Summary: Loki’s been watching you, his handmaiden far too closely over the years. [WC 518] [AO3]
Warnings: Royalty AU, angst, Stalker loki, Prince loki
@americasass81 Hey there, for your Obsession Files Challenge do you think you think “I’ve watched you fall in love before. Don’t worry. I’ll be better for you.” with Loki might tickle your fancy.
3K Writing Challenge
The corridors of the palace were quiet, the flicker of torchlight painting long shadows across stone walls. You had slipped away from the formal gathering under the pretense of fetching wine, but everyone knew the truth: you preferred the solitude.
Not him.
Loki appeared without sound, as if the shadows themselves carried him, dark coat brushing the floor, eyes glinting in the low light. “You wander alone again,” he said, voice soft but commanding.
You shrugged, trying for nonchalance, though your chest beat faster than usual. “Some of us enjoy the quiet.”
He leaned against the doorway, studying you with an intensity that made the hairs on your arms rise. “Quiet is… overrated. Chaos has its charm.”
You tilted your head, pretending not to notice the way his gaze lingered, how it followed you as you poured a glass of wine. “Maybe. Or maybe it’s just… safer.”
Loki smiled, faint, sharp, like a dagger wrapped in silk. “Safe is boring. You don’t belong in boring, do you?”
Your heart stumbled. The truth was, you didn’t. And he knew it. Always knew it. You set the wine down and faced him fully, trying to hold his gaze without faltering. “Why are you here, Loki?”
He stepped closer, the space between you charged, magnetic. “Because I’ve watched you,” he murmured, almost to himself. “I’ve watched you fall in love before. Carefully. Recklessly. With fools and heroes alike. And I’ve noted… how it always ends. Leaves you stranded, heartbroken, vulnerable.”
Your stomach twisted. “Loki—”
He raised a hand, stopping you. “Don’t interrupt. I said I’ve watched.” His voice softened, almost vulnerable in that way that made your chest ache. “And I… do not intend to be a fool. I will be better for you.”
You blinked, caught off guard. The world outside, the halls of the palace, the clamor of politics and duty—they all fell away. There was only him. Only the promise in his eyes, the quiet sincerity beneath the arrogance.
“Better?” you whispered, almost incredulous.
He nodded, taking another step closer, so that now your shoulders nearly brushed. “I’ve seen what they did not. What they could not. I’ve seen how you give yourself… and how it hurts when it’s taken for granted. I will not be one of those.”
Your breath caught. His hand hovered near yours, not touching—yet the energy in the room made it feel like a tether between your souls. “And if you fail?”
Loki’s smile curved, subtle but unmistakably dangerous. “Then I will try again. And again. Until I am what you deserve. Until I am… better for you.”
A silence fell, the kind that hums with promise and danger. You realized, with both thrill and fear, that his definition of better was uniquely Loki: intoxicating, consuming, perfectly reckless.
“You always say the right things,” you murmured, heart stuttering.
He stepped closer, close enough that you could feel the heat of him without a single touch. “I do not need to say them,” he replied. “I only need you to see them.”
Randomly thinking about how, when Loki was revealed to be impersonating Odin, nobody was really surprised or seemed that concerned about it.
Even the guard that ran over to give his too-late announcement that Thor had arrived wasn't surprised to see no Odin in sight but Loki suddenly there.
And then I think about how Loki barely even scolded him. This guy had ONE job and he fucked it up and Loki spoke to him in a rather indulgent way. I mean, yeah, he showed his annoyance, he pointed out that this guy had been irresponsible in his duties, but he had no true heat or malice behind those words. And the guy wasn't scared.
Loki was not just a good king, he was a merciful one. People who screwed up, and this was a pretty big screw-up with some pretty big consequences, didn't have to be afraid of the king's wrath or reaction. I'm willing to bet that if Loki had been able to remain king, that man would not have lost his job or been demoted or had any real dire consequences for his fuck-up, he might have just had to deal with additional training and maybe a more senior person helping him out for a while.
I just really want a fic where Loki gets to be King of Asgard and nobody takes that away from him, okay? And he gets to be the best king Asgard ever had. A good, responsible, KIND, benevolent king who cares about his people and his kingdom and has no wish to rule them by fear so he doesn't. Just give me that. And make it Lokius, because I'm obsessed.
The silence in the throne room of Utgard was a physical presence, thick and heavy as the ancient ice that comprised it. It was a silence Loki Laufeyson, King of Jotunheim, was intent on shattering.
From the dais of his throne—a jagged, beautiful monstrosity of ice and carved runes—he gazed into the shimmering surface of a scrying pool. But this was no ordinary pool. It was a window, a web of seidr he'd dubbed the "Tumblr-Net," tapping into a current of consciousness that flowed between realms.
His voice, when he finally spoke, did not echo. It was too controlled for that, each word precise and sharp as a shard of glass.
"Let it be known that the silence is broken."
A flick of his wrist over the pool's surface, and his words solidified in the magic, a proclamation sent into the void.
"The throne of Jotunheim is no longer a seat of forgotten glory. It is a seat of power, reclaimed. I have taken a realm of brutes and am forging it into an empire of cunning. And the Nine Realms will adjust accordingly."
He leaned back, steepling his fingers. The air grew colder.
"You there, watching from the shadows of your own realm. I can feel your gaze. Do not be a spectator to history. Speak.
Are you here to pledge allegiance to a new order?
To beg for the old one?
To test the mettle of the so-called 'Monster King'?"
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
"Or are you simply a ghost from my past, too cowardly to step into the light? The door is open. Cross the threshold."
Let it be known that the Sceptered Crown seeks discourse, diversion, and diplomatic entanglement. Below find a series of open inquiries, scenarios, and provocations. Select one and present your case.
EDICT I: THE DIPLOMATIC MISSIVE
(For matters of state and sovereign to sovereign discourse.)
1. "A formal envoy from your realm appears in my court, seeking an audience. What is the nature of their petition?"
2. "A treaty lies on the table between us. What is its most controversial clause?"
3. "We are forced into a temporary alliance against a common foe. The terms of our cooperation are..."
4. "Your presence at the Jotunheim coronation anniversary is... unexpected. State your business."
5. "A resource vital to my kingdom is found within your borders. I propose a bargain."
EDICT II: THE SHADOWED WHISPER
(For encounters of intrigue, espionage, and shared secrets.)
1. "We meet in a neutral territory, cloaked and anonymous. What information is being traded?"
2. "You have something I want. I have something you cannot refuse. This is the nature of our deal."
3. "A secret from my past has come to light, and you are the one who discovered it. What do you do with this knowledge?"
4. "They call us both liars and schemers. What makes our methods different?"
5. "I find you rummaging through the royal archives of Utgard. Explain yourself before I decide on your punishment."
EDICT III: THE PERSONAL AFFRONT
(For old wounds, sharp words, and complicated histories.)
1. "You dare to call this a 'monstrous' kingdom? Elaborate on your ignorance."
2. "You stand before my throne and speak the name 'Odinson.' A deliberate insult, or a plea for mercy?"
3. "We were allies once. We were family once. What are we now?"
4. "You find me in a rare, unguarded moment, looking not at my kingdom, but at the stars. What do you say?"
5. "The ghost of the prince I was and the king I am often war within me. Tonight, which one are you speaking to?"
EDICT IV: THE SURREAL & THE SYMBOLIC
(For dreams, visions, and magical phenomena.)
1. "A magical storm strands us in a pocket dimension with only each other for company. How do we pass the time?"
2. "You appear in my dreams. What nightmare—or fantasy—do you bring?"
3. "The Norns show me a vision of a future where our fates are intertwined. What do I see?"
4. "We are bound together by a curse. What is its nature, and how do we break it?"
5. "A child of Jotunheim presents me with a gift. What is it, and why is it significant?"
ALL INTERACTIONS ARE SUBJECT TO THE LAWS OF THE ROYAL COURT. LET NONE DISAPPOINT THE CROWN.
