The Serpent and the Dove: a Loki Fan Fiction

Chapter 21

The pale rays of dawn crept in through her window three days later. It felt like every time she blinked another day had passed, it didn't even feel like the hours were ticking by anymore. On one hand, that was a good thing; it meant she had Adjusted to Asgard's effects and she wasn't aging much anymore. On the other, it meant she wasn't doing enough to fill her days. No, she wasn't getting bored already, was she?

Jalwa groaned groggily and sat up in bed. Staring out the window for an ungodly amount of time, she wondered what she could do to prolong her stay. No, she wasn't bored enough to leave, and besides, she still had a job to do. Maybe she just needed a momentary distraction. 

"Thor," Galaxy whispered so as not to startle him.

Thor turned around from his perch on the wall near the gate to the palace. "Good morning, Lady Jalwa," he said. "You're out and about early."

She awkwardly balanced on the wall beside him and looked out into the city. "I couldn't sleep anymore; got too much on my mind," she said. "I was thinking about going for a hunt if you care to join me."

He bit into the crisp flesh of a ruby red apple, thinking as he chewed. "A hunt doesn't sound so bad. Where were you thinking of going?"

"Maybe the mountains. There's bigger game up there, and I need a hunt with a little more adrenaline."

Thor tossed his apple core to the ground below and leaned back on his hands. "Sounds like a long day. Have you truly got that much on your mind, my friend?"

As midday approached, the mists of the foothills clasped around their slender fingers around the landscape. There was a nip in the air, getting colder as they continued up the mountainside through the thick cedars and dense brush, a contrast to the warm ride through the land to the mountains. 

"Smell anything, Gal?" asked Thor.

The great wolf shook her head. "Bear, but it's old. Everything's probably moved up high since it's warming up."

He nodded and they continued deeper into the forest. Thor took one last glance back at the horses staked out in the grassy clearing below. "So," he started. "You never did tell me what woke you up so early this morning."

She hummed under her breath, furrowing her brows. "I don't know. Loki's been improving so much lately; he grasps the things I tell him so quickly, like the amends he needed to make to you, and to Sif and the Warriors, and he hasn't been pushing boundaries too much. He's still mischievous, of course, but he's not causing any real trouble..."

"Are you worried he's trying to fool you?" chuckled Thor.

Gal shrugged, her head tilting back and forth in thought. "Perhaps? Though, he's becoming his old self, slowly, but surely..."

"Your tone of voice makes it sound like you're apprehensive about that."

"I'm not apprehensive about him getting better," she said. "It's that... I can't let go of what he did on Earth. I don't want to hold things against Loki, but I also don't want to believe the best in him, only to find that he hasn't actually changed. He did some terrible things in Midgard, including killing my mentor; I really do want to let it go, but if I do, am I just permitting his actions?"

Thor nodded solemnly. "You're not alone in your feelings; I myself have been torn. However," he sighed. "While I recognize his past actions, the things he has done, I won't deny him the possibility of a future if he shows repentance." He chuckled, looking down as he stepped over branches and stones. "Maybe I'm a fool, but if he asks my forgiveness and wants to move forward, I won't withhold that from him."

She looked up at him, her pace slowing. "Oh..?"

"Of course. He's done terrible things but he's still my brother. I love him, and if he's willing to try, then so will I, even if it is challenging."

Gal's head hung. "Funny you should say that... He mentioned wanting my forgiveness the last time we talked a few days ago."

Thor gave her a puzzled look. "What did you say to him?"

"I didn't say anything... And I kind of feel bad." A sharp sigh escaped her. "I was a fool. I told him that I'd fallen in love with him before my time on Earth, and was falling for him again, but I didn't want to because I don't know if I can trust him. I shouldn't have said anything because I think it muddied the whole situation. I don't even know if- Thor?"

He was smiling to himself and he stopped walking. "You have no idea how much he fancied you before you left, do you?" he asked.

She tucked her ears back, eyes wide. "What? N-no, he didn't fancy me like that, we were just friends, he even said-"

"The runes on the tree? All the teasing and playing around? All the time he spent with you? At night where you wouldn't be interrupted?" Thor put a hand on his head with a quiet laugh. "Gal, all the signs were right in front of you, how did you not know about his little crush on you?"

"I saw them, but... I suppose I didn't want to read into anything," she said.

He started walking again. "I remember how excited he would get when you praised him. He would talk about it even when we weren't training. There were nights he and I would go out and get drinks, and he always found a way to bring you up in conversation."

She pursed her lips. "He just liked being told he was good at something; most people do, especially if they've had some sort of neglect in their life."

"No, this wasn't just pride," he said. "He was happy that the person he admired most thought so well of him, and paid attention to him. And more than that, he loved that it was on your terms, not because he made you notice him, or because you knew him through me. You sought him out yourself."

Gal scoffed. "Sounds just like him, wanting to be pursued."

"Doesn't everyone like to be pursued?" he asked.

The wind changed and she stopped beside him, her tail raised. "Hold that thought," she whispered. "I smell something."

Thor raised his brows. "I see something..."

From the bushes, a large, antlered head lifted up, chewing mindlessly on a mouthful of fallen tree boughs. The creature turned its wide, moose-like head and its small, nubby ears pointed in their direction. It stamped its foot with a horrid snort and both hunters felt a pit in their gut as they both said its name out loud.

"Bilgesnipe..."