Cleave | Loki x Reader

• IX •

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1860, Asgard

Loki

Of course Y/n hadn't died that night in Jennia. Where would this story be going if she had? No, she is far too fierce, and far too blessed by the Norns. Far too fated for greatness.
And of course, the blame was to be all mine.
With the bit of seiðr the night had restored in me I had teleported us to the edge of the desert, where I was dealt the first blow. The black steed answering to my call - not Sleipnir, for that matter - had a letter attached to its mane. Breaking the royal seal, I already prepared for the worst.

Loki, I have sensed your seiðr's return to Asgard. (my mother and her weird heightened senses)
The whole of our city believes you and Y/n of having perished in the depths of the deserts' night! I still do not sense Y/n's force near.
My dear, if anything were to happened to Y/n... Even I will not be able to protect you from his wrath.
Alas, I am aware of your abilities, and have the utmost faith in them. Therefore, I believe Y/n to be with us still, and that with you, she is the safest she may ever be.

Do prepare for your return home, dear.
Love, Mother

Great, that. So yeah, I tried my best to wake Y/n from her unconscious state before we arrived at Asgard's gates. Naturally, the Norns weren't in my favour. Holding her upright and steady in my arms as we galloped our way into Asgard, I cried out for a healer the second hooves clanked on city soil. Numerous people came rushing, but I wouldn't give her from my arms if not for a palace guard. One came, then two. Behind them, I soon caught the familiar bulky frame of my brother. Hair ruffled and clearly agitated, Thor took Y/n from the arms of the first guard. Then he glimpsed me, the guards already ushering him into the palace.
'But my brother,' I could hear him argue. What the guards told him in turn, I couldn't discern, but with a worried expression plastered on his face, he complied. I knew then that Y/n was being taken care of. I could breathe.
In a flash, folk kneeled before me, holding jugs and bowls of water to my dry lips, and immediately I downed all of it. The desert had drained both of us severely, and I remained breathless at the gates of Asgard for almost half an hour. A different set of guards eventually helped me to my feet, leading me to my next mission: surviving my father.

'Neither of you should have survived this. No one has ever survived a Jennian night...'

My father has yet to grace me with a glance. Then, he turns.

'Why was not your seiðr sufficient enough to return her here before the night? Did not I instruct you to keep from it if not for a dire situation to arise?!'

'Well, father,' I spit, the word emphasised by a drawl. 'In the desert one might find oneself in more than just one dire situation.'

'What was it you wasted your energy on, tell me, son!'

And just like that, it breaks out of me, 'FOR THE LOVE OF HEL, I HEALED HER! JUST LIKE YOU TOLD ME TO!'

For a breath there is silence, and it tempts me to believe that I've won.

'The second you needed to heal her, your duties had already been neglected. You were meant to protect her, not heal her when you've failed!' he roared, in his eyes something close to disdain.
When I was younger, I often wondered how he'd conquered the Nine Realms all on his own all those centuries ago, and on days like these, his eyes granted me a glimpse into those exact times, and I wondered no more.

'She is a shield maiden in training; the best in her year! She doesn't need protection! If it weren't for me she wouldn't even have suffered that injury to begin with!'