Loki walked with purpose, leading Althea down a myriad of halls and corridors. A few more turns and they were in the armory.
"What is this?"
"I want to see you in your natural habitat." He smirked.
She raised an eyebrow.
"You're going to train with me today." He explained.
Her heart nearly lept out of her chest. He laughed to himself, seeming to observe her excitement. She tried to keep her cool. She hadn't held a weapon in months.
"Are you sure? I'm a bit rusty. I doubt I'd be a worthy opponent." She flushed.
"Nonesense." He laughed.
Her ears began to warm from the thought of embarrassing herself.
"I haven't worked with a sword in months. I want to clean up my act on that front. We can re-learn things together." He gave her a reassuring smile and put a hand on her shoulder.
She shrugged.
"Go find yourself some gear." He pointed her to the section of the armory with gear fitted for women."I'll meet you back here."
He walked to a different section of the armory and disappeared. She exhaled. She was nervous, but goodness was she relieved to get out of a dress for the first time in months.
She pulled on a pair of pants and pulled a tight fitting shirt over her head. She laced up the leather knee and shin protection easily. Her chest plate wasn't terrible to work with, but the arm guards were rather difficult. After a few attempts she gave up.
It didn't take her long to get used to the weight of armor again. Though it was very minor armor.
Loki was leaned against a pillar wearing similar gear to her own. He stared off into space.
"Could you help me lace up my arm guards?" She asked.
He seemed to awaken from a trance in response to her words. His eyes caught her for a moment, then trailed over her body. Her cheeks warmed. The servant's dresses were far from figure hugging. The battle armor left a bit less to the imagination, which starkly contrasted her daily wear.
"Of course." He responded.
She offered her wrists.
"How do you feel?" He raised his eyebrows.
She took a moment to ponder the question.
"Good."
There was a certain comfort she felt in gearing up for battle. A bit of a contradiction, but it was all she really knew.
He smiled, finishing the lacing on her arm guards.
He lead her out to the training court and went to retrieve their swords.
When the hilt was firm in her grasp she felt a sense of completeness. Like she had been missing a piece of her this whole time. She savored the moment, then took her stance.
"Are you ready?" He smirked.
She gave him a playful smile.
"Are you?"
He laughed going for the first swing. Her blade met his with a clang.
"Did you think this would be easy?" She used her body weight to push him back.
"No." He breathed.
He took another strike, aiming for her head. She ducked under it, taking the chance to swing at his knees. Her blade made a mark in his shin guards.
"Are you trying to harm me" He challenged her.
"Minorly." A smile pressed on her lips.
She swung her weapon towards his chest plate, he used his blade as a barrier. She glanced at her surroundings and forced him towards the back of a tree. He pushed back nearly knocking her over.
In her moment of recovery she saw him rushing towards her, but not just him. He began splitting into two, then splitting again, then more until she was surrounded by... Him. She didn't have time to think. All she could do was pick one and see what would happen. She charged foward at him... One of him, and ran into thin air. The copy dispersed. She tried swinging her sword at as many of him as she could. Laughter erupted around her.
"I never agreed to a duel with magic." She dragged her sword through another copy.
"No one ever does in real combat." One said from the side.
She charged at him, her sword only reaching air as he disappeared. She looked around, evaluating each one. Her sword was held in front of her in case of any attack. She first made eye contact, then looked him up and down in case of any subtle differences.
"Enjoying the view." His breath was on her ear.
Before she could react, he had her in a hold with his blade just barely grazing her throat.
She glared at him. He smirked in return.
"Drop it." He eyed her sword.
She took in a breath, observing her surroundings, anything she could use to escape. She felt something clasped to his belt, digging into her hip. She glanced down seeing he made a fatal mistake in his footing.
"Will you relinquish your trickery?" She raised an eyebrow.
He rolled his eyes.
"As you wish."
The copies surrounding her began disappearing one by one. She dropped her sword, grabbing the knife clipped to his belt and kicked his caff foward. He fell backwards and she turned to face him. His sword falling out of his hand in surprise. She met him on the ground, holding the knife to his throat.
"You really know how to sweep a man off his feet." He laughed.
The comment caused her cheeks to warm, but she glared at him in response.
"That's cute." She said sarcastically.
He laughed again. She rolled her eyes in response. Using this moment, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her off him. She growled as he pinned her arms above her head, the knife still tight in her hand.
"I'm aware." He grinned.
"Have you accepted defeat." She asked.
He raised an eyebrow.
"I hate to break it to you, but you're the one on the ground, dear." He squeezed her wrists to remind her.
"I'm aware." She smirked.
He narrowed his eyes. She bit her lip and dropped the knife in her hands with a loud clang. Louder than it needed to be. Her gaze drew to his lips. His eyes glowed with curiosity and his grip instinctively loosened from her wrists. She had only a moment.
She used all the strength she could muster to push against him, but he figured out her plan too quickly and once again tightened his grip, now using more strength to keep her down. His eyes met hers.
A smirk curled from his lips. She glared at him.
"Are you ready to admit defeat, dear?"
She rolled her eyes and relaxed her body against the ground. She held his eyes as if to challenge him. She tried to think of a way to get past him. A way to beat him. She attempted to trick him once. Surely he would be aware if she tried it again. Though she considered going a bit further this time. No... No she wouldn't. She wasn't going to do that. Maybe it was better to admit defeat. His eyes drew to her lips. She didn't realize she'd been biting them. He smirked. His grip on her wrists tightening. He was so close to her. Maybe closer than he'd ever been. Without reason this time, her eyes drew to his lips, then back to his gaze.
He started to lean in.
"So what will it be, Althea?" His voice was a low whisper.
He was so close, his lips nearly brushed against hers.
"Defeat or..." His eyes drew to her lips again.
She took a moment to ponder this, her stubbornness overcame her better judgement.
"Does the alternative mean I win?" She raised an eyebrow.
He smiled.
"You tell me." He leaned in.
Her eyes widened. She raised her chin, his lips barely brushing against hers before meeting her jaw.
"Defeat." She breathed.
He let go of her wrist and and fell beside her. His black locks went everywhere. She heard him let out a heavy sigh.
"I guess we both lost."
She bit her lip and turned to him. "Thank you."
His eyes met hers.
"I needed this." She sighed.
He nodded.
She propped herself on her elbows, then pushed off the ground. Loki stared blankly at the sky.
She held her hand out to him. His gaze shifted from her hand to her eyes.
"What's this?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Would you grant me the honor of another round, God of mischief?" She gave him a smile.
He rolled his eyes with a smile and took her hand. He pulled her close once he was on his feet. Maybe too close, but in that moment she didn't mind.
"If you insist." A smirk curled from his lips.