Friends With the Monster - private

[Saiytanya]

Kara loved how much Loki loved her. She loved how he treated her like the most precious thing in his life and she was content to be. As he explained about Thor and his desire for Loki's incarceration and subsequently the position of king she nodded slowly, "Yeah, I figured he wouldn't give up that easily." She sighed, her mind drifting off into thought briefly, "You know, I might be able to help with that. With the time and reality stones...if we can find him. I could turn him into a kid, or even trap him in another dimension, get him out of your hair." She sighed, looking up at him from her position on his chest. It was good to know there was at least some thing she could do to be useful.


Her brother? Of coarse, she had a brother, Druian, was his name. She hadn't seen him the last time she was in Asgard. He looked forward to seeing her? That was an odd thought. He hadn't sought her out last time, but perhaps, he hadn't know she was home at the time. She giggled at his comment about the proper order of dessert and dinner, leaning in to peck his lips gently before hopping off of the bed carefully. She looked down at her clothes. They weren't really welcome home clothes, more like, lounging about the bedroom clothes. She smiled at Loki and her clothing shimmered, changing to a fine royal purple Asgardian style dress, complete with golden chest pieces and wrist bracers. Then moving her hand to her chest she pulled the time stone out so that it was a necklace about her neck once more, the beautiful green stone contrasting the purple beautifully and accentuating her eyes. "Better?" She asked sweetly before moving over to loop her arm in his in the proper British way.


The two moved out then, Kara stopped just outside the doors to look at the guards who were now standing, "Sorry about earlier." She told them sweetly. They didn't speak, merely nodded their heads respectfully and she turned with Loki to head down to the dining hall. Asgard was just as beautiful as she remembered it, the golden halls stretching high up into the air, sparkling and beautiful. It felt like after so very long she was finally home. As they entered the dining hall everyone went silent for several moments before bursting into cheers. Immediately, two figures came toward them, offering their King deep bows before turning to her. One of them she recognized immediately and she rushed to embrace her, "Mother! I missed you!"


"Oh, my darling Kara. We feared the worst." Her mother embraced her warmly for several moments before moving back so that the man beside her could embrace her as well, lifting her into the air and spinning her around lovingly. This man was fairly tall and well build and in the casual wear of an Einherjar. He had semi-long dirty blond hair, a chiseled face and blue eyes that seemed wholly other worldly. All in all, he was quite handsome, and most definitely an Aesir. It took her several moments to realize as he embraced her warmly, that this was her brother, this was..."Druian?" The two pulled away, and Kara looked him over with shocked interest, "Wow, my brother." She placed her hands on either side of his face, "Look at you. You're so handsome."


The man laughed at that, "It's been a long time, sister." He glanced at Loki at immediately stopped talking, and instead just smiled at her.


"Yeah, well," Kara shrugged. "It happens. But I'm home now for good, and we can catch up."


"A definite plan." He agreed before motioning toward the table.


She offered him a gentle smile before her grumbling stomach turned her attention back to the food. Leaning into Loki her voice dropped to a whisper. "Where do we sit?" She let Loki lead her to her seat, smiling at him warmly as she sat down. She recognized several faces, among them were Sif and Volstag. Her mother sat beside her and her brother across from her mother, both kept looking at her with something between love and curiosity. The meal began then and Kara gently picked a few favorites to eat. She felt a bit strange, however as everyone seemed to be steeling glances at her. It made sense really, having been gone, of coarse they were intrigued to see her again.


"Kara, my dear," Her mother began, looking at her curiously, her voice the same softness that was usually in Kara's voice, "Where have you been? The last we heard you had vanished from a battlefield."


Kara smiled sadly, "It's hard to explain." She looked over at Loki, not certain if he had told them about the infinity stones and unsure of how much they knew of the whole situation. "I'm not entirely certain what happened. One moment I was in battle and the next, I was waking up here in a bed. I can't account for the space in between."


"But my dear, almost three centuries? How can you not account for that?" Her mother said incredulously.


Kara blinked at that and her head shot to Loki with wide eyes, "Centuries? So...so I did...?" She stopped, still not certain if she should mentions the stones, Her features saddened slightly and she reached a hand over to Loki, gently looping her fingers into his, "No wonder you seemed so shocked to see me. Why didn't you say anything? I'm so sorry to have scared you like that." She smiled sadly as he responded. So very long...her poor love, to think she was dead for that long.


Things calmed after that and Kara made idle chit chat with the rest of the table for some time, they seemed all to happy to tell them about their lives and everything she had missed in the 300 some odd years she had been absent from. Apparently, Thor had been quite the trouble maker in the last few decades or so. He had vanished for some time, but returned with a vengeance. It seemed odd to her, but then, she knew that time could change people.


As the dinner whittled down she found her eyes meeting with Loki's a mischievous twinkle residing there as she politely excused herself, a smirk on her lips as she grabbed a small slice of ambrosia cake, "I think I'll take my dessert to my room and relax by the fire for a bit." She told them kindly, offering the nod of a head. All of the men in the room stood as she did, which she found a bit odd, but she just smiled and moved off, and returned to her room in the silence. She hoped, that Loki would not be far behind.







T O X I C P A S T I C H E

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

⇒ 『DIABOLICALANDDEVINE;;』

And I find it x kinda funny, xI find it x kinda xsad.
xIt but shook xthe doors of the prisonhouse xof my disposition;

The dreams in which x I'm dying xare the xbest x I've ever had.
xAnd, xlike the captives of Phillipi, x

I find it x hard to tell you, xI find it xhard to take.
x That which stood xwithin xran forth.

● Loki Laufeyson ● craved insanity ● Lavinias Anona

Weeks passed. He gained his strength back rather quickly with the help of Khan’s blood. When Khan wasn’t busy running the place, which he made seem easy, he helped Mel train. The boy had asked him to help him become a better warrior after the dinosaur attack when he’d been essentially useless. He didn’t want to be that boy anymore, and Khan could help him, despite Lavinias’ warning. If Khan ever spoke to her with his mind like Mel had suggested, he didn’t tell the boy, and neither would the boy ask again. They had been fighting before all this happened, that much was all to clear. He wasn’t sure there had ever been a point in his life that Lavinias had not been fighting with someone, but given the way she fought with Khan, he figured there was something different. More personal. Her anger hardly flared so much with others. It was mostly sarcasm or a stale coldness with her siblings. Like she always knew something they didn’t, and they were foolish. Perhaps that was the case, with her abilities.

When he wasn’t doing duties he practiced, ran, exercised—he was always doing something to become better. It had not been that way on Lacertae. It seemed that they had been at peace for so long that they didn’t push the work ethic that older warriors had received, warriors that had been children during the last Klingon invasion. But now things were different; it was clear the Klingons wanted nothing to do with peace, and he would do anything he possibly could to protect his planet and his family.

There was always something to do, and he tried to keep focused, but there were times when he found his mind wandering, like during dinner, as he sat by a fire as he was currently, digging into some meat. He looked towards Khan, who had slain their meal. He was intelligent beyond belief—Mel was interested in what sort of things he took an interest in. “You must have read a lot. What’s your favorite book?” he asked before taking another bite of his meal.


- - -


Loki scoffed as the Frost Giant tried to claim that Odin had lied. “And you are a more trustworthy source?” he asked, more of a rhetorical question than anything else. Still, he was slightly interested in what story the King could come up with, given that it was likely his birth story was similar in both dimensions. What the Frost Giant had to say was quite shocking, and Loki felt his features softening as he listened.

A prince of both worlds? Odin had never said that—he had never told him about his mother, either. That she was Asir, his daughter, whom he had killed in cold blood. He had always been content with believing that he was just, somehow, smaller, and that Odin’s magic accounted for his altered appearance for most of the time—in fact he wasn’t content with the information, he just simply tried not to think about his birth origins as much as possible. But now Laufey was telling him something else, and part of Loki suspected that perhaps he was lying. He had nothing to lose in doing so—but what did he have to gain? Loki would never be the King of the Frost Giants. He would never accept them nor would they accept him unless he became ruler of Asgard.

Laufey had been approaching Loki throughout the introduction to his story, and as he finished the beginning Loki felt a wave of bitterness wash over him as the giant knelt to look at him more closely. “Do not speak to me about what the Aesir—what the Alfather thinks—of those who are not full bred. I know more than you think of what that is like. He pretended I was his own, led me to believe that I should rule Asgard, and then took the title from me to save it for his own, barbaric and oaf of a son.” Pain was in his eyes. He knew what it was like, it was true, to think that if he just proved himself one more time, that he would be good enough, only to realize that it was all a lie. That he would never be good enough for Odin, and that he would never find himself seated in the throne he had earned and deserved.

The Frost Giant continued his story, and Loki felt the words play out in his head. A woman trying to protect her son from a great terror, only to be found in a sanctuary that held no authority over her attacker. He felt his heart breaking, and tears forming in his eyes knowing that woman was his mother, murdered by her own father. His hate for Odin only grew, but he realized that it was over now—he had rid himself of Odin, and the burden that the man brought upon Loki. At least, in his own dimension. “He took me in. Raised me as his son. I only learned of my true lineage recently, and even then he did not mention my mother. I am Loki Laufeyson,” there was no less contempt in his voice, but his features were softer than before. At the mention of seeing his mother’s grave, though, he felt his anger release. He would never get this chance in his own dimension, even if this woman had not given birth to him there, she had to be the same in both universes. “Take me to her,” he said, his voice low and uncertain to a small extent. He swallowed the sadness in his chest. She was not alive in either worlds, but her grave would have to do.

As they walked, Loki looked ahead, hands clasped behind his back, feeling so small. He didn’t like it. Part of him felt inferior, just as he felt in Asgard, but a smaller part of him almost felt safe because of it. “I am not from this dimension,” Loki admitted as they walked. “My birthplace is in an alternate universe. It is there that Odin has been dead from my hand for some time now, and I plan to fully take over Asgard soon. I need to find another member of my party—the Aesir I plan to make my queen. Her name is Kara. She is a Valkyrie.” He didn’t know why he was telling Laufey all this. Perhaps it was in an attempt to make his father feel proud, something that he could never do with Odin. “You abandoned me as a child there, left me for dead because I was too small to be worth helping survive. Odin found me. He took me in. But he never had the intentions of letting me rule.”


- - -


'Lavinias. Can you hear me?' It was no more than a whisper at the edge of her mind, so faint that she almost missed it.

Despite the frozen that had settled on her skin, the thoughts made her feel warm. ‘You aren’t here,’ she thought back, not completely coherent. He was too far away to be where she was, and she wondered where he was. ‘It’s so cold.’ That was all she could get out before the warmth started to spread, into her mouth and down into her core. The voice in her head, she must have imagined it, made it up to help her wake.

Her eyes fluttered open, slowly. Her vision cleared to see a blue creature supporting her head, and holding a cup to her lips. The warm liquid that ignited her consciousness once more. Lavinias lifted a shaking hand up to the cup, taking it in her hand and putting it to her lips once more to drink the rest of it. It tasted good. Different, but good. When she was finished, she let a satisfied ‘ah’ escape her lips before looking back to the girl. “Thank you,” she said. Her cracked, hoarse from the cold or yelling so much earlier, before they arrived, she wasn’t sure. She sat up then, wrapping the blanket around her body tightly and gazing at the fire. “Did you save me?” Lavinias asked the giant. “My name is Lavinias Anona. I’m from a place far away. A planet called Lacertae. It never gets this cold there,” her tone was soft, gentle. She didn’t think these things wanted to hurt her—no, they were helping her.

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

SECRETISSECRET
xxxxxx LOKI LAUFEYSON x§x BURDENED WITH GLORIOUS PURPOSE
xxxx▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
xxxxx⋰ ⋰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ⋰ ⋰

“He never has,” Loki added, knowing full well just how hard headed Thor was. When she mentioned getting rid of him, Loki contemplated the thought. She had two infinity stones? He wasn’t sure how that had happened, but it made all the more sense for him to protect and keep her with him at any cost. “I’m not sure that’s a good way to take care of him,” Loki said slowly, looking down at her. “I cannot rely on outside forces to keep order within Asgard. To expel outside forces, yes, but Thor was once one of our own, and I must deal with him as such.” Relying on the power of the stones would take away from his power as King, and only make it seem as if the stones were where the power lied—and that would make them a target for others who wanted power, and in turn Kara would become a target. He couldn’t have that. “Your willingness to help is much appreciated, my love,” he added. He had always adored that about her; she loved to help others, even when they didn’t deserve her help. “I’ve missed you so,” he said as she looked up at him, a hand moving to caress her cheek before he stood.

She hopped off the bed first, changing her clothes in an instant. His eyes widened—in shock and gleamed with curiosity. He hadn’t realized just how in tune she had become with the reality stone. It seemed like a simple task, but using a powerful thing for even the smallest chores was hard. Her use of the stone was not the only thing that made his eyes widen and gleam, though. “Your glow is brighter than the stars, and more pure at that. You look beautiful, Kara. I’ve missed you so,” his words ached with longing, as if he still didn’t believe that if he reached out to touch her that she would be there.

Her arm moved through his, though, and it was solid. She was real.

As they moved out of the room, Kara apologized to the guards, for what, Loki didn’t know. Probably something she didn’t need to apologize for, given she was so sweet. The dining hall was decorated extravagantly as always, intricate designs carved into the stone and the candle light from the chandelier glittering especially bright, as if even it was overjoyed at Kara’s return. Upon their entry, there was a great bout of applause and cheers, the merriment hitting them full force as Loki clapped and even laughed a bit himself. Kara was special even to the Asgardians, and her return was something to celebrate even if she had not been, well, her. A long lost missing Aesir returned to her rightful home. It was wonderful, miraculous, and exciting—everything that Asgardians enjoyed wrapped into one event.

Loki observed patiently, glad to see Kara reunited with her mother. The two embraced lovingly, but Loki strained to listen to what her mother said. Kara did not know the truth of just how long she had been gone. Loki was trying to downplay it, to help her feel like everything was all right, and most importantly, for her not to feel as if something was wrong. But their conversation was short, as Kara met with her brother. Druian. He and Loki didn’t have the best past, but the Einherjar had learned his place and served him honorably. Not that Loki didn’t have his suspicions. His gaze shot towards Druian the moment he mentioned how long it had been, and the man caught Loki’s drift. She didn’t know yet.

He understood, and luckily the conversation was cut short. Loki led her to the head of the table, where he sat, and where she would sit next to him. Instead of letting the servant pull out the chair for her, Loki chose to do so himself, kissing her cheek lightly before moving to take his seat. He did not sit before saying a few words. “Asgardians, tonight we dine for the return of our beloved Kara. She was missed for far too long.” There were more cheers before he sat, and the feast began.

The eyes that travelled to her throughout were inevitable, as was the conversation that began with her mother. Loki tried to get a warning glance in, but the woman gave no heed to it. She had a right to know, just as Kara had a right to know just how long she had been missing from their dimension. Her dimension, now. He watched silently, looking at Kara and giving her a light nod of encouragement to speak. He was quite interested in what she had to say as well—he would need every bit of information he could get.

He was taking a drink when her mother spilled the beens—so frank! He choked the liquid down before coughing into his napkin a few times, then giving the woman a harsh—lightly so, but still chiding—look. His features softened as he turned to Kara, her green eeys looking at him in widened disbelief. To his relief, she slid her fingers through his and didn’t seem angry at all. Just…shocked, and rightly so. She wanted an answer as to why he hadn’t said anything, so he made one up that made sense. “Kara, forgive me. My last wishes were to upset you with such information after you woke.”

After that things seemed a bit calmer, but Kara seemed a bit off—as if distracted. Probably by the fact that she had been missing for some 300 years and how everything had changed so much in that amount of time. He watched her with care, uncertain if she was going to go through some sort of culture shock or otherwise, but she handled herself well, as she always did. When finally she announced she was going to retire, Loki felt a mischievous smirk growing faintly on his lips. That little message was meant for and received only by him. After she excused herself, he waited for a few moments before doing the same. “There is much she needs to be caught up on. Let her relax for a while; give her some time to herself. I have my own matters to attend to for the time being.”

With that, he was out of his chair and heading out of the hall as well, doing the best he could to keep himself from sprinting after her. He knocked on her door, letting a brief pause fill the air before entering. “I think I’ve promised you something that you are eager to have,” he said as he entered the room. “But it would be a lie if I told you I have not been dreaming of you for the past 300 years. Every woman who has set her eyes on me has always fallen short of you in one way or another. I will have none but you, Kara,” he said as he closed the distance between the them, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his forehead against hers as he slumped a little to do so. “Now tell me, how do you prefer your dessert? Do you savor it slowly, or move quickly and enjoy everything in a few unimaginably pleasurable bites?” he asked, his smirk growing as he looked into her eyes.




Saiytanya

[Saiytanya]

It was a simple task, keeping the proto-humans in line, more a matter of training, like the beasts they were. A few of the females had attempted to bed him, but he had no interest in such menial creatures. No, he wanted Lavinias. Lavinias. He thought he had heard her voice in his mind, but she sounded unwell, injured. He hadn't had the heart to tell the boy that his sister responded but she may have been dying. No, the young man was better of having hope that she still lived, and while Khan wanted to hope for the best, he was quietly preparing himself for the worst.


In case they were stuck here or in case they got back, either way, Khan needed to train the boy up and he was all to eager to do so.Khan tried to look at this as an opportunity to get the boy up to spec, to make him the warrior he hoped that he could be. With the boy's help though, they had managed to make the cave fairly habitable. They had made makeshift beds as well as a clay oven from the clay they had dug from the riverbed. They were dressed in the skins of their kills and slowly but surely they were building a more protected entrance to the cave. Khan had successfully made a bow from the gut of his first kill and it made hunting a much easier feat. All in all, they were doing quite well, and there was no doubt that they would continue to thrive.


Khan leaned back on the rock wall, quietly eating his meal when the boy spoke up and Khan looked over curiously. It have been a long time since someone had taken an interest in him beyond his warrior skill, it was almost unbelievable. After a moment or two of a confused stare he blinked, "One of my favorites is 'Moby d**k' by Herman Melville." He told him calmly letting out a slight sigh, "Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to read any non-Earth literature. Although, when we return, perhaps you can make some recommendations." Khan smirked lightly, looking at the boy silently for a moment or two, "What of your favorite books? What interests you the most?" He wasn't entirely sure why, but he was genuinely interested. Perhaps it was in knowing that they would be stuck together for some time, perhaps it was to do with Lavinias, than in becoming closer to the boy, he would somehow be closer to her. He wasn't certain, but there was genuine curiosity in the question.

- - -

Laufey stood then, leading his son away out the back of the shattered castle and down a path until they reached a very obvious graveyard. All around him there were shattered and solid gravestone s carved from ice. As they walked, Laufey listened to the young Jotun quietly. Not from this dimension. So, not his son? An yet, he was. He looked too much like his deceased wife to not share the same genes. "Kara, a Valkyrie? So, that woman with you, she is not your mate?" When he spoke his name for frost giant repeated them quietly, "Loki Laufeyson." He was pleased with that name, more-so that the boy chose to keep his true father's name. As Loki continued, explaining that the Laufey of this Loki's universe had abandoned him, he felt a pang in his heart. Laufey would never have done such a thing, but he understood that in another time, another place, perhaps he would have. The Laufey from the other dimension was not him, and yet, like the boy, he was. He felt a pang of remorse knowing he could have done something so different in another world.


As the neared the center though, they came to the one sight that was not broken or falling apart, in fact it seemed this area was carefully kept and tended to. In the center of this icey tomb stood a giant sized ice carving of a beautiful Aesir woman. Like Loki, she had delicate, angular features and a regal countenance. In the base of the statue, perfectly preserved by the frigid ice lay the real thing, her eyes closed, hands resting on her stomach as if only sleeping. She had Loki's raven black hair and pale skin, smooth and unblemished. If one were to look closer the faintest hint of a slice mark across her delicate neck could be seen. "And here is where she lay." Laufey said with a gentleness in his tone that one may find odd in a giant, he knelt at the base, large hand wiping away the frost at the bottom so that Loki could see her more clearly through the clean ice. "I know not of you dimension, but is it possible that your Odin lied about the truth of how he acquired you?"


Perhaps it was just Laufey's way of holding out hope that he wold not have abandoned the boy. Whatever the truth was, it didn't matter, he only wanted the young man to know, that somewhere, in some universe, there were those who wanted him. "She was in command of the Valkyrie while she lived. The eldest child of the Alfather and the heir to the throne until that blonde-haired boy was born, Thor. Everything changed for her then. The Alfather removed her right to be Queen and made instead the boy his heir, as it was for Aesir. Among the Joten in this dimension, gender is of no matter, only strength and magic." He tilted his head to one side, looking at the boy looking at her. "She was injured in a battle on Midgard. We took her as a prisoner, nursed her back to health. I had planned on using her as motivation for Odin to cease his war, but my plans changed." He stood then, a large hand reaching out to caress the cheek of the ice sculpture, "She showed me a better way, showed me her love." He looked down at the child, "What of the Loki in this Realm? Does he live? Does he know of his heritage?"

---

Back at the castle, the young Jotun girl almost jumped when the woman's hands suddenly reached up to take the cup and she backed up slightly, staring at the woman with wide eyes. As the woman spoke with such kindness though, the young Jotun relaxed and sat down cross-legged, looking at the woman curiously, "The king saved you and the Prince." The girl told her. "He was surprised to find his son in the snow." As the woman gave her name the girl smiled, "I'm Kitari, you are on Jotenheim, one of the nine Realms of the cosmos. It's always cold here. The humans of Midgard call us Frost Giants."


The girl looked at her curiously, before scooting closer and grabbing a plate of warm food from a small box next to the fire, "Here, eat." She waited for the woman to take the plate before speaking again. "Are you the Prince's mate? Are you going to be our new Queen? You're pretty. I think you'd may a lovely Queen." The girls cheeks flushed a deeper shade of blue, her red eyes turning away nervously. "The Prince is very handsome too, even if he's a little small. His mother was a Princess of the Aesir, you know. But she'd dead now." She looked up and toward the back of the castle, "The Prince went with his father to go and see her grave, but you should stay here near the fire. It's too cold out there for you. My mother is making some clothes for you. Something to keep you warm."

T O X I C P A S T I C H E

Figured I let you do the time skip after your character's respond. I'll do the Kara/alt loki timeskip though. ^.^

[Saiytanya]

Kara woke with a content smile, sitting up and stretching with a deep groan. She looked around, having almost forgotten where she was, so, it wasn't a dream. The last few day's has seemed so surreal. Between, the blur of rediscovering Asgard and the nights of endless pleasure with her beloved, Kara hardly had time to think about other things. Her eyes turned to find Loki, in all his glory, laying beside her and she moved to cuddle up against his sleeping form warmly. No, definitely not a dream. They had transferred to his room the second day, the King's suit. It was much more decadent, with a small sitting area and two attached rooms. One was a bathing room, the other, a small private library. Everything was green, gold and black, as was Loki's way, but it was beautiful and Kara loved it.


She heard a light tap at the door followed by it opening softly, the same older servant from a few days prior coming in with breakfast for two. She gently sat it on the small table near the fire before glancing at Kara with a light smile, "Anything else you'd like my dear?" Kara shook her head and returned the smile, "No, thank you, I think we're alright." The old woman nodded then and rushed out as Kara moved to lean over Loki, "My love." She began in a whisper. "Rise and shine." Leaning down she kissed his ear gently, letting her hot breath flow against it, "The day begins and so must we." A hand slid up his chest to brush through his hair lightly, "My King has duties to attend to, and I promised my brother that I would spar with him today. Apparently he thinks he can beat me now that we're all grown up." She laughed lightly, playing with his hair warmly. Once she was certain he was ready to be awake she climbed out of the bed, pajamas's forming on her body as well as nice warm slippers to combat the cold marble floor.


She moved over to their meal and began getting everything set out. They had quickly learned that she liked a good cup of tea with her breakfast and while there was no Earl Gray in Asgard, their tea was certainly sublime. Kara couldn't begin to explain how happy she was to be in a place of peace. No fighting, no wars, no avengers or Klingons, just peace. And while she knew that there was always the chance of war, it was nice to have that peace. She needed to be ready, regardless of the situation, it was the wisest coarse of action. The two ate in the calm warmth of the room before moving to make ready for the day. A short time later, they had gone their separate ways. Kara to the training grounds in her armor, and Loki to deal with matters of the state.


When she arrived to the training grounds Kara received many glances from those around her. Certainly, they had not seen her in the training grounds since her last time here, but it was rather unnerving to be stared at so. "Kara!" A jovial voice drew her attention towards an Einherjar she recognized as her brother. "Druian!" She called back pleasantly, moving over to the ring he stood beside. "You ready to put your skills to the test. I bet you're pretty out of practice after 300 years." He teased, poking her side a little roughly. Kara shook her head and laughed, "Careful what you assume brother." She watched him move over to the weapon's rack and pick out a few of them, securing them to his person. She had all of her weapons secured to her already, courtesy of the reality stone. She was keeping that a secret still, she figured it would be best and she didn't want to undermine Loki's position by being more powerful than him.


She moved into the ring and got into her starting spot, drawing her sword, readying herself for her brother's attack. The battle started out like most did, feeling each other out. Her brother was definitely strong, but she was quicker and it was her saving grace. It wasn't the easiest battle but it was a bit easier than her spar with Sif. Her acrobatics had surprised him, as it did in her battle against Sif, and like that battle, it was just that ability that landed him face first in the dirt with her sitting on top of him, a dagger to his throat. As he conceded she got up and reached out a hand to help him up, which, in the effort to be a good sport he took. "I confess, I didn't expect that sister. Where did you learn to fight like that?"


Kara just grinned and laughed lightly, "Midgard." She told him simply before moving off to climb onto a nearby wall. "Aw, It was a fun fight though," She told him sitting like a child dangling her feet off the wall.


Druian moved and climbed up next to her, suddenly becoming rather serious. "Kara, I need to ask you something."


Tilting her head to one side she looked over at him, "What is is Druian?" Inwardly she hoped that it was not about her time away, she still wasn't sure how much of it she was free to divulge.


"It's about you and the King," He began carefully. "Rumor is, the King has taken a shine to you; that he wants you for his wife." Kara flushed deeply and gave a nervous laugh. "Is my sister going to be my Queen?" He finished, watching her features carefully, her feet kicking more prominently now.


She bit onto her lip for a few moments, her cheek growing more and more red before she looked up at him with wide happy eyes, "Yes, Druian. I am." She became a bit more serious then too, breaking away from the giddy school girl she felt like, "I know you picked on him when we were children Druian, but he is your King now, and I know, that he is a good one. I see how the people admire him. They love him. I love him, more than anything."


Druian nodded at that, giving her an understanding smile, "That's all I needed to know." He cupped her face in his hands, and bend slightly to look into her eyes, "Just, do me a favor; don't give up your purity until the wedding night." She nodded nervously, not a verbal promise but it was enough to make him happy. He patted her cheek before releasing her and hopping down off the wall, "Now, I must return to my duties. Perhaps, in a few days, you and I can go and visit our grandparents in our childhood home, what do you say?"


Kara nodded, "That would be lovely." He nodded then and said goodbye moving off to leave her to do as she pleased. Well, she had already ruined that request, long long ago; 300 years, if she were to pit a time on it. Kara sighed and moved off the wall and over to a trainer she recognized, "Hey, care to teach me a few new tricks?"



---



Druian moved through the darker halls of the Palace until he was down and into the city below, his eyes shifting every which way. A cloak was pulled up over his armor and face, effectively hiding his identity as he slipped into a little used pub in the merchant quarter of the city. Already, there were several figures sitting at a corner table which he made his way to carefully. "It is as I suspected." He told them, "Your brother intends to take my sister as his Queen and she claims to love him. I suspect we will not be able to sway her to our cause."


"That does not compliment our plans." A female voice spoke out of a shaded hood.


"No worries," Druian told the woman, "I have her assurance that she will not compromise her purity until the wedding night so we have until then to take care of it."


The woman nodded, turning to look at another hooded figure, her fingers reaching out for his hand and looping into his. "Alright. When to was want to do this then?"



**That night**




The room was silent, only the soft embers, made any noise as they crackled and fizzed, nearing the end of their lives. In the small private library, a book case slowly slid open, and a shaded figure slipped into the room, leaving her exit plane open. The figure moved across the room and into the bedroom of the King, spotting the man's body tangled up in blankets. The firelight glinted across a small blade as she drew it from her side, raising it high into the air. As she brought the blade down, however, a bright flash of light threw her backward, slamming into a chair and shattering it under the pressure of the throw.


Kara popped up from the bed, blinking tiredly, the noise having woken both her and her King. It seemed that the stone protected her even in her sleep. Her eyes quickly found the source of the disturbance as she spotted a cloaked figure stumbling to it's feet and rushing toward the library. Kara's entire body began to glow as the ground under the woman turned to liquid, swallowing her up to the waist before drying around her, effectively trapping her in the floor.







T O X I C P A S T I C H E

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

⇒ 『DIABOLICALANDDEVINE;;』

And I find it x kinda funny, xI find it x kinda xsad.
xIt but shook xthe doors of the prisonhouse xof my disposition;

The dreams in which x I'm dying xare the xbest x I've ever had.
xAnd, xlike the captives of Phillipi, x

I find it x hard to tell you, xI find it xhard to take.
x That which stood xwithin xran forth.

● Loki Laufeyson ● craved insanity ● Lavinias Anona

For once, Mel thought that he saw Khan’s face contort into a look of confusion at his question. It lasted shortly before his answer came, and Mel found himself raising an eyebrow, grinning as he thought of Queequeg meeting Ishmael in the first few chapters. “And here I thought you’d be a fan of War and Peace,” he joked, a wry grin on his lips as he looked at the man sideways. He chuckled a bit at his own joke as he turned back towards the fire, the orange flames making his amber eyes seem brighter than they actually were. The boy’s smile faded as Khan suggested he could offer reading advise for when they returned. If they returned. There were no signs that anyone was looking for them, and how long they would be here. Just when the silence was settling in, Khan broke it, and Mel glanced at him before looking back to the fire. “Me?” He thought a moment, staring into the flames. “I like it all. But history and old things are my favorite, especially when it comes to Earth literature. The Illiad.” He didn’t know why; it was equally parts ironic and epic. “It’s always funny to read how the Gods were supposed to be so much better than the humans, when in reality they were no better role models—equally selfish and stupid, at times,” he smiled to himself.

He picked at the meat on the bone he had, until there was nothing left that was edible. “Lavinais hated it, you know,” he said, a chuckle on his lips. “Moby d**k. She couldn’t handle nobody stopping Ahab. Her favorite was Crime and Punishment. She’s a maniac, just like Raskolnikov,” he muttered the last bit, rambling to himself before realizing that Khan was probably still listening. He stopped then, realizing he shouldn’t have said that aloud. Why had he brought up Lavinias anyway? Perhaps because they both, in some ways, connected with her. He was pretty sure they both missed her, at least. He sighed. “I should go get some training in before bed,” he muttered, throwing the bone into the fire and moving to a more secluded area.


- - -


They moved into a graveyard, shards of ice gravestones littering the snow. Few were still completely together. When Laufey mentioned Lavinias not being his mate, he raised an eyebrow. “Lavinias? She is an ally, but not my mate.” Not even close. “My mate is much more…regal.” At the mention of Kara, Loki felt his heart fret. He hoped she was all right, wherever she was—that if she was in Asgard, that she wasn’t in trouble, that she would be nursed back to health, and that they would be together soon.

As far as his present company, however, he was almost…content. To see the Frost Giant’s face fall slightly in knowing that he had abandoned his child for dead and feeling remorse about it, even if it wasn’t something he had done in his own time line. It gave him a little hope that perhaps the Laufey in his own dimension regretted the decision. That didn’t mean, however, that there was any bit of forgiveness in Loki’s own heart—no, he only felt satisfaction that he had caused the giant to feel remorse.

The center was kept in better shape than the rest of the tomb. A large sculpture of ice was there: a tall, standing representation of a clearly Aesir woman, her beauty surpassing that of anything in Jotenheim. Loki could see the similarities in their features as he moved closer to her, his body reflecting in the ice. But he moved past the ice, on to her grave. Laufey whipped the frost from the ice so that he could see what lie below. His wide blue eyes looked down at her, looking so peaceful—more peaceful than he could ever look, he was quite sure. His hand rose, touching the glass wistfully, wishing he could touch her frozen skin. Kara, he realized could make this wish come true if he asked of her. Give her her life back, and Laufey his wife. But did he want to know her? Loki wasn’t sure. It could change everything—everything about him that he thought had been true his whole life. It could mend him—but did he need, did he want to be mended? No, it could not mend him. Frigga had raised him, and bringing this woman back to life would not change that, nor would it change everything that had happened in his life. He could have lived happily, son of a King and Queen, rightful heir to his own throne, but Odin had ruined it all. He had killed his mother here—if anything, it would only serve to make his fury stronger.

“Mother,” despite his thoughts, Loki could not stop the words from escaping his lips as he stared down at the beautiful corpse, still radiant somehow, even in death. “I trust what Odin as much as I trust it to snow in a desert,” he replied dryly, looking away from the woman in the ice. “But when I met you in my dimension, you showed little interest in telling me who you were.” He recalled how they had plotted against Odin together, and yet Odin had still been the one to tell him whose child he really was. “You were embarrassed of your runt of son, just as Odin was embarrassed of my lineage,” he said bitterly. “It is not you that I hold my grudge, but the Laufey from my dimension—that being said, you serve as a fine replacement for my rage, given you are dead from where I came.”

The subject returned to his mother, and Loki’s eyes returned to her peaceful face, forever in slumber. Just as Kara was, she had been a Valkyrie. Thor’s sister—that made Thor his Uncle. But what was more important was the fact that all along, part Frost Giant or not, he had a right to claim the throne. It wasn’t all a lie. Just as Thor had ruined his life, so to had he ruined his mother. “Odin’s favoritism for Thor has never been a secret,” Loki muttered, a darkness to his tone that hadn’t been there for a long time. “Why did you do it?” He asked suddenly, swiveling around, his voice rising in anger. “Why would you have her as your wife, when you knew that if you had a son, it would end up like me?” He was yelling. “You must have known it would not end well, and yet out of your selfishness you chose to do so regardless!” His eyes were wet with tears, but none fell. Loki of this realm? “I know of him not, but I see no reason as to why he would have a better fate than I have suffered. But perhaps there is hope for your son that I do not see.”

He paused, looking at his mother one last time, his eyes lingering on the line across her neck, thin but lethal. “I plan to travel to Asgard as soon as my strength has returned, and that of my companion. If your son is there, perhaps I will come tell him to pay you a visit,” he said snidely before turning from the grave.


- - -


“Yes, I hear they don’t speak often,” Lavinias responded, looking around for Loki. He was nowhere to be found, and neither was the king that she spoke of. Still she didn’t find troublesome, and she didn’t mind being mostly alone, either. “Thank you for taking care of Kitari,” Lavinias said with a nod. The young Frost Giant confirmed that they were on Jotenheim, one of the realms that she had learned about when going through Kara’s mind. She took the food from the girl, not caring a bit that it was unfamiliar, and began to eat. It warmed her soul as she stared into the firelight.

The only thing that caused her to pause was Kitari’s question as to whether she was the soon to be Queen. She laughed lightly at the thought. “Not I,” she responded, shaking her head. “I am not fit for such a position,” she said, her eyes kind as she looked upon the young Frost Giant. “Your words are very kind, though. The woman whom the Prince loves is much more beautiful than I, and kinder too—like you.” She smiled, looking the girl up and down. Her skin was a deep blue, and wonderful, just like Loki’s had been, and her eyes were red—not burgundy, like Lavinias’, but brighter. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay.”


- - -


It took a few days for recovery, but as soon as they were, Loki wanted to head out. Lavinias could tell he was growing more and more anxious the longer he was away from Kara. They received a battered boat from the Frost Giants, as well as some warmer clothes for Lavinias, like Kitari had said, and they were off. Before they left, Lavinias kissed Kitari on the forehead (the young Frost Giant had to bend down in order for her to reach) and thanked them all before they were off. Loki wanted to keep his distance for whatever reason, and he was happy that Lavinias didn’t ask why. That was about the only thing he could say he enjoyed about her company; the woman wasn’t his choice travel companion.

“Aren't you considered outlaw on Asgard?” she asked as they shoved off in the boat.

“Take the oars and row,” Loki replied, ignoring her question completely.

“I’m not your servant,” she said, even though she took the oars and began to row as he told her to. The water was dark and even though it was not covered in ice, she had the feeling if she fell in it would be cooler than she could survive in.

Loki looked about the horizon. If it were not him guiding them, than they would be wandering aimlessly. But he knew the way.

For some hours Lavinias rowed, and if she had not been raised training for hours and working up her muscles, she probably would have felt the burn from moving her arms a countless number of times. But she wasn’t even close to being tired, not now that her strength had increased tenfold or greater to what it had been before thanks to Khan’s serum.

They traveled in silence, and as such, the sound of rushing water plunging vertically reached their ears far before the current picked up. Lavinias stopped rowing and looked at him incredulously, but they were close enough now for the boat to not need her help. “No.”

“It’s far too late for doubts,” Loki responded with a smirk. “Do you not trust me?”

“Hardly.”

“I wouldn’t want to kill you, Lavinias.”

“Words that I have heard before, that literally have meant little in regards to my life.”

“Indeed. I have use for the stone, but we will be fine, I assure you.”

Lavinias swallowed, looking ahead at the drop off. “What’s at the bottom?”

Loki sneered. “You’ll see for yourself.” He held his hand out to her. “You will want to be holding on to me so you don't miss.”


- - -


As it turned out, the drop led to a nothingness that seemed to be unending, but Lavinias never saw it. She shut her eyes and held on to Loki’s hand for dear life, and when they made a rough landing onto the ground moments later, he pulled it away, shaking it. His mouth formed an ‘ouch’ as he did so, glaring at her. She had had little faith in him, that much was obvious. Of course, asking somebody to fall off a steep waterfall was pretty insane. She did better than he expected—at least she hadn’t screamed.

Loki got up quickly. They were in a deserted corner of the edge of the Kingdom, and it would take them time to get to the castle. It was time to get his magic on. “Come here,” he demanded, and she got up and, glaring at him, moved to his side. With a shimmer of light, he transformed their appearance into to simply Asgardians. He a young boy; Lavinias, an old woman. “Much better. Now perhaps that will improve your temper and abate your curiosity. Let’s go.” Loki lead the way, and they made it far before anything of note happened. In fact they were in the outer halls of the castle before Loki found something that caught his attention—someone who would know where Kara was, especially if she was in trouble.

Frigga. He spotted her, moving at an urgent pace somewhere and stopped in his tracks. He could feel his heart drop and his eyes widen, tears threatening to form in his eyes. She was alive, here. He looked towards Lavinias. “You stay here, try and listen and see if anyone is talking of Kara. Don’t do anything stupid.” The old woman pursed her lips at the last bit, but otherwise showed no signs of disapproval for the plan.

He moved quickly following her with stealth until she entered a room—not just any room. Loki recognized it. He took in a deep breath and held it before he followed her in, his guise falling and revealing his true identity. Frigga, of all people, would never hurt him. “Mother,” he whispered, a hand stretching out towards her back. She sat at the bedside of Odin, who was unconscious—dying. It was like a memory coming back to life as she turned to look at him, surprised to see him. Of all the emotions that registered on her countenance, none was anger. She seemed confused, but he didn’t care. He rushed over to her and embraced her before the first tear fell. “I thought I’d lost you forever, Mother.” He said as he wept over her shoulder, onto her back. She held him tightly, lovingly, like a mother should.

“My son? What are you talking about—is it because of the attack?” Her hand moved up to stroke his back. “I knew your brother wanted the throne, but Sif’s betrayal—it has devastated us all.”

Loki’s tears stopped, and he froze. What? What was this? His brother wanted the throne—his brother—Thor? The implications of those statements, of the attack, of Sif’s betrayal—they made his head spin. It meant that Loki was meant to be King. He wobbled slightly. What was this alternate reality? “Now, Loki, when will you bring her to meet us—your father doesn’t have much time left.”

Loki pulled away. “Her, mother?” he questioned, his voice almost breathless. Was she here?

“Yes, Ka—”

She was cut off as the door opened, and two very familiar, shocking figures entered the room. “Kara.”


- - -


"Uh..." Lavinias didn't think she was supposed to turn back into herself as she wandered around the outer halls of the castle, but that was precisely what happened. The clothes the Frost Giants had made for her were much to warm for Asgard, and while they were intricate and to some extent regal compared to what she normally wore, they were nothing in comparison to what Asgardians wore. She stuck out like a sore thumb, but so far there had been nobody around to notice.

People were coming, though. She could hear their voices echoing off the stone. As inconspicuously as possible, she turned the corner and moved quickly, until she found a door. She opened it, moved into the room, and closed it, her back leaning against it. The voices passed, and she exhaled a breath before opening her eyes and looking at her new surroundings.

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

SECRETISSECRET
xxxxxx LOKI LAUFEYSON x§x BURDENED WITH GLORIOUS PURPOSE
xxxx▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
xxxxx⋰ ⋰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ▰ ⋰ ⋰

For a few consecutive mornings now he had woken up to Kara whispering in his ear. Her lips tickling his ear, her warm breath matching the warmness in his heart and sole, so comforted, so happy to have her. His eyes opened slowly to see her over his shoulder. He loved the way she looked in the morning, just as well as he loved the way she looked every other time of the day. It was different, fresher, and so surreal in the morning, having her so undone by his side. “Is it already?” he murmured, turning to look at her, kissing her on the forehead lightly. He chuckled when she mentioned her brother. “Druian has always been a fool,” he responded, his tone not as playful as he meant it to be. “But I suspect he misses you beating him,” he added with a smirk. “It has been a long time since he last had a go.” He kissed her lightly before getting up as well, moving to the bathroom. A King always needed to keep his appearances up. That being said, he had a meal to eat, so he only washed the sleep from his eyes and threw a robe over his chest before returning to the meal.

They ate in a wonderful, content silence that filled the room. It was a breakfast he was used to, but that she cherished the sublimity of. When they were done, Loki returned to finish getting ready for the day. Before they parted, Kara to the training grounds, Loki to more Kingly duties, he kissed her passionately. “A taste for what is to come later,” he said devilishly before making his way towards the throne room. As if she needed a reminder as to what happened later.


- - -


Thor’s hood covered his face, and his bulky frame was hidden by the darkness of the corner where the table he waited at was situated. A woman sat next to him, and their hands were woven together under the table, hidden from view. His dear Sif. The woman who would rule by his side when all was said and done. The last member of their party joined them, sitting across from the two. Druian. “What news?” Thor demanded.

The other man wasted no time in reporting what he knew. It was as ill fitting for Druian as it was for Thor. He didn’t want to have any witnesses to the King’s silent murder—and he was sure Druian didn’t want his sister dead. Thor took a swig of his drink, though, listening to Druian explain that his sister had no plans on sleeping with Loki until the wedding ceremony had passed. “There has been no wedding announcement yet. It could happen at any moment. We strike tonight,” Thor said, his voice low as his drink slammed back down to the table. They could not take any risks; this needed to be done tonight. He turned to Druian. “Let us hope your sister does not change her mind.” He returned his attention to Sif. “Can you do this?” he asked, his tone soft. She nodded, not a hint of hesitance on her countenance.

Loki would be dead this night.



- - That night - -


Loki had Kara in his arms, and his slumber was much deeper than hers. He had made preparations to arrange their marriage soon—he needed only to ask her properly and receiver her answer. His dreams were pleasant, blurs and slurs that he couldn’t remember when he woke with a jolt, contrasting the pleasantness of the sleep world. The slamming and splintering sound of wood woke him, and he jolted upwards, his eyes wide awake, as he pulled a dagger from underneath the mattress. “Who’s there?” He called out into the darkness, his voice gruff and clearly angry.

The hooded figure moved then, trying to escape. “Damn it!” Loki grunted as he moved to get out of the bed. He was halfway behind the intruder when she began to sink into the floor, a cry escaping her lips, letting them know it was indeed a female. Seeing that the assailant was going nowhere, he returned briefly to Kara, a hand moving to her cheek. “Are you all right?” He asked. Only when he received her confirmation did he return to the hooded figure. He wasted no time kneeling and removing the hood, but the face it revealed shocked him. “You,” Loki said, his brow furrowing. The woman looked up at him, no measure of remorse registering in her features.

“You will never be my King. Long live Thor Odinson.”

Loki’s shock turned into anger rather quickly, and his voice rang out for the guards.


- - -


Loki was very tired the next morning. After the attack, he had to see to it that Sif was sent to the dungeons and made it there—if there was one traitor among them, there could be many more that he was unaware of. Afterwards he went to investigate his guard, letting them know what had happened and telling them to put double the security around the town and castle at night. He was more worried for Kara’s safety than his own, and he would not have her taken from him again. Despite Sif’s message, he had a feeling the attack had something to do with Kara—perhaps it was just his possessive nature, but there was no room for error.

When morning came, he returned to his quarters, where he had left her. It was guarded by soldiers now, despite the insistence that she was fine. He entered. “There have been no spottings of Thor in months,” he said with an exasperated sigh. “My men are beginning to suspect that Sif acted on her own account, and that it was not in accordance with my brother’s wishes.” He moved to her, taking her in his arms, pulling her tightly to his body. “It has been a long night,” he admitted, his tone low as it moved into her ear. He parted then, looking at her, and smiling gently. “But there is something we must do—something I must show you that is not nearly as disheartening. Could we not use a little joy?” He said. “Come.” He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out.

Frigga would be just what they needed in this moment. She always knew how to handle every situation, and she did so with such calm—perhaps meeting her would show Kara not only an example as to what she could do when she became queen, but how wonderful her mother-in-law was going to be. He knew that she would be attending to Odin, as she always was these days—that was why she had not met Kara yet. He weaved through the halls, his excitement hardly showing aside from his mischievous grin.

He put a finger to his lips, signaling for her to be as quiet as possible, before entering the door he led her to. What he found inside the room was…uncanny.

A figure was speaking to Frigga, who sounded like she was comforting him. But as soon as they had entered, he had turned and his eyes stuck to Kara. “Kara.”

“Loki?” Frigga’s voice was confused and alarmed.

Indeed, he was staring at himself as himself stared at Kara, love in his eyes. “Mother? Who is this imposter?” Loki’s eyes narrowed as he stepped between the other Loki’s line of sight and Kara.

“Imposter?” The other Loki said now, his eyes narrowed, his voice venomous. “What nerve I have. I am no imposter you impudent twit. And Kara,” he said, his voice calm before turning into a growling threat. “is mine. Step away from her now.”

The King did no such thing. He knew exactly what was going on, and he would deflect the truth as long as possible. “Mother, this has to be a part of Thor’s plan. Step away from him—he could be dangerous.”

“No!” Loki snarled, before turning to Frigga, his features softening. “Forgive me, mother, but in my rush to see you again I did not give myself time to explain.”

“Don’t listen to him!”

“I am not from this world. I am Loki Laufeyson as Asgard, but form another dimen—”

“NO!” he was cut off as the Loki from the dimension they were in smashed into him, tackling him to the ground.

Loki swung his fist at the King’s head, which was buried in his chest. “Get off, scum!” The two grappled, one trying to gain the advantage of the other, but to no avail. They were equal in strength and mind—and they continued to fight in front of Frigga, a horrified look of confusion on her face, Odin, who was still unconscious, and Kara.

“Kara,” Loki managed to spit out as the two tried to choke one another. “Latvians and I...landed in Jotenheim after...after you fell into the...portal,” Loki's knee met with the man on top of him's chest, causing his grip to loosen, and the prince to gain the upper hand. He moved onto of the King, his knees pinning his arms down as his breath returned. "This isn't our world, Kara."



Saiytanya

[Saiytanya]

Khan gave a half laugh at the boy's comment, "I enjoy that one as well," He told him with a faint smile. As he explained his favorite book Khan nodded, "The Illiad is another I enjoy, while not my favorite, it is indeed a good read." As he explained the folly of Gods, he nodded, "I suppose, yes...it's not just human's though. sentient beings in general tend to be flawed, no matter how much we attempt to deny it." He sighed, leaning back on the rock. Perhaps that was his flaw, like Ahab he was going after a whale, the Enterprise and her crew, and it could be his downfall if he was not careful. He half laughed when the boy mentioned Lavinias hating the book and which she preferred. That woman was a difficult one. If Khan was insane, she was the source. "That certainly sounds like her. I honestly don't understand her."


He grumbled, his mind mulling over her scolding words at him on the enterprise. Was he Ahab? Would his vengeance drive him to his death? Was his vengeance even earns. She was right, Spock had spared his crew, but just as much he hated him for fooling him. Khan hated feeling like a fool."One moment she seems to thoroughly enjoy my company and the next she's betraying me to my enemies. You're young," Khan started, running his fingers through his hair with exasperation, "but there is something you should get ingrained in your mind now; women make no sense, there is never any use in trying to understand them and yet, you will spend the better part of you life attempting to do just that." He cracked his neck and stood up then. "Alright, come on, it's time to finish the entrance wall. I would rather be able to sleep at night without the worry of something coming into drag us away."

----

Laufey listened to Loki explain the Laufey from his dimension and he felt a bit upset but as he explained that he held no rage toward him, Laufey relaxed a bit, content that the young man did not hate him, but the not that he was dead piqued his interest. Part of him was curious as to how he had died, if not by Odin's hand, but he really didn't care enough to as, or more, he feared. With the hatred this Loki had for his alternate self, he could venture a guess. Then his questioned turned toward him. Toward his reasons for mating with an Aesir. "What is wrong with you that would make me not want you as a son?" Laufey asked calmly. "I cannot speak for the other Laufey, for your wretch of a father, but for me, there was never a thought of anything being wrong with my decision. I cared for you mother, and she for me, and that was all that mattered. Your mother had hoped that one day Odin would die, and she could take you home, to contest your right as a legitimate heir and you would be King of two Kingdoms and master of the nine realms. The Odin of this realm was a war-faring cretin. He sought out blood as if it were his water to live. He would have killed us all, if not for the kind nature of his Queen."


As Loki mentioned his desire to go home, Laufey nodded, "We will assist you as you need." He wasn't sure if Loki's mention of telling this universe's Loki about him was a threat or not. He only hoped that his son would not seek him out of hatred as this Loki must have. He wasn't certain what he expected to have happen if he ever met his son. He hoped, at the very least, a treaty between Asgard and Jotenheim and perhaps the chance to rebuild their home with the casket.


A few day's later they had outfitted the two with a boat. The young Joten female was crying, sad that her new friend was leaving. Her large hands held out a small gift for the woman, it was a crudely cut pale blue stone that had a natural glow to it on an equally crudely made chain. Clearly, the young girl had made it herself. "Maybe you can visit sometime." The young girl said before giving a light wave to the Prince, her cheeks flushing a deeper blue as she did. Laufey was sad to see the young Joten leave, but he only needed to remind himself that it was not his son and that his true son, may still one day return to him. "Goodbye, Loki Laufeyson, may you one day gain all that you desire."

---

The room Lavinias had moved into wasn't just any old room, it was the servant's entrance to the throne room. The vast golden hall was all but empty right now though, save several sets of armor spread about at even intervals. Except the armor wasn't empty. Noticing the strangely dressed woman the head of one of the Eiherjar turned to look at the woman who had just entered; correction; the lovely woman who had just entered. "You're not very good at sneaking around, friend of the Jotens." Druian issued out with a playful tone before moving closer to her. "Forgive me, but beautiful as you are, I have a duty. I must take you to King Loki." He reached out for her then, "You can come along of your own accord, or I can take you by force."

T O X I C P A S T I C H E

A lot shorter than I was planning. o.o...

[Saiytanya]

Kara had found herself rather shocked that Sif had attempted to kill Loki. Although it did make sense, knowing that she loved Thor. When you loved someone, you would do anything, even betray your King. Kara had betrayed Thor for Loki, why would Sif not have done the same for Thor. When she really thought about it, it really wasn't all that shocking. She hadn't gone back to sleep after that. She was far too concerned for Loki and the matter at hand. She wasn't in a legal position to attempt to help or find any information out. The most she could do was free Sif from the ground so she could be taken away by th guards. If Sif was a traitor, what about Volstag and the other two warriors, they had been friends of Thor's as well. Loki had gone off to deal with things and Kara was left alone in his chambers under guard. She had tried to tell him she didn't need guards, but he had been stubborn on the matter and she really could see there was no use in arguing.


When Loki finally returned to her Kara rushed to him, concern lining her features as she spoke, "I suppose that is possible. Sif loves Thor. Heaven knows the things I did in my love for you. " She smiled warmly as he pulled her closer to him, her cheek resting on his as he spoke into her ear. When he pulled away and spoke of something he wanted to see she smiled curiously, "Loki!" She exclaimed through a laugh, as he tugged on her wrist and began leading her through the halls, "Where are you taking me?" As the stopped outside a door and he signaled for her to be silent she bit her lip through a playful smile. Her nerves building up in anticipation. But as the moved through the doors Kara felt as the world ground to a halt.


Kara's eyes widened the moment her eyes met with a second Loki; a Loki with long hair, who looked battle weary. The King moved between her and the other Loki and her expression changed from shock to confusion. What? In an instant she broke away from the King and took several steps backward away from him so that she was closer to the wall halfway between the two Loki's. Her expression clearly reflected everything she was feeling; shock, confusion, betrayal, anger, hurt. Her mouth was agape as she tried to fit everything together, her eyes shifting between the two as the spoke Mother? Frigga...Frigga was there, and Odin, but they were dead...no...they were dead in her Universe. Her eyes snapped to the King then, her expression hardening, "You're not my Loki, are you?" She asked while the other Loki addressed Frigga, Kara's voice was halfway between a whisper and growl. Before she could ask any more questions the King tackled Loki in a seemingly blind rage and she cried out in shock, moving closer to Frigga instinctively, who also moved toward her.


Kara watched in horror as the two fought; tears began falling down her cheeks, tears of anger and hurt. Eventually her Loki pinned the other and her eyes met with the King's, pinned as he was underneath her Loki. "You...How dare you? How dare you?" She looked at her Loki and part of her simply wanted to rush into his arms, to seek safety there, but then she suddenly became overwhelmed with guilt and self hatred. She had slept with the King, she had loved him as her own Loki and now, now come to find out he wasn't her Loki. She had slept with another man! "How could I not see this?" She looked at the King, "How could I not tell? You..." Kara shook her head, taking a few steps toward the door. She couldn't stay here, in this room, with them. Tears were streaming now and her chest felt tight as she struggled for breath, her eyes looking to Loki. "I'm so sorry, my love." She forced out in a half sob before turning and rushing out of the room, down the halls in a sprint. She didn't know where she was going, she just knew she couldn't bare to be there, not with them, not now.


Back in the room, however Frigga's features became stern, her voice was calm, kind, but ever so subtly scolding, "Loki, both of you. Get up and collect yourselves," She told them, waiting for them to obey before continuing. Slowly she moved over to the two Loki's, her eyes shifting between the two before she finally spoke again. "I had read about the theories of alternate dimensions, I did not, however, ever expect to meet someone from a parallel realm. Let alone my own son." She moved over to the Prince, her hand lifting to his cheek gently, "Did you think I did not know you were not of this realm? You're hair is a mess, you look like a wild man." She smiled gently and patted his cheek, "But I know my son, in any realm. And while you are not of this realm, you are still my son and I love you." Leaning up she kiss his cheek warmly before she moved to the King then, placing a hand on his cheek in the same loving manner, "As for you, tackling a man like a beast, you are a King, not an animal." She kissed his cheek as well.


Frigga backed away then, clasping her hands in front of her, her head held high as she spoke, "You've both upset that poor young woman." She looked at the King, "While I suspect you are the most responsible for her outburst, both of you fighting certainly did not aid in calming her. Now...I am going to go and find the poor dear. I suggest the two of you work it out without resorting to physical violence again and do try not to disturb your father." The elegance that was the Mother-Queen, turned then and swiftly, but gracefully began after the young woman, leaving the two Loki's alone with the sleeping Odin.


It wasn't too hard to find the young woman, by the grace of attentive guards she was able to retrace the young woman's steps to the gardens where, behind an inlet of tall hedges the woman sat on the ground, with her knees curled against her chest, crying into her arms. Frigga moved over to her quietly, and with a light sigh moved to sit down beside her.


Kara's head shot up when she heard someone moving near her, her eyes were blood shot, her cheeks soaking wet with tears. She was rather shocked that the Queen had come searching for her. Even more so when the woman wrapped an arm about her shoulder and urged the girl to lay down in her lap. Kara didn't fight it and just lay down, as the Queen gently began to stroke her hair. "You feel guilty, don't you?" She asked softly and Kara froze, it was as if the woman could see in to her mind, knowing her feelings. "Don't fret, you did not know, in your heart, you betrayed no one."


"I should have known." Kara spoke softly, The stone should have told her. Why had it not told her that she was not in her own universe? 'This universe. That universe.' She heard the stone's Loki voice in her mined, 'Every universe is our universe. We are all and none. Every Loki is your Loki, if you chose.' She inwardly growled, but there was no arguing with the stone, it was what it was and it would not change it's mind. "There were signs everywhere, the hair, my mother. Even Sif. I was just too stupid to see it."


"Long ago, in the time when the Kara of our universe lived, and long before Loki was made King. Loki loved his Kara from afar, never telling her how he felt for fear that she would reject him." Kara closed her eyes and listened to the woman speak, telling her the story of this universe. She couldn't explain it, but there was some thing so very soothing about the Queen, her loving kind nature was almost intoxicating. "They were friends, yes. The best to friends, but he feared his confession would ruin that so he remained silent. What he did not know, was that she had come to me in confidence, and she felt the same, too frightened to loose the man she loved. She would not confess to him, and he would not confess to her, and me being in confidence could not tell the other." She sighed her fingers gently threading braids into Kara's hair, "But then in a skirmish with the Dark elves, Kara vanished, her body was never found, we suspect she was consumed by black hole device, lost to us forever." She gently urged Kara to turn so that she could meet her eyes, "So you see, if he kept the truth from you, it was for fear of losing the woman he loved again. Any affection he showed you was genuine. Try not to hate him."


Kara sighed, turning back on her side and closing her eyes again. Her mind had finally calmed enough to think things through. "He still deserves to be smacked." She told the Queen a bit more roughly than she intended. Frigga laughed at that, "I will not deny you that." For some time after that, Frigga and Kara remained where they were, falling into silence and just enjoying the company of another woman. Kara wasn't certain what she was going to do now, she felt awful. She had betrayed Loki and yet she had not. It was a horribly complicated situation.


Eventually, though the sun had reached the pinnacle of the sky and they both climbed to their feet wordlessly and began heading back to the Alfather's chambers. Before they entered she stopped and looked at Kara, "Now, feel free to smack him, but do try to do so with dignity and keep that dignity for the duration." Kara nodded slowly and turned, ready to enter the room.










T O X I C P A S T I C H E


And then Kara's comes out a novel, geez! x.x I swear this was unintentional!

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

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XXX

█████████████████████████████████████████████████ XXX❤

▉▉▉▉▉xxxxx★xxxxx ❨ Lavinias Anona ❩ ↙ ↙ xxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed;
get along with the voices inside of my head - -
You're trying to save me...stop holdin' your breath.
And you think I'm crazy? Yah, you think I'm crazy.
Well, that's nothing.

Melluvian knew well it wasn’t just humans. He…he had hated Khan on first sight because of his humanity. Because of the danger of being a human could bring their planet. But as it turned out, he was a good leader, and he had good taste in literature. The half laugh was new. When he said he didn’t understand her, Melluvian actually laughed, short and loud. “Well, feel free to join the club,” Mel said as he raised an eyebrow, looking at the leader. His thoughts travelled back to the day Khan arrived, when he asked his sister to share how she felt with him, but she had refused. “Maybe it’s better that way. Who knows? She seems to think it is.” He shrugged, not really feeling the magnitude of Khan’s words until he spoke again, sounding frustrated.

Was she betraying him on the ship? Apparently. Mel had thought he didn’t do well with betrayal—hadn’t he said that before? And then the advice came, and Mel felt himself grinning again, this time more sly and slick than before. ‘Women make no sense’—ha! “I could have told you that,” he responded, a twinkle in his eye. “I’ve read enough books to know that they don’t work like you and I.” Literature and scientific both. “But I thought you knew everything,” he pressed, teasing, pushing his luck even. He stood with Khan, and they headed to fix up the entrance wall.

As they worked, Mel thought. “You know, if anyone can figure my sister out, it’s you,” he said thoughtfully, pausing to look at him. “I read reports—classified, but I know my way around security systems—on Lavinias. A case study, if you will, after she absorbed the stone’s energy.” He shouldn’t have said anything about it, but it would interest Khan. “If you’re looking for anything to read when we get back.” He continued working then, knowing he would get a look if he didn’t. “It might help you understand a bit better. It confused the hell out of me, but it made me understand a bit more too.” He shrugged, then stopped talking as he focused entirely on his work.


- - -


As it turned out, the room was not entirely empty. She would have been better off hiding behind one of the many pillars that were three times her width at least, and staying on the outskirts of the outer walls. But there was really no fun in that, and as the soldier moved towards her, she raised a brow. He was quite handsome, and she wasn’t sure why, but he looked familiar. Of course, that had to be from Kara’s memories, because she had no clue who anyone from this place was. So who was he? An ex-boyfriend? No, those were mostly human. Perhaps a childhood friend, then.

Handsome as he was, an eye still twitched in annoyance as the man noted that she was not good at sneaking around. He had a fair point, but to be fair, she had no idea how Asgard worked, really. Kara’s old memories didn’t remember in depth the layout of everything—well, not what she looked through, anyway. She folded her arms across her chest. “You’re right, it was much easier with my disguise. Nobody ever suspects an old woman of doing any harm. But a ‘friend of the Jotens’—red flag,” she was making fun of him, while simultaneously hinting at her annoyance. Damn Loki’s magic—it obviously was defective.

“I have a better idea,” she said, her eyes wary. Did he...was he...hitting on her while trying to arrest her at the same time? That was something that had never happened before. She felt a smirk fall on her lips. “How about you don’t touch me,” she said, avoiding his reach, “and you help me find a friend, her name is—” wait a second, had he said ‘King Loki?’ “Her name is Kara,” she finished, looking at him, her eyes full of intrigue. “Don’t make me your enemy, or if you do, don’t expect to come out on top. Your choice, but either way I need to find Kara. Have you heard of her?” There was a pulse then, from far away that reached out to her. It was the stone. Kara was here. "Help me find her," she said, her tone suddenly serious.

And then she was thinking of her brother, and Khan. Had they made it through the portal? Were they alive and well? 'Khan,' she felt his presence lingering in the back of her mind; he was alive. 'We were separated from Kara, but we found her now. What happened to you? Where are you?' she didn't realize what was hours and days for her were respectively days and years for him and her brother. For him it must have appeared that she had forgotten about him for much longer, and perhaps that she may have even died.




Saiytanya

short but fun to write x3

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

SECRETISSECRET
xxxxxx LOKI LAUFEYSON x§x BURDENED WITH GLORIOUS PURPOSE
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It was clear in Kara’s eyes that she realized something was amiss when her eyes fell upon him—and suddenly she knew. This polished King that was trying to protect her was not who he said he was. Ever the impressionable liar, he had played his role very well, this god of mischief. That being said, the mischief always came to an end at some point, and usually to the disappointment and humiliation of the same person. In this case, Loki could see in Kara’s eyes that she was mortified, and his anger spiked towards this idiot that called himself Loki—that called himself King! What exactly he had done, he was not sure, but the tears that fell from Kara’s eyes said enough for Loki. He would end him, even if that him was himself.

She pined for words as she looked at the Loki beneath the prince, who’s eyes widened in horror and sadness. “No—Kara, please. You are mine. I love yo—” his words were cut off as Loki punched the King square in the face.

“What did you do?” Loki asked, his voice a venomous his, his anger finally peaked. He had a very good idea of exactly what had happened from the look on Kara’s face. He was angry, furious, even, but he knew full well it wasn’t Kara’s fault. How could she know? This Loki, if he was anything like himself, would have gone to great lengths to ensure that the truth was hidden so that he could get exactly what he wanted. He had done that to her once before already, and had nearly died as a result. But this was different. This would come back to him, because he had done it. Not him, and yet somehow still him. Loki felt the need to ask Kara for forgiveness, but as his eyes turned to her, tears were already streaming down her face. A hand reached out to her. “Kara, I—” But she was gone before he could finish what he was about to say.

“Kara!” Both men called after her, and the King struggled against Loki, who pushed him back against the floor roughly before getting off of him. He was about to yell at the King, when Frigga’s voice froze both of them, the glares disappearing from their faces immediately. They stood, dusting themselves off. The prince folded his arms behind his back. “Mother.” The king’s hands moved to his front, a hand gripping the other wrist. Loki was always surprised by Frigga’s knowledge—at this point, he shouldn’t have been, but the woman was truly amazing as she said she knew from the moment she saw him that he wasn’t the Loki she had known. Her hand lifted to his cheek, and he felt his eyes tearing up. To see her again, even in a different universe, was unbelievable. He held back his tears and laughed lightly at her comment. He must have looked like a wild man. “I love you, mother,” he said, a tear slipping down his cheek. He had not had the chance to utter the words to her before she had passed in his own realm. Given the chance to do so now he would not pass it up. “I miss you so,” he added, a whisper that left his lips as she kissed him on the cheek.

He wiped his tears away as she turned to her own son, giving him similar treatment. “I…you are right, mother,” the king responded, keeping his chin up despite the blow to his pride. He hadn’t wanted the truth to be revealed, and in his childish want, he had acted like a child.

Loki raised a brow—he hadn’t done anything wrong. That being said, Frigga had never been one to place one child into a boiling pot of blame without making the other feel like he could have handled it better as well. And, Loki had to admit, he probably could have helped things go along more smoothly; but seeing himself with Kara, and knowing that it was not him—it had made his blood boil beyond reason. But Frigga, as always, was right: now Kara was upset, and it didn’t matter at which him it was; he wanted it fixed. He would have to fix it with himself before he met with Kara.

“Yes, mother.” The woman left, leaving the two Loki’s alone with a sleeping Odin. There was silence and glowers. “I have already lost Kara once. I will not give her up so easily.”

Loki felt himself snorting. “Do you think you have a choice? It is obvious she hates you.”

“So does she hate you, then. But she wasn’t saying that last night…”

Loki wanted to do nothing more than knock his block off at that comment. But Loki knew how to get under his own skin, which was why the king had made the comment. He wanted Loki to be the bad guy instead of himself. “We are clearly not the same person,” Loki snapped. “And what you had to offer clearly falls short of the original,” he said, getting the desired reaction of an annoyed look from the other man.

“What makes you think you are the original? You’re nothing more than a—”

“Half-breed?” Loki said, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t stoop to their level,” he said, his eyes narrowing as the man gave him a confused look. “Do not you feel separate from Asgardians. They looked down on you as a child. It is because you are different. We are different. But no less bread for greatness. Odin seeks not to tell you, but there are secrets of your heritage that you know not, but should.” He suspected that if this Loki was king, then perhaps Odin wanted to make things right with the past. He wouldn’t ruin that for the old b*****d, but only because it would be better for himself—this realm’s Loki. “Now shut up. I think I have a way that we can both be happy—to go our separate ways with Kara.”

There was a curious look on his face, but the man thought for a moment. When realization struck him, Loki smirked, and so did the clone. “We are brilliant, are we not?”

“Indeed,” he responded with raised eyebrows.


- - -


While Kara was speaking with Frigga, Loki caught Loki up to speed on what had happened a few nights before. Ever full of hate for Thor, the prince wouldn’t mind giving his alternate self some help in getting the man out of his hair. That being said, he had one condition. “You stay away from Kara.”

“You know how magnetizing she is. What’s one more kiss?”

Loki glared, and the King conceded. “We should find Kara. It’s been a while.” The two headed towards the door, and opened it to find her standing there, Frigga at her side. Immediately Loki moved to embrace her. “I knew I could find you here,” he whispered in her ear. “But I feared for you, my love.”




Saiytanya

[Saiytanya]

Khan gave another half laugh at the boy's mentioning that Khan should know everything. "I know everything about what I can." Khan told him, "War tactics, politics, combat, even the physical aspect of pleasing a woman, of those, I am an expert. Those are easy compared to the twisted maze that is a woman's mind." He told the young man as they began working on the wall. At the boys offer of showing him classified filed Khan let out a short breath through his nose and kept working as he spoke. "Indeed there is more to you than meets the eye, Melluvian." Khan told him, "I'm certain I can find such files on my own, but it is pleasant to know that you can find such things with ease."


They fell into the quiet process of work then. The proto-human clan had long learned to stay out of their way when they were working and they no longer tried taking down what they put up. They had finally seemed to understand that the barrier protected them from the wind and rain and most of all, from the creatures outside. A few hours of work and the thick stone and clay wall was completed and a crude door was fitted into the opening. He had to show the clan several times how it worked before they understood. They had learned how to lock it, but they still could not figure out how to unlock it from the outside, which really didn't matter all that much. The on;y thing that mattered was that he and Mel knew how to unlock it so if the idiots ever tried locking them out, they could get back in.


Several months later Khan was carving up his most recent kill while he had Mel pulling the claws for use in tools and jewelry. Khan had been keeping one claw and tooth from each kill and wore them around his neck like a trophy, and he had the boy do the same. It was a signs of his prowess. The boy had far fewer than Khan did, but he was not without his own trophies. Out of the blue, Khan felt the itching of something in the back of his mind and he straightened up suddenly. His head turned toward Mel but he wasn't quite looking at the boy. 'Lavinias? Is that you? Where are you.' The voice was faint, but he heard her, and he half smiled, "Mel. I can hear her, Lavinias. They got separated from Kara, but they've found her." Khan's eyes narrowed as he tried to push his thought toward her, 'We're on Earth, Mesozoic Era. No way to tell the actual time. Both of us are well. Can you find us?' He looked at the boy, "I've told her where we are, hopefully they will find us soon. Since we don't have an exact date, I suspect it may take time."

----

As the woman commented about her attire being a red flag Druian laughed, before sucking on his lip, "Yes, well. It really is." As she pulled away from him though, he tilted his head toward her, "Come on now." But then she continued, she was looking for--"Kara?" That was shocking. Druian was still rather curious about the 300 year gap, perhaps it was Jotenheim she had spent time on, but then she had said she had learned how to fight on Midgard. Had his sister traveled. He laughed again and shrugged, "Well, you are getting more interesting by the moment. A friend of the Jotens and of my little sister?" He moved toward the door, opening it up for her. "My sister is likely where she usually is, with the King." He waited for the woman to move toward the door before leaning in toward her and whispering. "By the way, I always end up on top." He gave her a playful wink before beginning to lead her down the hallway.


He asked a fellow guard where the King and Kara were and was directed to Odin's chambers. As he lead the woman along he tilted his head to look at her, "So, I don't believe you gave me a name. I am Druian Halvorson, and brother to the Valkyrie Kara daughter of the Valkyrie Rhea." He explained with a light pleasant tone, "How is it that my sister is known to such a lovely woman? I hope you do not mean her harm, we may have to disagree on that. I would hate to have to restrain you. Unless you like that sort of thing, then I would be all to happy to oblige."


As they finally came to Odin's chamber, Druian paused. King Loki was outside, the chambers speaking with the Queen-Mother and...no...that wasn't right, another Loki, whom Kara was holding on to? He stopped a few feet away from them, and trying to push his confusion away he dropped to his knee and slammed his fist against his chest. "My King....This woman was found wondering the halls, she claims to know...Kara..." He couldn't help but look up slightly as he saw his sister move to embrace the woman with a bright smile. So, she did know her. "Forgive me, my King...I am confused." No, the other Loki had to be an illusion, but why would the King make such a disheveled version of himself. This couldn't be a good thing, not for the Kingdom, not for Thor.

T O X I C P A S T I C H E

One down three to go! XD

[Saiytanya]

Kara flinched only just when her Loki moved to embrace her, but she didn't stop it. The return hug was hollow. She felt awful, undeserving of his love. She should have known. How could he still be so warm toward her; so loving? After what she had done, why did he not look at her with utter contempt? As he whispered in her ear her body instinctively pushed into his for comfort as she fought back returning tears. "I am so sorry, my love. I am such a fool." She kissed his cheek warmly before pulling away, holding his hands for a brief moment as her eyes met his. "One moment." She told him softly and she broke away and moved over to the King, her body straight, her head held high and her expression deadly calm.


For several moments she stared at him, her eyes boring into his until in a flash her hand shot out across his face and she finally spoke, calmly, and with every bit of dignity Frigga had requested, "You, sir, are a cad." She began, keeping her countenance solid and firm, "While I understand why you did what you did. For the time being, I am not ready to forgive you. Do not touch me, and do not talk to me unless you must. When I am ready to forgive you, I will let you know." She turned away then and moved back to her Loki, putting him between herself and the King before looping her arm into his, her expression still calm with only the slightest hint of a tensed jaw.


There was so much running around in her head. She loved her Loki, but now that there was a second Loki, knowing his story she couldn't help but feel bad for him. He hadn't been unkind save for the lie. He had been more than gentle and she appreciated his kindness. In personality he was not unlike her Loki, in fact, save for the hair, and the fact that Loki seemed more tainted by a darkness Kara could not explain, they were exactly alike. Their beautiful pale eyes, their smiles and even their playful, mischievous nature...and the lies. Both of them had lied to her at one point or another. Why was she so gullible? How could she let herself be fooled twice by close to the same man?


Across the way Frigga gave an accepting nod toward Kara before looking at her sons, "I assume that the two of you have worked things out since neither is dead?" She waited calmly for an answer and was about to speak again when the sounds of a guard approaching entered her ears and she turned to see an Einherjar leading a woman in Jotun-style clothing. There was a brief wash of panic in her gut. What would the Jotuns have to do here? No, they could not take her poor boy away, her son.


As Frigga turned to talk to her son Kara felt a sudden surge of energy pulse through her body and she looked over to see the two people approaching. The guard, whom Kara recognized as her brother knelt before the King, confusion clearly painted on his face and Kara looked up to see, "Lavinias!" She smiled brightly moving over to embrace the woman. "I was worried for you!" She looked around vaguely before looking back at her, "Where is Khan?"








T O X I C P A S T I C H E

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
XXX

█████████████████████████████████████████████████ XXX❤

▉▉▉▉▉xxxxx★xxxxx ❨ Lavinias Anona ❩ ↙ ↙ xxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed;
get along with the voices inside of my head - -
You're trying to save me...stop holdin' your breath.
And you think I'm crazy? Yah, you think I'm crazy.
Well, that's nothing.

Mel pulled the menacing claws from the beast they had slain with a pair of rudimentary pliers. While it had been a feet for him at first, now it was easy—the teeth were a bit harder, but only required a little effort. His training was paying off, as the necklace he wore showed. He knew that out here, it didn’t mean much—the proto-humans could hardly defend themselves, so he had little competition (and he was obviously no match for Khan). But back home, he could feel that he had made more progress in the months he had than in years. He felt that he would at least be in the middle of the pack by now, and that was a modest guess. He couldn’t allow himself to think that he was the best, lest it make him feel complacent. Progress was good, but he needed to keep moving forward.

He had moved to pull out some sharp, ravenous teeth when Khan’s head shot turned towards him. Mel glanced up at him, expecting him to speak. But the man didn’t seem interested in him, or any of their immediate surroundings, really. He focused on his senses, trying to see if there was another predator moving towards them, but he couldn’t hear or feel anything. “What is it?” he asked, looking at the man curiously. Was that a smile?

Mel felt his heart leap to his throat and a grin cracked his shocked features. Lavinias. It had been so long since they had talked about her. But why now? Where had she been? “She’s all right, then?” He asked. He knew she could take care of herself, but she still had to make sure. At the mention that they found Kara, Mel found his heart leaping for joy again. “We’ll be home soon.”



- - -


He looked interested when she mentioned Kara. “So you do know her then.” Lavinias said, her eyes half narrowed, but giving her a more satisfied look than menacing. When he mentioned that he was her brother, though, Lavinias tilted her head slightly, lips parting a bit in surprise? That little brat from Kara’s memories had grown up to be quite handsome. It made sense, though—Kara was gorgeous, so why would her brother be any less good looking? “Well when you put it that way, I sound much more amiable than I would otherwise be perceived,” she said with a raised eyebrow, moving towards the opened door. It made sense that Kara would be with Loki, if he was the King—she only hoped that this was the same Kara that she knew, and not some alternate Kara that would want off with her head. Her eyes glanced at him sideways as he spoke, the suggestive whisper leading her to raise her brow in amusement. “Is that a challenge? Because I will have no problem manhandling you,” she muttered back, rolling her eyes at his wink. So she hadn’t been wrong—he had been flirting with her.

The man got word of where Kara was and they headed in the direction of wherever Odin’s chambers were. It wasn’t a trap, as far as she could tell—the longer they walked the closer and more powerful she could feel Kara’s presence. Lavinias looked at him, nonchalance on her features as he introduced himself. She knew who he was the moment he had said he was Kara’s brother. He was just being polite, and perhaps she should have been polite and smiled, but she didn’t. “Lavinias Anona. Strangers call me Anona, friends, Lavinias. Take your pick,” she responded mildly, her eyes focused mostly on the halls surrounding her, memorizing the path they walked in her mind with each step. It was indeed a grand place, just as Kara’s memories had suggested. “I have no qualm with your sister,” Lavinias stated, just before he mentioned restraining her. She looked at him though, a smirk on her lips. “Well you can just read me like a book, can’t you?” she responded, light amusement in her otherwise serious tone.

It was then that Khan’s voice entered her head. Her brow furrowed slightly. ‘Who else would it be?’ she asked, her tone in his head amused. ‘I’m on Asgard, looking for Kara. Mesozoic Earth?’ she questioned, incredulous. How the hell did they get there? She was a bit relieved to hear the ‘we.’ Mel was safe then, and the thought was confirmed. He was well, and she felt her heart swell. And then it suddenly deflated, not knowing how soon they would be able to find them. ‘I’m a bit…preoccupied at the moment,’ she thought, glancing at Druain. She felt a rush of hesitance looking at him now. Khan would most definitely kill him if he had heard any of the things that he had said to her. ‘I’ll come for you as soon as I can. Tell Mel I love him.’ Her thoughts stopped then, her heart pounding in her chest, remembering what he had said in her mind when they had fought on the Enterprise. That he loved her more than anything. Why would he say that out of anger if it hadn’t been true? How could he not hate her after that, though? She didn’t know where they stood. She didn’t know how she felt.

She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn’t realized what was going on until Kara’s arms were wrapped around her. Smiling softly, Lavinias returned the gesture with a light squeeze. She wasn’t the best at showing affection, and she was hesitant to unless alone, but with Kara, doing so was easy. Glancing around, she saw two Loki’s, and a woman whom she didn’t recognize, but looked both magisterial. Lavinias’ eyes returned to Kara. “You were the one who was struck on the head,” she responded. “We were both worried for you.” At the mention of Khan, Lavinias ran her tongue across her front teeth in her closed mouth before saying, “Mesozoic Earth, as it turns out. I’m not sure where, exactly, but I could pinpoint his location and we could find him. My brother is with him.”



Saiytanya

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

SECRETISSECRET
xxxxxx LOKI LAUFEYSON x§x BURDENED WITH GLORIOUS PURPOSE
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Something wasn’t quite right with the way Kara responded. She seemed…empty. So she was angry with him too, then? For not finding her sooner, from not protecting her from himself, for not having any self control in any universe he was in. He pulled her closer and she did not resist, but when his apology was about to find its way out, hers came to the surface. She was apologizing, but Loki felt the guilt. “You are not a fool,” his whisper was so low, he wasn’t sure that even she could hear him in their close proximity. It was not her fault. It was entirely his—and he had to admit, he couldn’t be surprised at himself. Kara was his in every sense of the word, to every Loki—but this Kara, Kara from his realm was Loki’s and no other Loki’s. He would not share her save with his clones if she wished it, and even now he was slightly weary of doing so, unsure of what sort of effect it would have on her. Surely she realized that it wasn’t her fault, that he would always love her?

She pulled away, calling for a pause to the moment, and he didn’t argue, unsure what she was going to do. But she marched fearlessly towards the King, and Loki felt a smirk play on his lips. His alternate self was about to get just what he deserved, and Loki was not feeling a bit bad about it. The King looked at her, his blue eyes wide and full of sorrow. He felt words rising to his lips, but just when he was about to speak, her name on his tongue, she slapped him—hard—right across the cheek. Despite himself, Loki cringed, smirking. He knew exactly what that felt like. She had slapped him like that after their first—no, second kiss. It burned, but it had burned with a different sort of passion, passion that she didn’t know how to deal with and moved at him with the only thing she could think of. This slap was out of pain, and the King, sighed. “I deserved that,” he murmured. He sat there and took her harsh words—words that he had been well-earned by the King. He opened his mouth to speak, but then paused, looking at her, and shut it. He doubted very much that she wanted to hear anything that he had to say given that she only wanted him to speak when necessary. He glanced at the other Loki, and seeing the gleam in his eyes, the King knew that not speaking was probably the right choice.


She moved back to Loki, looping her arm in his firmly. He expected no less from her. Kara was not one to be messed with, and he had learned that on his own. That being said, he wasn’t one to be messed with either, and this King Loki was being played. He didn’t know of his true heritage, and he had a right to know. Odin was about to die, but his real father was still alive. “I need to speak with my mother when I get the chance,” Loki whispered into Kara’s ear. “But we need to speak as well, my love.” He could tell that she was uncomfortable, that she was not the joyous woman she had been a few days ago. It was understandable, but Loki wanted to get her back.

Frigga spoke then. “Mother, we would never take your most favored son away from you,” the King responded, a look that was half pretending to be hurt that she thought they would do such a thing, half actually hurt as the result of Kara’s words. “We have come to an understanding, and even perhaps an agreement in aiding one another…Druian?” The King trailed off and looked at the woman he had in his company. Never had he seen anyone like her before, dressed in Jotun’s clothes. Was she a prisoner? No, she wasn’t shackled. Druian moved to his knee, but the woman just looked at him, not regarding him with much emotion. And then Kara was running towards her, embracing her.

“Ah, there you are,” Loki said, as if he hadn’t completely forgotten about his companion. At the sight of Druian, of all people, kneeling before him, Loki couldn’t help but smirk in relish. The fool served him in this universe. How fitting. Soon would be the case in his own, if Kara could keep him from killing the brute. When he expressed his confusion, Loki couldn’t hold his tongue. “It has never been a difficult task to confuse you,” he said, his smirk bright.

The King glanced back at Loki, a twinkle in his eyes, sharing the moment before sighing and returning his attention to Druian while Kara and the woman spoke. He signaled for the man to rise. When they finished, he addressed his guard. “A few things have been cleared up in the past hour or so,” the king began. “Kara, this Kara, is not the Kara we have known from birth. She is from an alternate world, as is he,” he said, glancing back at himself. The man was still gloating. “With help, though, there is hope that our Kara can be brought back, and the madness of the kingdom dispelled.”

Loki stepped forward. “The man they speak of, Khan—if he were to be here, he would help in the capture of Thor. We are allies. He is a driven man—not quite mortal, but not inhuman either.” If it weren’t Thor they were after, the Loki’s could probably sit back and watch the man do the job for them. But this was Thor, and Loki wanted everything to do with his capture and punishment.

“Interesting. It has been quite an eventful day already, though. I’m sure you would prefer a bit more time for rest before leaving so soon?”

Loki could see Lavinias’ eyes narrowing—she didn’t want to wait. Loki cut in before she could respond, though. “Yes. Future plans must be discussed,” he said, looking towards Kara before looking to Frigga. “And mother, I would love to spend some time with you before I run out of time and I or you are preoccupied.”



Saiytanya