The Last Shifter (a Loki romance)

Chapter 92

Arista's POV

Loki woke up before me the next morning, and subsequently woke me with his little noises of discomfort.

"Hey, hey. You're ok. It's just me." He groaned, "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible. I really overdid it last night."

"Then take it easy today."

"What about Thor? He's bound to come back today."

"I'll handle it." He smirked and started to chuckle, but that quickly turned to coughing.

"You can do many things, my love, but you cannot fool Thor as Odin."

"Then I'll give you control of my body. You'll be able to fool him through me."

"Very well. Shall we?" I opened the Bond and Loki's soul flowed through it into my body and mine into his. Instantly, I felt the pain Loki had been dealing with all night and it was absolutely agonizing.

"Ok." It was strange hearing my voice from outside my body, "I will return shortly. Hopefully within a few hours. I love you." I nodded a bit and my eyes followed Loki in my body as he slipped from the room, putting on Odin's form before he passed from my sight.

Loki's POV

I didn't have to wait on the throne for long, but it felt like eternity. I was no longer in pain, but only because Arista was in my body enduring it while I was here. I had woken late, but the sun had nearly reached midday before I saw his hulking figure and bright red cape coming towards me. When he reached the throne, he knelt and I stood.

"You once said that there would never be a wiser king than me. You were wrong. The Alignment has brought all the realms together. Every one of them saw you offer your life to save them. What can Asgard offer its new king in return?"

"My life." I raised an eyebrow, silently demanding an explanation, "Father, I cannot be king of Asgard." He rose, "I will protect Asgard and all the realms with my last and every breath, but I cannot do so from that chair. Loki, for all his grave imbalance understood rule as I know I never will. The brutality, the sacrifice....it changes you. I'd rather be a good man than a great king."

"Is this my son I hear? Or the woman he loves."

"When you speak, do I never hear mother's voice?" I had no response, so he continued, "This is not for Jane, father. She does not know what I came here to say. Now, forbid me to see her or saw she can rule at my side, it changes nothing." I sat, leaning on Gungnir as I did so.

"One son who wanted the throne too much, another who will not take it. Is this my legacy?"

"Loki died with honor. I shall try to live the same, is that not legacy enough?" Again, I had no real answer, so I nodded a bit. Then, after a moment of silence, Thor looked down and offered Mjolnir towards me. He intended to give it up. But I could not accept it.

"It belongs to you. If you are worthy of it."

"I shall try to be."

"I cannot give you my blessing. Nor can I wish you good fortune."

"I know." He turned and began walking away.

"If I were proud of the man my son had become, even that I could not say. T'would speak only from my heart. Go, my son." It felt wrong calling Thor 'son', in fact, the entire conversation was creating a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Thank you, father." And with that, he left. I waited until his form had vanished in the light until I dropped the illusion. Or, rather, put an illusion of myself over Arista.