Chapter One~ A Car Crash

What a strange place this Earth is. Loki thought, stepping out into the street. He believed the city to be called Savannah in a state named “Georgia,” which belonged to the United States of America. The people had a strange accent and, though they did look similar to the people from his home, were much different. They had different words for the same thing and rode around in large metal carriage-like creatures. Loki wondered if they were alive. He wanted to know so much, but, alas, he couldn’t ask anyone or even allow himself to be seen by these humans. He was not to interfere and Father was very strict. He tried not to think about what would happen if he failed.

Looking around, he found himself standing on an ankle-twisting coble-stone road, lined with shops with signs he couldn’t read on one side, a river on the other. He was surrounded by people on every side. All kinds of people, too, off all heights and shapes and sizes. He was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. The faces and different colors of hair all blurred and Loki suddenly had a splitting headache.

As he rubbed his temples, his emerald eyes caught sight of a girl. She was taller than most, with a head of dark hair pulled back into a waist-length braid. Her eyes were very dark, almost black and she was paler than the moon. She wore a simple white dress with a thick brown belt and shoes that appeared to be made of some kind of leather with fringe and carried a canvas satchel. A long, thin loaf of bread was tucked under her arm, a plastic bag in one hand. Loki noticed a silver band around her thumb and last finger. What was the significance? On Tereda, jewelry was more than just decoration, especially rings. Was it the same on Earth?

Turning on his heal, Loki followed after the girl on her trek down the street and into a store. He was immediately bombarded with a sweet smell. There were shelves lined with jars of a thick, golden liquid, the labels in a language he couldn’t make out in different colors.

“Got any tea honey in yet, Grace?” the girl asked. Tea honey? Was that what the substance in the jars was called?

“Yep. Saved some special, just for you.” replied the clerk- Grace, apparently. She stooped down and retrieved a small jar of this “tea honey” and gave it to the girl, who smiled. She was quite pleasant to look at, Loki realized, with a small rosebud mouth and her big, dark eyes. He wished he knew her name. Like jewelry, names were special on Tereda. It was tradition to name a child after an Ancestor.

That’s how he’d gotten his name- Loki. The humans knew Loki as the God of Mischief. The original Loki died eons ago, but the name lived on. What a horrid name for a prince, though. A perfectly horrid name for a perfectly horrid child, Loki supposed. He was nothing but his father’s mistake, the product of an affair with a nameless woman he knew nothing about. The god of mischief…oh, the irony.

The girl pays for the tea honey and puts the jar in her plastic bag, which, coming closer, Loki realized contained a few food items, vaguely similar to what they ate at home. The girl said her good-byes and made her way back out to the street. Her bracelets jingled as she reached to push open the door. Loki followed her out onto the raised wood sidewalk.

Loki saw it before she did. One of those metal contraptions came barreling around the corner just as the girl was crossing the street.

Before he could even think, Loki sprang in its path, gripping the front of the thing and attempting to stop it from crushing her. But he was a bit slow and only caught the front side. The girl jumped, but as the car came to an abrupt halt- so startling a stop, the driver would have been thrown forward, had it not been for the leather strap across his chest attached to the inside of the contraption- it bumped her, sending her to the ground with a sickening thud.

Loki ran to her side as the items within her plastic bag spilled onto the pavement. The long bread loaf was crushed, the crumbs clinging to her clothes and hair. Kneeling down next to her, Loki saw her hand was bleeding profusely, scrapped from where she tried to catch herself and the other arm was burned from the hot metal of the creature. She opened her eyes slowly and she looked at him.

Looked at him. Not through. For a brief moment, they locked eyes- almost black meeting startlingly green- and Loki could have sworn she saw him.

But he didn’t have time to respond or even think because she was out like a candle, her head lolling against the hot pavement.

And everything went black for Loki, too.

But in a frighteningly different way. This darkness was cold and harsh, not the fuzzy world between dreams one goes to in sleep.

Everything was quiet for a few long, agonizing seconds before Loki heard his own voice call out. “Father!” it cried. His voice, usually so composed and serious, sounded like a frightened child. He couldn’t even recall opening his mouth to utter the word. “Father!”

And suddenly, there was a great flash of light and Loki was back in his father’s throne room. Usually the travel from planet to planet was almost pleasant, like spinning around in a circle until one is so dizzy, the room spins before finally settling back into its proper place. Or, so he’d been told. That’s how it’d been traveling to Earth. But, he supposed, he’d been prepared for that.

His first journey to another planet. And he’d failed. One act of kindness- one rare, uncharacteristic act of kindness had sent him back home like a book to the ground when dropped.

“Loki.”

Loki could feel himself shivering now. Father was kind to his brothers and sisters, but had always been cold to Loki. The punishment for Father’s stupid mistake. And now he’d just proven his worthlessness. Father’s wrath was to be greatly feared, he’d learned from a young age. But he’d never done something like this before.

“Prince Loki of Tereda, you will look at me.”

Loki, his heart in his throat, rose his eyes to meet Father’s cold gray ones.

“You have disobeyed my order not to interfere with the humans. You have proven yourself untrustworthy and to Tereda and unfit for Assignments. You have shown you care more about these petty humans that you do your own people. And as punishment, you will be exiled to Earth for the rest of your days.” Father’s voice is distant and unforgiving. It was as if he was sentencing a prisoner to death.

Anger bubbled up in Loki’s chest. Hot tears stung his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. “I understand now.” He’s shocked at his own voice. A few minutes ago, so afraid, but now, gravely and commanding.

Father’s eyebrow raised.

“I am- I was- nothing but a blundering dark spot on the family name. The repercussions of one night of passion- not even love. I understand why I could never have a shot at king now- it’s because you didn’t want your illegitimate son sitting on the very same throne that’s been sat upon by pure blooded royals since time began!” He was yelling now, but Loki could barely hear himself. “I am just another filthy peasant in your eyes, lower than the servants! You did this! You were the one who-”

“LOKI! That is enough. You know not of what you speak.” Father’s voice was stone cold.

“I know exactly of what I speak, Father.” He spit the word. “You didn’t even love her. Did she love you, hm? Did she? Is it her mistake? Or yours? Did you even know her name?”

“That. Is. Enough! Loki, prince of Tereda, you are hereby exiled to the planet Earth until it falls from its orbit around the Great Distant Star!”

“And I will gladly go to be rid of you!” Loki turned sharply and threw the throne room doors open. They slammed shut behind him, sealing his fate. He would be the first to be exiled in two hundred years. The realization was like a jab in the ribs.

~

Loki stood at the Window, looking up at Father. His three brothers and five sisters stood in a neat line by their mother, looking at him. He was the oldest. He should have been king of Tereda. But, no. Because of his mother’s common birth, he would only ever be a prince. Not that that mattered anymore, anyway.

Father said something to the Watchman in a low voice Loki couldn’t make out. The Watchman turned to him, his wise eyes telling him to step forward. Loki did so, almost afraid to approach the man.

Watchmen were very powerful. They controlled the Window Between Worlds, the pathway to other planets. They were advisers to the king, wise and trustworthy.

The Watchman opened the portal to Earth and Loki stepped in without so much as a glance at the world he was leaving forever.

Author's Note

In which the author pictures the fantastic Tom Hiddleston as Loki and fails as describing cars. The shoes the girl- who will be named in the next chapter- was wearing were supposed to be moccasins.

Reviews

[Rose of Gondor]

wow....that made me feel for him (Loki, I mean). Can't wait to see more!!!! *grins*