Chapter 3
It was our last day on Earth and Loki had gone to SHIELD to pick up the artifact. I was upstairs showering and had planned to spend the last few hours with my family. I walked downstairs to the kitchen looking for my mom but she wasn’t there. I tried to check out front but the door was jammed. I turned the lock several times but couldn’t get it to budge.
“Mom? Is something wrong with the front door?” I didn’t get a response. “Mom? Dad?”
I walked upstairs to their room and knocked. I didn’t get an answer, so I made my way downstairs again and heard the front door close.
“Mom?”
Loki walked to the base of the stairs. “I’d much rather you call me daddy.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know where everyone went. Were they still here when you left?”
He caressed the side of my face and smiled. “Darling, they were never here.”
I laughed and took it for a joke. “Seriously, Loki.”
“I am being serious.” The room grew dark and cold and Loki shifted into a Dark Elf. I took a step back and reached for the railing of the stairs but they were no longer there. The room was cavernous, stone and rubble lied everywhere.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“My name is Malekith.”
“What have you done with my family?”
“They’re safe for the time being.”
“That’s not good enough. Take me to them now.”
Malekith laughed. “So feisty, princess. As you wish.”
We walked down a jagged corridor to a room with a heavy steel door. Inside was my family, who was more than surprised to see me. It was like they had just seen me for the first time in years…
“Lyla?” My dad rose to his feet and my mother, who was on the floor holding Abby, looked up.
“Mom…Dad…” I turned to look at Malekith. “What did you do?”
“Nothing. The nice happy family who welcomed you back into their arms so easily was what you wanted, was it not?”
“It was all an illusion…” Finally realizing I had been tricked. “Why?”
“That artifact Loki was sent to collect belongs to me.”
“It belongs to your people, not to you.”
“My people have grown weak under Klaern's leadership.”
“So why not pick it up from SHIELD yourself? You took Loki’s form before.”
“Because SHIELD uses biometrics to check the identity of those coming and going into the facility. I might be able to fool their eyes but not their security.”
Loki returned to the house and found it quiet. Too quiet. He walked into the kitchen and found two elves waiting.
“Hello.” He said cheerful and sarcastic, wondering what the hell was going on.
“Hand over the artifact.” Said one with a raspy voice.
“Uh…no.” He smiled. The second elf who was missing a portion of his ear brandished a pair of daggers. Realizing he wasn’t going to get the answers he required by talking, Loki revealed a pair of his own.
The three of them tore apart the kitchen, slashing, and crashing into furniture. Loki stabbed one in the shoulder and used his powers to force the other through a wall into the living room.
“HEIMDALL!” He yelled raising his hand. A beam of light reflected down a few seconds later and teleported him back to Asgard along with the elf. When they landed on the tele pad, the elf tried to take another swing at Loki, but he held firm the dagger in his shoulder and twisted it, bringing immense pain to the creature.
“What is going on?” Questioned Heimdall.
“Really, Heimdall? You see everything yet know nothing.” Said a winded Loki. “I must take this beast to my father.”
My mother held me tightly in her arms and my father looked on, unsure of what to say or do. I had thought they were overly welcoming when me and Loki showed up. I wanted so much for them to be happy.
“I’ve missed you so much.” Cried my mother. “I thought I’d never see you again.” Her hand drifted to mine and she felt the ring on my hand.
“What’s this?”
“I met someone during my stay on Asgard. We got married six years ago.”
My mom hugged me once more and my dad walked over to join in.
“It’s good to see you kiddo.”
Soon Abby joined in and I was overwhelmed with emotion. “How long have you guys been here?”
“I don’t know…maybe a couple of days.” Responded my dad. “A guy came by saying he was from the gas company and there was a leak detected they were trying to trace. By the time I got the feeling something was wrong it was too late.”
“We went by the house to see you. Loki, my husband, came to Earth on business.”
“I’m glad you did. We’ve missed you so much.” My mom wouldn’t let go of my hand and it made me feel even worse for leaving the way I did.
Loki was in the prison with the elf waiting on Odin and Thor. The elf sat staring at him with a grimacing smile.
“What is it they want?” Asked Odin, walking down the steps to the prison.
“The artifact.” Informed Thor.
“Where is it?”
Loki handed it to him.
“Do you realize the treaty that was signed by both Klaern and I, is now devoid of a resolution between our people?”
“Klaern is a weak leader. I serve Malekith, the one true leader to bring our people out of hiding.”
“Malekith is dead.” Said Thor.
“He lives.” Laughed the Elf with a sinister grin.
“Where did he take Lyla?” Demanded Loki.
The elf didn’t respond. Loki shut down the force field imprisoning the elf and walked inside, kicking the elf down and placed his foot on his throat.
“Where is she?” He yelled. Loki looked to Odin who gave him a slight nod. Loki placed his hands on the side of the Elf’s face and probed his mind looking for clues as to where Lyla might be. “They were planning on stealing the artifact from me and making Klaern believe we went back on our peace agreement. They’re in an underground cavern in the northern regions of Svartalfheim.”
“I will send word to Klaern of this treachery, you and Thor head towards the caverns.” Ordered Odin.
“Tell me about your husband, is he an Asgardian?” My mom smiled. It was just like her to try and distract herself from the problem at hand. But there wasn’t much any of us could do. I told her I was sorry, that after meeting Loki and being on Asgard for a year I didn’t want to come back home.
“So, you just left us behind, is that it?” My dad’s voice was scolding.
“Would you really of wanted your ‘delinquent’ daughter back? I bet you still think that coke was mine.” I turned to Abby. “Even after all this time, I’m still the bad kid. It’s okay, I didn’t come to see the two of you anyway.”
The door opened and two elves came in and grabbed me by my arms, I used my powers and forced one of them back out the door into the hall and the second into the wall. Malekith looked at the one in the hallway and smirked.
“Your husband has taught you a few tricks I see.” He used the same energy force to bring me down to my knees. I resisted as much as I could but I wasn’t nearly strong enough. I was a human who dabbled in minor magic, he had spent his whole life perfecting the use of it. The two elves returned to me and shackled my hands behind my back.
“Where are you taking her?” Questioned my dad. Malekith didn’t offer him a response.
Malekith pushed me into a room and shut the door behind him. I stood tall and stared him down.
“When Loki…”
“Shut up. Your husband is about as useless as the rest of his kind.” Malekith placed his hand on the side of my face and I turned away. He then grabbed my head in his hands and looked deep into my eyes. “He can’t even give you a child.”
“Get out of my head!” I yelled while pulling away. He grabbed my shoulders and jerked me back against him, pressing his lips firmly against mine and then bent me over a stone table. His hand forcefully pulled down my pants as he pulled my hair back and whispered into my ear.
“I tore out his heart after I had his mother killed. I will destroy his soul after I take you.”
“Please…” I begged desperately as Malekith forced himself inside me. “No…” I whimpered as my heart shattered. I screamed for him to stop, but soon realized the damage was done. He had taken what was Loki’s…
“You’ve sealed your fate.” I murmured when he was done. He said nothing as he left the room.