Heart of a Mortal (Loki Romance)

Chapter 33

"Ebony-" Thor warned.

I held up a hand. "No, no! I don't care about his highness, I will not be treated like that. My name is Ebony Gray. I am here to represent your son in court and to set some matters straight. I'm here at the request of Prince Thor. I'm no one's pet and I'm sure as hell not bowing to a king that cannot tell the difference between a person and an animal. Somehow I'm beginning to see why your youngest jumped off this bridge."

Odin's eye had narrowed to a thin slit and his mouth was pressed tight by the time I finished. He looked at Thor. "I suggest you teach her respect and control before you bring her before my court." He snapped the reins and rode around us and towards a towering golden building in the distance. Thor sighed heavily

"I suggest you get off your high horse!" I called after him.

Thor and Loki glared at me. "That was not wise." Thor murmured.

I shrugged. "Never said I was wise. Your dad's a real dick. Have a feeling I'm gonna slap a lot of people before I'm done here."

Loki turned away, his shoulders shaking. With another sigh, Thor turned to the two horses left with us. "Let us go. We must get settled and Mother will want to meet you before we can prepare."

I rode behind Loki, letting him control the reins. I kept my arms around him, holding him up while trying to look like I was the one holding on. I looked across at Thor. "So how will this work?"

He looked straight ahead but tilted his head to direct his voice. "I will see to it that you are settled in Loki's chambers but he will be taken to a cell. Frigga will want to see you both. In the morning, we will begin forming our argument and the day after, we will have the trial."

I frowned. "We only get a day?"

Thor looked at me now. "Loki is a hated war criminal. The court will want this done with as soon as possible. You may consider it for his protection. The longer he sits in wait for his sentence, the more likely the other prisoners will enact their own punishment. I will do all I can to help you, Lady Gray. But I will remain on the side of the court during the trial. The Royal Court may give opinions and arguments and ask questions. From there, I may try to sway some of them. But Odin will have the final say. It is him you must sway. It would be wise to show respect. He is not easily swayed on a good day but you have not left a good impression on him."

We stopped at the steps of the palace. Odin waited with a small crowd around him. A woman in a light grey cloak came running down the steps as soon as Loki was on his feet. He swayed heavily when she bowled into him. Her arms went around him and she buried her face in his chest. I waited to the side, wondering who this was. Thor went to greet his friends and speak to a tall woman in a flowing gold dress, with a kind smile and concerned eyes. I could only assume she was Frigga by the way she fussed over him. He smiled and let her before tugging her into a hug.

I turned back to Loki and had to stop myself from startling when I saw the young woman's face. Half of it was a dull grey, almost eaten away as though by disease. I could faintly see the bones near her ear and cheekbones. Her eye was glazed white but the other was a deep black and shining with tears.

Loki turned her towards me and she crept closer, hiding her face in the deep cowl of her cloak. I smiled and held a hand out. "Ebony."

She curtsied quickly with a muttered "Hel" before hurrying back to Loki's side. Frigga came down the steps then. She pressed a gentle hand to Hel's arm but her eyes were focused on Loki. He kept his eyes averted, his bound hands clenched into bloodless fists. She wasn't deterred. She cupped Loki's cheek and turned him to face her. He stared over her shoulder.

"Loki." She murmured. He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. "Won't you look at me?" He looked at her finally and I breathed a small sigh of relief that I was not the only one now who saw the tears in his eyes. He may not want to be back in Asgard but his family was here and it was only here that he could truly start over. But he pulled away from her and walked to the guards standing on the steps. Odin gestured for them to move and they immediately grabbed Loki on either arm. They took him away, inside the palace and to what I could only assume was a cell.

Frigga sighed and turned to me. She smiled sadly. "And you must be the dear woman who has taken care of my son all this time. Heimdall tells me much about you." She took my hands in hers and pulled me to walk with her.

"He does? Wait, how?"

She waved it away. "Heimdall sees much. Odin cared little and so I asked him to report to me. He tells me that Loki was well in your care. That he was happy." She looked earnestly at me and squeezed my hand.

I nodded. "He was. We were good together."

"And did he hurt you when this began?"

"Um..."

"You must tell me, my dear. Please, I will be your ally in all respects but only if you can bring yourself to trust me. I only want to help you both."

After what seemed like an impossibly long week, I felt like someone had lifted a weight off my shoulders. I hadn't expected such kindness here and was infinitely grateful that I would have Frigga by my side. I smiled and nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now, did he hurt you?"

"Yeah but... Well it's a long story."

She hummed. "And I'm sure you are hungry and tired. Come, I will take you to Loki's chambers. I will have food brought to you." She made quick work of getting me settled and fed. A servant drew me a bath and found me a dress that was casual enough for me to reluctantly accept and yet still in the style of Asgard. Dressed, relaxed and comfortable, Frigga sat me down in the sitting room in Loki's chambers. I told her everything, from the moment I found Loki to the moment I decided to come here with him. I felt like I had told this story so many times now that I didn't even feel any tears threatening. But she still held me tight when I was finished.

"Sweetheart, I cannot thank you enough. To go through all this all alone. I can't imagine the pain in your heart."

"But you did this alone."

She pulled back and smiled sadly at me. "I'm his mother. When Odin brought him home, I accepted him as my son and made that promise to love him no matter what. But you made no such vow and have no such obligation. To stand by him in all that, to come to a planet you cannot leave... You're very brave." I felt my face get really red and I just looked away. There was nothing I could say. "But you will have to be braver still. The worst is not over. It will be harder for you here. And to start, you'll have to face my husband." She laughed softly.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. Is he always like that?"

She waved him away and shrugged. "You'll have to forgive him. He is hard on himself and his loved ones and wary of change. But if you are brave enough to speak to him as you have, in time, he may come to respect you. After all, I've never hesitated to tell him exactly what I think. Why do you think he married me?" She grinned. Standing, she patted my arm. "But now you need your rest. I will come in the morning and we will see what we can do to form a reasonable argument for Loki's defense. Rest now."

I grinned and stood to close the door behind her. "Thank you um... Your Majesty."

She laughed. "Frigga, my dear. You've left your mother and allied yourself with my son. As far as I am concerned, you are my daughter-in-law now." She walked away.