My Asgardian (2)

Chapter 15

(Y/n's POV)

I was confined to that room for 4 days.

That crash left me with a broken ankle, a fractured femur, a dislocated shoulder and the nurse was right in her suspicion of a concussion.

The breaks were easy enough for me to fix, but the concussion has taken longer to disappear. It's still not gone, but I think she's understanding that if I have to spend one more day in this room then something is going to get smashed and it's not gonna be any more of my bones. So she's given me pain relief that I can take twice a day if I need it, but I'm free apart from that.

Now there's just one thing standing in the way of me leaving this place.

The King.

A guard escorts me to a grand chamber, and holds the door open for me whilst refusing to enter the room himself. The only figure in the room is the King, and he dismisses the guard with a wave of his hand. The door closes behind me and it's just us.

Do I bow? Do I curtsey?

I have no clue how this works.

"Y/n y/l/n," he says as he stands from his chair, holding a tall cane for support, "come closer."

I take a few steps towards the man, still leaving a safe enough distance between the two of us, and he chuckles slightly.

"I trust you're feeling better?"

"I am sir."

"And I heard that you accompanied my sons in facing Malekith."

"I did sir."

"How did that go?"

I swallow down the lump in my throat, "It is still ongoing, however so far unsuccessful. We managed to extract the Aether from Jane, however Malekith took it from us before we could destroy it. And.... um....."

"Yes? What is  it?"

"And..... We lost Loki."

He tilts his head slightly, "What do you mean, you lost him?"

"I mean he was protecting Thor, but it backfired and he got himself killed."

"I see," he seems to be considering his words carefully. "It seems you mourn for him. Why is that?"

"Uh, I guess because I cared about him? I saw a side to him that no-one tried to look for, because he was always written as the villain."

"Was he not?"

I shrug, "The villain will always be the villain when the story is told by the hero. I think many people are too narrow-minded and too reserved to even consider that there is - was - good in him. For example, he saved my life on multiple occasions."

"So you pity him?"

"Yes. And no. From the sounds of it, all he wanted was to be seen. He wanted his throne, and that was something you were never willing to give him. From the start, you always knew that Thor would be your successor, regardless of the hope you gave to Loki, so he followed the dream that you gave to him. And I tried to get to know him, which allowed me to see that he is vulnerable and scared, just like the rest of us."

"I see," he says again. There's a look in his eye that I can't quite place. "Tell me, if you had the power to choose, to which boy would you give the throne? The crown?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I think that Loki would have been a strong leader, and he would've done everything in his power to fight for his cause, however his problem was there was never enough power. There was no limit. Thor is much more a man of the people, however I do not believe he is fit to rule a kingdom. He is too hasty in his decisions; he acts first and thinks later, often without regret, and humility is something in which he is sorely lacking. So I'm not sure who would be the better fit."

He nods slowly, "Interesting."

Something isn't sitting right with me here.

"Sir, why am I here? I could've gone to a hospital on Earth, yet somehow I ended up here. Why?"

"Because I brought you here."

"Why? How do you even know who I am?"

"I think my knowledge expands farther than you realise. Alas, this is not the case. Odin had no idea who you are.

"....... What do you mean? You are..... Aren't you...."

"Look deeper."

I stare at the man before me, a man who is clearly not the All-Father of Asgard, and there's something in his eye, a glint, a light, a sparkle.

Electricity snaps between my fingers as I prepare myself for an attack.

"Who are you?"

"Haven't you worked it out by now?"

He waves his hand in front of his face and the charm drops.

Odin is gone.