Pure as White

17 - Everything Falls Apart

Loki was fuming, flames practically shooting out of his ears as he paced back and forth in Astraea's bedchambers. How could she be so stupid? He thought. For a moment, he scolded himself for even taking on her agreement. How could he be so foolish to think that she was clever enough to do this? She was a helpless native child, but of course, this was exactly what he wanted her to be.

"You ignorant child!" he spat.

Astraea's eyes widened, and she shot up to look at him. What did he just say? An ignorant child? That's right, that's what she heard, and now she was fuming. How dare he, the God of Mischief, call her a child when he himself gets kicked out of his own home on a regular basis? She was no child, and she wasn't about to be spoken to like one.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted, her voice ringing with authority. "You sir will never speak to me like that ever again, do you hear me? I am not some idiot you can just fool with all your tricks and ticks that you have. I AM a goddess, I am soon to be queen, Loki, and I will not sit here and listen to you. Your father doesn't care that my mother was killed!"

The tears fell down the girl's face in small droplets.

Drip, one.

Drip, two.

The God of Mischief was still. Astraea could see no sign of any emotion, and so she wondered what the young prince was thinking. Soft skin pressed against her cheeks as she straightened up.

"Wipe your own tears," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I want to know who killed my mother and I need you to help me. No one else knows the secret tunnels and passageways better than you. No one else can get me the information that I need other than you. You want to be king, yes?"

Silent.

Loki was silent, but his eyes spoke all the words the young goddess needed to know.

"Then so be it. I, Astraea, Goddess of innocence and purity, declare myself under the eyes of Tatiana, priestess of all Divine church, to Loki, God of mischief." Astraea knew better. She knew speaking the words into existence and straying off her destiny would only cause a ripple between all the realities. But she was desperate, in dying need.

"Our lives, our desires, our destinies, are about to change."

"What ar—"

Before Loki could finish his thought, before the words could fumble out of his mouth, Astraea lunged forward; soft, gentle, and honey-tasting lips were now against his.

Blue, purple, and white glow loomed around them, swirling and swaying. For a moment Loki felt as if he was between realms, the nothingness of space and time.

Two halves, one whole.

Euphoric bliss swirled and tingled deep within his char black soul. Something was changing, something was happening. Feeling overwhelmed but oddly excited and euphoric, his hands reached up, cupping her face.

Desire.

He felt strange. His whole world for a brief moment had gone utterly and completely silent. Gently the kiss parted, both standing still, eyes closed.

"You are mine and I am yours. Two halves of one whole, our souls are now one. Bless us be," Astraea's last words hummed off her lips. The tingle hasn't stopped deep inside his being.

"What did you do?" His words slipped through his lips with a soft tone. More softly than he has spoken it in his mind. What has she done?

"I gave you half of my soul. I am now yours, Loki God of mischief," Astraea took a breath in, gently and soft. "The great Divine is a ancient and very cherished old way of marriage. Titans still carry on these marriages today. All of us great Divines, gods, goddesses, and other magical beings all have a Divine energy within us. Some call it a soul. On my planet of Titan, we divide our souls and give half of us to our partners, forever intertwined as two halves, one whole. This is something that cannot be undone or taken away. I am now a part of you. You have all the power over me, Loki. And now you are king."