Your Way Out

Under the Wisteria Tree

        The dark walls of my room expanded, pushing past the brink of reality until they disappeared entirely into the void. My ceiling soared into a great open black sky until I was left alone in a cold abyss. My bed eroded as if doused in acid, dropping me into a bottomless pit. Suddenly, I was falling. The darkness swallowing me in his roaring maw. Strangely, I wasn't scared. I grew accustomed to the cold and the dark. I almost welcomed it. I knew this endless cavity was just a portal to the other world. Arguably, a better world.
As the world I knew melted away, something new came into view. Glittering golden stars adorned the midnight sky like yellow diamonds. An array of constellations unknown to Earth. The fleet-footed god lowered me gently to a plot of lush green grass, darkened by the night. I curled my fingers into the soft blades as I gazed at cascade of stars. The air was fragrant and mild. A floral aroma wafted with the shifting breeze. There was the distinct smell of roses as well as other ambrosial petals and pollen that my nose wasn't adept to. I breathed it in. The warm spring breeze swept through my body. I didn't know where I was, but oddly, it felt like home.
I peered around, my eyes steadily adjusted to the darkness with the help of strings of small flickering bulbs roped around the area. I was laying in an open courtyard. Vibrant deep green hedges formed towered in unique mythical shapes. Purple, magenta, and yellow flowers bloomed within their leaves. Pops of beautiful colors piercing the somber night. There were smooth granite benches set between bushes of colorful flowers where you could admire their scents and beauty. I sat up, bring my knees to my chest as I glanced around. I didn't know this place. There were few flowers I could even name. They appeared alien or too fantastical for a place like Earth. So why did it feel so familiar?
The soft hazy glow around my eyes reminded me that I was in a dream. I was wearing a simple satin nightgown that swayed around the middle of my thighs. It was sheer and faintly gold, but not see through like the other. Soft lace adorned my chest, letting the sweet winds pass through, and caress my skin. I was barefoot, sinking my toes in the dampened dew-covered grass as I twirled a silky blade around my finger. I rest my head on my knees and sighed.
Loki wasn't far. I could hear his graceful steps clicking along a cobblestone path. He hummed a mellow ballad as he approached. Something sophisticated and haunting that complimented the whistling breeze.
He wasn't dressed in his usual Asgardian leather or his black civilian suit. A matte black singled breasted jerkin tailored to his fine physique. Intricate, yet subtle gold embroidered leaves embellished the shoulders of his jacket, matching the leaves of his gild buttons. Floor-length black robes swayed around his legs, lightly covering leather britches. His ink-colored tresses fell to his shoulders. All he needed was a crown to complete his princely role. In his hands, Loki carried an ornate lantern with a dancing yellow flame to light his way.
"Evening," he bowed politely to me, extending a gentle hand for me to take. Naturally, I slid my fingers into his palm and allowed him to help me up. "Are you cold?" he eyed the skimpy negligee.
"No. It actually feels really nice out here. Does my outfit offend you, your grace?" I teased.
Loki cracked a humored grin. "No, not at all." He held my hand in his and set a gentlemanly kiss upon it before pulling me in to his chest. I fell into him with a girlish giggle. He kissed me deeply, our lips embracing with a romantic hunger. As he pulled away, a jovial smile crept along his face. Tender and happy. "Do you know where you are right now?"
I shook my head, pressing my forehead against his icy brow. "It sort of feels like home though," I mentioned.
"Did you have gardens like this in Mish-a-gin?" he asked. I could only laugh at his words.
"Michigan," I corrected him, "and no. I mean, maybe at the zoo or a botanical garden, but...I've never seen flowers like this before." I walked to a near-neon violet flower. Six large dark purple petals rested at the bottom while nine thin pink petals bloomed on top, illuminating as if it were outlined with drawn neon lights, but it emitted no glow. An illusion.
"Sombralia eophane," Loki answered knowingly, a sultry accent rolling off his tongue.
"Of course, you would know. Where's it from?"
He brushed his fingers along the delicate petals before pinching its stem. With a gentle twist, he plucked it, presenting it to me. With nimble hands, he wove the vivid amaranthine flower behind my ear, displaying it in my hair. "Asgard," he muttered solemnly. Loki's cerulean eyes were bright as memories of his home seemed to rush through his head as he peered around the gardens. "This place is called the Vernal Gardens. Constructed by my mother, Queen Frigga, to celebrate some of the beautiful flowers that bloom in the spring."
"This isn't my dream," I realized.
Loki shook his head. "Neither was the last. I wondered how you managed to visualize my bedroom so well. I thought maybe I accidentally slipped you some of my memories when we touched, but there just too many details you would've missed had it fabricated from your mind. Things only I'd know. Welcome to Asgard, I suppose," he smiled weakly. He winced as he did. It was painful smile.
I didn't know if I was scared or impressed. I wasn't aware of what could happen in these shared dream states. Could he sculpt the world to his own imagination? I never tried it myself. I just accepted whatever location my subconscious dropped us in. If he wanted to, could he trap me in here? Could he stop me from waking? Fear managed to creep over my skin, making me stiff and cold. I took a deep breath and focused on the beautiful scene before me. Loki took my tense hands and walked me through the gardens. He named flowers I hadn't heard before as I admired their aroma and colors, all while sharing with me stories of how he use to play amongst the foliage in his youth. The queen watching him, and Thor chase each other through hedges and bushes, swinging flimsy toy swords at each other. I could almost picture it. As if their young shades were prancing around the gardens. Echoes of their laughter playing in the distance.
Somehow it put me at ease. Though, Agent Hanna's words still rung in my head. He's manipulating you. Even if I believed it, I didn't have the luxury to be afraid now. I was walking in his territory. Completely in his grip. We wondered for a while as I listened lovingly to his stories. I pushed any fears down into a bottle and tossed into a vast sea within my mind. I could worry about them when they swept back to shore later.
"Over here," Loki gestured to a massive tree with grey ashen bark, streaked with black like tiger stripes. Its canopy was made of gorgeous green leaves, bunched together with strands of lavender flowers that hung like long amethyst locks of hair. He lead me to the tree that shrouded us like purple curtains. We sat against the roots that snaked in and out of the ground. I'd seen roots like them before in New Orleans. They buried nearly a mile underground and still managed to peak above the soil, slithering along the ground like petrified snakes. It told of the trees wizened age. "Mother and I would have picnics here some days," he mentioned.
"Would Thor ever join you?"
He shrugged, "He used to, but I'd sometimes, more than sometimes I guess, I'd play these juvenile pranks on him and eventually he quit coming."
"What kind of pranks?"
"Once I casted an illusion on his goblet and make worms writhe out of his cup. Another time I made it seem like the flowers had melted like candle wax all of his food. Sometimes I'd make him hear father calling for him, so he'd run off for a while searching for him," Loki grimaced as a shade of embarrassment passed over his cheeks. I didn't know he could blush or get embarrassed.
"You were a cruel child. All because you wanted the attention for yourself," I scolded.
"Yes, I admit, it was cruel, but you have to understand growing up with Thor in this palace was like...growing up in the shadow of the sun. He was golden boy. The perfect soldier. The boy raised to be king. He was egotistical, brutish, and irritating. Having to share everything with him, especially our parents' attention, when he was already given so much more than me. It's no excuse, I know, but it did fuel a dark need for his failure."
Sorrow crossed his face. His eyes darkened as his lids hung heavy with shame. He creased his lips, biting the inner corners of his mouth timidly. I hated not knowing if this was his true emotions or a lie. I sank against his arm, nuzzling my face against him in an attempt to comfort him.
"I never had siblings, nor was I royalty, so I can't understand what you went through. I think your feelings are valid and it seems like you're trying to be a better person. If Thor were here, I think he'd forgive you," I replied.
"Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment," he smiled weakly as his fingers twiddled with a fallen leaf. "Picnics and sibling rivalries aside, I brought you to this tree for a reason."
"Because it's so beautiful and serene?" I guessed. I gazed at the stares that peaked behind the floral curtain.
"Yes and no. This spot is rather significant in our mission to find the ancient legendary weapon, Laevateinn." Loki held the dark green leaf between his fingers and with a snap it transformed into a sleek golden sword. From hilt to tip, it was dazzling polished gold. The grip was a similar metal wrapped in black Asgardian leather. It wasn't ornate or flashy, but sophisticated and graceful. Sleek with a slim angled hilt and clean tapered blade. It was like it was made for Loki's hand. "I may have lied a bit when we were in the laboratory," he admitted.
"Yeah, I know. I can feel when you lie," I replied. His eyes didn't widen. He didn't seem shocked. He simply shrugged his shoulders and presented the sword to me.
"Laevateinn was a gift from my parents. When I completed my martial training, Odin and Frigga had the weapon forged to my specifications. I watched as the dwarves hammered it into fruition. Frigga helped me sprinkle what little magic I knew into the grip, a little piece of me, so that when I reached for it, it would appear," he explained as he turned the reflective sword under the pale flickering light.
"Kind of like Mjolnir," I added.
"Yes. I trained with it for decades, honing my skills, imbedding it with my essence. My magic. I could make it shapeshift into other smaller weapons at my command. It was almost like alchemy. On an excursion to Midgard, I was foolish, arrogant, and I lost it. Try as I might I could get it to come back to me. It was taken by myth, lost to time." Loki released the grip and the vanished in a puff of smoke. He watched the smoke dissipate and sighed woefully.
I thought of Hanna and her role in all of this. Loki clearly saw her as some kind of rival for the sword. Something not entirely Hanna. Something from his realm or beyond. "What does Hanna want with it?" I asked.
"Power," he shrugged casually. "She knew I was looking for the sword and followed me here to steal it."
"So, what is she?" I dragged my knees to my chest, holding them close for comfort. The night went still.
"A hungry cosmic parasite. I think it originated somewhere on Vanaheim, a realm wealthy with magics. The lost essence of a witch or practitioner, someone deep in dark arts that sacrifices their physical body in order to become something of a mystical parasite. They latch onto a host, imbuing them with their power, in the hopes of obtaining more. Sometimes, a host is too weak to sustain them and gradually decays over time. Eroding into a cosmic mess where it must quickly feast on someone new or be lost."
"What sort of power could Hanna have?"
"None," Loki peered off into the sky, "I think it was trying to get to me but failed. Perhaps it searched for an Asgardian signature and tracked Thor instead. In its search, it latched onto Hanna out of desperation, and now, here we are. She thinks she can use me to get to Laevateinn, and maybe even me in the process."
I took in a deep breath of air, trying to steady myself. I held it in my lungs for a moment before exhaling. Panic was beginning to set in. The grass helped ground me. I sank my fingered into its soft threads and gripped tightly. Loki encased my hand in his. The soothing chill of his touch coating my hot frantic skin. I could feel myself begin to shake. He squeezed, reminding me he was there. It helped, but only slightly. I was still processing everything. An alien witch soul had infected a top-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent after failing to conquer both Loki and Thor. Who's to say she failed to conquer Thor? No one had seen him in over a month. He could've been dead. One of the strongest guardians. Gone. No one would've known. Meanwhile there was a magic Asgardian sword somewhere on Earth, prime for the taking. A shadow war was about to kick-off between a space lich and a chaotic demi-god. In the middle of it all was me. A lovesick girl with a watered-down telepathy.
My nails dug into the pact soil. I could feel minerals and dirt spread under them. There was so much more coursing through my mind. I silently analyzed and re-analyzed everything Loki had told me over the last few days. One side of my mind, optimistic and cheery, tried to convince me he was telling the truth. He was the savior Earth needed at this moment. The other side, logical, cold, and calculating wasn't so convinced. What if he was just feeding me half-truths? He was an expert liar. He obviously had no problem stringing together a story to get the outcome he wanted, as shown in the library. He was the villain that invaded New York for a blue cube. The prince who usurped a throne and exiled his own brother based on lies and deception. He was the man who stopped the moment I asked him to and held me together before I could fall into myself again. The man who trusted me enough to risk his mental health just to touch my hand. He was so much all at once.
"Loki," I whimpered on a shaken breath. My lungs catching and releasing air in unsteady patterns.
He squeezed my hand and draped his arm around me, pulling me close to his side. His arm coiled, securing me there against his body. "It's okay to be scared," he told me in a soothing voice. "I'm sorry I dropped this all on you so suddenly and I'm afraid I need to ask you for a favor. It's a rather big favor."
My heart turned to lead in my chest. It took everything in me not to let it sink into the depths of my stomach, but my grip was slipping. "I don't think there's anything I can do to help," I lamented.
He exhaled a hesitant sigh. "There is something," he sighed again, steeling himself, "I need you to help me slip my cuff and let me use my powers. Just for a moment, it's all I need."
I pushed myself away from him. A vicious glare shot from my wet eyes to him. My lips creased as I clenched my teeth. The seething rage before an expected betrayal. I expected him to be calm. A collected and reserved prince. But his eyebrows curled with a painful expression. A stunned frown hung from his lips. "Don't look at me like that, please," he begged.
He's manipulating you.
Hanna's words rung through my head again. The bottle of fear I threw out to sea came back earlier than expected. It was heavy, brimming with new fears.
I pushed a tear away before it could fall and hardened my grip around my heart. I couldn't let it sink. I couldn't let myself believe it was all a lie. That he wasn't using me for a mischievous scheme. That I didn't play into his hands.
"Elaina," he whispered. Pain hung heavy on my name as it slipped past his throat. "You said you trusted me..."
"I do," I cried, finally, though I wasn't certain that I believed it wholeheartedly. "I do," I echoed in an attempt to convince myself. I rose a softer gaze at him.
Loki's eyes were glossy and stained with painful sorrow. Whether it was true heartache, or an act, I couldn't know. But I made the choice to believe him. I slid a hesitant hand over his and laced our fingers together. I was at war with myself. My mind was chaotic storm of "what ifs" and bias examples of his good side and his bad. Still, in that moment, I chose to stand with him. I chose to believe that he cared about me and that our time together wasn't a rouse. The wind whistled, rustling the leaves and branches of the droopy tree, tearing through the grim silence between us.
"I know this is a lot, Elaina, and I know this is hard on you. I wish it were easy. I wish it I had made it easier to earn your loyalty. Trusting me is like putting your faith in a devil. I know that. But for what it's worth, I promise, I'm trying to do the right thing here," Loki said in a hush, almost mournful tone.
"He's manipulating you," Hanna squawked in my head again as the storm began to die down. The bottle was full, but I still managed to trap her voice in there, if only for the time being.
I scooched closer to Loki, melding back into his body as he sat there with open arms. "I trust you," I muttered, this time with fixed conviction.
"Thank you," he sighed with relief, kissing the top of my head.
We sat there under the stars of Asgard, surrounded by chandelier of violet petals, in a strange place that felt like home.