The Goth One

Maybe he could prove himself to his brother by protecting his niece. "And I am Thor, the God of Thunder," he greeted in return. "Before we arrive at the palace, I must have you promise to not speak with any of the elders. They're cruel and will find any means to hurt you." He will respect his brother's wishes for his daughter's to not speak their father.

Unfortunately for the witches, Celia knew the woods like the back of her hand. She had already prepared herself a satchel for times like these. No one could catch her. Her main priority was to escape the forest and get to Asgard.

Lila nodded, "I promise," she told him with a firm voice, "Thank you... Uncle Thor," that was his name, right? And he was her uncle, so, better to refer him as such.

They were too many and Nat and Loki were with their heads occupied on something else, at the end they both were captured and the chains that both struggled so much to remove, were back on, "Kill him!" one of the witches saith tho the ones that were holding Loki, "No!" Nat exclaimed, "Please, I will come with you, I'll do whatever you want but don't hurt him!" letting him go was not an option, she knows that.

There was a faint smile on his lips, maybe if he does a good job protecting Lila he can convince his brother to return. "You shall be staying in my brother's room, no one bother's the room any longer so you shall be safe and hidden in plain site there."

Even battered and bloody, there was a low animalistic snarl from the former God at the witches. One of the witches who was holding him yanked his head up by his hair, one of their hands tangled in his hair. He was going to kill every last one of them. One of the witches stepped towards Loki, their hands coated in magic before they punched him. Loki's eyes hardened and pierced the one before him. They punched him again, again, and again until the he finally fell unconscious. Only than did they dare to return to their coven.

They were a few feet from Loki's old chambers and someone cleared his throat, no, not just someone, the Allfather himself, "I see you have returned son," he said with his deep and somehow menacing voice, "Will you introduce me to your little companion," oh, it was obvious who she was, she was even more identical to his younger son than his first child, also, the seidr in her was quite strong, just like her sister. Instinctively, Lila tried to hide behind Thor once she heard his voice, but he noticed her, so there was no other option that introduce herself to the old man, "My name is Lila, sir," how should she address him, your majesty? my lord? grandfather?

Nat's pleas and screaming were muffled by the witches hitting him, she swore to kill them, to make them pay for every single drop of blood they drew out of him. As they were dragged to the witches lair, she had at least one consolation, Celia was safe, they didn't know about her existence, and her daughter was clever, she ran away and she was safe.

Perhaps this was why his brother could never fully trust him — for even he had failed to keep Lila hidden from their father. The Allfather's gaze was piercing, weighing heavily on Lila as she stood before him. Thor stepped forward slightly, offering a silent but supportive presence at her side. "Lila," the Allfather repeated, his tone unreadable. "You bear the mark of your father's lineage. The seidr in you is strong." Thor began, his voice steady, "Father, Lila has come a long way and deserves our protection and guidance," he emphasized the last three words, "for she is family." Odin's eyes softened slightly, though the sternness never left his expression entirely. "Family, indeed," he mused. "You must understand, Lila, that with our blood comes great responsibility. The power within you must be honed and controlled."

Alone in the mystic woods of her childhood, where her family once lived in peace, she shuddered before a pond, a sob wrecking through her. Forced to abandon her family and unable to save her parents, she fell to her knees, overwhelmed by the pain caused by those who sought to harm them for their differences and cowardice. She dried her tears, knowing she had no time to cry; she had to retrieve her sister before anything happened to her. Dipping her hand into the water, she uttered a poem. The water shimmered and turned to gold, enveloping her as she fell into the pond's reflection. Swimming upward, she emerged to see the golden realm of Asgard in the distance.

"I-I understand," she told the old man, she understood right there that she had to play this game with his rules, "I came here to learn about my family and the responsibilities that comes with our blood," she emphasized the word our, so he saw that she will be compelling and won't cause problems.

Loki was placed in the same cell that Nat was captive many years ago, that dark cold cell. Meanwhile, she was taken to their leader, "I told you would pay for your treason," the old woman said to her, "And I told you I would burn this fucking place to the ground," Nat growled, fighting against her restraints, "But you see... I have what you love the most, and if you want him to live, you will behave and you will listen," she knew those were not empty threats, "Odin is getting weak, it is the time for us to rise against him and Asgard, make him pay for what he did to us," the witch looked at Nat's eyes, "You both will be the key to our victory, I think that once we drain the princeling's powers you will be able to keep what remains of him, all the parts," she gave her a wicked, yet terrifying smile, "Unless you want to cooperate," if this was what she needed to do to get them free and get their daughters, "I will work with you with one condition, you let me see him first," at least she could see him and heal his wounds, and promise him that they will get out of this one.

The Allfather's gaze softened slightly, though a stern edge remained. "Very well," he said, his voice resonant with authority. "Understand this, Lila: knowledge of our lineage is a privilege, and the power it grants must be wielded with wisdom and care. You will have your chance to learn, but you must also prove yourself worthy." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "You are expected to uphold the honor and responsibilities that come with our blood. Do not disappoint me." Thor stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Lila’s shoulder. He knew all too well the gravity of their father's expectations and the dark consequences of failing to meet them. His heart tightened at the thought, but he kept his expression composed. He turned to Odin, bowing his head respectfully. “Father, if you will allow it, I would like to take Lila to prepare her for what lies ahead. There is much she must learn, and I wish to guide her personally.” Odin studied Thor for a moment, his gaze penetrating. Finally, he nodded. “Very well, Thor. See to it that she understands the weight of our legacy.” “Thank you, Father,” Thor replied, relief subtly washing over him. He gently steered Lila away from the Allfather’s imposing presence, his grip firm but comforting. As they walked, he whispered, “There’s much I need to tell you, Lila, but not here. We need to find a safe place to talk.”


During her time away from her icy prison, new chains were installed to hold prisoners against the wall, entrapping them even more. In the center of the prison, Loki hung, his feet digging into the earth as he tried to press his back against the wall as far as he could. His breathing was hitched. The door flung open, causing both him and his torturer to snap their heads towards the entrance. Natalia was shoved to the ground in front of his cell, appearing in far better shape than he was, having been whipped hoLoki's torturer held a white glowing branding iron, hovering about half a meter from his chest. Loki and Natalia locked eyes, and for a brief moment, his panic subsided. But then his vision turned white—it was too hot, too much, all-consuming. The branding iron hissed as it met his once white skin, turning it from baby blue to a disgusting ash black. He thrashed against his restraints, kicking up dirt, trying to escape the unbearable heat. Desperation overcame him, and he began to beg in broken sobs for them to stop, but they let the branding iron cool off against his skin, ignoring his pleas.

Lila just nodded and followed her uncle, then they arrived to the library, one of the safest places, due to almost no one visiting it since his brother left, "Prove myself worthy?" she asked, will she face trials of some sort? would she be enough?

"STOP!!!" She screamed and even with the chains, she made his torturer fly to the other side of the cell, "This was just showing you what could happen if you don't comply," and with that she left the lovers alone, at least for a couple of minutes, "Loki... Loki... please look at me, look at me love," she cupped his face and started to heal his wounds and clean the fresh and dried blood, "please talk to me," she begged as tears ran down from her eyes.

He despises that sentence, his gut twisted in anguish, sickening at past memories of his father's use of such quotes. The first time he was forced to kill, he couldn't have been no older than eight, it was a woman tied in ropes on her knees before the throne, sobbing for forgiveness. His father had given him a knife and told him to slit her throat. "Yes, he will give you a task you must complete and there are consequences for failure." The least minor of them was being whipped.

There was a fog over Loki's eyes as he flinched at her touch, a sob escaping his lips as he tried to pull away. "No more," he begged, his voice breaking. His lower back was burning, the searing heat consuming him, the pain was overwhelming. He was going to die, withering beneath the branding iron. A hand slipped between his legs, adding a twisted mix of pain and pleasure, pushing him to the edge of his endurance. The torment was too much; every nerve in his body screamed for some type of release, for an end to the agony. Flinching away from whoever touched his chest, he caught his breath when his eyes finally focused on, "Natalia," he leaned into her touch, resting his face against her shoulder, "please don't go ... I - I can't, not again. I can't face it again ... " Not the brand iron, he can handle anything but that.

"W-what kind of trials?" she was getting more and more nervous by the second, "what consequences?" she asked, "Please uncle, please tell me," she needed to know to be ready for them, coming back was not an option anymore, not now that her grandfather knows that she was there.

"I am here love, I'm here and I promise I'll get us out of here, no one will touch you again, I promise, I swear," she reassured him, or at least tried to, then she undid the chains and helped him to seat on the ground, "That's better, right?" that way she could ease his pain, she doesn't know how longer would they be there, or if she would be able to come back and see him, but she was sure that her conditions will be heard and accepted.

He should have never brought her here. She was far too innocent for this brutal court. "Not trials, Lila—tasks," Thor clarified, his voice heavy with regret. "He may command you to retrieve the eye of a Cyclops, the hide of a Puca, or even execute a prisoner. These are the tasks my father assigned to me. Failure results in severe punishment—torture or whipping. Asgard is renowned for its warriors. We must be strong."

Collapsing into Natalia's arms, his strength stripped from him, he tilted his head up to see Natalia. Everything was spinning. Raising his hand to cup her cheek he pulled her into a hungry kiss. Maybe the last one he'll ever receive from her. Pulling away his vision began to fade in and out, his body was completely drained. "I'll be fine, but no more fire." He cannot take the heat, it was his greatest weakness.

"You-you will help me, right?" she asked her uncle, she had to do those tasks, she didn't have another option, she couldn't come back.

She kissed him back, she didn't like the feeling of it though, it felt like a goodbye of some sort, "You'll be fine, I swear," she promised and pecked his lips once more, "Leave him," One of the witches told her, "I won't," "You must, or he'll pay the consequences," fuck them. Nat stood up and left the cell, she will make them regret all of this.