Hardest of Hearts (Thor/Avengers: Loki/OC )

Chapter 20

Loki watched the rise and fall of Althea's chest, completely normal even breaths. And yet she did not awaken from her sleep, even a month since he'd returned her to Asgard. The healers could not give him a straight answer, when he asked why she did not wake up. All they said was she seemed to be healing herself, recuperating her body. And Loki knew it was true, as he watched the colour return to her skin, now healthy looking instead of that sickly pale. And the weight returned as well, her cheeks no longer being sunken in. Even her hair returned to its normal shine.

Apparently she'd broken her fingers, which had not settled properly and the only way for them to be set straight again was for them to be re-broken. Loki had held her other hand refusing to leave her side, flinching at every snap he heard. But Althea never uttered a sound. Maybe he'd been expecting some sort of response from her as she felt the pain, maybe that was why he felt so disappointed when she didn't.

He tried every day, to connect with her, to enter her mind, but every time all that he found was emptiness, an endless void of nothing. He'd thought after killing Eirik, after he'd returned her to Asgard and brought her to the healing halls that everything would be alright again. It seemed he was very wrong. And that hurt him.

"Loki?" A voice called out, and he turned, seeing a very somber looking Sif standing in the entry way to Althea rooms. He nodded in greeting, and she walked inside, looking down at Althea, "No change?" She asked conversationally.

"No," Loki replied, looking back down at Althea and their joined hands.

"I hoped…especially for today," Sif trailed off, shaking her head, "Maybe you'll come?" She asked him, "I know she would want to be there, but as she…can't, you're the closest to her…" She trailed off again.

Loki shook his head, "I have no place there…" He told her.

Sif nodded, "Very well, I will come see her…after it's over. The healers say speaking with-"

"-I know what they say!" Loki said to her annoyed, he'd heard the same thing over and over, that if people kept speaking with her, then maybe she would awaken, but still, there was nothing. And yet, when they were alone, Loki did talk to her.

Sif glared at him, obviously not appreciating his tone, then shook her head, "Farewell," She told him, giving Althea another look, her gaze softening, before she left the room.

Standing at the front, beside Thor, Sif wondered how it could have come to this, and she wondered why she didn't blame anyone. But then she also realized blaming others would accomplish nothing. And besides, hadn't there been enough hurt and devastation already? Thor's large hand took hers, squeezing it gently and she schooled her face so she didn't blush. It helped that she also knew this was not the place for it. At her fathers funeral, where the mood was only sad.

The boat her father lay, was a beautiful creation for a warrior such as him. And he was dressed in his finest armour, his sword resting atop him, with his hands grasping the hilt. Traditionally, the funeral would have been held the second his body was returned. But Sif had wanted to wait, for Althea to awaken and be there for it. They could only keep her father for so long though, and a month was pushing it. It was also unfair to him, Sif knew, by denying him the right of a funeral his soul could not travel to Valhalla, where she hoped he would reunite with her mother and brother.

As the boat was set adrift, Sif let the tears fall down her face. She knew she didn't need to put up the warriors front here. No one would judge her for crying at her own fathers funeral. If anyone was to blame, it was Fenrir himself for even starting the whole mess with Eirik, causing Althea to go and get married to Loki. And yet, she couldn't really blame her father at all. It was just a collection of bad decisions and terrible fate and luck that led to his death. Sif had made peace with his death after a time of contemplation, one she knew would not be soo easily accomplished for Althea when she woke.