Captured in the Midst

Chapter 16

Sorry! Really short chapter!!! I hope you guys like the new cover for CITM! Enjoy <3

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"Odin!" Frigga gasped, helping him out of the bed.

"Where are the boys?" He demanded, brushing her aside.

"They're at the Bifrost." I exclaimed.

He nodded, heading out the doors.

"Wait! I'm coming with you!"

"No! Astrid, please!" Frigga begged.

"I'm sorry, my queen, but I must!"

I followed Odin over near the rainbow bridge to find Thor and Loki deep in a fight. Thor had his brother pinned down with his hammer, and Loki was struggling, yelling who knows what. All of a sudden, Thor reclaimed his hammer, and slammed it down on the bridge, the surface cracking.

"What are you doing?" Loki screamed. "If you destroy the bridge, you'll never see her again!"

Thor brought his hammer down one last time, causing a huge explosion, both demigods flying over the side. In an instant, Odin and I caught up and he grabbed Thor by the foot. It was silent as Loki spoke suddenly, his hand grasping Thor's.

"I could've done it, father. I could've done it. For you. For all of us."

Odin looked at him with pity. "No, Loki."

A twitch in Loki's fingertips caused me to burst forward just in time to see him fall.

"Loki, no!" Thor bellowed.

"LOKI!" I let go a bloodcurdling scream. He looked into my eyes as he disappeared into blackness. "I LOVE YOU!"

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"I can't believe he's gone." I cried in Sif's arms.

"Hey, I thought you hated him?"

I sniffled, looking up at her. "Okay, well, please don't tell anyone this, but I thought I did too. But the more I thought about it, I can't hate him. He means more to me than the world, and now that he's gone, I realize that now. I'm just glad the last words he heard from me was that I loved him. All he wanted was for me to say that aloud."

"Astrid, darling." Frigga came over to stand next to us. "Loki loved you too."

"He did? He never told me that."

"The morning before Thor's coronation when you guys got into your fight, Loki came to me. He explained that you wished he would've pulled you away from Thor. Is that true?"

"I don't know, Frigga, I-" I paused. "Sif, can you give us a minute?"

She nodded politely. "Sure Ast,"

"Thank you."

"You were saying?" Frigga raised her eyebrow after Sif walked away.

"I honestly don't know. I said it in the heat of the moment, but I realize now that it sounds stupid, but I did mean it. I would have left Thor if I would have know that Loki wanted me. I have a feeling he knew that."

"He did, but then again, he didn't quite understand why you continued to go to Thor. Astrid, darling, Loki can read you like an open book. He knew you didn't feel for Thor the way you felt towards him. But they way you kept going back made him unsure of what you really wanted."

"But I was scared. If I didn't marry Thor, the king could've gotten mad, and punished my parents. If they lost their title or their jobs, I don't know what I could do to forgive myself."

"Oh child, Odin would never do something like that. You're father is his best friend."

I nodded. "I just haven't seen either of my parents in awhile. My dad has been busy on military missions, and my mom out in the village healing. Neither one has come to dinner or even to the palace in months."

"Well, we will fix that, won't we?" She smiled. "But in the meantime, try not to worry over Loki. He loved you a lot, even though he never got the chance to tell you in person. I promise."

She gave me a tight hug.

"Thank you for always being there for me, Frigga. I love you like a second mother."

"And I love you like the daughter I never had."