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No…time wasn’t the culprit of this abrupt change. That was all due to experiences. And one look at her told me she’d been through far worse than I would have wished on a royal child I’d once been assigned to protect.
Tall, slender, powerful. I could go into the very details that molded the fierce woman that stood there in a brilliant red dress that clung to her every curve or take my sweet time looking at her extremely long locks of silky hair that could resemble the very flames that kept so many individuals warm at night in the heart of winter.
Her eyes were still as brilliant as they were as a child - turquoise jewels with a hint of orange and red when you least expected it - a strong indicator that she could light up like a cannonball if you pushed the right buttons.
And all hell would break loose if she released her wrath on you.
She stood tall with her stance widened and her arms crossed under her breasts, and I was impressed to see the tattoos that were all over her arms. With her red heels that sparkled in the moon’s rays and her hair dancing in the passing cold gust, you’d think she’d be freezing in such a climate.
Instead, she stood there like the cold didn’t stand a chance against her warm-blooded body.
Her gaze was intense as she looked down at me with a speck of disappointment.
“What have I said about calling me ‘princess’ when we’re not around my parents?”
My smile grew, and I was sure my eyes softened as the memories of her younger self taunted my senses.
“That you ain’t no one’s princess so stop that fuckery,” I repeated the words she’d said the very day I’d prepared to leave for yet another mission.
Little did I know I wouldn’t return for another ten years…
"I thought you left for business with your mother?” I got to the point because I wasn’t expecting her to be around. I had a feeling our reunion would be too good to be true.
That the enemy would now do anything and everything to pull us apart.
She tsked and looked up to the sky as if the twinkling lights and calming atmosphere could tame her worries about what was to come.
"I wanted to speak with Willow, but it looks like she has to rest.”
The chuckle left my lips before I could stop it. “You and I know she isn’t resting.”
Glancing over to look at her, I caught onto her eyeroll.
“I’m an adult now, Loki. I’m not an idiot.”
“Never accused you of such,” I assured her. “Does your mom know about those tatts?”
The way her cheeks began to grow red only further amused me as I chuckled once more. “You’ve been a bad rebel princess since I left, huh?”
“I love how you act as if you decided to gather your things and waltz out of our lives like we gave you permission to do so.” Her words were bitter, and I guessed she had every right to be mad.
Like what Viktor was now, I used to be a sort of Guardian to Ruby, and I wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t fallen into the clutches of the Vile Queen. Would we have been a thing? Be what my little brother was to Sweets? What would have happened?
I never would get the answers to such questions in the realms of wishful thinking, but it didn’t stop me from wondering “what if”.
“If I did that, I’d make sure to formally break your heart,” I calmly voiced and took another puff on my cigarette. Blowing it out, I looked up to the sky. “Would that have been better? Would you hate me less than you do now?”
She didn’t say anything, but I raised my hand up in time for her punch that ignited in flames. Slowly glancing over to the burning fist in my grasp, I saw the hurt in her blazing eyes.
The anger and hatred my disappearance had ignited in the innocent princess.
“No one gave you permission to disappear,” she snarled.
“You’re right,” I admitted with a sad smile. “I shouldn’t have gone against your orders to come back quickly so we could celebrate your birthday. My apologize, princess.”
She pulled back her fist but managed to kick at my ribs.
“Ow,” I grunted and clenched at the spot before groaning. “Jeez. You’re fiercer than Willow.”
