Choices

Chapter 62
Cephera hadn't stopped squealing since Seraphina finally told her the news, two months later at that, but it was Seraphina. She'd shown about as much enthusiasm as a cow would to a cat. How could her sister be so calm!
Loki was nearly driven insane, Cephera was sure of it. Every time she opened her mouth to let out another random squeal, after drifting off into her own imagination of what the future would look like, Loki would cover her mouth, rather roughly, and stop her before a noise could come out.
"Dammit woman." He growled. "Sit still," he ordered. Training was not going as planned. Cephera couldn't concentrate. Loki had been showing her how to transform smaller, inanimate objects into other things. So far she'd lost her concentration most every time and even managed to turn a bookshelf into a chair.
Loki was not pleased. By the time they'd managed to right the bookshelf all the books were mangled. Now they sat side by side in front of his fireplace, he was reading and Cephera was looking at a book while her mind roamed elsewhere. She hardly knew she was even moving until he'd grab her, poked her or sometimes even smacked her across her hip with the back of his hand.
"Oh Loki!" She exclaimed, turning, kneeling up and throwing her arms around his neck and planting kiss after kiss on his cheek. "I can't help it! A BABY!" She squealed before he'd managed to avoid it. He cringed as she shouted near his ear.
"You can help it." He insisted. "You're not a child." He glowered at her.
"A baby, Loki!" She bounced on her knees with excitement. Loki rolled his eyes. "Oh the celebration, I cannot wait."
"Celebration?" Loki asked, his attention caught.
"Yes! The likes of which Mechanova hasn't seen in over 200 years. Not one child has been born since myself and my sister. This celebration could last weeks. Prayers for a healthy birth, gifts to help the expecting mother. Dances to commemorate the conception, battles in honor of the new heir!" Cephera jumped to her feet and had begun to dance and hop around.
"In Mechanova?" Loki called after her. She was now halfway across the tower floor.
"Of course," she said back, twirling.
"You're not going there." Loki's firm, irritated voice stopped Cephera mid twirl.
"What do you mean?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Krystoff's there. You will stay here." He snapped his book shut and stood, a stony look on his face.
"So what if Krystoff will be there, I am not missing this." Cephera's good mood was replace by her own irritation.
"You are not going." Loki growled turning on her, his pale face reddened.
"Loki, you are making this a conflict where there is none needed. I'm not stopping my usual life because of Krystoff and his family. You'll be there with me, Seraphina will be there. Thor, the warriors three, Sif, my father and countless of others who look to protect me." She reminded him, hands spread out on her hips.
Loki waved off her words. "And countless others looking to help Demos and his insane children. His sister is a shapeshifter and can seamlessly lure you away and who knows what the rest of them can do." Loki had finished as if that was the end of discussion.
"I'm thrilled over your protective nature of me, but I'm going. You cannot stop me and if you do, this relationship will be facing much worse than this little fight. This is a big deal for me and for my family, I'm sorry Loki but I will not miss it." Loki roared and threw the book he'd been holding. It clatters across the mantle and sent bottles flying.
"I'll not have this sort of insubordination! You will listen to me," he'd pointed to himself with such anger she actually heard his finger thump against his chest.
"You want to control me? What I do, where I go? No. I'm sorry Loki, but as much as you want to keep me safe the way you are doing it is the best way to push me away. Push me away to leave and go home forever. I'm not your servant, or slave, I'm your paramour." Cephera glared at him with as much anger as he did back at her.
A staring contest began and finally Loki exhaled and his face softened. "You are right, but we will not go until I am satisfied with a plan to keep you safe whilst we are there." Cephera could see that his anger still burned below the surface, but he was doing his best to see past it.
"Fine," Cephera said. She wanted to say thank you, but why should she? Only moments ago he'd treated her like property and to her she couldn't just pass it off like it was nothing. She wouldn't be treated that way. Loki studied her and without speaking he left the room.
That had been the first time she'd seen Loki like this, but for no reason should anyone look to control their significant other. Had he approached it differently she'd have understood, but his outburst worried her. Loki had so many levels to him and even she had trouble figuring them all out.
(Seraphina)
"I haven't much to warn about my father, take him at face value, don't read into his words. If he likes you he'll tell you, if he hates you he'll threaten you. He will say exactly what he thinks, he has no filter..., worse than me." She finished and Fandral smirked.
"Ive dealt with angry husbands catching me with their wives, I think I can handle your father." He winked at her and Seraphina shook her head and kept walking the stone path leading to the palaces main entrance.
She'd told her father she was coming ahead of time and why. She really didn't want to see his initial reaction to her being pregnant. She didn't think she could handle seeing her father cry, as he most likely did. Cephera's teary eyes had been bad enough.
The guards pointed her toward the dining hall, no surprise there. Her father was an emotional eater, lucky for him his giants heritage stopped him from gaining significant weight, that and his extreme training. They entered the dining hall and her father was pulling a large stick of meat apart with his teeth.
"Father," Seraphina said, alerting him to their arrival. Her father jumped to his feet, dropping his meat, and took only a few strides across the floor with his long legs.
(Fandral)
He grabbed Fandral's hand in his greasy one, "thank you." King Yorin beamed shaking Fandral's hand vigorously. Fandral was amused and saddened. Amused because he'd never thought to see a father thanking a man for getting his daughter pregnant and saddened because he knew the hardships these people faced. "Now, on condition that this child be healthy and strong you must stay awhile in Mechanova and attempt to impregnate more of our women."
"Father!" Seraphina punched her own father hard, but it didn't seem to phase him.
"Calm down Seraphina, I'm sure he was only joking," Fandral said to her as he wiped off his soiled hands in his tunic. The deadly look she shot him and the indignant look of her father told him that the king had not been joking. Fandral wasn't unsure how to respond. As much as he loved women, he certainly didn't like the idea of being whored out.
"He's not a fountain of magical sperm father, he's just a man I had sex with... A LOT." She finished off. Her father frowned.
"Very well, but young man feel free to take your sperm anywhere you like while you stay." Seraphina growled.
"I bet you wouldn't dare offer that to Loki if it where Cephera in my place."
"Of course not. She's in a monogamous relationship, you don't form attachments, like me, well with exception to your mother." His voiced lowered at the memory of his deceased wife. He must have loved her. Seraphina was much like her father from what Fandral heard and saw so far. If he joined in union with Seraphina's mother then he must have felt love. After all, Mechanovians didn't marry unless love was a factor.
"We've agreed that during the child's younger years we'll be seeing only each other for bedroom purposes," Fandral said. Normally it wasn't what one said to any parent, but he'd learned early that Seraphina's family, or even culture were not your typical kind of people.
"Why for? When that child grows up they'll know that they'll need many a partner to achieve an heir of their own one day, no use candy coating it." The king replied.
"Well, perhaps because I've managed to father one, keeping me around may cause another." Fandral grinned when the King burst into a hopeful smile.
"The more, the better." He agreed and dropped the subject. "Now, I've made preparations for the child's room here, of course you'll have to create one of your very own in Asgard as I'm sure you'll be travelling back and forth." The king beamed at his daughter and Seraphina looked to the ceiling as though trying to save her patience.
"I thought it best to stay in Asgard mostly." Seraphina replied giving her father a look Fandral wasn't quite familiar with.
"But he or she will have tutors from here. They will grow up knowing our ways, it's vital if something should happen and they need to take the throne." Her father insisted.
"Of course." Seraphina replied. She'd explained all this to Fandral already. Fandral had no family. His mother died young and his father died in battle leaving him with no siblings and his eldest uncle had disappeared years ago. Seraphina, his friends and now this child was all he had and he didn't see a problem with them learning everything about both cultures. He understood that their child would one day rule this land.
"Good, now follow me, I'll show you the room I had in mind."
"Ugh," Seraphina trotted along behind her father and Fandral stood back to chuckle.
"So you're him," a female half whispered. Fandral turned his head to see a white-blond haired girl stroll in rather sneaky like. It took him a moment to remember her. He'd seen her at Cephera's coming of age celebration, this was Krystoff's sister.
"Katarina, isn't it?" He asked keeping a close eye on this wench. Fandral didn't care what information she fed Seraphina in her little disguise, he didn't trust her. That was one thing he'd been happy about regarding his and Seraphina's continued friendship, she told him everything.
"You remember me." She smiled and fluttered her eyelids at him. Normally he'd be all for flirting in return, but he knew this girl to be bad news.
"Oh yes, Seraphina's told me all about you," he said and glanced at Seraphina, who was out of sight already. He frowned, he should have followed close behind.
"Has she?" He watched Katarina weigh his words. "Then she must trust you an awful lot. The Seraphina I know keeps many secrets, dark secrets." Fandral refused to allow this woman to fill his head with tales he cared nothing about. Baiting him most likely.
"You said 'you're him' what do you mean?" Fandral asked.
"Oh please, everyone has heard the news of the princess's new plus one and bundle to be. The King was overjoyed, as he should be." Katarina smiled sweetly, a look that just looked out of place.
Fandral knew to step lightly. He didn't want to cause trouble where it was unneeded. He would not make an enemy of his child's mother angry. He would not put his child or Seraphina in danger.
"Very much so, now if you'll excuse me I must be going." He half expected the blond to keep him from leaving, but she didn't. She nodded and smiled again.
"Have fun, and if you're ever looking for extra fun I'm always looking for new entertainment." She called after him. Fandral didn't reply, he got the hell out of there. Creepy wasn't even the right word for how that woman made him feel.
***
Fandral lay awake with Seraphina snoring beside him. As much as he didn't want himself to question what sorts of dark secrets Seraphina could have, if any, he was thinking about it. Damn Katarina and her mysterious words.
"I knew I smelt something burning," Seraphina groaned. She must have been watching him for some time.
"I'm thinking." He replied with a glare.
"Hence the burning." Seraphina chuckled. He couldn't return the laughter.
"You remember earlier when I told you I'd seen Katarina and that we'd talked," he said. Seraphina grunted and sat up.
"What did she say?" Seraphina asked knowing this was headed somewhere.
"She mentioned you had dark secrets, and I can't imagine you having secrets. You're so open about everything." He replied. He felt foolish, was that even possible?
"Everyone has secrets. I have secrets, I choose what I share and what I don't." She replied. "My secrets are kept to avoid others getting hurt." Seraphina shrugged. "You're dying to know now, I can see it on your face."
"I don't need to know." Fandral replied. "It was just an odd thing to think of, you keeping any thoughts to yourself."
"It was a long time ago," Seraphina stated. Fandral didn't reply, a part of him wanted her to continue. "Ever wonder how we found out the Fevours were our enemies?"
"Not really, but now that you mention it...,"
"It stared with Katarina. She shape-shifted into a woman to try and seduce my father, it didn't work. She took on the face of a dead woman, not knowing he'd known her. He tore her from her disguise and when she was revealed she used a very lame excuse to save her own skin. My father didn't believe her and began to keep a close eye on them. That's when Krystoff become our second problem." Seraphina scratched her nose.
"And?" Fandral urged when it seemed like Seraphina wasn't going to go on.
"I was always the stronger of myself and Cephera, stronger fighter, stronger with magic. Her weakness made her easy prey. When we were old enough to consume our first alcohol, Krystoff took advantage of that. Cephera turned out to be lightweight there too. She doesn't remember, she'd been too intoxicated and I'm sure it wasn't just because of the liquor, I'm certain she'd been drugged. I went looking for her and found him alone with her, touching her." Seraphina tore at the blankets. "We were alone, no guards to watch. Back then, we didn't have spies watching so closely. He wasn't so careful to hide his devious intentions."
Fandral licked his dry lips. "I attacked him, but he was strong even back then. He overpowered me, I was so young then. Barely of age. To save Cephera from being mauled by him I made him a deal, he could have me instead." Fandral knew before she'd said it that this is where it was going. "Cephera lay sleeping and I allowed that monster to have me right there. I guess back then the Lycile was not as potent as it would be today, I didn't get pregnant."
"Was that your...,"
"First time? No, thankfully. It wasn't pleasant, but after that I made sure Cephera didn't drink at celebrations and I also made sure she never got drugged. Our spy count grew, their spy count grew and we've been playing cat and mouse ever since. I've never had to bargain with him again and hopefully never will." Seraphina looked at Fandral. "Cephera can never know."
"She'll never hear it from me." Fandral promised.
"I'm confused, why would Katarina want you to know that? Maybe she thought you'd freak out. It's the only thing I've kept my mouth shut about. I never even told my father, I lied to him about what happened. I was afraid he'd kill Krystoff on the spot."
"Maybe he should have." Fandral replied.
"No, when they go down I want everyone in this kingdom to know without a doubt that their family deserved it. I want no one to question my families ability to lead our people." Fandral smiled. She looked cute when she was seeking vengeance.

Notes