Loki's Little Witch [en]

chapter 17. one last goodbye

A soft laugh inevitably escaped Wanda's lips as she felt Loki's body stop, forcing her to imitate his action, for it was he who had guided her to that mysterious place they seemed to have reached while he covered her eyes with his hands.

"Well, here it is."

Loki said as he uncovered his beloved's eyes, and she couldn't help but blink a couple of times to try to dim the glare reflected by the rays of that gigantic star that was Asgard's sun on that hidden lake surrounded by small waterfalls. And she couldn't help but blink a couple more times again, this time trying to assimilate the image her eyes saw.

She had been to numerous places in her life, and yet none of them could compete with the majestic image her eyes observed.

"It's beautiful," she said, still admiring the view, as a breeze blew over them, causing her hair to rise and her eyes to moisten slightly, making them even brighter for Loki, who still admired his little witch's fascination.

"This is probably my favorite place in the entire palace," he added, earning the redhead's attention, "it was me and my mother secret place," he admitted, now looking away from the green of her eyes to the turquoise of the lake, "we spent a lot time here together. This was the place she used to bring me for my magic lessons. We practiced all kinds of tricks here. She used to bring me and perform magic tricks just for me, whenever I was sad, whenever... whenever I felt worthless—

He couldn't help but look down to let out a breath, feeling all those feelings he thought would never overwhelm him again return to him as quickly as a new breeze now hit his face. Wanda, for her part, end the distance between them without a second thought, causing him to turn to her, giving him a smile that he quickly reciprocated.

"My favorite was always when she used to cast fireworks over the lake," he laughed to himself, "when I was young, it seemed so impossible. I took me a while to figure out that it was just a simple act of conjuring, she made it sound so difficult, but she said that one day I would be able to do it too, because I could do anything."

Loki sighed, capturing another glimpse of the landscape. He truly couldn't believe he was back in that place. He'd thought he would never set foot there again, and now, he was with the love of his life and the mother of his children, whose hands he quickly took as he turned to face her.

"Tell me something about your parents," the asgardian blurted out suddenly, disconcerting the redhead, "your birthparents."

It was Wanda who couldn't help but let out a breath this time, being so many and yet so few at the same time, the memories that came flooding back to her at the mere, unexpected mention of them.

Sometimes, she even questioned how many of them were real and how many had been figments of her imagination, things she wished had happened, moments she wished she'd lived with them, seeking to increase the memories she had of them, seeking to fill all those voids and gaps she felt formed every time she thought about them too much.

And it was she who chuckled this time, before even saying the first word, "my papa was the best. He had a brilliant mind. He loved to tell us stories, to Pietro and I. He used to travel a lot, and every time he came back, he'd tell us all about the place he'd seen, the people he'd met..." she laughed again, "sometimes I wonder how many of them were real and how many were made up," she licked her lips as a new memory came to her mind, "we had this game, with him and Pietro: we used to collect all the propaganda posters the Party used to hang up on the streets, and whoever collected the most get to choose what to watch on TV night."

She couldn't help but chuckle again, shaking her head for a moment, since it was not long ago that she finally understood that that wasn't just a game, a simple competition he created to distract them, but rather a way he found to contribute, to do what he could without putting them at risk.