Choices

Chapter 113
Asgard, land of opportunity. At last, Krystoff never thought he'd make it here.
He grinned directly at the gatekeeper. The man looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Welcome, Krystoff of Mechanova," he greeted. The greeting sounded sincere, but with this guy it was difficult to tell.
"You know my name?" Krystoff asked, tilting his head to observe him.
"I know the name of each person who passes this gate." The gatekeeper replied.
"Must be nice," Krystoff tried not to mock, but he thought it was funny to have so many useless names bouncing through ones head.
The gatekeeper didn't reply. Krystoff didn't pay much attention to his surroundings, instead he mused how his 'welcome party' was nowhere to be seen.
No sooner had he thought it, did he find Fandral, Seraphina's long term on-again, off-again pet, waiting for him just outside the observatory.
"Fandral, how nice to see you." Krystoff's smiled widened at the half glare Fandral shot him.
"Where's your sister?" Fandral looked over Krystoff's shoulder.
"Katarina? She's not feeling well. Why hoping to lay a claim already?" Fandral scrunched up his nose. "I could put in a good word for you. She always listens to me."
"I've no interest in your sister," Fandral replied smoothly. Krystoff enjoyed the amount of restraint it was taking the warrior to not hit him.
"She's your type isn't she? Good looking, willing."
"You've no idea what my type is." Fandral replied.
"Sure I do, we have one in common." Krystoff winked and thought for a second that he'd hit the right button as Fandral's arm twitched, but he didn't draw his weapon.
"I've come to bring you on a quick tour, as per your queens request." Fandral told him, changing the subject.
"She's not queen..., yet." Until King Yorin official stepped down, or died, Seraphina would not be titled Queen. However, that didn't mean she didn't currently hold power. With her father gone, the people looked to her for support and guidance.
"Follow me, you must be eager to see Asgard." Krystoff didn't comment, he wasn't eager to see anything, only eager to see some one, but that would have to wait.
He followed Fandral trough a very boring, basic, how to get around Asgard sort of tour. They stopped at last at the Palace entrance. "Sentries are posted at areas off-limits to civilians." He ended.
Krystoff just grinned.
"Fandral, you've returned. Come friend, we yet fight for balance of the realms and your help has been sorely missed." Thor announced coming out of the Palace just in time to save Krystoff the trouble of shooing the annoyance away.
Thor looked at Krystoff and his eyes narrowed, but it would seem he had been warned to keep with usually big mouth shut. Krystoff always enjoyed this game. Everyone knew he was corrupt, but as they couldn't prove it, most were smart to just stay quiet.
It was that look in their eyes when they looked directly at him that Krystoff got off on.
"I must be going, do take care to stick to the rules." Fandral's words held an underlining meaning, but Krystoff couldn't care less about what the fool wanted. He was nothing more than Seraphina's toy.
He watched him walk away, with hesitance in his step.
"Finally, they've left," a smooth female voice said. Krystoff turned to his left and beheld in his sight a woman whose beauty was enough to make his pants stir.
"And you are?" Krystoff asked stepping over to where she stood, her back pressed to a wall casually.
"Amora is my name, but some like to call me the Enchantress." She smiled. "You, I'm hoping, are Krystoff." She added eyeing him from head to toe.
"I am," he replied, slightly weary of her. "And what do you want with me, enchantress," he said the nickname with a caress, it was very fitting for her.
I want to offer my assistance to you," Amora smiled and it hide a certain kinda of wickedness that made Krystoff's pulse quicken.
"What makes you think I need any assistance?" Krystoff was no fool and he wouldn't fall prey to a flirty woman, no matter how beautiful she was.
"Cephera," the one name sent a shiver of desire down his spine.
"You know her?" Krystoff asked, his suspicion growing.
"I've known OF her mostly. I haven't spent any time with her. She's now married to the man I held in my grasp decades ago. A man I would enjoy see fall to complete and utter ruin." A darkness shadowed her eyes at the mention of Loki. A darkness that made Krystoff smirk.
"Even so, if you haven't spent time with Cephera, how would you know anything about me?" She seemed amused at his quick perception.
"Here is not the place for this conversation. Let's go to my home where it's private." She offered. For a second Krystoff was tempted to decline, but what harm could this silly woman do to him?
"Have it your way." He replied and urged her to lead the way.
XxX
Krystoff entered her home with hardly a glance at his surroundings. He had no use for what was inside her home. He sat down in the chair she gestured to and she joined across from him.
"Cephera came to me only just yesterday with a request." Amora looked amused.
"I'm listening," Krystoff answered. He had plenty of questions, but he wanted to see how much she'd answer on her own.
"She asked me to help her entrap you. She says you're evil and your wicked ways must be exposed for all to see." Krystoff felt the corners of his mouth twitch, but contained his expression. "I agreed to help her, but that's not my plan." Her delicate brows raised in humor.
"Why would she ask you, knowing you have a grudge against her husband?" Krystoff interjected when it seemed this woman would say no more.
"She offered me a book I'd been seeking in my youth. Now that I have grown I have no use for it anymore, but still, she thinks I do. This is my opportunity." Her hand balled into a determined fist, her eyes narrowing. "Decades ago, I almost lost my mind because of Loki, and I want to hit him where it hurts most. She thinks I am helping her and with that naive trust I extend my help to you."
Krystoff watched her closer. Her words seemed genuine, and her anger certainly was.
"So, you will help me capture Cephera to quell your lust for revenge?" Krystoff asked leaning forward. Perhaps this woman was not as useless as he thought.
"My thirst will never be quenched. At every turn I will tear him down, but this is an acceptable start." She rubbed her palms together in a slow eager motion.
"I need only shielded access to her dwellings on Earth so that I may take her to my private home to be mine forever." Krystoff gauged her reaction and got nothing. No hint of betrayal, no twitch of nervousness.
"I'm an accomplished spell caster. Given time, I could come up with such a way." Her grin was wide and arrogant.
"How long?" He asked. He'd waited long enough. He wanted what was rightfully his. What he'd waited for all these centuries. No longer was he under the watchful eye of Demos. The dark magic running in his veins begged to be set to purpose and with his new freedom, he'd have it.
"A week, two at the maximum." She sounded sure, a fact that made him feel at ease.
"Has she given birth yet?"
"Not as of yesterday." Amora perked up an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"
"We'll be patient until she gives birth. If the child is female, I will take her too, but I have no need for a male child." He saw the curious looked flash cross Amora's face, but if she had questions, she didn't put voice to them.
"If both wife and child should disappear, it would only add to Loki's anguish." She pondered out loud.
"What's that Earth saying, 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'? I now know it's meaning." She shrugged off the comparison before standing, grabbing two glasses and what looked like a bottle of wine. She popped the top and poured up both glasses to the brim.
"To a useful friendship," she toasted. Krystoff enjoyed her choice of words. Useful was the only reason she was not destined to die at his hands..., at least not yet.
(Cephera)
The discomfort came early in the morning. The wetness woke her from her sleep.
Cephera sat up, threw back the sheets, and peered down at her soaked shorts. Her water had broken.
The small pains that coursed through her were yet to hit their peak. She'd been prepared on the details. She still had some time before she'd give birth.
Cephera stood and went outside to her balcony and looked to the sky. "Heimdall, it's time." She called out to the gatekeeper.

Notes