Cleave | Loki x Reader

• III •

'You know, I believe the best way to have a good night's rest in just about any bed is after a good night's round of combat!'
'Bu—but Æsir combat is quite different from Vanir combat! And the last time I held a sword or shield was before the winter!'
'What, you don't train during the winters in Vanaheimr?'
'Of course we do, but I wasn't allowed to. That way I was able to direct my focus solely towards my Midgardian studies until my encounter with Odi—your father.'
'All the more reason to pick the shield back up, my dear, most honourable shield maiden!' This time he managed to execute a rather decent, less clumsy bow, all the while offering me his shield with the broadest grin I'd yet seen adorn his face.

Playfully rolling my eyes at him, I mock-curtseyed and accepted the shield from him. 'My upbringing prevents me from saying no to such most respectful request from a prince of Asgard.'
The both of us burst into a soft fit of laughter, Thor clutching his belly, for he must have been tired out from his intense late-night training still. Recovering quickly, he nudged me towards the training dummy, arousing the nervousness as well as the genuine amusement mixed inside me to spill out in yet another laughing fit. It's easy to forget that we were nothing more than children back then. All three of us. Laughter didn't require any rational reasoning yet; it shouldn't ever, even if our heritage demanded maturity from us most of the time.

'All you have to do is bring up your shield like this,' he held up an invisible shield before his torso; ducking a little; bending his knees, 'and when the enemy is right before you, all you need do is straighten your back and—do this!'

I felt Thor's irritated eyes on me while I recovered from the blow I had just displayed simultaneously with Thor demonstrating his.

'Oh, it appears that you—'
'Oh, yes, I've already had that lecture.' I playfully winked at him, giving him the cheekiest smile I could muster.
'You tricked me!'
'Nooo, I swear I didn't know at all if I'd still manage even just a decent performance! All I'm guilty of is holding back information on the level of my skills. You know, from my training back home on Vanaheimr.' I bit my lip and raised an eyebrow at him when I was waiting for a response from the crown prince. The gene of the silver tongue certainly lay with the other brother – I had already been made aware of this by then.
'One would think I'd be used to all kinds of trickery by now,' the prince muttered to himself.
'Is that so? Why is that?'

'Oh!' He let out a short snicker. 'I'm certain you will see for yourself soon enough, little shield maiden!'
Being the naive little foreigner I was, I ignored the deeper meaning behind his words as I replied, feigning outrage, 'Hey! Who are you calling a little shield maiden around here?' I slapped his shoulder lightly. 'Certainly it isn't me you're referring to, seeing how you've been handed your royal bottom mere minutes ago!'

Thor and I went on to compare our studies and eventually opted to train together rather than to teach one another. Thor fetched his wooden training sword and began attacking me with mighty blows. Nonetheless, I sensed he wasn't giving his full effort. Yet, I did not take offence from that, believing it was my age, not my gender that held him back.
'As to earlier... you didn't mean you usually retire this late, right?' I asked once we both had to halt for a sip or two of refreshing springwater.
'No, this has been the second round for me tonight indeed. I couldn't manage to fall asleep either, you know.'
'But didn't you say—'

'I never said it works every time!'

In a dramatic gesture of surrender, I threw my arms up. Our eyes met, and before I knew it, the water was already forcing itself back out through my lips, as we fell into yet another laughing fit, snorting and wheezing by then; the sight of the now soaked Thor being the highlight of the few weeks I'd spent in Asgard.