Loki After Endgame: Cheating Death

Chap 37: Aelsa & Ljosalfgard

"It would be an honor." Sif replies, "Would you like me to escort the prisoner to the dungeon?"

The Queen's expression hardens briefly, then smooths, "Yes. Thank you Sif, please do so immediately."

Sif spurs into action; forcefully grabbing Nixx by the shoulder and dragging him down through a hidden latch on the floor of the cottage.

Before Sif disappears I call out, "So we officially passed the final test then?"

Sif glances over her shoulder her eyes lingering over Loki for a moment before replying, "You'll find out once we get back to Klyntar."

"Always unnecessary formalities." Loki mumbles under his breath so quietly that only I can hear. I roll my eyes. We passed, of course we did, I tell myself as The Queen begins speaking once more.

"Tirza my dear, while I wait for Sif to return, would you mind taking them to their guestrooms?"

Tirza smiles somewhat bashfully at her Queen, the dedication clear in her soft hazel eyes, "As you wish your highness."

Tirza passes the larger lantern to Aelsa and by the time she turns to face us, the flush on her cheeks has vanished. She gestures to the hatch Sif just climbed down, "I'm sure you're both quite exhausted. Allow me to take you through the secret underground tunnel to reach your rooms."

Loki and I follow Tirza down the hatch that leads into a dark tunnel and once the three of us have climbed in, I summon my magic-made fire to add to the light. The smell of damp earth fills my lungs as we walk down the long tunnel that eventually deposits us in front of a short spiral staircase. After we climb to the top, Tirza informs us that we're no longer underground but inside the basement of the castle. Then she leads us up several winding staircases as Loki and I continue to ignore each other. When we reach the fourth level of stairs, the lean elf unlocks a large brass door with a lion's mouth in place of a doorknob. The lean elf leads us through the door and down a long, arched hall decorated with hundreds of gold framed portraits of royal elves. We stroll down the hall, my eyes admiring the regal looking elves, each one of them wearing a crown and draped in more crystals and jewels than the last. Once we reach the end of the dimly lit hall, Tirza halts and gestures to the door, pulling the set of gold clinking keys from her pocket, "This is your room Loki, I do hope you enjoy your stay and find the room to your liking."

Rather than waiting for her to unlock the door, Loki uses his magic to unclick the lock, and silently slips into the room and shuts the door behind him soundlessly.

I give Tirza an apologetic smile and shrug, "Ignore him, he's just grumpy cause it's past his bedtime."

Tirza chuckles heartily, her pointed ears reddening, "It's quite alright I'm not really much of a conversationalist myself anyways." Then she leads me further down the hall, passing several other doorways. "The Queen always tells me that if I didn't spend so much of my time buried in a book, that I might get better at it. But I'm not worried. I'd rather spend my time learning." She pauses in front of a white door at the end of the hall and unlocks it for me, "Anyways, this is your room. I hope you like it." 

After thanking her politely, I enter the large guest room, my eyes catching on the blue patchwork wallpaper that reminds me of the time I visited Morocco on Earth. I don't even bother turning on the light as I strip off my armor and pull my pajamas from my bag. As I focus on the comforting presence of the four walls that protect me, I gulp down several swigs from my bottle of ale before climbing into the large king-sized bed lined with a dark wood headboard. But even after consuming enough ale to give me a dreamless sleep, horrifying images torment me through the night. 

I'm standing in a dark lush forest when I hand Hoder the bow and arrow that he doesn't know Loki has already enchanted. 

"Okay Kamilla, I trust you." Hoder grins at me warmly, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement. "If you say it's been blessed by the Norn Witches themselves, then it will be an honor to use it in the Asgardian games tonight!"