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anavantgardener · 3 years

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Frost and Mischief Ch. 8

Summary: The seven friends find their way into trouble after Elska’s note leads them on a dangerous path. Loki gets a little to close to losing his new friend for his own comfort.

Pairing: OC x Loki

Warnings: fluff, violence

Word Count: 3,776

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Return of the Witch

The Warriors Three, Sif, Thor, Loki, and Elska all found themselves in Thor's chambers, mulling over their next move. The parchment, now unfolded and smoothed out, lay in the center of their usual dinner table. Elska sat, legs crossed, in front of the hearth; she drew designs out of ice on the brick, watching them melt as soon as they hit the stone.

"Meet me at midnight. Alone." Scrawled in calligraphic handwriting, an address in the middle district below the simplistic instructions.

Sif had relayed their encounter to the group, and Elska had told them of her brief experience, as well.

"I must go," Elska finally exclaimed from her spot on the floor.

"Absolutely not!" Thor stood from his seat, knocking the chair to the floor.

"You truly are insane to even think of the possibility," Fandral pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed as he spoke. Sif nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Essentially, you want to ignore this opportunity to uncover whatever scheme is taking place within our city?" Elska was astonished at their lack of understanding her point. "Asgard could be imminently threatened by whatever this meeting is in relation to, and yet you all see fit to wait it out and ignore all chance to halt it before it begins. Not to mention the repercussions of blatantly disregarding whoever did send this message." She tried to use her own safety as a means of convincing.

"At least here we can protect you, El," Volstagg was softer with her. At this, Hogun nodded.

"Yes, and at least here we won't learn a thing of whatever plot may be unfolding," while her words were sharp, her tone was that of a gentle warning. "I am going, and that is decided."

"Then we will accompany you," Thor stated matter-of-factly.

"Have you forgotten it specifically states I am to go alone?" Elska stood and pointed at the word on the parchment.

"Have you forgotten that you have a Master of Magic in your midst?" Loki, who had been silent up to this point, rose from his seat and crossed his arms.

At his words, the six others exchanged glances, all carrying different tones of worry and thrill.

Secretly, Elska was displeased with this development. Rather myself be the one in danger than my friends.

*****

Elska looked at the moondial by her window. An hour to midnight, enough time for her to get to the main hall a bit early. Before she opened her door to leave, she cast an enchantment ensuring she wouldn't be seen before she wanted to be.

Closing her door as silently as she could, Elska glanced around her surroundings to ensure she hadn't alerted any guards that might be nearby. Finding the coast to be clear, she began tiptoeing her way to the main hall, where Sif, the Warriors Three, Thor, and Loki had agreed to meet her.

Elska's head was on a constant swivel, her nerves on high alert. With each step she took, she grew more and more paranoid. Several times she could have sworn she heard someone behind her, but each time she looked, she saw no one. She probably would have arrived to the main hall even sooner had she not been attempting such stealth.

Rounding the final corner, she found her friends outfitted in complete armor and weaponry. They were apparently expecting a fight. Meeting each of their eyes, she gave a quick nod to the group.

"Well, shall we begin our trek?" She huffed, offering a small smile. Not waiting for an answer, she turned and the group began to make its way out of the palace.

Elska could only guess at how long they'd been walking before they arrived to the farming villages at the outskirts of the middle district. Upon their arrival to the villages, Loki cast his enchantment over all except Elska, shrouding them in shadows and invisibility. She would continue this journey technically on her own.

As she walked on, she wished she knew enough about magic to detect its traces; at least she would know where they were as she ventured closer to the small cottage that was her destination. Their absence increased her anxiety tenfold.

Soon enough, she reached the address from her note. Awaiting her was the rogue guard who delivered the note.

"I believe you said the note was not from yourself, yet someone greater?" She summoned a smirk from deep within her, masking her fears.

Snorting, he opened the door and shoved her inside. Elska resisted the urge to look behind her and seek out signs of her friends; it would only alert her newfound company to their presence.

Entering the home, she was greeted by an unexpected sweet smell, as if someone had been baking some sort of pastry, and warmth from a large stone hearth. Candles scattered throughout the room Elska now found herself standing in, each one a different color than the last. Moving closer to the blazing hearth, the light exposed a figure in the corner of the room, seated, hands folded, eyes patient.

Turning to face the seated figure, Elska realized it was a woman. She was draped in golden silk, a crown of flowers and bones adorned her head. She looked to be the queen's age, and as she stood, approaching Elska, the light from the hearth brightened her face, revealing colorless eyes lacking both irises and pupils. Scars and tattoos alike peeked above the top of her drape.

"I have been long awaiting this moment," the woman breathed as she crept closer to Elska. "Watching you grow from worlds away."

"I suppose I should find myself flattered," Elska tried to back away, but found herself blocked by the guard who brought her.

"Funny girl," the woman motioned Elska to sit at a table in the center of the room. "Are you hungry?" She waved her hand over the table, various cakes and biscuits scattered over it.

"I cannot lie, they smell quite enticing," Elska spoke politely and articulately, seating herself, but not reaching for the offered desserts.

"But you are nervous they may be laced with some poison or potion," a smile playing on the woman's lips, she sat across from Elska as the words left her mouth. Her voice was pleasant, a soft melody.

"One could hardly blame me, my lady," Elska bowed her head. "A secret rendezvous with someone I haven't had the pleasure of meeting, I believe anyone would be on edge."

The beautiful woman laughed, a bell-like sound.

"My, you are polite, aren't you," she tilted her head.

Picking up a biscuit, Elska shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Perhaps it is my etiquette training in the palace," she said before taking a bite. The flavors danced across her tongue as a wonderful warmth spread throughout her body. A child-like giddiness filled her spirit, and she couldn't contain her smile.

Sensing her delight, the woman nodded, encouraging Elska to finish her biscuit.

"Tell me, Elska, have you heard the legend of Gullveig?" she asked the girl as she took another bite.

"Once," Elska replied, finishing off her biscuit and debating another. "Her torture led to the war between Asgard and Vanaheim."

"I believe you mean tortures," the woman corrected with a sickly sweet tone as she began, rising from her seat and making her way around the table. Running her thin fingers through Elska's hair, the woman's close presence sent shivers down the girl's spine, and she felt as if a snake was wrapping its body around her head. The emotion was vastly different from the one she felt just moments ago. "Three times Odin burned her, three times she lived through it. Now, she stands before you, carrying a new name. I am Heior," the woman, identity now divulged, finished her statement.

Elska's jaw dropped slightly as the recognition zipped through her mind. This was Gullveig, renowned seeress, highly talented in the ways of magic. Caught performing dangerous enchantments in Asgard, the All-father punished her by burning her three times over again. It only contributed to the already growing tension between the Vanir and Aesir gods.

Elska was dumbfound, clueless as to how to react.

"How sweet, she is struck silent in adoration," Gullveig danced over to her guard, clapping her hands. Tapping him on the nose, his appearance changed and Elska recognized him as the prisoner who she'd seen sentenced.

"I do not understand, the All-Father led us to believe you dead," as Elska tried to stand, she found herself unable to move, struggling and shaking as if there were straps keeping her in the chair. Her limbs felt as if they had been replaced with stone, and anxiety set in once more as her fingers began clawing at the wood her hands rested on.

"Do not be afraid," Gullveig's voice was syrupy, a sort of sweetness that slowly trudged through each word. She drew out her words, and as she spoke, it felt like rocks were chafing against Elska's bones. The young woman writhed in her seat, fear constricting her ability to think logically, the spell being cast on her body contradicting the words being spoken to her.

"Please stop," Elska's voice came out in a gasp, the futility of her efforts setting in.

"Then listen," Gullveig eased whatever spell she'd been casting, but ensured the girl in front of her remained without movement. Seating herself across from Elska, she maintained eye contact with her.

Elska breathed a sigh of relief as she devoted all her efforts to focusing on what the seeress was saying, unable to determine just how nefarious Gullveig truly was..

"I know who you are, I know your heritage, I know the despicable thoughts filling the minds of every Asgardian when they look at you," Gullveig rested her head in her hands, giving Elska a falsely pitiful pout. "I have had my eye trained on you for nearly three hundred years, just waiting to see what such an interesting hybrid would become."

"You see me as a weapon?" Elska asked, the wheels in her mind spinning.

"If the All-father were smart, he would, too," Gullveig stated. "The Asgardian people, they have not the slightest clue of what you are capable of, the power of the giants and Valkyries running deep through your veins. You could freeze their hearts with one look, so why don't you? What stays your hand?"

Aside from my inability to master my own capabilities? Elska quipped to herself.

"My love for my home, my desire to see Asgard thrive with acceptance," Elska surprised herself with her ability to compose comprehensive sentences. "I know it starts with me."

"Please, you know they will never see you as one of their own," Gullveig rolled her eyes.

"They do not have to," Elska began. "Why should they? I am no Asgardian, you said yourself my blood is that of Jotunheim and the Valkyries. One needs not be the same to be accepted."

"Your words are purely deception," Gullveig shrugged. "Perhaps your mind believes what you speak, but your heart does not. You know what you desire, and you know it is unattainable in Asgard. That is why I offer you the chance to end the Realm Eternal, side by side with me."

Elska could not help but consider what the witch was saying for at least a moment; did Elska truly believe that she could achieve acceptance within Asgard? And if she didn't, what then? What would come of her once the Warriors Three and the princes grew tired of her, realizing the truth of her abominable heritage.

Abominable, yet a heritage she was proud to have.

"This is a golden opportunity to reclaim your life, to take your fate back from Odin and those insolent royals, to make your destiny whatever you wish it to be," the seeress's eyes were wide with passion, emphasizing her point.

"They are not as insolent as you think," Elska said under her breath, her thoughts drifting back to her friends waiting just outside.

Outraged by her comment, Gullveig rewarded Elska's statement with a stinging slap across the face.

"My fate belongs to the Norns, and I am quite comfortable with that," Elska's words were steel as her face jerked back towards the witch. As Elska's anger rose, she glared at the woman in front of her. Her words were packed with bravery even as her eyes brimmed with tears, cheek still aflame from where she was hit.

Gullveig released a ferocious scream of anger. As she stood, she slammed her fists down, causing Elska to flinch. Readying her hand for another slap, the seeress was halted as a loud series of bangs came from above them. Heads whipped upward as the noise continued. Beside them, seemingly out of nowhere, the hearth fire grew and grew. Gullveig and the thief began backing away.

“Loki…” Elska whispered so only she could hear, knowing the sudden increase in flames must have been his doing. Still unable to move, she felt the heat begin to blister her skin.

"What in the Nine Realms is this?" Gullveig screamed, an insane look in her eye. Grabbing her henchman's arm, she snapped her fingers and they vanished, leaving Elska alone to burn in the growing blaze.

Letting her emotions overcome her, Elska became frantic. Her friends were not aware she had been cursed, they wouldn’t know she hadn’t the ability to move, to escape the raging fire on her own. She did not know which was worse, the pain, the fear, or the regret in coming to this meeting. Despite the hatred the All-father felt for her, Elska began praying that he deliver her friends out of this situation. Did the Aesir acknowledge prayers from Devourers?

Then, Elska felt herself being pulled from her seat and hoisted over someone's shoulder. Unable to see who had a hold of her, she began shrieking.

This is it, they’ve come back to kill me, keep me quiet, she thought to herself, waiting for the end, but it never came. As she was carried out into the night, her unknown captor set her down in a grassy area behind the cottage. Still powerless over her limbs, she watched helplessly as the mystery being ran back to the house.

Eyes fixated on the house, Elska heard stirrings in the grass around her. As her gaze continued, she watched as the flames were tamed, dying down to embers. Eventually two men retreated from the wreckage, making their way toward her and she realized they were the two princes. Reaching her, Loki allowed his enchantment on the beings around her to fall, and Elska realized that the stirrings she heard a few minutes ago were only Sif, Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg standing guard around her shuddering body.

"What in Odin's name were you thinking, challenging her like that?" Loki yelled at her as she cried. "She would have killed you in an instant, you’re damn lucky we were there." Loki gave her the same look a parent gives a child who has just touched a hot kettle. The others stood silent, watching the scene before them unfold.

"Why are you just laying there?" he asked, frustration evident in his tone.

"I cannot move," Elska said in a weepy whisper. Realizing her situation, Loki knelt next to her and placed his hands on the side of her face. Closing his eyes, Elska watched as his lips moved, but no sound came out. The counter spell. Within moments, she had regained her mobility.

Mobility regained, she rose and pulled Sif and Thor, the two closest to her, into a tight hug. She threw her arms around the young prince, pulling him close to her. Within seconds, Hogun, Volstagg, and Fandral joined the bundle. Noticing Loki had yet to come over, Volstagg reached the couple feet over to the man and yanked him into the embrace. Stunned, Loki's arms sat at his sides before he registered what was happening. Slowly, he lifted his arms and leaned his head on the shoulder of the body in front of him.

"I did not know what would happen," Elska already felt the guilt seep through her bones as she whispered to her friends, still clinging to them. "I never thought this would become something so big."

"None of us did," Sif whispered back.

"We are all safe, and that is what matters," Volstagg added as the friends stood in the embrace, appreciating the safety and companionship of the moment.

*****

On their way back to the palace, the seven debated how best to inform the All-Father of the night's occurrences. They came to the conclusion that the best choice was to first inform the queen, then allow her to inform the king while they awaited the consequences.

Once they finally returned, Vosltagg, Fandral, Hogun and Sif returned to their own chambers for the night. Thor and Loki, however, accompanied Elska to hers. Immediately upon arriving to her room, Elska went to her bathing chambers and retrieved a healing salve for her burns. Lathering and wrapping her wounds, she returned to her main chamber and stood at the window, looking out at Asgard. The eldest prince came over and took Elska's hands in his own, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

"If we had lost you tonight, had Gullveig successfully stolen you away in any sense of the word, the people of this realm would have mourned you, whether you believe that or not," Thor released her hands and stood. "Sif, the Warriors Three, myself and my brother, we would have mourned you. I know you already know this, but I must emphasize it to you. You are our friend." He paused. "Besides, who else would be there to ice over our enemies." He gave a hearty laugh.

Then, he bid her goodnight, leaving Elska alone with Loki once again. The exhausted man was sitting at the foot of her bed, leaning against the bedpost with his eyes closed.

"Loki?" she whispered, walking over to sit by him.

"Hm?" he remained in his relaxed state.

"I am scared," Elska looked at her hands, ignoring the desire to peel the skin off her quickly healing blisters.

"It took you long enough," Loki quipped, getting a pathetic laugh out of Elska. "You are safe now, and I think you have learned you are not alone in this fight."

"I know," her eyelids were growing heavy as she climbed into her bed, sinking under the covers. "I am so sorry, Loki. You do not deserve how horrid I have been to you."

"There is no need for apology," he opened his eyes, watching her struggle to maintain consciousness. A light smile appeared on his lips as he maneuvered himself closer to her. "I most definitely have deserved at least a bit of it."

"I find myself quite baffled by you, my prince," she whispered.

"And I, you," Loki's voice equally quiet. "Perhaps time will ease such notions." Watching the young woman's eyes flutter one last time, he ensured she was adequately covered before standing up to leave. "Goodnight, my dear friend."

"Sweet dreams," Elska's words were barely comprehensible.

*****

Loki, Thor, and Elska had told the queen of the night's events first thing in the morning. Hearing their story, Queen Frigga brought down a wrath of punishment on the three so severe one would have thought Ragnarok came right then and there. Truthfully, Elska found the situation oddly comforting in that it felt... familial. Here she was being scolded alongside the two princes as if she was the queen's own daughter. Although, where the other two handled the situation with ease, Elska had been quite frightened by the queen's anger - she'd never seen such an emotion from the woman.

The queen had relayed every bit of their story, down to the tiniest detail, to her husband. Upon hearing it, he immediately sent for the prisoner they previously thought was the thief. Now that they knew the magic that had likely been cast, it did not take very long for Loki to reverse it. Elska was not allowed to interfere in the counter-spelling; Once King Odin learned Gullveig had sought after an alliance with her, he trusted Elska even less than before.

"I cannot believe she has returned." the All-father said, rubbing his beard. He had repeated that sentiment a minimum of four times since hearing of Gullveig's appearance the night prior.

I would think the All-father was accustomed to old enemies plotting their revenge, Elska remarked to herself.

"We knew she was not dead," Queen Frigga replied. "We always knew it was a possibility."

I suppose that's an easy detail to keep from your city, the lady in waiting seethed,

"And what in the Nine Realms could she want you for?" he spat in Elska's general direction, refusing to look at her.

"Perhaps she is like the queen in that she does not underestimate my ability," Elska's nerves of steel had apparently returned. After a gentle nudge from the queen, she continued, more politely this time. "She said she had been watching me for hundreds of years, curious what someone of my heritage could turn out like. She believes I have some sort of exceeding power. I believe, in referring to me, she preferred the word 'weapon.'" She cocked her head with a mischievous grin on the last word.

"I see," King Odin paid her gesture no mind, still stroking his beard as if it were the key to the biggest secrets in the Nine Realms. "We will need to increase guard numbers in every district immediately. Do not spread this information around, though. If our people find out about this, their fear will only complicate the matter."

"If you believe that, then you truly underestimate the strength of your own people," Elska snapped at the All-Father. "Do you honestly have so little faith in them?" She began approaching the throne only to feel a hand hold her back, this time Thor's. Looking over to him, he gave her a gentle shake of his head, attempting to dissuade her from her current course of action.

"Are you quite finished?" King Odin glared daggers at the young woman.

"Yes, my king," Elska spoke through gritted teeth.

"Good, then," as the king spoke, Loki returned with a guard who now looked quite bent out of shape.

"I present to you our guard turned prisoner turned guard," the youngest prince informed the group as he grew closer.

"It is good to be able to speak once again, All-Father," the guard knelt before the king. "I have information that may be of use."

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