A Gods Favor

Face to Face

Despite the excitement of the night and spending hours up talking after supper Elora was unable to sleep. She had long since grown accustomed to nights spent on small cots or on bed rolls under the stars beside Yrsa. Beds and a room, let alone a suite of them, to herself were few and far between and tonight the vast emptiness of her old chambers were a bit too much. So she found herself walking alone through the gardens of her youth in the middle of the night as the rest of the castle's denizens slept.

The rest, except one. "It's a lovely night," she said softly, coming to stand in front of a bed of red roses surrounded by tiny white snowdrops. "Wouldn't you agree, your highness?"

Loki emerged from his illusion to stand beside her. "What gave me away?"

"Nothing." She ran a hand gently over the snowdrops and took a deep breath. She knew she'd have to see him, face him, talk to him, eventually. She was glad however that this, the first time they spoke, was not in front of an audience.

"Then how-" Loki began to ask, not understanding. From the little he knew of what she'd done since leaving she had never gone back to learning magics outside of healing so he doubted she could see through his illusion.

"I had a vision a few days ago." She looked at him then, for the first time in over five hundred years. Her eyes, the same brilliant ice blue, had grown weary. She was not the naive girl who'd spent her life in the comforts of a palace any longer. She had witnessed the aftermath of battles and the ends of a thousand lives. But she was still beautiful and she hadn't told him to leave her.

He took a step closer, stomach turning at being so near to her after so long and mind racing with the images of her at supper earlier that night. Laughing, joking and catching up with everyone but him. "Still having visions of me then?"

She stepped around him, beginning to walk the garden paths again. "Still having visions, yes. When, and of who and what though I still cannot control."

"I must say I'm surprised you agreed to come home." Loki worked his jaw side to side. She may not be outright ignoring him but she still held an ember of anger. A fact that stoked his own because he'd seen her embrace Fandral, sit with him at supper, allowed him to put his hands on her as they talked and laughed. And if Elora knew what Loki had said about her then surely she had known he'd said it to the rogue and what they had done after. So why then was he the only one she still had a disdain for. He took a few quick steps to catch up to her. "If I recall correctly you mentioned you wouldn't return as long as Vanaheim needed healers."

"Well," she let out a dry laugh. "When a king made it so that I could heal Vanaheim, Alfheim and even Nidavellir from Asgard it was hard to refuse his summons. Besides, it was time, I've found I did not realize how much I missed my friends."

"Oh it's clear you missed them." He was poking a sleeping bear he knew, but he couldn't resist the urge. "I must ask though, do you bed all your friends or is that a privilege reserved for Fandral alone?"

She eyed him but kept walking. "Jealous, Prince?"

"Of course not but I am confused." Loki grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him. "You clearly know what I said that night, what happened afterwards, and I can only guess from a vision because no one else was around and when I confronted the rogue swore he hadn't told a soul."

Elora shrugged. "You seem to have all the elements correct, I'm not sure what is so confusing."

"I am confused as to why you remain angry with me yet act as if he did not take part in what occurred." His voice was nearly a growl and he could feel heat rising to his face.

Her face was a mask of calm as she answered. "It's hard to hold blame against Fandral for falling for your charms when I know what it's like to have them directed at you. In his shoes I can't say I wouldn't have done the same."

"So you just forgave him?"

"Yes."

"Why?" His grip on her arm grew tighter and when she glared down at his hand he released her to begin pacing.

"When Fandral realized that I knew what happened that night and that I was hurt he came to me and he asked for forgiveness."

He whirled on his heel a few feet from her, running a hand through his hair in frustration before pointing at her in accusation. "You told me not to come see you, not to waste my time."

"Since when does a prince of Asgard take orders from a silly girl?" She threw his words from that night back in his face and waited. Waited for him to apologize now, to explain his actions away and ask for the forgiveness that he so obviously wanted, that he envied she'd given to Fandral, that even though her mind rallied against it her heart yearned to give it to him. In truth she had already forgiven him but she had been hurt and she was protecting her heart. She had to know he was remorseful in hurting her before she could allow her walls to be down around him again. Minutes passed and he just stared at her, breathing hard, rooted to the spot.

"Good night, Loki." She whispered before walking away.