The Blood Of A God || Loki Laufeyson

XVII - Vulnerability

"Lady Seline!" one of them called, and she rose a brow at them.

"Yes?"

"We are to accompany you back to your camp," he stated. "Prince Loki will be joining us as well."

"What? Are you some kind of protection detail?" she asked coldly. "I don't need protecting."

"That may be true," she heard Loki say from behind the guards, and they quickly moved aside and bowed a little as he went between them to walk towards her. "But we cannot risk it. These are King Odin's orders."

She let out a low growl of frustration, walking away from them and towards the front gates of the palace. She mounted the horse, and it wasn't long before the other guards were right behind her with supplies in a cart similar to the one that she had taken Felman to the castle in. A few days had passed since that night, and of course, she still felt that unique pang in her heart whenever she thought of Felman, because when she did, she always thought of Amond and Kayla too. Their deaths continued to flash through her mind, but in a way, that was a good thing.

Over the nine centuries that she had been alive, she had realized something that could quite literally make or break a person. When you care for someone, and that person cares for you in the same way, you are uniquely vulnerable. They can hurt you and damage you in ways that you could never come back from, and others could use them to break you in that same way. However, sometimes, that vulnerability can be good. It can be euphoric. It can change your life and make it either better, or worse.

For Seline, loving and caring about people had only ever made her life worse.

Loki rode his horse up next to hers as the gates opened, and she heard the horses of the other guards behind her as well.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

She turned her head to look at him, then sighed and clicked her tongue. The horse obeyed her command, and rode ahead. She went faster than all of the others, she wanted to stay as far away from them as possible. Loki seemed to think the opposite once she was almost a quarter mile ahead. Since they had left late in the afternoon, they would have to camp for the night. The horses needed the rest, and so did the men. Seline, of course, didn't need it as much as them. But she couldn't tell them that, now could she?

"We need to stop," he stated. "We must make camp for the night."

She nodded, slowing her horse down when they soon came up to a clearing in the woods that the path went through. They set up tents, one for each person. In the beginning of the night, the men were all around the fire, drinking and laughing and talking.

A part of her wanted to know how the hell they could all be so happy. But they hadn't been through what she had. They had no reason to feel guilty or depressed. They were carefree and content with their lives. She was not.

She didn't think that any of them saw her, but she was wrong.

She walked through the woods, knowing that she would easily be able to hear the voices of the men and walk back if she wanted to. She didn't really want to, but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't disobey the king, no matter how much she wanted to.

She needed to leave Asgard. A part of her wanted to stay, but another part wanted to go home. Seline had thought she had her thirst under control, but now, seeing Loki again, it was still there. She didn't know why she wanted his blood so much, but she did. And the possibility of drinking from him not being able to stop terrified her.

Seline heard a waterway near her, and she went to it. It sounded like a waterfall, which she loved. She came through the trees and saw it, and couldn't help but smile. It was beautiful. She needed a bit of beauty in her life right now. She went to go sit on the cliff at the edge of the waterfall, occasionally dipping her hand in the water and getting slightly amused by the way it separated around her hand. She looked up at the stars, knowing she could watch them for hours. They were nothing like the stars in Midgard, but that was what made them beautiful.

She heard him far before she saw him, but she didn't try to run away. She didn't want to avoid him.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy that I am not the only one who hates those guards," he said from behind her. "I'm also fairly glad that you didn't run the moment you heard my voice."

"I'm not running from you, my lord," she sighed. "Not anymore. I'm sick of running."

"I do not think I'll ever get sick of chasing," he chuckled.

Loki came and stood by her, holding his hands behind his back. He looked rather elegant, regal, even.

"Sometimes I think you would make a good king," she said.

That startled him, but he didn't show it. His heartbeat told a different story.

"And why is that?"

"I look at you, my lord, and I do not see a monster. I do not see the man I that I watched destroy New York, the man that I fought against. I saw you that first day I was your servant and I didn't recognize you in any way."

He stayed quiet.

"That man was an illusion. He was corrupted by power, controlled by another person..." she said. "You are not monstrous, Loki. You would make a good king, despite what others say."

He stayed quiet again, then sighed and spoke. "Did it ever cross your mind that someone brought this change on?"

She shook her head. "No. It didn't. Nothing can change your ways like you can."

He smiled a little.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked her.

"The guards bother me."

"That isn't the only reason, Seline."

She shrugged, leaning back with her hands on the grass. "I'm thinking about home."

"Do you miss the people there?"

"I only had two close friends, and one died a few years ago. So I really only miss one person."

"And who might that be?"

"His name is Jordan. You kind of remind me of him, in a way," she said, and couldn't help but smile.

"How so?" he chuckled. "Did he attempt to take over Midgard?"

"No, but he is the best trickster I know. I think he may even rival you."

Loki laughed. "Whatever you say. I would like to meet him someday."

She grinned. "Yes, I'm sure you would."

They stayed in a comfortable silence for a few moments, but he shattered it with the question she had been dreading.

"Seline, why did you leave?"