Infatuation Of The Mind • ♤Loki Laufeyson♤

Chapter fifteen - Forged in fire

It had been your first encounter with a frost giant. The sinister in its eyes would still be etched at the edges of your mind weeks later. But even though it had tried to kill you, the thought of it didn't scare you. He had been set on killing you, the second he saw you. Who knew what their purpose was. Loki had told you, while he sat with you in the healing room, that there had been two more of them. When you had asked what had happened to them, Loki shrugged and said that they had been taken care of. Killed, was the word written between the lines. You wondered why Odin didn't bother to leave at least one of them alive. If you would have been him, you would've craved answers. Why were they there? What were their orders? To kill Thor? Or even Odin. What if it had reached the great hall? How many innocent asgardians and guests could have been slaughtered? 

You didn't bother to ask, you knew that Loki would avoid answering the question. But you on the other hand wasn't able to avoid the lingering feeling of suspicion, that everything wasn't just gold, pretty flowers and tingly wedding expectations, behind the walls of the asgardian palace. Something was brewing behind the scenes and you waited for it to overflow. 

- 

The day after the feast you were as good as healed. Eir gave you a cooling balm for the places where the swelling was still active and you left as soon as you got the chance. Since the incident with Ivar, you didn't want to spend more time than necessary in the healing room. Enough of that. 

You walked slowly through the corridors. The only sign of the feast the night before was the decorations that still hung on the walls, or rippled around the railings. Petals fell silently to the floor from the pastel flowers that had begun to dry up. It reminded you of the first snow.

Someone called your name from behind you, silent but loud enough for you to stop immediately. Your heart began beating faster, not as fast and hard as it once had for him. But fast enough to make your palms sweat.

"Sneaking up on me are you? You're not as loud and clumsy as you were as a teenager.", you turned around to face Tyke, clutching your hands infront of you. 

He let out a breathy laugh followed by a crooked smile, "I'm a warrior now. I wouldn't be much use if I revealed myself with each movement.", he took a few determined steps towards you. His smile faded, "I'm glad to see you on your feet."

"You didn't think I would let a damn frost giant get me, did you?", you arched one brow and tilted your head slightly. 

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt you even for a second, princess. But, my apologies, my memory might fail me.", he took a few more steps towards you, until he stood about three feet away, "As I recall, you were laying with your back against the floor with blood gushing from your lip, while the young prince defeated the giant. Saving you."

Perhaps Tyke thought that you couldn't hear the undertone of despise as he spoke through a slightly clutched jaw when he mentioned Loki. But despite your years apart, you knew him all to well. You knew his ways, and you could've spotted that act of jealousy, even if you had lost all of your senses.

"Jealous?", you purred. 

"Of who?", his smirk was back.

"Loki."

"Should I be?"

"Perhaps.", his playful smile dropped but you spoke again before Tyke even had a chance to say anything, "I'm sorry. For leaving like that, the last few weeks have been rough."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm happy to see you again and I'm glad that you're doing well."

You began picking at the skin on the top of your thumb, "When are you leaving?"