Kidnapped|Book 4|A novel in the Blue Moon series| An Avengers fan fiction series|

6- Taming the Little Firebird

Neidra takes the bottle from him, and waves her hands as-a-matter-of-factly, "This will take nothing more than a dying star and a drop of your blood."

From against the wall, she takes out a jar filled with shining, floating orbs. As she unravels the jar and takes one of the orbs in her hand, she says, "Whatever do you need the elixir for immortality for?"

Loki takes out a dagger, a silver one, from his belt, "My daughter."

Neidra smiles knowingly, "She's a spirited little thing, isn't she? Those are the hardest to tame."

"It would be easier to tame a wild stallion than Theodora," concedes Loki. He slices the dagger across the palm of his hand, drawing a line of blood across his pale skin. He lets the blood drip into the glass bottle, and watches as the crimson swirls and disintegrates into the clear liquid.

Neidra nods, a smirk on her face, making her expression seem devilish, "Sometimes, only the sharp sting of a whip can tame the stallion."

Loki whirls, his eyes narrowing to slits, "I would rather whip my own skin than my child."

"But of course, but of course!" she exclaims, "I meant it only metaphorically, you mustn't get upset so easily." She dips the glowing orb into the bottle and she and Loki watch as the liquid shimmers but then dulls again, leaving only a faint sparkle.

At that moment, there is movement near the doorway, and Neidra's eyes light up, "Caomh, my darling, why did you sleep so long?"

A young man, appearing in his early-twenties, walks inside the room. His angular face is just like Neidra's, as are his thick eyebrows and silver eyes. His hair is lighter, however, and brushes up against his forehead. He is tall, with a strong build, and is carrying a poniard in his left hand.

"Good morning, Mother," says Caomh. He has a vibrating, casual voice, "I'm sorry for my lateness."

"You have met Loki, our king, have you not?" she asks, still smiling, gesturing to Loki, who is stone-faced, and watching Neidra's enthusiastic expression.

Caomh inclines his head, "Of course. Your majesty."

"Hello Caomh," says Loki, walking forward to appraise Neidra's son, "Strong and young, with such wisdom in your eyes. Just like your mother promised."

"He will make a promising heir," says Neidra eagerly, with a smoothness in her voice, "Should you choose to consent, of course."

"But of course," says Loki, repeating her words from earlier, "Should Thea choose to give up the throne, it will be Caomh's, my sweet."

He reaches down and envelops his lips around Neidra's. Her eyelashes flutter as his arm wraps around her waist.

"She sounds like a lovely child, though," says Neidra as Loki leans away from her, "Perhaps she would give ruling this lovely realm a chance!"

From her voice, she is counting on the fact that Thea will not be giving being the queen of Asgard a chance. Caomh smiles, and then leaves the room, the poniard glittering ominously in the light.

Loki breathes out through his nose in an elongated sigh, and sits down on the green chair that Neidra had previously occupied, "No, she is an impetuous child with the temper of a demon."

"But you still love her," croons Neidra, moving forward to sit on his lap, wrapping his arms around him, "And you would do anything for your daughter, would you not?"

"I would die for her," says Loki, moving his hand along Neidra's cheek.

Neidra smiles, "How beautiful. A father's love such as yours is not so easily matched. But you must realize that in order for her to see what she must do, and for her to grow up, you must be more firm with her! She cannot get away with the words she has let slip through her tongue at you! She must learn to respect her father."

"She is young," says Loki, tilting his head slightly, "But I acquiesce. Thea must learn to obey me, or face the consequences."

"She will not take kindly to the gift you are planning on placing on her," she says, nodding towards the glittering bottle on the table.

"She will not have a choice," replies Loki, "Fourteen is already too old for me to see her."

"What about those she lives with? Her family?" says Neidra sweetly, running her finger across Loki's lips. "She has taken quite a fancy to that young man- Jack, is it? And what about Max? She'll be his daughter before you know it!"

"Jack can move on," says Loki, without emotion,, "As for Max, he had better learn when he is beaten, or things will go very badly for him."

Neidra bends down and whispers in his ear, "Why not just kill him now?"

"Because of Thea," says Loki calmly, "She would be devastated."

Neidra smiles a careful smile, "I see. But Loki, she is a princess. She must learn how to act as such, even if she does not become queen." Her fingernail trails along Loki's chin, "I would be so happy to teach her."

"Only when I choose to forgive her," says Loki coolly.

"Such a naughty girl, is she?" trills Neidra, getting to her feet and moving to the cabinet, "You do not have to forgive. Just make her realize what she has done is so very wrong, and that she musn't do it again!"

Loki's mouth twists up, "Thea has fire in her veins. If I try to pull her, she pushes me back twice as much- as well as giving me a third degree burn."

"Anything can be tamed," says Neidra, taking out a silver whip that crackles with radiating energy.

Loki curls his lip, "I thought I made myself clear. I will not-"

Neidra laughs, "But how else will she learn? Just a short dash of pain." She snaps the whip, and the electricity vibrates off of it.

Loki's green eyes shine in the candlelight.

"How else will she learn to obey her father? Her king?" Neidra asks sweetly, holding the whip out to Loki.

He looks at the object, which curls around Neidra's arm like a silver snake, and then at Neidra, who looks like Lucifer just before he fell from Heaven.

"No," says Loki firmly, "Not on my daugher. Not ever."

Neidra's smile only widens, "Very well, I cannot force this decision on you, of course. She is yours and yours alone. But, if you do not mind, perhaps I can have a chance at clipping the wings of this little firebird of yours."

Loki smiles too, although his smile is much more wary than hers, "I would love to see you try. But not now. Not until I decide what to do with her."

"Don't wait too long," says Neidra, curling the glowing whip around her waist, where it fastens like a serpentine belt, "The longer the fire burns, the more it destroys."

"Or," says Loki, "The more opportunity to let things regrow from the ashes the way I want them to regrow."

Neidra smirks, and kisses Loki again, before whispering, as she succumbs to his touch, "That's more like it."

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So many new characters! What do you think of these? :)