Winds of Winter ｡ Loki Laufeyson

11 - FROZEN

Everything happened so fast.

One moment, she was standing on the balcony, smiling with pride for herself and wishing more than anything that her mother could see the strength that she had mustered. The next moment, her body was like stone, frozen in its place as she watched the one person who cared about her most ─ aside from her family, of course ─ fell to the ground, his body cold as ice.

They whisked Loki away to the infirmary when Frigga revealed the temperature of his skin. Skadi could barely feel Sif's fingers curl around her wrist as they followed behind, her body too numb and mind trapped in a daze to feel anything but concern and confusion. She didn't know what was happening to Loki, but the winter goddess knew that it had to be her fault. There was no other explanation.

When they arrived in the infirmary, they placed Loki on an examination table and the healers moved around the room in a frenzy to access the young prince and find out what was wrong with him. Odin and Frigga stood close by with Thor, and Skadi stood in the doorway with her father and Sif on either side of her. No one spoke as the healers did their work.

Skadi's heart was racing so fast, so loud, that soon after the healers began their work she could no longer hear them and rather her own heartbeat. The woman's fingers were playing with the hem of her sleeves, eyes bleeding with concern as she stared at Loki. His body was trembling, as though he couldn't get warm, and his pale skin glistened in a cold sweat. His lips were blue and Skadi could have sworn she was saw frost spread over tips of his hair and the ends of his dark eyelashes.

Frigga, growing impatient and more concerned by the minute, stepped away from her husband and son and asked with a wavering voice, "What is happening to my son?"

One of the healers, Nadiya, stepped forward. The woman smoothed a hand down her blue dress and met her queen's gaze. Skadi's heart felt heavy in her chest as she waited for the diagnosis, praying that she wasn't the cause, even if she knew that this had to her fault. "It appears, from the inside out, frost is devouring his body," Nadiya informed.

The queen gasped softly, eyes filling with tears. "Can there be nothing done?"

"I'm afraid not, Your Majesty," Nadiya replied, frowning as she glanced behind her. "In all my years of serving Asgard, I have seen nothing like this before. The infection is spreading far too quickly for us to treat it properly, and to figure out it's origin."

A deep, almost aggravated, sigh came from Odin. The king swiveled on his heel and his intimidating stare fell upon the winter goddess. He knew not of what happened when they first found her, but he knew this was her doing. "I want to know," he demanded. "I want to know what happened when they found you, Skadi."

Skadi swallowed, feeling small beneath his stare.

"Tell me," he urged, growing impatient.

"My King!" Frigga scolded. She looked away from her husband and toward the platinum blonde and frowned in her direction when she saw the state that the goddess was in. Skadi was scared for her friend, and her husband's intimidating stare wasn't helping. "Skadi would never intentionally harm our son, you know this. I'm sure whatever happened when they found her was an accident."

"Skadi," Ullr spoke from his daughter's side, drawing her gaze toward him. "What happened out there?"

The winter goddess swallowed her sobs and wet her lips before speaking. "It's my fault," she whispered, eyes glistening with tears. "I swear on my life, I did not know what I was doing. I─I don't know how to control my powers. And Loki, h─he . . ."

"You are to say that my son did this himself?"

"No, I─"

"My love, please," Frigga tried soothing her husband's growing anger. She knew how upset he was with Skadi for not being able to control her powers, and while she could convince him to show the young goddess mercy for what she did, Frigga could not stop him from becoming worried for their son. Not when there was clear evidence that Skadi had played a hand in whatever was happening to Loki.

Odin, though irritable, remained silent, urging the winter goddess to continue.

"Loki and the others found me in the woods near the caverns, where the boysenberry bushes bloom," Skadi continued, voice wavering with each word as she tried to keep her sobs at bay. "I was picking food when I heard Loki call my name. I was so scared, so I ran away. But they followed me. I didn't know what happened, and I still don't, but when Loki reached out to grab me, this strong wind went right through me and the next thing I knew, he was on the ground. When I went to help him, I noticed that his hair had turned white. Not all, but only one strand. I believe . . . somehow . . . that when I hit him with my power that it must have affected him not only the outside, but on the inside too."

"Gods," Frigga gasped softly, cupping a hand over her mouth as a tear trickled down her cheek. "Skadi, why had you not let us know sooner, dear?"

"I didn't know," Skadi replied quietly. "I am sorry. Truly I am. Please . . . tell me what I can do to help."

"You have done enough, Skadi," Odin all but growls. "Leave . . . now. We will discuss this later, after we figure out how to cure my son."

Skadi tore her gaze from Odin's and looked to Frigga. Her queen was crying, a pained expression on her face, but she seemed to agree with her husband. The woman nodded, a silent gesture that told Skadi it was best she left the room before the tension grew and her husband did something he may later regret. Even though she didn't want to leave Loki's side, Skadi gave her king a nod and turned on her heel. She wandered down the corridors with her eyes on the floor, relying on Sif's guidance.

When they came upon her bed chambers, Sif opened up the door and lead her inside, where they both sat down on the edge of the mattress. It was silent for a while before Skadi spoke.

"It's all my fault."

Sif shook her head. "You can't think like that, Skadi."

"How can I not? You saw what I had done in the woods, Sif. You've heard what the healers have said."

"He will be alright," Sif assured.

"How can you be so sure? The healers know not of what infection he has. I have all but killed him," Skadi sobbed.

Sif wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Hush now, Skadi. I understand that you are feeling guilty and are worried about him, but you must keep faith. Loki is strong. Asgard has the finest healers. He will pull through this."

Skadi didn't reply. It's not that she was unable, she just had nothing else to say. She knew that Sif was only trying to comfort her, but the winter goddess knew the true outcome of this tragedy. There was no point in faith, not anymore. Loki was dying, and she had only herself to blame.

Not much time after Skadi had rested her head against her friend's shoulder and had succumbed to the sobs, there was a knock on the chamber door. Sif called for them to enter as Skadi lifted her head to see who it may be. It was her father and the Horae. The winter goddess felt her heart grow heavy upon viewing their troubled expressions, and she wondered if they came to tell her that Loki was dead.

"Skadi," Ostara began, "we have discussed Loki's condition and it seems there is a way that you can help, after all."

Skadi rose to her feet with furrowed eyebrows, "How?"

"You are a Horae, are you not?" said Iduna

"Yes . . ."

"And as a Horae, is it not in our power to undo what we have done?" said Ostara.

Sif rose from the mattress. "Our history shows no proof of this. How can you even be sure that it will work? What if Skadi only worsens his condition?"

"It is a possibility," Ullr muttered.

"But not one that I chose to believe," Ostara said. "We all bore witness to the restoration of our home. Who is to say that Skadi can not also restore Loki to his former condition?"

"Ostara is right," Emblr spoke up. She stepped forward and took Skadi's hands in her own, giving them an encouraging squeeze. "We all have faith in you, Skadi. Do what you were born to do. Be a Horae. Be the Winter Goddess that you are and save his life."

　

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a/n: So, yeah. It's Skadi's fault. But that was pretty obvious considering what happened in the woods and all. Thoughts on the chapter? Any predictions for what is to come?