The Light To His Lies (Loki)

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I removed the golden helmet from my head, placing it at my feet and getting on one knee before the grand, ornate golden throne. Sitting on that exact throne was Odin, the king I served. The king I swore to protect. I took notice of his sons Loki and Thor standing on each side of him, I get the feeling my presence was interrupting something important if they could get Loki to stay in the same room as his father Odin for long, or Thor for that matter. "Your Majesty. We have returned from our expedition." I say, my eyes not daring to retreat from its safety on the floor. "Any casualties?" Odin asked me, I could feel the weight of his eyes on me, and I definitely sensed the annoyance in his tone.

The eyes on me in the room validated my feeling that I had interrupted something.

"None, Your Grace." I answered, biting my lip nervously.

I hesitated a moment before speaking, my message to him was urgent as I claimed, but he clearly was not in a good mood. "What was so urgent that you had to interrupt my meeting with my sons?" Odin asks, his voice intimidating enough as he cast a hand in the direction of Thor and Loki, my stomach dropped and my nerves clawed at me.

"My deepest apologies, Majesty," I said carefully, trying not to make eye contact with anyone in the room. "Frost Giants were found trying to enter through the Bifrost as we were coming back to Asgard. They were violent and injured one of my men. We apprehended them on our way in." I say. Thor reacted exactly as I thought he would. "Father," He said, about time bring up an absurd topic of going to war with the God of War, the exact notion he'd been Hel-bent over and had talked none-stop about with any willing ears. "Silence, I have heard enough of your thick headed opinions," Odin snapped. I cringed mentally and waited for my next possible chance to get out of that room, the last thing I wanted was to be caught in the room while Thor argued with the king.

Thor was about to protest when Odin glared daggers at him, his stare pinning Thor in place. I withheld my mental wince. Odin, seeming to remember I am in his company, reverted his attention back to me. "Thank you, Admiral, I will send for you later so we may discuss this further. You are dismissed. " Odin says, and I was glad to be rid of that moment. I nodded at him and stood up, bowing once more and picking up my helmet. I exited swiftly, all the more excited to be as far away from that wretched throne room as possible.

It hadn't been more than ten seconds the door behind my closed and I started down the hall when a pair of legs joined alongside mine. Loki, he had teleported it seemed and it made me jump.

"Oh Gods- Loki you are going to have to stop sneaking up on me." I say. He chuckles. "I'm the God of Mischief. It's what I do best." He says. I look back at the room I just exited. "I thought you had business to attend with your father?" I inquired, he scoffed at me. "He couldn't get his thick head through that door to come after me," he quipped, I snickered and hid my smile with my hand. I clear my throat and hold my arms at my back, remembering my training and my manners. "I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect Your Highness." I say, I fumble for words to say, and I'm silent for a moment.

"What did you need of me?" I ask him, nerves prickling my spine. Loki and I had grown together, but now that we're older it's just different. I'm often scolded for being so friendly with him, he was a prince after all, it didn't matter that I was the admiral of Odin's army.

He grins at me, likely at my squeamishness. "I only wish to escort a friend, is that too much to ask?" He asks, a smirk playing on his ivory complexion, I stiffen noticeably but force a pleasant smile onto my lips. "Certainly not." I say, hating the crimson color that flooded my cheeks. Get it together, I reprimand myself.

I've lived in the palace since I was a little girl and known Loki since he was small, and we'd been living together but never that close. I noticed from time to time when life was dull or especially boring for Loki he would choose to take interest in messing with me, but I had elected to ignore him. It wasn't as if I had much of a choice. He and I were friends, yes, but the way I could act around him had changed as we matured. Still, it wasn't abnormal for him to make unexpected appearances lately. I thought maybe he took pleasure in making me so squeamish with how often he did it. And I imagined it was convenient for him to do so often, since his chambers were just across the hall from mine.

We began walking toward my chambers, my mind somewhere else and Loki probably noticed. I focused to steady my breathing and listened to the sound of my armored boots tapping the floors in rhythm with my footfalls. I thought about the Jotuns we caught trying to enter the Bifrost as I, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three has all come to return from Müspelheim, I was trapped in a daze so I hadn't noticed my helmet slipping from under my arm. With an agonizingly loud crash, my helmet fell on the floor, making a very loud clanging noise. I grimaced and scurried to pick it up. "My apologies. I do not know what came over me." I say, looking away to hide the embarrassment on my face.

Loki chuckled once again, causing me to frown at him as I regain my footing. "I hope you aren't that clumsy on the battlefield." He jokes, suppressing laughter. "With all due respect, sire, if I were this clumsy on the battlefield, Svartfelheim's armies might've killed you by now." I smirked, letting that wall of formality between us slip by accident. He looked at me as if he hadn't expected that out of my mouth, but in a humored way. "Oh, I am so sorry, I did not mean to sound rash, I was only joking. Please forgive me, Your Highness." I say, bowing my head and placing a hand on my heart. He only grinned slyly at me, causing my heart to tumble out of my chest. "All is forgiven." He says in almost a mocking way.

We stopped in front of my chambers, I bowed a farewell to him and was about to enter when he grabbed my wrist. "Wait a moment." He said, I turned my head toward him, and I knew that losing the color in my cheeks was hopeless at that point. "Your Highness?" I ask.
He stared at me long and hard. "Sorry. Have a nice rest." He says. I nodded, giving him a sidelong glance. "You as well." I said weirdly. And I shut the door. But as I turned my head, I knew that Loki wasn't staring at me, he was doing something else. Because a red rose lay on my nightstand. I walk over to the rose, sitting on my bed and twisting it around in my fingers. One of his illusions must have placed it there.

I rolled my eyes at the flower, before tossing it back onto my nightstand, always a tease. I put my armor away, and too exhausted to change into a night gown, I settled in bed and quickly floated into dreams.

I woke up the next morning to the early morning light kissing me on my forehead. I quickly got up and put my armor on, sliding a wooden brush through my hair and picking up my helmet and sword that I had accidentally taken with me to my chambers instead of the armory. Right before I left, I noticed something next to the red rose on my nightstand I had received from Loki. It was a golden bracelet encrusted in emeralds. I walked over to pick it up, I held it in my fingers to examine it. Under the bracelet was a note.

As a token of my gratitude of keeping me alive. I quirk an eyebrow, had I not noticed this the day before when I found the rose? I doubt it.... had he been in my chambers that morning? The thought made me squirm and color rush to my cheeks. I smile nonetheless and put the bracelet on, turning to leave, and I exit my chambers.

I turned and started headed for the training grounds.

After hours of training and a visit to my wounded friend, a palace guard came. "Odin requests your presence." He tells me. Suppressing a groan, I nodded to him, sliding my sword back in it's sheath on my waist. He escorts me to the throne room, where I stand once again before Odin. I approach him and kneel. "You have summoned me, Majesty." I say, placing a hand on my heart and staring at the ground. "So formal." It was Loki's voice, a scoff intwined in the words from his mouth, I look up to see Odin silencing his son. "Yes, I would like to ask you a question. You told me that Frost Giants we're trying to enter through the Bifrost, correct?" He says. I nod my head. "Yes." I tell him. "And you were not lying to me?" He asks. I meet his eyes so he sees my sincerity. "Of course." I say, unable to hide my confusion. "Then you must go to the prisons at once! The Frost Giants have escaped." Odin demands.