Parasite

Tetra had always disliked mornings. Ever since she was a young girl she hated dragging herself out of bed, no matter what she knew the day would hold. So, when an incessant knocking pulled her out of the depths of her slumber on a new morning, she was already expecting a terrible day.

“Milady, milady! There is a delivery here for you!”

With a groan Tetra pulled herself out from under the covers and got out of bed. She slipped on her dressing gown over her night clothes and shuffled to the door, cursing the guard for waking her up. The barely there sunlight weakly filtering through her curtains told her that it was much too early for whatever waited beyond the door.

She yanked the door open and almost fell back on her rear when a dozen messengers came rushing in, countless amounts of boxes in their arms. After setting them down they would leave and come back with more, until there was a box on almost every surface of her bedroom. Some were large, some small but all had brightly colored packing and bows. One young man dressed in sharp finery came forward and dipped into a deep bow.

“Lady Tetra, Master Aldnarr hopes that his garments are to your liking and asks that should you ever need anything to please return to him. He takes great pleasure in making beautiful clothing for beautiful women.”

He bowed again before leaving the room, the messengers trailing out after him. The door shut with a light thud and Tetra was left with all the towering stacks of boxes and no idea where to begin. It had been barely a week since meeting with the tailor and Loki and she was astounded that everything was finished and ready. She was due to train with Loki that afternoon and came to the conclusion that at least she could go through some boxes and find something appropriate to wear for training.

After sorting through some of the boxes Tetra realized that they had at least been set down in some semblance of order and came across the pile of outfits she assumed were meant for training. One package had a matching set of pants and tunic in a soft, lightweight black fabric. When she changed into them they clung to her body like a second skin, but easily bent and stretched with her as she moved. A single box was laying on top of her bed and she went to it, curious as to why it was placed by itself. Nestled inside was a set of armour, in the same hardened leather material that Loki wore, but this one was done in black, silver and a dark steel grey that shimmered with an iridescent navy. Although it felt soft and pliant she didn’t doubt for a second that it was much stronger than it looked, and she eagerly pulled the breastplate on over the short sleeved tunic. She secured the sides with the attached straps and it molded to her body perfectly. The wrist protectors were only colored silver and tied comfortably around her wrists. She pulled her black boots on last and tied her long auburn hair into a snug braid.

When Tetra went to the mirror, her reflection stared back at her, strong and fierce, a true warrior of Asgard. For the first time in her life she felt that maybe she could protect herself, could be somebody her family would have been proud of.

Eventually the growling in her stomach made her leave her room in search of breakfast, but when she did it was with a slight bounce in her step. Before making her way to the informal breakfast room, she stopped at Loki’s door and rapped lightly on it with her knuckles. When she received no answer she sighed heavily. Fendril was as always posted next to the door and he cleared his throat before speaking.

“He’s already had a breakfast tray sent to his room, Lady Tetra.”

It was a sentence he uttered almost every day and Tetra was growing tiresome with the routine. She was beginning to wonder why she even bothered. She gave a nod of thanks to Fendril before leaving.

The halls of the Royal Palace were quiet as she walked, the now strongly shining sun coming in through the tall, wide windows. The cheerful rays of light infused her with optimism for the day. When she stepped into the informal dining room and Thor beamed at her happily around a full mouth of food, the feeling intensified.

“Tetra! Look at you!” he exclaimed, the words coming out muffled.

“Thor, I believe you were taught to swallow before speaking,” Tetra laughed.

He bounced out of his seat to engulf her with his strong arms in a hug that sent her stumbling and laughing. He ruffled her hair before stepping back and looking over her carefully. Tetra watched the light in his eyes dim slightly as he smiled sadly.

“Is something wrong?”

His large hand wrapped around her arm to pull her body back into his side and hold her there. Thor’s chin rested on the top of her head, his comforting arm draped across her shoulders. As always, being close to him like this, surrounded by his warm embrace, made Tetra feel safe. It was familiar and close and felt like home.

“You look so like your brother sometimes. In a way, it feels like he’s still with us, like he never died,” Thor whispered brokenly.

Hot tears gathered in Tetra’s eyes The death of her brother and parents was something that she didn’t even contemplate let alone speak about. The pain and shame that she felt over their death still burned fiercely. The loss was a constant companion that followed her footsteps day after day, only disappearing when she was staring into hardened emerald eyes, for reasons that she didn’t want to understand. The warmth and optimism that had filled her to the brim after leaving her room drained away as quickly as it had came.

“Your mother and father would be so proud of you, of how strong you’ve become.”

Thor’s words were like a cold slap across Tetra’s face and she pushed away from his embrace.

“Because I was never strong before, you mean? Because I let them die?”

Her tears left blistering tracks down her cheeks and she furiously brushed them away, hating the sign of weakness.

“Tetra you know that is not what I meant. The only soul in Asgard who believes that is you,” he croaked, anguish clear on his face. “I don’t understand why you can’t see exactly what is in front of you. We have never blamed you.”

The words rang were true, but it didn’t stop the shake of her head or her retreating steps. She blamed herself, she always had and undoubtedly always will and no matter how many times she was told different it would never change that.

She ignored Thor’s call after her and fled from the breakfast room, wanting no more part of a conversation only intended to bring up painful memories. She didn’t know what she wanted or where her feet were leading her as she ran through the halls of the palace, for she only ended up back at her own chamber door. Fendril gave her a startled expression, most likely at her harried movements and tear-stained cheeks as she fumbled with the handle and slipped behind the door.

The quiet and familiar spaces of her room would usually calm her speeding heart and tumultuous emotions, but the garment boxes still laying on every available surface just reminded Tetra of how quickly her life had been flipped upside down. She pushed open the door to her balcony and the warm air blew across her face and whipped tendrils of hair out of her braid. She leaned against the pillar and slid down to the ground until her back was pressed against the hard, gleaming marble. The air smelled like summer, like crisp wheat grass and honey, and Tetra breathed it in deeply.

“There is something quite lovely about the summer air, is there not?”

His voice should have startled her but the soft, beguiling voice was as soothing as ever. She peeked between the railings of the balcony ledge to see Loki standing on his own room’s balcony, a striking dark figure against the gold and cream marble. His hands were braced against the ledge, his gaze upon the shining city.

“Then again, summer always has been your favorite time of year.”

The stare that he leveled on her was unnerving in its intensity and evenness, and she turned away to hide her still misty eyes and shaking hands. She was fairly certain that she would surely die if he saw her tears.

“I see you have received your garments. Was everything to your satisfaction?”

“What I looked through, yes, but I admit that it was only a few boxes. The armour proved to be a bit distracting,” Tetra’s voice was soft as she responded.

“Well, let me see,” Loki said an annoyed tone and a small wave of his hand, but there was no heat behind it.

Tetra ran her hands down her face and rose to unsteady feet. Under his thorough perusal, she couldn’t help but fidget with the edges of her tunic and wrist guards.

“Yes, I do believe it will work nicely. Aldnarr may be a slimy weasel but he does makes fine clothing. Were you interested in training today?”

She was was certain that her mouth was gaping open like a fish, but she couldn’t stop it. She didn’t know what Loki’s reaction would be, but she knew it wasn’t what she expected.

“Do you not want to tell me that I look like my brother?” she asked.

“Why would I say that? You always look like Alrik. I do not see why that has any relevance.” He appeared genuinely confused, tilting his head to one side and raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t answer my question. Did you want to train?”

She had put on the armour with all the intent of doing just that, but couldn’t bring herself to gather up enough strength or drive to do it now.

“Not today. I think I may just read.”

Loki nodded in response before stepping away from the balcony and back into his room. It was not even a minute until he returned with an armchair floating behind him, the emerald aura of his magic setting it down neatly next to the ledge, so that the chair was facing her own balcony She watched in fascination as he shrugged out of the outer layer of his armoured coat and the layers over his chest until he was just in a forest green tunic. He disappeared with the clothing into his room and came back only with a book tucked on his arm. Loki settled into the chair, crossing one leg over the other casually and flipping open the book.

He read in silence for a few moments before raising his gaze to hers as it to say aren’t you joining me?

Tetra fled back into her room, furiously shedding her breast plate and wrist guards and tossing them on to the bed. Her magic was no where near ready for levitation so she had to physically drag a chaise lounge out on the balcony. She could’ve sworn she heard a snicker come from Loki but when she looked up at him he only appeared to be deeply enthralled in his book. She went back to grab a book of her own off the towering stack next to her bed and toe off her boots. She padded back out onto the balcony in her stockinged feet and climbed on to the lounge and pretended to sprawl out comfortably. But it felt like there was a steel rod running along her spine.

Every time she glanced up at the smallest sound or movement, Loki was staring at the pages of his book like if he stared hard enough he could set it on fire. It took the better part of an hour before Tetra relaxed into the cushions behind her and actually recognized any of the words in front of her eyes.

Out of all the ways she thought her day was going to unfold after waking up at that morning, this was definitely on the bottom of the list.