Rise of the Phoenix (L. Laufey/Odinson)

27.

Gonseyt sits in her cell, staring at the bar in front of her. Loki steps into her line of sight and she smirks. He just glares back at her. This woman has ruined everything. Broken his heart.

"What did you do to her?" Loki asks her. Gonseyt cocks her head, feigning innocence and ignorance. 

"Who?" She counters, he glares harder.

"You know who...Nina, what did you do to her?" Loki counters, stepping closer to the cell bars.

"Loki..." Edwayen whispers as she takes his arm. "She can't of done anything, she hasn't left this cell..." Loki still stares at Gonseyt.

"Are you sure?" He asks, Edwayen frowns and looks at him. Loki produces a dagger from his belt and throws it into the cell, it flies straight through Gonseyt and hits the wall. Loki looks at Edwayen. "She's not here" He scolds her. Edwayen frowns and then turns to her guards.

"Check on Býleistr, now.." They nod and walk away to the cell further down the row. "We'll find her" Edwayen assures Loki.

"I left her in your care, to deal with....." Loki argues. 

"I am aware" Edwayen counters. "And we thought we did....she must have found a way to get beyond the magic barrier of the cell..."

"Or she has someone helping her..." Loki counters and walks away. Edwayen closes her eyes and sighs. She doesn't want anything to happen to Nina, she is fond of the little Midgardian woman. She turns and looks to her guards who return to her.

"He is gone" One of them informs her. "Just like his mother" Edwayen takes a deep breath.

"Gather the others, search the palace, they will not have gone far" She orders, they nod and hurry away from her.

................

Loki paces in front of the empty throne. He left here hoping that Edwayen and the elders will have taken care of everything. Now the woman he loves is dying and there is nothing he can do to help her because they couldn't even keep one prisoner locked up. Mairead watches him, hiding behind the doorway. She looks to her hand, to the stone she had once given Loki, the one he returned to her before leaving. She knows it is lucky. And he gave it back and everything went wrong. She takes a breath and walks into the throne room. Loki spins and softens seeing the child there.

"Mairead" He greets, she holds out the stone to him.

"If you take it back...it will change your luck....it will fix Nina," Mairead tells him.

"Oh, sweet child" Loki coos and smiles sadly at her. "It is not the stone that is lucky" He touches her cheek. "It's you..." He holds up the stone. "This is just a stone...and it is not your fault that Nina is hurt" She looks at him sadly. "She wouldn't want you to be feeling this way..." Mairead looks down and sniffles as she gets upset.

"Is she going to die?" She asks him, Loki blinks a little, tears falling.

"I hope not" he answers and then crouches in front of her. "I'll find a way to fix it" he takes her hand and places the stone back into her palm. "And when she's better, you could come and see Midgard, more of those humans you seem to like" Mairead nods. "And the stories they have to tell you" He adds.

"What about the spring?" Mairead asks him. "Gonseyt could be there" Loki frowns. "The Elder Spring" She continues. "Grandmother used to talk about it all the time, about how much magical energy is there...." Loki stands and seems thoughtful.

.........

Loki pulls the straps of the saddle tighter on the horse he has prepared. Edwayen watches him, Mairead at her side. Both of them worried for Loki and for Nina. But Loki going after Gonseyt alone is a bad idea.

"Are you sure you don't want to take some soldiers with you?" Edwayen asks Loki who shakes his head.

"No, this is my mess, I am going to fix it....myself, alone" Loki answers and then climbs up onto the horse.

"At least let us come" Steve scolds from where he stands with Thor. "Nina is the closet thing I have to a sister, she's my friend, my family....this is for her...."

"You and Thor cannot brave the elements here" Loki counters as he tightens his hold on the reins. "It has to be me"

"Loki" Thor starts, Loki shakes his head.

"Nina is...." Loki stops talking and sighs. "I have to do this...." He then kicks the horse into pace leaving Steve, Thor, Mairead, and Edwayen to watch him go.

...........

Loki arrives at the Elder Spring to find a number of dead Elders sprawled out over rocks. Loki lets out a breath. Gonseyt has gone way over the top in whatever her plan is. Someone is cloaked and crouches by the spring. Loki moves closer to them.

"Gonseyt" Loki scolds. The figure stands and turns to him. Except it is not Gonseyt that is hiding behind the hood. It's Loki. Two of them. Loki, the real one, frowns and takes a step back. "What?" He asks.

"Hello, Brother" The other Loki greets.

"Býleistr?" Loki asks him. Býleistr!Loki smirks and touches his own chest.

"Mother thought this would be a good form..." He admits. "It will certainly help when I return to Midgard in your place....and take your lover"

"Nina has no memories of me" Loki warns.

"For now" Behind Loki, Gonseyt states. Loki spins to her and she touches his head. Loki's eyes roll and he collapses to the ground.