Evolution

Chapter 18

A few days later, Loki was summoned during lunch to meet with someone.. Brynja knew that it was likely Othik or whomever else was working with him to place Loki on the throne. She finished her lunch and returned to her room to wait. Rather than reading, she sat down at her desk and wrote a letter, but instead of sending it out the window as she usually did, she folded it and slipped it in between her books.

Shortly after, Loki knocked and entered the room, his voice quiet, "Othik has approached me again, Bryn."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "And are you going to take his offer?"

Loki sat beside her on the bed, his head low, "I don't know. I want the best life we can have here. I want to make sure you are safe and protected. Within these walls you mostly are, but if you dared step outside..." he trailed off, remembering his encounter by the graveyard, "If I were king, perhaps I could change that."

Brynja shook her head, "If you were king, and you remembered Odin's bargain, you would know you would not have me here to protect, Loki. Father will reclaim me the moment the crown is on your head. You cannot stop him."

"But if I do not take-"

She interrupted him, "Father will not see it as a gift. You know this as well as I do."

"Then I will protect you from him, place an army between Asgard and this temple," he proposed, his voice betraying a desperation to keep her in Jotunheim.

She slipped her arms around him; the sadness she felt reflected in her expression and her voice, "Loki...that would be an act of war against Asgard and you know you would lose. No. I love that you are so willing to come to my defense, to do everything to keep me with you, but you know that in the end, if you resist him, he will make sure I never see you again. He will fight to the last man, he will take me away to the city, and he will execute you without a second thought. If you must do this, at least promise me that you will not fight for me in any way that increases the odds that Father will kill you."

Loki held her tightly, "I swear to you that I will do everything I can to keep you beside me...but yes, I give you my word that I will use only my silver tongue, not my magic or soldiers to do it. I thought I'd lost you, Brynja. I will not suffer that loss again."

Brynja sighed, "I hope you will reconsider. If only because those who give you such a thing are likely to expect some grand favour in return. You will not be free to rule as you wish."

"I have thought of that, but they are persistent. I truly do not have a choice here. I can accept or they will force me," he responded.

She stepped back from their embrace and took his hands, "Follow your heart and make the best decision you can. It is all you can do and I will do my best to accept what you choose. Come on, let's take a walk through the halls or tell stories or something. We need to make the most of the time we do have."

Loki opted for the walk, "No more stories right now...I feel as though reciting Macbeth or Hamlet would not help my mood in the least."

She replied, "Yes, and I don't think King Lear would do me the best. A walk it is."

A few days later, Loki asked Brynja for help repairing his armor. They sat on his bed, a wild storm ripping the landscape behind them, and examined the damage.

Loki picked at the ragged edge of the leather, "This isn't good. How can we fix this? I can maintain the illusion, but I'd much rather not."

Brynja closely inspected the pieces, "I can replace a few of these from the boot leather I have left over from Midgard- it's not quite as flexible, but it will pass and is close enough in colour. The pieces we can't replace, well, we'll reinforce from the back and do our best to hide the stitching. Our magic can't be used in the throne room, anyway, so your illusion would not last."