Loki: Game of Thrones

Chapter 14 - The Wolf & the Serpent

Sansa looked around the sunny gardens of the Red Keep. The flowers seemed brighter, and more beautiful down here, than they did in Winterfell. The golden rays of the sun seem to make everything more lovely. Sansa would nod to the ladies walking around her, and they all whispered. She was leading Lady around on a leash, and it looked very wild to them. Sansa would be a liar if she said their looks and sayings did not bother her. She wanted to be accepted, especially if she was going to be the next Queen of Westeros. Lady's ears suddenly perked up, and she pulled hard on her leash. She jerked Sansa's arm, and the Stark girl was not prepared. She let go, and Lady went running off into the bushes. "Lady! Lady! Come back!" Sansa called. Her direwolf disappeared into the foliage, and Sansa followed. After a few moments of pushing her way through branches, and running into some thorns, Sansa found Lady sitting by a lone fountain. A beautiful woman was the carving in the center, and her hands were out, palms facing the sky. A wolf was curled around her feet, and she had a soft smile on her face. But, that was not the only thing she noticed about the fountain. Loki was sitting there, a leather book in his lap, and Lady crouching in front of him. He was scratching her under the chin, and behind the ears. He was speaking to her in that language Sansa heard him using before.

Loki continued to rub Lady as he said, "If you're going to try to sneak up on me, try not to breathe so loudly." Sansa instinctively held her breath, and Loki glanced up at her. His green eyes seemed to smile at her. Sansa approached, her hands clutched together in front of her.

"I'm sorry if Lady disturbed you. I was just out for a walk," Sansa explained as she stood before him, taking Lady's leash. Loki chuckled, and put the leather book inside his black vest.

"Now that's a lie," he said, and Sansa frowned. "You wanted to talk to me." Sansa blushed and she began to stutter.

"I didn't... I mean... what makes you say that?" she finally asked. Loki sighed, and patted the stone beside him. Sansa sat down, and Lady took up a position between them.

"You want to talk to me about my 'secret'," Loki told her. Sansa saw that her fingers were drawing patterns in the purple silk of her dress. Loki looked at her, studying the fast pulse in her neck, and the way her lips trembled slightly.

"Your secret. You mean the fact that you're a sorcerer?" Sansa queried. Loki's eyebrow went up, and his lips quivered as he tried to resist a snicker.

"Was there another reason?" Loki felt a little sorry for Sansa as she looked at her hands, and a pink tinge came into her cheeks. He knew that he was a man of infinite secrets, and the one she was talking about, was actually low on his list.

"No," Sansa whispered in response. Loki sighed and lightly placed his hand over hers. Sansa jumped, surprised by the physical contact, and the fact that his skin was so cool. Loki withdrew his hand, and chewed on his lip.

"What did you want to know?" Sansa turned her head, and saw that his expression was kind and soft.

"What kind of sorcerer are you? In our myths, some magicians could heal, curse, or foretell the future," Sansa explained. Loki looked back over his shoulder, admiring the sparkling, sapphire water.

"Well... where I come from, magicians can be all of those," Loki told her. Sansa's brow furrowed, and Loki continued. "We develop our magic to the point, where we can read people's minds, move objects, as well as cast illusions." Sansa's eyes widened, and she gripped Lady's leash.

"Then, you're extremely powerful!" she said to him. Loki knew that there was no sorcerer in the Nine Realms that could match his natural abilities in the mystical arts. His magic helped him perfect his own fighting style, and techniques. Magic made him who he was. Without it, Loki no longer had his identity.

"Well, I wouldn't go telling everyone that," Loki told her, lightly touching the side of his nose with a finger. They both chuckled at that, and Sansa shifted her position on the stone. She was only a few inches away from Loki, and her hip was so close, that it was almost touching his own. Sansa looked down at his hand, resting on the marble surface. His fingers were tapered, but she had felt his grip before. She knew how strong he was. The veins stood out, and Sansa imagined him cracking the marble.

"Would anybody want to use your abilities?" Sansa queried. Loki looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. The wind blew, and ruffled their hair.

"I believe that people would want to hurt me for my powers, yes. The Lannisters-"

"Why?" Loki opened his eyes and saw that Sansa had a rather incredulous expression on her face. "Cersei's been nothing but kind to me-!"

"And she's hated me," Loki said, cutting her off. Sansa closed her mouth, and Loki's eyebrows wiggled a little. "She tried to sleep with me not long after we met." Sansa's lips parted in horror and disbelief, but, she somehow knew Loki was telling the truth. Queen Cersei had tried to lay with him, and he had refused her.

"Why did you rebuff her?" Sansa asked, genuinely curious. Her brothers had told her that sells-swords would sleep with any woman who would freely offer it to them. Loki could sense her thoughts, and he smirked slightly.

"Because my mother told me not to." The slightly sad expression on his face betrayed the feelings he had for her, and Sansa felt a twinge of sadness for him. This time, she placed her hand over his. Loki did not look up at her, or even acknowledge the contact.

"What happened to her?" Loki was about to ask what made her think anything had happened to her, but he decided against it. When it came to Frigga, he could not lie.

"She was murdered," Loki said in response. Sansa's grip on his hand tightened, and her other hand also touched his shoulder. "A careless word from me, and she was dead. It's the one crime I will never forgive myself for," Loki commented, and he could feel the stinging salt of his tears in his eyes.

"I am very sorry, Loki," Sansa told him. He glanced over at her, and she nodded her head. That was when Loki encompassed her hand in his. Again, Sansa marveled at how cool it was. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. "What was her name?"

"Frigga," Loki whispered. They were close, only five inches apart from each other. Sansa studied the fine marks that seemed to dot the sides of his lips. Scars? She did not know. Loki was amazed that her porcelain skin was almost as pale as his. It was so smooth.

"Sansa! Lady Sansa! Where are you?!" a voice called, and they pulled apart.

"Ah, Mother Superior," Loki taunted, his haughty voice returning. He glanced back at Sansa, and saw that she had not quite broken out of their moment. She was still clinging to that charming voice she had heard a moment ago. "Well, if we don't want you to get into trouble, I'd better leave you. Another time, Lady Stark," Loki told her. He stood up, and her hands slipped off. Sansa watched as he disappeared into the trees. Soon, she was alone with Lady, sitting b the fountain. The water continued to make its music.