Stolen Relic ~ A Loki Fanfic

Chapter Six

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Frigga walked away from the library, her brow still knit with concern over her son. She wound her hands together, uncertain if giving him the scroll had been the right thing to do. There was dangerous magic contained within the scroll.  Powerful magic. She had seen his eyes light when his own power reacted to the magic contained within the scroll. She knew better than anyone how seductive the call of that power could be.

But she reminded herself that it had not been mere chance that led her to share her knowledge of magic with only her younger son. While Loki could be more sensitive than Thor he was far less likely to act rashly. Where Thor could be impulsive and selfish, Loki had proven himself capable of handling the temptation and the responsibility that came with such power since he was young.  She took a deep breath and set off down the corridor. She trusted Loki with the scroll and to make the right decision for Asgard. Her sons were often a study in contradictions. While Thor was the elder and heir of the throne, she often felt as though Loki showed a greater capacity and understanding of what true leadership meant.

She went to the garden first, seeking out the slave Loki had seemed to have befriended over the last couple weeks. It was rare for Loki to seek out the company of anyone in the palace, preferring his solitude while studying, but her servants had informed her otherwise. Now, she was worried about Loki and she knew better than to send one of her own servants into the library to check on him even under the pretense of delivering his meal. He would no doubt snap at them or worse, punish them, for doing Frigga's bidding. The light elf however, she thought might escape her brooding son's ire.

Frigga found the elf, kneeling on the path, tending to a sickly looking bunch of small, violet plants which were no more than a few inches tall. Frigga paused, watching the elf gently pull the soil back with her hands, then pour the water over the back of her hand so it ran down her finger tips and into the soil without further damaging the vulnerable plants.

"Do light elves possess a magic that aids the plants? Or do you simply possess an affinity for living things?" Frigga asked, interrupting the girl's work.

Kenna snapped her head up to see Queen Frigga standing over her. She was surprised she hadn't heard her enter the garden. She immediately bowed her head and held it, waiting on the queen. After a moment the queen shifted her weight and Kenna glanced up to see her looking on expectantly. That's when Kenna remembered the queen had asked her a question.

She looked back at the dying plants. Using them as an excuse to not look at the Queen. Kenna didn't trust her ability to control her expression as she spoke. "A slave is not permitted magic Queen Frigga and I am told the magic of the Light Elves was lost with the destruction of Alfheim," Kenna responded. It was unusual for the Queen to visit the gardens at this time of day, and even more so for her to take an interest in what Kenna was doing.

Frigga frowned. "The knowledge can still be found in some of their ancient texts," Frigga said, the elves had been known for their control of magic, earth magic in particular. She wasn't sure why, but it had never occurred to her that was another of the many things lost that day on Alfheim.

Kenna kept her eyes firmly glued to the soil beneath her hands. "Texts of magic are forbidden for a slave to read." She shouldn't have said it, but for some reason she found she couldn't seem to keep her tongue in check either.

Instead of looking mad, Frigga simply nodded noncommittally and looked down at the dying plants. "What is the matter with them?" She asked changing the subject, she was a little surprised the slave had spoken so freely. In all her past interactions with Kenna the willowy woman had been extremely submissive and circumspect. She wondered that Loki was a poor influence on the girl.