Astraea and Loki entered the guards' room casually, their disguises impeccable. They listened intently to the hushed conversations, but none of them led to any clues.
"This is pointless," Astraea whispered, her faith in finding answers waning.
Loki gave her a sly smirk. "You're not asking the right questions, my dear." In an instant, he turned to a group of guards seated at a table and began weaving his words. The men were soon spilling their most private information.
"Lord Odin has no idea who was behind the attack, and to us, he seems like he's not even worried about finding out either," one guard confessed.
"Yeah, it's almost as if he doesn't care as long as that pretty little god marries his son," another guard said, oblivious to the fact that the "pretty little god" was standing right in front of them.
Astraea's cheeks burned with anger, and she knew it was time to leave before she lost control. Sensing her rage, Loki turned to her, the only one who could see her true form, and gestured toward the door, informing the guards that the two of them would be heading out on rounds now.
Once on the other side, in the blink of an eye, Loki's magic had disappeared, and the two were back to normal. Astraea felt the entire room shrink before her eyes, and the only thing holding her upright was the brick wall against her back. Loki appeared in front of her, his eyes searching the young girl.
"Astraea, we cannot be seen down here. Pull yourself together," he commanded.
"He doesn't care," she replied, tears streaming down her face. "He doesn't care at all."
"We do not have time for this!" Loki looked down the hall, shadows of guards approaching. "If you do not come with me at once, I will leave you here." But it was almost as if she was in some sort of shocked state; every word he was saying was just going in one ear and out the other.
Loki sucked in a deep breath and, in one swift movement, he was carrying the young princess, cradling her against his chest.
As they began to move, the guards spotted them and immediately gave chase. Loki's heart raced as he ran down the winding corridors, his mind calculating the quickest route to safety. The guards were closing in, their heavy footsteps echoing off the walls.
Astraea clung to Loki, her tears now subsiding as the adrenaline of the chase coursed through her veins. She whispered in his ear, "There's a secret passage behind the tapestry in the library. It leads to the gardens."
Without hesitation, Loki veered left and sprinted towards the library. He could hear the guards shouting behind them, but he didn't dare look back. Reaching the library, he spotted the tapestry and, with a burst of strength, tore it from the wall. Behind it was a small, dark passage.
Loki ducked inside, pulling the tapestry back into place just as the guards burst into the library. He and Astraea held their breath, listening to the guards' frantic search. They waited, motionless, until the guards finally left the room.
Slowly, they made their way through the narrow passage, the darkness pressing in around them. Finally, they emerged into the moonlit gardens, the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers enveloping them.
Loki set Astraea down gently, and she looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude and something more. They stood there for a moment, their hearts beating as one