Out of reach • A Loki fanfiction

Chapter 65 - The magic of love

The sound of bursting doors just one room away hastily moved Loki from his spot to kneeling in front of Vera on the floor.

"Don't say a single word about it."

Automatically, she nodded, before Loki quickly turned his head to Astrid to hold his finger against his lips. For he knew that the now spent witch knew as much of forbidden magic as he did. And next to being pretty much occupied, would have seen his battling trough the corners of her eyes.

After another exhausted nod, the entire wall, separating Odin's treasure from the rest of the music room, got erased with a shimmer of pure and peaceful gold. Loki turned for the glow, keeping Vera protectively in his back, as he made eye contact with The Queen herself, accompanied with perhaps a dozen of The King's Guards.

"She is responsible." Queen Frigga motioned for Morgun's body, slowly but unsurely coming back to reality. "Make sure to secure the dampeners, and escort her to the dungeons."

Two guards acted on her first demand, walking up to the witch underneath the window to clamp two metal braces around Morgun's wrists. They both momentarily lit up, along with a groan creeping up Morgun's throat as the dampeners tapped off every bit of magic flowing trough those veins. Notable, was the fact that no one went for Loki. Or at least not yet.

・𓆙・

The palace was as chaotic as it was on the day of the second Draugr attack. Maids dropped their jobs to most likely see safety to their families at home. Security staff held full on conversations in the open—originally assigned not to converse with anyone while on duty—about what was reality and what was not. Wedding decorations got abruptly taken down by the people having nothing outside the castle to return to. Fear of the uncontrollable radiated trough every single hallway, corrupting minds being part of the people both Loki and Vera passed.

When Frigga, along with her small crowd of guards carrying Morgun by her arms, entered the castle's dungeons, Vera got her senses back. She had been hurrying along to comfort her mind that the witch was actually beaten. Loki had glued himself to her heels, without having uttered a single word, while focused on Vera's every single movement. Once no eyes were possibly turned to either two, Vera took her chance in pulling Loki around the nearest corner, to an abandoned spot meant for a guard to hold their post.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She shouted in a whisper, whipping her head around to make sure that no one was near. Tears were back to threatening wetness to her cheeks as she looked up at him. "Why would you use that after we did so much to stay together? Why in The Nine did that ever sound like a solid plan to you?"

Loki hushed her quickly with his palm against her lips, causing for her back to end up against the stone wall while Loki now took a turn in scanning the empty hallway around the two.

"We are together right now, aren't we?" He whispered against his own hand, making Vera's eyes blink in realisation that they indeed were. That if Frigga could have found their location so soon, that Odin could have done that too. But that The King never had. And that if he had known Loki's use of that force, he definitely would have.

Loki's hand lowered from her mouth. His initial thought was to lower it back to his side, but he couldn't help but let his fingers linger to stroke her soft cheek with his thumb. Just to feel her, and reassure his own mind that she was once more within his reach.

Vera was as submissive to his touch as much as she was dependent on air. Leaning into his hand was unpreventable, almost forcing her to lose the thoughts swirling trough her mind. Almost.

"You took her form." Her hand cupped his, tangling their fingers together to lower them down in between their bodies. "Why?"

Again, Loki scanned the area before being able to speak. There was no one down here. Even if there was, no one would be paying attention to a private conversation between a prince and his lover. Not only out of courtesy, but because of the chaotic atmosphere. No feet would halt to spy. No ears were focused enough to pick up forbidden information. Realising that, Loki let his breath go. Though he still kept his voice low. Just in case.