3rd group of Advent mutant-ficlets; 4th on its way.
Finals nearly killed me... Here's the batch that would have been up the 15th; I'll hopefully get today's batch up in the afternoon...
The Norn, blushing, said, "I'm supposed to show you your past, Loki-sama..." She glanced up at him, then added, "You might want to put something on."
He slipped out of bed with a sigh. "Of course Odin couldn't just give me visions. I've got to go there..."
Skuld stared at her feet while Loki found his robe. She couldn't help glancing upwards every so often, though she never looked up for long enough to catch more than a glimpse of Loki's bare skin.
Loki, on the other hand, ignored her completely. He found the process of making sure his robe would stay shut quite absorbing. He as a trickster, not a flasher.
He tapped Skuld on the shoulder when he was done, causing her to jump. "I'm ready."
Blushing, Skuld did...something and the room shimmered and changed around them.
The new room was not quite a room in the normal sense. It was really just a cave -- the sort inhabited by the poorer jotuns in Utgard, ones who could not afford a hall of their own and for some reason could not live in their kins' halls. This one was nicer than most; somebody had carefully finished the walls, and hung up a curtain of old tapestry in the entrance-way. There was also a neatly-built hearth, carefully built by somebody with clever hands and a good idea of how to construct a fire-pit, with a fire burning cheerily.
None of this, however, had Loki's attention. His eyes were firmly upon the bed of furs, just far enough away from the fire to be safe from sparks. Skuld followed Loki's gaze, wondering why he looked so sad.
It took her only a few seconds to realize that the young man in the bed -- if he was mortal, she'd think he was 15 or 16 -- was Loki. That would mean that the woman, who looked to be around the same age and enormously pregnant, would have to be his first wife, Glut... The two were cuddling, and talking quietly to each other. Skuld could make out only bits and pieces of their conversation.
"I remember this," Loki said, startling Skuld. "It was the night before I left to get more supplies. I hadn't wanted to go." He sighed. "Glut insisted that she'd be fine." He paused, watching as Glut surprised his past self with a kiss. "I met Odin that trip.
"When I came back, she was dead. Our neighbors told me that she'd lost too much blood, giving birth, and the twins hadn't survived."
"Loki-sama... I'm sorry..." Skuld said, before placing her hand on his shoulder. The room changed again.
The next room was still in Utgard, but this time it was in a proper hall -- though, from its looks, this was a small hall, of the sort those with some means who made their homes in Ironwood prefered.
It was cozy, though, with an actual bed, nearly hidden beneath layers of quilts. This time there was no effort needed to identify whose bed it was. Spica's -- no, it would be better to call Angrboda, given that Hel was sleeping the sleep of the half-dead in a cradle beside the bed -- head poked out from beneath all the layers, and Loki's past self was nearly completely beneath the covers.
Skuld watched as Loki went over to the cradle, a faint, sad smile on his face as he watched his daughter sleep. He reached down, fingers stopping just above her face.
"I'm sorry, Loki-sama," the Norn repeated. "Odin-sama ordered me to do this."
Loki was about to say something when Hel's eyes snapped open. There were a few seconds of ominous silence as she seemed to be quite aware of the ghostly presences in the room, and then she started howling at the top of her small lungs. As the room faded away, her mother sat up and picked Hel up, rocking her and trying to calm her down.
Now they were clearly in Asgard, in one of the rooms within Gladsheim. As before, it was Loki's bedroom -- and this time, Sigyn, her long hair loose, was with him in bed. They were clearly awake...and, much to Skuld's embarrassment, quite awake.
Loki was about to ask her something, but she was not paying attention to him. She didn't to watch Loki making love to another woman, she quickly put her hat on her head.
Everything went dark.
After some time passed -- Loki wasn't sure how much -- his surroundings got a bit lighter. Skuld was gone, and he was back in his room...and there were noises from his dining room.
Loki went downstairs, wondering if his sons had come home early.
Instead, he found Freyr had taken over the room and laid out a vast feast. There were boughs of evergreens everywhere, the smell of pine and spruce competing with the food for dominance. Freyr himself was dressed in a red and white version of his usual costume, with fur trim.
"You're the 'Ghost of Christmas Present'?" Loki asked, not really meaning it as a question.
Freyr treated it as one, anyway. "Yes! Freyr is the Ghost of Christmas Presents!"
The Norn, blushing, said, "I'm supposed to show you your past, Loki-sama..." She glanced up at him, then added, "You might want to put something on."
He slipped out of bed with a sigh. "Of course Odin couldn't just give me visions. I've got to go there..."
Skuld stared at her feet while Loki found his robe. She couldn't help glancing upwards every so often, though she never looked up for long enough to catch more than a glimpse of Loki's bare skin.
Loki, on the other hand, ignored her completely. He found the process of making sure his robe would stay shut quite absorbing. He as a trickster, not a flasher.
He tapped Skuld on the shoulder when he was done, causing her to jump. "I'm ready."
Blushing, Skuld did...something and the room shimmered and changed around them.
The new room was not quite a room in the normal sense. It was really just a cave -- the sort inhabited by the poorer jotuns in Utgard, ones who could not afford a hall of their own and for some reason could not live in their kins' halls. This one was nicer than most; somebody had carefully finished the walls, and hung up a curtain of old tapestry in the entrance-way. There was also a neatly-built hearth, carefully built by somebody with clever hands and a good idea of how to construct a fire-pit, with a fire burning cheerily.
None of this, however, had Loki's attention. His eyes were firmly upon the bed of furs, just far enough away from the fire to be safe from sparks. Skuld followed Loki's gaze, wondering why he looked so sad.
It took her only a few seconds to realize that the young man in the bed -- if he was mortal, she'd think he was 15 or 16 -- was Loki. That would mean that the woman, who looked to be around the same age and enormously pregnant, would have to be his first wife, Glut... The two were cuddling, and talking quietly to each other. Skuld could make out only bits and pieces of their conversation.
"I remember this," Loki said, startling Skuld. "It was the night before I left to get more supplies. I hadn't wanted to go." He sighed. "Glut insisted that she'd be fine." He paused, watching as Glut surprised his past self with a kiss. "I met Odin that trip.
"When I came back, she was dead. Our neighbors told me that she'd lost too much blood, giving birth, and the twins hadn't survived."
"Loki-sama... I'm sorry..." Skuld said, before placing her hand on his shoulder. The room changed again.
The next room was still in Utgard, but this time it was in a proper hall -- though, from its looks, this was a small hall, of the sort those with some means who made their homes in Ironwood prefered.
It was cozy, though, with an actual bed, nearly hidden beneath layers of quilts. This time there was no effort needed to identify whose bed it was. Spica's -- no, it would be better to call Angrboda, given that Hel was sleeping the sleep of the half-dead in a cradle beside the bed -- head poked out from beneath all the layers, and Loki's past self was nearly completely beneath the covers.
Skuld watched as Loki went over to the cradle, a faint, sad smile on his face as he watched his daughter sleep. He reached down, fingers stopping just above her face.
"I'm sorry, Loki-sama," the Norn repeated. "Odin-sama ordered me to do this."
Loki was about to say something when Hel's eyes snapped open. There were a few seconds of ominous silence as she seemed to be quite aware of the ghostly presences in the room, and then she started howling at the top of her small lungs. As the room faded away, her mother sat up and picked Hel up, rocking her and trying to calm her down.
Now they were clearly in Asgard, in one of the rooms within Gladsheim. As before, it was Loki's bedroom -- and this time, Sigyn, her long hair loose, was with him in bed. They were clearly awake...and, much to Skuld's embarrassment, quite awake.
Loki was about to ask her something, but she was not paying attention to him. She didn't to watch Loki making love to another woman, she quickly put her hat on her head.
Everything went dark.
After some time passed -- Loki wasn't sure how much -- his surroundings got a bit lighter. Skuld was gone, and he was back in his room...and there were noises from his dining room.
Loki went downstairs, wondering if his sons had come home early.
Instead, he found Freyr had taken over the room and laid out a vast feast. There were boughs of evergreens everywhere, the smell of pine and spruce competing with the food for dominance. Freyr himself was dressed in a red and white version of his usual costume, with fur trim.
"You're the 'Ghost of Christmas Present'?" Loki asked, not really meaning it as a question.
Freyr treated it as one, anyway. "Yes! Freyr is the Ghost of Christmas Presents!"