A/N- I hope you're going to like this intense and really emotional chapter ;) Dedication to posion_polar_bear ❤️
Loki presses his lips together, mentally questioning why he all of sudden cares so much about Aurora's opinion. The moment is tense and the silence awful, especially with her naive eyes that look at him in the same way his mother does. Aurora shudders at the thought of him being that cruel, that vicious but she doesn't have more time to be shocked. Without a warning, Fortuna fires a pin which lands on her back, electrifying Aurora. She cries in pain, the fire spreading through her veins in her body and burning like hell.
As she lands on the ground, Loki gets dragged down as well, feeling sparkles of the electricity and he clenches his teeth. Aurora is stunned by the electric pin and jerks along the sibilance, tears gathering in her eyes and she receives a worried glance from Loki, but maybe this is only a figment of her imagination caused by her blurring vision. She pants heavily, every breath is stabbing her chest. The pain is overwhelming and her heart aches like hell.
"You ruined everything." Fortuna kneels down to eye Aurora properly, vengefully spitting the words in her face while two of the soldiers are holding both prisoners. "My reign, my power, my authority. So I'm gonna ruin your everything. Did you really think that I needed four days to catch you? No, I could've got you immediately but I didn't, because I had to get her first. She never landed on Xandar."
Aurora's eyes widen, the realization hitting her like a punch and panic settles in her stomach. Her heart drops to her toes and she refuses to believe Fortuna's words. No, please, don't tell me it's true. Please, don't let it be true. If it was true, everything would've been for granted. The waiting, the hope, the trial, everything.
"W-What?"
"I have 0371." She clarifies with a vicious smirk and motions her guards to show the slave girl.
The rest of the guards shove Ophelia towards Aurora and she lands with a muffled yell on the ground, her mouth covered with tape. She was behind the Kree soldiers the whole time but couldn't escape or warn them. Aurora's eyes send the slave girl a concerned glance, forcing herself to at least sit up, even though it's painful. Loki meanwhile watches the whole scene, especially how much the redhead struggles to sit up, yet doesn't give up and fights.
The soldiers remove the tape from her mouth and Ophelia starts to cry utterly, tears dwelling from her eyes and a sob escaping her lips. "I-I'm so sorry, Miss Aurora, I-I really tried..."
"Hey, shh, it's fine, alright?" Aurora tries to sound hopeful and really does her best to comfort the girl but her voice is breaking. "Everything's gonna be okay, I promise."
"What an adorable family you two are." Fortuna comments with an exaggerated sweet tone. "It makes me barf. But now you'll receive your punishments."
"I'm begging you not to harm her, please, she's just a child, an orphan. She still has to live her life, she's so young." She tries to spare Ophelia who's crying on the ground, terrified to death, "If you want an apology, you'll get it. I'm sorry for interrupting your trial, I promise you'll never have to see me again, but please, don't hurt Ophelia."
"Ophelia? Now she even has a name although she's not worthy?" The Mistress huffs and the slave girl squints her eyes in fear when the woman orbits her like a predator its prey. "I don't want your apology, it means nothing to me."
"What do you want?" Loki hisses unpleasantly, his emerald eyes forming a glare. He might be able to be a monster but even this action is not justified for him, even this leaves him in disgust. Aurora was right. The God of Mischief relates to this slave girl more than he should; He also was meant to die when he was an infant.
"I'm not going to kill both, I'm not that cruel. No, I'm just gonna execute 0371." Fortuna just smirks and reaches out her hand, waiting for the soldier to give her the axe as he prepares the pedestal.
Aurora's eyes widen in shock and she ignores the pain. Standing up, the adrenaline shoots through her body and she shakes her head. Her heart races and the fear takes over her while Ophelia's sobbing increases. "No, no, leave her alone! Stop it!"
"Harm the girl and I'll slit your throat." Loki threatens her to Aurora's surprise and Fortuna only laughs, the Kree soldiers holding them both back.
"The God of Mischief does have a heart, how lovely. Too cruel to be kind but too caring to be ruthless. I don't see any use in you. Even now, you're just weak." She receives the axe and Loki clicks his tongue. With these shackles, he's not able to use his magic and also the electricity did not improve his condition. Hating to admit it, he needs Thor.
"No, no, please, leave her alone, please!! I'm begging you, don't hurt her, please don't hurt her, I'll do anything you want!!!" Aurora shouts desperately and the tears burn into her cheeks, running endlessly over her face. She tries to fight against the Kree soldier but she just gets electrified again, a pained scream leaving her lips.
"Miss Aurora, help me! No, I don't wanna die, please show mercy, Mistress, please, I'll never disobey again!" Ophelia cries out but the Kree guard presses her harshly on the pedestal, holding her small body still while Fortuna just scoffs.
"Oh, I know 0371 never would. But that's sadly not you anymore. You got replaced." Her words confirm her death sentence as she applies the axe to Ophelia's horror.
"No!! No, no, leave her alone, please, LEAVE HER ALONE!!" Aurora's despair runs through her yell as she keeps struggling against the Kree until an arm suddenly grasps her.
"Aurora." Loki says her name for the first time, with such an intensity that she's for a short second quiet, looking at him. Even though tears are in her way, she can see how grave and solemn his glance is. "Look away."
Yet, Ophelia's terrified scream makes her look back and she recognizes the fear in the slave's eyes, the tears covering her whole face. The moment suddenly becomes mute in Aurora's ears as the axe is swinging its way towards Ophelia's neck. But before Aurora can witness how the sharp weapon fully separates the girl's head from her body, how the infinite amount of blood is spilling and covering the ground, Loki clutches her shoulder and turns her quickly around, pressing her face against his chest.
Ophelia's cry deceases and only the drop of her head is audible along with Aurora's sobbing. She hadn't noticed that she was holding her breath the whole time, she's too weak, too numb to even move as Loki keeps holding her against him. He closes his eyes for a second, the picture of Ophelia's body is truly horrifying, even for the prince. She was only ten, too young and too gentle to die. He doesn't know how much time has passed but it feels like an eternity.
Aurora's mind is in complete trance, stuck in the moment like a loop. She doesn't feel her legs anymore and can barely stand, almost about to pass out. The nauseous feeling in her stomach grows with each second as she still sees the blood splattering in her head. Even though Loki prevented that picture, and she really doesn't know why he did that, Aurora still has seen a glimpse of it and that's enough to make her want to vomit.
She's dead. Ophelia is dead.. Oh, my god, I caused this. I just wanted to save her, I just wanted to offer her a better life with a family. With me. Instead I ruined her whole life. The guilt makes her sob and the God of Mischief looks down.
"Don't turn around." Loki whispers lowly, not wanting Aurora to see the amount of blood. The whole marble ground is drowned in the scarlet color and the blood is still dripping from the axe, the metallic stench is unbearable. Loki glares at the Mistress, his temper rising.
"Oh, don't be so furious, fallen prince. This is nothing personal." Fortuna smirks and her hands are covered in blood. The Kree soldier gives her his cape to clean her hands while the others remove the red liquid from the axe. "Aurora and I are even. I only demand her to be imprisoned here for the rest of her life, surrounded by useless murderers like you and a folk that hates her now."
Before Loki can respond anything, a growling thunder suddenly echoes through the whole place and a slight relief spreads through his chest. Fortuna seems to panic a bit, she doesn't know what this noise means, after all there shouldn't be a thunder since it's a sunny day.
"What is this?!"
"Something I'm for the first time really fond of." Loki replies slyly and in the next moment, a hammer flies with full speed into the room, almost hitting Fortuna's face. Thor has finally arrived, even though it's too late. Mjölnir lands with a loud crash right next to the Mistress's face in the wall, making it crumble before it returns to its owner.
The mighty God of Thunder enters the room and his eyes widen at the dead child on the ground, he's holding his breath at the horrific scene. Looking at the shaking Aurora, he demands an answer from his brother. "What happened?"
"You should've been here sooner." Loki only says, hating his shackles now more than ever. Thor has never seen Loki act towards a stranger the way he is now with Aurora: gentle and cautious.
"Prince of Asgard." Fortuna greets him and it's not difficult for Thor to figure out what happened, his mother told him about Aurora and Ophelia. "Hurt me and there'll be a war between the Kree and Asgard and it'll not end without innocent blood. My only intention was revenge. Now it is fulfilled."
"My father and you shall discuss the negotiations." The blonde god tries to be diplomatic, even though he only feels rage towards this woman. As the future king of Asgard, it is his duty though to be objective. "But for now, lower your weapons and your army. Everything is going to be handled with peace, not violence."
Fortuna agrees for once, satisfied with the pain that Aurora currently suffers with which was her only aim. Asgard is only collateral damage. Thor calls his guards to clean up the mess before he motions Fortuna to follow him to the hall of his father. The Asgardians meanwhile take Loki and Aurora to bring them away from the crime scene.
While Loki is walking slightly behind Aurora to prevent her view from Ophelia, she still manages to get a glimpse of the pool of blood on the ground and the look of it already makes her want to shout, to cry. Yet, she remains silent. Only the guilt and the pain are screaming in her mind.