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❛ ᴇᴛᴏɪʟᴇ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ, ɪ
sᴛɪʟʟ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ꒱


❝ UNTIL THE END, DRÖTTNING ❞

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A S G A R D

They didn't talk on the ride back but Eleanora could feel the rigidity of her husband's spine against her chest as she sat behind him on the horse. The tension between them that had been present since his return to Asgard only increased the longer they went without speaking. When they arrived at the stables, Loki handed their mount off to a stablehand. Then, she had to hurry after his long, powerful strides that sent his emerald cape billowing out behind him as he stalked through the halls. They made it to the Vault when he finally did whirl on her, his jaw tight with anger as his eyes flashed.

"What do you think you're doing?" the god snapped. "Checking up on me like a child who needs to be watched?"

The blonde remained collected in the face of his fury, fully believing that her actions did not warrant his wrath. "I'm keeping the castle, just as you asked me to. Forgive me if I worry about you during your prolonged absence; I was under the impression that you were merely going to Midgard. Had you told me that a trip to Jotunheim was in order, I wouldn't have bothered."

They both knew that wasn't true, but she hadn't said it to lie; she wanted to make it a point that he had kept things from her. He regarded her stiffly where he stood a few feet away from her. There was no warmth in his gaze now, only the cold rage that had been building within him since he'd found out about his heritage. It seemed to spill out of him in a never-ending tidal wave, reaching the bursting point at inopportune times. His previous meeting with Laufey (who was, horrifically, his father) had only served to push him past is breaking point for the day (nay, the hour.)

"The details of my political endeavors are none of your concern," he told her sharply. "What else have you done today besides chase after me?"

Eleanora met his hard gaze evenly, unafraid of his temper (though it might have been smarter if she was.) She drew herself up to her full (but still much shorter than his) height. "I took care of Thor's friends for you. You're welcome." At the sudden uncertainty in his eyes, she scoffed. "Not like that; they're still very much alive. I have merely sent them to Midgard to retrieve Thor."

"And why would you do something like that?" Loki demanded icily.

"Well, they would have meddled in our plans if they were here on Asgard anyway. Not only that, but it is a foolish venture to try and break him out of exile; we don't even know what act would counter Odin's terms— probably something ridiculously selfless and heroic," she finished. "They will be out of the way for some time yet. Now, are you going to tell me what you're up to or will I have to simply question your choice for vacation spots?"

He did not speak immediately, his mind racing to catch up on her train of thought. The thing that struck him most was that she had called it 'our plans.' Even when she had no idea what he was arranging, she was still willing to side with him. He could have told her to get lost or come up with some half-hearted excuse that would have kept her otherwise occupied but, despite everything, even the rage sizzling just under his skin, he found that he could not abandon her— he did not want to.

"Fine," the god grit out irritably. "I did go to Jotunheim for my own purposes. I made a deal with Laufey so he could bring his warriors to Asgard to slaughter Odin while he is defenseless. He will undoubtedly fail in this undertaking as I will be lying in wait to kill him myself. Then, because of his act of war, I will aim the Bifrost at Jotunheim long enough to destroy the realm, thus cementing myself as a hero of Asgard and our reign of the Second Golden Age can begin."

Eleanora could only stare at him in shock after hearing the full extent of her husband's schemes. She'd known that he was hurting but she had never thought it was to this degree. He'd always been hard, less sympathetic and emotional than Thor, but this was a new extreme. This was. . . "Stupid! This is stupid, Loki, or can you not see that? Even if everything somehow works out— which it won't— what if someone learned the truth? Then you'd go down in history as a genocidal megalomaniac which, in my opinion, is far worse than a Jotun."

His jaw tightened at the insult. "You are my wife, which allows for some insubordination, but you are treading dangerous waters, darling." (The nickname had never sounded less endearing.)

She gaped at him. "Insubordination? Insubordination? Are you even hearing yourself right now? We're supposed to be equal partners, or do you have a different definition of 'equality' than I do?"

"They're monsters," Loki insisted stubbornly. "They threaten the safety of the realms and deserve nothing more than to perish. You may have accepted my background, but you have not truly seen what I can become so you cannot understand the plight their presence creates."

The blonde felt her heart leap to her throat as he strode away from her, down the steps and towards the Casket. She followed after him quickly. He grasped both sides of the power source and turned it on with his seiðr, illuminating the Vault in a cool blue glow. Once the light had died down and Eleanora could see him properly again, she only felt faint curiosity at the change in his appearance. His pale skin had hardened to a dark blue that was run through with silvery lines. The familiar blue-green of his eyes had become red but unlike Laufey's emotionless orange gaze, she was not afraid of the color in her husband's eyes.

"Do you see me now, wife?" he rasped out, the pain in his voice audible as he braced himself for her disgust. "I'm a monster, just like them."

"I do see you," she finally said, her tone soft. "But perhaps not in the way you see yourself."

She reached out to touch him then, and he wanted to ward her off so she wouldn't be harmed from the frostbite this form had. But Eleanora placed her hand on his arm fearlessly, not even wincing from the expected chill. Instead, her silvery light flared bright around her to blend in with the blue of the Casket's. Her hand was warm on his skin, a pleasant heat against the cold.

"The outer appearance does not define a person's monstrousness, only their actions do. It is your choice to make, not anything prewritten from birth." Then, she smiled slightly at him. "Ice melts under the sun, you know."

For the second time in as many days, his wife surprised him. She had seen Laufey's heartlessness first hand, yet she did not place him under the same umbrella. He thought of her monster, the man who'd raised him— Odin— and the countless terrible crimes he had committed for the sake of peace. The Allfather had all but destroyed Jotunheim to ensure the Frost Giants would heel under his rule, and he, Loki, had been prepared to do nearly the same.

It was her expression that fully convinced him of this fact: he was not a monster.

People did not look at monsters with such love and compassion as she was doing now; they only watched on with fear and mistrust. Even though he had lied to her, had excluded her, had tried to push her away and done everything he could think of to break their oath, she had not forsaken him. Loki placed the Casket back on the pedestal— and just in time, too, as his legs gave out under the weight of the revelation.

Eleanora caught him and they sank to the ground together so that he was half in her lap. The Jotun color of his skin faded back to its usual paleness, but he paid it no mind as he focused on the hue of his wife's skirts to keep his world from spinning more than it already was. They were emerald, the same as they always had been since they'd married; yet another sign that she was unequivocally on his side, just as she had promised so long ago. The rage that had been building within him washed out in a soothing wave, leaving him feeling wrung-out and dry.

They sat in a comforting silence for a while as the blonde held him, the only movement being so that her fingers could come up and play gently with his hair. Everything wouldn't be fixed immediately, they both knew, but Eleanora had stopped him before he'd done irreparable harm. Still, it was not in his nature to go about making amends, so when he finally spoke, it was to ask, "what do I do?"

"What do we do," she corrected him without hesitation. "And the good news is that I was already working on that."

The god shifted to sit up a little as he realized what she was getting at. "Thor's friends."

"Exactly. But I think you got to Thor before they did, so why did you really go to Midgard?"

Loki was reluctant to answer, wondering if she would regret her decision to stay with him once she found out. Eventually, he admitted quietly, "I told him Odin was dead because of him, and that he was exiled forever."

The Star took a deep breath and replied bracingly, "well, at least it's not irrevocable. Unfortunately, I think the next few days will be very uncomfortable for you."

He scoffed a bit, mostly at his own actions since she had responded in the nicest possible way, and even that was putting it lightly. "Apologizing does not come naturally to me," he agreed. His gaze fell on the grate that hid the Destroyer from sight. "I think I may have an idea on how to get Thor back in fighting form. . ."

✧ ✧ ✧

"He's done it," Loki announced some time later, a satisfied smile curling on his lips.

Eleanora had not seen the fight since she could not use Seer's flame, which is what controlled the Destroyer. She had watched the expressions on her husband's face, which had been mostly pinched in concentration as she knew it took a lot of magical strength to control such a device. She mirrored his smile, though more brightly than he was willing to show, proud of her brother for being worthy of his powers again. That left the next thing to worry about.

"We should prepare for the Jotuns," the blonde said, reminding him that they did not have much time to celebrate in their success.

"I will go to Odin's chambers to head off Laufey's party," he stated, turning to her. The warmth that she was used to seeing in his gaze had returned, filling her with relief that he had not given in to the darkness. "I suppose I cannot ask you to avoid the fight?"

She shook her head, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "No, but it might allay some of your concern if I told you I won't seek it out. I plan to intercept Thor before he has a chance to attack you; hopefully he'll listen to me first."

"Very well, wife," he agreed.

Using their attached hands, he tugged her forward until she was flush against him, his other arm curling around her waist. He leaned down to press a searing kiss to her lips, one that filled her with a heat that made her toes curl.

If she had known then how the day would end, Eleanora would have insisted that the kiss last a bit longer. She would have told him that she loved him one more time, or at least hugged him a little tighter. But she did not know what the Fates had in store for them and so, when the rumble of ground that announced the Jotuns' arrival interrupted their embrace, she only parted with their usual affirmation. "You and me?"

Loki placed a final kiss on her forehead. "Until the end, dröttning."

✧ ✧ ✧

While he had promised his wife that he would not destroy an entire realm, it was still supremely satisfying to at least slaughter Laufey. His mother's affectionate reaction was just what he had been hoping for in his original plan, but even better now that he had not done it simply for self-serving purposes. It was only when Thor came storming into Odin's chambers that things became a little less good. He was angry, which would have been understandable had Eleanora not been attempting to waylay him.

Frowning at the blond's agitated appearance, he didn't get a chance to question him as Thor demanded, "why don't you tell her how you sent the Destroyer to kill our friends, to kill me?"

Frigga drew back then, concern etching into her expression. "What?"

Loki felt the threat of that cold rage at the edge of his temper as he glared at his brother. Thor had never questioned Eleanora's integrity before, so what right did he have to start now? "Have your ears stopped working, brother, or does the word of my wife mean nothing to you after your jaunt on Midgard? Did Eleanora use words too complex for your simple vocabulary as she explained the situation to you?"

The crown prince would have responded aggressively to Loki's insult, but the use of the Star's name confused him. "Eleanora? I did not see her during my flight."

Something icy trickled down Loki's spine at that. He tried to tell himself that it could have been anything; her absence could be easily excused. Thor was not always the most observant when he was flying, after all. But his instinct told him that he had cause to worry. He glanced over at the spot where he had killed Laufey moments before and wished he had not been so hasty in his actions. The Frost Giant king would have known how many Jotuns he'd brought with them, and if a separate party had splintered off to kidnap a Star. His only consolation was that Heimdall would never let them get past the Bifrost.

"I know you are angry at me, brother, and you have every right to be, but we must hash this out later. Eleanora— She. . ." He could not get the words out, the fear of her being harmed by one of the monsters causing his voice to get stuck in his throat. He glanced over at his mother, hoping that she would understand; she had always been talented at forcing them to get along. Even when everyone else was ineffective, Frigga had never failed at keeping her sons in line.

The Allmother pressed her lips together as she caught on to his concerns. She addressed Thor first: "the Frost Giants may have had a secondary motive in coming to the palace; there was a reason why your father wanted to be the one to lay claim to a Star. You will make good time if you fly."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Loki couldn't help but groan, "kill me now."

✧ ✧ ✧

SOME TIME EARLIER. . .

Eleanora wished that she had thought through her plan more; how in the Norns was she supposed to catch Thor? Wave her arms and shout at him as he flew past? The only tentative solution she had was that the glow of her silvery light would attract his attention. So lost in thought about her strategy, she was more oblivious than usual as she walked down the halls of the palace.

She did not notice the creeping ice that trailed behind her or the drop in temperature. When she did observe the change in her surroundings, it was nearly too late; the gravelly grunt of Jotuns and their heavy footfalls were just around the corner. Eleanora stilled at the sound of their approach, knowing that she could outrun them, but then it would leave them unattended to hurt other Asgardians. So, she whirled around to face them head-on and let the celestial shine around her form burst to life.

There were more than she had been expecting.

The group descended upon her quickly. Even with her best attempts to lash out at them with her light-whip, they were prepared for the heat of her shine this time. Her heart pounded in her chest as combat came upon her, the adrenaline rush that Thor and his friends spoke of from their battles rushed through her. 

Wanting to fight more effectively, she abandoned her usual weapon and drew her daggers from their sheaths, nimbly darting around her bulkier foes as she tried to aim in their unprotected areas. She was gratified when she heard one or two growl in pain, but it wasn't enough; there were simply too many of them. All too soon, one of them got her from behind and wrapped his massive arms around her to curtail her movements.

The lead Frost Giant must have given the order to head out since they moved in a unified formation— with her in the center— towards the palace entrance. She couldn't see much thanks to her shorter height, but she was glad of it. They met no resistance on their way out and she could only imagine the carnage of the path they had cleared.

Eleanora hoped that Heimdall was powerful enough to stop them; he was her only hope at this point. There was no sign of Thor and even less of Loki, so she wasn't sure if they'd arrive at the Bifrost in time. Her second silver lining was that the ground of Jotuns did not move quickly, though they easily covered ground with their long strides; perhaps their pace would give the brothers enough time to catch up.

Her first wish turned out to be for naught. When they arrived at the watchtower, the Gatekeeper did engage the Jotuns in battle, but they overwhelmed him with their ice abilities, freezing him where he stood. The Frost Giant holding her ordered the others: "open the portal."

The lesser soldiers set to work on prying Heimdall's sword from his icy grip, too intent on their work to notice the sons of Odin come flying in through the opening. Relief rushed through her at the sight of her husband, who landed on his feet as gracefully as a cat once Thor dropped him off. He swung his staff towards the first opponent he could reach, zapping the second one with a crackle of electricity.

Mjolnir shot through the air and took out two of the Frost Giants at once, tossing them to their backs. The other Jotuns came to their senses and rallied, pushing the brothers back to the Bridge. Still being held captive, Eleanora began to struggle against the one holding her in an attempt to help out. She urged her light to shine brighter with the intent to burn or blind him.

To her great satisfaction, he dropped her, and she rolled on the ground with a harsh grunt of pain. Now that his hands were free, though, she became his last priority. Instead, he turned his attention to the half-freed sword, which he wrenched out of Heimdall's grasp.

Eleanora scrambled to her feet, letting loose a tongue of silvery energy to catch him about the legs. He stumbled, but desperate determination drove him forward. She lashed out again, this time aiming for his wrist in an effort to get the sword from him. The light burned him, causing his blue skin to become shiny where it had touched. With a frustrated roar, the Frost Giant turned on her and swatted his large hand towards her body with the same force as someone would use to kill a fly.

She went sailing through the air and momentarily saw stars— the real ones— as her eyes caught on the blackness of space above her. Then her body came crashing down on the colorful sheen of the Bridge and she lay still, winded. Seeing her unintended flight, Loki stopped playing around with the Jotun he'd been fighting and incinerated him on the spot. He rushed over to her, leaving Thor to deal with the last few.

"Darling, can you stand?" A much more practical question than 'are you alright,' especially in a battle.

The blonde let out a steadying breath and, with her husband's help, rose to her feet, wincing at the ache in her muscles. She glanced towards the watchtower anxiously. "Loki, the Jotun that captured me— he wants to open the Bifrost."

His expression became grim as he realized the implication; Frost Giants didn't know how to use the Bifrost, not to mention what the touch of their ice magic would do to the controls. "I'm on it."

He didn't get as far as he thought he would.

Thor's fight was still three on one, so one of the Frost Giants slipped his hold when he saw the younger brother going for the leader of their party. He barreled into Loki hard enough to knock him off his feet, only steps away from the Watchtower's entrance. Already, they could see the white electricity crackling from the activated Bifrost, and he noted briefly that it was lasting longer and more intensely than usual.

Then he had no other thoughts except the Jotun's hands grappling at him as they rolled, closer and closer to that never ending darkness beneath them. His heart stuttered in his chest at the thought of being so close to the edge, but there was hardly much he could do with the weight of the Frost Giant on top of him.

The familiar flick of silvery-white energy momentarily gave him a surge of hope as Eleanora's powers licked at the creature's back. But it was short-lived as the Jotun, fueled by rage, retaliated with a ferocity that caught Loki off guard. With each passing moment, the god could feel his strength waning, the icy grip of the Jotun threatening to overwhelm him.

"Eleanora!" he called out; his voice strained with effort as he tried to fend off the creature's relentless assault. He could see her, standing at the edge of the bridge, her hands outstretched as she summoned forth her powers in a frantic attempt to aid him.

In a burst of brilliance, tendrils of silvery energy erupted from the Star's outstretched hands, entwining themselves around the Frost Giant and immobilizing him momentarily. It roared in pain as the heat seared onto its skin, but the Jotun stayed in place. Seizing the opportunity, Loki pushed himself away from the creature with all his might, breaking free from its grasp.

He had been closer to the edge of the Bridge than he'd expected.

As he rolled away from the Frost Giant, his foot hit the empty air first. Then his arm followed, and suddenly he was top heavy as most of his weight left the solidity of the road beneath him. For a moment, time seemed to slow as Loki found himself teetering on the brink of oblivion, the yawning chasm below threatening to swallow him whole. He reached out instinctively, grasping for anything to anchor himself. He only had a moment to make a final choice: either make a futile grab for the edge of the Bridge or ensure that he wasn't followed. He picked the latter, pushing out a burst of seiðr in what was surely the last spell he would ever perform.

And then, with a sickening lurch, he felt himself falling, the rush of wind roaring in his ears as he plummeted into the darkness below. As he disappeared from sight, the last sound he heard was the echo of Eleanora's anguished that cry filled the air, and Thor's answering, furious cry of his name.