Tell Me A Story

Mars

Loki sat inside his cell. The cell that reminded him of the lie that is his life, reminded him that she was to stay in here until the time of his death, reminded him that he may never truly see Frigga again. Frigga, his mother. The one woman in his life who has shown him love and she is gone.

Sitting in this god-forsaken, woeful cell with a book in his lap had given Loki quite the bore. Although, the novel was quite interesting but it did not entertain him at the moment, his mind was elsewhere.

From the corner of the former prince's sight, he caught a mere glimpse of a young maiden with hair of gold and a scarlet gown. By the time he looked up to her, she was gone. Loki pushed that brief glance to the back of his mind, having no care of her or her business here, forgetting the matter in an instant.

Loki was near midway through the story when he saw her again. This time, he looked up to her immediatly. She looked worn as she exhaustedly neared the stairway with her eyes trained at the floor. Her golden-yellow hair stuck to her cheek, her face was flushed, her skin was pale, her shoulders were hung, her arms appeared sore and her garment showed signs of recent stains.

Though he do not immediate recognize this woman in any way, there was a strange familiarity about her.

"Who was she, why do I possess the sensation of knowing her?" Then another thought entered his mind...

"Could it be?"
"No, surely it cannot!"
"My dear Mars... truly, I must know!"

Loki silently willed the maiden to look up, look at him, to look into his eyes.
And she did. Her eyes met his and his met hers.

"It is Mars! My dear Mars, my beloved friend! After all this time, I see her now!" The thought raced through his mind.

Although Loki was overjoyed to see her, he strongly attempted the best expressionless appearence he could give for fear of her knowing it was the man she once knew. Loki did not want her to see his here, like this.
"Does she remember me?" The look in her large green eyes answered yes.

Loki did not want to release the stare for he believed it may be the last one he shall ever recieve from her, wanting to cherish it as best he could. Loki had gotten lost in the forest green of her beautiful eyes. He could not deny that a comforting feeling arose within him. It began at the pit of his stomach and rose to his chest. His heart pounded within his ears and the only thing he heard was the increasing beat of the muscle. Loki's breathing hesitates, but only for an instant. He felt my body become hot and numb, his head became light and he felt as if everything inside his body was trying to escape to the outside. As terrifying as this sounds, it was oddly satisfying for Loki and the feeling wealing up within felt pleasing. But this sensation had gone as quickly as it came, though the god wished it remained longer. Now the prisoner felt calm and steady as he gazed upon the woman.

But Loki could not let her see into him, so he was the first to break the gaze and continued on reading the book in his pale hands.

Loki felt stiff so he decided to exercise his worn legs. The man set the book and gave himself a stretch when suddenly, he heard a soft and soothing voice. It was a gratifying sound that still rang in his ears after it was finished, nonetheless, Loki attempted not to break his expressionlessness.

"Why did you not continue reading?"

There was that brief sensation once more. Her voice warmed his heart and numbed his body, he tried not to show it. It was a more confusing sensation, pure adrenaline. Loki turned back to Mars only to see her standing before his cell, eyes shut tight and her face had the look of stern readiness. It only lasted a brief moment before she opened her eyes again and looked around. Loki only could have guessed she was expecting punishment for speaking.
He refused to give it.

"It does not entertain me." He spoke, and he was not lying, it did not.
"It's an ancient Greek poem on the tale of the Trojan War. It's Midgardian; if you read on, you might find it quite as interesting as I have." Her light voice echoed in the white chamber, Loki relished the words but he desperately wished for her to leave.
"I find the likelihood of that occuring doubtful."
And despite his efforts, thus began a very gentle hour of storytelling.

Mars spoke kindly and softly as she vividly explained every detail of the War, Iliad, the Romans and the Steed of Wood now known as the Trojan Horse. Her voice was soft and the story she spoke of was just as wonderful. With every passing moment, Mars became more and more excited and wrapped up in the tale that it spread to her stained and exasperated face. Her arm movements and hand gestures created a flushed moment that gave it a flicker of life, the way she spoke of the War brought it back from the dead. Loki felt he was living in the battle.

Loki felt it was wonderful to see his friend again and could only hope to see her again.