Chapter 9
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... I slowly counted backward from thirty, needing to steady my breathing. It couldn't be. There must be more, something I missed. Loki would never threaten someone, especially not one as powerful as Heimdall. But if my ears had heard correctly, then he had. Once my breathing was in check I slowly walked into the throne room where Loki was seated, just as he was earlier. "Loki.." My voice broke. I couldn't stand the thought that he could do something like that. I refused to think that Sif and the Warriors Three could've been right about him being a traitor, but when he does stuff like this, it's hard to be on his side. Loki immediately stood up and within seconds he was standing in front of me, cupping my face in his long fingers. "What's wrong, my love?' "I heard... I heard what you said to Heimdall." His eyed hardened, looking cold and menacing. If I didn't know how much he loved me I would've stepped away, out of fear of his anger. I looked at him concerned, would he deny it? Loki took a deep breath and closed his eyes, turning his head away from me. "Why'd you do it? Why would you make it your priority to make sure he knew you were his king and that he is sworn to protect you? What did you do?" He still had his eyes closed. "Look at me, Loki." He looked at me, defeated. "I did something bad, Sigyn. I.. I went down to Earth and talked to Thor." I looked at him confused. "That's not bad." "I told him Father was dead, a treaty conditional on his exile was made between Asgard and Jotunheim, and that Mother had forbid his return." "Awe, Loki. You can fix it, though. We can go back and change it and pretend that nothing happened. Okay?" He didn't look me in the eye. "There's more.." His voice was soft, as if he didn't want to go on. "What more?" It cam out hesitantly. I wasn't very sure that I wanted to know. "I made a deal with Laufey." I looked at him. "What kind of a deal?" "I am granting him access into Asgard on a mission he thinks will end in him killing Odin." "What do you mean he thinks it will end in him killing Odin?!" I asked incredulously. What did Loki do? "I told him he could come to Asgard, kill Odin, and take all of his stolen items." "You're going to let Laufey kill Odin?" I was horrified. "No, I'm going to let Laufey think I'm letting him kill Odin. But I will actually be killing him. You see, it'll show the people of Asgard not to trust Jotuns. That's what I need if I want to wipe them out completely." I stepped away from him, my knees feeling weak and ready to give out from under me. I had always known how jealous Loki was of Thor but this... This was just cruel. How could Loki- My Loki: my best friend, boyfriend, first and only man I will and have ever loved - do this? It was impossible for me to comprehend. I did the only think I could think to do, I turned around and walked away. I knew I would've said something that I'd regret later. ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~*~ I sat in a room with Sif and the Warriors 3, not being able to say anything. There was plenty to be said, none of which I had the courage to voice. Volstagg was sitting there, munching on some kind of bird leg. He'd gone through so much food it's a surprise he hadn't blown up already. I jumped as I heard Fandral speaking, angrily. "Our dearest friend banished, Loki on the throne, Asgard on the brink of war, yet you've managed to consume: Four wild boar, six pheasant, a side of beef, and two casks of ale. Shame on you. Don't you care?" It was directed at Volstagg. I'd noticed how irritated Fandral was, but hadn't suspected that he was irritated to the point of starting an argument. Fandral kicked the leg out of Volstagg's mouth. Volstagg stood up in Fandral's face, "Do not mistake my appetite for apathy!" Sif stood up, "Stop it, both of you." She pushed Fandral back as Hogun grabbed Volstagg. "We all know what we must do." "We must go. We must find Thor." Hogun said this, unflinching. We all knew it was a stupid idea. "It's treason." Fandral pointed out. "The Hell with treason, it's suicide!" Volstagg exclaimed, ever the optimist. "Thor would do the same for us." Sif pointed out. "Now shush, Heimdall might be watching." Volstagg said, trying to stay cautious. A guard entered the room and looked around at us, "Heimdall demands your presence." "We're doomed." Volstagg said, sighing. ~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~*~ We stood before Heimdall, each and every one of us scared. "You would defy the commands of Loki, your king? Break every vow you've taken as warriors, and commit treason to bring back Thor?" "Yes." There was no hesitation, no thought put into that one word that Sif so boldly used. I could tell the others were thinking about it, not sure if it was the right thing to do or not. Heimdall said the most unexpected thing he could've said, "Good." "So you'll help us?" The eagerness and joy was so obvious in Sif's voice. "I am bound by honor to our king. I cannot open the bridge to you." With that said, he walked away. Leaving his sword in the room. "Complicated fellow isn't he?" Fandral attempted to make a joke. Volstagg was still confused, "Now what do we do?" For the first time all night I spoke up, "You go to Thor." They all looked at me, surprised. "I had forgotten you were with us." Hogun said, shocked. "That has never happened before." "Yes.. You have been awfully quiet. Is something the matter?" Volstagg asked kindly. "Loki.. You guys were right about him. He let the Jotuns in. It doesn't end there though. He plans to kill Laufey. He's going to let Laufey into Asgard thinking he's going to kill Odin. Except, Loki will kill him first, gaining an excuse to eliminate Jotunheim." I stopped talking, not able to tell the, about Thor. I took a deep breath. "He visited Thor and told him Frigga doesn't want him to return." "I'm going to kill him." Sif declared. "No, Sif. You are going to go get Thor back. I will deal with Loki for now. And then Thor can come up here and kick Loki's butt." I tried to smile, but ended up grimacing. "You sure you're going to be alright with him?" Sif asked concerned. "Sif, don't do it. I love him. I still love him. He might not be right, but the best I can do right now is be there for him. I'm sorry." Fandral pulled me into a hug, whispering into my ear, "Be careful, Sigyn. I wouldn't be able to handle it if anything happened to you, okay? Make sure you know what you're doing." "Thanks, Fandral." I pulled back and kissed his cheek. "You're a great friend." I turned to the others. "Be safe, get Thor, and come back. Good luck." With that said, I turned around and ran back to my room. I didn't know what I planned to do. Should I go apologize to Loki and forgive him for what he's done? Or do I draw the line and let him know that he can't do horrible things without suffering consequences? I sighed, and opened my door. My heart stopped. Sitting on my bed was the last person I'd ever expect to see. ************************************************************************************************************ And there it is folks! Chapter nine is officially up. Enjoy! Only about 2-3 chaptes left :) First person to guess whose in the room gets the next chapter dedicated to them!! :D ~TheElvishPrincess
