Skye [Loki]

Chapter 1 | Silence and a Screaming Mind

Chapter 1 | Silence and a Screaming Mind

⊰⊱

Her dying screams flashed before him, and he listened to the battle cries die away. 

"In the end, we must all die."

⊰ Asgard ⊱

"You must think me a fool," Mathis said. "I've noticed the way some of the guards look at you. It's almost impossible to be in your company without noticing it."

Skye wasn't timid to playfully slap Mathis across the arm. 

"Folkvarthr seems to flatter you with such content, that your cheeks always burn such a lovely shade of red," he continued, as the two friends walked side by side through the palace.

"Mathis, please!" Skye said, wishing he'd stop talking of such things. It was highly inappropriate, and she felt a warmth travel up the length of her neck. 

"What?" Mathis chuckled, and let the sound of his  polished boots and metallic armour chime down the royal Asgardian hallway. 

Skye walked silently by his side, before abruptly stopping. She turned to glance up at Mathis. He was well over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and infectious smile. However, his usually calm demeanour had been replaced with an expression of angered confusion. Guilt stirred in the pit of her stomach. Mathis was a beloved friend, but he needed to know how she felt about the matter. Skye took Mathis' hand within her own, and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

"You know how I feel about this topic of conversation. Folkvarthr is a charming and very respectable young gentleman. It is not my place to talk of such things. Especially not to you!" 

"But he is my friend," Mathis said, unable to conceal the smile creeping across his face, "-and he seems to adore you."

"Yes, that's the problem. He is a young man a stature, a member of the King's Royal guard - just as you are. It would be lowly of him to converse with such reduced company." Skye said. She observed the rustic brown fragments of hair that moved against his forehead, before turning to look away in shame.

"Skye, you're the Queen's handmaiden. You're not a lowly servant or a peasant." Mathis voiced, pulling her into his arms. "He's not in such an elevated position, as I share his skills and formality - and I still manage to converse with you perfectly well."

"That's not the point," Skye shifted out of Mathis' embrace. "He could do so much better than I. Why waste time on someone like me?" 

Skye turned from Mathis, tears burning her eyes. She did her best to hide her face within her hands, but a muffled cry escaped her lips. Her shoulders quivered, and Mathis' eyes followed Skye as she made her way further down the hall. Her luscious brown locks cascaded down her back, bouncing as she quickly moved out of sight.

Retreating to the nearest balcony, Skye braced her hands upon the terrace wall. Her heart tightened within her chest, and tears ventured down her cheeks. The skin of her knuckles turned white as she clenched her palms in anger. Only then, did she feel the comforting breath of man by her side. A warm palm gently covered her own. Mathis. His thumb gently caressed the topside  of her hand.

"What did they say?" Mathis said, his tone low.

Skye froze, and her chest tightened. She turned to look at Mathis, confusion now plastered across her face. How did he know of this?