The Verdant Prince

Chapter 23: Last Night of Innocence

Sif turned, and I swayed on her shoulders as we all looked to the riverbank where a very unusually undressed Prince Loki was standing. For a second we were all speechless. Loki stood barren of any clothes but his undergarments- and in front of us. He had never done anything like this, for whenever we offered he would scowl and refuse to swim or bathe with the 'unworthy.'

His dark hair was loosely tied back, still giving his hair a dark mane feel, his body though was much of a surprise. Instead of being fairly thin and bony as I had expected him to be, he was wiry. His collarbones stuck out slightly, casting soft shadows in the dips of the bones. His stomach was toned as well as the rest of his pale body which seemed to glow in the dull light of the evening. I finally drew my eyes away from his rather pleasing form to his eldest brother.

Thor stood a few inches taller than him. He was thick, bulky, and burly with his light scruff and blond hair. Thor wore a wide smile as he approached the water's edge, almost like a dog. Loki looked displeasingly towards the oncoming 'Storm' in the form of his elder brother. If hadn't grown up around royalty, I would have never guessed they were related.

He glanced up at us and curled his lip back, his dark eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Thor's pout disappeared as he ran to the water's edge, splashing and crashing into Loki's pale form. Thor and Loki bickered quietly before Thor finally returned, Loki hooked onto his shoulders with a mischievous look on the Pale Prince's face. No one dared ask Thor how he got Loki to agree with such a smirk on his face. Personally, he probably was excited to knock his comrades onto their rears, maybe use a bit of mind manipulation.

We met eyes, and for a split second, I could almost taste the foulness and mischief he had planned for us. I was excited for whatever he had planned.

"No magic, no weapons, no injuring, just mundane things," Heskell explained. We all mumbled in unison, itching to fight each other however childish it may be.

"Begin!" Thor boomed. Sif launched herself forward, taking the first chance to fight as usual. I reacted fast, balancing myself out quickly as she crashed into Heskell and Asmund first, using her strong arms to stabilize my legs as I swayed above her. Thor and Loki were standing back slightly, and by Thor's pouty face and scowl, he wanted to join in. Loki just watched from a distance, observing every move until he nudged Thor's head none too gently.

It wasn't long after that I crashed into Asmund, his scruffy stubble coming in contact with my outstretched arms. I quickly grabbed onto his broad shoulders, attempting to push him back with simple brute force. Sif stumbled backward but quickly regained her strength, nearly launching us forward. Such an uneven, swift push sent Asmund tumbling back and into the water easily. I knew Asmund would soon be nagging about it to me for a lifetime.

The victory was short lived as Thor towered over Sif, butting his hip into hers, making her fight to keep her balance. Loki and I crashed together, pawing and batting at each other wildly for victory.

You cannot win, not against me. Loki said slyly in my head. I frowned as I looked Loki straight in his snake-like eyes. His lips began to form a smile that of a demon and we clashed again.

I will be the judge of that. I replied evenly, hoping my words were more than an empty threat. We locked hands in an instant, our noses almost touching as we bared our teeth. I dug what little I had of nails into Loki's knuckles in an attempt to loosen his tightening grip on my own hands, but to no avail. Loki began leaning forward more and I began to move back. I took that little chance to look below me where Sif and Thor were forehead to forehead, attempting to brace themselves against the uneven weight above them.

I was glad that I was not Prince Thor at the moment, Sif looked as if she could and would tear the prince apart.

I snapped my attention back to my own situation now. I was losing ground, sinking backward as Sif scrambled to keep upright against Thor's brute strength. In a moment I knew that I would fall back into the chilled waters meaning I would lose. I was normally fine with losing. It meant I could and would learn from my loss and mistakes and improve myself. I would just accept it. But this was Loki Odinson, and he was different. He would rub it in my face for years, make me want to choke him more than I did already. Not only would it shatter what little pride I carried, but it would boost his.