Enola stood along side their father, with the rest of the warriors. They all sat around a large, burning fire discussing Thor's banishment- The usual glee far, far away.
Volstagg lifted his head, looking to the saddened warriors around him.
"We should have never let him go."
Lady Sif lifted her head, never looking away from the fire infront of her.
"There was no stopping him."
"At least he's only banished, not dead. Which is what we would be if that gaurd hadn't told Odin where we'd gone."
Fandral looked to Enola, who seemed to be mezmerized by the flames before them. At his words Loki's head fell, and he gazed at his hands- Flashes of the battle hours before replaying over and over in his mind.
A small silence filled the room, before Volstagg looked up from his, now empty, tankard.
"How did the gaurd even know?"
Loki looked to the group, as Enola slowly clenched their fists.
'So that's why he was talking to the gaurd..'
"I told him."
Everyone looked to Loki, confusion lacing their features. Fandral looked between the father and child, before resting his gaze upon Loki.
"What?"
"I told him to go to Odin after we had left-"
"YOU told the gaurd?!"
Loki then turned his full attention to the group, fidgeting with his hands.
"I saved our lives, and Thors. I had no idea father would banish him for what he did."
Enola looked to fandral, who could only give a confused, worried glance back. Their gaze quickly found the floor again, their hands shaking, as questions continued to fly in and out of their mind.
They looked to their hands as their father had mere seconds ago, a familiar coldness beginning to fill them once again. The same coldness they felt the entirety of their time on Jotunheim.
Enola was snapped from their thoughts, as their father quickly began to walk away. She looked between the group, and attempted to follow him, before a hand fell a top their shoulder.
Enola quickly turned, and was met face to face with a, shirtless, Fandral. He looked down at Enola with a soft gaze, before speaking in a hushed tone.
"Enola, are you okay? Ever since we returned, you've been acting.. Odd."
Enola once again looked to their hands, before giving Fandral a convincing smile.
"I'm fine. Just a bit tired."
Enola pulled away from Fandrals grasp, and followed their father. Though he was far ahead of Enola, she already knew where he was heading.
Enola cast a spell, hiding themself in plain sight, as they followed their fathers tracks, until they found themself at the stairs of Odins vault. With a deep breath, they looked inside, and found their father slowly walking up to the casket. His hands shook at his sides, before they slowly lifted to grab the relic. Enola's eyes widened as they starred at their father, the old man beside of her going completely unoticed, until his voice echoed throughout the hall.
Enola covered their mouth, preventing any noise from coming out, as they quickly became thankful for their magic. Their eyes never left their father, as he began to speak.
"Am I cursed?"
"No."
A defening silence filled the air, as Loki gently sat down the casket. His back still faced Odin, whos breath dared to hitch in his throat.
"What am I?"
"You are my son."
As Loki turned to face his father, Enola's breathing ceased. Their hand tightened around their mouth as small tears brimmed in their eyes.
He was a frost giant. All along, Loki had been a frost giant.
Enola gazed upon the icy skin of her father, silencing the sobs with threatened to echo throughout the halls.
"What more than that?"
At the sight of their fathers pale, blue skin, a familiar cold crept from inside of Enola once more. The same cold they had felt just moments before- The same cold they felt on Jotunheim.
As the cold continued to spread, Enola looked to their father who now moved towards Odin in slow, dangerous steps. Once their father stood still they closed their eyes, to scared that they may see the same blue on their own skin. The cold they felt would surely kill any common human, but to Enola it was only enough to put slight goosebumps across their arms.
"TELL ME!"
The sound of their fathers shouts caused Enola to jump. As their eyes opened, they managed to catch a glimpse of their hand and, yet again, froze in place.
Enola sunk to the ground as she brought the limb to her face. It was tainted with blue. The markings of a frost giant intricately ran down their cold arms, the sight making their breath hitch.
"Because I- I am the monster who parents tell their children about at night?!"
As Loki's screams continued, Enola could only close their eyes, cover their ears, and gently rock in place, attempting to drown out the noises which soon became too much.
It all began to piece together. Why they never truly fit in with the other children, why Thor never found himself in his nieces presence for long periods of time, why Odin looked to his only grandchild with nothing but pure disgust- Why they were treated as an outcast.
Soon, the shouting stopped and gaurds exited the room the king was in, carrying him in their arms. Enola stayed silent, fear consuming every fiber of her being. Another set of footsteps filled the air, before stopping in their tracks. Enola opened their eyes, and looked up to see the frightened face of their father, starring straight through the illusion his child created.
He slowly bent down, worried to frighten his child, before softening his gaze.
"..Enola?"
"..Yes?"
A small smile perked at Loki's lips, as he continued to speak to his, still invisible, child.
"C-Can you please remove this illusion, my little mage?"
Enola's heartrate was now going faster than it ever had, she swore you could hear its continuous drumming throughout the castle halls. Still, they did as their father asked, and revealed themself, along with the pale, blueness of their skin.
Loki only reacted to Enola's state, not their skin. He looked to his childs tears stained cheeks and shaking form, and allowed a saddened gasp to fall from his lips. Tears brimmed in his eyes once again, as he held out a hand for Enola.
"A-Am I a monster.."
Without hesitation, Loki began shaking his head as he gently pulled Enola into his chest, rubbing comforting circles into their back as he spoke.
"Enola, I want you to listen to me very carefully. You. Are. Not. A. Monster. No matter what, you will never be a monster-"
"But you said- Our.. Our blood's tainted-"
Loki gently pulled away to look into his childs, still red, eyes. He rested a hand upon her wet, icy cheek, and gave a sincere smile.
"Don't listen to anything I said before, none of that applies to you."
Loki took his childs icy hand in his own, his eyes never leaving theirs as he held it in front of their eyes.
"Yes, you have frost giant blood, but the blood that also runs through these veins in your mothers. You'd never think of her blood as tainted, would you?"
Enola sighed, as they squeezed their fathers hand in their own, eyes suddenly glued to the floor.
"..No.."
Loki sighed, as he starred into the red of Enola's eyes.
"You are not, and will never be, a monster. You don't have an evil bone in your body, do you understand darling?"
Slowly the blue of Enola's skin began to fade, as she slowly nodded. They once again rested their head in their fathers chest, as he continued to rub comforting circles into their back, kissing the top of their head in the process.
"No matter what happens, I will always love you, Enola. No matter what happens, you are mine to me."
Enola held their father close, finding solace in the gentle rhythm of his heart. She closed her eyes as both of their breathing slowly began to steady, and the shaking of her body began to subside. Loki smiled to himself, hoping that he kept away his childs pain, even if only temporarily.
He squeezed Enola tightly to his chest, as though they would turn to nothing if his hold was only slightly looser. He rested his chin atop their head, as smile never ceasing.
'No being, Asgardian, Jotun, or any other will ever harm you, my princess.'