Loki's Bride

XI

I ran after Loki as fast as I could, which was fairly easy to do since I seemed to just float off the ground. But my vision was delayed and being so strangely placed out, it was hard for me to see where he was going. His body disappeared down the corridor in a flash and blur of smudged color, it became hard for me to see where he stopped and started to run again.

But as he turned down the hallways, I started to recognize the path. He was heading toward the courtyard...

I tried to stop where he did. But he skidded to a halt right as we got to the entrance of the garden, surprising me and I fell forward in an attempt to stop. Being just a spirit now, I flew right through him, tumbling, but without any scrapes as I stood back up.

I stared at him, not that he could see me. He looks so helpless and confused, and I was helpless too, if I tried talking, it wouldn't do any good. I just had to sit there while he glanced frantically around the garden.

What are you thinking about, I thought. Suddenly his stare locked on something behind me. It was as if he was looking at me, but I knew that couldn't be, so I followed his eyes.

The trellis of roses was behind me.

I looked at him once more, his soft and sad expression hardening, and he walked to the bush. I knew the roses reminded him of me, and I was not a pleasant memory anymore. I knew what he was about to do.

And I tried to stop him. I walked next to him and yelled my inaudible yell for him to stop, think. When he got to the bush, he took one of the roses in his hand and crushed it. It felt painful to see him killing the seemingly only representation of me now in the palace.

When he opened his hand, the rose looked like ash. Hot ash. You could see the smoldering sparks, ready to ignite still, and speaking of which...

Loki took a step away from the bush, the burnt and black rose coming disconnected from the vine. He stood and looked at the trellis for a moment, before he started blowing on the rose, feeding the flame. "What?! No!" I cried, again, no true sound.

And with my cries being ignored, Loki chucked the fiery flower at the trellis. I fell to my knees with my jaw dropped as the flame spread and engulfed my roses. I wanted to cry, but I wouldn't find the will. Loki had just destroyed my flowers.

Me. It was his only reminder of me.

I took my eyes off the blaze for one second to see that Loki was hunched over on the ground, the same position as me, except I couldn't see his face. His shoulders were shaking.

No! No, please don't be crying over me! I ran to him and sat on my knees next to him. I tried yelling at him to quit, but I couldn't hear myself, surly he couldn't hear.

Seeing him like this tore my heart out of my chest, and eventually I had to stop yelling and started crying myself. "I'm sorry. So so sorry." I sobbed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the smoke from the flowers, and I turned my head. Part of the smoke suddenly seemed to be accumulating to the side of the trellis for some reason. There was just a ball of smoke for a moment, then it began to take the shape of something.

I saw little arms flailing, and suddenly heard a high pitched cry...

A baby!

....my baby? Oh no!

I stood up, stumbling over my weak knees as I ran to the smoky shape. As I came to a halt above it, the baby stopped crying, and it just looked up with its big eyes. I gasped covered to mouth to hide my dropped jaw again (not that anyone could see it..) and looked at Loki.

He's lost me...and the baby.

I looked down again, tears streaming down my cheeks. Suddenly my motherly instinct kicked in, and I bent down to pick up the baby. As I did, the smoky texture slightly cleared up, and he just looked like a foggy ghost, like I was. I used some of my dress to cover him up and keep him warm.

Stop crying, Serena. Stop crying!

I took my eyes off the now calm baby and set them on Loki again, who was now standing and pacing. His face was hard to see through the smoke, but it was red and wet with tears. I held my own emotions back.

As I watched him, there was an iridescent flash that covered his entire body for just a moment, then when it disappeared, he looked like his own self. With all his composure, all his confidence. He was hiding it, his real "feelings." I've seen him do this before.

And now I know why.

Because right after he did that, Thor and some servants came running in the garden with some water to try and put out the fire on the trellis. And Loki just stood there and watched as the uncontrollable flames rose into the sky, almost as high as the rest of the palace.

Thor had to have known what happened, and yet he reprimanded his brother. "You fool, Loki! We can't have the entire kingdom knowing!" I held the baby to my chest, closing my eyes, his voice causing a pounding head ache for me.

Loki said nothing, and he walked casually out of the scene. It was better for everyone to see him this way. The way he disguised himself. It fooled everyone else, except me. I followed Loki rather apathetically. I wanted him to see me, and let him know I was still here.

But now, the only thing he has left of me is my dead body in my room. And I know he won't dare to look at that again.