Hel (HOAM Spin-Off)

Just Us

The castle was bustling with activity. Today was the day. This was finally it. The crown was waiting, a new kingdom prepared to say hello as her home said goodbye. 

Hel took a deep breath. This was it. Her wedding day.

"Hel?"

She turned as Loki opened the door. She greeted him with a shaky smile. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. She fidgeted with her dress while he looked her over. She looked up finally to find him wiping his eyes.

"Damn sentimentality." He grumbled. She laughed and let him hug her. He kissed her forehead and cupped her cheek, smiling. "You look beautiful." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying that as your father. I mean it." He stepped back and reached into his coat. "And I have something for you. Early wedding gift I suppose."

She looked on curiously as he pulled out a small clip. He pushed her hair back and clipped it. She touched her left side and looked up at him, confused. Why would his present be to make her show her skeletal side more? "Does it do something special?"

He nodded and turned her to face the mirror. "It shows your face. It shows how beautiful you really are, bones or not. And Luk will love it. Trust me. It makes a difference."

She sighed and nodded, deciding to trust him on that one. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her close again. 

"You won't abandon your old man, will you? I'll still see you?"

She spun around, surprised he had thought otherwise. "Daddy! Of course you'll still see me! We'll visit as often as we can, I promise." She hugged him tightly. "How could I abandon the one person who's loved and protected me all these years?"

He relaxed and nodded. "Alright. Come on, it's almost time." He took her hand and led her from the room. They walked the halls, now empty save for the guards, in silence. Even standing outside the throne room doors, Hel could hear only her own breathing. Loki nodded to the guard and the door slowly opened. 

The music started and Luk turned to face them. He seemed to jolt suddenly, staring at her. Loki chuckled and leaned down. "I told you." She met Luk's gaze with a shy smile. Loki left her in the middle and she forced herself not to run to Luk. All eyes were on her but the only ones she felt were Luk's. He took her hand as she reached the base of the stairs. 

The ceremony was short and sweet with little to distinguish it from any other noble wedding. The reception was just the same though could be admitted to be surprising. There was no murmuring about Hel or people obviously trying to get away from Luk. Noblemen shook his hand and women hugged Hel. It was certainly something to cherish as no doubt it would never happen again. 

"Hel."

She was startled out of her thoughts to find Luk leaning down at her side. He held his hand out and pulled her from her seat, leading her to the center of the floor. "Alright?" He asked, raising a brow.

She nodded and then paused before shaking her head. "They're all looking at us." She tried to pull her hair from the clip. He stopped her and kept hold of her hand. 

"It's our wedding day. They're supposed to be looking at us." He nodded to the musicians and pulled her into the first dance. "Just ignore them." She glanced back at the table. He pulled her back to look at him. "Look at me. It's just us. There's no one else in the room right now. No one else in the world. Just us."

....................

"Welcome home, Lady Hel!"

A maid greeted her as she walked down the hall. Hel smiled and thanked her quietly. She went into the room set aside for her while she and Luk were courting. He had been called away for a few minutes, promising to come find her when he was finished. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at her hands, trying to calm the nervous flutter in her stomach. The door opened and she looked up to find Luk stepping in.

He leaned against the door jamb. She stood slowly and fiddled nervously with her dress. He held his hand out and she stepped forward to take it. Leading her from the room, he took her down the hall. "You may keep the room if you want it but there's one adjoined to mine as well."

She nodded but remained silent. He opened the door to his room and let her in. She stopped in the middle, staring at the bed. 

"Hel." She jumped and spun around, wide eyed. He pulled his boots off and shifted from foot to foot, unsure how to go about this. "I was never sure how to bring this up. Do you... Know what... Um..."

She smiled nervously. "Yes."

"And can you? Can we, I mean?"

She nodded. Frigga was supposed to be the one to tell her about it but had known little about Hel. She had avoided the subject. And so Loki had done it, awkward though it was for both of them. Hel had been born with a completely skeletal left side. As she grew older, the muscle and skin grew and she now only had bone showing on one arm and her face. 

The issue was not if it was physically possible. The issue was if she was ready. 

"We don't have to."

She looked up as he said this. "You need an heir."

"I'd rather have a wife that doesn't dread sharing my bed." 

She shook her head. "I'd rather know what all the fuss is about." He chuckled and stepped closer, setting his hands on her hips. They stayed like that a moment, simply looking at each other. Hel caught the nervous glint in his eyes and realized he'd never done this either. Finding solace in that, she made the first move. 

She slid her hands under his coat, pushing it off his shoulders and pulling him down to kiss her. He let her lead for the most part, not wanting to scare her. Eventually though, with her dress unlaced and his shirt somewhere behind them, she wasn't sure what to do. 

He kissed her neck and tugged her dress down further. She pulled away to step out of it and instinctively pushed her hair over her shoulder to hide behind. He bent to kiss her but stopped, leaving his lips to hover over hers. 

"Will you make me suffer so? That I must refuse myself the pleasure of seeing you?" 

She bit her lip and watched as his gaze immediately followed the movement. He kissed her again. She leaned up into him and opened her mouth to his prodding. He laid her down on the bed, his groan swallowed by their kiss. 

She shivered, surprised and proud that she could elicit such a sound. He pulled away and followed the spread of her blush down her right side. He kissed his way back up her chest, coming to rest with his lips against the bone of her shoulder. He smiled and looked up at her. 

She had her eyes tightly shut and her lip trapped between her teeth. He kissed her cheek gently, surprised when she flinched. Sighing, he pulled away and sat up. 

"If I've frightened you, then tell me. We can stop."

She opened her eyes wide and shook her head. "No! No, that's not it."

"Then what is?"

She shook her head. How could she explain? She had assumed that he would avoid her flaw, focus on what was right with her. And yet he had paid equal attention to both, barely even phased by the cold bone that greeted his lips. How could she explain that right when she thought he would begin to reject her, he had done the exact opposite. How could she explain what that meant to her?

"Nothing. It's just..." She shook her head and pulled him back down. "I love you."

He stared at her a moment before nodding hesitantly and kissing her again. And with that, Hel stopped thinking. It didn't matter what she looked like or what she was; it was obvious he loved her. So she stopped worrying and stopped thinking. There was no one else that mattered in that moment. No one else in the world. Just them.

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So that's that for now! I'll work on the morning after when I take breaks from AtD.