My knees hit the cracked dirt ground before I could even register that I had been falling. Waves of numbness and nausea racked my body and I was ready to keel over and vomit if it weren't for a firm grip on my right shoulder. Slowly, the sensations subsided and I was able to stand on shaky legs. I did not dare meet Loki's eyes. Not yet.
Around me, our warriors began to wake, most holding their heads in their hands as if waking from a splitting headache. Asmund was bouncing between each warrior, checking their pulse and eyes, busy at work. I thanked what ever greater force there was that Asmund had not seen our kiss.
The kiss.
Embarrassment pulsed through my body in a quick flash, my mind replaying the scene over and over as if I were trying to relive it. Perhaps, in a way, I was. Loki had brought me out of my own illusions simply by giving me something real, something I could feel. I brushed my fingers over my chapped lips, now cold and neglected.
"Are you alright?" Loki asked quietly, though his voice was firm. Loki's eyes darted back and forth between the warriors and back to me. I nodded my head, the inability to speak at that moment was overwhelming. I shook my head at the sudden weakness. If I kept this dazed, lovely thinking up, I would be dead in a matter of minutes. I couldn't focus on that at the moment, even if every fiber in my body wished to.
"By my blade, what the Hel happened?" Volstagg's angry voice shouted. Sif glared at him, hushing him quickly. We were, afterall, in an open, echoing valley in the middle of Jotunheim. All of its residents were currently trying to slaughter us. Orgnar grumbled something to himself before standing up. Thor followed suit, Mjolnir gripped tightly in his hands. Thor looked pale, his focus elsewhere as he continuously glanced to Sif.
"Night Weapers," Asmund stated, tending to Heskell as he panted, his eyes wild in distress. I gave Loki a confused look. Since when did we know they were Night Weapers? Were they not Succubi and descendants of Djinns a few minutes ago? Loki finally met my eyes, his smile crooked and pained.
"It's been five hours since you all last woke. In that time, we discovered more about them," Loki clarified, directing the information to all of us. "They're a branch of the Eastern Djin's. They feed off of fear, happiness, confusion, thought, and so on. Whatever they are in the mood to eat. They keep you running in circles in your own mind until they're done with you," Loki explained, his voice tired and his words carefully chosen. Orgnar looked on to him with confusion, his mouth slightly a jar and his brows furrowed.
"In that time, we figured out that we could kill them from the inside of you. All we had to do is cause an extreme emotion inside of you to alert you to the outside world. As soon as that occurs, your brain treats the Night Weaper as a literal parasite, killing it inside of you," Asmund added, turning his back to us.
"Well... where does this 'parasite' go after you kill it? Within us?" Sif asked gently, crossing her arms in front of her. Loki smirked, a daring look in his eyes.
"It will come out in some sort of natural means," Loki said. Almost immediately after, one of the silent foot soldiers curls over, vomiting over the ground. She coughed and heaved as the other foot soldier attempted to calm her, holding her hair back and patting her back. We had all turned our attention to the scene. "That is one way," Loki quipped, raising his eyebrows.
"We need to get back on track as soon as possible. If five hours has already gone by, then we are losing more daylight. We need to arrive at Utgard before night fall if at all possible," Orgnar commanded, standing a bit taller among us. "Get packed, we move in less than an hour."
Even in dire times, Orgnar insisted on plowing through, never giving us too long to rest or mourn. I suppose that is what any true warrior without remorse would do. We sighed and began whittling away, packing up, eating, whatever we could do. Some warriors, such as Thor and Heskell, moved in a daze, as if their minds were still under an illusion. Each time anyone shuffled past Heskell he would flinch or snap his eyes shut. It makes you wonder what they saw in their illusions.
Others seemed unaffected or even slightly sad that the illusion had left them. They were lucky to get a good illusion unlike the rest of us.
I shook the thought from my head, turning around. Where I had expected to meet Loki's green eyes, was instead a blank space. He had already scattered, probably packing up just as the rest of us are doing. I bit my lip anxiously. Maybe, Loki only needed a strong emotion to get me out of my illusion, and that was the only way. Maybe it was nothing. It was nothing, only an act in desperation to wake me up.
I had a job to do, and no Prince would get in the way, at the moment. I packed quickly, setting my knapsack heavily on my back and busying myself further in attempt to keep my mind from wandering. Bjorn was more than delighted when I straightened his saddle and hopped on, ready to ride. The rest of the group followed not too long after, grimly mounting their beasts and ready to move along. Orgnar signaled for us, him and the two Princes taking the lead, and we were off again.
~*~*~*~
It wasn't three hours before the bright sky became duller and duller. The clouds hung low, and the sky appeared dark and heavy with rain. Within minutes rain began to fall, darkening our surroundings and making it nearly impossible to see more than five feet ahead of us. Orgnar begrudgingly pulled us aside, under the overlook of several trees and rocks that created a makeshift shelter. We huddled the horses together before gathering together, soaking wet and cold to the bone.
Several warriors sat up against the rocky wall, letting their heads rest against the chilled stone. Asmund stood next to Heskell, quietly talking among each other not far from their beasts. Thor and Orgnar, as usual, stood at the outermost edge of the shelter, talking to each other with worried glances. They were most likely talking about tactics our the next mission as usual.
Loki stood just around the edge of the opposite overlook, his body almost touching the cold rain outside. His dark hair was plastered to the back of his neck and cheeks yet his tunic remained dry and untouched. I couldn't say that about the rest of us, however. We were all soaked, our hair a wild mess, and our armor holding enough water to create a small pond. I joined him at his side silently, staring out at the dim, rainy scene before us.
"Thank you," I whispered gently. Loki stayed silent, his eyes cloudy as he gazed out. Maybe he hadn't heard me over the loud pitter patter of rain against rocks outside. Finally, his head turned slowly to me, an unreadable blank expression on his face. "I suppose I wasn't falling into any other strong emotions at the time. I should have paid more attention, I could have-"
"You act like I regret my decision," Loki interrupted. In that moment the cold shivers from my body completely ceased, a red hot feeling buzzing through my body. I was sure that by now my face was as read as Thor's vibrant cloak. Loki shifted on his feet. "Of course, I had to get out of the illusion as well, though I was farther out of it. Easier to get a strong emotion that would affect us both," Loki added.
"Well I assumed that it was a last resort," I mumbled, dumbfounded. I hadn't even realized that Loki too was in my head. He had to get out of the illusion as well. Loki's mouth curled in the corner, a soft and sly expression spreading on his face.
"First resort," Loki stated. "Anything else would have gotten me killed. I was too busy trying to keep myself alive and awake. When the other me had said that he 'loved you' I thought I would get a knife to the throat. I thought you would kill me." Loki's gaze softened into confusion. "How in the world did you know it wasn't me?"
"You would never say that," I stated bluntly. It felt like a punch to the stomach as I admitted it to myself. Loki flinched slightly, a frown replacing his once soft smile. "Or at least I thought at the moment," I trailed off, my words being drowned out by the pattering of the rain.
"Hm,"Loki responded, crossing his arms in front of him. We were silent for a few seconds, letting our words sink deeper in.
"Did anyone else see us? Hear us?" I asked. Loki nodded and my heart skipped a beat.
"Most of them were asleep, the only one really awake was Asmund, and he was dealing with the rest," Loki said. Again, my heart dropped and skipped a few beats. Asmund had to hear me beg, hear me scream in frustration. He had to listen to me ask all of the questions and ask to die. I turned my attention towards him, he was now leaning up against the wall, close to the rest of the teeth chattering warriors. He had bags beneath his eyes and his cheeks looked hollowed. In general, he looked worn.
He deserved an apology and a good night's sleep if anything. He hadn't slept for nearly a day now. I hadn't slept for nearly a day now. I turned my attention back to Loki who was gazing once more out at the clearing rain. He looked like he was somewhere else as his eyes were cloudy once more.
"How did you get out of the first illusion? How did you know?" I asked softly. Loki gave me a grim smile.
"No one gets a happy life with no consequences," Loki said vaguely, leaving me more than wondering.
"What did you see?" I asked, fidgeting with my fingers. Loki sighed quietly and nibbled at his bottom lip. He was reluctant, and hesitated to even tell me. Instantly I began to feel guilty. His illusion was his own, I had no right to ask about it. Although he said it was a dream rather than I nightmare, I doubted that it was a good dream. Bittersweet.
"You know what, it's none of my bus-" I began before being cut off with a sharp voice.
"You," Loki said before turning away and ending our conversation, leaving me standing alone with the bitter cold beginning to nip at my fingertips again.
Me.
This had just been a game. A little compliment here, a little tease there, I was never supposed to feel something towards the Dark Prince. I never wanted to feel something towards him. But the ache in my chest and the tug of my heart wanted to relive the last day. The kiss, the answers, I wanted to see him again- feel him again. Asmund had been right, and I hated to admit it. If anything, I wouldn't admit it to him.
I was most definitely falling for the young prince of Asgard. Was I alright with it? Absolutely not. He was another vulnerability, another soft spot, another weakness. He was a distraction to me, and a distraction I enjoyed far to much. He filled gaping holes in my heart that I hadn't realized needed filling. Now, that has changed further. Perhaps now, I am filling holes in his heart he never knew needed filling.
When he said that he needed me, he was not entirely wrong. But I needed him more. I needed a grounding source, someone to lean on in times of need when my defensive walls came crashing down before me. He would be able to build me back up again, stronger, better. I paused, was that not Asmund as well?
As if my thoughts had called to him, Asmund appeared at my side, his hands resting limply at his sides.
"How have you been holding up?" Asmund asked gently, easing in the conversation as if we had been talking for hours.
"I should be asking you that," I said. Asmund shrugged, awaiting my answer nonetheless. I fidgeted with my hands once more, pulling at my cloak that had stuck to the side of my arm. "I guess I am better now."
"It sounded pretty bad," Asmund said quietly, his eyes dark. "Your illusion, I mean. You shouted a lot." I nodded my head slowly, remembering my hot tempered words.
"Did you hear everything?" My voice was barely above a hushed whisper. I knew the answer even before he spoke it.
"Kind of. The creature spoke too, I could only catch a few words hear and there. He whispered things and I am guessing you only heard them in your head. It was all in Loki's voice of course," Asmund explained quietly. Asmund was visibly upset with his lower lip quivering and his jaw clenching and unclenching. "I heard it, when you said you had nothing left to live for, no purpose. Sometimes you said things out loud I was sure you didn't even know you said out loud."
"Asmund, I am-"
"No! You begged for death! You wanted it to come, you gave up so easily. You were ready to die, to leave us," Asmund growled, his voice strained as he tried to remain quiet to avoid attention. His eyes were watery however, and his face was sad rather than angry. "You were ready to leave me." I turned away from him, shame hitting me like a massive boulder. I was ready to leave, in truth. I stayed silent, unsure of what to do next. Asmund huffed before turning to look out into the rain.
"I miss them," I whispered, a pang of emptiness spreading into my once warmed heart.
"You should, you have every right to," Asmund said quietly, his voice much calmer. "For the gods sake, you haven't even had time to mourn them. You just joined up and ran." I shrugged, maybe he was right, but that still didn't give me any reason to mourn now, so long after.
"You said that you had been sweet on a girl in Asgard? You never got to tell me who she was. You said it was important," I said, easily changing to subject to something lighter in mood. Asmund smiled gently, a certain sadness playing at his chapped lips.
"Just sweet on a girl, that's all. I never said I knew her name, or that she knew mine," Asmund replied gently.
"That's what was so important to tell me?" I scoffed. "You seemed really determined, nervous even." Asmund met my eyes quickly, his expression sad once again.
"I must have forgot," Asmund said flatly. Asmund never forgets anything, and immediately I knew he did anything but forget. For all I know, he could be replaying what he was going to say in his head a hundred times.
"Since you forgot, maybe you should sleep on it. It'll come to mind later," I said, knowing full well that the rain would not let up soon. If anything, we might be caught here for a few more hours.
"Alright," Asmund mumbled, turning on his heel. He paused before patting my shoulder firmly and walking away.
~*~*~*~*~*~
AUTHOR'S NOTE
So the first part of the chapter was pretty fun, and the rest is pretty much a filler. I think my biggest struggle at this moment is the whole romance part. I am so afraid of still moving toooooooo slow but now that they've kissed I also don't want it to be like 'We're married and moving in together now, whoop-' Anyway, below is the standard Verdant Prince questions as usual. BUT the last Questionnaire I asked you all if you would rather me ask questions and get to know more of you all, or have you ask questions about me. The majority of you chose to learn more about me! So below are all of the questions you have sent/commented and I have answered! If you still have more questions, go ahead and ask them! I will either answer them on the spot, or put them in my next thing! :)
Also, it was like 2 in the morning and I had the sudden urge to draw Asmund? Sorry for the bad quality picture. This is just a quick character concept of what Asmund might look like. I have no idea. I hope all of your Asmund's are just as cute as he is described! https://www.deviantart.com/geeks4squeaks/art/Asmund-Concept-760076079
Verdant Prince:
1.) How is the romance part going? Too slow? Too fast now? Medium?
2.) Is Loki still in character? I am struggling with him a bit b/c I want him to still be himself, but with a soft side.
3.) Predictions? Theories?
4.) What do you think Loki saw in his dream? (Comment a sentence or a paragraph! If I see one I really like I might add it in later, but I am not even sure if the dream convo will come up or not.)
5.) How do you feel about Asmund?
6.) Want to see more or less of something?
Questions and Answers About Me!:
1.) Who is my favorite character in the MCU Universe?: I love sooo many of them but I think it's a dour way tie with Bucky (Winter Soldier) Deadpool, Corg, and of course... Loki.
2.) My favorite actor(s) from Marvel?: Same dealeo.... I love them all soooo much but it comes down to: Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karen Gillan, and Taika Waititi. Okay that was a handful of actors.... but I really love them!
3.) Favorite Book: Oh my. There is so much to choose from. Here are just a few that I loved (there is about a bazillion more, help) The House of Scorpion series, Ranger's Apprentice series, Red Queen series, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson Series, Sherlock Holmes (The original) there is soooo much more but those are just a few off of the top of my head!
4.) Do I have/like pets?: Yes! I looove animals! I have a dog, Peaches, a cat, Autumn(my favorite boy. Yes it's a girls name but it's a long story. Let's just say we didn't know he was male until about a year in- he's hella fluffy) and two guinea pigs named Bonnie and Matzi (Pronounced 'Mot' - 'zee' I have horrible spelling.) Bonnie belongs to my brother, Matzi belongs to me ^^ PS: I will have links to pictures of them below if you are curious!
5.) Favorite animal(s)?: Pandas. I love pandas so much, they're just so sweet, gentle, furry and cute? I also love foxes, wolves, cats, and horses (though I am allergic to horses, surprise.)
6.) Any other hobbies?: Besides writing and reading, I love drawing and acting! I intend to go to school for acting/be an actor if I can! I really love music/listening to it. I am a self-taught pianist (meaning I play the songs I want to play and I can't read sheet music... I just read the letters whoops.) And the first song I learned was stupid but like... I can still play it today soo. It's the Sherlock Theme Song (not the opening theme song, just the one that plays a bunch) XD I am a nerd.
7.) Do you like nature?: I love nature, but nature doesn't like me. I am allergic to about 20 different trees (all of which are around where I live) grass pollen, ragweed, horses, etc. And unfortunately, the allergic reaction isn't normal and can be brushed off. I actually get bloody noses all the time, my eyes puff up and get all cruddy sometimes and it's nasty. Whenever my skin touches grass, I always get red, itchy splotches or dots wherever the grass touched. I just keep miserable because I am also sneezing the whole time and itching and it's ridiculous. But I swear... I love nature.
8.) Favorite weather?: Either a gloomy, gentle rainy day (not thunder or anything) or a bright sunny day (but not humid and hot, just plain old warm spring day) OR whether that's snowy, or cold enough to cancel school, I am all in for that.
9.) Number One thing on my bucket list?: Either to make an official bucket list or to actually check off and do stuff on my bucket list.
10.) Describe myself in three words?: Passionate. Creative. Nefelibata.
*The last word, 'Nefelibata' can be used as a noun or adjective??? So why not. It's one of my favorite words, it can be closely compared to the word 'dreamer'
*Nefelibata means: One who lives of their own imagination, or one who does not by the conventions of society, literature, or art.
11.) DC or Marvel?: Although I adore both, I will always be a Marvel Babe at heart. I was practically raised on Marvel and DC comics because my dad was an avid comic collector when he was younger and we owned a handful of Marvel movies and when I was a bit older (like 6... whoops) once my mom would walk out the door he would pop in a Marvel Movie to watch. It was that or Lord of the Rings!
12.) In 3 words, describe Loki: Misunderstood. Sly. Manipulative. (And super attractive??? Does that count?)
13.) What do I like about Loki?: I love his character in general. Like he can be such a royal prince and charming and what not but he can also be a royal pain in the neck. I have also (since I was a kid) love mythology of any kind, Greek/Roman and Norse being my favorites. So when the whole comic books and movies of 'Thor' came out I was so hyped! And of course... Tom Hiddleston, my friends.
14.) Do I plan on writing more Loki x Reader?: I don't really know. I mean, if there is a sequel, heck yeah! I am not too big into one-shots because I love giving a story so much time, though, and feeling and I feel that such a complex character like him cannot be rushed. I plan to rewrite my oldest most cringy books after I finish this before tying into a new fanfiction and possible my own book having to do with Norse Mythology somehow? Any ideas for who the next fanfiction should be about?
15.) Where do I live?: I live in the United States of America. USA, Wisconsin to be more precise and I am afraid that is all I can tell you directly on here ^^ If you want more details we can work something out. I do lie to say that I live in the clouds a lot, though!
16.) Favorite Marvel movie?: I love all of the Thor films. I always will. I also really love the first Avengers film. It was so cute and innocent and simple, they were like fighting babies compared to what they are now. I love both Deadpool films! Ooh and Logan! Gosh dang it, I can never list only one.
17.) What is something I wish I could do?: Speak different languages fluently? I think that would be so cool! I am learning Spanish in all 4 years of high school and have on and off independently studied French and Italian. I hope to learn Italian though because the rules and grammar stuff for sentences is so similar to the Spanish language! I would also really love to be flexible! I can't touch both of my toes- at all- and being able to do the splits is kinda cool, I would probably do it in the most ridiculous places though. Like 'oh what a nice tree *splits*- 'Oh, I got an F- on my math quiz? *splits*-
18.) How tall am I?: I am 5 feet and 1 inch exactly. Fight me.
*My Pets*
If any of the links don't work, let me know, please!
My cat: https://www.instagram.com/p/BgZL_sZFiNj/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfM6PV5Ahdp/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
https://www.instagram.com/p/Be4M8ArAvEb/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba0p9dMApJH/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
My dog: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZKOYcjAf-0/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZqS6vg1r9/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
Matzi: https://www.instagram.com/p/BdBNV-4gZ8T/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ2CjougWO1/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ1vBceA65Z/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks (The left one)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZcKTlzg0W1/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZcKRsqgPui/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks
Bonnie: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ1vBceA65Z/?hl=en&taken-by=geeks4squeaks (The right one)
Want to see more random stuff that doesn't make any sense? Well, my instagram's got it. Geeks4Squeaks