Emeralds of Agony

Nina stalked through the palace gardens, her hands balled into fists. She seethed, breathing hard, glaring at the guards who stood to attention as she passed, peering between the trees, looking for Loki. He often sat in the gardens to read, but her search did not prevail. Scowling, she made her way into the palace, seeking any other distraction.

Back in the training ring, Thor grunted, and dropped the weights he had been using since Nina's departure. He raised a hand and wiped the sweat from his brow, pushing his blonde hair back over his forehead. He chuckled as he thought about Nina's reaction to his slight against his brother. She and Loki had always been thick as thieves, but the vehemence with which she had defended him had surprised him. Such a temper! He laughed again, and muttered 'Women!' He reached down for his weights, but a movement amongst ring's seating area distracted him. Eyes narrowing, he peered forward.

Crack

Loki, having been seated in the stands, had shifted, his very being dissolving into a black mist, re-appearing just behind his brother. His jaw set, Thor whirled round, arm outstretched to grab Loki, but he jumped backwards, just out of Thor's reach.

'By the gods, brother, can you not simply walk towards me like any other man?!' Thor shook his head and grinned. 'Or do you fear me in this place of battle?'

Loki cocked his head to the side, his lips pursed.

'Having seen Nina run rings around you, brother, I feel no need to fear you as of this moment.'

'Ha!' Thor clapped Loki on the back. 'So you have seen how our little sister has fared under your tuition! Yes, you have taught her well; if you believe a true hero avoids a fight instead of winning one.'

Loki regarded him cooly; 'And yet, she has the element of surprise... It will not be long before you may regret mocking her so.'

'Oh brother, I meant neither of you offence! Besides, you must be pleased at how quickly she jumped to your defence.' Thor picked up his weights and winked at his brother. 'You remain her favourite, as ever.'

Loki mouth tightened, and he looked down at his feet.

'Ah well.' Thor clapped his brother on the shoulder. 'We should return to our chambers, brother. I trust you have not forgotten the feast! Mother will have our heads if we are not ready soon.'

'You go, I shall be there shortly.'

'Very well.' Thor turned and strode away from Loki, and out of the ring.

Loki closed his eyes and groaned, clenching his fists. At the same time, he shifted, re-appearing next to the stands, and drove his fist into its wooden framework. His mind ran over Thor's words, and a memory he did not often allow to re-surface in his mind swam, unbidden, to the surface.



~

It was five years ago: Loki was 19, Thor 21, and Nina would soon turn 17. The two brothers had been away for military training, and were returning to the palace late at night. Thor had bidden his brother goodnight, and fallen into bed after a month of physical exertion. But Loki remained awake, his mind racing. This month had given him time away from the busy life at court, a break from royal duties his parents roped him into, and offered him a chance to focus on his set of very unique skills. He had practised shifting all day, everyday, and what had once been an uncontrollable, fleeting chance to show off to his peers, had become a finely tuned asset.  He had spent the month buoyed by his new-found abilities, and he did not want this high to leave him. After pacing his room for a while, he walked out, aiming for the gardens, and a space to practise in. He had timed it well - the palace guards were on their break, and they dawdled when returning to their posts at this time of night. Loki knew he had at least half an hour of uninterrupted time.

The moon was full, and exceptionally bright as he stole out into the gardens, and moved through them as silently as a cat. It lit up the scene in front of him  - the gardens spread out behind the palace like a patchwork, grassy areas strewn with a mixture of young saplings, gigantic, centuries old trees, and flowerbeds that gave out the most beautiful scents. Loki moved swiftly oast them, following a well-trodden path from his childhood. Past these well-kept lawns, the gardens turned wild, and in the midst of them laid a small clearing, and beside it, a lake. The children had been forbidden there without Lai when they were younger, for fear of them getting into difficulty in the water. However, as soon as they had extracted a reluctant, 'Very well' from their mother, they had all revelled in being allowed to swim there alone.

As all things do for children, the novelty soon wore off. But Loki remembered it being an exceptionally peaceful place, and he headed there now. Soon, he stumbled upon the clearing, lit up by the moonlight. Walking into the centre, he attempted to clear his mind, and focus on his body. He found that if he focused on himself, he could reach a level of hyper-sensitivity, that made it so much easier for his body to respond to his mind. He closed his eyes, and at the same moment heard a loud splash from close by. His eyes snapped open with surprise, but then remembered he could not be but a stones throw from the lake.

Curiousity drove him forward, and he reached the edge of the clearing, extending a hand to gently push aside the foliage that hid the lake from view. The moonlight danced on the reflection of the water, and its surface rippled, although there was no wind. As Loki's eyes adjusted to the light, he began to make out a shape moving through the water, pale skin cutting through the water. The moonlight reflecting off their naked form, Loki realised it was a woman. They moved across the lake's surface, heading towards the opposite bank, and Loki peered forward, mesmerised by the sight.

As the figure pulled herself out of the water, her hair streamed down her back - and there was no mistaking the blonde curls that glistened in the moonlight. Loki cast his eyes away as though burned, as Nina stood at the edge of the water, raised her arms and stretched, her pleasurable sigh breaking through the night's silence as easily as though she had screamed.

The splash told him she had dived in once more, and his hand tightened on the branch in front of him. His jaw set, his mind told his body to turn, to walk away. But his body refused to obey, and his eyes flicked up again. Nina once more moved through the water, though this time her pale skin seemed made of alabastar, her body cutting a sleek, perfect path through the water's darkness. Loki drew back as she neared the bank that was but a few metres away from the branches where he stood. His mind once more urgently told him to leave, and once more his body betrayed him. And as she drew ever closer, the voice in his head dulled to a distant whisper.

Loki continued staring, completely transfixed by the sight of Nina reaching for the bank, and now, achingly slowly, pushing herself up on her elbows and lifting herself out of the water. His breath caught, as she stood not a few metres away from him, in all her raw beauty. His eyes flickered over her body, watching as she stretched once more, extending her form, and he focused on how her, how her legs trembled from the exertion of her swimming, how her hair dripped droplets of water all over her body, and how those drops caressed her nipples, as they hardened in the cold air. Loki felt as though he was rooted to the spot, unable to tear his gaze away from her, feeling a stiffness begin to grow in his groin. She turned once more and dived back into the water, as an owl screeched nearby. The noice made Loki jump, and he stepped quickly backwards, like a horse that has been spooked.

Crack

In his panic he had shifted - not far at all, only further backwards so that he stood in the centre of the clearing, and he turned and moved swiftly back the way he had come, practically running, and not looking back once. By the time he reached the palace, he was out of breath, but did not stop until he had reached his bedchamber. Shutting the door firmly behind him, he sat on the edge of his bed, head in his hands, trying to calm the rush of thoughts, racing their way through his head.

What are you doing? Loki's mind screamed at him. What were you thinking?! She is your sister-

She's not your sister. A voice at the back of his head cut through his panic.

You were raised together, to think of her in such a way is unclean, and -

She's not your sister.

You do not look at women as though they are boars, their only value attached to their physical attributes! You are not your brother, or father, you do not gaze lecherously at women!

She is beautiful.

And that was the thought that silenced all the others racing around Loki's mind that night, the thought that he held onto as he drifted into an uneasy, and broken sleep.