Of Cunning and Kinship || Loki x reader

Chapter fifteen

In the next few days, the imposing halls of the palace bore witness to a tense weight of anticipation.

From your favourite nook inside the ancient library you could quietly observe dozens of soldiers marching down the gardens, warriors training and sparring, as all of them carried the same look you had seen on agents before a field mission.

'The destruction of the Bifrost continues to shift the balance of power across the nine realms...and into the worlds beyond Yggdrasil,' Thor had said after the feast, his electric eyes dulled by worry.

According to the prince and the gatekeeper, pirates and raiders were invading the other Realms at that very moment, seizing the opportunity left by the loss of the rainbow bridge to ravage the defenceless nations.

A squadron would be sent to aid Vanaheim on the day of the solstice, using the same spell, portal or whatever it was called that would take you back to Earth.

But for now, the only thing the soldiers could do was train.

You were safe on Asgard, that was everyone kept saying, yet it didn't matter how many times Heimdall explained that their preparation was for a feud worlds away, you shivered all the same whenever the violent collision of swords and axes pierced through the air.

The only thing keeping you going was the comfort of knowing that the soldiers' departure also meant your return home.

Home.

No more nightmares, no more fear.

Just one more day until the solstice, and you'd finally be safe.

Thor had been adamant about the plan and the crucial aspect of timing, which meant you had to be ready at the power chamber when the clock struck midnight, or else you'd be stuck on the Realm Eternal for who knows how long.

The specifics of dark magic, Asgardian astronomy and intergalactic travel were still pretty much foreign to you, even with your latest studies concerning the topics, so you were left to join Hild's whispers and prayers that the Norns knew what they were doing.

In the meantime, you occupied your anxious head compiling as much useful information as you could. Although chaotic, your notes and transcriptions could be a great help to your colleagues; you just wished you could scan all the tomes scattered around your little nest, a hundred years wouldn't be enough to decipher all that knowledge.

And by your side, of course, your loyal companions helped you get ready for the journey; while purposely ignoring each other.

Since that fateful party, the two seemed to be walking on eggshells, and Hild in particular was determined to not direct a word to the guard. You swore the huge soldier recoiled whenever the tiny maid spared him a harsh glance, and you quietly tried - and failed - to hide your grin behind your notes.

The morning after the party, when Geri knocked on your door to deliver the breakfast tray, Hild had all but dragged him by the ears outside; and her scolding was so unforgiving, even behind closed doors, that you felt your jaw drop when the woman reappeared as delicate as ever and proceeded to tidy the room.

When you asked her about the matter, she irritably said the guard claimed he had been summoned by his commander on that night, and she proceeded to furiously berate him for leaving his post.

At the sight of her hazel eyes becoming a burning forest, you took a mental note to never cross the gentle maid.

So now the two of them only exchanged cordial yet curt words when they were forced to occupy the same room, even after the guard had earnestly apologised to you in private.