"Feeling Midgardian today?" Loki asked as he left the bathroom, an eyebrow raised in faint amusement as he found me curled on the sofas.
I was wearing the grey T-shirt the Avengers had sent the day the Matron had been arrested. In my hands was the small book and next to me was the pile of chocolate bars, half eaten, that had also been delivered to me in the gym bag.
I just shrugged, and popped another square of Cadbury's in my mouth. "I am Midgardian."
Loki lowered himself onto the seat opposite me, with a slight air of curiosity. "Is there a reason why?"
I tried to blink back the wave of tears that threatened to appear, and shook my head. "Just felt a little homesick." The truth was, over the past few days I'd felt incredibly homesick. Every time someone mentioned Earth, which was quite often when people spoke to me, I felt a sudden longing to return home. I loved Loki and being with him, but Asgard was beginning to wear me down a little.
"What are you eating?" Loki asked after a long pause.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, and picked up the purple wrapped bar. "It's called chocolate." His face didn't change, and a grin overtook mine. "Come here." I put the book down and slid upright on the sofa, swinging my feet back down to touch the floor. Loki took the seat next to me, and waited as I peeled the wrapper back. I broke a square off, and offered it to him.
"What is chocolate?"
"That." I pointed to it, and laughed at his eye roll. "Just try it. It's so nice."
He hesitantly placed the square in his mouth, his lips closing around it. He watched my expression as he chewed slowly, his eyes not giving anything away.
"Do you like it?" I leant forward, hands clasped in my lap as he took a long sip of sparkling Asgardian juice.
"It's odd. Sweet, but not sweet." His brows furrowed, as he paused, and I could just see his tongue dart out to lick along his lip. "I think I like it."
I grinned, triumphant, and picked up the other bars that had previously been tied together with an elastic band. "If you like that, I can't wait for you to try these."
I broke a rectangle piece of a smoother chocolate with a gooey caramel filling. Loki's eyes widened as he bit down, and I watched as his eyes closed slowly. "These are delicious," he murmured. "Is it a local delicacy?"
I shook my head, amused at the foreign question. "No! Well, I don't know if it's sold everywhere on Earth but the countries I've been to all sell them. But it tastes different in different countries, because they use different quantities of the ingredients."
"What's your favourite chocolate?" Loki asked, already eyeing up a third bar that was sat unopened on the table. I moved the unopened bars back to the gym bag, knowing it may be a long time before I could possibly get any more.
"Oh, I don't know. There's way too many types." My mind drifted into a confectionary aisle of a supermarket, where a wall would be covered in every type of chocolate imaginable.
"We'll have to go to Midgard. I need to try more."
I stared at him, trying to deny the tears that threatened for the second time that morning. "Loki we can't have this conversation again. You can't leave Asgard."
"I'll find a way my love," he placed his hand by my hip, and leant over my legs to press a kiss to my forehead. "We will find a way to get you back home." I leant my head up, catching his lips before he had time to pull away.
The door opening caused Loki to throw a green shimmer away from us, masking our intimate position. He tilted his head back down to mine, but I rested a hand on his chest as I turned my head to see Thor stride into the room, with Maria following silently behind. Her cheeks were pink with a blush, but I couldn't see any reason why she should be.
As the doors clicked shut behind them, Loki lowered the illusion, showing him still perched over me. I shoved him off, and stood up, a little embarrassed at being caught. "Loki!"
"What? They both know?" He gestured to Thor, who wore a huge ear splitting grin on his face, and Maria who's small smile was almost hidden by her hair.
I frowned, "I didn't tell Maria."
Thor waved his hand, "I did!" He looked back down to her, and took the bucket of water from her hands.
"Congratulations," Maria offered, bowing her head in Loki's direction before directing a cheeky grin at me.
"No one else knows." Thor added, placing the bucket of water down on the floor, before emptying Maria's arms of cleaning products. She just smiled politely, then slowly began picking them up before disappearing into Loki's bathroom.
Thor sat down on the edge of the seats, and took a look at the gym bag that was placed on the floor. A sad smile grew on his face as he looked at it, before he directed his gaze back to Loki and I. "Odin is planning on declaring war."
"What?" We stared at each other, then back towards Thor.
"He knows Asgard would be ruined if the frost giants attacked now?" Loki's voice darkened dangerously as he walked the length of the bedroom.
"He's planning on asking the light elves for help."
"So more innocent beings are hurt?" Loki exploded, glaring at Thor.
I watched as the two brothers descended into a silent glaring competition, though both were on the same side. The room was tense, and I could only stand to the side in worry as I waited for one of them to talk.
"Thor?" I asked tentatively, "why did you come to us rather than discuss this with the warriors three?"
"Because Odin requested you and Loki to see him in the throne room. I was going to collect the warriors after."
"I don't want to look at him." Loki muttered, but reluctantly pulled on a pair of shoes anyway. I played with the waistband of my trousers that I'd previously worn horse riding, and drew the long thin cotton-like belt through my fingers.
Loki walked over, clutched my face in his hands and pressed his lips to my forehead. In an almost inaudible whisper, I heard his words. "I love you, we'll be safe."
"I love you too." I whispered, closing my eyes. Thor cleared his throat as he made his way to the door, waiting for Loki to step away before swinging it open.
We walked quietly, and I tried to force my mind to stop straying to the possibility of something awful happening to Loki or myself.
The throne room doors were opened, and Thor, Loki and I stopped at the bottom of the golden steps that led to Odin sat on his throne. Frigga was sat by his side, and gave us a gentle smile which helped to settle my racing thoughts.
"You're declaring war now?" Loki spoke before anyone else had the chance to. Odin simply raised a brow, letting Loki rant. "You know the frost giants are more powerful than we are now, why even bother? Your people will die!"
"So they're no longer your people, my dear boy?"
"Don't call me that." Loki snapped. I shot him a look, noticing his tensed shoulders and clenched jaw. I longed to touch out, run a hand across his tense muscles to help him relax.
"Loki," Thor muttered, "shut up. We need to hear him out." He looked back up to Odin, and waited expectantly. "What should we do to prepare? If there must be a war we need to save as many of our people as we can."
"We evacuate those who aren't in our armies, send them to the villages in the south." Thor nodded as Odin spoke.
"Then Dahlia leaves."
"Excuse me?" I snapped my head up at the same time Loki did, our eyes meeting before we turned to face Odin.
"She is not safe here."
I laughed. "I wasn't safe here when the Matron was killing defenceless maids, I wasn't safe here when you sent me to the dungeons and nor was I safe when you sentenced me to the beatings. You never let me leave before so why the hell are you sending me back now?" I exploded, furious at Odins order.
"The prophecy." Was his answer.
My glare softened into confusion, and as I looked around the room I saw the princes and Frigga shared my expression. "What prophecy?"
"The prophecy that a simple Midgardian girl would carry the heirs to the throne of Asgard."
His words washed over me, and I took a step back. Loki started at me, his eyes flicking down to my stomach that was hidden by my T-shirt. "What?" I whispered.
"The date of your arrival matched the date that was prophesied. Your connection to Loki was instant, and it became clear you were that very woman to carry the heirs."
My heart sped up, but confusion still clouded my features. "But I'm not pregnant. I'm not." I looked to Loki, who looked like he was about to faint. "Loki," I whispered, "I'm not pregnant."
His face morphed into anger, and he spun on his heel to glare at Odin. "I asked you when I first met her, I asked you why you kept her here and you said the Bifrost was broken-"
"It was broken." Odin interrupted.
Loki screamed, "Dahlia could have gone home! You put her through pain and torment to fulfill a myth. How dare you!"
Frigga looked furious as she stepped down, walking towards Loki. She turned to stare at Odin. "You tricked them. Me."
Odin sighed and stood up, hands in the air. "I was just helping the prophecy-"
"I'm not even the bloody heir!" Loki yelled.
My mind was still racing, but all I knew was that I couldn't stay in the room any longer than I had to. I turned and ran, yanking the door open before I sprinted back to Loki's rooms. I slammed my bedroom door behind me, and gathered my blankets around my shoulders.
***
~Loki's POV~
"All this time." My voice had fallen quiet. "All this time you knew I would have feelings for her. You made us dance around one another..."
"She's the future of Asgard."
"She doesn't even want to be here!" I ran my hands over my face, fingers scratching along my cheeks as I felt my skin fluctuate in colour. I forced myself to stop from turning blue.
"I don't understand the issue. You love her, she loves you and she's now carrying your children. When the war is over and she returns you will wed and your children will rule."
I stared at Thor, hoping for him to back me up. Shaking his head, he sighed. "As you constantly remind us, Loki is not the heir of Asgard. He's not Asgardian, you said that he would stay from the throne for that reason."
"But their children," Odin stood up, "will be half Frost Giant, half Midgardian and be raised on Asgard. They can unite the realms."
"If Dahlia is to leave so will I." I made up my mind. "And we won't be returning. Thor has the throne and I can finally be at peace." I marched to the door, and turned to look back at Odin. "And you will never go near us. You will leave us alone." With that I left, and headed straight to my rooms.
I heard her crying before I saw her, and the last ties holding my heart together shattered. I leant on her door, feeling weak, and raised my hand to knock. I could hear her snuffling, and noises to suggest she was moving, before the door creaked open an inch.
She stared at me, hidden by an assortment of blankets wrapped around her short body. Her hair looked messy, pulled away from her face though most of it had escaped. Tears were still falling down her cheeks as her eyes bore into mine, shock and denial evident before she leant forward, collapsing into my chest.
We moved onto her bed, and she stayed enveloped in my arms as I repositioned the blankets around us. "Loki," She croaked, lifting her head to look at me. "We aren't real are we?"
"What?" I stared at her, unsure of what she meant.
"I thought I loved you but Odin... It was all a plan wasn't it? You don't really love me, and I don't really love you. He just wanted us to think we did so I could have your children."
"Dahlia," tears began falling down my own face as she spoke. "I know I love you. I do, so so much. Odin wanted it to happen, but even he can't create what I feel for you. I know what I feel is true, and you just have to trust that I will always love you."
"I want to go home," she sobbed, falling back into my chest. "I don't want to be here anymore. I can't deal with the mind games, I don't want to be scrutinised, I don't want this." She sat up, wiping her cheeks. "I love you but I don't want to stay here."
"We'll pack our bags." I brushed the tears from her face, and held her in place. "We will leave, tonight. We'll go to Earth. I'll stay in disguise. We can leave."
"But you can't-" she stared, but I leant forward, holding her lips with mine so she couldn't argue. "I can. Odin can't do anything now Dahlia, I can stay hidden from him. We will go."
"What about Thor? I know you like him really, I can't ask you to leave him-"
"He can visit." Loki shrugged, "he goes to Earth all the time, I'm sure he can travel to see me if he wants to."
"And Frigga? She's your mother Loki, I'm not separating you." I saw the heartbreak in her eyes. Knowing she sees the importance of a relationship with ones mother as she lost hers so young, I knew I had to do well to convince her.
"Frigga can travel the Bifrost too. She taught me my skills, she can visit us whenever she wants, if that's something she wanted to do. But Dahlia, I want to be happy. I want you to be happy. And that means we need to leave."
She nodded, and wrapped her arms around me. Her shaking body stilled mine as she clutched the cloth on my back.
"Loki," her voice broke through my thoughts. "I think I might be pregnant." I pulled back, eyes flicking between hers. "I don't know for sure, but... there's a possibility."
I couldn't help the smile that crept along my face. "Is that a good thing?" I asked softly. I knew she wanted children but with the surrounding circumstances I wanted to hear her opinion on it first.
She began sobbing again, nodding her face into my neck. Then she shook her head, then nodded again. "I don't know," she mumbled. "I'm tired, all I want right now is to stay here and hold you."
"Then that's all we'll do." I whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek before rolling us down to lie on her small bed, hidden beneath layers of blankets.