Mirabella Odinsdottir

15- Ice

As I sat, frozen in the darkness, frozen in my own thoughts, the doors to the vaults opened and my brother bounded through. He slammed gungnir on the ground and I watched in horror, still huddled in the corner as the destroyer stepped forward. The next words that emitted themselves from my brothers mouth was truly something I would never have dreamt of.

"Ensure my brother does not return. Destroy everything." His instructions to the beast were clear, concise and sounded psychotic. The destroyer walked past my brother and moved towards the still open
doors, no doubt going to the bifrost.

As it left the room I found that I was no longer completely frozen in shock, I brought my knees away from my chest and placed my plait behind my shoulders and stood up slowly and delicately as if my brother was some wild animal.

"Sister, sister, sister" Loki repeated as he turned around with that grin plastered over his face, I continued to rise to stand properly, still rising slowly as he continued, "Why must you make things so difficult?"

"Brother, listen, whatever you have done, whatever has happened" I spoke carefully and clearly, I was not entirely sure on how to finish what I was saying but before I could continue I was interrupted, "Whatever I have done? Whatever I have done!?"

The second time he repeated the question he practically screamed it, "Yes brother, whatever you have done, I hardly believe I will be able to gloss over the fact that you have sent the destroyer of all beings to ensure our brother does not return. Now whatever you will gain from this, whether that be watching him suffer or simply because you wish for the throne.."

"I'M NOT DOING THIS FOR ME I'M DOING THIS FOR US!" He screamed, my already fragile emotional state was shattered into a million pieces at this, for us? "No, this is not for us, this is for you" I seethed out though bared teeth in an attempt to keep my rising feelings locked away, the contrast of our two tones was astonishing.

My eyes glossed as I looked toward my brother, despite the dimly lit room, despite the fact that the shadows the candles cast nipped his face, despite all of the illusions and the lies he could possibly put before him, in this moment there was hiding how broken he was.

He did not look it, his stance, his presence all screamed confidence and determination, but his eyes, they looked scared, lost and blinded by anger.

"I have done what was necessary, I have done what you were too afraid to do!"

"What I was too afraid to do? Just so I know brother, what exactly are you doing for me here? How exactly is you killing our eldest brother going to help me? How exactly is any of this going to help ME! Do not stand there, do not tell me, this is necessary!"

Whilst I had been shouting at my brother he had grabbed the casket from its pedestal. And a blast of ice had been sent at my feet, locking them in place. And my brother had turned a horrible shade of blue, "Thor's rule would have been a continuation of Odin's, is that the life you desire sister? Somebody else controlling every aspect of your life? And do not lie and tell me it is" He spoke in a cold and perfectly terrifying tone.

That's when the dam broke.

The tears that were threatening to spill, the ones that slowly crept their way around my eyes coating my vision in a blurry haze had finally broken free. They leapt out of my eyes and shot down my cheeks collecting and regrouping underneath my chin.

"I could live with that." I stopped as I felt myself choking up, the words that I wanted to say vanished in my throat before they got the chance to reach the air. I spoke carefully and as loudly as I could, which in all honesty was hardly above my normal speaking volume.

"I could live with that life. What I could not live with is my brothers death." Loki finally turned back from the horrific shade of blue and walked up the steps to me. He placed his finger under my chin and lifted it so that I was looking up directly at his eyes.

His other hand wiped away the streams of tears from each of my cheeks and as I looked up at him his face was filled with concern and sympathy. Somehow I had gotten through to him, it felt as though a candle has been re-lit inside of me. Suddenly I was hopeful again, but just as quick as a flame can be relit, it can be blown out just the same.

The gust of wind that blew it out this time was when I saw the grin plastering itself across my brother's face, "Well that makes one of us" With that he stormed off out of the vaults and I faintly heard yelling as to not let me out. But none of that seemed to matter, his words danced around in my head, taunting and singing, repeating and circling.

"Well that makes one of us"

He could live with this? He. Could. Live with this. It almost didn't seem real, none of it had to be, but as I looked down to my feet, the evidence was there, clear as day, it was real, it had happened. The ice around my feet was simply one big chunk.

Finally, after what felt like an hour of relentless kicking against the ice, cracks started to appear. The next part would be the hardest, actually getting out of the vaults. The guards clearly wouldn't defy a direct order from their King so simply asking was off the table.

I muttered a silent apology, to whom I don't know but regardless, I did, because I knew the next part wouldn't be pretty or pleasant. I thought of what Thor had told me at after he had run into some 'troubles within enemy territory', "So you see sister, when there is no other option, you must simply throw your brother at the enemy, I call it 'get help', it works every time and it is hilarious"

I chuckled at the memory, Thor had came into my chamber as large as life desperate to tell the story as he had dragged Loki along with him. Thor had sat down on my bed next to me whilst he had told me every detail of the story whilst Loki had stood in the corner turning a brighter shade of beetroot red by the second.

Now sadly I lacked the equipment for an exact replica of the tactic, the equipment being a brother to throw. So, I decided I would simply have to make do with what I had.

Before I began with everything else I conjured a dagger to try and pry at the cracks and with one final grunt I freed myself of the ice. I walked down the stairs and lay myself down in the middle of the walkway at the foot of the stairs, if I was to attack the two unfortunate guards who happened to be on duty I did not want their cry's for backup to be heard easily. Hence, away from the door.

Now, to commence with the acting.

"HELP! HELP I CAN'T BREATHE!" I heard the sound of two worried voices shouting things that I couldn't quite make out as the clear sound was muffled by the heavy doors. Then I heard calling for my name which I gave no response to, then the sound of the doors opening and two pairs of footsteps came rushing to my apparent unconscious side.

This was going to be fun