Chapter Five
Chapter 5
When Loki arrived near the river where he usually met Natasha, she wasn't there, he decided to go into the village to look for her. A few villagers stared and whispered at the strange newcomer, and he swore he saw a few girls giggle and wave at him flirtatiously. And that honestly frightened him. Girls on Asgard never did that, Thor was usually the one to get the attention of all the maidens. But Loki wasn't complaining...
He wandered around the village and found no sign of Natasha. As he passed the healers hut he heard a woman’s screams, then suddenly the door burst open and Natasha ran out a pot in her hand. She ran right past him but she didn't even notice. She darted straight for the well and began to get some water. At first Loki was a bit annoyed and sad that Natasha had ignored him but when he saw the look of absolute fear on her face...
After she'd taken some water she ran straight back to the hut where the woman was still screaming. Loki followed her and silently entered the hut. Then only did he understand what all the screaming was about...
"Shh, it's alright dear it'll be over soon..." Natasha's mother said as she squeezed her elder daughter’s hand. She let out another scream and then finally the cries of a new born where heard like music to everyone’s ears. Loki smiled slightly as Natasha and her mother wrapped the baby in cloth and handed it to Natasha's sister, Lilith. Only Lilith, did not except it. Instead she lay there breathing heavily and more than uneasily. Natasha and her mother looked at the healer who in turn shook her head. "I do not think she will make it..." she said. Natasha and her mother gasped and started to cry. Then a look of determination came into Natasha's eyes and she placed her hand on Lilith’s forehead and as if in some sort of trance began to mummer words. It probably sounded like gibberish to the healer, but Natasha's mother vaguely seemed to understand. But Loki understood the Aesir healing spell perfectly. Healing was among the Valkyrie powers, perhaps this certain situation had provoked her to use them. After she stopped, Lilith’s eyes blinked open and she jolted up, none of the after effects of birthing seemed to be with her. Natasha's mother stared at her eldest and then at Natasha. Lilith looked around the room. Her eyes landed on her child and she broke into a smile as she took it into her arms.
The moment, however, was shattered as the healer screamed, "WITCH!!" And darted for the door. Only to be blocked by Loki, who everyone finally noticed. Loki waved his hand in front of the healers face, his hand a glowing blue. "You will forget everything..." he said in Aesir. Then the healer just stood there frozen. The God of mischief turned and walked towards Natasha and her family. Lilith and her mother looked at him a little more than vary. Natasha just stared in disbelief. "Why didn't you do something?!" she demanded.
Loki blinked a few times. "Well you had it under control far before I could have done anything..." he stated. Natasha snorted in disbelief. "And what was that exactly!? It was Aesir I know from hearing you! Wha-" their discussion was cut short by Natasha's mothers voice, "Natasha lower your voice, the baby, and what did you just do? What did he just do?" she hissed. Then she turned to Loki, "And who on the hell is he!!!???" Natasha had been unmoved by her previous questions, the last one regarding Loki however, that made her blush slightly. Much to Loki's amusement. He smirked. Natasha glared at him and then turned to look at her mother.
"Ahh...mother, this is my friend Loki, Loki my mother Greatta." Greatta looked from her daughter to Loki to Lilith and then back at Loki. "Define friend?" she said. Natasha groaned in frustration. And Loki just looked plain uncomfortable. "Mother, no!" she said. Lilith laughed slightly, and then the baby began to cry.
Loki turned to Natasha. "I'll leave," he said before giving the other two and then turning to the door. Natasha grabbed his arm. "Tomorrow. In the morning, by the river..." she said. Loki nodded and left. (The healer came out of her frozen state with no memory of Natasha ever healing Lilith.)
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"How is your niece?" Loki asked as he sat next to Natasha on the rock by the river. It was a little less than a year ago that she had been sitting here trying to kill herself when they'd first met. She'd come a long way since then...Apart from learning how to use a dagger, she’d been the one to go hunting and find money for the family.
"How do you know it's a girl?" she asked not facing him. Loki shrugged. "Valkyrie’s seldom or never have boys..." "A Valkyrie? Is that what I am?" she asked. Loki sighed. "You’re less than half Valkyrie Natasha. I suspect that one of your ancestors was Valkyrie, but all the others human. It would explain why you are wingless...and it would also explain why you do not possess all of the Valkyrie’s powers...but..." he trailed off wondering if he should continue.
Natasha finally turned to face him, and she locked her blue eyes with his pale green ones. "But what?" she asked. "Your niece...I sensed..." he paused. "I sensed something rather unusual in her...." he said.
"She seemed less like yourself. I didn't immediately register that she had Valkyrie blood as I did your mother your sister and you....she...she seemed to have the magical aura of a...well...of a Dark elf..." "What are you saying Loki? That my family is half Asgardian?" Loki shrugged. "Well, yes..." She sighed and got up.
There was a long silence. It seemed to stretch forever...then finally, "My mother wants to meet you," Natasha said looking over her shoulder and giving him a small smile. "Apparently she is under the illusion that your courting me," Loki raised a dark perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "I have yet to tell her who you are." Loki chuckled. Another thing that he hadn't told Natasha was that the queen of Asgard was under that very same delusion.
"Well we better go do it now then..."