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"We shouldn't be here," Loki said grimly, trudging along through the thick brush, irritably waving thick vines and prickers away from his face. He swallowed as he stared up at the ancient, foreboding fortress looming in the dark blue mist in front of them, desperate to get this foolish endeavor over as soon as possible. "Thor warned me about this place."
"Stop being such a coward," Sif whispered, exasperatedly pushing the hood of her cloak off of her head to get a better look at the structure. "Besides, since when have you ever listened to Thor?"
"Since he kindly informed me that if I ever had the misfortune of running into a draugar they would lop off my head and have it for supper."
Sif looked back at him, certain his frightened tone was not authentic. She quickly realized by the grave expression he wore that he was, in fact, not jesting and proceeded to burst into the loudest laugh Loki had ever heard escape her lips.
"By the norns, Sif," he cringed, looking around nervously. "If the dead weren't awake before, they certainly are now."
"You were children!" she replied, continuing to laugh deeply at his absurd reactions. "You're supposed to be the logical one!"
"Logical, I am. I'm also quite fond of my head."
"Me too," she said smiling, nudging him hard in the shoulder before passing him to stand at the gates. "As thick as it is."
A wry smile formed at the corner of his mouth as he watched her. The two had been close friends for most of their lives, but only recently had they started spending a bit more time together. He didn't think much of it, since she was blindingly beautiful and could have anyone in the kingdom, but he was enjoying her company all the same. She helped him improve at sparring and knife throwing and in return he taught her about magic. He loved hearing her talk, about anything, and he never felt lonely when she was around. There was no one in the whole of the nine realms who could ever get him to come out to this place willingly; no one except for her.
"Draugar don't exist on Asgard, Loki," she said, glaring back at him, finding it ridiculous that she was trying to placate him on such an absurd topic. There had been many tales about the ancient burial ground within an old fortress being home to the living dead, but Sif wasn't having any of it. It was time to put the stories to rest.
"Either way," he said, sizing up the gates, his hands on his hips. "I can't say I'm eager to find out."
The two crossed hesitantly through the bent metal bars, and Loki shuddered at the sight of the dark path that was lined with a thick, foreboding fog. Sif stopped and looked around, picking up a large stick that lay nearby.
"Do you mind?" she said, holding it out to him, hoping that he would use his magic to light their way.
"I don't think that's wise," he whispered, looking around cautiously. "Not yet."
"How else are we supposed to see in the dark?"
"It's not entirely dark, not yet. We can still see, and there's a full moon. Take the stick along, but I'm not lighting it yet."
"Fine," she groaned. "Which way?"
"I'm not sure."
"Come on, then" she shrugged, turning right, plowing her way through the blue mist with Loki several paces behind.
The massive fortress was, in a sense, a labyrinth. It was as if an old stone castle had been chopped in half crosswise, and the interior had become overgrown with moss and heavy forestation. The tall, rounded stone walls surrounding them opened up to a starry sky, leading them eventually to, what they could only assume, was the graveyard in the middle.
They walked along the grassy path silently for several minutes, trying hard not to pay attention to every creak and crack they heard.
"This isn't so bad, is it?" Sif lied, becoming a bit more uneasy with every step they took toward their destination.
"Isn't it?" Loki said, speaking plainly. He removed the hood of his cloak and ran his fingers through his slicked back hair nervously, looking behind them every so often, paying mind to every shadow and reflection he convinced himself he saw. Most of the time, they were his.
Before long, they reached another point where they were to turn left or right. She looked back at him, hoping he would have some inkling as to which way to go, but he simply shrugged and put his head down, hoping she wouldn't see what a blatant coward he was being. They both jumped as a stark white owl flew to the top of a wall and began hooting at them ominously.
"Maybe we should turn back," Loki suggested, hoping in vain that she would agree. "No one has to know we didn't go."
"No way," Sif shook her head. "I lost that bet to Fandral fair and square and I'm going to prove everyone wrong. You can leave."
"I'm not leaving you here," he said quietly, intently, and she smiled vaguely to herself at the sentiment. She had cared about him for a long time, but was certain he didn't feel the same way for her since he never gave any sort of inclination that he did. Many saw him as odd, angry and different; all she ever saw was that he was brilliant and incredibly handsome.
"So," she said after several minutes of silence, trying to nonchalantly change the subject as she dragged the stick on the ground. "I saw you talking to Lorelei at the well yesterday. You like her?"
"What's it to you?"
"Nothing," she said defensively, rolling her eyes. She wasn't entirely sure why she asked a question she didn't want the answer to. "Just making conversation."
"She's pretty," he said, rather proudly, though he had zero interest in Lorelei. He would, however, say anything to make himself look better in front of Sif.
"Yeah," she replied, trying hard to sound nonchalant though she could feel her stomach drop. It bothered her that Loki thought she was attractive. Her eyes narrowed at the thought of that wretched harlot having anything to do with him.
"Hang on, what were you doing at the well? And why didn't you come see me?" he said, nearly stopping in his tracks. It didn't make sense. Mimir's well was a far walk from the palace, and she was supposed to have sparring lessons at the very same time he was there yesterday.
"You looked busy. I didn't feel like going to practice. I just needed to clear my head," she half-lied, hoping he'd believe it. She had seen Loki and Lorelei leave the palace together and followed them, hoping that in doing so she would see something that would make her feelings for him dissipate; but that plan failed. He hadn't made any sort of a move on her.
"Oh," Loki replied, thoroughly confused. She knew well that he was there practicing his craft every day, so for her to go out there without telling him or trying to meet up was rather odd and unlike her. "Well, I think she likes me."
"Well," Sif snapped defensively before she could stop herself. "I hear she likes everyone."
Loki rolled his eyes, and shoved his hands forcefully into his pockets, his anger flaring. "Well, I hear you like Thor."
"WHAT?"
"Sif, please-"
Sif ignored him. Instead she swiftly grabbed the dagger from her knee holster and held it to his throat, pinning him hard against the wall. "What did you JUST say?"
He would not look at her, but she saw the anger and jealousy flash in his eyes that had turned cold. "You heard what I said."
"You're daft," she laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Completely daft!"
"Sif, let go of me."
"Why should I!"
"Sif, LET GO," he mouthed angrily, his eyes wide as he tilted his head in the direction of where a warm, orange light was growing brighter around the corner. It looked like someone, or something, was heading straight in their direction, and the shadow it cast did not look Asgardian. "LOOK!"
As soon as Sif released her grip on him and turned to see the eerie shadow, Loki picked her up and pulled her into a small cave that was hidden away from plain sight in one of the nearby walls, shielding her with his body as the mysterious light slowly passed by them. Neither one could get a good look at whatever it was.
"It's alright," he panted after a minute as she buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. He kept both of his hands above her against the wall, staying the urge to return the embrace. "I think it's gone now."
"WHAT THE HEL WAS THAT?" she nearly yelled as she looked up at him, her tone insinuating that this was somehow all his fault. Loki, instead of raging back at her, nearly burst out laughing. She was genuinely terrified, and it was endearing.
"Most likely nothing," he replied, not even believing his own words.
"Don't lie to me!" she said sternly as she gripped him tighter, her face just inches from his.
"It was probably just some kids like us," he said, trying his best to sound reassuring and to keep his voice from shaking so as not to frighten her any further. "Not to worry."
Sif loosened her grip around his torso, but before he could back away, she gently reached up and took his hands one by one, placing them around her waist. She waited a minute to see if he would remove them or protest, but he did not.
She wasn't entirely sure what she was thinking, but at the moment, she wasn't. She wasn't sure what she had just witnessed in the fortress, but she didn't like it. She realized that Loki didn't even have to come with her and yet, there he was, shielding her, protecting her, keeping her safe, as he had always done. Maybe it was just what a friend did, but she needed to know whether or not he had any feelings for her, and there was only one way to find out.
Feeling brave, she reached a shaky hand up and ran her fingers against his cheek, pushing his long hair behind his ears. They could barely see one another in the dim light, but Sif supposed that maybe made it easier. Without much hope or agenda, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned up to place her lips upon his. He barely kissed back at first, not believing what was actually happening, but as he began to come back to reality, his thumbs began brushing her hips and his lips slowly began to caress hers.
His heart pounded, and it had nothing to do with the mysterious light they had just witnessed. It was beautiful; she was beautiful. Kissing her came so naturally to him, it was like a reflex he had no idea that he had. She was good at sparring, he was good at magic, but kissing one another was something that came easily to both of them.
Sif had no real idea what kissing Loki would do to her until the moment it happened. She had wanted him to kiss her for years, but she wasn't prepared at all for the way it would make her feel. She knew then, right then, that she could never kiss another man for as long as she lived, for he was perfect. The way his soft lips took their time gently exploring hers, the way his fingertips slid gingerly up her sides giving her goosebumps; she was certain she had died and gone to Valhalla.
Loki broke hesitantly away from her mouth to kiss a trail from her jaw down the side of her neck, finally feeling a bit more confident in his actions. He loved her fragrant smell and the way she tasted, loved the way she moaned into his ear when he gently bit at her skin. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled hard on the locks and he groaned, smiling against her throat as he pushed her back on the wall, molding his body to her perfect form. He didn't give a damn what was inside these walls with them, for right now, she had her arms around him, and nothing else mattered.
Sif's mind began to wander. He was amazing at touching her; too perfect, too skilled. She felt herself grow warm in places no man had ever been allowed to go, and it frightened her. She started to think about Lorelei, wondering if he had ever done the same with her, and the thought was suddenly too painful.
"Loki, stop," she whispered, her voice cracking as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She didn't want him to stop, but she didn't know how to continue. Not like this, anyway.
Loki wasted no time letting go of her. He backed away with his hands in the air, afraid that he might have somehow hurt her. She walked over to the stick and picked it up, taking a deep breath, trying to appear nonchalant. He was glad it was dark so that she couldn't see the pain in his eyes nor the intense fear; the fear that he had possibly just crossed a line.
"Sif, I'm sorry, I-"
"Light the torch," she said quietly as she stood at the entrance, her heart racing. "Let's just get this over with."
Loki stared at her briefly, wondering what in the nine realms had just happened, but he took the branch from her. She watched as embers shot from his hands through the stick, setting the top ablaze. As the light flooded the room, they both stared at one another, the hurt apparent in both of their eyes.
"Let's go," he replied, suddenly wanting to get the task over as well. He took the lead on the path for the first time, realizing that ghosts and ghouls scared him enormously less than the thought of never holding her again.
They walked in silence for a long time, their minds now filled with thoughts of one another rather than the task at hand. They slowed once they finally reached the corner of the hall that led directly into the burial ground. Loki paused to place the torch in a nearby wall sconce, giving some light to the gloomy place.
It wasn't a massive area, but the graveyard was frightening all the same. It looked very much like a forest, overgrown with moss and fungi with several large, twisted trees sticking up from the dirt ground, with limbs that looked like arms reaching out. Sif had a bad feeling as her eyes wandered to center where several tall, obelisk stones stood in a circle.
"Who were these people?" she asked as she approached the graves, wanting to leave much more than she cared to admit.
"Not sure," he said quietly, leaning to wipe the dirt from the markers. He tried to see if there were any names on them, but they were so ancient and grown over that he knew it was pointless.
"They must have been important to be buried in a place like this."
"I'm not sure who they were, but I know well the legend of what they are now. They say when the draugar come out, they always come out at night, and they come for the living who willingly invade their territory..."
"Well, I don't see any."
"They have magical abilities," he continued as he ignored her, squinting at the rocks, kneeling down in front of them to get a better look. His fear was officially lost to him. "They can shape shift into practically anything. There's word that they can also tell you the future, bring disease, misfortune and death to anyone that comes in contact with them. Oh, and they can eat you alive. There's no end to the havoc they can wreak."
"Sounds great," Sif said sarcastically, looking anxiously around. "I think we should go."
"I think we can do that," Loki said quietly, wiping the dirt from his hands as he stood. "I think we've proven tonight that real horrors come from the living."
Suddenly, without warning, Sif's eyes went wide. There was a light, the same light that they had seen before, coming directly from behind the obelisk Loki stood at. He didn't see it, as he was too busy scrutinizing her, his hands on his hips.
"Oh, what have I done now?" he asked, flailing his arms defensively, his voice annoyed.
"Loki...," she said calmly, trying hard not to freak him out as he was clearly oblivious to what was behind him.
"Look, I shouldn't have tried anything more. I - I couldn't help it. When I kiss you, I feel-"
"Loki, we need to go NOW."
He was genuinely befuddled at the terrified look she gave him, until he realized that she wasn't looking at him; she was looking at something behind him.
Slowly, fearfully, Loki turned to see the same harrowing light they saw earlier growing faintly on the other side of the obelisk. He stood, paralyzed with fear as he watched a bony, dirt-covered hand wrap around the side of the stone. The second hand wrapped around, and a loud groan came, as if it were trying to pull itself up from the ground from the other side. The face remained hidden, but they both knew damn well what they were about to encounter.
He turned back to her, his eyes wide, but much to her surprise, he stood his ground.
"LOKI! LET'S GO!" she pleaded, her eyes staring at the hands in horror. It was true. All of it.
"No," he said quietly, his eyebrows raised, his face stern. "Not until you tell you tell me WHY you pushed me away before."
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS!" she said, making to run, though she knew in her heart that she wouldn't leave him.
Loki looked down, examining his nails, appearing bored.
"LORELEI!" she finally shouted after she realized he was serious about not moving. Her head spun as she looked from the hands to him and back again, desperate to get the two of them out of there.
"Lorelei?" he said curiously, his brows furrowed as he looked up at her. "What of it?
"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT OF IT!"
The second groan came much louder than the first, and Loki shifted, but remained rooted to his spot. He crossed his arms, almost comically, and yawned as he leaned up against the obelisk, waiting patiently for her to elaborate. Sif watched as the hand began to reach around, this time for him.
"Oh, I do hate you for this," she said lividly as she ran up to him, pushing him out of the way just in time. She grabbed him forcefully by the collar and pulled him down to her level, crashing her lips against his.
"ARE - YOU - SATISFIED?" she yelled breathlessly at him between kisses, trying hard not to be so affected by him once more but failing miserably. He smiled against her mouth and reached around to lift her up into his arms, cradling her against him. She wrapped herself around him, yanking his hair for leverage as she kissed him deeper, their lips fiercely battling one another.
"Mmm slightly," he stopped to grin up at her, the bastard that he was. He looked over to see that the hands that had disappeared, but noticed that lights were now coming from behind the other obelisks. Draugar weren't known for their speed, but Loki didn't want to risk their safety any longer.
"CAN WE GO NOW?"
"Yes," he nodded, placing his lips briefly on hers once more, hesitant to let go of her despite the fact they were about to be devoured.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she grabbed his hand and two turned to run, not once looking back.
"You have to know," Loki panted, squeezing her hand as they hurried along the path, his mind still very much focused on her. "She means nothing to me. She never has."
"You mean," Sif wheezed, her heart suddenly soaring as she glanced at him sideways. She found it slightly amusing that they had seen the living dead, were nearly eaten alive, and yet, the only thing she could think about was him. Typical. "You two never...?"
As they reached the end of the path, once they found themselves safely outside the gates, they collapsed breathlessly on top of one another.
"No," Loki said after a long minute, gasping for air as he lay looking up at the sky. He felt around for her hand and brought it to his lips, his stare intense as he leaned over to finally look at her. "Sif, I've only ever seen you."
Sif smiled at him, panting as they turned to their sides to lay face-to-face in a massive heap of leaves. She brought her lips desperately against his once more, the sweet sound of their sighs and kisses filling the night air.
What they didn't hear, however, were the hearty laughs and high-fives of Thor, Fandral and Volstagg, coming from the burial ground.