My newest fic, this time into the Thor movieverse! Huzzah! Beta'd by the ever-lovely Lilith Colbert, who has been my friend these many years. Much love, girl!

Odin had summoned his sons to his side in the throne room, but would not explain why. Thor cracked jokes while Loki remained quiet as they strode to their destination, annoyed at the interruption of his latest schemes and chicanery. Thor's boisterous laughter echoed in the grand hall before fading as the brothers entered, himself unsettled at his brother's somber attitude.

"Ah," Odin called cheerfully, "and here they are, my wonderful sons."

Whispers and feminine giggles arose from the small band of women standing at the center of the room. All of them were hooded and cloaked, some faces visible while others remained in shadow.

"Thor, Loki, I present Ralsto, an emissary from a small world not far from our own." Odin gestured for his sons to approach him, looking back to the bronze-skinned man before him. Ralsto was dressed similarly to the half-dozen or so women behind him, a loose, flowing robe the color of dust wrapped around his frame. He bowed to the princes, his right hand over his heart.

"It seems," the Allfather continued, "that he has brought a gift for each of you, offerings of goodwill and brotherhood between our two realms."

Ralsto bowed again at the king of Asgard before speaking directly to Thor and Loki in a strangely accented voice. "Your highnesses."

In those two words, Loki knew he did not like this man. His voice reminded him too much of his own: silky, deceptive, dangerous. The man tried to keep his true intentions hidden behind the honey of his tone, but Loki already knew him to be a man to be wary of in any regard. Ralsto stepped back a few paces to the group of women huddled together as Loki's eyes quickly darted over each of them. Some looked positively giddy, while others appeared less than pleased at being in the presence of Asgardians.

But there was one he could not read so easily. Although her face was hidden above her mouth by the large hood, he could tell her back could rival the straightness and rigidity of the Allfather's scepter. He allowed himself a fleeting moment of curiosity about her before Ralsto pulled her away from the group.

"To Thor, the firstborn son of Odin," – Loki groaned inwardly at the silky stranger's use of the title – "I present your choice of any of these women, our most beautiful flowers of the desert."

Half of the women giggled coyly while the other half remained stoic as ice. It appeared that not all of them had come by choice.

Thor chuckled at Ralsto's declaration, obviously thinking it a joke or a dream. "With all respect, what am I to do with them? Father, if this is a ploy to see me betrothed…." A single glance from Odin silenced the golden-haired son. His smile faded along with his words.

Ralsto quickly interrupted the awkward silence. "Your highness, if it is not a bride you desire, they are perfectly suitable for consorts, concubines, servants, whatever your imagination can conjur. Some like this one" – he pulled one horrified woman to his side and raised her arm from the heavy cloak – "are strong, good for physical labor if you so wish." The girl looked ready to pitch herself from the high tower at the mere mention of becoming a slave. Ralsto gave no indication that he acknowledged her horror.

Thor's smile returned, but his eyes held no warmth when they lighted on the would-be slave trader. Instead, he focused his attentions on the women.

"I assure you," he directed at Ralsto, "that I am perfectly capable or performing tasks involving strength on my own. I am not so weak as to rely on such lovely flowers as these for those labors,"

Again, the huddle was divided: half tittering at Thor's comment on their beauty, the other half appalled at the insinuation that they were inferior to him because of his brute strength. "Besides, it appears that not all of your 'desert flowers' are too thrilled to be here, my friend. Ladies, I have no desire to cause any of you displeasure nor to keep you further against your wills."

Ever the gentleman, he gently brought the hand of the terrified girl beside the foreigner to his lips and kissed it warmly. "If your wish is to return home, then do so as soon as you like. But I do hope that all of you will join us tonight for dinner. It would be most discourteous to send you home without a proper meal."

All eyes turned soft at the promise of food. Loki felt his disgust for Ralsto grow; the man had obviously not taken care of these girls during their journey to Asgard. "And I insist that you all stay the night and recover your spirits. I'm sure your journey was most taxing and you would like to leave here refreshed rather than exhausted."

Loki's sharp ears picked out a few variations of "that would depend on the reason for exhaustion" from the group and subtly rolled his eyes in exasperation. Are all women so vapid and simple-minded? He noticed that the first woman pulled away from the others remained hooded and unmoving. She hadn't budged since Ralsto had moved her. Even her lips remained still as stone.

Thor saw his brother's attention on the singled-out woman and so turned his gaze to her as well. "And what of this young woman? Why do you hide your face, my lady?"

The younger sibling observed how her lips pressed together in a firm line at the innocent question. Ralsto turned to her as well.

"This one, my lord, is a gift for Prince Loki," he said happily. Too happily. Loki wondered what great fault or flaw she could have that would make this man think her the perfect offering for Odin's younger son, the one not intended to ascend to the throne. "She is the finest among my people's women, a rare beauty of exotic features. In fact, some have called her a goddess among mortals. We have heard tales of Prince Loki's expertise in the magical arts. She, too, has experience in such arts as well."

Loki had no desire to hear this man speak further. "I'm sure the young lady can speak for her traits and skills herself." He saw Thor's raised eyebrow from the corner of his eye.

Ralsto did not miss the iciness in the prince's voice and smartly shut his mouth. He made to pull the hood away from the woman's face, but she sharply raised a hand to stop him. She took two steps forward and pushed the hood back from her face, still hiding her hair.

Loki heard the breath leave his brother's lungs at the sight of her. Eyes the color of dark copper glared at them both, a fire smoldering dangerously in their depths. Loki was mildly surprised that she did not snarl in disgust as she observed them. And yet she spoke not a word. He matched her heated stare with his own cool one. "Her eyes are the 'exotic features' you boasted about? Is that all?" He gave his tone a bored edge, hoping vainly it would end this circus swiftly, noting the way the girl's pupils narrowed at him.

Ralsto grasped the cloak at the back of her neck and smiled at Loki. "There's more, your highness." With a harsh tug he pulled the article from her shoulders to reveal her nude, nubile body. As if her lack of dress were not jarring enough, the lupine-like ears on the top of her head and the bushy tail behind her certainly had the Asgardian's attentions. "Her name is Coyote, though you are more than welcome to rechristen her if you like."

Loki's eyes travelled over her form, lingering on the tail that bristled in obvious anger, before locking onto the black eyes of Ralsto. "And what, pray tell, have I done to be so deserving of such a gift?" He saw her begin to tremble, not from cold or fear or embarrassment, but barely restrained rage - he knew that look as well as he knew his own reflection. He unfastened his own cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around her in an apparent attempt to protect her modesty. In reality, he only wanted to get close enough to whisper "calm down and wait" near her upright ear. He felt her intake of breath against his own chest, her burning eyes remaining on his face even when he stepped away.

Ralsto bowed his head in forced humility. "What better gift for a talented sorcerer than a goddess?"

Loki knew he was being played, perhaps even mocked, but he knew the importance of diplomacy and the danger of refusing a "gift". He breathed out through his nose and turned to the nearest guard. "Take her to my chambers and have her dressed in Asgardian clothing." The guard bowed in reverence to his prince before reaching for Coyote. Her head snapped to him and stilled his hand, the threat of violence in her hellish gaze. Rather than create an undignified scene in front of his king, the guard simply motioned for the girl to follow him. She did so, the prince's emerald cloak slipping from her shoulders like water. Loki did not miss the way Thor's eyes continued to follow her even after she'd disappeared from view. He could have sworn he'd also seen some kind of shadow on her flesh, but it remained hidden by her long hair.

Odin spoke again, his booming voice filling the room and commanding attention. "Emissary Ralsto, you are aware that here in Asgard, we no longer deal in the slave trade, nor the offering of young women against their wills. My son Thor is correct: these women will be welcomed this night as our guests, not as newly acquired property. Should they desire to return home, we cannot and will not deny them that right. They are innocents. You are not." The Allfather then rose to his feet, looking very much like the god the mortals of Midgard once worshipped him as. "You were very much aware of my kingdom's stance on the ownership of sentient beings before you journeyed here. And yet you ignored those rulings in the misguided belief that my sons, young as they may be, would be swayed to disregard my express ruling because you parade beautiful women before them. Women whom have no desire to be bartered like cattle. This will be the only time I give you a chance to return to your world of your own accord. Right now."

Ralsto stepped back in shock, the women eyeing him and smiling in triumph at their captor. He seemed to come back to himself rather quickly, shaking the shock away with as much dignity as he could. He left the palace without another word, much to the joy of the women.

"Now that that's over," Thor proclaimed jovially, eager to break the tension and clear the vision of Coyote from his mind. "have any of you ladies ever seen an eight-legged horse?"