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Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Cephera looked out her window and across the lit up city towards the forests. She sighed heavily, a deep worry still swallowing her heart and stomach since the day Loki went missing. Almost gone for a month now, Loki had carried out his newest plan, and no one had seen him since.

Day in and day out, herself and her sister, the guards of the palace, Odin, Thor, the warriors three, Sif, Frigga and many volunteers had been combing the woods for any sign of the lost Prince. "Loki, please come home safe," she said to the night sky before retiring to bed. Tomorrow another search would start at dawn and she needed her energy.

1 Month Ago...

Cephera walked down the long hallway towards Loki's room. It was near time for their training. Before she reached his room, however, Loki came around the far corner. He walked in long strides and when he caught up to her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him in the direction she'd just come from.

"Whoa!" She yelped, surprised by the sudden change in direction.

"Father wishes to see me in the throne room." Loki told her.

"Oh," she said. "Then what does that have to do with me?" She asked

"I want you there." He shrugged and continued on. Cephera frowned, she wasn't sure if she should be worried or flattered. All the same, she followed him all the way into the throne room, where he released his grasp on her hand and stopped. Standing with Odin, looking distraught and worried, was Freya. "Father." Loki called, his voice echoing off the ceiling.

"Loki, you remember Freya," Odin said as they both turned to give him their full attention.

"I do." Loki replied, tension filling his voice. Cephera knew something was amiss, and so did Loki.

"She has a new problem for you to solve." Odin gave Loki a hard look, one that Cephera didn't appreciate. Something in the look held dismay and disappointment.

Loki didn't speak, he turned his eyes to Freya who stepped forward. "Your plan has failed. The builder is half done his job. Four months! Four!" She burst out. Her stress clearly making her less composed than when they'd first seen her, those many months ago.

"That's impossible." Loki replied, disbelief crossing his face.

"No, it's not. His horse, SvaĆ°ilfari, is some kind of monster horse. It pulls and lifts stone ten times heavier than any normal horse. His help has provided the builder a shortcut to my hand in marriage. I was assured he could not complete it!" Freya all but stomped her foot.

"Wait a minute!" Cephera cried back. "You didn't tell us about some demon, monster horse thing. You just said 'his horse'. How is this Loki's fault!" Cephera was angered by how this got turned around. Why should Loki hold the blame? Odin himself had agreed to it.

"I couldn't give information I didn't have. I had no idea about the horses strength. It looks normal enough, if not a little larger than normal." Freya glared at Cephera, but then her shoulders slumped, and her face turned sullen. "You are right, it is not his fault, but I am in desperate need for resolve. I cannot marry this man." Freya pleaded.

Loki put a finger to his chin in thought. "Give me a day to think it over, I will do what I can to fix this." He promised.

"Thank you." Freya replied.

***

"Loki you can't!" Cephera gasped. "You haven't had enough time to perfect that." Loki had just finished telling Cephera his plan to thwart the builders progress, and make completing the job in time, impossible.

"I have practiced this quite a bit. I am a master of magic and I will prevail." Loki snapped at her, standing to glare at her from behind his desk. Cephera took a similar stance from the other side, staring him down, only in a more worried fashion then his defensive one.

"Loki, you know the dangers behind morphing into an animal! You could get stuck within that form if you haven't perfected every unit of magic needed for it. If you did get stuck you'd face the chance of losing your mind and becoming the animal for good." Cephera slapped the desk with her hand with each point she made. Her friend was going to great lengths to help Freya and prove he could. She blamed Odin for this. He shouldn't have let Loki take on the responsibility, when the old man himself had agreed to Loki's idea.

"Do not lecture me, I am the teacher and you my student. Do not forget that!" Loki growled.

"That may be true, but I am also your friend and I'm worried for you. I don't want you to become lost in your own magic." Cephera frowned deeply.

"I have confidence in my abilities, even if you do not. I will morph into a filly and I will distract this SvaĆ°ilfari from his task and once I have him trapped elsewhere, the builder will have no way to finish on time." Loki turned sharply from Cephera and stalked across the floor and out his tower door.

Present time...

Loki had hatched his plan a month ago and now everyone was on a manhunt. Things had gone downhill for Freya as well. The builder had become enraged when his prized horse went missing for so long. He knew he wouldn't finish in time, and so he attempted to kidnap and force Freya into marriage.

Thor had been there at the time, looking for any trace of Loki without alerting the builder as to why he was there, and when he heard Freya scream he'd broke in and saved her. A fight ensued between the younger prince and the builder, with Thor coming out the victor, however the builder was killed. Freya's wall would remain half finished and Loki was still missing.

Cephera could see the worry and guilt written on Odin's face for allowing Loki to go ahead with his plan, even though Odin knew the dangers. With each passing day Loki was gone, there was a bigger chance he was locked within his horse form and would never come out of it.

Cephera had woken the next morning, dressed and joined the search for her friend. Hours and hours they searched until a horn sounded through the skies, the sound of discovery. "Loki!" Cephera yelled and joined the rest of everyone, running toward the direction of the horn as it continued to blow.

Thor was up ahead of her with Sif close by her side. They ducked trees with guards taking down any hostile animals in the way. They were deep inside the forest, it would take hours to get back out, and Cephera wondered how Loki ended up so far in. Reaching a river, everyone who had come to the call, stopped. Odin was in the middle of the river on a small patch of grassy land. Lying across it lay a filly with a silky black mane. Cephera recognized him, she'd been present when he transformed.

The filly, Loki, stared at Odin with round curious eyes. Cephera felt her stomach jolt. Had he lost his mind already?

***

Cephera waited outside, in the main healing room, awaiting news from either Odin or Frigga, on Loki's condition. "This is unheard of, we cannot allow this to continue." Odin was saying to his wife as they came from the room.

"We have to allow it. Should we try and terminate, it may hurt Loki. While under a spell, it is unknown what kind of damage he would take if we should terminate. Putting yourself between something born of magic is bound for trouble." Frigga insisted.

"What's happening?" Cephera asked, unable to stop herself. Frigga looked to Odin and he nodded right before he left completely.

Frigga took Cephera to sit down privately. Thor must have stayed in with Loki, as he had yet to come out. The rest of their friends and Seraphina had gone to get something to eat. They were not as worried for Loki as his family and Cephera, that wasn't saying they didn't care.

"Loki is fine. Our healers managed to recover his mind, it seems he was simply in shock. He's unable to transform back to himself because...," Frigga inhaled deeply, her face turning a small shade of pink. "It would seem that his plan worked a little too well, Loki, the mare Loki is pregnant." Cephera felt the blood rush out of her face and her mouth fell open.

"Loki's having a baby?" Cephera asked and Frigga nodded. It sounded so odd. "Loki... Pregnant...," Cephera repeated.

"He'll need the support of his friends and family, until he births the... Well until he gives birth, he will not be able to transform back." Frigga explained and Cephera nodded.

"What will he give birth too? I mean technically Loki's an Asgardian, not a horse."

"We are not completely sure what will occur, magic used in circumstances like this tends to be unpredictable, however, because Loki was in full horse form, I would assume he stayed that way, then it is more likely he will have a foal. The problem is that foal may not be normal. I'm frightened for him." Cephera looked up at the queen. She'd forgotten for a moment that she was speaking to Loki's mother and felt ashamed that she hadn't thought how she must feel.

Cephera stood and wrapped her arms around the queen in comfort. "We'll help him pull through this." Cephera assured her, pushing aside her own selfishness and attempting to soothe Frigga.

"I'm glad. Odin doesn't wish for this to get out, for many reasons it should remain a secret, but I'm afraid that too many people had been present when Loki was found, and too many wagging tongues will make it hard to keep this hidden." Frigga exhaled long and slow, as of to keep at bay her true feelings. "I fear, before long, everyone will have tales to tell of how my son, a prince of Asgard, got pregnant by a horse." Her voice shook betraying her fear and anxiety.

***

Frigga was right, stories and whispers of Loki's condition spread through the kingdom like wildfire. Whenever Cephera heard the servants whispering about it, she would shoo them off to do their work and sometimes what they said would anger her and she would scold them.

Loki had been moved to the stables, as horse he tended to only eat what horses would. Cephera stayed with him everyday and brought him apples. Loki's spirits seemed half sane since he'd begun to talk through the horse snout he had. His voice altered and he'd occasionally neigh, which Cephera had to stifle her laughter at.

Today, she sat with her back against his large belly while he lay on his side in the hay bed. "Are you afraid?" She asked him. He was only days from giving birth.

"No, I want this over with." He snuffed after he spoke and cursed.

"I'll be here, and your mother." She told him.

"Wonderful, an audience." He lifted his head and attempted to glare at her, which looked odd with him having no eyebrows. He blew out a huff which cause his horse lips to ripple and spit to fly. Loki rolled his big dark eyes and flopped down.

"Here," Cephera said holding out a full apple. Loki snatched it from her hand and awkwardly chewed while trying to lie back down. Cephera felt a blow hit her back, the foal was kicking. Cephera wanted to feel it, to put her hands across his belly, but the last time she'd done that, Loki kicked her with his hoof and left a large bruise on her side, so she contained her curiosity. He was a healthy mare and the healers were not concerned about the birth. Frigga wanted very little people around once it happened and so Cephera was the only one she'd allowed to be in the stables. Frigga would do the birthing.

Cephera tapped the toes of her shoes together and stretched. For the past two days she'd slept in the stables with him, in case he should go into labour and the queen needed to be notified. He didn't say it, but Cephera knew Loki was glad she was there.

Cephera grabbed a book she'd brought and began to read out loud, anything to keep his mind off his impending birth ahead.

***

"Push Loki. Push!" Cephera told him as he lay on his side groaning. "You're doing good!" She urged him.

"What would you know of it?" He growled but neighed at the same time. His form making normal speech difficult while he was in labour.

"Pain is a part of it. Push. The sooner you birth the foal the sooner your pain will subside. The sooner you can go back to being an Asgardian and not a horse." She stroked his damp black hair along his side and across his protruding belly. He let out a pitiful sound as he did as she said and pushed. Frigga beside her rubbed along his spine. Thor waited outside the stables for everything to end.

After twelve more agonizing minutes a foal spilled out. Frigga helped the foal free of its birthing sac as Cephera gave Loki water. "You're a mother Loki." Cephera said bewildered. The words spilling from her mouth before she could stop them.

"Your amusement is not appreciated." He said wearily, barely able to keep his eyes open. The foal was making small sounds and Frigga took the bottle they had prepared and allowed the male foal to suck on that. The milk warm and inviting. The foal had eight long legs and wide dark eyes.

Cephera cradled Loki's head as he fell into a deep slumber. When he did his horse form dissipated leaving behind a very naked Loki. He looked unharmed by his ordeal. "Thor!" Cephera called out leaving Frigga to nurture the foal. Thor walked in, glancing at the baby horse before turning his attention to his brother. He lay a blanket over him, picked him up and left to bring him to the healing room to be checked.

***

Loki was fine after his ordeal, and the foal was just that, a baby horse. There was nothing special about him aside from his legs and later, when he could walk better, they found our those extra legs made for a very quick runner. He was powerful for his small size, overtaking other foals in the fields. Cephera spent time watching him, but Loki did not. As far as Loki was concerned, the horse was not his child and he was not a mother.

"You should name him." Cephera insisted standing in Loki's room looking out the window. It had been 8 month since the foal was born and Loki hadn't spoken of him unless someone brought it up first.

"Whoever decides to ride him can name him." Loki waved off her concern.

It was an odd thought, someone riding the horse Loki gave birth to. It seemed unnatural. "Come on Loki, you can't pretend it didn't happen. Look at him! He's strong and healthy and he's yours." Loki turned giving her the biggest glare she'd gotten to date. "Please." She begged widening her eyes and interlocking her fingers.

"Why does it matter so much?" He asked trying to ignore her pleading face and failing.

"It matters because he is a part of you in some small way. Even if you never acknowledge it, he was born from you. Only you should name him." Cephera moved and took Loki's hand between two of hers. "Please," she said again. Loki sighed.

"Fine, but only to shut you up." He insisted. Cephera didn't care why he agreed, she was just happy he did.

***

"His name is Sleipnir," he said to Odin. Cephera stood next to him as all three of them watched the eight legged foal run across the field with the other horses. He was tall and stronger now, swift and beautiful. "I want you to have him." Odin turned to look at Loki.

"I have a horse." He reminded him.

"Is my son not a better stead? Faster, stronger, a legend he could become and fit for a king. Besides, I want you to have a token to remember what I went through for a citizen of this kingdom. To help someone not my family." Cephera would have been happy to hear Loki call Sleipnir his son had she not known he had only done so to guilt Odin into accepting his offer.

Odin looked back out to Sleipnir and then to Loki. "If it means so much to you, then I will be honoured. Once he is large enough to ride he will be trained." Loki nodded, but didn't smile. The whole event was a horrid memory for him and Cephera knew it. She tried to make it better for him, but it didn't help that Thor had been celebrated as a hero for rescuing Freya from her abductor, and Loki turned into the laughing stock of town.

Cephera saw a hint of the old Loki return. The one she'd first met, the one who envied his brother so much it messed with his sense of right and wrong. Cephera worried that without careful steps to avoid further degradation to the Younger prince, Loki would resort back to his old tricks, the ones that caused harm and hate. If she could help him realize it wasn't Thor's fault that all the positive attention had been turned to him, she might be able to salvage what was left of the new Loki. She was worried about him, far more than she felt anyone else was, except perhaps, his mother.

Frigga and her shared the same mindset when it came to Loki. He was always the outcast and forever would be, but those around him needed to help him feel like he belonged, but that was hard when people didn't noticed the pain and hurt he felt. Loki was a very stony man, his emotions well hidden behind a calm facade, but Frigga and Cephera knew better. They saw him for who he really was. Cephera found herself watching Loki's expressions more and more. There was always a quick second of how he truly felt right before he schooled his features. The act was quick enough most wouldn't see it, unless they were waiting for it.

Loki was a troubled man and Cephera would do her best to make sure he knew she would always be there for him. After all, he was more than just her teacher, he was her best friend.

Notes

Comments

@fraychan
Then I have done my job well. :p

Yasumi Yasumi
6/15/15

Your cliff hangers wound me D:

fraychan fraychan
6/12/15

@fraychan
Keep that adrenaline pumping, still a lot to come.

Yasumi Yasumi
5/14/15

Oh god I can't even describe how happy this chapter made me. I'm feeling a slight adrenaline rush haha

fraychan fraychan
5/12/15

@fraychan
I agree, things have could been so much different if things had just come to light sooner.

Yasumi Yasumi
5/7/15