Choices

Chapter 13
Loki woke the next morning to Thor barging into his bedroom. It wasn't often Thor did that anymore and so instead of being angry, Loki was curious. "What has you so excited at such an early hour?" Loki asked sitting up, running a hand through his tousled hair, and rubbing his eye's with a yawn. Thor was much too wide awake for this hour. Normally the oaf was drooling over his pillow and missing breakfast.
"You will not believe what happened to me just last night." Thor declared with a wink. Loki proceeded to roll his eye's. It occurred to him then, Thor was in one of his boasting moods of a sexual conquest. When both boys hit the age of sexual maturity they used to go back and forth with stories, but Loki bored quickly of that childishness, however, Thor had not. Still, Loki listened as Thor sat on the bed grinning like a fool.
"Which woman have you added to your list of misfortunates?" Loki teased. Thor chuckled.
"Say what you like brother, women will always remember which brother is better," Thor replied. Loki didn't take offence to this only because he knew Thor was jesting. Neither brother would seriously put the other down regarding bedroom skills. "and to answer your question, last night I was visited by two very beautiful, vivacious women with the sole intent to bed me." Loki froze as he remembered Seraphina and Sif wandering the halls and Seraphina's word's to her sister. A dread filled his stomach as he hated for Thor to confirm his worst fears. "I cannot express how surprised I was when Seraphina showed up at my door leading the Lady Sif into a very heart racing seduction that only two women can provide." Thor threw himself onto his back which, consequently, landed him across Loki's outstretched legs.
Loki yanked his leg's out from behind his brother's head and swung them over the edge with a low growl. He pulled on his discarded pants from the night before. "How could you?" Loki hissed. "Lady Sif? Of all people? Must you taint every woman of virtue?" Thor sat back up and gazed at Loki with a look of amusement.
"Oh, I promise you brother she was no woman of virtue last night when she proceeded to bed me." Thor replied smugly. Loki felt a rage build and wanted to hit Thor, but that wasn't Loki's style. It was a second before Thor realized how anger Loki truly was. "Come now Loki. You cannot be angry with me for this."
"I can and I am. You know how I felt about her? It's just like Harley all over again." Harley was another woman of good nature and strong standing virtue that Loki pined for years ago when he first hit manhood. Thor knew of Loki's affection and sought her out anyway and stole her from Loki. He displayed her on his arm for a couple of weeks before he tired of her and cast her aside. Loki felt that Sif would be no different as Thor's taste for women had not changed.
"I apologized for that and this is different. She sought me out and you have taken much too long to even approach her with your feeling's. I happen to like the Lady Sif and will continue to court her." Thor stood. He sounded insulted.
"Bah," Loki spat. "and how long will that last? A week, two weeks, a month if she's lucky?" Loki felt the bitterness of his word's, but he meant every one of them.
"You act as though you think me incapable of solitary romance. I assure you I am." Thor's good mood was soured and he proceeded to trump toward the doors and left, slamming them behind him. Loki scowled at the doors and as he prepared for the remainder of his miserable day he couldn't help, but stew in his anger.
***
After breakfast Loki went on a mission to locate Sif. He was hoping that maybe he would prevent future heartbreak for her if he could just save her from Thor now. Maybe it was time he did take the initiative and take a chance at opening up on how he feel's. Once upon a time the thought of taking Thor's women as his own would have disgusted him, but Sif was different. He blamed the other bitch for what had happened. Surely Sif was coerced into this and would not have otherwise done it.
He tracked the young woman down to the upper terrace where she was conversing with a few other noblewomen. He cleared his throat as he approached and after a second the other women caught the hint and left. "Lady Sif," Loki greeted keeping his posture straight and formal. Sif looked him over curiously and nodded her head politely in return. Truthfully, the two of them hadn't conversed much in the past. Loki had admired her from afar, which he was now regretting.
"Prince Loki," She replied when he failed to continue speaking. Loki looked around at the people who crowded the terrace.
"I was hoping perhaps I could speak with you in private," he told her gesturing around. Sif was clearly confused, but nodded her agreement and followed him. He took her to one of the many balconies just off a vacant room. The sheer curtains billowed in the breeze and Loki stopped at the long stone enclosure. "I feel as though it is my duty to warn you." Loki began keeping his poised demeanour and forever sounding professional.
"Warn me?" She looked surprised at his word's and concerned.
"Yes, news has reached my ear's of your ... interaction's with Thor," Loki was trying to be delicate on the situation. Sif's face changed knowing full well what his meaning was. She looked ready to jump at her own defence. "I feel as though you've been pressured into a situation that you don't completely understand," he continued.
"Pressured?" Sif questioned her eyebrow raising and her arm's folding. "I wasn't pressured," she told him.
"You may believe that, but be it as it may I feel I know Thor better than any other and he will not treat you right. You will become no more than another conquest once he tires of you. I feel you deserve so much more than that." Sif's feature's scowled and twisted in anger.
"You think me no better than a common whore? That I cannot win the heart of a man such as Thor? That I sold myself because I was talked into it?" Loki heard the rising of her tone and realized that this situation was quickly going the opposite way of what he had wanted. "I have you know that it was my idea to have Thor bend to my will. To show him I am much more than he saw me as. That I desired him and made the conscious decision to allow myself to feel his touch with or without a repeat event for a future relationship. True enough I would be honoured and happy to be on his arm, but I don't pretend to be so naive as to think sex would take me that far. We talked at length after and I'm happy to say he was very attentive to my thought's. He was eager to learn more as he explained that lately he had been noticing me more than he once did." Sif had stepped up to Loki her face daring him to speak ill of Thor again.
"You misunderstand my meaning. Even if Thor does proceed to court you it would not last. I fear your heart will be hurt. You deserve better, you deserve a man who would take care of you. Had it been me ..."
"YOU?" Her astonished tone with its hints of absurdity sent a shiver of anger down Loki's spin. "I would not find myself at the side of a cold man such as you. Your stony exterior has all the women talking about the poor women who would agree to court you for any length of time." Loki froze. He felt his face grow hot and a bile rise in his throat. He suddenly wanted to spit venomous words at her, but as always he kept his facade of calm. He bit back his word's and swallowed his anger.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Was all he said before he turned and left her to herself. When Loki was far enough away and out of sight he pushed a vase of flowers off a small hallway table so hard it shattered on the opposite wall. His teeth were grit and he felt a stinging in his eye's. They burned with tears of humiliation that he refused to shed. Instead, he shook off his rage and went straight for the training room where he was meant to meet Cephera.
He paced the floor as he waited for the younger twin. He was attempting to calm himself the entire time. Never had be been so insulted by a woman. Deep down he knew Sif had said what she said only because she felt insulted and angered by Loki, but he couldn't find it in him to care about why she had said it.
Cephera arrived on time as usual. A small smile set on her face that would soon turn to irritation. Loki let loose the moment she arrived. "Your sister's a whore!" Loki yelled at her barely giving her time to assess his mood.
"Excuse me?" Cephera said taken aback by his sudden outburst. She stopped all movement to stare at him.
"Sif was good and pure and she could have been mine. Then your sister comes here and ruins everything," Loki's chest seethed with hate for the elder twin. "now Sif's been soiled by the touch of my womanizing brother." Loki clenched his fist.
"Whatever my sister does with whomever is none of your business," Cephera scolded glaring back. Her retort earned her a deeper glare. "not to mention what Sif does. Maybe if you had mentioned your affections sooner she might have been yours."
Loki stalked toward her. "How dare you," He hissed between clenched teeth. "you know nothing! She'll pay for this." Loki was shocked when Cephera grabbed his arm roughly and forced him to look at her.
"I won't let you touch my sister." she warned a menacing look shooting at him. Loki looked down to her grip and wretched free.
"Sif will pay for making a mockery of me." Loki pushed passed Cephera realizing he was not in the right mood to be around anyone right now. He retreated all the way back to his bedroom and buried himself in his book's. It was the first day in a long time he had missed his class with Amora. She did not come to fetch him, but he couldn't have cared about that. He was left alone to his book's and his ever menacing thoughts on how to show Sif that he wouldn't take her brazen insults sitting down.
It was late when a knock finally resounded on his bedroom door. He tried his best to ignore it until the person on the other side decided to come in anyway. Loki was annoyed to see it was Cephera. Though it was less irritating than the idea of it being Thor. "Loki," she began as her eye's darted around to look at her surroundings. She was easily distracted from her initial task it would seem. After a second she cleared her throat and tried again. "I was talking to Sif," she said and Loki tensed up. This was not a conversation he would have with her.
"I wish to be alone. It's rude to enter ones personal chambers without permission," he scowled at her in hopes she would take a hint. However, the younger twin frowned and walked in further.
"Look Loki. The things Sif said, she didn't mean to insult you, or demean you. She was angry and ..."
"Stop!" Loki hissed and jumped from his chair. He stalked across the room and stopped just short of his student. "I do not care how she meant it. I care not for your defence of her word's. I wish only to be left alone," he glowered and towered over her in a menacing manner.
"She's too ashamed to see you in person. You should go speak to her and clear this up. You've been hurt and I understand that." Cephera placed her small hand on his arm in what was meant as a soothing manner, but Loki shook her off feeling anything but soothed.
"You know nothing of how I feel." Loki narrowed his eye's and with a swift upward motion he buried his hand into the princess's hair and yanked her by the tresses back to the bedroom door. She squealed in surprise and shouted for him to let go, but his grip was firm. He tossed her out his room door without a second thought and slammed it behind her, locking it to secure his privacy.
After a moment he looked to his hand, the same hand that had been filled with hair only seconds ago and a plan formed in his mind. Something to humiliate the Lady Sif so that she would never forget what he was capable of when provoked.

Notes