Hidden Beauty <Loki Fanfic>

Pathetic I am...

The day rolled on and the night fell.

Loki was feeling guilty. And angry. Angry at himself and Odin, to a point that he wanted to stab himself and the Allfather.

He could neither sit silently nor listen to what Odin was yelling at him and Thor. He was trapped in a important meeting regarding Tybalt's death and Rose. The last conversation he had with Rose didn't end well.

It was his fault though. He shouldn't have lost his calm. His interrogation with her only made the situation worse. He made her cry which he didn't mean to. But she was at fault too. If she had just informed him about Tybalt, nothing like this would have ever happened.

"Loki! Did you hear what I said?" Odin yelled, startling him out of his daze.

Loki clenched his chest to calm down his running heart. "Uh?" He glimpsed at Thor for help. Thor made some signs with his hands but Loki couldn't get it.

Odin sighed and rubbed his temple. "How much did you hear?" Loki cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "Um, you were saying something about putting a leash on...um..." He trailed off, a bit embarrassed.

Odin shook his head, unamused. "It means you haven't heard me at all. You're becoming inattentive day by day. Are you ill?"
"No no. I'm fine." Loki shook his head. "Is the meeting over yet?" Now Odin glared at him.

"The meeting will keep going on till you pay your attention, Loki. It would have been over if you had listened to me. Now don't you dare to zone out again, young man." He scolded gruffly. Loki grumbled under his breath and shot a look at Thor who huffed.

"So, as I was saying... Tybalt was our one of the best commander-" Odin was interrupted by Thor who yawned loudly. Thor, realising his fault, mumbled a sorry. Allfather sighed.

"Leave it." He slapped the table, angrily. "Now tell me, why shouldn't Rose be punished for her deeds?" The princes lifted up their heads.

"Because she isn't at fault." Loki replied briefly.

"She herself was the victim." Thor added.

"What did she say to you?" Odin asked, turning to Loki.

The guilt resettled in his heart as he looked at his fingers. "She said Tybalt had informed her that my life was in danger. He urged her to accompany him for he knew everything about the plan. Rose, thinking that she could save me without bothering anyone, left with Tybalt."

"She's just as naive as a child! This mortal is a package of troubles." Odin spoke up, scratching his beard and ignoring Loki's cold look. "Anything else?"

Loki shook his head, sighing. "No... I couldn't ask her more. We had a... small fight."

Odin rolled his eyes. "Great! Thor? Anything else?"

Thor nodded. "I asked the little boy who had followed Rose and Tybalt to west wing. According to him, Tybalt was the one who hurt her first. Rose was not steady on her feet and after she collapsed on the ground, Tybalt grabbed her hair and started dragging her across the floor."

Loki's hands were clenched into tight fists. So tight that they were shaking as veins popped up. He cursed his luck thinking that Tybalt deserved a far more painful death for touching something that belongs to him.

Thor continued. "The boy also said that Tybalt had tried to hurt him with his sword but it was Rose who diverted Tybalt's attention to help him escape."
"Was the boy hurt?"
"No father."
"Good. But why didn't Rosabelle use her powers?"

Loki and Thor looked at each other with a surprised look. "I don't know." Thor answered. "Neither do I..." Loki added, staring at Odin. "Why haven't I thought about it before?"