Unlike Loki

Chapter 56

(Loki)

She stood there, shivering in my arms, a moment before she placed her hands back on my chest and pushed me away.

"I'm serious. Why the hell was I unconcious, in a boat, and ON FIRE?" her eyes blazed with anger, and a tad bit of hurt.

I didn't know how to put this lightly, and my mind was still screaming in excitement that she was alive. "Anna. You weren't unconcious. You were dead. Very dead. Absolutely dead." I told her.

She looked at me like I was a madman. Maybe I was.

"That's hilarious." She folded her arms, trying to make herself warmer. "But serioiusly now."

"I'm not making a joke. No tricks here. You were poisoned, attacked, Anna. And then you died. I watched it with my own two eyes." I studied her.

I saw a flash of recognition pass across her face as she processed my words and then watched as her memory stitched itself back together again. I saw her glance at the people standing around us, it all making sense to her now.

"You were giving me an Asgardian burial, weren't you?" she asked, disbelief clearly in her voice.

"Yes. I-I-" but then I stopped as I noticed her eyes turn angry and her body go tense. She was staring over my shoulder with a look of pure hatred on her face.

She slowly took of my jacket, now soaked, and walked around me. "Anna, what-" I started.

She pointed at Borin angrily. "I'm going to kill you. An eye for an eye, big guy."

Borin backed away slowly, his face flushed. "I- I don't know what she's talking about. She-She's gone mad, surely." He pointed to the water, as if it had made Anna delusional.

She kept walking towards him, and he kept backing away.

Who did I trust more? A man who had been loyal to me, a man who I had practically grown up with, fought battles with? Or a girl who I barely knew, who was unpredictable and damaged, who had just come back from the dead?

"Borin, quick, throw me your knife." I said.

"What?! Sire-"

"Just do it!" Borin took his knife slowly out of its sheath at his side and expertly tossed it to me. I caught it just as expertly on its handle. I brought the blade up to my face, trying to examine it in the dark.

There.

On the tip of the blade were scatch marks.

And black and gold paint.

I decided to trust the girl.

Just when I looked up from the knife, my mind filled with anger and betrayal, Anna pounced. She leaped up into the air and came down, punching Borin square in the eye. He stumbled back a few feet, and raised his arm to protect himself. But it was no use. Anna came at him again, lashing where ever she could, over and over, using nothing but her shear force.

Borin was soon on the ground, covered in his own blood, before I could even move, still too shocked to do anything. The guards didn't dare intervene.

I threw the knife to the side and ran towards the quarrel. Borin was trying to ward Anna off, but was unsuccessful. She soon had him pinned to the ground, using her powers to control the dirt around her, keeping his feet and arms locked in place. She was standing over him, and then moved to straddle his stomach, her legs on either side of his body, and sat down on him, hard. I heard him grunt. I was near them now, but didn't want to make any sudden movements.

And then her hands started to erupted in a flash of sparks.

The electricity coming off of her lit up the night sky in chaotic flashes, making shadows dance all around us.

"Anna-" I warned.

"No!" she pointed an electrified hand at me, but kept her eyes on Borin, who looked as if he were about to beg for his life, but I knew he had too much pride.

"Do you know what kind of pain you put me through?" she asked him. "I am the last person you want to hurt. I've had it with people thinking that it's okay to hurt me." I was trying to creep up behind her as one of her hands came closer and closer to Borin's heart, the other to his head, tendrils of bright white electricity dangerously close to his skin.

I motioned for the guards to come closer. "I'll let you feel a fraction of the pain you gave me." I heard her say.

I wrapped my arms around her just as she started to electrocute Borin. My arms crossed her upper body, and I grabbed her hands, balling them into fists beneath my own. I felt electricity zip through my body, but it wasn't enough to do any damage. The moment I touched her, she shut her powers down, obviously not wanting to hurt me. Borin, on the other hand, was convulsing, his eyes rolled up into his head.

She began to fight against me, twisting her body back and forth to try and get out of my grip. But I picked her up from behind, not moving the position of my hands and arms, and moved her away from Borin, her feet no longer touching the ground.

A few of the guards went to Borin, trying to get him to stabilize and remain conscious as I swept Anna away. She kept struggling against me, but didn't say a word.

At least, not until I put her down on her feet.

"He deserves it! Let me go!" I still had my arms wrapped around her.

"No!" I grunted. And then I put my lips by her ear and growled, "Who was it that told me revenge was a losing battle, that it wasn't worth it? Yes, I agree he deserves to be punished, but not to die." She was sobbing now, her words no longer coherent. She had stopped struggling as much, only throwing weak elbows every now and again. "I will promise you he will be punished, but revenge, killing, is not the answer here. It will simply make hell fall down around you."

The guards walked past us, with Borin hanging on their shoulders, his head seemed to be barely attached. Anna watched them go with shuddering breaths.

The physician followed behind, knowing he would need to administer medical treatment. He stopped and turned towards me for a moment, with stern eyes and a straight mouth. "See me in the morning, and bring her," he pointed viciously at Anna. "with you."

I didn't say anything, not in the mood to scorn the physician for his tone. Anna had stopped struggling and was crying intensely now, her sobs racking her whole body. I slowly let go of her, knowing she had given up and heeded my words.

Once I had released her, she sunk to the ground, wet and cold, and leaned against my legs, wrapping her arms around them and buried her face in between my shins, like a child, and let out all of her tears soak into my trousers.