Heart Of Stone

Chapter 52

So now I have two bodyguards. I play with one, teaching her tricks and tossing a ball in the air for her, while the other watches in amusement. I let him toss the ball a few times, though he doesn't seem overly fond of it and expresses this, so he merely watches.

After a while I end up brushing Rune's silky fur, much to her delight. She's grinning, her little pink tongue lolling out of her mouth. It's at this point that Loki decides he's bored and just reads a book instead.

"What are you reading?" I can't help but ask once Rune's fur is glossy and pristine. He finishes whatever sentence he was reading before looking up at me. "A Midgardian history book. It is about the 'witch' hunts of the 1600s. I thought you were born in 1828?"

"I was," I nod. "The 'witch' hunts took the lives of almost all of us, my parents were the only two I knew to survive, though I never knew any others anyway. When they discovered my parents to be Stone Sirens in the 1800s, the village burnt our home in an attempt to murder us. But we had escaped outside. So they were tied to separate pyres and burnt alive. It is clear to say they did not live. But I had been saved as the last thing my parents did. Nobody believed what my village said about burning a witch, so it was considered a cry for attention. They were ignored and eventually it was merely rumours."

"I am... sorry you had to go through that," Loki said, words chosen with care as always. He never said anything he would later regret, I had learned. If only his actions were the same, he would be a very good person.

"It is long in the past," I reply to him. "It is time I left it there. Though I can tell you more about the witch hunts than those books, if you wish."

"... I'm listening," he agreed after a moment, closing the book. "Well, the witch hunts were drastically undersold," I began. "There were many more than were truly documented. And most were subjected to studies and torture before they were finally burnt at the stake. It was such a cruel thing, but was contrasted by the light tone the burnings had. It became a public event that everyone enjoyed, such as Christmas appears to be. Everyone would cheer and celebrate the flames eating away at the life of another. It was horrific."

"It sounds barbaric," Loki commented. "It was, trust me," I nod in agreement. "It was inhumane. Cruel. A dishonourable way to kill. But only the victims saw it that way. If you were not a Stone Siren, you were safe, save for the odd one or two victims who were human but simply tried to defend us. They were claimed to be 'under our spell' and killed to prevent the 'disease' from 'spreading'. Mostly people saw it as as excuse to dress up nicely, enjoy food and drink and a chat with friends, then have their dinner with a show. To treat torture and death as mere entertainment for others... it is heartless."

Loki nodded slightly. "I have learned that the only reason you should kill others is in defence or if you are in a war. Otherwise, your reason of killing is most likely dishonourable and shameful."

I smile slightly. "You are already growing more and more reformed by the day. I am sure your father would be pleased about this."

Loki's expression darkened slightly. "No, no, Odin would not care. As long as I am not destroying anything, he does not care. I am only adopted. I am not Thor."

"You should not compare yourself to Thor," I say. "You are not the same person. It should not matter if you are like him, it should matter that you are doing your best. And if Odin cannot see that, then why do you care about impressing him at all?"

He opens his mouth to say something, but no words come out. Not even his thoughts are making a comment, instead leaving his mind as a silent, empty tomb.

I never once imagined I would leave a god speechless.

Well, unless I killed him, but that was before I met him.

"See? There is no good reason to get so upset over it if it makes no difference," I continue. "If it changes nothing whether you act as a saint or satan, there is no reason to believe that one man's personal opinions on you matter. Ignore those who do not aid you. If he is not helping you to improve, ignore his personal opinions on you. It is the same for anyone else. And no, I do not mean physically act as though he does not exist, simply do not act as though his thoughts shape the world so you must please him to stay alive. As powerful as Odin is, you are just as strong."

He nods slowly after I finish my little speech. "You are very wise, Lady Lexis," he tells me. "I am only as wise as the one listening understands," I reply. "You need an intelligent audience to be considered intelligent yourself."

He smirks slightly. "Are you calling me intelligent?" "Let it reach your heart, not your head," I advice. "Otherwise, you will become an Asgardian version of Tony."

He can't decide whether to scowl or chuckle, so he just says nothing. I smile slightly and pet little Rune, who has curled up on my lap and is sleeping. "Besides, you and Thor have differences in strength. Thor is the brawn and you are the brain. You cannot compare intellect to muscle. It is like comparing the wind to the sky."

He ponders over my words a while while we sit in a comfortable silence, him paused over his book, me petting Rune's beautiful grey fur, Rune herself grinning in contentment.