Loki's Reformation
Chapter 7: Down Hill
The crowd's hostility began to dissipate seemingly satisfied that Odin had decreed Loki and Sif were to have another bout to right the obvious disqualification of this most awaited fight. Odin remained standing looking on with staunch acuity to see fitfully what was to transpire during this new bout determined not to be made a fool again by Loki's antics.
Frigga let out a deep seated sigh as she rose to stand next to her husband a graceful hand coming up to cup his in moral support, but angered as he was, Odin's eyes did not move from the battle field as the two now squared off to begin the fight anew.
Sif leveled her gaze at Loki wearing a thin-lined frown of determination while gripping and twisting on the leathered handle of her sword to audibly let her frustration with the current events be known. When the gong sounded once more, Sif strode forward with a renewed vigor eager to erase the humiliation she had just faced and return it in kind tenfold.
'Why do these things happen to me?' Loki whined inwardly as Sif stared him down. Normally he'd run, but he knew there was nowhere to go. As the gong sounded, Loki tried to calm himself the best he could and focus on Sif's movements as she approached.
Loki's eyes flickered in uncertainty as Sif closed the distance, and seeing this in him, she smiled assuredly swinging her sword powerfully and without mercy over and over again. Loki had stood his ground parrying the first few, but Sif was fueled by righteous anger and plowed him backwards with her tremendous ferocity. Sif was bent on toppling Loki to the ground before her strength began to fade; Loki would know her fury and taste her vengeance this day; of that she was sure.
Training had not prepared Loki for such anger on the battlefield, and soon his arms began to twinge and shake at the excursion of blocking Sif's blows. In her fury, she left no opening for Loki to mount any sort of attack whatsoever. Stuck in defense, sweat soon began rolling down his forehead from the burning in his muscles and soon it rolled into his eyes, distorting his vision.
Backing Loki up almost to the stadium wall, Sif finally found her opening. Loki brushed his elbow up to clear the sweat from his eyes, and Sif hit the base of his sword stepping in to head butt him as she wrapped her foot behind his right ankle. The motion caused Loki's sword to fling from his hands as his momentum from the head butt and trip carried him swiftly to the ground in a sickening thud.
Sif followed Loki's descent to hover over his collapsed form blade shoved neatly across the width of his neck pinning him to the ground and proving him quite defeated. Her muscles flexed, her teeth gritted in her resolve as she looked down on him with ever present anger. Sif's wrath did fade now as the mob cheered their approval of her victory. She smirked down at Loki, "You lasted longer than I expected Trickster. Too bad I couldn't have savored this victory longer, but your previous display leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth, and I am not one to savor such a morsel."
Sif then stood backing away from Loki to face her audience as she raised her sword in triumph and the crowd's yells grew more audible.
Loki lay on his back, sore all over, watching Sif step into the cheers that had previously been his. Sucking air into sore ribs and rubbing his throbbing forehead, he pouted out from under his messy bangs at everyone, feeling unduly abused. Finally catching his breath, it occurred to him that with everyone's reaction, he was likely about to be in a lot of trouble. Bringing his knees to his chest, Loki wished he could disappear.
Sif was well received by her fellow Asgardians as she exited the stadium and the crowd followed suit heading towards the great hall to celebrate her win over Loki. Dispersing quickly, the stadium was left bare, but Loki's reprieve was short lived as Odin having not moved since the second battle had started now yelled out his name, "LOKI! Rise and come forth!"
Peaking over his knees, Loki saw his father glaring down at him in a barely contained rage. He shivered. Getting up on shaky legs, he tried to put together another defense of his actions, still trying to hold onto his conviction that what he did wasn't all that bad. 'Not that it matters, no one trusts Loki! It isn't fair!' Standing and looking at Odin for a moment, building up his nerve to go to him, Loki felt his eyes begin to tingle with approaching tears before he finally began slowly and sullenly walking to him, his stomach doing flip flops. "Does it matter that I believed my intent to be plain and my actions just?" Loki asked, trying to keep his chin from quivering.
Odin's stare was like daggers, his fists clenching around the ledge of the stadium box as his anger grew and Loki approached, "If you so believed your actions to be righteous then ye would not have found need to hide them. No, you sought to win the tournament through unjust means, and that behavior is unacceptable! Did you really believe such actions to be void of repercussions Loki?"
The first tears fell down his cheeks as he pouted out, "No, I was using my strength – as was the agreement." His walking slowed a bit and he clenched his fists.
Feeling the muscles bulge in Odin's massive arm at Loki's attempts to justify his actions, Frigga spoke on his behalf, "Loki, your excuses will do you no good this day. Ye have broken the rules of engagement as were set forth by the tournament, and no matter what ye wished to accomplish through those means, you were still in the wrong and will be punished as such. We here know what that will entail; do not make it worse for yourself by making it be spelled out where those whom would not be family might perchance overhear."
Odin had stood by his wife relaxing slightly with the fact Frigga had taken the mantle a moment to save him from lashing out in anger at Loki's sure to be coming banter. To save from further argument, Odin followed, "I am far too furious to deal with you effectively at this point, and as such, I decree that you take your leave and remain in thy bed chambers until I seek thee out. Do not seek to anger me further by not doing as ye are told. I have spoken, and I would have no further talk. Now go."
Loki peered with sad owlish eyes at Frigga and then Odin as he brought his fists up and under his chin as he considered his footing, pouting all the while. 'This was not how this was meant to go.' Now he wasn't even going to be able to argue his case without getting spanked then and there, for any passerby to see. Just the thought of that evaporated any anger for fight he had in him, and instead reduced him to a quivering child.
'He's going to spank me again. He's going to do it, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.' It was all he could do to keep from sobbing as he gave a weak nod and started for his bed chambers. The emotional toll, the confusion, and the beating from Sif had quite drained him, and – being overly emotional anyway – Loki just wanted to crawl into his bed, hide under the covers and cry himself to sleep.
Somehow, he couldn't keep the looks on Balder's and Odin's faces out of his mind, and it produced the strangest feeling in him, as though daggers of ice stabbed at his chest from all directions. Whimpering, he un-balled one fist and tried to rub the feeling away to no success.
Sighing out his exasperation, Odin watched Loki sulk off towards the castle shaking his head in disappointment before turning back to Frigga to glance down at her still present hand that gently clasped itself around his forearm. He smiled fondly at the display before bringing his eyes up to meet hers with a wilted and tired state of being, "That boy is hard learned; even without his ability to use magic he finds mischief for himself!"
Frigga returned his tired look with a small faded smile, "Tis true my lord; that son of yours is most stubborn, but I must admit that I am surprised his troublesome antics took this long to flourish. Also noted that he was indeed much more careful in his efforts not to offend thee or face punishment at thy hands. Surely your last lesson must have had some kind of impact?"
Odin tilted his head thoughtfully at his wife's words nodding slightly in agreement, "Perhaps after this next taste of punishment, his stubbornness will be curbed. Let him stew on what is to come. We shall partake of the festivities for now, and then I shall find time to deal with my errant son in the morning."
Chapter 7: Down Hill
The crowd's hostility began to dissipate seemingly satisfied that Odin had decreed Loki and Sif were to have another bout to right the obvious disqualification of this most awaited fight. Odin remained standing looking on with staunch acuity to see fitfully what was to transpire during this new bout determined not to be made a fool again by Loki's antics.
Frigga let out a deep seated sigh as she rose to stand next to her husband a graceful hand coming up to cup his in moral support, but angered as he was, Odin's eyes did not move from the battle field as the two now squared off to begin the fight anew.
Sif leveled her gaze at Loki wearing a thin-lined frown of determination while gripping and twisting on the leathered handle of her sword to audibly let her frustration with the current events be known. When the gong sounded once more, Sif strode forward with a renewed vigor eager to erase the humiliation she had just faced and return it in kind tenfold.
'Why do these things happen to me?' Loki whined inwardly as Sif stared him down. Normally he'd run, but he knew there was nowhere to go. As the gong sounded, Loki tried to calm himself the best he could and focus on Sif's movements as she approached.
Loki's eyes flickered in uncertainty as Sif closed the distance, and seeing this in him, she smiled assuredly swinging her sword powerfully and without mercy over and over again. Loki had stood his ground parrying the first few, but Sif was fueled by righteous anger and plowed him backwards with her tremendous ferocity. Sif was bent on toppling Loki to the ground before her strength began to fade; Loki would know her fury and taste her vengeance this day; of that she was sure.
Training had not prepared Loki for such anger on the battlefield, and soon his arms began to twinge and shake at the excursion of blocking Sif's blows. In her fury, she left no opening for Loki to mount any sort of attack whatsoever. Stuck in defense, sweat soon began rolling down his forehead from the burning in his muscles and soon it rolled into his eyes, distorting his vision.
Backing Loki up almost to the stadium wall, Sif finally found her opening. Loki brushed his elbow up to clear the sweat from his eyes, and Sif hit the base of his sword stepping in to head butt him as she wrapped her foot behind his right ankle. The motion caused Loki's sword to fling from his hands as his momentum from the head butt and trip carried him swiftly to the ground in a sickening thud.
Sif followed Loki's descent to hover over his collapsed form blade shoved neatly across the width of his neck pinning him to the ground and proving him quite defeated. Her muscles flexed, her teeth gritted in her resolve as she looked down on him with ever present anger. Sif's wrath did fade now as the mob cheered their approval of her victory. She smirked down at Loki, "You lasted longer than I expected Trickster. Too bad I couldn't have savored this victory longer, but your previous display leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth, and I am not one to savor such a morsel."
Sif then stood backing away from Loki to face her audience as she raised her sword in triumph and the crowd's yells grew more audible.
Loki lay on his back, sore all over, watching Sif step into the cheers that had previously been his. Sucking air into sore ribs and rubbing his throbbing forehead, he pouted out from under his messy bangs at everyone, feeling unduly abused. Finally catching his breath, it occurred to him that with everyone's reaction, he was likely about to be in a lot of trouble. Bringing his knees to his chest, Loki wished he could disappear.
Sif was well received by her fellow Asgardians as she exited the stadium and the crowd followed suit heading towards the great hall to celebrate her win over Loki. Dispersing quickly, the stadium was left bare, but Loki's reprieve was short lived as Odin having not moved since the second battle had started now yelled out his name, "LOKI! Rise and come forth!"
Peaking over his knees, Loki saw his father glaring down at him in a barely contained rage. He shivered. Getting up on shaky legs, he tried to put together another defense of his actions, still trying to hold onto his conviction that what he did wasn't all that bad. 'Not that it matters, no one trusts Loki! It isn't fair!' Standing and looking at Odin for a moment, building up his nerve to go to him, Loki felt his eyes begin to tingle with approaching tears before he finally began slowly and sullenly walking to him, his stomach doing flip flops. "Does it matter that I believed my intent to be plain and my actions just?" Loki asked, trying to keep his chin from quivering.
Odin's stare was like daggers, his fists clenching around the ledge of the stadium box as his anger grew and Loki approached, "If you so believed your actions to be righteous then ye would not have found need to hide them. No, you sought to win the tournament through unjust means, and that behavior is unacceptable! Did you really believe such actions to be void of repercussions Loki?"
The first tears fell down his cheeks as he pouted out, "No, I was using my strength – as was the agreement." His walking slowed a bit and he clenched his fists.
Feeling the muscles bulge in Odin's massive arm at Loki's attempts to justify his actions, Frigga spoke on his behalf, "Loki, your excuses will do you no good this day. Ye have broken the rules of engagement as were set forth by the tournament, and no matter what ye wished to accomplish through those means, you were still in the wrong and will be punished as such. We here know what that will entail; do not make it worse for yourself by making it be spelled out where those whom would not be family might perchance overhear."
Odin had stood by his wife relaxing slightly with the fact Frigga had taken the mantle a moment to save him from lashing out in anger at Loki's sure to be coming banter. To save from further argument, Odin followed, "I am far too furious to deal with you effectively at this point, and as such, I decree that you take your leave and remain in thy bed chambers until I seek thee out. Do not seek to anger me further by not doing as ye are told. I have spoken, and I would have no further talk. Now go."
Loki peered with sad owlish eyes at Frigga and then Odin as he brought his fists up and under his chin as he considered his footing, pouting all the while. 'This was not how this was meant to go.' Now he wasn't even going to be able to argue his case without getting spanked then and there, for any passerby to see. Just the thought of that evaporated any anger for fight he had in him, and instead reduced him to a quivering child.
'He's going to spank me again. He's going to do it, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.' It was all he could do to keep from sobbing as he gave a weak nod and started for his bed chambers. The emotional toll, the confusion, and the beating from Sif had quite drained him, and – being overly emotional anyway – Loki just wanted to crawl into his bed, hide under the covers and cry himself to sleep.
Somehow, he couldn't keep the looks on Balder's and Odin's faces out of his mind, and it produced the strangest feeling in him, as though daggers of ice stabbed at his chest from all directions. Whimpering, he un-balled one fist and tried to rub the feeling away to no success.
Sighing out his exasperation, Odin watched Loki sulk off towards the castle shaking his head in disappointment before turning back to Frigga to glance down at her still present hand that gently clasped itself around his forearm. He smiled fondly at the display before bringing his eyes up to meet hers with a wilted and tired state of being, "That boy is hard learned; even without his ability to use magic he finds mischief for himself!"
Frigga returned his tired look with a small faded smile, "Tis true my lord; that son of yours is most stubborn, but I must admit that I am surprised his troublesome antics took this long to flourish. Also noted that he was indeed much more careful in his efforts not to offend thee or face punishment at thy hands. Surely your last lesson must have had some kind of impact?"
Odin tilted his head thoughtfully at his wife's words nodding slightly in agreement, "Perhaps after this next taste of punishment, his stubbornness will be curbed. Let him stew on what is to come. We shall partake of the festivities for now, and then I shall find time to deal with my errant son in the morning."
