The Runaway Mother

New Rules

Seth woke early the next morning. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She fumbled around, looking for her prized doll.
Once she clutched Sage in her hands she groggily stumbled out of bed and padded into her father's room.
Loki was asleep in his bed, the blankets twisted and strewn about. He was dressed in a white cotton night shirt and loose black night slacks. His hair was a mess and it was clear he hadn't slept well.
Seth looked up at the tall bed and set her jaw, determined to conquer this mountainous obstacle. She climbed up with great effort and huffed once she reached the pillows. She looked down on her father's sleeping face. His expression was a tormented one. She gently pushed on his arm. "Papa.."

No response.

She set her doll down and pushed with both hands.

"Papa!" She repeated.

All she got from him was a sharp breath and a turned back as Loki adjusted his position in his sleep.
She frowned in defeat and laid down beside him, helping herself to most of the blankets. She looked out the window, it was so early that dawn was hardly visible at all. She cuddled close to her father's turned back and drifted off again.
Loki was deep in a dream, one that he couldn't seem to wake from.

"She's beautiful." Loki kissed the temple of his wife who held their new born daughter.

"She takes after you." Lyna said as she gazed up at her husband. "She will make a wonderful queen one day."
Loki nodded.

They would gain the throne for her.

Suddenly the scene seemed to shift and Sethyana was a year old. It was the night that Loki failed to let the Jotun king in.
"We made this plan together!" Lyna yelled.
"I can't!!! Not after learning my heritage! I can't risk completing this! Lyna we could lose everything!"
Lyna glared at her husband, "There is more to be gained than lost!" She shouted.
Their fighting woke the baby and she began to cry.
Loki angrily walked past Lyna. "We disagree." He snapped.
He went into his baby's room, he cooed softly as he picked his daughter up. "It's alright...papa's here." He cradled her in his hands and kissed her soft head. "I'm not going anywhere my little queen."
He moved to set her back in bed but to his horror all he held was her blanket...he gasped in terror as he felt the warm sticky texture of blood. The blanket was soaked in it. He turned around to see Lyna in her prison cell, holding the dying body of his child. A bloodied sword laid by her side. Lyna stood and dropped Seth's six year old body. "It was for your own good." She said softly.
Loki fell to his knees and collected Seth in his arms. "No..." tears flooded his vision. "No..no no no no no, Seth! Little queen hold on. Stay with me! Stay, my darling!!!"
Seth coughed and sputtered, choking on blood. She looked up at her father, fear and pain burning in her eyes. Her little body began to shake before she slowly drifted and expired.
"NO!" Loki pulled her into a tight embrace, when he pulled back to look upon her again, it was Lyna's form that he held. And his hand was gripping a sword that he had used against her. Lyna looked at her husband and a pained grin crossed her face. "Sentiment." She muttered as she grew cold in his hands.
Loki dropped her and looked at his blood soaked hands.
"Papa.." a gentle hand touched his shoulder and he spun to see who had touched him.

Bang!!!

Loki gasped and jolted awake. He fought for breath and looked at his hands...clean.

His heart rate slowed as he looked about. His troubled mind was put to rest when he saw his little queen peacefully sleeping beside him, snuggled with her favorite doll.
He sighed and laid his head down again, gently stroking his daughters hair.
"Oh little queen." He kissed her cheek. Her face grimaced as she awoke. "Papa no..." she pushed against his chest.

Loki chuckled, and pulled her into a hug, kissing her about her face so as to irritate her.
"Papa stooooop!" She wiped her face and looked at him. "Too many kisses." She said seriously. She sat up and put her little hands on her hips.
Loki smiled. "No such thing." He picked up her doll and made it stand on the pillow.
He made the doll look at him and then at Seth, then little Sage proceeded to speak with a rather high pitched masculine voice.
"Hurry Mr. prince! We must defeat the evil fairy!!"
Loki looked at the doll confused as he responded to it in his normal voice, "What evil fairy?"
Seth grinned, very entertained by her father as he voiced her doll.
Loki made the toy point at Seth. "That one."
Seth's eyes widened. "I'm not an evil fairy!!" She defended!
Loki sat up and reached for her, "that's exactly what an evil fairy would say!"
He scooped her in his arms and proceeded to attack her with a shower of tickles, which made Seth erupt in laughter as she tried to wriggle out of her father's arms.
"I've got you now!!!" Loki called playfully.
"I'm not an evil fairy! I'm not an evil fairy!" Seth repeated, in some attempt to stop the tickling.
Loki finally set her down with a smile. He kissed her cheek and stood up.

And just like that the game was gone.

Seth sighed,
this was a common occurrence,
her father would be playing happily with her one moment and then he would gently distance himself from her the next.
She was never sure why he did that, she didn't think he even realized he did it. But she knew that some how it involved her mother.
"Can you take me to the stables today?" She asked hopefully.
She loved the horses and the smell of fresh hay, she prized the long rides that her father took her on. They were often the highlights of her days.
"Not today Darling." He said softly as he went into the bathroom to change. He came out wearing more laid back attire.
He smiled a little. "Go get ready for the day, Love. There is someone you need to meet today." Seth tilted her head curiously. "Who?"
Loki smiled. "A new friend." He carried her to her room and helped her change. He sat on her bed and combed her hair, carefully braiding it for her. Her silky ebony curls ran through his fingers as he fastened it in a loose braid.
Seth quieted her thoughts while he worked. This was one of her favorite moments with her father. The comforting, warm silence that filled the room when he did her hair left a gentle peace in her heart.
Once he was finished a knock came at the door. Loki kissed Seth's hair and sent her off. "Go see who that is little queen." Though he knew it was Halia, come to start in her new position.
Seth ran to the door and opened it. Her face fell when she saw a young lady dressed in a governess' uniform. She looked back at her father and frowned. Loki ignored the look and smiled. "Miss Halia, Thank you for coming." The servant bowed her head. "Sethyana this is Miss Halia, that is what you shall call her. She is to be your new governess, and she will be tending to you."
Seth ran to her father. "Papa no! I can take care of myself! I haven't needed a governess before!!" Loki leaned down and placed a hand on her shoulder as he whispered in her ear. "You haven't lied to me before either. Maybe next time you'll be honest with me." Seth looked at her father with a pale face. He knew.

Loki knew his daughter too well. He understood that for her, the restricting presence of a governess would act as a worse punishment than any conventional discipline would. That's what this was.
Punishment, and Seth knew it.
Loki kissed her cheek and smirked in a way that said "I win."
Seth stuck her tongue out at her father as he walked towards the door.
He gave Halia a piece of paper, a list of do's and don'ts, and a heads up of the things his daughter wasn't allowed to do and places she wasn't allowed to go. After clarifying a few things he made his leave.
Halia looked over the list and then looked at Sethyana who looked less than pleased. "So...what would you like to do?"
Seth crossed her arms.
What she wanted was to get back at her dad by seeing the magic woman again.