Part 8: Thank God For Loki

Sun. How I hate it in the morning; it's always the thing that wakes me up. My eyes fluttered open and saw the sun flooding through the large window, I was enjoying the warmth when the mattress began to breath. I looked down to see beneath me and was startled at what I saw, a man, not any man, oh no, no this was Loki.

By the looks of things I had snuggled into his side and lain my head on his chest, one of his arms was wrapped around me, the other was hanging off the bed. When I breathed in his smell seeped into my nostrils and I felt like I could lay there forever. However, I could just see that if he woke up with us so close, he would close up like a clam again, maybe even get a little embarrassed though he wouldn't show it.

So I reluctantly untangled myself from his arm and wriggled away to the edge of my side, I suddenly felt cold like he had been keeping me warm. My decision to move was just in the nick of time as that was when Loki woke up, for some very strange reason I decided to pretend to be asleep, just so I could watch him. I was curious to see how a king behaved when no one was looking.

Strange isn't it? At the beginning I was set out to destroy him... Well maybe not destroy but dethrone, but there's something about him, you can't put your finger on it at first, but he's so mysterious and strangely kind, well I guess it depends on who you are. He went back to his side of the bed which my back was turned to, I heard him fumble about for a while then he came back into sight fully dressed, his bed hair had been tamed and slicked back.

He went to leave but seemed to hover at the doorway for a moment. He must have been worried about leaving me in his chambers alone, but after minutes of staring at the door he left, closing it quietly behind him. I rolled onto my back and looked up at the high ceiling. After laying there for what seemed like forever I sat up and looked about me, something I hadn't thought to do yesterday. His chamber was cluttered with books and vials filled with colourful liquids and powders, in the corner were a set of dusty weaponry, which had been leant against the wall and not touched since.

Loki was a curious person but his chambers shined light onto his personality, obviously he had changed since falling into the abyss but this was who he was deep down, maybe he had suppressed that person but he was who he was. I expected the curtains to be shut and the room to be empty, I thought of evil potions boiling over a flame, dark magic books and the walls to be decorated with weapons and psychotic scribbles about how he hated Thor. But I got everything in between, everything but what I had expected of him.

Realizing I wouldn't be able to exit Loki's room without others getting the wrong idea, I thought I should leave before breakfast was over and the corridors began to fill up. I jumped out of bed, running my fingers through my hair and popping my head around the door, when I saw no one was there I tip toed out quickly, heading straight for the hall.

Ake was sitting on his own munching on a bread roll, Gustav had devoured all he could and was rubbing his belly, Endre looked lost as I noticed that Colby was nowhere in the room. I searched every table for waving arms or people trying to leave but I didn't find one, Colby had not come to breakfast and I wondered it had anything to do with me.

As I stood in the doorway I noticed Ake waving at me with a large smile, I walked over and sat down next to him on our usual table, Loki I noticed was not here either "hello good looking" he grinned as he placed the bread roll down on his plate.

"Hello yourself" I faked a smile.

"Where did you go last night?" He picked up his goblet and took a swig of its contents.

What would I tell him? There was no reason for me not to tell him, he was my best friend, but to be perfectly honest with myself I was ashamed. Ashamed because as a warrior I should be able to defend myself, but Colby had me like a fish on a line, I was helpless and weak and I didn't want anyone to know that some drunk moron could have the upper hand on me "oh nowhere, I just wanted to sort something out with his royal highness" It wasn't a complete lie, the events of last night had started off that way.

"Oh well if that's all..." he said sarcastically.

"Its nothing to worry about, just some work things" ok so that was a lie.

He hummed a response and then he noticed my appearance, grabbing his roll again and taking the last bite, he said through chewing "wow... you look... rough"

"Thanks you really know how to charm the pants off a girl"

"Sorry, and weren't you wearing that yesterday?" shoot I forgot to go back to my chambers and get changed.

"Well you have to wear that face everyday but you don't see me pointing it out" I don't know why I was moody, well I do, but he didn't and I shouldn't have put my problems onto him, he was only being perceptive which wasn't a bad quality in a man.

He held up his hands defensively "whoa, which side of the bed did you wake up on this morning" ha ha... well I woke up in Loki's bed in his chambers and woke up laying all over him... yeah he wont get the wrong idea at all. So I didn't answer, "anyway, did you hear about Colby?"

My head snapped around to him and my eyes opened wide, yes I knew everything "no"

"Well apparently he attacked a woman last night in the gardens and now he's been hauled off and is being punished" punished? "if you ask me he deserves it" punished? "I mean who would attack a woman?" punished? I should have thought exactly the same as Ake, but I felt like it was all my fault, if I hadn't humiliated him... no its his fault "hey" his hand began to rub my arm "are you ok?"

Anyone else would smile and fake happiness, but I felt my stomach boiling and I exploded "it was me" his eyebrows furrowed "the woman he attacked was me" I looked down to the floor.

His face dropped and two worry wrinkles appeared on his forehead "what?! I'll kill that..."

"No! You wont" I shouted over him, trying to calm him.

His face seemed to harden "what?! He attacked you and you want to protect him?"

"I don't want to protect him, I want to protect you, if you do that you'll be just as bad as him and I wont let you do that to yourself" he shook his head and shot up onto his feet and stormed off toward the door, on his way out he kicked something over but I didn't see what it was, I didn't care what it was but from that I could tell he was angry. "Ake!" He ignored me and carried on walking, I got up and followed him out "Ake!" He ignored me again so I picked up my pace "Ake please stop"

He turned abruptly "I cannot believe you, why doesn't this bother you?"

"It bothers me Ake! It bothers me a lot! But I can't stoop to his level, I can't let him break me. Please Ake, don't" he rubbed his face with his hands.

"I'm sorry, this is hard for you but he can't get away with it!"

"He isn't, you told me he was being punished, right? So then he's not getting away with it" he shrugged his shoulders. Someone came up behind us and I recognised him instantly "what's going on?" Loki's face turned confused, I crossed my arms to show I didn't appreciate being treated like an idiot "with Colby"

"He's being taken care of" he spoke plainly and went to brush past us.

"Hey Lo... My king, I think she deserves to know"

Loki stopped in his tracks "what's happened to him?" I spoke quietly, slightly afraid of the answer.

"He's getting what he deserves"

"Stop being so vague!" I could feel my anger boiling inside of me and I couldn't control it anymore.

Ake grabbed my shoulder "Eerika" his tone was cautioned, but he didn't know that Loki and I had moved past stupid rules and boundaries, now we were two people who treated and talked to the other as equals.

"No Ake" I shook him off, my eyes not leaving Loki "I want to know, and like you said I deserve to know" what I was saying was directed to him but I think I was talking more to Loki than anyone else.

"What is it you want to hear?" He knew I wouldn't like the answer, and I hated that he knew that, but I couldn't bare not to know.

Eventually it would drive me to insanity "I want to know how this is being handled"

"Well then at the risk of being vague again, Colby won't walk or see straight for a while" yes it was vague but it was an answer, and that's more of an answer than what I was getting. As he spoke though, there was that glimmer of mischief, of someone who he had suppressed, replacing it with this plain and stiff man.

I swallowed hard, when Ake said punished a lot of things ran through my mind, Loki beating him to a pulp wasn't the first on the list. As Loki turned away to leave I leant forward and touched his shoulder "thank you... Again" I didn't fully condone what he was allowing to happen but I couldn't try and overrule him.

Loki nodded and headed on his way "again?" Ake said with a slight smirk.

I hit him in the chest "hey! It's not like that, Loki saved me last night, if it wasn't for him you'd be planning my funeral" His expression softened and he pulled me into a hug, kissing me lightly on the forehead.

"Well I never thought I'd say this but thank the gods for Loki" I smiled as I buried my head into him, I don't know where I would have been without Ake, he was always there when I needed him, a true friend.