A Legend of Mischief (Loki Fanfiction)

Chapter 37 - Unconditional

With some discreet help from Caliburn, Nyneve was feeling mostly back to normal by the afternoon. Loki, of course, was acting a bit like a mother hen, no matter how many times Nyneve tried to convince him she wasn't made of glass.

A dull ache was all that remained of the still-healing shallow gash in her side. The wound had closed, but would likely leave a scar by the time it truly finished. When Loki had first pointed it out to her, Nyneve had been puzzled, unsure of where she had gotten it. She was confident it hadn't happened during the fight with the Dark Elves on Earth.

Then she had remembered the sting she'd felt when shoving Loki out of Kurse's way. For now, she kept that knowledge to herself. Nyneve knew that if she told Loki that she had gotten the injury saving him, he would blame himself for it, on top of all else he already believed was his fault.

Hoping it would distract both of them, Nyneve accepted when Thor invited them to dine with him and his friends. Finding Frigga in the dining room as well was a welcome surprise. The golden-haired Queen of Asgard greeted both of them warmly, then sat with Nyneve while Loki went over to speak with his brother. Nyneve noticed that they seemed to have come to an agreement at some point, finally acting more like brothers than adversaries.

However, as all siblings do, they still ended up at odds with one another. The debate was friendly at first but soon became more of a quarrel. Both Nyneve and Frigga observed from afar, waiting to see if they would work things out. Even Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg didn't seem to want to get involved.

Nyneve noted with a raised brow that Volstagg was simply filling his plate with more food, sneaking glances toward the two on occasion, while carefully edging away from them. Sif and Fandral were acting like this was a typical occurrence.

No wonder these two are having issues. No one else has the guts to help them connect. They're butting heads and no one wants to get in the middle, even if it would be beneficial. She heaved a mental sigh. I'm surrounded by idiots.

Rubbing her temples, Nyneve watched as Loki and Thor's argument got more heated. She could feel a throbbing headache coming on. And, sadly, her Ibuprofen was still in her backpack in Loki's chambers. Finally, she'd had enough. Frigga, who had been about to get up herself, looked on in surprise when Nyneve stood from her seat and strode over toward the two brothers.

"Enough, both of you. Sit back down."

They ignored her. Nyneve clenched her jaw, taking a deep breath in order to keep from decking them both. She did not have the patience for this right now. Stepping between the two of them, she sent Loki a scathing glare.

"I SAID SIT." Loki sat down in his chair without another word, watching her nervously. It had been a while since he had last seen her this angry. He'd forgotten how fierce his Midgardian woman could be.

When Thor went to laugh at his brother for being intimidated by Nyneve, her piercing silvery-blue gaze switched to him. "You as well, Thor, before you end up on your ass."

Frigga watched with a small amused smile as the Midgardian easily subdued both her sons. Nyneve seated herself between the two, crossing her legs as she settled into her chair, sending Thor and Loki each a silent warning to behave.

The Asgardian queen couldn't help but think of how well Nyneve fit in. She had the backbone of a warrior queen and wasn't afraid to make use of it. A fine partner to keep Loki from getting into too much trouble.

And cunning enough to get him out of it.

"Darling, I-"

Nyneve held up a finger, stopping him mid-sentence. The moment she saw Thor's shoulders begin to shake out of the corner of her eye, his chair fell backward, dumping him on the floor with a bang. She raised a brow as he swore, then shrugged when he glared at her.