Loki: Game of Thrones

Chapter 55 - Sansa Writes A Story

Sansa was grateful that Loki had allowed her to write in Frigga's journal. He obviously had no worries that she would read whatever he wrote there, as it was in several different languages she did not know how to speak or read. Sansa wondered if he read her entries. After considering it as a possibility, she decided that he would not do something like that. He was a gentleman, and a gentleman never read a woman's private thoughts, unless she wanted him to. Upon further searching, Sansa did discover parchment paper in his study, and brought it back to her room, along with a pot of ink, and a quill. Alfie cocked his head to one side as he watched his mistress sit at her desk. It took Sansa several moments to collect her thoughts, but she eventually knew how she wanted it to begin.

The ink smudged her fingers, and got in the corners of the parchment, but she kept on writing. She wrote in the Common Tongue, having no possession of any other language. It irked her that there were young women out in the world who spoke several languages, and could easily impress any man they met. Sansa stopped writing to think about this. She had seen Loki speak and write in several languages. She wanted to be as intelligent as him. Sansa laughed mildly at this, thinking that no one in all of Westeros could even begin to hold a candle to Loki's intelligence. She continued to pen her words on the page, saying how she really felt. About her situation, about her life, and about the man in it. It was all she could do with her time at present. She worked for several hours, completely ignoring Alfie the entire time. This ticked the kitten off, and he eventually left her chamber. He scurried out into the hallway, just as Loki was returning from his work. The young man scooted back as the cat went scampering by him. He frowned and glanced in the direction of Sansa's chamber, and saw that the door was partially open.

Walking towards it, he stuck his head in, and saw her sitting at her desk. The papers she had completed were lying beside her in a rather haphazard mess, but she did not seem to mind. Loki noticed that her sleeves were rolled up, and she was barefoot, her toes were lightly touching the stone floor. Loki saw the soles of her feet were a little grey from walking around without shoes, and he smiled. Sansa straightened up, running her hands through her hair, and Loki saw that she had ink under her fingernails, and on the tips of her fingers. Loki could tell that she had been writing for hours. "Little wolf hard at work I see," Loki suddenly said. Sansa jumped a mile and turned around, knocking the ink pot to the ground. Loki's fingers twitched, and the ink pot stopped its falling a few inches before it hit the stone. Sansa swallowed as it rose up through the air, and returned to the desk beside her.

"You startled me!" she scolded. Loki snickered and entered the room. Sansa hurriedly gathered her papers together, and put them in order. "Well, at least your timing was perfect. I was just finished writing this," Sansa told him, dumping the papers into his arms. Loki looked at the stack of papers, and raised his eyebrow. Glancing at her, his mouth twisted into a smirk. "Read it," she commanded, before looking down at her hands, and saw the black ink had covered her fingers and palms. "Oh, my word! I must wash!" Sansa darted by him and out of her chamber. He heard the door of the washroom close rather loudly. Loki flipped through the pages, until he looked back at the title. "The Serpent & the Wolf." Loki was amused by the heading, and took the pile of papers back to his study, and sat down. Crossing his legs at the knee, he put the title page aside, and began to read.

There once was a wolf. A she-wolf. Her fur was the color of amber flames, her eyes were like sapphires. Loki stopped reading for a split second.

"Well, she has a high opinion of her appearance," he muttered. That was when he felt a pressure in his skull, and frowned. "Ouch. Mother, I know that was you!"

A young girl, such as herself, is allowed to indulge in a little self-praise once in a while, Frigga responded.

"Oh, and when I do it, its arrogance?" Loki posed in return.

Are you a girl? Loki's brow furrowed at his mother's question, and he sighed.

"I'm reading now," he announced, letting their fight slip, and he did go back to the story.

But, she was always told how to behave. Do not say this. Do not do that. She was tamed, and not allowed to be a wolf. She was a pup. Then, along came a serpent. He had scales the color of ebony, with eyes brighter than emeralds. The sound of his voice was enough to charm and allure anyone. But the wolf was hesitant and unsure as what he wanted, and who he was. He just slithered in one day, and made her world so different.

Loki continued reading, turning the pages upside down on his desk as he completed them. The story continued, basically describing everything they had been through together up till that point.  With a few observations of her own.

One day, the wolf did something very foolish. She ventured outside the animal kingdom, into the human world. The serpent had told her before never to do that, but she ignored his words. In the human world, she was discovered by hunters, who had never seen a pelt as fine as hers. She was chased, and caught by them. They cornered her, and were about to do her great harm, when she howled for help. The serpent heard her plea for help, and he appeared. But he was not a normal serpent anymore. He had grown to become a dragon. His scales were now cerulean, and his eyes like rubies. He bared his fangs and rushed to save the wolf. With precision and skill that is still unparalleled, he attacked and killed the hunters. He brought the wolf back to the animal kingdom, and by the time they arrived, his scales were once again ebony, and his eyes emeralds. The she-wolf knew he was angry, and the serpent was justified in his wrath. If the hunters had taken her fur, they would have taken the one thing that mattered to her. Her pride. Her honor. The serpent understood that.

Loki smiled at her words, and supported his head in his hand. His eyes were starting to droop, and the shadows became long outside the window as the sun set.

Sansa put her hair up in a delicate twisted bun, and smoothed the blue folds of her dress after she was finished bathing. She studied her hands, and still noticed some ink in the cuticles, and she scraped that away. Satisfied that she was presentable, she stepped out of her chamber. Glancing around, she saw the evening torches were lit, but she did not see any light or movement from the dining hall. "Loki?" she called quietly. No response was heard, but she did see a dim light of a candle from his study. Slowly approaching, she peered in, and smiled at what she saw. Loki was fast asleep in his chair, the majority of her story resting on the desk, signifying he had read it. Two more pages had fallen from his lap to the floor as he slept. A meow was heard by her foot, and Sansa glanced down. Alfie looked up at her, and she pressed her finger to her lips. "The master of the house is sleeping. Shush, Alfie!" she warned. Sansa entered and walked over to the desk. Stooping down, she picked up the last two pages and looked at them.

The serpent and the wolf were not really a serpent and a wolf. But a man and woman, who had been enchanted, and made to look like the animals of their souls. The man was always the serpent: cunning, witty, and elusive. The woman had not had the defiance to be the wolf before. She had always been the pup: timid, quiet, and small. But, no more. The serpent had given her a truly wonderful gift. The gift of courage. The courage to eventually tell those who put her down that she was strong. Defiant, and able to withstand the storm. The storm of change. And now, the wolf wanted to give him a gift in return. Something that could change them back, and make them the man and woman they really were inside. The gift of love.

On the final page was a quick sketch of wolf, with a serpent coiled around its one paw; and the words 'The End' written beneath that. Sansa blushed at the thought of Loki reading her story, but she wanted him to. Glancing up at him from her kneeling position on the ground, Sansa watched him sleep. She caught the gentle tremor of his eyelids, and she saw his pulse beating in his neck. Sansa stood up, and placed the papers on his desk. Leaving the study for a moment, she returned a second later, carrying a blanket and a pillow. She put the pillow behind his head, and carefully removed his hand, tilting his head back onto the cushion. He twitched slightly, but he did not wake up. From there, she splayed the blanket over him, making sure that he was securely tucked in. Stooping down, she brushed a strand of his black hair from his forehead. "Sleep well, Loki," Sansa whispered to him. She pressed her lips to his forehead, wishing him a good night. The little wolf turned her back on him, and left his study. If she had glanced back before departing, she would have seen a green slit reveal itself from under his eyelid. Loki closed his eyes again, a smirk appearing on his face before he went back to sleep.