1 | 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 ▹ LOKI LAUFEYSON

x. the family

A M O R A

That is me.

Those words were running through Amora's mind over and over as they returned to Erik's house.

That is me.

Everything else seemed to fade away. Her legs moved on their own volition; she could barely hear Loki's muffled voice but made no attempt to listen.

That is me.

There she was, beaming alongside a happy family.

Her family.

No. Amora stopped the thought. This is too good to be true.

Despite the clear picture in front of her, she was hesitant to get her hopes up. This could be some kind of coincidence or hoax.

The world slowly began to come back into focus, and Amora began to pick up Loki's words.

"...and question them about it."

The sorceress was jerked out of her thoughts when a pair of hands grasped her shoulders and shook her violently.

"Can you believe it, Amora?" Lorelei practically squealed, "We have a family. Our own family."

Amora could only smile at her sister before her eyes trailed back to the portrait in Loki's hand. Despite the anxiety eating at her stomach, she was also buzzing with excitement.

Entering the house, the trio hesitated in the entry room, not completely sure as to how they should proceed.

Loki turned to the sisters. "Alright, let's—"

Before he could finish, a worried Thor appeared from the hallway, followed by the rest of the company as well as the Lord and Lady.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked, "You two have been gone far too long."

The prince turned is gaze to Lorelei; his eyes grew pained and he opened his mouth to speak.

Oh no. Amora quickly stepped forward to save her sister from the inevitable embarrassment to be caused by Thor's lack of both a filter and discretion.

But before she could speak, Lorelei spoke up, panicked. "Loki has found something that must be addressed." Her frantic voice was a full octave above its normal tone.

Amora and Loki froze. They had wanted time to prepare how they would approach this confrontation, but the overwhelmed redhead just destroyed any possible preparation with her abrupt announcement.

"Well," a now curious Thor pressed, "what is it?"

Everyone turned to Loki expectantly. He glanced at Amora before straightening slightly. She could practically see his mind running to compose both himself and his next words. Loki held the rolled up parchment out toward the Lord and Lady.

"In my search for blankets, I came across this curious parchment."

Lord Erik paled, but he managed to take the portrait with a trembling hand. As he unfurled it, his wife's eyes began to fill with tears. She turned her face into her husband's shoulder with a cry.

"I do not wish to be reminded of those painful times," she whimpered, "My heart can take no more of it."

Thor stepped closer and took the parchment to look at it himself. His eyes widened with surprise only to immediately narrow.

"What is this?" he demanded and held the picture out toward the couple, "Who is this?"

The nobleman drew a deep breath as he pulled his bow weeping wife to his side. "Many years ago, my wife and I were blessed with two beautiful daughters. We were mere peasants then. Those girls were our greatest treasure." He looked up at the sisters. "Their names were Amora and Lorelei."

Amora felt her sister grip her arm tightly for support. It was a miracle that she herself was able to remain standing.

"If you're saying that our friends here are your daughters," Fandral spoke, "how did they come into Karnilla's possession?"

For a moment, Amora could have sworn that the room darkened at the mention of the Norn Queen, but none of the others acknowledged it.

Erik's eyes lost their wistful gaze and darkened into a look of pain and loss. "When my eldest was barely a year old, that witch attacked our village. She took our daughters and slaughtered the Lord and Lady of the village as well as their heir."

His long-silent wife then choked out a cry and turned to Amora and Lorelei, tears streaming down her face. "We thought you two were lost to us forever," she approached them and touched both of their faces with tentative hands. "You were everything to us."

Neither sister could contain their emotions any longer. They fell into their long-lost mother's embrace, once again feeling the comfort of her arms. Tears steamed down Amora's face.

They finally had a family.

They finally had a home.

* * *

Hopefully my rapid-fire publishing will make up for my negligence this past week.

This chapter was initially only the first half of a much longer chapter, but I decided to cut it in half so the next chapter should be coming very soon!

Feel free to leave any thoughts, comments, or opinions!!!

Thanks so much for giving my work a chance! :)