Winter's Hearts

Chapter 24

The sound of the door to Loki's suite opening woke you. You disregarded the sound at first. The maids did come in to clean after all. They were usually quieter, but maybe the maid was new... You pressed your lips against Loki's forehead, he was still curled safely in your arms, his head on your chest, and settled to go back to sleep.

You had decided to disregard the sound until you heard the person stumble into the end table in Loki's sitting room. You had positioned that end table just ever so slightly in the way ages and ages ago. It was designed so that someone unfamiliar with the room would stumble into it, giving you warning if there was an intruder. The maids all knew, any maid ever assigned to work for the princes wasn't new, and would have been warned to watch out for that particular end table. They were used to the eccentricities of the Valkyries and the lengths you went to protect your charges.

You were on your feet in an instant, wings ripping through the back of the tunic you'd stolen from Loki, and dagger in hand. You saw the intruder the second you entered the sitting room. She was cursing softly and trying to set the end table back on its feet. You recognized her and she looked up at you as the lights came on, activating at your presence. "Loki! You should have told me-" she started, standing again to face you, thinking you were Loki. Of course she did. Most people didn't remember you yet. She stopped speaking when she saw you, an angry Valkyrie, wearing nothing but Loki's tunic, but looking ferocious with your jet black wings spread to shield Loki's bedroom, and therefore the just-stirring Loki, from her view, and a dagger in hand. She dipped a curtsy. "Lady Valkyrie," she greeted you politely, scared now. Good.

"What business have you with my charge at this early hour, Lady Delia?" you asked her coldly. It was within your rights to challenge her, especially for entering Loki's private chambers without permission, and the hour was early. It wasn't quite dawn yet.

"With all due respect, Lady Valkyrie, my business here is none of yours," she replied more bravely than she obviously felt. You could see that she had remembered you, though, but still, she was choosing to face off against you. Idiot. "I am looking for Loki, I have an urgent matter to discuss with him,"

You glared at her. "Loki is unavailable. I can assure you, Lady Delia, whatever urgent matter you have with my fiance, you may take it up with me instead," you told her just as coldly. You had a feeling what this was about. She wanted a relationship with your Loki.

"Fiance? But-" she protested, her charade of bravery dropping. "Before he and Thor went to Jotunheim..."

You softened your expression then for the poor idiot girl. Loki was right, the court ladies were feathered-headed morons. It had been years since they had dated if what she was saying was true. Granted, that had been true for you as well, but your case was different. "I'm sorry if you thought you could rekindle your relationship," you told her gently. You heard her thoughts, though you hadn't tried to. She was projecting her anger at you, her anger that her plot was destroyed. She hadn't cared for Loki, just wanted power of dating a prince. Stupid court girl. Loki never would have fallen for that for a relationship. You caught the memory of him breaking things off. It was a harsh breakup, and he had flat out told her that he wasn't interested in power hungry bitches, though he had been kinder than that even in his anger. "Leave now, Lady Delia. You're not welcome here," you warned her firmly. Sometimes you were too nice for your own good and gave people a chance to behave properly.

She glared at you. "You're a bitch, Kyrie, always have been, keeping proper court ladies from wooing the princes. Thinking you're above the rest of us... The Valkyrie are nothing more than slaves to the throne," she snarled. You rolled your eyes, vanished your dagger and strode over to her. She cringed back from you.