As the weeks went on, Elisabete grew concerned that a letter back from Vitaliya had not arrived. Loki was in a meeting with his council members when the door burst open to reveal a very agitated Elisabete and a flushed and panting Iona behind her. Loki stood from his seat and looked over at her to see her glaring at him. He chuckled as he looked over his council members and grinned.
"This shall only take a minute." Loki assured them all.
As he walked over to Elisabete, he gripped her arm and led her outside where the guards closed the doors so no one inside the room could hear their conversation. Iona stood off to the side with her head down, listening in on them. He pushed her forward and Elisabete furrowed her brow as she turned around to face him.
"Why have you come to disrupt my meeting?" Loki inquired.
"You know exactly why." Elisabete replied.
"Elisabete, I have no idea what you're talking about." Loki scoffed.
"My letter to Edric's mother," She stated. "I had one sent out and it's been weeks since I've heard a reply from her. I know you're in charge of things like that. Did it or did it not get sent to her?"
Loki exhaled sharply and thought of what he could tell her. If he wanted her to stay the pure and innocent woman she was, he'd have to do a much better job at shielding and hiding things from her.
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe she might not wish to reply since she hates you?" Loki retorted.
"But that night she seemed so broken. All she wanted was an answer and I want to help provide her with one. Edric wasn't the best man alive but he was a man. He's a person who deserves to be with his family and live with the mistakes he'd made. All she wanted was her son back." Elisabete explained.
"Why do you care so much about them when they couldn't have cared less about you?" Loki questioned her.
"Because they're still people, Loki. They have feelings too." Elisabete replied sincerely.
"Why should we care for them when they have done nothing but hate you and put you down? They may still be people but they're bad people. Corrupted people that deserve nothing from you. I forbid you from reaching out to her or any member of that family." Loki told her.
"What?" Elisabete gasped. "Loki, you cannot do that."
"Why?" Loki asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
"Because you cannot control what I do. It's my own personal business." Elisabete replied.
"Elisabete, may I remind you that I am the king of this realm and I above you and everyone else on this realm and whatever I demand, I expect it to be done. If I find out you've tried to go behind my back and reach out to them, I will not be happy with you." Loki explained.
Elisabete furrowed her brow and stared at him with wide eyes. She was breathing heavily as her eyes scanned his face, trying to read his expression.
"Now, if you'll excuse me I must get back to my meeting which you so rudely interrupted." Loki snapped.
When she opened her mouth to speak, Loki stormed back into the room and Iona rushed towards her, taking her hand in hers.
"Let's go back to your chambers. You need to rest after any excitement. Eir's orders." Iona told her.
"I'm going to write another letter." Elisabete stated.
"Did you not listen to what he said?" Iona scoffed.
"He may be the king but he cannot control me. I am the queen and I have my own power. Not only does he rule this realm, but I do as well. I can take care of my own business." Elisabete explained.
"You know what he has done to people who have disobeyed him." Iona spoke.
"I am aware of that, but he cannot touch me. I'm carrying his son and he loves me. It's not as if he can kill me. Besides, it's only letter. I don't understand why he's acting so strange about this whole thing. He has nothing to hide from me." Elisabete told her.
"He is one to have many secrets." Iona stated.
Elisabete took a deep breath before making her way towards her chambers. She knew Iona was right. She only knew what Loki wanted her to know. She had only scratched the surface of his mind and wanted to know more, and if that meant going against his wishes and upsetting him to gain that knowledge, than Elisabete had to do what she had to do.
She stormed down the halls to her chambers and immediately began to write another letter. She put the pen to the paper as Iona entered, shutting the door behind her. She hurried to Elisabete's side and looked down at her work, seeing Edric's mother's name already written out.
"Please, I beg of you to stop this. Listen to him." Iona spoke shakily.
"I am the queen and I will do as I please. I dismiss you for the rest of the day." Elisabete told her.
"What?" Iona gasped.
"I don't want you over my shoulder telling me how this is a bad idea. I can stand my own ground against him." Elisabete replied.
"But-"
"I said you are dismissed." Elisabete interjected.
Iona takes a step back and looks deep into Elisabete's glaring gaze. She can see that she's angry and bows her head before turning on her heel to go exit the room. Annoyed with her friend, iona decided to go back to Loki, waiting for his meeting to end to tell him of Elisabete's plan.
Meanwhile in her room, Elisabete had started to write her second letter.
Dear Vitaliya,
It appears as though the first letter I have sent to you may not have gotten through the strict regulations Loki has here. Nonetheless, I am sending this letter myself without his approval to tell you how saddened I am by the fact that Edric appears to be missing. I will try my best to gain knowledge of his disappearance and report back to you. I hope your husband is well and I, as I did before in my first letter, will send along a few coins to help you get settled during these hard times. Once again, I am sorry for any pain I have caused you or your family under the false pretenses of loving your son. I never meant to harm anyone.
Sincerely,
Elisabete.
Once she finished the letter, she sealed it inside an envelope with a few coins she took out of her small purse and made her way to the mailing room. Upon stepping towards the doors, a few guards stopped her and she gave them a look and scoffed.
"What is the meaning of this?" She inquired.
She took another step forward and the guards put down their spears in front of her and crossed them, making her scoff from the mere thought of them not allowing the queen into the mailroom. Before she could speak up, the doors opened and her breath hitched in her throat seeing Loki emerge from the room. He placed his hands on the spears and pushed them down, causing the guards to move them away. He glanced down and saw the letter in her hands. Seeing that paper made his blood boil and his rage quickly took over all his sense. She was going against him, almost rebelling, and he would not have that.
"Elisabete, please make your way to our chambers. I will deal with you shortly." Loki told her calmly.
His voice did not match his expression and Elisabete knew he was going to scold her when he got there. As she walked down the hall, she knew Iona had to have told him. However, she was not angry with her. She knew she had been told not to and disobeyed his orders. If Elisabete were a maid once again and Sanit had done so, Elisabete would have done the same thing. Even she knew it was a terrible choice to be on the king's bad side.
She stood by the writing desk and after a few moments, she heard his heavy footsteps down the hallway. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she laid her hand on her belly, trying to calm herself before the argument that was sure to come. However, when the door opened, she jumped slightly and saw the contorted look on Loki's face as he was practically seething in the doorway. He slammed the door behind him and stalked towards Elisabete. He stopped right in front of her and took advantage of his towering height as he saw her cowering before him. She put her head down and gasped as Loki gripped her chin and forced her to look up at him. She fidgeted and tried to get away but he just tightened his grip. When she went to swat his hand away, he gripped her wrist and the two just glared at one another, both believing the other was in the wrong.
"I forbid you from sending letters to his family and I had to have Iona come and tattle on you. How dare you disobey me like that?" Loki seethed.
"I can do as I please, Loki. She deserves to know that I do not hate her and that I never meant to cause her any harm. I want to help them." Elisabete replied.
"How can you care to help them when he was nothing but cruel to you?" Loki questioned her, releasing her chin.
"He was cruel to me because he was angry. I know him better than you. You don't know the Edric I know. I know you had something to do with his disappearance. You sent those guards there to watch the other townspeople but I know that is not all you told them to do, is it?" Elisabete explained.
"Elisabete, I would never go against your wishes. I respect you, just as you should respect my orders. You are forbidden to write to any member of his family." Loki told her.
"You cannot control what I do, Loki. I am my own person." Elisabete scoffed.
"I can because I am above you. I-"
"You cannot order me around because I no longer work as your maid," Elisabete interjected. "I am the queen of Asgard and I do have power. I rule as queen beside you. Not above you or underneath you...but beside you."
Elisabete was panting heavily and seething with anger as she took a step towards Loki, narrowing her eyes at him. She hated knowing that she knew almost nothing about his past before he was king. She was determined to find out more about him.
Loki bit his lip as he stared down at her. His expression was blank but several thoughts were running through his mind. He couldn't understand how Elisabete was able to conjure this amount of confidence since he had never seen her act up and rebel like this. As much as he hated it, he had to admit, he did enjoy seeing her finally taking a stand. What he didn't like about it was that she was taking a stand against him. He couldn't have her finding out anything about him. He knew if she found out anything more other than the fact that he was a Frost giant, she would surely leave him.
As she went to leave, not being able to look at his face, she gasped as Loki wrapped his arms around her and brought his lips down upon hers. She pushed back on his chest, but soon found herself succumbing to his charms and melted into the kiss. Moments later, the two were tangled together in bed. Their anger quickly turning into lustful passion as each tried their best to dominate the other. Loki slammed his hips against hers and she cried out in pleasure trying to roll on top of him. He grunted with each thrust of his hips all while holding her wrists down into the mattress. Elisabete writhed under him as she tried her best to get on top of him.
"That's right. Keep struggling. I love to see you like this." Loki growled.
He leaned down and kissed her hard, moaning into her mouth. Angry at him for what he was doing, Elisabete bit on his lower lip hard enough to make it bleed. Loki groaned as he pulled away and smirked down at her as his licked his lip, tasting the fresh blood.
"You have no idea how much I like that." Loki chuckled.
Being caught off guard by her action, she was able to move her hands out of his grip and push him down onto the bed. Loki glared at her as he tried to fight her to get back on top, but was surprised by her strength as she dug her nails into his wrists as she held them down on the bed. She grinded her hips against him and Loki choked out a moan as he dug his feet into the sheets.
"How do you like it, huh?" Elisabete groaned.
She watched as Loki smirked up at her and she let her demeanor slip while he thrust his hips up into her at the same time she moved down. Before he could touch her, she quickly wrapped her fingers around his neck, holding him down onto the mattress, but not tight enough to choke him. She enjoyed having him writhe underneath her. Watching him struggle did bring a smile to her face. She did her best to please him in the position she was in and knew that if she gave in, she would lose and their fight would be over with. She had to win this argument. She knew Loki had to have known something about Edric's disappearance. He was the king and something like that would not go over his head.
Loki's eyes widened as he gripped the wrist of her hand on his throat. He threw his head back into the pillows as he felt Elisabete release around him, clenching her walls. Not wanting to give him any satisfaction of the pleasure he was giving her, she hid her face from him so he could not see her expression as she came. Loki bared his teeth and quickly pushed the hair out of her face only to reveal that she had finished completely.
"Damn you, Elisabete." Loki seethed.
She smirked down at him and as she saw him start to finish, she quickly moved herself off the bed and Loki's eyes widened in shock. She wrapped a robe around her body and Loki sat up on the bed with his cock still erect and practically begging for release. She ran her hands over her belly and smiled at him.
"What are you doing?" Loki scoffed.
Elisabete put her face down as she tried to stifle her laughter. She had won.
"I will let you finish once you tell me what has happened to Edric." Elisabete replied.
In his daze, Loki wanted nothing more in that moment than to come inside of her, knowing he would have to lose this battle. He gritted his teeth together and exhaled sharply. Although he would lose this battle, he would never tell the truth.
"Honestly, my love, I have no idea." Loki told her.
Elisabete opened her mouth to speak but Loki stopped her by putting his hand up in the air.
"All I know is I sent those two guards to watch over the town. For all I know, they could have acted against me and taken Edric from his mother. But I never ordered them to because you didn't want that. I respected your decision. Why can't you believe me?" Loki explained.
"Because something like that wouldn't go over your head. You hated Edric and now he's gone. You must know." She spoke.
"And yet I do not. If it pleases you, I'll track down the guards that I sent and ask them about what happened. Would that make this better?" Loki inquired.
Elisabete looked at Loki and from the look on his face, she could tell that he seemed to be telling the truth. She knew that he could never lie to her because he would never hurt her. She nodded her head and Loki sighed as he chuckled.
"Good. I'll get to it after we finish here." Loki smirked.
She rolled her eyes and giggled as she untied the robe and let it fall to the floor as she made her way back to the bed. He rolled on top of her and thrust himself back inside of her, being a little more gentle than before. However, as she laid there, she realized that she had not won after all. Loki had won the argument and it was over.
Elisabete sighed breathlessly as Loki bared his teeth against the skin of her neck and groaned with his release. The two were panting heavily as he rolled onto his side of the bed. She grinned as he laid his hand on her belly, rubbing it gently.
"I promise I will find who is responsible for Edric's disappearance and I will deal with them accordingly." Loki told her.
"You won't hurt them, will you?" She asked.
"No." Loki replied.
"Good. Violence is never the answer." Elisabete spoke softly.
"You should rest. For the baby. We were...pretty rough." Loki chuckled.
"If you think that will help." Elisabete sighed as she laid back down on the bed.
Loki leaned over and kissed her sweetly as he got dressed into his attire.
"I'm going to go snoop around and see what has happened. I'll be back later tonight." Loki told her.
She watched as he exited the chambers and once he was gone, Elisabete got out of the bed and changed into her own clothes. She desperately wanted to write out another letter but knew she would be scolded once again by Loki. Not wanting to upset him and stay on his good side, she willed herself to not write any other letters. As she thought about his family, she found herself forgiving them for their cruel words and actions, but realized that they could never be friends if they despised her husband who she loved dearly. She would forgive them but never forget when Ragnarok came upon them.
Just as she was about to walk onto her balcony, a knock came on her door. She told the person outside to enter and she smiled brightly when Tadeus entered the room. She walked over to him and embraced him as he kissed her cheek. When she pulled back, she giggled as Tadeus laid his hand on her belly.
"What brings you here?" She inquired, loving how he could not take her eyes off of the bump.
"What? I can't come over to check up on my sister and her babe?" Tadeus chuckled.
"Of course you dan. I just wasn't expecting you. Usually mother or father comes by." Elisabete replied.
Tadeus removed his hand from her belly and smiled.
"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" He asked.
"A boy, most definitely." Elisabete chuckled.
"Why?" He inquired.
"The king expects a boy to be his heir. I promised him a son and I shall give him one. I know it is a boy. Mother's intuition." Elisabete explained.
"I think it's a girl. Mother thinks so too." Tadeus told her.
"Well, it isn't." Elisabete laughed.
"And I guess you know everything." Tadeus scoffed.
"Well...not everything." Elisabete sighed.
Tadeus furrowed his brow as he looked over Elisabete's face. He knew something was wrong and he slowly took her hand in his, caressing it softly.
"What's happened?" He asked.
"Loki is hiding something from me in regards to Edric's disappearance. I know he is. His story does not add up with his mother's. He has even forbid me from getting in contact with his family to try and help them." Elisabete explained.
"He can't do that." Tadeus scoffed.
"Of course he can. He's the king." Elisabete shook her head.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll go do my own snooping for you and see what I can find." Tadeus told her.
"Would you? That would be great." Elisabete replied.
Tadeus nodded his head and kissed her cheek before exiting her chambers. He then set himself on a quest to try and find the rooms that Loki was known to use often. He first checked his personal library and found nothing no signs that Edric had been there. Then, he checked his study. No sign. Then, he remembered how Elisabete told him stories of Loki in his observatory and how it had one of the best views of Asgard. He arrived at the observatory door to find two guards placed by the doors. When he stepped towards the door, the guards moved forward and glared down at him.
"You cannot enter these rooms." The first guard spoke.
"My sister, the queen, has required I retrieve something from this room. She said she left her...shawl here when she and Loki were viewing Asgard on the balcony." Tadeus explained.
The guards looked at one another and sighed before stepping to the side and allowing Tadeus inside. They closed the door behind him and with their reactions to his presence at the door, Tadeus knew he was in the right place. He quickly went searching through the room in fear that the guards may come in and seize him or Loki would enter and ask what he was doing in here. When he was about to give up hope, he stepped on something strange and looked down at the ground to find a small golden band on the floor. He furrowed his brow and picked it up, recognizing it as Elisabete's ring from when she was married to Edric. He put the ring in his pocket and exited the observatory. The guards asked him where the shawl was and Tadeus chuckled and shook his head, buying time to think of an excuse.
"Evidently, my sister was not right with the whereabouts of the shawl, but thank you for letting me look. Have a good day." Tadeus replied as he bowed his head.
He then paced down the hall to Elisabete and found her pacing the room, biting on her nail. When he entered, he closed the door behind him and bit his lip seeing the look of dread on her face.
"Have you found anything?" She asked.
"Your ring." Tadeus replied.
"My what? I'm wearing my ring, Tadeus." Elisabete scoffed.
"No. I found your ring from when you married Edric. It was on the ground of Loki's observatory." Tadeus told her.
She furrowed her brow and was about to speak up about how it was impossible, but Tadeus had pulled out the ring. She snatched it from his grasp and put it onto the ring finger of her right hand, showing Tadeus that it was much too big to fit her hand. Seeing this, Tadeus' eyes widened and he moved closer to her to ensure that he was seeing it correctly.
"How can that be? This is your ring." Tadeus said softly.
"Loki had my old ring ordered to be burnt and melted the minute my divorce to Edric was final. This is not my ring." Elisabete explained.
"Then why is Edric's ring in his observatory in the first place?" Tadeus questioned her.
"Because he's lied to me, that's why." Elisabete seethed.
Later that evening, Elisabete waited patiently in her chambers for Loki's arrival with their dinner. She stood in front of the footboard of the bed with her arms crossed over her chest. She tried to keep her anger in check as not to disturb the baby, but she was finding it almost too difficult when she knew Loki would be in the room in any minute. She was livid that Loki would lie to her. She had trusted him to be honest with her about certain things. She was starting to question Loki himself and his character. He was the god of mischief and lies, but she didn't think he would ever be that way with her. She had put all her trust in him and he just betrayed it. Although she knew that Loki had lied to her about the whereabouts of Edric, she knew he still had more secrets and to understand why he would ever lie to her, she had to make him tell her everything he knew. How could she be married to a man, and his carry his child, without knowing who he truly was.
Elisabete was taken from her thoughts when Loki entered carrying a tray with their dinner on it.
"I am sorry I am a little late. Some meetings went on a little longer than I would have liked. You know all I could think about during the meetings was coming back here to see you and kiss the swell of your belly." Loki told her.
He set down the tray on the writing desk and smiled as he turned to face Elisabete. However, her stern face and flared nostrils made him wondered what had happened. He furrowed his brow as a he took a step towards her, but when she raised a brow at him, he knew to stay in his place.
"Elisabete, what has happened?" He inquired.
"You know what's happened." Elisabete spoke.
"I have no idea what you're talking-"
"Stop playing these games! I'm sick of it!" Elisabete interjected.
Loki could tell that she was incredibly worked up and he found himself worrying more over the health of the baby than her own. He quickly walked towards her and Elisabete put her hands out, putting them on his chest to push him away.
"Please tell me what is wrong. I-I have no idea what's going on." Loki told her.
Elisabete narrowed her eyes at him and scoffed.
"No idea? How can you have no idea..." She trailed off, rummaging through the pocket of her dress. "When things have been happening right under your nose!"
She presented him the ring and Loki furrowed his brow. Upon realizing which ring it was, his eyes widened slightly as he parted his lips. She glared up at him, her hand shaking with rage.
"I had your ring melted." Loki said.
"This is his." Elisabete stated.
"Where did you find it?" Loki inquired.
"Your observatory." She replied.
"The guards must have taken them there then. I'll-"
"You and I both know that none of your guards are allowed there. The only people allowed in your observatory are you, me, a few trusted advisors of yours, and anyone we ask to go there on a task. You're getting caught in your lies." Elisabete explained.
"So you went searching for any signs of his disappearance then? I told you to leave this alone." Loki questioned her.
"I did not go searching. I sent Tadeus who retrieved this ring from the observatory. Now...you better tell me the truth. Did you or did you not have something to do with his disappearance?" Elisabete seethed.
Loki stood there silently, his eyes wide with rage and his breathing uneven. His chest heaved with every breath he took and his nostrils flared that Elisabete thought steam would appear from them, like the dragons she read about in books. She quickly glanced down at his hands and saw him clench them at his sides, trying to contain his anger. When she looked back up at him, his expression had changed to one of sorrow.
Loki had tried to make Elisabete trust him as much as he could so that she could stay innocent and not know of the corruption that this world was soaked in. He knew that if the conversation was to continue, he would have to tell her what he knew. He conditioned her to come to him with any of her problems and to make her stop questioning his actions. However, with the power he gave her as queen, he quickly realized the mistake he had made in doing so. He was aware of her curious nature from the beginning and tried, but failed, to suppress it. In his eyes, he not only failed himself, but he failed her. She was beginning to lose her trust in him and he couldn't have that. He couldn't lose the one good thing in his life, because if he did, he knew he would die from the separation. He would have nothing and would rather end it all before losing her.
"Why don't you trust me?" Loki asked quietly.
Elisabete furrowed her brow and she shook her head, feeling horrible about herself for making him feel that way.
"It's not that I don't trust you. I do, Loki. I just don't like being lied to and knowing I'm being lied to." Elisabete replied.
She walked towards Loki and took his hands in hers. She brought them to her lips and laid a sweet kiss on them before looking back up at him.
"You haven't answered my question." She stated.
"Honestly?" Loki inquired.
"I want the truth." Elisabete spoke.
Loki stared down at her, not knowing what to do. He knew that even if he lied or told the truth, Elisabete would believe him. She may be taking a stand for herself now, but she was still naive. However, Loki was starting to hate having to lie to her. It pained him knowing the mistakes he's made trying to keep her innocent. He killed two people and he was beginning to question why he had done it. Their deaths made no sense to him anymore. His heart ached seeing the desperate look on her face. Her eyes were pleading with him. He wanted her to know everything, he really did. Elisabete meant everything to him and he needed her to stay in his life. He was well aware that the lies he'd created would surely be their downfall, but he needed her to be safe. In his mind, she deserved to know the truth.
"I never laid a hand on him. I respected your wishes but the guards must have taken my orders differently that what I told them." He replied.
But today was not the day for her to know the horrible truths he's done.
"Really?" Elisabete asked.
"I would never lie to you. You mean the world to me and I wouldn't dare ruin what we have all because of a few lies." Loki told her.
Elisabete smiled brightly and embraced him, running her hands up and down his back, making him go stiff. When she pulled back, she looked up at him and could see something in his eyes as the tears began to well in the corners of them. She took his face in her hands and caressed his cheeks as she furrowed her brow at him, examining his face.
"There is something else you still do not tell me." Elisabete whispered.
"I don't want to." Loki whispered back.
"Loki, I've felt the scars the first time we were together. I just want to know what's happened to you in the past so I can help you get through it. I hate to see you suffer." Elisabete explained.
"I hate to remember it." Loki said.
"I think we all hate to remember things that have either made us uncomfortable or miserable. I, honestly, hated the life I had before this. Back home, all I had were ailing parents, a destitute life, and a marriage to a man I never loved. A man I married because the one I truly loved might have married another to be quite frank. That's why I spent so many nights of my life crying in our shed so none of my family could hear me. I didn't want them to know I hated my life and what I was to be. But, I knew that if I told them, they would help me get through it because they were there to support me and love me. And that's why I'm here now before you asking you to please tell me what has happened to you in the past so I can help you." Elisabete explained to Loki, kissing him sweetly once she finished.
When she pulled away, Loki cried silently as he placed his forehead against hers, making her smile weakly. He placed his hands on her waist and sighed as he nodded his heads.
"Okay." He replied.