Chapter 14
The Asgard Universe - The Twins of Fate Saga - Summary/Content Note
Loki has been prowling the halls, searching for anyone he suspects of having been gossiping about Gwen. The sleep he missed out on is nothing compared to his determination to put an end to the whispers that have been causing her so much strain, but so far, he's had no luck.
Then, he catches a couple of courtiers in a more private corner of the hall, whispering, and he pauses out of sight, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Their voices carry just enough for him to catch the words:
"...heard she can't even sleep without fear...some mortal weakness, I'd wager..."
"Pathetic. She’s not fit to be a mother to royal blood."
A cold, feral smirk curls on Loki’s lips as he steps into view, silent as a shadow, his magic already coiling around his fingertips. He lets them notice him on their own.
The moment they do, their faces pale in unison. It is delicious.
"Tell me," he purrs, "do you enjoy poisoning my wife's peace?...Or are you simply too stupid to know when your wagging tongues will cost you everything?"
***
The next few days pass in relative peace. The whispering has faded to nothing but memory, leaving the halls strangely still. Gwen knows it won’t last; it never does, but for now, she takes what calm she can.
By the end of the week, she feels steady enough to return to the training grounds. The air smells faintly of metal and dust, and the familiar space pulls at her muscles, urging her to move again.
Loki watches with a secret fondness as Gwen trains. He leans against the railing beside the training yard, arms crossed as he surveys the scene before him. He's grown so accustomed to seeing Gwen with their children, in soft dresses or comfortable clothes … it's almost surprising to see her wielding daggers and striking the training dummies so fluidly.
He's not the only one admiring her skill, either. Several of the young warrior men are stopping and starting to watch, clearly appreciating the view as well.
She catches Loki watching, and she smiles. He never saw her fight. She joined the Avengers after his invasion, and she met him at a party. Since then, she has been a mother and wife in Asgard.
Time hasn't dulled her form. Her training with SHIELD and the Avengers was extensive, and the muscle memory kicked back in the moment she picked up weapons again.
His gaze tracks her every movement across the training yard, admiring the fluid grace and deadly efficiency with which she dispatches another training dummy. This is a side of her he hasn't seen before... a reminder of the formidable warrior that lurks beneath the soft, gentle nature. The way the other warriors stare at her, clearly appreciating her skill and beauty... it makes something twist in his gut.
She is secretly pleased that she has an audience. These last few years, the whispers of her being a weak mortal almost had her believing it. She is glad to be showing these warriors what she can really do. She even recognizes a few of them from that party years ago.
Gwen finishes an exercise with daggers, small throwing knives, and her plant powers, of course, and stops to catch her breath.
The other warriors murmur among themselves, clearly impressed by her display of skill and power. Loki grits his teeth as he hears their hushed compliment and feels his jealousy burn hotter as his eyes fall on one particularly confident, cocky young warrior in the front who is staring at Gwen with an appraising eye.
In that very moment, all Loki wants to do is snap the little bastard’s neck. Unfortunately, he can’t exactly do that without causing a scene.
She feels good. The hushed whispers here are positive, not like the venomous comments in the palace. This is where she should be more often.
Most of these warriors might be young, strong, and handsome, but Gwen doesn't care about any of them. She only has eyes for Loki.
Loki's jaw clenches again as the young warrior, clearly impressed by Gwen's display of skill, steps forward with a cocky smirk to address her.
"My lady," he practically purrs, giving a slight bow before his gaze travels over her shamelessly. "That was truly impressive. Such a beautiful woman … with such skill. I can't help but wonder what other talents you might possess."
Every word seems to grate on Loki's nerves, and his hands instinctively curl into fists.
Gwen smiles pleasantly. "Oh, thank you. What a kind compliment. You’re curious about my other talents? Step in the ring here and I'd be happy to show you."
The young warrior grins, clearly delighted by her response. His eyes roam up and down her body once more before falling to the daggers in her hands. She can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he responds with an easy smirk. "I'm always up for a challenge."
Several of the other warriors watch on in eager anticipation, clearly egging their friend on. The look on Loki's face, however? Far from happy.
She shoots Loki a quick wink. She loves when people underestimate her. This warrior is well trained, that's for sure, but she's not worried. She will take him down and teach him a lesson about speaking to her so suggestively.
Gwen tosses the daggers up with a flourish, catches them easily, and gets ready for his first move.
The cocky young warrior is clearly still eyeing Gwen up and down like he's imagining how best to take her to bed … and he doesn't seem to notice the silent, furious rage rolling off Loki like a wave. He holds his own weapon, a gleaming sword, at ease in his hand.
"How about a little wager?" he proposes as his eyes rake over her figure once more. "If I win, you allow me some… private time with you tonight."
"Oh sweetheart, you couldn't handle me." She blocks his first attack. "And also, if you think it's wise to speak to Loki's wife like that, you are as stupid as you look."
The young warrior has the decency to flush, his cocky arrogance faltering a bit at the mention of Loki's name. That doesn't stop him from attempting to regain his bravado, though.
"We'll see," he mutters as he makes another attempt at an attack, lunging with the intent of pinning Gwen against the wall of the training yard.
Gwen slides under his legs and taps him with the dagger. "That's one."
He stumbles, looking back at Gwen with newfound surprise and the beginnings of frustration. The other warriors are now laughing openly at his expense, and that only seems to fuel him further.
"Lucky strike," he snaps as he readjusts his grip on his sword and advances again—this time faster, more aggressive.
She blocks but loses one dagger. She's not worried. She spins out of his reach and then gestures with her free hand to grow the plants around the ring to grab the warrior's leg.
The warrior lets out a cry of surprise as he finds himself yanked backwards by the thick vines around his ankles.
"Hey now! That's cheating!" he exclaims, struggling to stay standing as the plants twine around his legs. The spectators are all watching in fascination now, thoroughly amused by the way Gwen has the upper hand.
"Cheating? No, I don't think so. One, we never said anything about not using my powers. And two, in an actual battle, are you going to cry about the opponent 'cheating?'" She picks up his dropped sword and taps his side with it. "You lost."
The young warrior flushes again as he begrudgingly concedes her point. The other spectators have gone from watching curiously to openly cheering her on, and it's obvious they like seeing this overconfidence smacked down.
"All right, all right! You win," he admits, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.
Loki looks thoroughly vindicated at the sight of the young warrior being humbled.
She squats down so that only he can hear her next words. "The next time you suggest spending 'private time' with me, I will do a lot worse than embarrass you on the field. And that's before I let Loki get to you."
The warrior's expression shifts instantly, his bravado dissolving into startled alarm as Gwen leans in and speaks. He swallows hard, his eyes flickering over to Loki before landing back on her with newfound caution.
"Understood," he says stiffly, clearly knowing when to quit while he’s ahead. "Apologies … my lady."
Meanwhile, Loki is laughing his ass off from the sidelines.
She gestures again, and the plants recede, releasing the warrior and giving him a hand up.
The warrior takes the proffered hand and pulls himself up, dusting himself off and looking thoroughly chastened. Even the other warriors are giving him sidelong looks, clearly not quite believing they all just watched this tiny, beautiful creature put their friend in his place.
He glances once more between Gwen and Loki, clearly understanding how stupid he had been to even try to flirt with the Prince's wife.
Loki is enjoying every second of the young warrior's embarrassment as he saunters over, slipping an arm around Gwen with a smirk. His gaze flits to her, dark and satisfied.
"Nice work, love," he murmurs, his free hand coming to rest on the small of her back, pulling her close against him. "He won't dare look you in the eye for a while after that."
"If only I could take care of the palace gossip that way..." She smiles. "Training, sparring...that felt good."
He hums in agreement, fingers tightening possessively at her waist as he leans down to press a kiss against her temple.
"Then perhaps you should spend more time here," he murmurs against her skin before pulling back slightly—his smirk sharpening into something teasing, wicked. "If not for the exercise... then to keep me entertained watching fools fall at your feet."
"You wouldn't mind if I spent time here?" She's a little surprised.
He meets her gaze, fingers brushing idly at the small of her back as he speaks, voice low and unreadable to anyone else but carrying an unmistakable warmth for her ears alone. "Mind? No." A faint smirk plays on his lips. "If nothing else, it will finally teach these idiots that underestimating you is their biggest mistake."
She sighs and smiles at him.
"Do you have any idea how much I love you?"
If she's trying to catch him off guard, she's succeeded. His smirk falters for just a moment as his eyes flicker over her face, his heart skipping, a reaction that only happens when her words or actions take him completely by surprise. His arm tightens around her, pulling her just a fraction closer.
"As much as I do you," he answers quietly, and the look in his eyes is enough to make that cocky bastard watching them on the other side of the training yard feel a pang of jealousy.
Gwen goes to the training grounds every morning. She works hard, sparring with some of the best warriors in the realms. She gets knocked down sometimes, but she gets stronger, faster, and becomes an even better fighter than before.
One day, after running some exercises, she hears someone calling her name. She turns to see a familiar face - Einarr, the large, handsome warrior who flirted with her years ago.
Einarr has clearly been watching her, his eyes taking in the way she's grown and changed over the years. She's more beautiful than ever, but it's the subtle signs of strength and confidence that really catch his eye... and stir his interest a little more.
"Lady Gwen," he says, approaching and bowing just a little, "still looking lovely, I see … and even more dangerous now."
She smiles warmly at him. "Einarr. How have you been? I haven't seen you around..."
This is the first time she has seen him in the five years that she has lived here. Did he know she had moved here?
"Ah, well," he scratches the back of his neck with a rueful smirk. "I was stationed on the borders of Vanaheim for some time, keeping the peace, dealing with bandits... you know how it is."
He studies her face, his eyes lingering just a little too long for it to be purely innocent.
"I heard whispers about Loki marrying a mortal warrior when I got back. But I never imagined..." he gestures vaguely at her, "...it would be you."
"Vanaheim... Yes. A lot has changed." She remembers the last time she saw him. He was interested and very handsome...still handsome. She chose Loki and never went back for that drink with Einarr. Things would've been very different if she had chosen him that night. "I did marry Loki and moved to Asgard. We have children too."
Einarr nods, his eyes dropping to her hands, then moving down her waist, to her hips, lingering a touch too long to be innocent. The fact that her shape looks softer and curvier than before isn't lost on him.
"I heard something about that, aye," he says, and the corners of his lips twitch into a crooked smirk. "Prince Loki, starting a family, and with a mortal... he sure knows how to make people talk, that one."
She assumed that choosing Einarr that night would have been nothing more than a quick hookup. She wouldn't have had a reason or permission to move to Asgard in that case. Would he have come to Earth? Would it have been anything more than that night?
"You know Loki always has to do things his way." She laughs softly.
"Aye, I've met the man, remember? He doesn't do anything the easy way," he jokes, eyes still lingering on her figure—his gaze dropping to the curve of her hips in a way that's almost shamelessly hungry. "Never expected him to go for a mortal, though. Always seemed too proud of his royal heritage for that sort of match. Lucky bastard."
"Hmm well..." Gwen shrugs, a little hurt at the reminder. She's heard that plenty of times over the last few years.
The way she was treated that night differs greatly from the last few years. At the party, she was a guest, a novelty. No one had a problem drinking, joking, flirting with her, but once she moved here, she was suddenly "that mortal."
Einarr must see something flicker in her expression, because his smirk drops just a little. He lets out a soft exhale, more serious now, and steps slightly closer.
"For what it's worth," he says, lowering his voice, "I never had any issue with mortals. You're the first one I ever met that could keep up with Asgardian warriors."
"Thank you." She means it and gives him a small, tight smile. "Well, I'm definitely keeping up now. I've been training again. It's been good for me to get out of the palace and get moving like I used to."
Einarr nods approvingly, crossing his arms as he looks her over—his gaze lingering on the way her muscles move beneath the fabric of her training clothes.
"I can see that," he says with a chuckle. "You fight as if you were born with a blade in hand." A slight pause, then he tilts his head, studying her face carefully before adding: "If you ever want to spar, I'd be happy to test your skills. No tricks, just steel and skill."
"Yes, I would like that." Her smile grows at the offer. He would be a real opponent, stronger, battle tested.
He grins, clearly pleased by her response, with the kind of slow, confident smirk that makes it clear he's looking forward to the challenge. "Good. Tomorrow morning?" he suggests before glancing over her shoulder, "...Assuming your husband won't object, of course."
"Tomorrow morning, then. Be ready," she challenges.
He chuckles, low and pleased, as he gives her one last lingering look before stepping back. "I’ll be waiting." And with that, he offers a slight bow before turning to leave, clearly looking forward to tomorrow.
She turns and leaves as well. Tomorrow. He is large, even bigger than Thor. Does she really think she'll win? Either way, she knows he won't hurt her.
She thinks up strategies and countermoves on her way back to her rooms to clean up.