Lokasenna

Chapter Seven

Loki did not get enough sleep at all that night.
Even though he was able to sort of relax, his mind was chaotically running about, and the thoughts of Andvari's ring led to thoughts of control, which led to thoughts of being controlled by Thanos which led to control by Odin, and he was overwhelmed. He woke up with a mild headache.

He rose from his bed in the early hours of the morning, leaving the comforting warmth as his bare feet made contact with cold stone. He wandered over to the edge of the open columns and rested his hands on the stone railing, laying his head in them and closing his eyes. There would always be some conflict that would always tug at his mind.

Then, his senses alarmed him that someone was approaching Odin's chambers yet again. Loki sighed in exhaustion as he switched to the Allfather's persona, now finding himself facing two guards within the grand room.

"My King," the guard on the left announced. "The Midgardian woman has finally awoken and is nearly recovered from her injuries."

Inside, Loki was agitated. But he had to keep calm.

"Very well. Leave me to view her in private."

"As you wish, my lord." The guards turned to exit the room, but just as they were about to leave the chambers, Odin mysteriously collapsed onto the floor without warning. The guards quickly ran to his side and confirmed that he had fallen unconscious, but he was still alive. The only thing they could do for their king was to carry him to his bed, where he remained as a sheer covering that shimmered of gold started to form around his body. It was clear that Odin had fallen into the annual Odinsleep. After the guards finally left him in peace to alert the out-stationed guards and the healers, Odin was temporarily out of the picture. Now, Loki would have less of a problem keeping up with staging both his and the AllFather's actions.

Once he was in the clear, Loki quickly returned to his living space, expecting the Captain of the Guard to knock upon his door any minute. He knew of his lineage.

Surely enough, there was a knock. The Captain strode through the door and the guards behind him knelt before him in a line, their fists clenched to their chests as they simultaneously bowed their heads.

"Your father has unfortunately fallen into the Odinsleep," the Captain said. "His energy requires healing. The line of succession now falls to you."

Loki said nothing. He certainly acted surprised as the Captain kneeled before him and brought forth Gungnir, Odin's scepter, but this was merely only the beginnings of his plan. He gladly accepted the weapon- this symbolic item of power.

"My King," the Captain announced as he slowly rose and backed out of the room with his parade of guards.

Once again, Loki had formally scored the throne.

The very first thing that he did afterwards was to simply fall onto his bed with the scepter at his side and pass out from pure exhaustion.

When he awoke a few hours later, he felt much better. Loki got to his feet and went over to a water basin, where he splashed cool water onto his face and dried it quickly. After that, he called in a few servants to assist in dressing him. They clothed him in a dark green tunic that dipped to the floor with black, leather arm guards and a black overlay. Once Loki was dressed, he was satisfied. He swept Gungnir into his hands and swiftly walked out of his chambers, breathing a sigh of relief as he felt energized walking down the endless corridors.

Then he remembered the Midgardian woman.

Loki sighed, realizing that as King, it was his unfortunate duty that he had to pry into other people's lives, especially when they were petty Midgardians. He had to keep the realm safe, after all.

He eventually found the room that the woman was being kept inside, and he smoothly trudged in as the guards parted the stone-edged doors.

She was now sitting up in her bed, staring out the window. She said nothing as he graced her with his presence.

"In this realm, it is advised that one must bow before their king," Loki broke the silence with a sly statement.

The woman said nothing. She continued to endlessly stare into space.

Loki closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled quietly. It was dangerous for him to reveal his frustration to her, especially with her state of unpredictability.

"You're not my king," Artemis finally directed her attention towards the trickster god. "You never were."

Loki stepped closer, gripping the scepter. "And who is to dictate that, I suppose?"

Artemis eyed Gungnir as he stepped closer, noting that its end was pointed straight towards her. "Someone who knows how to properly control a weapon," she remarked with a light smirk. "How am I to trust you?"

"Trust?" Loki slightly tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. Then he relaxed and stopped in his tracks. "Trust is for fools."

"Ah, I see," Artemis replied. "Then I'm sure that when you were hanging on by the shards of the Bifrost, you didn't feel the need to make that remark."

On the inside, Loki was completely taken aback. This mortal woman knew more than she should have. Loki stared at her for a few seconds before he lost control.

A minute later, he found himself using the scepter to pin her neck down to the pillows. She struggled, of course, but his grip was too great. Suddenly, the ring on her finger glowed a reddish hue, and a seemingly identical Gungnir appeared in her hands, which she used to pin Loki against the wall next to the bed. After struggling against her hidden strength, Loki stepped back, releasing his grip.

"Do not test me," Artemis threatened. "Do not mistake my mortality for pure weakness."

Loki stared at the ring. Never before had he been bested by magic such as this, and such magic posed a pure threat. Although this woman was weakened by the blow of his brother's hammer, she was poison to the throne, to his plan, and that was something he could not tolerate. He swallowed and felt the soreness in his throat from where she had pinned him.

"Guards," Loki beckoned. A few guards approached him immediately at his command from outside Artemis' chambers. "Restrain this woman and place her in the dungeons. I will meet with her tomorrow, after she has had time to...settle."

With Loki's instructions, the guards immediately seized and picked up Artemis. She struggled and fought and the ring started to glow red, but the guards quickly restrained her finger, careful not to trigger the powerful defenses the ring possessed.

Loki watched, somewhat entertained, as they carried her off. Tomorrow, he would find a way to extract the ring.