Asgard's New Princess

Chapter 7-Answers

Chapter 7

Frigga kept pushing off Loki's trial and punishment in hopes that he and I would forgive each other. Odin was getting mad and impatient. Hm. That made two of us.

Sif was once again teaching me how to fight with a sword, although I did very poorly. I was rash and aggressive, and it didn't help that I hadn't gotten much sleep. Thor often watched from nearby; Loki, from the courtyard gates. He and I hadn't spoken since the first day I got here, and it was making me mad. It was also the reason for my sleep depravation.

He was yards away every night, just on the other side of that wall. And how many times in the past six years had I prayed to just see him again, and now I wasn't talking to him. That didn't fly with me, but I was the more stubborn of the two of us. We'd discovered that a long time ago.

But I couldn't help but to ignore him. Twice now in the five days I'd been here he had reached out to me, but I skirted around him and didn't look back. I hoped he would figure out that I didn't want to speak to him publicly, because then if I got upset, I wouldn't be making a public fool of myself. I knew I would get upset though, because he was angering.

Today was different. Today I was in my room, having left one door cracked open, when I saw in the mirror that it was opening farther. Hastily I jumped to my feet and spun around.

But it was only Loki. Sighing, I sat on my bed. Was I sighing from relief or exhaustion with him? I didn't know.

"I apologize for not knocking," he said. I shrugged. "Do you mind if I close the door?" I shook my head. There was a soft click that meant the door was shut, and my heart gave a little leap. If he wanted to make accusations, shout profanities, there was nothing stopping him. There was also nothing stopping me. I figured that was most of the reason for the closed door. My benefit.

"Eren, there are several things you do not understand about my true heritage, things that make it difficult for me to talk about it," he said while walking closer. He stood almost three yards away, much farther than we'd ever been in the past.

"Even to me?"

He nodded. "Even to you. That's why I didn't come back. I did not want to face any questions. I wouldn't have been able to answer them, and I feared this separation that you see now."

"You wouldn't be here if you weren't planning on telling me. Sit." It wasn't a request. He looked fidgety, and I didn't want him edging toward me. My heart dropped at all the walls between us, and I hoped it was punishment for him as well.

He smirked a bit and sat on the couch a little ways away. "Won't you join me? Or are you more comfortable there?"

"I'm more comfortable here, thanks."

A disappointed expression crossed his face, but it cleared so quickly I wasn't sure if I had seen it at all. He took a deep breath. "Ask. I will answer your questions."

"What did you do when you found out you were adopted?" Best to start with the easy stuff.

He answered smoothly and calmly. "I began a war between Asgard and Jotenheim."

Jotenheim...I remembered that name. It was the home of the Frost Giants. My eyes bulged, but as he wasn't looking at me, he didn't see.

"Why Jotenheim?"

His entire body tensed. Apparently that was a question he didn't want asked. Quickly I retracted it. "Never mind. I guess that doesn't matter so much." Asgard and Jotenheim had been enemies for quite some time. It made logical sense. He nodded and his body relaxed. "Why did you look sick, back on earth?"

"I had just given most of my life to Thanos. After the war between Asgard and Jotenheim didn't go well, I was upset, and I sought revenge. Thanos demanded more than gold as payment. I spent several months in his presence, and it was more than I expected to give."

Torture was what my mind immediately went to, but I didn't say anything. It would be a big assumption. I looked for another easy question, one that wouldn't make him shut off completely from me. There wasn't one. I had to take a chance.

"Why?"

He seemed to be expecting this question, and took a deep breath. "There is no easy answer. The easiest way is to show you."

I watched him warily. Slowly he eased out of the chair and moved farther away from me. He held up his hands as if to assure me that he wouldn't hurt me. My heartbeat was erratic. I was terrified. What was he about to show me? Would he hurt me? No. I felt embarrassed for even thinking it.

He closed his eyes tightly, and I watched in amazement as his skin became blue; marks appeared on his face, it looked like raised skin, as if someone had scratched him. I slid off the bed to my feet, my mouth open wide.

Carefully I approached him, my hand going up seemingly of its own accord. His eyes were still closed; he looked to be in pain.

My hand grew near to his cheek and he recoiled, backing almost to the wall. Instantly I clutched my hand to my chest, terrified. Had I hurt him? My hands were warmer than normal due to the shock. Then he opened his eyes, which were blood red, and his skin became pale almost immediately. His eyes faded to green.

For a split second our eyes met, and he must've misread the terror in my eyes, because he fled the room. I was hot on his tail.

"Loki!" He only made it to his room, but the door wouldn't open for me. "Loki, open the door. Don't try hiding from me."

There was no response, but I didn't leave. "Loki," I said more calmly, "please open the door. What was that? Are you okay?"

But there was no response.