I looked at my husband as we walked hand in hand through the ruins of Jotunnheim.
My husband.
I still couldn't believe that the brilliant, beautiful, tall and graceful god that was walking by my side was now my husband!
I just couldn't stop smiling at the thought.
Loki however, was scowling, his mind seemingly miles away.
"Will we go home, my love?" I gave his hand a gentle squeeze to get his attention.
Loki looked down at me and smiled.
"As much as I would love to, and believe me I have plans, I'm afraid it would be a bad idea at this moment.
The Templars are now fully aware we don't have the support of Asgard behind us, and you just killed a substantial amount of your fellow agents. They will come for us. Where is Jessie right now?"
"She is staying with Richard and Anita," I remembered with relief.
"That is probably for the better," Loki nodded. "Let us pay a visit to Temple Hall first and remind them who they are dealing with.
Besides, they have something that belongs to us, to our people. It is about time we had it returned to us."
We made our way through the portal back to Midgard. Loki stopped to change into the black leather armour he had acquired in Jotunnhold.
With everything that had happened, I hadn't had a chance to take a good look at it.
The supple black leather fitted Loki perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders, narrow waist and long legs. Silver metal, the same as my necklace, decorated the long fingerless gloves and the thigh-high boots he was wearing.
A long black cape lined with shimmering cerulean fabric was draped off the black and silver pauldrons of his armour and a thick silver-grey fur mantle was arranged over it around his shoulders and his back.
A circlet made of the same silvery material crowned his brow, the Friezegem slotted in the centre between spiralling silvery horns.
Loki held his arms out wide and twirled around for me: "Tada!"
For a moment I was speechless. He was breathtakingly beautiful, in every single meaning of the word.
"Is it to your liking?" he asked giving me a small bow and a smile.
"It's beautiful. You are beautiful."
Suddenly I realised why the armour was so important to him: "The Friezegem belongs on the circlet! This is your father's armour!"
"It is indeed!" Loki grinned and winked. "It is rather fetching, isn't it?"
"I'd say... I love those boots!" I sighed happily.
Loki stuck out a long leg encased in black leather.
"These you mean?" he asked teasingly.
"Oh yes!" I admitted, eyeing his leg appreciatively.
"Wish I would have known earlier you were into those, I would have bought a pair for in the bedroom a long time ago!"
Loki laughed as he watched me turn a bright crimson. I could still be a bit shy about that part of our lives.
"You truly are adorable!
Darling, never change, I love it when you blush like that!" his eyes twinkled as he shook his head.
Loki put his arms around my shoulders. "Come along my dear, let us go and have a little bit of fun with your fellow Templars, shall we?"
Hidden by Loki's magic we traversed Agartha and made our way through Ealdwic. Loki stopped walking before we got to Temple Hall and put his hands upon my shoulders, eyeing me intently.
"This time a little "Carmina Burana" and a few illusions won't do the trick I'm afraid. This is bound to get rather unpleasant. You might be forced to burn more than a few bridges if we go through with this.
We can still turn back, take Jessie and start a new life elsewhere."
I thought for a moment. I knew this would get nasty, I knew that I might be forced to take more lives. I knew this was likely to end my career as a Templar.
"They came for me.
They came for you.
They shot me with Filth, they shot at you with a rocket launcher.
This was never our choice. This was theirs. I never wanted this, but here we are," I answered. "Let's show them what happens when you pick a fight with the Laufeysons!"
"The Laufeysons?" Loki raised an eyebrow. "That.... is not quite how it works."
"Maybe not amongst your people, but you've been here long enough to know it isn't uncommon amongst mine. I've borne the last name of a man who hurt me and mistreated me long enough. Let me take the name of the man I love instead," I replied.
Loki blinked and his eyes softened.
"Ah, of course. If that is your wish, who am I to deny you?"
Loki's eyes glowed green.
"Let's show them what happens when you pick a fight with the Laufeysons!" he agreed with a devilish grin.
The moment Loki lifted his spell the guards raised their weapons at us. Blasts of telekinesis and freezing winds threw them across the courtyard like ragdolls before they could pull the trigger.
Loki eyed me with a wicked smile and I grinned back. Side by side we made our way up the steps of Temple Hall, quickly disposing of any agent that dared to stand in our way.
"My name is Loki, son of Laufey, Prince Consort to the Goddess Queen of Jotunnheim, General of her Armies, Prince of Asgard, god of Mischief, and I am here to reclaim what is rightfully ours.
Please stand down or face our wrath!"
More agents came running into the main hall, weapons raised.
"And here I was, being polite," Loki shook his head with mock sadness as his eyes twinkled with glee into mine for a second. He was having fun!
I fought by his side, but it was harder for me. I recognised some of these agents, people I'd see time after time as I visited Temple Hall, people who frequented the same pub as we did.
These weren't strangers.
I was worried I'd have to face friends like Matt and Calinda, people I cared about.
Luckily, it was late at night and the building was largely empty, and most people we fought I knew only by face, not by name.
"Any idea where we can find the staff?" I asked Loki as I healed a gash above his eyes. Whatever they were shooting us with, it was capable of hurting us. At least it wasn't Filth.
"I'd hoped to face someone willing to talk to us. But we've made our point by now, and none of the usual suspects are here to negotiate with." Loki admitted. "Let's ask nicely, shall we?"
Using his telekinetic power he pulled an agent that was slouched against the wall towards him. He held the agent up with one hand, feet dangling above the floor, Loki's dagger against his throat.
Hello..." Loki purred. "We can do this the easy way, or the even easier way. Truly, neither way is of any particular effort to me. It might be a bit harder on you though."
I shook my head at him, but Loki ignored me.
"Be a kind fellow and show us where the staff is kept, will you, please?"
The agent gave the smallest of nods.
"Don't you always say I'd be surprised at how willing people are to be helpful if I'd just ask politely, darling?
I do listen to you, you know," Loki said with a cheeky grin as he prodded the agent in the back with his dagger to make him walk faster.
I bit back a smile. This was not quite what I had in mind when I had said that.
We weren't meeting much resistance as we walked through the halls, most of the night guards had come running to attack us the moment we had entered the building.
"You need a special key to enter," the agent looked at me instead of Loki, his eyes pleading. "I don't have it, I really don't have it!"
I looked at Loki, who shrugged. Loki's eyes glowed green as he placed his hand against the side of the agent's temple, lighting the man's eyes up with green too as he gasped at Loki's magic invading his thoughts.
After a moment Loki nodded, and with a quick move snapped the agent's neck and tossed him aside.
"Loki!"
"He would have betrayed us the moment we turned our backs." Loki shrugged. "He didn't lie, he doesn't have the keys, nor did he know who did."
Loki shuddered. "I hate looking into other people's minds, I always get more information than I asked for. And now I have an inexplicable craving for fish tacos. I don't even like fish tacos!"
I rolled my eyes at him and took a look at the thick fortified door before us.
"I don't need a key," I grinned smugly. "Stand back!"
I used the same trick I had used before: great heat followed by freezing cold.
"May I?" Loki asked as he blasted open the door with a wave of pure magic. Suddenly new alarms went off throughout the building.
"Ladies first!"
I walked into the room. There were multiple artefacts on display in glass encasings. Loki whistled as he looked around. "Odin himself would be envious at this collection..."
"We're only here for the staff," I reminded him.
In the middle of the room stood a casket made of lead. We both hesitated as we walked near it.
"We don't have time to dawdle, unless you wish to fight the rest of the Templars as well. Reinforcements will be quick to arrive anon," Loki reminded me.
I slowly opened the lid of the casket. Inside lay Laufey's Staff. I hesitated again. The last time I picked it up it nearly cost me my life.
The clattering of boots stomping rapidly towards us could be heard from the hallway. More agents were incoming.
I looked at Loki, who nervously licked his lips. He looked as scared as I felt.
"I don't want to fight more agents, we made our point," I decided as I picked up the staff.
Neither of us dared to breathe.
Nothing happened. There was no sensation of poison flowing through my body. The curse had lifted.
Loki sighed in relief. "Time to get out of here," he decided.
We looked around. The only exit was the way we came, where more Templars were rapidly approaching.
Loki looked up. The ceiling was made of glass and lead.
"You think you can fly again?" he asked.
"I'm not sure..." I said.
"Only one way to find out," Loki grinned as he blasted the glass ceiling to pieces. I activated the necklace, gathered my anima while growing Jotunnsized, and picked Loki up with one arm.
"Feels a bit undignified," Loki muttered as I lifted him up, "don't even think of throwing me!"
I snort-laughed at the movie reference, almost losing my concentration.
"Now would be a good time!" Loki barked as a platoon of agents came running into the room.
I slowly rose into the air, floating higher and higher by the force of my anima and the sheer power of my will. I saw how they readied their weapons as we barely cleared the ceiling.
"Hold your fire!" the voice of Dame Julia Beatrix Tyburn could be clearly heard from up where we were. "They have what they came for, what was theirs in the first place. Let them go! There's no need to escalate this any further."
I landed on the pavement outside Temple Hall and shifted back into my own form. Loki cast a cloak to hide us in plain sight and took my hand, both of us laughing as we ran toward Agartha.
"I think we made our point," Loki cackled.
We were high on the moment, high on our power, high on our success. High on our love for each other. We were together, the two of us, powerful nearly immortal beings. It felt like nothing would ever be able to stand in our path again.
I stopped and pulled Loki towards me, my hands caressing the supple leather that covered his back. Our lips met hungrily, as his hands slid under my sweater. I was lost in his touch, in his kiss, in the feel of his hands on my bare skin, the feel of leather underneath mine.
I gasped for breath.
"Do you think it is safe to go home now?" I whispered breathlessly.
"It had better be," Loki's breathing was as rapid as mine, his eyes dark with desire. He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply, a shuddering breath to regain his composure.
"I've heard some wonderful rumours about what is supposed to happen during one's wedding night," he suddenly grinned roguishly. "I think it's about time we make ours one to remember!"