The Fallen Prince - Loki fanfiction ✓

6. Not my blood

Loki soon discovered the first two Jotuns, in a long hallway that led to the armory. To his advantage the Frost Giants had not yet discovered them. The prince signaled the Einherjar with him and disappeared in a green mist. He popped up at the other side of the hallway, stopping the Jotuns in their advance. The Einherjar made use of the confusement by attacking the Frost Giants from the back. The first was killed quickly, the second was closer to Loki so he faced him alone. Using his magic again, he made the Jotun charge at thin air before slashing him across the arm with his dagger. The cut was deep and the Frost Giant staggered into the wall. Loki advanced a second time, this time aiming for the creature's throat. But the Jotun was quicker and spun out of the way, pushing himself off from the wall. Loki got ready to attack the intruder again, driving him back to the Einherjar. Seeing he was cornered, the Frost Giant leapt forward, swinging his ice sword at Loki. The sword sliced right through the illusion before Loki brought his dagger down in the blue neck. Blood sprayed across his arm and chest as the Jotun tumbled to the ground.

"My Lord, they are upstairs!" cried one of the Einherjar, who was positioned near an open stairway a little down the hall. When Loki got closer he could hear the sounds of battle from the floor above them. With a shock the prince realised the battle took place in the wing where his rooms were, as well as Thor's and the main guest rooms. He ran upstairs in a couple of large bounds and immediately found himself in the middle of a skirmish between two Einherjar and a Frost Giant. Using the element of surprise he could stab the Jotun in his abdomen, but the giant managed to graze the prince his cheek with his ice sword in return. Loki lashed out with his dagger again, making a deep cut in the intruder's upper arm, after which a guard speared the blue giant to the wall.

Behind Loki were the chambers for their Alfheim guests, but he knew them safe in the throne room. A little down the hall, where Thor and two Einherjar were fighting two Frost Giants, were the doors to his chambers and those of his brother. Thor finished off one of the Jotuns with a devastating blow of his hammer, while the Einherjar had their hands full with a second Frost Giant. Loki grabbed the spear the Einherjar next to him carried and threw it at the Jotun. It penetrated him a little lower than Loki had anticipated, but the spear in his thigh incapacitated the Jotun enough to be finished off quickly by the blows of the Einherjar's swords. The guards that were with Loki pushed forward to the scene.

Loki counted three dead Frost Giants, that made five with the two on the floor below them. His chest heaving he took a moment to catch his breath, trying to figure out if they had killed all of the intruders by now.

"Loki!" Thor bellowed suddenly and in the split second that it took Loki to jump to the side and for Thor to throw his hammer, Loki felt a sharp pain across his back. He stumbled and rolled to the ground, turning in his fall so he could see his attacker. The Frost Giant took a hit to the shoulder from Mjölnir and crashed into the wall opposite from Loki. The Jotun must have come up the stairway, just like Loki and the guards.

The prince was quick to his feet, the ceremonial armour seemed to have protected him from most of the blow. His cape was hanging by a thread, so he ripped it off. There was a sharp pain across his back, right below his shoulders, but it was probably just a cut, nothing more. A dagger in each hand, he crouched a little to jump at his attacker as soon as he got an opening.

The Frost Giant had a large spiky sword of ice attached to his right arm, and a second one was forming on his left. However, being hit by Mjölnir left it's damage and he couldn't lift his left arm properly. From the corner of his eye Loki could see the door to his room opening, behind Thor's back. His brother just caught Mjölnir in his hand again, when Brent stepped out, a bow and arrow in his hands.
Loki focussed on the Jotun in front of him, making sure he got his full attention. "I'm gonna make you bleed," he spat at the Frost Giant, who roared in reply. But at the moment the giant raised his sword, his head jolted to the side from the impact of an arrow in his throat. The Jotun stumbled and Loki jumped at him, driving his dagger into the blue chest. Panting, he slit the throat of the intruder, just as Odin and three other Einherjar came running down the hall.

"I think we've got them all," the Allfather said, surveying the situation before him.

Loki nodded, too much out of breath to answer. His squire ran up to him. "My Lord, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

The prince shook off his helping hand and stood up straight again. He groaned a little when the pain shot across his back, but told the young man he was alright anyway. "Nice shot," he said to his squire. "You sure know how to aim."

"Thank you, my Lord. Glad I could be of assistance."

Despite the pain Loki laughed at Brent's answer. Thor slapped the young archer at the back. "Nice shot, indeed!" He turned to Loki and advised him to go see the healer. "That was a nasty cut, could have been way worse."

"Yes, thank you, brother." Loki shook Thor's hand, after all, his brother had saved him.

Odin ordered the Einherjar to search the whole palace, even though it seemed they had killed all the intruders. He looked over his sons, both covered in Jotun blood. "Get yourselves cleaned up. I'll meet you in the vault in an hour."

"Go check up on the princess and the other Alfheim guests," Loki told Brent. "Ask Gervais to come see me, if he's not needed by the princess or Lord Hergund."

"Will do, my Lord," the squire replied and made off to the throne room, leaping over the dead body of a Jotun in his way.

Loki opened the door to his chambers and stepped through, leaning against the door as soon as he closed it behind him. He took off the helmet and ran a hand through his hair, letting out a deep breath.

"My Lord! You're hurt!" As if out of nowhere Mirilya was standing before him, putting her hand to his face to touch the small cut on his cheekbone. "All this blood..." she gasped, looking him up and down, yet not removing her hand from his face.

"It's not my blood," he said, enclosing her wrist with his hand, putting her fingers to his lips shortly.

Her eyes locked on his and she softly ran her thumb across his cheek. "I'll draw you a bath. Let's get you cleaned up."

Loki slowly lowered himself in the hot water of the tub. He gritted his teeth when the cut on his back touched the water. The small cut on his cheekbone was easily healed with his magic, but before he could heal the wound on his back, it had to be cleaned first. 

"May I, my Lord?" Mirilya asked, coming up to the bath with a sponge in her hands. In response, he turned his back to her. She perched on the edge of the tub and dipped the sponge in the water, to clean out the wound with careful movements. The water turned red from his blood. "The cut is long and quite deep at one side, my Lord. I think you need the healer."

"I'll go see Lady Eir later," he said and pulled the plug from the bath to drain all the bloodied water. At his request Mirilya used a few buckets of cold water to rinse him off, carefully keeping her eyes away from his naked body.

She only looked at him again after he put a towel around his waist. "That cut needs bandaging, my Lord."

"Well, then get to it," he replied, pointing to the cabinet where she could find some medical supplies.

Mirilya bandaged the wound expertly, fastening the winds at the side of his chest. "There, all done," she said, putting the palm of her hand over her work. 

Loki took her hand and turned to her, cradling her hand against his chest. She smiled nervously, but her eyes held his without looking away. He would love to kiss her, yet his mind was racing with all the things that were happening right now. The Jotun attack, the arranged marriage, the princess and her guardian, his brother nearly king of Asgard. Should he add an affair with a servant to that list? Not even just a servant, but the handmaiden and friend of the woman he was supposed to marry.

Loki stared into the golden eyes of the Lightelf before him, losing himself in their depths. He laced his fingers through hers against his chest and when she parted her lips just a little to let out a soft sigh, it was his undoing. With his free hand he cupped her cheek, slowly closing the distance between them until his lips touched hers. Without hesitation she kissed him back, her lips warm and sweet against his. He slipped his arms around her, pulling her against him. The taste of her lips and the warmth of her body under his hands made Loki wish he could hide away from the world. Just him and her, nothing else.

When kissing left them breathless, he pulled away just a little, leaning his forehead against hers. She looked up in his eyes and giggled softly as he smirked.