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SERENA'S EYES GREW WIDE AS A pair of gloved hands coiled around her waist and spun her around. Unable to get her words out and half expecting to be struck, she shut them tightly out of fright before being bombarded by a pair of soft lips pressing gently against her own.
Her lips scrunched into a tart purse of disgust as the person pulled her in closer, catching her off guard and raising a higher level of panic within herself. Using all her effort, Serena pushed the unknown attacker away and with every ounce of strength she had, swung a clenched fist in their general direction.
"HOW DARE YOU!" She screeched, voice breaking into an agonized shout as her fist collided incorrectly with flesh; wrist giving way beneath the force.
Cradling her arm against her chest the girl stumbled back, vision blurring from fresh tears while her mind sorted through thousands of thoughts, all of them centering around the idea of getting away. She wasn't stronger than them and she wasn't very fast, so instead, she screamed. A loud, bloodcurdling scream that filled the hallway.
A hand quickly covered her mouth.
"Shh, shh, shh! Damn it, Serena! I'm sorry!" Her assailant cried, free hand rubbing their sore jaw, "I guess I deserved that!"
The familiar voice caused an overwhelming sensation to strike her like a ton of bricks, shoulders relaxing as she realized she was in no imminent danger while her eyebrows furrowed to accentuate their confusion and anger; Serena couldn't decide if she wanted to tackle the aggressor in a hug or take her chances at beating them to a bloody pulp.
Unfortunately, the man decided for her, enveloping her in a strong hug while softly swaying back and forth, "I have missed you terribly!" He exclaimed, "Wait until Beatrice sees you, she has hardly stopped teasing me! And not to mention it's nearly your birthday!"
Serena pulled away from the embrace as much as she could, the man's grip only loosening enough for her to gaze pointedly at him, "Lajfen, what are you doing here?"
"What do you mean? I told you I joined your father's army... does that make you not pleased to see me?"
"Joined? But you only ever said you wanted to not—" Another call of her name interrupted.
"Serena, are you alright?" Loki descended the steps quickly, unbothered by his foiled plan and more worried for the welfare of the girl who had just screamed, evident by the troubled look he expressed. What he hadn't expected to see was her cradling her wrist in the arms of an unknown soldier. "I thought I heard —who are you?"
