Loki's Daughter, Mortem and Mischief

Chapter Twenty One

"Have you forgotten the rules we have in place here?" my father asked, his voice harsh and scary. My father would have never spoken in such a tone, especially when so little was at stake. By the gleam in his eyes and his sharp demeanor, I could tell that anger was bubbling up within him. But why?

"I was just talking to Grimnir and I thought since I'm nearly queen, I should have some idea of what's hidden in the vaults," I lied, brushing myself off.

My father scoffed, "Do you take me for an idiot?"

Instantly, I was taken aback. My father never was so short with me, not unless I had truly deserved it. The way that he glared at me now made my heart race, I felt powerless and afraid before him. The man who stood before me was not the man I knew and he was certainly reminding me of that.

"N-no," I stammered, stepping away from him in fear.

"Then why do you lie to me, dear?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I'm not lying," I insisted, only adding more fuel to the fire.

He began to laugh, seemingly shocked that I would even attempt to lie my way out of this. I felt stupid. My father had always been easy to lie to, he took my word as Gospel Truth and never cared to know the deceit behind my words. My father trusted me enough to not scan my sentences for lies even if it was an effortless task for him. But I could see that the man who stood before me then did not have this same trust in me. He knew I was being deceitful, and he was actively searching for my lies.

"Now if we're done with the silly games," he said, stifling his laughter, "I'd love to know why you think it's appropriate for you to number one be alone with Grimnir and number two, go to the vaults?"

My words got caught in my throat as I stammered thinking for what to say. I felt trapped, powerless as I was caught in my lie. I could deny that in that moment, I was truly scared. The wild glare that my father shot at me felt like an arrow to the chest. I felt as though my lungs were pierced and air was now scarce.

"Cat got your tongue?" he teased, raising a brow.

I knew then I couldn't lie my way out of this but I certainly couldn't tell him the truth. Something within me told me that if he knew why I was really here, why I was really going to the vaults, something bad would happen. I had a creeping feeling that this version of my father wasn't on my side. He wasn't my advocate nor was he my ally.

I had to divert the conversation, and regrettably there was only one topic that could really do the trick.

"Have you informed mother of your adultery yet?" I questioned, crossing my arms and attempting to look as confident as possible.

My father's face paled and he immediately glanced around to make sure no one was in ear shot. His stance immediately turned soft, and his voice became hushed. He no longer sought to scare me. Now he seemed to be the one that was frightened, scared that I might just let the cat out of the bag.

"No, don't change the subject," he stammered quietly, his voice a harsh whisper.

"Then leave me be, or I shall tell her," I hissed in reply. Just as I finished speaking, the sound of my aunt's voice began to ring throughout the castle. Hertha was close by and my mother was undoubtedly by her side.

"Shall I go now?" I threatened as I made an attempt for the stairs.

My father quickly stepped in front of me, his eyes wide.

"You wouldn't dare," he whispered, "Your mother would be heart broken."

"That's your fault then, isn't it?" I asked as I ducked under his arms, beginning my descent down the massive staircase. My father was quick on my heels.

"Hela," he hissed, but I refused to turn around. I couldn't give in, not now. I had to think of how I would feel if this were truly my timeline. The man who chased after me now had turned me into a child soldier. At the ripe old age of six, he had abused my powers for his own self preservation. Though I hated to fathom it, if this were truly my timeline, my father would be no friend of mine. I had to treat him as such. And thus, I kept walking.

I had to get him off my trail, to detere him from my true motives. Afterall, it was all for his own benefit. Once I was through with this world, I would create perfection. My father would be just as kind and compassionate as I once knew him to be, not this foul beast who know nipped at my heels.

"Hela," he hissed once more as I hit the final step, "You mustn't tell her."

"Then leave me be," I said, turning around to se his worried face, "I can do as I please."

My father shook his head as the fire within his eyes was relit.  Suddenly, I was just as fearful as before. No matter how I threatened him, I realized that he valued his control over me above everything. Losing my mother wasn't as important as losing me.

He took my wrist, glaring down at me from the step above. My father whispered sternly, "No. I don't care if you're going to be queen in just a few days. You obey me regardless. You are my daughter."

"Let go of me," I said fiercely, trying to pull myself away, "I'm Hela. Being your daughter doesn't change the fact that I should have my freedoms."

As I pulled back on my wrist, he finally let go which caused me to trip harshly down the last few steps.

"You're forgetting a vital part there, dear," he said, catching me at the last moment to ensure that I didn't fall, "You may be Hela. But you're Hela Lokisdaughter."

Standing me back on my feet he sneered, "Till the end of time, I have dominion over you. And you shall do as I say."

I was speechless, never had I ever been talked to like that. The way he towered over me, asserting the fact that I was merely his pawn made me feel sick. I was terrified in his presence and I quickly realized that I couldn't scare him. I couldn't kill him with kindness, I couldn't even lie to him. He had me under his thumb like a little bug and even with my abilities to breathe death, I found myself powerless.

"Now straighten up," he demmanded, adjusting his clothing to make him look as sharp as possible, "We don't need your mother fussing over any more than she already is."

Without hesitation, I did as told. I was too scared to disobey at this point. I smoothed out my dress and held my chin high, I needed to preserve whatever shred of pride I had left.

"There they are," my mother said with a giant smile as she walked into the room.

My father immediately grinned from ear to ear, going to great her with a kiss. She leaned into his touch as if everything was perfectly fine and he wasn't cheating on her hours prior. I felt sick watching it. What a liar he was.

Within me, the giant pit in my stomach reopened. I felt truly scared. My father was now a terrifying man, not at all the one I had grown to love. He was ruthless and cold, only kind and loving when it proved advantageous to him. My mother was clueless, strung along for the ride and soon to be very broken hearted. But what scared me the most was the possibility that I wouldn't be able to fix any of this. The vaults seemed miles away and my father guarded them like Cerberus. Something within me told me that the TemPad was in there, waiting for me to use it and fix this awful timeline. But with the obstacles that stood in front of it, I was unsure if I would get the chance.

Was this new world really my new reality?