Odin's sons followed the old king down to the dungeons of the city, and his ward followed quickly after, ignoring the fact that she was dirtying her elegant dress and shoes in the murky layer of dirt on the stone floor. She shivered as she saw the fallen bodies of a pair of guards. These men did not deserve to die. How did Frost Giants get into Asgard, let alone the castle, without Heimdall's knowledge?
Thor and Odin were arguing, and Aura listened closely, recording all that was said, while a storm of thoughts raged within her. Why didn't they take anything? A little further and they could've taken the source of their power! She shuddered at the very thought.
As usual, Thor's heart turned to rage. "This was an act of war! As king of Asgard-"
"You are not king yet," Odin thundered. "Now go! You must see to the citadel!"
Aura wanted to intervene but didn't dare. She glanced at Loki, hoping to hear his view, but his expression was blank as he gazed upon his father and brother.
Later, Aura returned to the banqueting hall, shocked to find the table upturned. She now wore her usual armoured tunic with her blue cape - the exact same colour as her ceremonial dress and her light, misty blue eyes - similar to Loki and Thor's but more feminine. Her light orange hair was worn casually half-up half-down, and the makeup she detested was gone from her face, leaving her lips soft pink.
She saw Thor sitting with an angry, brooding expression on the sidelines, and Loki at his side, from the look of him trying to calm his older brother down. Immediately she knew that Thor had overturned the table. She hurried over, her blue cape swirling after her.
"- but there's nothing you can do without disobeying Father!" She caught the last of Loki's plea.
Thor suddenly got to his feet, intent clear in his face, while the blood drained from Aura's. "Oh, no. You can't possibly be considering going to Jötunheim!"
"He's joking, right?" said Loki anxiously. "That's a really really bad idea..."
At that moment, the Warriors Three led by Sif arrived. "Who's going to Jötunheim?" she asked, concerned.
"And who sent all this food to the floor?" demanded Volstagg. Aura clenched her teeth. Priorities!
Could Thor be grinning? What kind of a fool was he? "Both of them me."
"Thor..." Loki begged. "There's..." He counted quickly. "Six of us here to fight. We'll be hopelessly outnumbered against the entirety of Jötunheim."
Aura bridled. Who was he not counting? It had better not be her; there needed to be some common sense in the group, and none of them really trusted Loki, except Thor who wasn't listening to anybody right now. Which, she hated to admit, considering the things Loki had done over the years, was perfectly reasonable.
While Thor attempted to persuade Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg that going to Jötunheim was a good idea, Loki pulled Aura to the side. "Listen, Aura, about earlier..."
The Frost Giants had completely wiped the memory of Loki's kiss from her mind, but she remembered it now in full clarity. She was unable to stop the faint pink blush that came to her face. This was so confusing; this was just Loki, her best friend. Nothing weird going on between them. But then... Why was she blushing? "... Yes?" she prompted hesitantly.
"I..." he said slowly, almost nervously. Loki was never nervous. "... I love you."
"Um, what?" she said, her mind unable to comprehend this development.
YOU ARE READING
He's No Monster, Not to Me
FanfictionLoki was alone, overshadowed, cast out, ignored by the others. But what if there had been someone in Asgard who stood by him and befriended him? Would he have changed? Would he have grown bitter and done the things he did? Would he be a hero, or wa...
