Book Three - Part One: Two Worlds (Prelude)

Chapter Five

Loki paces his chambers, Frigga watching him with concern, he's been spiraling the last few weeks. Angry and hurt in equal measure. Angry at the elves. Angry at Odin. Angry at Neremy. Angry at Nienna. Angry at Frigga. Well.....angry with everyone. He takes a harsh breath and closes his eyes before spinning on his mother.

"Why did you do this to me?" Loki asks Frigga, she frowns at him. "Sending her away.....to live with the....elves"

"Loki" She starts sitting next to him.

"She is my friend, and you are sending her away" His voice breaks at the accusation.

"Nienna made the choice to accept Neremy's proposal" Frigga argues. "It was not forced upon her" Loki looks away from her. "I know you care for her, Loki, but this is her choice, and you have to let her make it"

"I do not want her to leave" Loki whispers as he sits on the edge of his bed, Frigga moves to join him, sitting at his side. "I..." he takes a deep breath and then looks at his mother. "I love her" This is not news to Frigga, she knows he loves Nienna, she's always known, but neither he nor Nienna ever acted on those feelings, and Frigga was hoping that a nudge in the right direction would help them, if she pushed Nienna to wed another that Loki would put a stop to it, and it started well, he'd destroyed all the lists Frigga made of the eligible bachelors in Asgard and beyond, she thought that was heading the right way. But this....with Neremy, it wasn't supposed to get this far. Loki was supposed to profess his feelings before it got this far. And he didn't. Now Frigga has to send away her ward, a young woman she has always thought of as family. The only woman that will ever be right for Loki. Frigga takes Loki's hand in hers.

"Have you ever told her?" Frigga asks, Loki shakes his head. "Well, do you think that if she knew how you felt about her, that she might....stay?"

"No" Loki answers sadly, he knows that it wouldn't matter now, if he had told her before their argument, maybe she would have stayed, but not now. "No, I don't think she would, not now"

"Why?" she whispers. "Loki" she pushes when he doesn't answer her. "What did you do?"

"I said some things....." He admits, Frigga sighs and he brushes his hand over his cheek to remove his tears. "I was upset and angry and I took it out on her"

"Loki" she scolds.

"I've lost her" he admits as he looks at his mother. "And I don't know what I am supposed to do without her" Frigga touches his cheek, curling her hand around it. He falls into her arms to cry, letting her wrap him up tightly.

....................

Thor sits on Nienna's bed as she opens another congratulations letter from some lord of Asgard, she has received a few of them over the last few weeks, each means as much as the last.....they mean nothing to her. But she knows why there are doing it. To show her their allegiance. Thor's eyes follow her as she paces the floor, her eyes scanning over the letter. Her dress skirt dragging slowly along the floor with her movements. He's barely seen her too, he misses his friend, but he knows Loki is feeling it worse, and Thor wants to try and fix it.

"Loki loves you" Thor admits, she nods and takes a deep breath before she sets the letter onto a pile of others. She turns to face Thor.

"I know he does" She assures him, softly. Loki would not have reacted the way he did if he didn't feel something for her, it has taken her the last few weeks to realize just what he feels for her, and she hates him for it, that now is the moment he chooses to show her his feelings, they have been in each others' lives for more than 900 years, but now, now she is engaged to be married, he does this to her. "But he will never admit it" she points out. "And I cannot stay here and hope that one day....he will tell me" Thor nods a little. "I cannot live my life waiting for him to....to give me something. I can have a life with Neremy, a future...."

"He seems to care for you, very much" Thor whispers in agreement, Neremy is very attentive, very kind, very loving towards Nienna, and they have all come to see the elf fall further in love with her the more time he spends with her. "But not as much as Loki does"

"Thor" she warns sadly as she turns away from him, Thor stands from the bed and moves closer to her.

"And you love him" Thor adds. "If you just told him...."

"Loki is not very good at dealing with feelings, any feelings" She reminds him. "As he has proven these last few weeks...." she whispers. "He has to be the one to make the first move, he has to be the one to....admit his feelings.....and he will not...I have waited long enough, Thor" Thor nods a little and touches her arm before he pulls her into a hug.

"I am going to miss you" he whispers, already getting upset at the thought of her not being right down the hall from him. She's been a part of his life since he was a child, and saying goodbye to her is going to be hard on all of them. She pulls back from him and clears her throat.

"How is he?" she asks quietly, Thor shrugs.

"Not dealing" he answers brushing her hair back. "He is taking this hard..."

"I miss him" she admits, he nods, he knows this. "There's not been a part of my life that Loki hasn't been involved in....and he is missing helping me with this, and I am terrified he will not attend my wedding" Thor brushes tears from her cheek. "And I need him to be there...because he is my best friend and I cannot do this without him" she cries because this is the longest she and Loki have ever gone without talking, and she hates it. "This is all my fault, this is a mistake...I should just tell Ner that I can not do this"

"No" he stops her, Thor shakes his head taking her face in his hands. "No, it is not your fault" he assures her. "You can do whatever you want with your life and your love, Nienna, if this is what you want, then it is not a mistake" he gives her a smile, trying to reassure her. "Loki will come around" he tries to promise. But they both know that Loki is stubborn, and he may never accept that she's chosen to do this. "And Neremy loves you, deeply...he will look after you" Thor kisses her forehead and then pulls back. "Are you going to be alright if I go and scold some sense into my brother?"

"Please, do not force him to be okay with this" She pleads with him. "Let him work through it at his own speed" Thor sighs and gives her a smile before nodding. "But if you do have to go..."

"Thank you" he plants a wet kiss on her cheek and then leaves her alone, closing her chamber door behind him, she sighs and closes her eyes before turning to the pile of unopened letters she still has to go through. The door opens again, this time, softer footsteps enter her room. Neremy looks at her as he turns to face her.

"Nienna?" Neremy asks. "My love?" she hums and turns to him as he closes the door. "What is wrong?" Neremy asks noting her eyes and the tear stains on her cheeks, she gives him a small smile and shakes her head. "Loki?" Neremy asks her, she nods. "He still hasn't....come around?" she shakes her head, he brushes his fingers over her cheek and then kisses the opposite one. "If he cares about you" he pulls back. "The way I know he does...then he will" he takes a breath. "If you need us to...we can postpone the wedding..." she shakes her head.

"No" she assures him. "No, I want to marry you....you are my future, and if he cannot see that...." she shakes her head and stops before she upsets herself again.