a change of heart (dark! l.l x reader)
‘“She may be blessed with the kindest heart and the fairest face of anybody in this kingdom, but upon her sixteenth birthday, the girl will prick her finger upon the spindle of a spinning wheel, and she will die.”’
Loki smiled to himself upon the chair as he recalled the curse he had placed almost sixteen years earlier.
‘“Brother, please!” Thor begged from his place beside Erda on the stone steps in front of him, desperately attempting to move forward to rescue his daughter. Loki merely snarled, blasting the god further backwards, his brother barely managing to stay on his feet.
“Oh please, you knew this was coming. It’s your own pathetic fault for not inviting me, your own brother, to the baptism of your daughter.” Loki grinned, teeth bared as the final touch of magic settled over the newborn child.
“Loki, we didn’t realise. Please, curse me, just leave Y/N alone!” Erda sobbed, managing to rush forwards once the forcefield had settled.
“Too little, too late I’m afraid. Terribly sorry,” The dark haired God of Mischief laughed cruelly “But what is done is done.”
Thor was quick to move forwards, Mjolnir in one hand as he swung the hammer towards the chest of Loki, however, the weapon simply passed through his chest as the man apparated to the side, a bored look on his face.
“Dear brother, you really must try to become a little less predictable..” Loki drawled, as the crown of golden horns began to materialise over his black locks.
Turning to face the crowd of now shocked faces, he extended his arms in farewell, the same smirk across his angular features.
“It has been a pleasure to be here, for me at least..” The dark-haired god announced, backing away to the large stained glass window behind the thrones of the King and Queen. “Alas, I must bid my good-byes,” Turning to Thor, he gave one last blast to his brothers’ chest, finally sending the man crashing to his feet. “Try not to miss me too much.” Were the gods’ parting words, before a swish of his long green cape left no evidence the evil being was ever here except the steady cry of the newborn child now carrying the God of Mischief's curse.’
In present time, now lounging in a plush throne, Loki flicked his wrist hazily, an apparition appearing in front of him.
Of course, to avoid their precious daughter ever coming into contact with a spinning wheel, Thor and Erda had burnt every wooden spindle in the castle, and on her third birthday, sent the girl away to live in the forest under the care of three goddesses; Darcy, Jane and Sif. Loki snorted at the ridiculousness of his brothers’ actions- it was apparent they weren’t properly related, as Thor lacked the clear intelligence that Loki felt he so abundantly possessed.
He was still able to see the girl every time he wished to do so. A simple movement and her whereabouts as well as her current activities were revealed to him. As much as Thor and Erda tried, along with the three goddesses that had raised the princess, nothing could have undone the curse he bestowed upon her as a child, and now her sixteenth birthday was nigh, his fully-formulated plan was almost time to hatch.
He studied the scene in front of him at the moment, the young princess sat at the table with Dary, Jane and Sif as the four of them sipped tea. The dialogue was fuzzy, but he was just about able to make out what they were saying.
“You know, your sixteenth birthday is almost here, Lady Y/N..” Sif observed, nodding at the young girl seated in front of her. The girl merely shrugged, smiling slightly.
“You know you all mustn't go out of your way to do anything special. After all, it’s only a birthday. I’ve had more than a dozen before and there are still plenty to come..” Y/N observed, taking another sip of her tea. At this, Loki noticed Jane nudge Sif with her foot, something that seemed to go unnoticed by the girl. While Y/N stared into her tea, the three goddesses exchanged looks and silent words, each of them prodding and poking the other as discreetly as they could.
Finally, after a couple of moments, Darcy cleared her throat, catching the attention of Y/N.
“Actually, we have something to tell you..” She admitted, glancing at Jane who sat beside her. The older woman simply shrugged, a silent gesture that she was not to be the one to spill the news. Darcy scowled, but said nothing as she turned back to the girl.
“You-uhm..your mother and father have picked out an acceptable suitor..” She blurted, as Loki observed Y/N’s eyes go as wide as his own. This was certainly new information to him.
“Already? But I thought you said I wasn’t to be wed until my eighteenth birthday..” Y/N knitted her eyebrows together in confusion, as Loki leaned forwards in his chair, desperately clinging on to every word that was being spoken.
“That’s very true, we thought the same thing,” Jane interrupted, leaning forward. “But we spoke to your father not three days ago, and he was adamant you return to the palace to marry as soon as possible.”
At Darcy’s confession, Loki gave a casual flick of his wrist and the apparition disappeared, gently fizzling away like a dying candle. Smoothing a hand over his face, the God of Mischief gave a low chuckle at this new development. It seemed that Thor and his wife had become far too complacent on their spindle-burning tactic, deeming it safe enough for the princess to finally return to the castle and be married to this suitor they had declared acceptable enough for their daughter. Whoever the man was, Loki was almost certain he would never be up to the required standard to ask for Y/N’s hand in marriage.
The large grin not leaving his face and cogs in his head turning quickly, Loki set to work formulating a new plan, one that was sure to have his curse fulfilled just as he had ordered.
-
“We shan’t be long my dear..” Sif called from the fence gate of the little cottage in the middle of the forest. Darcy and Jane waved to the young girl who was standing at the door, watching her carers as they left to finalise details of her impending marriage with her mother and father. Y/N had been told she couldn’t return to the castle until certain things had been discussed, and she was to wait until the three goddesses came back to collect her.
However, at the same time the trio of women were making their way to Thor’s castle, a dark figure stood not half a mile away from the little cottage the princess resided in, now all alone for the first time in nearly sixteen years. Loki grinned to himself as he ridded himself of his golden horned armour, and as he walked up the stone path to the front door, he was dressed in nothing but slate dress trousers and a deep green shirt.
Adopting his best friendly demeanor, he knocked three times on the wooden door and stepped back, waiting for the girl to answer it. Attempting to repress another dark smirk at the knowledge of the girls’ cursed fate, his gaze finally settled on Princess Y/N as she opened the door, and he found himself momentarily stunned.
Of course, he had caught glimpses of the young girl when watching her grow up through various apparitions, but nothing could have prepared him for the girl who he could now visualise clearly, standing directly in front of him after all these years. Yes, he had known she was to be blessed with beauty like none other, but he wasn’t prepared to ever appreciate the sheer extent of it. Glossy hair gave way to a perfectly shaped face and sculpted eyebrows, now knitted together in confusion at the sudden appearance of a man at her doorstep. Even her lips were perfect, parted gently as if she was about to speak.
He had cursed this beautiful creature to die on her sixteenth birthday, but now, he was beginning to see the error of his ways. What was one tiny tweak of a detail to the entire plan?
The idea he had now would be far more pleasing, for her and for himself.
“Can I help you, Sir?” The soft lilt of her voice was like music to his ears, and it took every ounce of self-restraint to not pull her close to him and take her straight away. Nonetheless, Loki smiled pleasantly, clasping his hands behind his back.
“My apologies, Lady Y/N, I was merely taken aback by your ethereal beauty..” He said, as the girl gave him a soft smile at the compliment. “My name is Loki, Prince Loki Laufeyson of Jotunheim,” The god introduced, bowing slightly in front of the young girl. “It appears your mother and father believe I am an acceptable suitor for you.”
At his false confession, he watched Y/N’s eyes light up in realization, as she opened the door a little wider, allowing him to drink in the full image of her. Gods, how his brother could have created such a wonderful being was beyond him.
“Oh, this is unexpected, my name is Y/N Thordottir, Princess of Asgard..” She returned, giving her own curtsey for the man standing in front of her. At this, Loki smiled. She had manners too, which was always a positive; respect was hard to come by these days.
“I am aware, and I must say once again, you are far more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.” Loki continued to flatter, as the girl drew closer to him still, giggling at the compliment.
“That’s very kind of you to say, Prince Loki,” The girl started, her tone however adopting a quizzical lilt. “However, I must say I am surprised to see you here. Sif, Jane and Darcy said they would come and escort me to the castle tomorrow and I would meet you then..”
Ah. He had not expected a challenge to arise this quickly.
Nevertheless, the smile didn’t disappear from his face, as he nodded his head in false agreement.
“Yes, I was told this was to be the arrangement. Alas, Lady Sif became ill not long after their journey up to the castle began..” Loki started, enjoying the worried expression that graced the young girls’ features. “Please, don’t fret, she is being treated properly at the castle,” He reassured, stepping closer “But I was told by your father that, although it’s not proper custom, I was to escort you safely back to him.”
Nodding her head, the girl seemed to have no issue trusting him. Why would she, when he so eloquently played the part?
“That’s very kind of you, Loki. Am I to collect anything to bring back to the castle? It’s just I’ve lived here my entire life, everything I own is-”
“No, just come with me.” Loki said, cursing himself immediately afterwards at the harsh tone he used. The girl evidently picked up on this, turning round curiously to face him. Giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, he gestured down the stone path. “Shall we?”
Foolishly deeming him trustworthy enough, Y/N returned his warm expression, smoothing the long skirt which she wore and finally stepping out of the front door, shutting the wooden frame behind her. Mesmerized by the enticing way the girl walked as she drew closer to him. Once she stopped directly parallel to him, so close he could smell the sweet scent of summer rain on her skin, he placed one firm hand over the centre of her chest.
The expression on her face was almost comical as the tell-tale blue of the tesseract began to seep through her veins, finally dulling the stunned gaze of her bright eyes. As his hand was drawn away from her warm body, a slow, calculated smile etched itself onto her delicate features. How foolish she was to have trusted him.
“Where to, Master?” Her voice spoke, slower than before, yet the angelic lull was still there, and his body tingled with excitement at her choice of words.
“Come, my darling. I have big plans for you..” He crooned, placing his hand on top of her own and apparating the two of them away, the sky above now growing an ominous dark colour.
-
“Gone?! What do you mean ‘gone’?!’ Thor bellowed at the shaking messenger in front of him. He was only a young man, his palms sweating nervously as the god in front of him paced backwards and forwards, running a hand through his golden hair.
‘L-lady Sif has just returned along with Darcy and Jane, I’m sorry my Lord, they searched everywhere, they just said she was gone..” The messenger stammered, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Thor huffed angrily, waving a hand and dismissing the young boy, who fled quickly from the room.
Erda approached her husband quietly, placing a delicate hand on his bicep. At this, Thor turned to face her, expression furious.
“They’ll find her, I know they will..” She soothed.
“How could I have been so foolish to let them leave her on her own..” The God of Thunder muttered to himself, resting his heavy head in his hands. “Clearly she was too naive to stay put or too weak to defend herself.”
“She was sixteen. It’s not just you. We all felt she would be safe..” The older woman replied, placing her other hand across his broad shoulder. The couple stayed silent for a few more moments, before Erda spoke again. “Is this-you don’t think this could be him, do you..?” She inquired, but Thor was quick to shake his head.
“No, Loki died years ago, it would be impossible..”
Nodding in agreement, Erda fell quiet once more, whilst the castle guards began to comb the forest in search of the missing girl.
-
When Y/N finally awoke from what seemed to be a peaceful slumber, she found herself unable to move her limbs. Groggily looking round, the young girl found that she was in fact not in her bed at the cottage, or even in the sunny meadows in which she sometimes napped whilst reading, but in fact a dark, concrete room, the unpleasant smell of damp invading her nostrils.
As soon as she attempted to stretch, a biting pain caused a small gasp to emit from her throat, as she glanced to see her wrists chained to the dirty wall behind her. The last thing she remembered was Prince Loki arriving at her doorstep about to escort her to the castle; he had been extremely charming, albeit slightly nervous. Had they been injured on their journey, brought here for protection? She couldn’t even remember exiting her cottage.
“Loki? Prince Loki?” She called, her own voice bouncing off the walls of the dingy room. Silence ensued, nothing but the steady drip of the leaking pipe to her left answering her implied shout for help.
“Loki? Are you here?”
Once more, nothing.
Sighing, she could only assume the prince had been taken somewhere else, as she slumped against the wall. Surely it wouldn’t be long until someone would come and look for her? Her mother and father, as well as Sif, Jane and Darcy would wonder when they were coming back to be wed. Yes, they would find her. They would find her and Loki, and they would both be brought back to Asgard to be married.
However, no sooner had she began imagining her own wedding day whilst being bound in chains, the echoing of footsteps filled her ears. They were faint at first, slowly getting louder as the figure grew nearer to the room in which she was trapped in.
“Hello? Can you help me please? I seem to have been locked in these..” She shouted, yanking the thick metal cuffs in the hope the stranger on the other side of the wall could hear her.
She gained no response, only the sound of keys in the lock, before a door to her right opened, light seeping through and into the darkened room.
“Hello?” She asked cautiously, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light. A tall figure now stood in front of her, and Y/N’s frown turned into a wide smile when she saw the long dark locks of Loki in front of her.
“Prince Loki! Thank the gods you’re here. I’m stuck in these chains, would you be able to help me? My father will be expecting us back at the castle, especially si-”
She was cut off by a harsh slap to the side of her left cheek, the blow so strong it caused a single tear to leak from her left duct. Drawing back in shock, Y/N’s voice cracked, lip now trembling at the sudden force used against her.
The harshness of Loki’s actions was instantly juxtaposed by his smooth palm caressing the cheek he had just assaulted, crouching down so she could now peer into the icy blueness of his eyes.
“Shh now, darling, you’re exactly where you need to be..” His voice was vastly different to what she recalled as he stood on the steps of the cottage. It was darker and smoother, a menacing lilt to his tone.
Struggling for words, she frantically searched his face for any signs he might be lying, or even the far-fetched reality that this was all a dream.
“B-but I don’t understand,” The young girl stuttered. “You said we were going back to my parents, back to Sif, Jane and Darcy. I thought we were getting married..” Her voice broke at the end, getting quieter and quieter.
Loki chuckled darkly. “My sweet girl, we are getting married. In fact, we already are husband and wife, you just don’t remember the ceremony. Such a pity, really.. The god began, his hand still stroking her soft cheek.
The princess attempted to open her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, Loki pulled his hand away, standing to his full height and began pacing the perimeter of the small room she was held in.
“You see, your father banished me from Asgard a long time ago. Something about killing our father, trying to take the throne for myself. Technicalities..” He waved his hand, as if dismissing the thought entirely. “When you were born, I was the only God not invited to your baptism, which was rather rude of Thor if you ask me.”
Y/N said nothing, her mind couldn’t form the words. Instead she sat staring slack-jawed at the man she believed was her fiance.
“To cut a rather long and boring story short, I cursed you, my dear. A mistake, on my part, now considering your beauty. You were to die on your sixteenth birthday as punishment to your parents; now when I turned up at your door, I had every intention of taking you with me to kill you.” Loki admitted, now standing still in front of the girl. “But when I saw you I had a change of heart, if you will. It would have been such a terrible waste to kill a creature such as yourself-no, I was incredibly generous to allow you to come with me and become my bride.”
“But I d-don’t, I-I can’t remember coming with you. Where are we? I-I-” Y/N began to sob at the mans’ confession, tears now openly falling down her cheeks. Loki crouched down to her height once again, wiping the tears from her face.
“Shh now, no tears. My tesseract, you were completely under my control for the journey, and our wonderful wedding ceremony..” The God of Mischief chuckled at the girls’ horrified expression. “It’s perfect for me, really. I get you, a young, smart and beautiful bride, and your parents are still punished. I’m afraid you shan’t be seeing anyone but me again though, my dear..”
Y/N only cried harder, now desperately tugging at the chains that bound her wrists to the wall in a futile attempt to free herself. Loki simply watched the girl struggle for a moment, admiring the way her form almost glowed in the dim light of the cell.
After a few moments, she stopped, chest heaving as beads of sweat dropped down her forehead.
“Please let me go, I won’t ever tell them you did this to me..” Y/N pleaded, gazing into the eyes of her captor. Loki only chuckled darkly, patting the young girl's head. Moving closer to her face, she desperately attempted to move away from his invading proximity, only to find her head backed up completely against the concrete wall.
The man leaned in agonisingly slow, enjoying the way the girl squirmed to get away from him. Finally pressing a long, hard kiss to her lips that left her sobbing in fear and disbelief, he drew back up to his original height.
“I’m afraid that just isn’t an option anymore, pet.” He crooned, staring down at the princess. “However, if you’re a good girl for me, I’ll come down tomorrow and bring you upstairs with me..”
“No, please..” She whispered, voice hoarse, but Loki simply ignored her pleas, heading back to the door in which he entered. Before he exited back up the stone steps, he turned to the helpless girl, giving her one last, cruel smirk.
“Goodnight, my beautiful bride. Make sure you’re well rested for tomorrow.” Were the last words he uttered, before the cell door slammed shut and Y/N was plunged into desolate darkness once again.
Letting out one final, strangled sob as the footsteps grew fainter and fainter, her head hung low, hair covering her bloodshot eyes. Nobody knew where she was, nobody could even hear her. Sif, Jane, Darcy, even her mother and father.
A single tear slipped down her already sodden cheek as she realised there was nobody coming back for her. She belonged to Loki now.