CHAPTER SEVEN

[the thorn from the bush]

***

"The thorn from the bush one has planted, nourished and pruned pricks more deeply and draws more blood."

- Maya Angelou

***

Kelda sat quietly on the edge of the training field as the voices around her grew louder and louder. It had been only a day since their friend betrayed them, and the blonde watched as her fiancé and Thor raged over it. How could Karnilla so heinously plot Kelda's death? They took her in, befriended her; she was family.

The Warriors Three and Lady Sif had joined them. They were more so confused than enraged, although they were still highly upset. However, Balder and Thor's rage came from a place of hurt. Anyone could see that.

Kelda could not bring herself to be mad though. She knew she had every right to be storming around the palace like the two blond brothers, demanding Karnilla's head for trying to have her killed, but she was simply heartbroken.

After Karnilla had become her magic tutor, the ebony-haired sorceress had become one of her closest confidantes and friends—her sister. There was not a day that went by when the golden goddess would run into her in some way or another and now Kelda's life had become a little duller because the other woman was no longer a part of it. She should be mad, but instead, she was overwhelmed with grief, as she had lost so much in so little time.

Why would Karnilla do something like this? The blonde thought to herself. Was this all because she was in love with Balder? If only she could understand, I do not want to marry him.

It was the first time she had acknowledged the fact, truly recognized that the life that was being planned for her was not one she wanted. She loved Balder, but not in the way a wife should love her husband. Any love she had felt when she was younger was merely infatuation. She was in love with the idea of love and Balder deserved better than that.

She vaguely heard Balder and Thor planning their justice. At first, Balder had been levelheaded, but as time passed, he grew more anxious for results. Thor was not a great influence in that regard. They wanted to hunt Karnilla down, drag her from the mountains of Nornheim and make her stand trial for what she had done. She never saw Balder so angry before. The golden god usually kept his wits about him when high-stress situations arose, but not this time. This time, the crime was personal and he wanted Karnilla to pay not just for hurting him, but also for hurting all of them, especially Kelda.

"How are you doing?" a smooth voice said from beside her. She continued anxiously picking at her nails, not needing to look up to know it was Loki.

"About as well as can be expected I guess," she answered solemnly.

Loki reached over and placed a hand over hers, ceasing the nervous movements. Kelda looked up, her crystal blue eyes boring into his green ones. The God of Mischief saw the glimmer of tears threatening to fall.

"Why would she do this? I just don't understand. This doesn't make sense," she started again, her voice hoarse as she tried to hide her feelings. She did not want anyone to see her cry over a traitor.

Loki squeezed her hand comfortingly. "People will go to drastic lengths for those they love. Never forget that. Perhaps, she never meant for it to go this far. Perhaps, there was never a plan to harm you, well, at first..."

"That's what makes this all so confusing!" Kelda cut in when he began to trail off. "We were always honest with each other. Why couldn't she just talk to me?" The blonde huffed. "Instead, I find out, after everyone else it seems, that she was planning to kill me? It doesn't make any sense!"

Before Loki can respond to her confused outburst, the winter goddess stood from her spot and stormed off the training field and back to her room. She could not be there. She needed time to process all of this information without being surrounded by her friends and influenced by their own emotions.

***

Balder stormed through the palace halls as he approached Kelda's room. He was not mad at her, just worried. If anything, he was angry in general. Angry at Loki for bringing Karnilla into their lives in the first place, although he knew that was not fair. Angry at Karnilla for becoming such an integral part of their lives, only to cause this hurt and anguish. Moreover, he was angry with himself for not seeing any of it sooner, of befriending the woman and not doing a better job of protecting Kelda.

He was glad that preparations for the journey to Nornheim were underway. The sooner they caught Karnilla, the sooner everyone could rest easy and they could all go on with their lives. Soon, he hoped, he and Thor would be leading a force to the mountains to bring the traitor back to face justice.

He stopped at Kelda's door and knocked loudly. "Go away!" he heard her shout from the other side. Running a hand through his blonde hair, he huffed in irritation before knocking again.

"Kel, it's me. Please open the door, I need to speak with you," he said calmly, despite his lingering frustration over how his life was going.

After a moment, the heavy golden door opened and the blonde goddess stood behind it, ushering him inside. "What did you need Balder?" she asked softly. Her eyes were red and the faint shine of tear tracks trailing down her cheeks.

"I was worried when you left earlier. You just disappeared and no one knew where you were going. Thankfully, you were in the first place I checked. You have to be careful, Kel. Karnilla might be gone for now, but we have no idea what she's planning. She could still try to harm you." A flash of annoyance crossed her features.

"So, what? I'm a prisoner in my own home now through no doing of my own? That hardly seems fair."

Balder closed the distance between them and held her hands comfortingly. "I know that you're hurt about all of this. I just want to make sure nothing worse happens."

Kelda looked away from him, "I know."

"With everything going on, Thor and I shall, hopefully, be leaving for Nornheim by the end of the week. While I'm gone, I hoped that you would—," he does not get to finish as Kelda cut him off, pulling her hands from his grasp.

"By the end of the week?! Why so soon? Shouldn't we be fortifying the palace? Our wedding is days away." Her eyes narrowed as they stared him down critically.

"The wedding will be delayed for a few days. Catching Karnilla is of the utmost importance as she poses a direct threat to you." His words only upset her further. The anger that she had been void of since hearing of her friend's betrayal suddenly amped up, although not directed at the person many had expected.

"Oh, so first, we agree to postpone the wedding, together. Then, you decide that we aren't postponing it anymore for whatever damn reason that you didn't tell me! And then, again, you decide that it will be postponed so that you can go on this ego-trip, manhunt to arrest our friend?!" she seethed at him.

"She is not our friend!" Balder shouted. "She wanted you dead. She wanted to take Asgard from us."

"That's not the point!" she shouted back with equal vigor. The temperature in the room dropped, her hair furling as tiny shards of ice began to form at her fingertips. Fire alit in the eyes of the Goddess of Winter Storms, her anger unlike what anyone had ever seen. "I'm sick and tired of every decision around here being made for me! I am not a child!"

"Then stop acting like one! We all have to do things we don't want to do. Learn to live with it," he scolded causing her to bristle in irritation. He went to leave and paused at the door, turning to Kelda. "While I'm gone, Frigga insists that you continue to help her with the wedding plans. It could serve as a welcome distraction. Also, you are to have an escort at all times. You should be thankful that Loki volunteered to help and it won't just be random guards since you actually enjoy his company." She did not miss the bitter tone he used before he slammed the door shut.

As soon as the door closed, she locked it. Walking to the center of her room, she let out a loud, angry scream. Ice shot from her hands, covering her floor and walls entirely. The ceiling now decorated with a hundred icicles and a freezing wind whipped around the spacious bedroom. She hardly minded the frigid temperatures. In fact, she hoped her new décor would keep people away from her for a while. She needed solitude.

***

Loki listened attentively as Kelda rehashed her argument with Balder the following day.

"He just keeps avoiding the real issues and then he calls me a child when I just want to have some say in my own damn life! The truth is that I liked it better when we were simply friends. Everything only started to go to shit when we got engaged." Her remark caused Loki to recoil, not because of her use of language, which was a little out of the ordinary for her, but because she connected everything going wrong to her impending nuptials.

The silver-tongued god could not help but feel that alas his plan was going somewhere. Well, until—

"I can't help but question if Karnilla even trying to kill me. She was one of my best friends—my sister in every way but blood. We told each other everything! Well, maybe not everything, considering she was in love with Balder... You know, thinking back now, I can see where I may have overlooked that. Like when we were younger and she tripped on her skirt coming down the stairs and Balder caught her. Her cheeks were brilliantly flushed, I'll tell you. Oh, and how she was always so quick to help him with anything. And how upset she seemed after the engagement announcement... Looking back, it all seems so obvious. How was I so blind? I can't imagine how hurt she was..."

"Don't feel bad for her," Loki snapped. He did not mean to get short with the blonde goddess, but he could not have her questioning Karnilla's betrayal. That would surely ruin his plans if it were all proven a sham. "I was the one who caught her plotting your death. There was evidence: a journal that outlined her plans spells that she had been working on to execute her deeds. She was not the friend you thought she was."

Kelda huffed, exasperation flooding her veins once again. "'She was not the friend you thought she was,'" the blonde mocked dryly. "Do any of you realize how insane that makes me feel? Like not only should I not be naïve, like I apparently am, but I should actually be incredibly paranoid and not attempt to befriend anyone ever again. Because, apparently on top of being naïve, my judgment is just plain horrible and I can't be trusted to make my own decisions." At the end of her rant, she cocked an eyebrow at Loki, daring him to chime in.

He rolled his eyes at her. "That's not what we're saying. We were all friends with her. If that's what we were trying to say about you, then we'd be saying the same thing about ourselves."

The irritation faded at his words. "I just can't help but feel like I'm missing something important. My gut is telling me that there is no way Karnilla would ever hurt me."

"You're just in denial. It's normal to feel that way. Eventually, though, you'll come to terms with what has happened. We all will."

"Maybe..."

Loki sighed as she grew quiet. The thoughts weighed heavily on her mind, although the trickster god was satisfied with his subtle recovery attempts. She needed a little more time, but eventually, he was sure she would put Karnilla in the past. The only thing he needed now was to fracture her engagement to his brother permanently.

Her thoughts on the wedding were already negative. She had wanted to wait, sure that they were rushing into a marriage. However, every time that her request to postpone was shot down and a decision was made without her approval, she became more and more opposed to the idea of marriage at all. On the surface, she was a picturesque princess and the future queen that Asgard needed, but at her core, she was a rebel—a warrior—and she would fight for herself and her interests tooth and nail.

That is what Loki was counting on.

He could do nothing to stop the marriage and it had become obvious that neither Balder nor Odin would do anything either. He had to rely on Kelda to stop it on her own.

"Perhaps, you should try to explain to Balder everything that you told me. I know you got into it that last time, but if he knows where you're coming from, if you truly explain yourself, maybe he'll understand then. Make him understand," Loki advised.

Kelda looked at him and smiled. "You're right. I just have to let him know how I feel and try not to explode like the last time."

Although he smiled back at her, his warm smile masked the malice that Loki hid in his heart.

***

Later that day, Kelda met with Balder in his solar.

He looked up as she entered. "Kel," he greeted simply, surprised that she had come to see him so soon after their argument. His desk littered with maps and papers all pertaining to their expedition into the mountains to find Karnilla. The magic that was ingrained into the terrain was their biggest obstacle. The Mistress of Magic was originally from Nornheim, born into the magic of the land. She was already powerful enough when she was in Asgard, but in her home, her strength would only grow.

"I wanted to apologize for snapping at you earlier. However, I do not apologize for what I said, just how I said it," she started.

"I'm sorry too, Kel. I—," she cut him off.

"Wait. Please let me finish everything I have to say first." He nodded silently, letting her continue. "We've already spoken about how I don't wish to get married right now. This has only grown truer as everything with Karnilla has unfolded. I have so many thoughts running through my mind right now that I can't make sense of and I feel overwhelmed. I still don't understand why you went back on our deal to postpone the wedding indefinitely. I don't understand why Karnilla would do this or even if she did this. I'm lost and stressed and terrified that any decision I make right now will haunt me for the rest of my life." She took a deep breath and paused before nodding to him. "I'm finished."

He stood from his desk and moved in front of it so he was directly in front of her. "I should've been honest with you from the start," he started. He took a minute before continuing, "My father is feeling the warning signs of an impending Odinsleep. He doesn't know how far off it is, but he wants us wed before it happens so that Asgard is in capable hands for however long it lasts."

Finally, it all made sense to her. She had been questioning the back-and-forth, changing attitude of Balder for weeks and suddenly it clicked, the pieces fitting together perfectly. "That's why you changed your mind," she said.

Balder nodded. "I wanted to give you your choice, but when my father told me that, I felt that I had to stick to the original plan."

"I understand." And she did. The comment he made during their last argument—'We all have to do things we don't want to do"—now had a context that it had not had before. "But, you don't want this either. You never did. We were always just better off friends. Odin may want this, but we're not horrible people for wanting better for ourselves. You will rule perfectly with or without a wife by your side, and if Odin doesn't see that, then it's a shame."

"So, we're really doing this? Calling it all off?"

She nodded, smiling gently at him, "Yeah, I think we are." He returned her smile before pulling her into a tight and comforting hug. When they pulled back, she placed a soft peck on his cheek. "Thank you for understanding."

"Of course. I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you sooner."

"It's all water under the bridge now."

He went to return to his desk and she walked to the door, about to leave when he asked her. "You said you didn't know if Karnilla really tried to kill you? Why?"

She hesitated, brushing her gold locks behind her ears. "I don't have any proof it that's what you mean. However, something in my gut tells me that we don't have the full story. That we're missing an important piece to this puzzle. The truth is, Karnilla's been in love with you for years and we were all blind to it. And yes, we did just recently become engaged but we all knew it was happening for years. Why would she choose now to try to have me killed? It just seems bizarre."

Balder nodded, although there was still some lingering anger that he could not help when it came to the subject. "Perhaps."

"Maybe, I'm just being silly. Just, please think everything through before you put your life and the lives of your people at risk by storming Nornheim, all right?"

Balder gave her another small smile, "Of course, Kel. I'll speak to my father soon about the wedding. This time, I won't let him sway me. I promise."

Kelda nodded and left, her long silvery, blue gown sweeping behind her. Finally, she felt some relief and peace in her life.

***

By the time Kelda made her way to Loki's room, she was giddy with excitement that she had finally regained some control over her life. She knocked on his door rapidly, practically bouncing as she waited for him to open it.

"Hi," she greeted him happily when he opened the door. She brushed passed him and into his room where she quickly plopped herself on the bench at the end of his bed. His room was similar to most of the palace, in regards to the gold tones everywhere. However, accents of dark greens and black—his favorite colors—added a bit of his personality to the room.

"Hello..." he replied hesitantly. "You are in a much better mood than you were earlier. Care to explain?"

"The wedding is off," she blurted out with a grin. "Balder and I had one of the most honest conversations we've ever had and we agreed that we only saw each other as close friends. He apologized for going back on his word to have the wedding postponed and said it wouldn't happen again. This time he wouldn't let Odin convince him otherwise and that the wedding would be off." She stopped to take a deep breath. For once, there was no pressure, no weight on her shoulders. Just freedom to be herself and make her own choices.

Loki came to sit beside her, his grin matching her own. Kelda's thoughts paused for a moment as she realized she has never seen him smile like that before. So genuine and free from any sarcasm or teasing. A real smile. "That's fantastic news," he said.

She laughed, "I know! I haven't felt so worry-free in a long time. It's all thanks to you, Loki. You've been so supportive through all of this. If you hadn't told me to go talk it out with Balder again, then I would still feel like I was suffocating around here. Thank you so much." She pulled him in for a hug that he had not been expecting.

"Kelda, I would do anything for you." They embraced for a long while before they pulled back. They were only about a foot away from each other, but Kelda realized that something in the air had shifted. Loki leaned closer, his eyes darting towards her lips before he closed the gap.

Kelda leaned back when his lips were only an inch from hers. "Loki?! What are you doing?" she asked startled. She pushed back against his chest, creating more distance between them. She could not believe he just tried to kiss her!

"Kelda, I'm so glad that you sorted everything out with my brother, but I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. You never treated me differently and always made sure that I was never excluded. You cared about me and made me feel loved."

"That's what friends do, Loki. I'm so sorry if I gave you mixed signals or made you believe I felt something more. That was never my intention—," he interrupted her by standing abruptly from the bench. He walked to his dresser and knocked the books off the top aggressively. Kelda flinched at the sound of the thick tomes hitting the floor.

Standing up, she cautiously started toward him to calm him down. "Why is it never me?!" he ranted. He was not necessarily aiming his question at Kelda. It was more rhetorical as if he was asking himself. "Everyone loves Thor, the brash oaf. And Balder is the golden son; he gets everything and can do no wrong. But me, I only get a shadow!" Kelda was a few feet away when he turned to her, "Why could you not choose me?"

She recoiled at his insistent tone. "This isn't a game, Loki. This is my life. You didn't lose anything, because you didn't have me to begin with. I didn't choose anyone! I decided what I wanted and that wasn't anyone!"

Loki began to laugh, and Kelda pushed away her worry for him. She should not be concerned when he was acting like an ass. Like an entitled brat. "She told me. She told me that you would not choose me, even if the wedding was called off," he said quietly between his sarcastic laughter.

She? Kelda wondered. "Who are you talking about?"

"Karnilla, of course," Loki seethed. "She knew that you wouldn't pick me in the end. You see, we were in the same position—terribly in love with someone who would never return our affections. Except, she wasn't willing to do anything about it, while I was."

He spoke about the sorceress with such disdain. Kelda glared at him as her mind made the connections. "Karnilla never planned to kill me, did she?" the blonde asked. Her voice almost shook, afraid of the answer. If it was 'yes', then Karnilla really did betray her. However, if it was 'no', it meant that Loki, another of her closest friends had lied and manipulated her.

Loki laughed callously, not answering her directly. Kelda could not be around him for another minute. She darted out the door, eager to get away from him. That was not the Loki she once cared for. That Loki had been twisted and tainted by his own envy and greed.

Kelda knew she had to do something.

***

Finally updating this! After Superhero Day, I got some mad inspiration for this series, including Prodigy. With this book being the farthest from the Avengers, I want to have it caught up to that movie by the end of the month.

There are two more chapters after this that will lead us into the prologue and then after that, there should only be one more filler chapter before Kel and Bucky officially meet! Those will all be updated in this next week as they're already written. I'm so excited!!!

For anyone who follows Prodigy, once I catch up on this story some, there should only be about three chapters until I catch up to the Avengers in that book.

Let me know what you think! Please remember to vote and comment!