The Man in the Iron Mask

As I stood out in the corridor I could have sworn that if anyone had walked around the corner, I would have screamed. The dark in Asgard was dark, and Loki had been very strict on the lighting we were to use. If we were doing this, he had said, then we were to do it properly. He didn’t wish to be caught and our plans ruined before we’d even left Asgard. Neither did I. I blinked a few times in rapid procession in an attempt to somehow be able to see in the dark but nothing much changed. I could see no more in front of me than before; I had Loki’s back in my vision as I followed him and would not let him leave my sight.

Loki hadn’t told me his plans, but I wasn’t expecting anything anytime soon. I’d come to find over our short history that Loki was reluctant to share his plans, or maybe he just never made any to begin with.

“Stop scuffing your shoes,” he snapped, turning to grab me by the arm as some sort of warning. I hadn’t noticed the sound of anything but the silence that surrounded us as we scuttled out of the kingdom. We turned another corner and I could feel a gentle breeze on my face. As Loki opened another door, I was almost blown over. We were finally out. The stars lit the ground a lot better out there, though I didn’t feel any safer. Loki smiled a smile of relief as he spotted no guards and ran us off down the pathway, down to I wasn’t sure where.

“So what now?” I asked once Loki finally decided it was safe enough to stop running and start walking.

“Now, I find us some transportation. We need to get across to the opposite shore. There will be a boat, and then a journey across the sea.” This didn’t sound too bad. I could handle a few waves. Loki’s previous worry over our journey was perhaps something of the moment and not the reality. Or, so I hoped.

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My hands raked through the long grass in the field as I looked up at the stars, trying to remember the constellations Loki had pointed out one night when he had been in a particularly good mood. I took my gaze back down to across the field where Loki stood with a mare, gently stroking her neck and whispering something into her ear. It wasn’t long before he was walking her over towards me, smiling, and obviously proud of himself.

“I wasn’t aware you could talk to animals.”

“I have a way with words, I guess,” he said, smiling. “I’ll help you up.” I felt as Loki placed his hands on either side of my waist, lifting me high enough to sit upon the beautiful mare who really didn’t seem to mind at all. He propped himself up next, sitting close behind me and grabbing hold of the mane with one hand, the other pressed firmly against my waist as if scared I might fall off. I almost did once we were off, but was quick to regain my balance and settle into the rhythm of the mare’s hooves as she rode us into darkness.

“How do you know what way you’re going?” I asked, a little worried that Loki was not at all ready for our little adventure. He’d taken only an evening to decide what he was doing. I had to have my doubts about him.

“Have some faith in me, Madeline. You will see that by sunrise, the waves will be rolling out to greet us.” I decided to say nothing more about it and let him think I had that faith, though I was a firm believer in ‘seeing is believing’. He rested his head a little closer to mine and his arm wrapped around my waist a little tighter, both things I wasn’t sure I minded. I closed my eyes as his cheek grazed mine and listened to the wind whirling around us, to the night, to Loki’s breath in my ear.

“This is what it feels like to be free. This is something you would never have felt without my help.” He had me there, and I didn’t mind admitting to that. I’d never felt quite so… at peace.