Give me Love

31. Asgard

It felt like you were floating... Wait, no... It felt like a giant fan was blowing in your face, threatening to rip your skin from the rest of body... Or maybe it was a weird mix of both. However, when your feet finally touched solid ground again, all those feelings were gone, replaced with dizzy weakness and nausea. You felt your knees buckle and fall from under you - - but you didn't feel the hard ground hit your body; instead a strong arm snaked around your waist and held you up.

"Breath, just breathe... it will pass..." Loki said. You nodded, taking a few deep breaths, though it did little to quell the nausea. You just had to push it back; you just had to ignore it. He gently rubbed your shoulder as the group walked through the large dome shaped room.

"Your Highness." An extremely tall man, dressed all in gold said to Thor, "Your Majesty." He said to Frigga, before his golden eyes flickered to you and Loki. He said nothing, making him seem all the more terrifying. Loki stroked your hair, and kept you moving forwards.

You stepped out of the dome-shaped building, and onto an almost see through bridge, that looked more like a rainbow than an actual bridge. You glanced down as you walked. The water beneath the bridge was just visible, though you didn't need to see it to know it was there, you could smell and hear the waves crashing. You kept your eyes firmly locked downwards, needing to make sure no sudden cracks emerged on the glass surface, or that the bridge didn't suddenly decide to disappear.

"It's not going to break... It takes a great force to break the bridge." Loki whispered.

"Uh-huh." You said, still looking at the bridge. His hand lifted to tilt your head upwards, and your gaze moved to the land before you. Asgard was... breathtaking... It was just past dusk, the last remnants of the sun were still poking out from behind the far off horizon, casting a bright orange glow on everything it touched - - the crystal clear water, the homes in the town, and the large golden palace at the centre of it all. Between the setting sun and the rising moon there was an array of colours in the sky; red, yellow, pink, purple, blue... and slowly growing blinks of white from the distant stars... Loki ran a hand through your hair.

"We have to keep moving," he said. You turned back to him and nodded with a smile.

You walked through the main street of the town a few people cowered at the sight of Loki while others rejoiced at the return of Thor. The houses almost looked like something out of the Hunger Games ... Worn and weathered wooden houses filled the streets that, in some cases, looked like they were about to fall over. The people were in old fashioned looking clothes, none of which were bright in colour, mainly beige, brown, black and white, which only served to heighten the glumness... The closer you drew to the palace, the better the homes and happier the people seemed. More colours, stone, stable homes, and happier, less fearful crowds --though that didn't mean they welcomed Loki, or you for that matter... Loki wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you close, his other hand having to settle on your hip because of the chains around his wrists. You passed through an open gate and the gardens at the foot of the palace. Hedges bordered fountains and small green fields of grass, speckled with brightly coloured flowers. There were several gardeners out maintaining the landscape, as a few lords and ladies were walking the paths, and, of course, guards met up beside the group to escort you all into the palace. Then you came to a great staircase that led to the golden palace. It was so high that you honestly thought you had to be an athlete just to make it to the top... and you certainly weren't. However everyone continued to walk, you sighed and did the same.

When you finally reached the top, your calves were burning, and chest slightly tight. It took a moment to calm your breathing, but when you finally did, and were able to take in the palace, you were left breathless - - which kind of counterproductive really. You'd seen images of palaces before, but nothing quite readied you for the real thing... The ceilings had to be at least nine meters high, with ornate detailing in gold on it. There were large marble columns holding the various levels of the palace up, and seemed almost impossibly big. The floors were tiled and clicked under the heels of everyone's footsteps as they passed the various potted plants, detailed tapestries, and stone seats. There were a few inner walls and halls that led to the inner rooms of the palace, but there were no outer walls, allowing everyone to see out over the town and the setting sun over the water. You hadn't even realised you had stopped until Loki gently pulled at your arm to keep you moving. The four warriors split off from the group, leaving you with Loki, Thor and Frigga to head up a long staircase.

"Now, he is in a bad mood... but you would have already guessed that..." Frigga said as she glanced back at Loki.

"Yes, I did... " he mumbled. You glanced between them,

"Who-," as soon as you asked, the answer hit you, "Your father?"

"He is not my father." Loki said.

"Loki." Frigga warned.

"He isn't," he mumbled. You gently squeezed his arm, and he glanced over to you,

"Stop it..." You said softly.

"He isn't." he insisted, causing both you and Frigga to sigh. You reached the top of the stairs - - why were there so many stairs in this damn place you didn't know - - and the large double doors opened, revealing the grand throne room.