Chapter 15
They finished their meal and considered where they might go next. Sylvie found herself feeling restless, the cheering had subsided and the sounds of guards running through the hall had passed. Loki had withdrawn somewhat and it made Sylvie anxious.
“Loki,” she said softly, touching his arm and shaking him from his reverie. He blinked and looked at her as though he’d somehow forgotten she was there.
“Apologies… I was… elsewhere,” he murmured distantly.
“You still are…” she said sympathetically.
He looked at her and tilted his head the barest amount while he studied her face.
Sylvie gazed back at him patiently while he searched her features for signs of anger or irritation but found only empathy.
“Come, follow me,” she said, giving his arm a gentle squeeze and rising from the bed.
Loki followed her obediently as she walked into the adjoining bath chamber. She turned on the taps and added scented oils to the water as the bath filled. When she stood and turned to Loki who looked a bit nervous, but his pupils were blown wide and his heart racing.
Sylvie gave him a comforting smile, “relax, I’m going to go for a walk. Soak… try to clear your mind.”
Loki exhaled slowly and gave her a small smile, “thank you,” he said softly.
Sylvie rested her palm gently against his bare chest and stood on her toes to kiss him softly. Loki placed a hand over hers and savored the brief meeting of lips before she pulled back to search his eyes. She was relieved to see that he now looked more present, gaze soft and affectionate, and completely focused on her.
“I’ll be back soon,” she whispered softly before stepping around him and heading for the corridor.
Loki watched her leave with a faint smile still on his lips, then looked back to the bath as he heard the bedroom door close.
He turned off the taps and made his sleeping trousers disappear with a flick of his wrist and climbing into the marble bathtub. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he sank into the steaming water.
The heat soothed his muscles and he made an effort to do as Sylvie had asked, focusing on his present and not the one which unfolded in the rest of the palace.
Outside the bed chambers, Sylvie walked down the corridor casually. Part of her worried about Loki and how their presence here might be affecting him. She thought of him trying to relax in the bath and felt a rush of excitement flood her system.
Sylvie hadn’t intended her mind to go in that direction but the idea of his flushed chest soaking in warm water now permeated her thoughts. She pushed the visual from her mind and walked a bit more briskly.
The halls were quiet and Sylvie imagined what it would have been like to grow up here. To make friends, play games and learn magic from Frigga. She imagined Loki playing tricks on the people in this palace… honing his abilities… stealing his first kisses… She exhaled heavily and closed her eyes for a moment to center herself.
Sylvie cleared her mind and opened her eyes, deciding to turn left to walk down the large adjacent corridor. As she rounded the corner Sylvie saw the back of a single man ahead of her. Her breath caught as she recognized the self assured gait and saw a flicker of green light dance between his fingers idly.
“Loki—” she called to him before she could stop herself.
The younger version of the man she loved stopped and turned curiously, looking at her with an appraising tilt of his head. He approached her slowly, eyes raking over briefly before he stopped in front of her.
“I beg your pardon, my lady, have we met?” He asked, voice smooth and effortless.
“Not yet,” she said softly.
“Yet you know me,” he studied her as though the answer might be hidden somewhere in her face.
“You’re the prince… everyone knows you,” she lied with a coy smile.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion yet he took her hand to kiss formally with a bow of his head.
Sylvie struggled not to blush and swallowed thickly. He looked up at her with mischievous eyes and quirked a smile. She could hardly believe how young and untroubled he looked.
There was a cavalier and dashing naïvety about him she once would have found irritating, yet knowing him as she did now merely amused her. His mask of indifference and charm was fixed so firmly she didn’t think even he was aware how much more depth lay beneath it. It made her heart clench to think how badly this version of Loki was fighting to be everything he thought he needed to be.
“You don’t need it, you know,” she murmured absently.
He looked confused as he straightened his back and held his hands neatly behind him.
“And what would that be?” He asked mildly.
“A throne,” she replied, eyes locked firmly with his.
A spark flashed in his eyes dangerously but disappeared quickly.
“…who are you?” He murmured tensely, like a serpent ready to strike.
“You don’t need it, I know you think you do, but you were meant for more than ruling…” she said sincerely.
Something unreadable passed behind his eyes and he quirked his head.
“Thought you ought to know,” she said softly, “just in case you had any doubt.”
There was a thundering boom from behind him as Thor stormed into the adjacent hall, flinging the golden doors wide and effectively catching Loki’s attention. Sylvie seized the opportunity to slip away quietly while he was distracted.
When he turned back he saw her retreating form down the hall and he opened his mouth to call her back but shut it as he heard a loud crashing sound of plates and cutlery clattering to the ground. He heaved a sigh and went to find his brother, mind still somewhat distracted by her words.
Sylvie ducked around the corner and nearly ran into the variant Loki. He pulled her into an alcove, back pressed flat against a golden pillar and holding her close as he listened for footsteps.
Sylvie’s heart rushed and she felt a sense of panic, afraid he’d heard her. She knew it had been hypocritical to interfere, but she couldn’t stop hearing Loki’s anguished voice in her head.
“He’s who I used to be… and I did things I wish I had not done.”
She didn’t know what repercussions her words might have, if any, but she hoped it might give that younger version of him something to consider.
“It was the little push that gave me permission to decide the kind of person I wanted to be…”
She looked up at her Loki, worried he might be cross with her but he seemed to be listening intently to the distant sounds down the hall.
Sylvie closed her eyes and tipped her head forward to rest against his chest. She listened to his heart rate return to normal and sighed knowing either way she was grateful that the difficult path he had walked had brought him to her.