Cursed
Seks
Loki returned to Jotunheim the next day with an army of Asgardians who needed to release their rage by fighting something, anything. He temporarily blinded them to keep the portal’s location a secret, and Zara constantly reminded the passing soldiers that if they tried to defy their orders that Odin would be killed. Loki observed the brawl high above on a cliff’s edge, watching as many were wounded and killed from both of the realms. The Asgardians pushed forward and cleared the way to the Jotunheim throne room. Zara strode through the carnage and met Loki at the humungous arch of ice, both taking in a calming breath before heading inside. Laufey awaited them, standing before his throne with his enchanted spear of ice.
“You will not rule for long. They won’t listen to you,” Laufey spoke slowly.
“When they see how easily you fall, they will have no choice but to listen,” Loki retorted and both of them shifted their sceptres to point at each other. Laufey struck first, sending a burst of magic from the spear with the intent to kill with one blow. Both Loki and Zara dodged the blast, and they were kept on their feet as Laufey continued to fire at them. He sent more death waves to Loki than Zara, and Loki only chuckled with enjoyment as he evaded them all. Laufey became enraged at his inability to strike his son with an attack, and diverted his full attention to hitting Loki.
“Look out!” Zara called as Laufey brought down his spear like an axe, hoping to crush Loki beneath its immense weight. Zara decided that she had had enough and summoned heat energy to her palms before blasting it at Laufey, but she was too late. The spear smashed into the ground, travelling right through Loki. Zara’s magic also passed through Laufey and begun melting the wall behind him. The two illusions flickered and vanished, taking Zara by surprise. She heard a grunt from her right and spun to see Loki on Laufey’s back, his sceptre tight across Laufey’s throat.
“Give up!” Loki shouted as Laufey struggled to throw him off.
“Never!” he hissed. Zara considered stepping in to help, but then the sceptre began to glow a burning red. Laufey screamed in agony as the staff burnt into his neck. Loki kept his grip tight despite the heat, and he soon dropped to the floor with Laufey’s head. He avoided being squashed by Laufey’s falling body and then joined Zara’s side.
“And Jotunheim is ours, my queen,” he said before heading outside to show the Frost Giants that he was their new king.
The Jotunns initially showed fury when they saw their former king’s head detached, but once Zara swiftly silenced a few enraged warriors, the rest found their common sense. Similar to the Asgardians, they bent their knees to save their lives. After leaving a troop of Asgardians behind to watch over the Frost Giants, Loki and Zara returned to Asgard and took their time to replenish their magical power. Zara was then summoned to a particular desk in the library that Loki stood before, the almost endless room completely empty and silent because Loki had ordered it.
“There are nine realms, and we rule two,” Loki said as he jabbed a finger at the desk. Zara diverted her gaze there and spotted the engraved map of the realms drawn over an image of a tree. Her home realm, Svartalfheim, rested between Asgard and Jotunheim in the branches of the trees, and the depiction of a grey castle made her long for her home. “We cannot take Midgard, not yet.”
“Why?” Zara asked and she received a glare from Loki for questioning his motives.
“We won’t go anywhere near Thor until we are certain that we can kill him,” he answered. “I promised you a realm to rule. Which do you desire the most?” Zara scanned the desk as she considered her options, but ultimately her heart only wanted one realm.
“Svartalfheim, my home,” she replied softly as she stared at the carved image.
“It sits close to Jotunheim. It would be advantageous to claim it,” Loki stated after a moment of silent thinking. He then paused and looked at Zara with a puzzled expression. “Is it not barren?”
“It is the only place that the Dark Elves who followed Malekith will return to. They will rebuild their home with a leader to guide them,” Zara reassured him and Loki gave a hesitant nod.
“If I give them supplies and we do not receive sufficient in return, we will have to stop supporting them,” he decided and Zara grinned.
“It won’t be a bad investment, I promise.” Only she, out of the two of them, understood the nature of the Dark Elves. With her as their queen, they would become a thriving and powerful race once more.
“You will not rule for long. They won’t listen to you,” Laufey spoke slowly.
“When they see how easily you fall, they will have no choice but to listen,” Loki retorted and both of them shifted their sceptres to point at each other. Laufey struck first, sending a burst of magic from the spear with the intent to kill with one blow. Both Loki and Zara dodged the blast, and they were kept on their feet as Laufey continued to fire at them. He sent more death waves to Loki than Zara, and Loki only chuckled with enjoyment as he evaded them all. Laufey became enraged at his inability to strike his son with an attack, and diverted his full attention to hitting Loki.
“Look out!” Zara called as Laufey brought down his spear like an axe, hoping to crush Loki beneath its immense weight. Zara decided that she had had enough and summoned heat energy to her palms before blasting it at Laufey, but she was too late. The spear smashed into the ground, travelling right through Loki. Zara’s magic also passed through Laufey and begun melting the wall behind him. The two illusions flickered and vanished, taking Zara by surprise. She heard a grunt from her right and spun to see Loki on Laufey’s back, his sceptre tight across Laufey’s throat.
“Give up!” Loki shouted as Laufey struggled to throw him off.
“Never!” he hissed. Zara considered stepping in to help, but then the sceptre began to glow a burning red. Laufey screamed in agony as the staff burnt into his neck. Loki kept his grip tight despite the heat, and he soon dropped to the floor with Laufey’s head. He avoided being squashed by Laufey’s falling body and then joined Zara’s side.
“And Jotunheim is ours, my queen,” he said before heading outside to show the Frost Giants that he was their new king.
The Jotunns initially showed fury when they saw their former king’s head detached, but once Zara swiftly silenced a few enraged warriors, the rest found their common sense. Similar to the Asgardians, they bent their knees to save their lives. After leaving a troop of Asgardians behind to watch over the Frost Giants, Loki and Zara returned to Asgard and took their time to replenish their magical power. Zara was then summoned to a particular desk in the library that Loki stood before, the almost endless room completely empty and silent because Loki had ordered it.
“There are nine realms, and we rule two,” Loki said as he jabbed a finger at the desk. Zara diverted her gaze there and spotted the engraved map of the realms drawn over an image of a tree. Her home realm, Svartalfheim, rested between Asgard and Jotunheim in the branches of the trees, and the depiction of a grey castle made her long for her home. “We cannot take Midgard, not yet.”
“Why?” Zara asked and she received a glare from Loki for questioning his motives.
“We won’t go anywhere near Thor until we are certain that we can kill him,” he answered. “I promised you a realm to rule. Which do you desire the most?” Zara scanned the desk as she considered her options, but ultimately her heart only wanted one realm.
“Svartalfheim, my home,” she replied softly as she stared at the carved image.
“It sits close to Jotunheim. It would be advantageous to claim it,” Loki stated after a moment of silent thinking. He then paused and looked at Zara with a puzzled expression. “Is it not barren?”
“It is the only place that the Dark Elves who followed Malekith will return to. They will rebuild their home with a leader to guide them,” Zara reassured him and Loki gave a hesitant nod.
“If I give them supplies and we do not receive sufficient in return, we will have to stop supporting them,” he decided and Zara grinned.
“It won’t be a bad investment, I promise.” Only she, out of the two of them, understood the nature of the Dark Elves. With her as their queen, they would become a thriving and powerful race once more.
♠ ♠ ♠
Tree map of the realms 