The Lady of Darkness (Loki x OC)

Chapter 18

Making my way to the throne room, I noticed three women. I took note that they were the same women who enjoyed gossiping about me. I knitted my fingers together, resting my arms against my chest so that my ring was in view. One of the women turned to see me and muttered something quietly to the other two. Another turned her head and quickly turned back. I held my head up high as I walked past them, knowing that they saw the ring on my finger.

I stood before Odin, who was sitting calmly on his throne. Thor stood at the bottom of the steps on the left side while Frigga stood on the right. The Warriors Three and Sif were also in the room but stayed more to the side.

"I trust you brought news?"

"I did, Allfather. My theory is no theory at all. I saw that Loki was indeed influenced by the scepter. Not only that but he was threatened to not fail in his task to rule over Earth. The creature threatened to hurt...his loved ones should he fail. I know that Loki wouldn't admit to it, but Allfather, Loki didn't do this with his mindset." I looked down, trying not to overthink what I saw. "My King, he was tortured by these beings. The creature can cause pain through a simple touch."

"What else did you discover?"

"The Chitauri has a leader. Loki mostly spoke to the leader's servant. It seems that the identity of this leader must remain hidden."

"And what were their plans with the Tesseract?"

"They didn't specify, but it was clear that they needed it for whatever purpose they had planned. It's a good thing that we have it now."

"How do we know if he was truly brainwashed as Ravenna says?" Fandral questioned. "Loki is a trickster. How do we know if what you saw was the truth?"

I turned to Thor. "You were near the scepter at one point. Was there any time when you felt your emotions become stronger? Your fears, paranoia, or even your pride heightened by some degree?"

"Yes, there was actually," Thor muttered, rubbing his chin. "Yes, when I was with my new allies, we all had that problem. We were all affected differently by it, but yes, it was heightened."

I raised an eyebrow at Fandral, challenging him to question my discovery, but he remained quiet. I looked back at Allfather, "Even Thor was influenced, Allfather. Loki was hurt and in pain when he fell. With the scepter's ability, it's clear those emotions were brought to light, maybe even deeper than he thought possible. I'm not trying to justify what he did, but I truly believe that execution isn't the answer."

"I agree," Frigga nodded. "I ask you to remove the consideration for execution."

"I will consider what you discovered, Lady Ravenna. However, now isn't the time. The Nine Realms are still in utter chaos. We have secured Nidavellir, but more realms need our help. Your first responsibility is to the realms."

"Father, we will bring order to the realms, I swear it to you." Thor looked at us. "Prepare for war. We will leave immediately."

Thor and I walked side by side with the Warriors Three and Sif behind us. As we walked to where our weapons were, Thor gave the order to the guard to have the army ready immediately and to meet us at the observatory. I used my magic to conjure my armor. Sif and I secured each other's armor before we grabbed our weapons off the table.

Thor came over to me. "You're not going to wear your ring?"

"I wouldn't want to ruin its beauty with the blood of our enemies," I replied as I slipped on my belt that held my sword's scabbard.

Thor knelt down to secure my thigh holster. "Are you nervous?"

I scoffed, "This isn't my first battle."