff air, the bodies being burned in the distance were making a dark black smoke in the air that smelt of burnt flesh and rotting intestines, and the look on Lokis face from afar was heart-clenching.
She slowly made her way to him, a knife threateningly placed at the apple of his throat. He was begging in his mind, he kept asking her to stop and reconsider, he kept pleading with his life that they could somehow get away. She continued to walked to him.
The knife was lowered but there remained two alien-like people standing around him in pursuit to stop him from escaping if necessary. Nyx made it to him, pausing to lift her hand to caress his face. His skin was stained with blood, splattering across his cheekbone and making him look even more ill than he had before. His eyes were a brilliant blue, staring back at her with both fear and desire. She sometimes wondered if it weren't for her charming ways that maybe Loki wouldn't look at her the way he did now.
"Please..." he begged, whispering the single word, so soft it made Nyx melt at the sound.
She smiled sadly back at him and ran her thumb over the blood on his cheek, wiping away the hurt that painted his face with her touch. It reassured him and yet how tragic it was that the meaning meant something completely different.
His breath hitched in his throat and Nyx leaned in, so close to his face that goosebumps coated his fragile skin at the contact of her nervous breath. He craved her touch on more than just her hand on his cheek. He imagined how sweet it would feel to be with her, somewhere safe, somewhere not on that planet.
She leaned closer and abruptly a sharp obsidian dagger appeared in her other hand and quickly she gritted her teeth, the dagger sunk into Lokis chest. A sickening 'thunk' sound came the wound as the blade slid pasted Lokis skin, then the muscle, and finally reaching the object pumping blood through his exhausted body.
"We both know how this is going to end" Nyx whispered into his ear as he limply sunk to the ground.
Nyx bolted upright, now sat in her own bed. She felt her heart racing, the beat pulsing at her fingertips, the muscles in her throat contracting and stiffening her breaths. Her cheeks were rubbed raw and tears were running down her face. Her muscles were still sore from recent events in Jotunheim but she felt capable of holding herself up now.
She quickly realized she was clearly dreaming before and sniffled, wiping the wetness on her face away from her eyes. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on what woke her from her nightmare.
"What are you doing?" she didn't realize before but her voice had gone raw and hoarse and immediately regretted speaking in the first place for how unattractive the sound she produced was to her ears.
"Oh, I apologize. You've been asleep for hours and I noticed you didn't eat before the coronation. I estimated you'd awake soon so I just... brought you dinner" it was Loki. His hair was slid back and he wore a black robe, a dark emerald green sash draped over his chest.
"I didn't think it was the best idea to have you and Father sitting around a table with one-hundred other people sitting by to watch an argument" Loki explained, fiddling with his hands that were clasped behind his back.
"What?" Nyx questioned. She slid her blankets from her legs and flung them over the side of her bed, now facing Loki she noticed the broken glass he seemed to try and hide before. She watched as he subtly moved the hand behind his back as the broken glass and make-up brushes which she rarely used, was swept away with a few flying fingers.
"Do you remember what happened after Jotunheim?" Loki questioned.
"What did you break?" Nyx ignored Lokis question and got to her feet, eagerly curious and walking towards Loki. A part of her was utterly confused with both what happened before she passed out, along with what he was trying to hide.
"I didn't break anything" he sounded incredulous. Nyx only smirked and saw past the mischief in his eyes and saw something oddly vulnerable.
"You did. What was it?" Nyx asked again, not letting the conversation go.
"Nothing" he insisted, smiling past the lie and shaking his head effortlessly.
Nyx glared accusingly, still not believing Lokis lie. His smile faded as he realized he had been caught.
"I just broke a vase when I set the tray down" Loki sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
Nyx glared again and shook her head disapprovingly. She sighed and jutted a hip out dramatically, still not convinced with Lokis lie.
He stared back at her, wishing to be anywhere but in her room.
"I was-" he stopped himself. He knew Nyx appreciated the truth, she was blunt when she didn't need to be and Loki was used to admitting the truth whenever around Nyx, but he thought better of doing so now, at least to stifle his embarrassment.
"You were asleep and I was looking around" Loki admitted finally, his hands falling at his side."Out of curiosity that it" he contextualized.
Nyx watched as Loki's face contorted into something of guilt, she couldn't remember seeing him so odd.
"You do know you don't have to lie to me" she explained, her arms falling at her sides and pushed past Loki to get to the food he had set down on her vanity."You also know you can't lie to me" she giggled, lifting a warm croissant to her lips and nibbling at the end.
"Yes" he gazed at the floor as a smirk tugged at his thin lips."Evidently".
"So why'd you lie?" she asked, taking a proper bite from the pastry and leaning back against the edge of the vanity that bore a wooden box bound with golden writing, a few books she couldn't seem to return to the library, and odd Midgard objects she found fascinating.
"It would have sounded creepy if I told the truth" he was pacing one side of her room now, his hands clasped in front of him as he fiddled with the skin around his sharecropped fingernails.
Nyx didn't think anything of it when he admitted it to her, but now listening to him explain himself she wondered how he thought she would misinterpret him being in her room. Then it clicked. What could he have been looking at? Or was he looking for something specific? She knew Lokis intentions were never too inquisitive so she wouldn't even consider thinking Loki was prying.
"I didn't think so" Nyx said, catching Lokis eye as she attempted to see some kind of understanding behind his eyes. She struggled to see past the scattered look in eyes, despite being skillful in deductions.
A moment of silence passed by as Nyx finished her croissant, then she reached for the delicate glass of wine in the corner of the tray."So what were you saying before? About Jotunheim?" she questioned.
Loki turned and stopped in his tracks, no longer pacing but staring at Nyx with keen interest. he dreaded telling her what happened, he didn't want to be the barer of bad news so he hoped the scene would come back to her soon.
"Thor..." Loki began, hoping the mere mention of his name would bring back the memories of the Observatory, but it seemed to fail."Father had no other option but to scold our brother and through all the explaining, he could not get through to him" Loki stalled for time. He truly hoped Nyx would remember what happened.
Nyx thirstily drank from the cup of fine wine and watched through the glass as Loki spoke. "Do you honestly not remember anything after Jotunheim? Do you remember Jotunheim at all?" he questioned accusingly.
Nyx thought back to before she blacked out. She remember the piercing pain slicing through her abdomen from when she eased Fandral of his injury. She remembered the icy pain of the icicles, the wind, the pounding footsteps as a creature, a monster of sorts, treaded the ice capsules to reach them. Then it hit her.
Her glass fell from her grasp, tumbling to the ground with a shattering shriek as the glass seemed to break in an unbearable trillion pieces, such small splitters falling at her feet in fearful realization.
***
Odin was found stood outside on his veranda with a darkened and burdened expression. He stared out across the place his many fathers before him help build as he thought back on the banishment of his son. He wished for his sons worthiness would blind his arrogance and being so close to finalizing the ceremony was terrifying to think about. He couldn't believe he was so close to giving the throne to a man like Thor.
Odin remained still as soft footsteps neared him from behind.
"How could you have done this?" it was Frigga standing close to Odin with a sickeningly pale face as the stress and worry overtook her thoughts.
"Do you understand what he set in motion?" Odin asked, justifying his actions with logic. He hoped his beloved wife would understand where he stood, he didn't think banishing Thor was the wrong decision, but it wasn't an easy one. "He's taken us to the brink of war" the mere thought of his sons actions made him ashamed of raising him as such.
"But banishment!?" Friggas voice grew louder now. Odin could not recall the last time she had yelled at him, for it had been so long since their opinion had been so different. "You would lose him forever? He is your son!" her voice only grew as the fury flowed through her veins.
"What would you have done?" Odin also was fueled with anger and his wife was only making it worse. He tired to see his composure but when everyone was saying he did the wrong thing, it was impossible to explain himself without growing defensive and angry when people didn't understand his reasoning.
"I would not have exiled him to a world of mortals," Frigga said, calmness easing her tone. But she was still furious with Odin. "stripped of his powers, to suffer alone. I would not have had the heart for such cruelty!" Frigga spat at Odin, falling back as she stepped towards the inside of their bedroom.
"That is why I am King" Odin justified himself once more."I, too, grieve the loss of our son. But there are some things even I cannot undo" he tried tease the anger in Friggas temper but failed miserably.
"You can bring him back" she was now on the verge of tears. But she could not decipher whether that was because she grieved over the missing absence of her son, or if she was angry enough with Odin enough to grow frustrated with tears.
"No" Odin softened, taking a step closer to Frigga who was stood in the doorway to their veranda where Odin was stood."His fate is in his own hands now".
I'm going on a four day vacation with my Mom and Dad and so I might not be able to post an update next week. I apologize for having you wait for so long for a simple update but I had no say in this vacation and I would 100% rather stay home and write as a break off from school and stresses my family puts me under. Anyways, I thought a little notice would be nice to have so you aren't surprised or disappointed when there is no update on Friday. I'm sorry but I love y'all!
-V