Out of reach • A Loki fanfiction

Chapter 21 - Other plans

The voice from Era's father was on replay, the same time she ran her exhausted self trough the palace halls.

'You should go find your maid and pack your things.' He had told her, not once looking his daughter in her eyes. 'We are leaving in a few hours. The horses are being saddled right this minute.'

It took her only a couple of seconds to put the fear and sadness aside. She had sat next to her brother for a few hours too long. Hours in which she could move, could act. So the next thing she knew, Era was running towards that boarding room. The room she had been in once before, and she just prayed for a meeting to take place. According to Loki, they never stopped. So now the only question was who was meeting right this second.

Her questions were quickly answered as she passed the guards and just barged right in.

Swallowing her nerves, she now did not only stand in front of all princes, but to The King and Queen as well. Era being formal was completely past tense by now though. Queen and king or not, she just stepped in further, and started to blurt.

"I am not going back to Vanaheim."

Prince Fjölnir was the one to snap out of the confusion, and got up from his seat. "Lady Era?"

"I'm not going there."

"I don't understand... you of all people should know why we have to."

But she just shook her head as she walked up to the oval table, completely out of place, but not a care in the world and in her mind. "I do, and you should definitely take your people and go."

She stood at the head of the table, on the opposite side of The King who kept his stern eye on her at all times. He hadn't said anything, he was just listening to the uninvited woman who decided to take ahold of this conversation. His gaze was disapproving. But still, Era continued to listen and react to Prince Fjölnir his words.

"What are you suggesting to do then?" Vanaheim's prince asked her, his hands leaning on the table in front of him.

Era stood a bit more straight. "I am going to Helheim."

Fjölnir scoffed as in throwing the sentence over his shoulder.

But Era interrupted him before he could talk. "I am going to make a deal."

"I don't understand."

"Hel. I am going to speak with her about these Draugr."

That's when, to all her shock and surprise, Loki opened his mouth. "You're being serious?"

She fought the urge to walk up to him. As did he, wanting to hug her more than ever now. Instead, Era swallowed. "I am."

Odin stood up then too, leaving a silence to echo trough the room. He stood tall, stern, like a very intimidating king should tense up the room. Then he raised a single brow, making her gulp as he pierced trough her gaze. "You want to talk to Hel?"

"I am going to." She talked to him as if she was no less. And she would've punched herself in her face in any other circumstance. But not now. She was all too determined. "She takes care of the dead, right? Or at least every undeserving of Valhalla's gates?" She expected a nod, but it came too slow. So she just rambled on. "She is the only being in The Nine Realms considered to be dead, but to breathe at the same time. If there's anyone that could help us defeat the dead, it's her."

"That is insane." Thor blurted out.

But Fjölnir sounded almost angry now. "Do you even hear yourself? Talk to Hel? Lady Era, I have admired your resistance of evil from afar, but there is a line."