Through the Glass

With her left hand holding a fist full of red fabric, Cora sighs as she grabs the scissors beside her cuts the extra fabric. Her brown eyes are focused on Xaven who is being fitted for a new dress that Queen Arana requested Cora to make. In the fitting room now is Xaven, Cora and Frigga as well as a few hand maids of Frigga’s. Cora tosses the fabric into the pile that is quickly growing and Frigga watches with an amused smile on her lips.

“Are you almost finished?” Xaven asks for the fifth time in an hour.

Cora narrows her eyes at the question and Frigga chuckles, “Xaven, dear you have to be patient. This dress cannot be anything, but perfect since you are the one wearing it.”

Xaven smiles at her grandmother’s words and Cora smirks, “If you would have worn the heels like I told you to, I would be able to finish faster.”

“I don’t like wearing heels. I prefer flats,” Xaven states folding her arms over her chest.

Cora nods her head with a roll of her eyes, she has heard this many times before, “Yes, yes, I know little dove. That is why we are here now,” Cora points out and Xaven sighs shifting her weight to her right leg. “Stand straight,” Cora orders and Xaven groans, but does as she’s told.
“Cora?” Cora glances over her shoulder at Frigga, before she turns her attention back to Xaven’s dress. “Have you talked to Thor since the other night?”

“Since he apologized? No, I have not.”

“What did my Father do now?” Xaven asks.

Cora shakes her head, “It is nothing I cannot handle. I am use to your Father putting his foot in his mouth.”

Frigga laughs, “That is the only thing that has not changed with Thor’s age.” Frigga stands up from her chair and walks over to Cora and Xaven to get a better look at the dress. “This is a lovely gown, Cora. I still do not understand why you do not wish to be a dress maker.”
Cora shrugs her shoulders, “I do not want such a joy to become a burden. I enjoy being able to create gowns at my leisure. If I were to become a dress maker, I would hardly have any time to myself.”

“Do you think you could make me a pair of trousers?” Xaven asks and Cora makes a face.

“You want trousers, but yet you refuse to stay still for a gown? What am I going to do with you little dove?” Cora laughs and Xaven giggles.

“I wish to ride Sadie more often,” Xaven explains and Frigga grins.

“Oh, she is a fine horse. Strong and elegant, just like her keeper.” Xaven blushes at her grandmother’s words and Cora nods her head in agreement.

“I will make you a set of trousers, but you must race Archer and me, when they are done,” Cora bargains and Xaven nods her head happily. The three women talk and laugh as Cora works and they stop when the main door to Cora’s chambers opens. “Who enters?” Cora calls out.

“Tis, Thor!” Cora sighs and Frigga watches Cora closely. “May I have a word?”

“Little busy right now.”

“It is important.”

“We’re in my closet Thor,” Cora tells him with a sigh and she stands up from her spot on the floor. With a wave of her hand, Cora sends pins through the air to hold up Xaven’s gown, so she doesn’t lose her place. Xaven sighs and moves to sit down, but Cora narrows her eyes, “Please, stop moving.” Xaven freeze and Cora makes a chair appear underneath Xaven. With a nod of her head, Cora lets Xaven know that she can now sit down. Thor walks into the closet and he smiles at his daughter and mother before he turns his gaze to Cora. “What do you need?”

Thor clears his throat and looks Cora right in her eyes, “I have talked to the council as well as the guards who tends to Loki-” Thor stops when he sees Cora’s eyes light up at the mere mention of his brother’s name. Licking his lips, Thor goes on, “The guards tell me that Loki has caused no issues and he is no trouble to them at all. I relayed the message to the council along with many others. After three days we have come to a decision-”

“He’ll be set free?” Xaven asks excitedly and Thor glances over at his daughter. Thor gives her a small smile and turns his attention back to Cora.

“We cannot bring ourselves to fully trust Loki, no matter his behavior in a cell. Loki has no choice, but to behave in a cell, but outside who knows what he could do.” The light starts to fade from Cora’s eyes and Frigga frowns at Thor’s words. “Cora, I cannot allow for Loki to be set free at this time, but I will allow you visitation. Twice a day you may see Loki, but you are not allowed in his cell. The visits will be monitored for one month and a report will be giving to myself and the council at the end.”

“A report for what?” Cora asks, speaking for the first time.

“You need not worry about that at this time. Do you accept my offer?” Thor questions and Cora bites her lower lip. She remembers when she snuck down to see Loki in his cell, she was able to touch him. Cora is not sure if she can see Loki in person and not be able to touch him…

“…I accept.”



“No, I don’t like this dress either,” Cora shakes her head and moves to wave her hand, but Frigga grabs hold of her wrist.

“My dear, this is the sixth dress you have tried on. Stop it, you look beautiful and knowing my son, I know that he will love it. He would love you in anything,” Frigga says giving Cora’s hand a light squeeze. “Now sit down, let me do your hair.” Frigga pulls Cora out of her closet and leads her over to her vanity. Cora sits down and she bites her lip as she watches Frigga do her hair in the mirror. “You’re worried?”

“What if I’m not strong enough to do this? What if I say something to upset Loki or I cry-”

“There is nothing wrong with showing weakness…in this case it is not weakness at all, but your willingness to show Loki you trust him. If you can cry in front of him or show him how vulnerable he makes you, don’t you think that is showing your trust? Loki has no one in his corner right now, but the two of us. Show him how he makes you feel, do not hold anything back. Loki needs to see that he is missed, that he is loved.”

Cora looks down at the ring on her finger and she touches it with her fingertips lightly, “I will always love him and my heart misses him every day,” Cora says softly with a sad smile on her face.

Frigga lowers herself so that her face is right next to Cora’s in the mirror, “I am sure that Loki feels the same,” Frigga gives Cora’s shoulders a squeeze and goes back to doing Cora’s hair. “There now, all finished.” Frigga steps back away from Cora and watches as Cora admires her work.

“Thank you Frigga.” Cora stands from her chair and hugs Frigga tightly and Frigga hugs her back just as tightly.

“Go to him, dear. Loki may not know it, but he subconsciously waits for you.”

Cora steps out of Frigga’s embrace and stares at her, “You are not coming?”

Frigga shakes her head, “I am not the one who will oversee you. He is waiting by the door,” Frigga says and Cora frowns, but nods her head in acceptance. Lifting her skirts, Cora walks out of her bed chambers and heads to the main doors of her chambers. Pulling the door open, Cora is surprised, but happy to see that Hogun will oversee her and Loki’s visits.

“Hogun,” Cora greets with a smile and Hogun offers his own version of a smile to Cora. Side by side the two walk the halls that lead to the dungeons and the guards open the doors for them. Half way down the steps, Cora stops and Hogun starts to come back for her, but Cora waves him off. “Go ahead…I need a little time,” Cora admits and Hogun nods his head in understanding before he heads to the bottom of the steps and waits for Cora. Taking a deep breath, Cora tries to mentally prepare herself to see Loki again face to face after a century of time has passed. Seeing Loki in a magic form is nothing compared to flesh and blood, Cora knows this. She knows that since she saw Loki last week, his appearance could have changed as well as his feelings.

Cora quickly shakes that thought from her head and looks down at her dress. It’s a strapless sheer nude color with sheer pieces of gold mixed in and a white lace overlay. Her heels are nude as well with diamonds all over and her make-up is simple, black eyeliner, nude lipstick and green nail polish. Placing her hands over her stomach, Cora takes a deep breath to claim her queasy insides and she smooth her hands down the length of her body, stopping at her thighs. Cora laces her fingers together and closes her eyes taking one last breath to push the rest of her fear away. Opening her eyes, Cora smiles and walks down the rest of the steps. At the bottom Hogun waits and he motions for Cora to walk in front of him. Cora walks down the middle of the dungeon, feeling all eyes on her as she passes the prisoners, but she hears and sees nothing.

Cora’s mind is focused on one person and when Cora she reaches Loki’s cell it’s like everything fades away. There on the floor, Loki sits with his back pressed against one of the pillars with a book in his lap. A smile slides on to Cora’s face and her eyes burn with tears, but she makes no move to alert Loki of her presence. Cora watches Loki as he reads, she takes in everything she can from the distance she is standing. Loki has tucked his hair behind his ears, though one tassel of black has falling in his face and his face shows no emotion other than boredom. Raising his hand, Loki licks the tip of his index fingers and he lets out a loud sigh as he turns the page.

“I already told you, I will not eat that slo-” Loki lifts his head and his words fail as he stares at Cora.

Cora unlaces her hands and walks up the steps to the front of Loki’s cell, “Hello, Loki.” Cora’s voice is soft and teasing as she smiles and Loki slams his book shut. Standing up, Loki tosses the book on his bed, but he makes no movement towards Cora. “Are you giving the guards a hard time, my Prince?” Cora questions blinking away her tears and Loki scarfs.

“You would refuse just as I, if you saw what they expect me to eat,” Loki grumbles and frowns knowing that Loki is right. Even as a Prince, Loki is still hated by a lot of the kingdom and the guards are no different.

“You look nice with long hair,” Cora states and Loki rolls his eyes, but he is quick to tuck his hair behind his ear. Cora smiles seeing the light blush on Loki’s pale cheeks.

Loki clears this throat and claps his hands behind his back, “I see no guards nor is Thor anywhere near, what is the meaning of this? Clearly I am not being set free for you do not have any keys, though Hogun is here…” Loki stares at Cora with questioning eyes and she bites her lip.

“Your freedom is not yet granted, but Thor has allowed me to visit twice a day.”

“How thoughtful of him,” Loki sneers and Cora sighs.

“I know it is not what either of us wanted, but it is something to be thankful for.”

“Thankful for?” Loki shakes his head. “Tell me darling. Why should I be thankful, huh? Is a wild boar thankful for a tree that bares fruit that it cannot eat? Is a warrior thankful for the loss of a limb rather than death? Is a-”

“Okay, I get it Loki,” Cora groans and Loki narrows his eyes.

“Do you? Do you really understand my anger?” Loki questions and Cora crosses her arms over her chest.

“I thought Thor was being curl as well. How can the joy of seeing you ever out weight pain of not being able to touch you? To have you hold me and whisper words that only I can hear into my ear? You think I do not wish to feel you?”

“Did you fight it?”

“Fight a battle I had no chance of winning? No, Loki. I did not fight Thor on his offer. I would rather deal with the pain of not touching you than live with any more heartache of not seeing you. It is a harsh reality that we must face and compromise with.”

Loki stares at Cora and drops his eyes to the floor taking in her words, he knows that she is telling the truth. As much as Loki wants to touch and hold Cora, he is overjoyed with seeing her there in front of him. “I wish you could pinch me,” Loki mutters and Cora raises an eyebrow not understanding Loki’s words.

“Pinch you?” Cora repeats and Loki picks his head up with a small frown on his face.

“You do not know how many nights I dream of you, it seems so real and I when I start to believe it, I wake up…Forgive me if I am relent to believe it this time around.”

Cora’s eyes water slightly, but she doesn’t cry. Raising her left arm, Cora reaches out and Loki opens his mouth to protest, but Cora’s hand is already on the glass. Loki stares at Cora, his eyes searching for any hint of pain or a ripple in her body to prove that she is just a figment of his imagination that this is all a dream, like so many times before. When Loki sees no pain or finds any ripples, he slowly walks forward, his arm out stretched and his fingers twitching in anticipation. Loki’s fingertips graze the glass and he shivers when a sudden warmth spreads up the length of his arm, stopping at his elbow.

Laying his hand flat against the glass, Loki stares down at Cora and his fingers spread on their own accord, lining up perfectly with Cora’s fingers. A smile tugs at the corners of Loki’s lips and he rests his forehead against the glass. Cora stares at Loki’s face and her eyes trail down to their hands, one on top of the other. Loki’s hand is so much bigger than her own, Cora’s hand looks like a small child’s compared to Loki’s. Loki’s fingers are long and slender and his hand is large and veiny, while Cora’s fingers are short and slim and her hand is small and rough.

Cora smiles at the noticeable differences and she closes her eyes listening to Loki’s even breathing. In the darkness of her mind, Cora imagines the chilling warmth of Loki’s hand as his fingers wraps around hers. Cora imagines the light scratching of Loki’s fingertips as his pads of his thumb trace small circles on the back of her hand; the way Cora would shiver feeling Loki’s blunt nails brush against her skin as he holds onto her hand tighter. Loki opens his eyes with a gasp and he stares at Cora with wide eyes unable to pull his hand from the glass. The warmth he first felt is gone and has been replaced with another warmth, a warmth that is very familiar and forging to him all at the same time. Loki’s fingers bend upwards creating a small arch away from Cora’s palm and the warmth fades. Without a second thought, Loki places his hand flat and the warmth wraps around his hand like a web.

Cora’s hand flexes and Loki’s eyes slip shut before he rests his head back on the glass, “I can feel you,” Loki whispers and Cora’s lips turn up into a smile. “Your hand…it’s rougher then I remember. You’ve been working with your hands haven’t you? You have calluses on the tip of your fingers, they are small and not rough like a man’s but they are there. The rest of you is smooth just like…I remember,” Loki voices everything he feels and he embeds it to his memory. “H-how are you doing this?” Cora slowly opens her eyes and the warmth fades from Loki’s hand making Loki open his eyes as well. “How?” Cora lifts her hand and Loki shakes his head, “Please don’t. I-I still need you,” Loki begs softly and Cora keeps her hand on the glass letting her love seep through the glass and touch Loki’s hand. “I missed you, darling,” Loki mummers and Cora smiles knowing that Loki knows this is not a dream.

“I missed you, my Prince,” Cora states and Loki looks over Cora’s shoulder at Hogun who has his arms crossed over his chest.

“Will he be with you all the time?” Loki questions turning his attention to Cora and Cora looks at Loki confused making Loki laugh. “The man standing behind you,” Loki says with a nod of his head in Hogun’s direction and Cora shrugs her shoulders.

“I am not sure. Thor said our visits would be monitored, but he did not say if it would be by one person or many.”

“Do you have a time limit?”

Cora opens her mouth to answer, but Hogun answers, “With me, you may stay down here for as long as you like,” Hogun says. “With the others I cannot promise that they will be so kind.”

“Thank you Hogun,” Loki says with the utmost sincerity and Hogun hides his surprise well while Cora openly stares at Loki shocked. Loki notices Cora’s face and he smiles down at her, “What?”

“Nothing…you just never thank anyone,” Cora admits and Loki nods his head with a sad sigh.

“I am grateful for any extra time we have together.”

“I love you Loki,” Cora whispers and Loki smiles a full smile making Cora blush as he leans his head down.

“And I you, darling,” Loki purrs and he presses his hand harder against the glass making Cora smile.