Eagle (A Loki love story)

Chapter 104

As per the popular demand....

Loki's POV

It had been two months since Heimdall had informed me of Mira's rescue. Now that he had a clear picture of her, and since she was around Thor almost constantly, I did not worry as much. If he kept an eye on Thor, he would know if anything bad happened to her. I had to be very careful not to ask too many questions pertaining specifically to her, but I pieced together all that I could. My mental tie with her had been severed completely not long before she had been rescued and those few days had been the worst days of my life, not knowing if she was alright, or if she was even alive, and not being able to question Heimdall about it without giving up my act as Odin. But now that she was safe, I did not fret as much.

It was a hot, sunny, summer day here on Asgard and I was bored, lounging on the throne during my public hours. Nothing could have surprised me more than the pair of figures walking towards me. One of them clearly Thor, Mjolnir in hand and his cape billowing behind him, but it was the second, smaller figure that really caught my attention. It was Mira. I did not recognize her at first, her hair was all but chopped off, there was something different about the way she held herself, and her wings were encased in braces. My grip on Gungnir tightened. Heimdall had neglected to inform me that she had been injured at some point. When they reached me, I had to consciously stop myself from dropping the illusion and running to her side. Something had changed in her, I could feel her aura now and it was....different. Darker, perhaps? Twisted? No, that wasn't quite right either. It was more like....tampered with, something that hadn't been there when I contacted her last in her dreams. By the Norns, what had happened to her? I stood to meet them, already struggling to hold up my façade.

Mira's POV

I hung behind Thor a bit the closer we got to the throne. Odin had never really liked me and now here I was without warning. He wasn't going to give me a warm welcome, that much was certain.

"Father."

"Thor. What news do you bring? Have you retrieved the scepter Loki used in the attack on Midgard?"

"There has been an interesting development in that subject." He gave Odin a fairly good summary of how Vision came to be, and why he would be allowed to keep the stone. Odin seemed....satisfied with his explanation.

"It seems to be for the best anyway, having two Infinity Stone in the same realms is less than intelligent. But now, you owe me a second explanation." His gaze drifted over to me, and lingered a little longer than I thought it would, "Why is she here?"

"She needed a change in scenery and she wished to visit for a time. I assumed you would not mind."

"How long will you be staying?" I was surprised that he was actually talking to me directly.

"Umm....I don't know. As long as I am welcome? Not forever, I know that. I'll go back to Earth at some point, but I just sort of....picked up and left here. I want to get my affairs in order. After that, I don't know."

Loki's POV

She was being so vague! If she was going to stay here, I wouldn't be able to stay away from her. She had changed so much; her innocent, playful personality had been boxed up in a thorny cage. Her face had lost its resting expression of a light smile in favor of a tired, neutral look that bordered somewhat on sad. Her voice had become monotone, and not to mention her hair. It had been lopped off at the shoulders, about the length mine own now, perhaps slightly shorter. Of course it had been noticeable from far off, but now that she was right in front of me, I fully appreciated just how much had been cut. Something bad had definitely happened to her since our last clear contact.