ANNA WATCHES as the boat bearing Frigga's body makes its way across the water. Her body is surrounded by flowers, a testament to her love for the palace's beautiful gardens, and she is adorned with a stunning battle dress and armed with her sword. A thin veil covers her face, and - for a moment - Anna can't help but think that the queen looks as if she is only sleeping.
A single lantern hangs from the front of the boat, and her eyes follow its light until it is little more than a speck on the water. It's heart-wrenching, knowing that the woman who welcomed her into Asgard with open arms - the only one who truly supported her relationship with Loki, is now gone.
Oh god, Loki. More tears pour down her cheeks at the thought of him. Biting her lip, Anna tries to stem the flow without success. Her heart aches for him, to comfort him in this time of loss, because she knows that what she feels right now is nothing but a grain of sand compared to the hurt Loki must feel at the loss of his mother. She wants to be angry with him. She wants to hold him accountable for the bruises on her arms, for his hateful words toward Odin...but she can't. Despite his flaws, she loves him unconditionally. His tough exterior is merely a shell, one that she's seen crack before and that she's determined to shatter again.
Taking a deep breath, she watches as Odin gives an imperceptible signal to an archer. Lighting an arrow, the soldier lifts it to the sky and sends it directly to Frigga's boat. The arrow flies true, and the funeral pyre bursts into flames while the entirety of Asgard says goodbye to their beloved queen.
Countless arrows follow, all of them marking the bodies of those who fell during Malekith's attack on Asgard, and Anna watches in awe as the Asgardians send their love ones to Valhalla to be welcomed as celebrated warriors.
Odin stamps his staff firmly against the ground, and - just as Frigga's funeral pyre slips over the edge - she is stunned to see a shimmering essence of white light float into the night sky while the boat falls into the void.
All around her, Asgardians lift glowing white orbs and release them into the sky in honor of those who have departed, and another wave of guilt hits Anna like a truck slamming into her heart.
These people are saying goodbye, getting closure, and Loki is still sitting in the dungeon. Alone.
Looking to her right, she sees Thor standing with Jane - their hands tightly wound together - and she can't believe that he couldn't have convinced Odin to release Loki for Frigga's funeral. Anna wipes away her tears, clenching her fists tightly, and moves over toward the god of thunder.
"Thor," she says in a low voice. "Have you spoken to Loki?"
He shakes his head, blue eyes filled with sadness. Little has been said since they discovered Malekith and his monster murdering Frigga, and she can understand his anguish. Still, it doesn't sit right that Loki is left alone. While mourners continue to stare at the sky, lingering in the large crowd, Anna turns away.
"I'm going to see him," she tells Thor firmly.
Grabbing her hand, he pulls her back, "I would not advise doing so."
"What?" She asks incredulously. "Why not? He shouldn't be alone."
"Because...Loki...." Thor hesitates, "...he does not know."
Anna gasps, a wave of emotions sweeping through her and filling her with sadness, anger, and remorse. Staring at Thor in disbelief, she tugs at his grip on her wrist, but he holds her firmly in place. Everything in her, every fiber in her being, is shouting for her to run to Loki. She can't stand to be here another minute.
"How could you?" Anna hisses, "How could you not tell him? He deserves to know. He deserves to have been here to say goodbye. He--"
"Loki deserves nothing, not even the prison cell he has been granted," Odin's voice causes her to turn. Facing the Allfather, she glares at him while he continues, "Frigga did nothing but love him - it was her wish that he should live - and yet he treated her with unbridled contempt. He should be dead. Not her."
Anna chokes on her words, unable to speak as a lump of indignation forms in her throat. She stares blankly at Odin as his words hit her brain, and she can see why it's so easy for Loki to hate the man in front of her. Regardless of the conversation Anna had with the king in her last visit to Asgard, his disdain for his son - no doubt fueled by the pain that comes from Frigga's death - is much more apparent than whatever small degree of love he possesses toward him. No wonder Loki believes he is a monster. He's been raised to think he is nothing more than a disappointment by the man who should've showered him with the same amount of affection he showed toward Thor.
"I have sent a guard to inform Loki of Frigga's death," Odin says flatly before turning away from her. "I forbid you to speak to him again."
She lunges forward, but Thor's grip on her wrist keeps her from running after Odin and launching herself on him. Loki deserves so much more than this, and her heart aches for him as fresh tears pour down her face. Jane tries to envelop her friend in a hug, but Anna jerks away and collapses to the ground on her knees.
Frigga's love was likely the only thing preventing Loki from turning against Odin sooner, from self-destructing completely, and now...it's gone.
Now Playing: "The Funeral" by Band Of Horses.
*****
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Lots of heartbreak, but I've got some good news to make up for it.
Hold onto your seats, kids. The Ides Of July is currently ranked #37 in Fanfiction on Wattpad. (And All Hail The King is ranking too! Somewhere in the 900s).
This one's all for you. More chapters are coming today.
Vote + leave a comment! (PS - I wouldn't hate it if you went back to vote + comment + reread IOJ again too. Let's break the Top 10! #TeamLanki)
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