Parasite

For once, Tetra had no plans for the day. No training and no overbearing, raven-haired man that drove her to near madness. She was on her way to the Royal Library, intent on returning the stack of books in her hands. They were mostly books on defensive magik that she had worked through in the past couple weeks, with a few tales of romance and even poetry. Unbidden, the thought of a certain man reciting some beautiful lines of poetry floated through her mind and she pushed it away. It was her day off from training and she was determined to not think about Loki.

“Milady Tetra! Please, wait!”

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she had completely missed the sound of feet running towards her. She turned on the heels of her golden sandals to look behind her and watch the two guards in gleaming armor coming her way.

“Yes? Is something amiss?” she asked.

“We were sent to fetch you from your room, but you were not there. Her Majesty requests your presence in her private chambers.”

“But my books-”

“I shall return them for you,” one guard volunteered, than gathered the books from out of her hands.

“Please, be careful with them. And let Roman know that I won’t be coming. He was expecting a visit from me this afternoon.”

The guard nodded and continued towards the library, golden cape flickering behind his back as he walked.

“And I will take you to the Queen. Come this way, please. She is waiting.”

Tetra wanted to snap at him that she knew the way, but held it back. The Queen very rarely summoned her and she was always wary of the reason why. She followed the guard quietly, her hands twisting in the soft fabric of her pale pink gown. Tetra stared down at her feet as she walked, heart pounding wildly against her chest.

They finally reached the floor of the palace that housed the Royal Family’s rooms and stopped at the door to the Queen’s private chambers. The guard knocked against the dark wood before stepping back and taking his place next to the door. Tetra’s hands twisted back into her dress when the door slowly creaked opened to reveal one of the Queen’s personal attendants.

“Welcome, Lady Tetra. The Queen is waiting for you,” she greeted, motioning Tetra into the room.

Tetra had only been in the Queen’s rooms once, when she had first come to the palace so many years ago. Almost nothing had changed. The room was still decorated elegantly, with settees in pale colors placed all around the room. Frigga was lounged gracefully across one in gleaming robes of sky blue.

“Tetra! I’m so glad you could join me. Please, sit down,” she said.

Tetra perched herself on the edge of a cushioned chair across from the Queen and folded her ankles together neatly. Neither woman said anything while a maid came forward and placed a golden platter with a tea set on it between the two. Tetra could feel the Queen’s eyes on her as she fixed herself a cup and settled back into her seat.

“You seem quite nervous, my dear.”

The soft-spoken, strained words startled Tetra out of the staring she was doing into the bottom of
her teacup. She glanced up to look at the Queen who was watching her with a small furrow between her eyebrows.

“Not nervous, milady. Merely wondering why you wanted to speak with me.”

“Must I need a reason to speak with one of my son’s favorite ladies?”

At the mention of Frigga’s son Tetra immediately thought of raven-black hair and piercing green eyes.

“Thor is very fond of you and I believe he always has your best interests at heart, but I worry for you. He and the King have been very happy over the past fortnight, knowing that Loki is in safe, stable hands with you. I’m just curious if this is what you really want?”

To buy herself some time to think, Tetra finished the last drops of her tea and set the empty cup back on the table.

“I will admit that I entered into this agreement with Loki because I wanted to learn magik, and I was prepared to do that with any means necessary. But after working with Loki I have realized he is even farther away from the man that he used to be than I thought. He still has his sarcasm, his wit, but the lightness is no longer there,” she finally answered. “I don’t know if it’s even feasible, but I will do what I can to bring him back to himself.”

“I am very glad to hear that, I must say,” Frigga replied. Her voice returned to the warmth that she was known for, like a smile was embedded in every word that she said. “How is your training faring? Loki is no longer himself, so I can’t imagine how he is teaching you.”

With a small smile, Tetra focused on her open palm until a small ball of shimmering, silver energy gathered. She let it flicker for a moment before closing her hand and extinguishing the magik flame.

“Other than a defensive shield, that’s about as far as I’ve gotten I’m afraid.”

“Do not worry, Tetra. Loki may seem all-knowing now, but it took quite a long time for him to even summon his magik at all. Stay with it, and if you ever need any help with anything, I am always at your disposal.”

There was a slight knock on the door, and one of the palace guards poked his head in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt Your Highness, but Master Loki is requesting Lady Tetra’s presence back at her private chambers at once. He was very insistent.”

“Then I shall let her go,” Frigga responded.

Tetra rose from her seat, and did a small, graceful towards the Queen before joining the guard at the door.

“My dear, I have one more thing to say before you go.”

She stopped with one hand on the door and turned to face the Queen once more.

“You’ve turned into a beautiful woman, and were you family still with us, I think they would be very proud. Do not let whatever Loki has become change what you’ve become.”

Tetra left with Frigga’s words rattling about her mind, and a sense of dread heavy in her stomach as she walked closer to the man who controlled her fate.