Gold (Loki Fanfiction)

Untitled Part 4

        Loki sloshed his way through the seemingly endless field. The shoes that barely clung to Thamius's feet were soaked with mud. He felt starving and exhausted and wished desperately for a horse. Loki swam in his thoughts and momentarily forgot to watch his feet. A tattered shoe caught the edge of a rock hidden within the tall grass and Loki careened face first into the wet soil. The pain that shot through the bones in his body startled Loki and he grunted and cursed. He lifted himself carefully off of the ground and found that the pain in his back lingered. Loki wiped the mud out of his eyes and saw the outline of a barn in the distance. The relief that filled his chest started him forward at a limp.

        As he moved closer, he saw that there was also a house, nestled beneath the shadows of two oak trees that grew on either side of it. He stumbled up the wooden steps. The porch had no windows, so he knocked gingerly, unsure if he would be welcomed. After several moments he heard no movement inside and decided that the residents mustn't be at home. He sighed. The blazing light of the setting suns heated him and he swayed slightly. The barn cast a long shadow over the grass and he moved towards it in hopes of shelter.

        The large doors of the barn were unlocked and he pushed them open with some difficulty. Within was everything you would expect to be in a barn. Large mounds of hay were piled on the back wall and bridles and saddles were hung on hooks. Two enormous horses beat their six hooves in curiosity at seeing the stranger. Shovels, buckets, sowers and nearly every tool you could imagine leaned against the walls or were neatly placed within open chests. Loki noticed a trough full of water and moved towards it quickly. He drank greedily from it, dunking his whole head beneath the cool liquid. He came up hastily and sucked in a lung full of air, feeling refreshed.

        He looked at the horses and thought immediately that he could easily take one. A wave of exhaustion flowed over him again and he realized that not only did he not know his way back to the city, but he was also too exhausted to do much of anything at the moment. He crawled on all fours to a pile of hay near him and rested upon it, too tired to even think. The moment he closed his eyes he fell asleep.

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        A chilling sensation slowly inched a trail along Loki's throat in his sleep. Assuming it was only water dripping from the wet mop atop the head which he was currently occupying, he shifted slightly and a thick, warm liquid slid down his neck. Loki's eyes slowly cracked open and he touched his skin tentatively to find that the liquid was blood. A woman stood before him and pointed a long sword towards his face. Frigga.  A wisp of air slipped from his parted lips in his bewilderment, but as his eyes adjusted he realized that the woman was not his mother. A waterfall of ash-brown hair cascaded down her shoulders and back in elegant waves. She was clad in a sky blue silk dress that hugged her slim form and cut low revealing an impressive amount of cleavage. Her face was turned from him and when she spoke, the strength in her voice surprised him. 

        "Speak wisely, thief. Why have you intruded on my land?" She looked away from him as she spoke and Loki found this very degrading, but he spoke carefully and with respect. 

        "Forgive me for trespassing but I am no thief. I was stranded in the fields and I stumbled upon your home thirsty and exhausted and I took shelter within your barn. No one was here when I arrived ," Loki noticed for the first time just how badly this new tongue suited him. His normally silky words came out choppy and uncharming. The woman seemed to contemplate his words and when she spoke next, her voice was softer. All the time the sword in her hand unwavering. 

        "What is your name?" she asked. Loki thought about this. He surely could not tell her his real name. She would never believe him.

        "Thamius," he said after a moment's pause. The woman's head snapped around quickly and Loki was able to get a clear view of her face. Her features were sharp, with a strong jaw and small lips that curved downward in a suspicious frown, as though she sensed his lie. Her eyes however, were unlike anything Loki had ever seen. Nebulous orbs shined at him unintensely. It seemed as though a million star clusters had been trapped within each gaze-less oculus. He stared, completely enraptured. In one fluid motion almost too fast to see, the woman sheathed her sword into a hilt buckled around her broad hips. 

        "Follow me," she said.