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"Who were you before the war?"
Her question was simple, although, he had no idea how to answer it. The answer was a simple word, but the meaning behind it was complicated. If he was being honest with himself, complicated defined his entire being and it would continue to define him until he perished.
Hermione watched as his emerald eyes trailed across the battlefield in front of them. She watched as he took in the sight laid out before them. Bodies strewn all over the ground, blood pooled around them. The crimson stain would be forever imprinted in each of their minds.
She was certain this wasn't the first time he had seen such a massacre. She was familiar with his past because she had read the legends in her youth. The God of Mischief and Lies was known for his skill with the daggers he kept sheathed in his cloak. He had killed many, but today was different.
"Of which war do you speak, Lady Granger? I have been involved in many."
His reply was cold and distant, not that she had expected anything less. He refused to look at her when he spoke, or even turn to acknowledge that he had heard her question. He continued to stare at the bodies in the field. It was almost as though he was hypnotized by the bodies and bloodshed. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
Shaking her head, Hermione turned to face him, reaching over to place a hand on his shoulder. He flinched at her touch, and turned his head slightly toward her. He looked at her hand out of the corner of his eye and his gaze trailed up the length of her arm until he met her eyes.
"The one that banished you here."
A smirk pulled at his lips. She was smarter than he had originally given her credit for being. He thought about his answer for a brief moment as the smirk faded from his face. The memories of his life on Asgard flooded his mind and he was filled with a sadness.
Pushing the thought from his mind, Loki turned to face her. He noticed something dark in her eyes that intrigued him, but he would save those questions for another time. She had presented him with a question first, one that she rightly deserved the answer to.
"I chose poorly in another life, choosing my own life over that of another."
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but closed it almost immediately and furrowed her brow at him. She couldn't decide he was telling her the truth or if he was lying to her.
"You question my honesty." He smirked at her and nodded his head slowly, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them once more. "You are very wise, Lady Granger. I assure you, I'm telling the truth of my banishment."
"Okay, but that still doesn't answer my original question," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Do you believe I'm telling you the truth of my banishment?" he asked, mirroring the motion of her arms as he crossed his own over his chest.
"Yes."
Loki nodded and turned his attention back to the battlefield. "Prior to the war on Asgard, I was in search of who I was. Odinson I was not, but I had been banished by my home. Laufeyson may have been my given name, but I knew not what that required of me.
"I tired of fighting myself to be someone I knew I was not. I lashed out and Odin sent me away for my crimes. It wasn't until then that I knew who I was."
"Who was that?" she asked quietly.
Loki looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "A monster."