Part 27: The witch of Asgard

Loki sat on his throne, tapping his fingers and staring out into the distance, he was thinking about Eerika, the prophesy, the twins. How could he get them back? Mischievous Loki would know the answer straight away, but he couldn't give in to that, if he did there would be no good Eerika to pull him back, the twins would be born into darkness and Eerika could die, he would lose her.

He needed to summon Eerika somehow, tell her what the queen told him, he'd have to get into the mind of the God of mischief without becoming him. Though if Eerika believed he had turned bad then she would come back, but how could he make her think he had gone rotten? Gossip.

Loki summoned Sif and gave her instructions to go to the women in the washing room, she'd tell them a spot of gossip about him, the gossip would spread and then Eerika might get word of it, it was an amateur plan but it would have to do. Sif went to the washing room with one of her battle garments, as she entered the room there were linens hanging all around her, in the middle of the room were three women, washing clothes and linens in buckets of water.

"What have you got there?"

"My under garments, the ones I wear for battle, someone got me with a sword and it got all bloody, do you mind?" She said outstretching her arm with the garments in her hand.

One of the women smiled and took the material from her, dunking it in her bucket "my pleasure lady Sif, bet you're glad to be back here again"

"Yes I am, but to be honest this was just an excuse to get away from the King for a while, that's the only part I don't like about being back, it's him"

"Oh really?" She leaned forward slightly, she was a large woman with grey hair wrapped up in rags and dressed in a simple faded yellow dress "how come?"

"He's gone back to his old ways, I saw him doing terrible things to the guards, picking them off for fun, I've heard him talking about going back to Midgard and finishing what he started, he's going to the Bifrost tomorrow night"

The woman's eyes opened wide satisfyingly, they were filling up with all the juicy gossip, her smile stretching up to her ears, she looked like an old witch "don't worry dear, we won't tell a soul" Sif smiled gratefully and left, the plan was going great. On the next night Loki just had to wait and see if she would come.

Eerika's P.O.V

I heard from a local before I placed a nasty little curse on her, that Loki had gone back to his old tricks, I was curious as to why she would say that, so I followed the rest of the gossip and met Loki at the Bifrost, he was there as expected, Endre was no where to be seen, it was just me and him "which city should I destroy first?"

"Drop the act my love, I know you're not the God of mischief again, like you'd be so sloppy as to let gossip run a muck, especially after what happened last time. You just wanted to get me here didn't you? But why?"

"I needed to speak with you"

"So, speak" I faked a smile.

"I went to the Queen of Vanaheim, I asked her our future, she says we are to have twins" twins? "And they will be the most powerful of us all" most powerful? I tried to hide my smile "but, if they are born from darkness, they shall destroy the entire universe and you, you will die as you give birth" I narrowed my eyes, staring into his, I knew when Loki was lying, and he wasn't "I'm not lying, I promise you. But your own children will kill you if you don't do something about it"

"And then they will destroy the whole universe?"

"Yes"

"Sounds... Extravagant! That's my babies!" I grinned, the news was delicious, my children will be the end to the whole universe, ugh, I was so proud!

"Please Eerika! This is not good"

"Of course it's not, it's bad, how could the queen of darkness ask for more?"

His expression was disgusted, I wasn't sure how I felt about that "so thats it? You're just going to let your children be the end to all? You would put that on them? Make them into monsters? The thing you once feared. Well then perhaps you should die at their birth, at least they would never have to know what a cold and evil person their mother was. A true witch of Asgard" his voice became deeper, more like gristle, it was like he was changing.

"Oh so you've heard what the people have been calling me? And all because I put a few curses on a few of them..."

"You are... Cruel!"

"Don't you lecture me about being cold, evil and cruel, the twins might not know who I was but they will know what you were! Perhaps that's the very thing that drives them to insanity!" I was so angry, he wished that my children wouldn't have me, even if I didn't care, he should! Oh the malevolence I felt inside of me.

He grinned a little after my outburst "oh, did I touch a nerve? My love?!" He hissed, he could see the anger that filled me in my face, he was going to exploit that.

"Stop it!"

"Not so tough really are you? The great witch of Asgard, sad that she won't be able to play mummy to the children from Hel!"

"Shut up!" I shot a wave of energy at him, but he simply waved his hand and it went away.

My eyes widened and my smirk dropped, I never thought he was stronger than me "is that all you've got? Did you really think you were more powerful than me? I am the God of Mischief and you are weak!" Somewhere during the argument, the need to win made something snap in Loki's mind, he was no longer the man I was bonded to, just as I was no longer the woman he was bonded to, he had given in to my request and now it was backfiring on me.

He shot a blast of green at me, flinging me across the room "stop! The babies!" I screamed, a tear escaping my eye.

"Perhaps the putrid mongrels would be better off dead!"

It was then that I realised the flaw in my plan, Loki didn't value anyones life but his own, I meant nothing to him now "please stop!"

"Aww have you had enough?" I nodded and his face turned sour, he forced me to stand up and pinned me to the walls with his magic "tough! Now fight me!" He released me from the spell so that I could fight back.

I grunted as I lifted my arms and shot all of the power I had in me at him, but he dodged it effortlessly, he put his palm out to me and it felt like my head was swelling, the blood in my veins felt like it was boiling, my neck began to tighten. I screamed as I felt warm blood trickle out of my nose and my ears, I watched the darkness in his eyes as my screams began to fade, I was no longer the witch of Asgard, I was Eerika, I was me again. My hair returned to its natural red colour and my eyes changed too, now I really was me again, I just hoped he would see that.

"Please..." I choked out as the last few breaths escaped my lungs, he released me from his spell and I fell to the floor, a second more and I would have been dead "Loki" I whispered as everything went black.

I woke up in Loki's chambers, my body felt normal again, I had a wet cloth on my forehead. Most of all I was good again, back to my ordinary self, my head felt clear and I still felt in control, everything was good, except for Loki, he wasn't in the room. I took the cloth from my head and put it aside, getting out of the bed I headed to the bathing room door, he was not in there either.

I opened the chamber doors and looked out into the hallway, nothing, but as I looked I saw a shadow coming around the corner, with horns and a staff, I knew it was Loki. Fear ran through my body and I ran for it, everything felt like slow motion as I ran, the fear of what he was going to do to me powering my legs to run.

When I looked back and saw no one was there I felt relieved, but when I turned back I ran into something cold and landed on my butt, I rubbed my head and looked up at the towering figure above me, I had run into Loki's armour "no! Leave me alone!" I screamed, he grabbed my arm tightly making it hurt and hauled me up from the ground, throwing my arm out of his grip making me step back a little.

"You should be resting" his expression was stern, just like the day I first met him. I was so confused, was he good or was he bad? As I just stood there he rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm again, dragging me away to his chambers.

I tried to push him off but it was no use "ow you're hurting me!"

"Then you shouldn't have left!" He stood me next to the bed "get in"

Defiantly I crossed my arms "no"

He grunted as he grabbed me yet again and forced me down onto the bed, making me lie down and put the covers over my body "you are carrying twins you need rest!"

"Why do you care? God of mischief!"

"Call me whatever you want, you're pregnant whether you like it or not"

"I want to talk to Sif! Or Ake, anyone but you!" He huffed and just left "hey! I'm not finished with you!" I went to get out of bed and he came back into the room.

"If you get out of that bed I will put you in a cell until you have the twins" and with that I tucked myself back in, then he just left again. What was going on?

Ake came in and sat next to me "I'm hoping you can tell me what's happening, how long have I been asleep?"

"Loki made you sleep for a week, so he could fix the messes you made"

"A week?!"

"Yeah, and then he wiped the whole of Asgards memory, except for Sif, Endre, me and you"

"Up to when?"

"Up to the ceremony, but no one remembers Thor coming back"

"Thor? Where is he? Did Loki find him?"

"Yes. In a cave on the outskirts of Asgard, he wiped his memory too and sent him back to Midgard, not even he remembers coming here"

"And what about Loki? The last time I saw him he was full on God of Mischief again"

"He's kind of in the middle, like the first day we met him, but every time he comes in here to tend to you, it seems he's becoming the King of Asgard again" I was so relieved, my babies could be born into light, they would be the worlds salvation and not its end "I'm glad you're back to normal" I saw the old Ake then, my best friend "but you're pregnant now, and the Queen of Asgard, so that's new"

I laughed a little at that "yeah, I guess I am"

"I'm so sorry Eerika, for everything"

"I'm sorry too" I beckoned him to come closer to the bed so I could hug him, I needed him back, I needed my best friend.

"I'll help you get Loki back to normal if you like"

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course, I was thinking at dinner we could have it like old times, laughing and talking, maybe he'd soften up then" I smiled warmly at him, everything was going to be as it was, perfect.