Chapter two:
Thor was very busy making sure that all went well this night, the masquerade being held as it was in the palace gardens meant that there was much for him to watch over. Thus far there were no signs of the trickster at the masquerade and the thunder god was grateful but at the same time upset about the lack of his presence. The blonde prince found his mixed reaction to Loki not being present at his masquerade more than just a little confusing. However he tried to put those confused feelings to one side and surveyed the scene before him.
There was quiet a variety of wonderful costumes on display, every one there seemed to be enjoying themselves and this pleased the prince greatly. Thor let out a deep sigh for some reason despite everything the thunder god felt incredibly lonely. He looked down at his own costume for the night, the blonde immortal had settled on an elven prince and it suited him to perfection. His blond hair was braided back ornately at each side of his head and held together at the back of his head with some golden leaves. On his forehead there was a golden, interwoven leafy elven circlet centred with a blue stone the same colour as his eyes. He wore formal elven robes of dusty blue, embroidered with golden elven patterns. Thor had even gone as far as to place false elven tips to his ears. He worse a simple domino mask which was in a matching shade to his robes. Many of those present tonight had told Thor how well his costume suited him and how regal he appeared dressed in this fashion.
The prince stood at the edge of the dance floor watching all of the couples circling the floor. He couldn't help but wonder how many new romances were starting out there on that floor and how many marriages were being agreed upon or planned. How Thor secretly longed to have just a hint of romance in his life, this longing for romance was something he had never confessed to anyone. However it seemed to him that all of his romantic relationships were doomed to failure because he was a prince. All the thunder god wanted was to find someone who could love him for himself and not for all the things he represented.
Thor was drawn away from his melancholy thoughts when everything went suddenly quiet. Suddenly on high alert the blonde immortal looked around, expecting to find that Loki had arrived and caused some form of trouble. To his surprise it was not the god of mischief who had caused the sudden silence it was a lady. She stood in the arch way of flowers leading into the main area of the masquerade. The black haired woman was tall, slender, beautiful and apparently by the way she stood frozen at the edge of the ball completely unnerved by all of the people now staring at her.
As the trickster stood at the entrance to the masquerade, he couldn't help but feel momentarily apprehensive about his attendance disguised as he was. It was at this time that Loki realise his disguise for the ball was not quite perfect, his voice would give away his disguise if he did nothing about it. Very quickly the god of mischief muttered a simple spell under his breath to make his voice more feminine for the night.
The prince of Asgard found himself completely entranced by the beautiful woman standing in the door way. Thor made his way over to her, when the thunder god stood before the lady he bowed to her politely. She curtsied in return, their blue eyes met and the pair smiled at each other. "I am Prince Thor."
"I am lady Loria."
"It is a pleasure to see such a beautiful lady present tonight."
The raven haired beauty flushed becomingly. "Thank you your highness."
"Please lady I would be honoured if you would call me Thor. Might I ask if you would dance with me?" The blonde immortal asked holding hand out to the pale skinned lady.
"It would be my distinct pleasure Thor." Loria said placing her hand into his. Thor closed his hand round the long slender one and drew the lady out onto the dance floor. Together the pair began to dance, as they danced the prince slowly drew Loria closer to him. The raven haired woman felt so delicate but so very right in his arms.
With a sigh of satisfaction and happiness Loki placed his head onto Thor's shoulder and allowed himself to live something he had spent years dreaming of. A gentle smile graced the trickster's lips and he was determined to enjoy every moment he managed to gain with the one he loved tonight. Eventually the music drew to a close, together the pair left the dance floor together. The prince was very reluctant to let go of the beautiful lady on his arm. "Would you be willing to go for a walk in the garden's with me lady?"
"Yes, I believe I would enjoy accompanying you for a walk in the garden."
Side by side, Thor and Loria walked about the garden. The prince looked at his fair companion and spoke to her. "So beautiful lady if I might ask what brings you here tonight?"
"I will confess it is yourself which has brought me to this masquerade."
"Oh?" The prince asked intrigued by this confession.
"Indeed, I have long admired you but I found it all but impossible to confess my true feelings for you face to face. I am finding it much easier to tell you of my feelings behind the mask, than I would if I were without it."
"Ah I believe I understand, your disguise gives you the courage you would otherwise lack in person."
"Indeed." Thor turned a gentle smile onto the woman beside him and she spoke again. "I have never been able to tell you how much I love you. The truth was almost impossible for me to speak to you before now, but now I can freely say that I love you Thor."
The blue eyes of the prince widened. "How long have you had these romantic feelings for me?" He asked the lady in a soft and awed voice.
"I have loved you so long that I cannot truly place when it began." The lady confessed meeting the prince's blue eyes gaze with her own.
As their eyes met Thor could tell she was telling him the truth and he smiled at her again. "I wish you might have told me of your feelings sooner. However I can understand how you might be daunted by your feelings. I myself have found that love can be a very intimidating and extremely confusing."
"That does indeed seem to be truth of the emotion."
Slowly the pair turned to face each other fully, prince moved closer to Loria and their eyes met once more. The two met in a soft kiss, Thor gently held her waist well aware of his own strength and trying not to hurt her with it. The lady mean while placed her slender hands onto the back of his neck, leaning in to return the kiss. They kiss gently slowly, enjoying the taste of each other and the sense of correctness which belonged to this moment. Reluctantly they stopped kissing and after a short silence it was Thor who spoke first. "If I had been aware that kiss you would make me feel as I do now then I would never have wasted my time on any other woman."
His words caused a delicate flush to stain the cheeks of his companion. "In honesty if I had known that something as a kiss with the one who is in your heart could feel so perfect then I would have kissed you all the sooner."
The pair traded wide smiles. "Can you tell me something of yourself? I know it is a masquerade and I should not really ask but I wish to know everything I can about you."
"I have one sibling...Whom is older than me. I'm always in the shadow of that sibling. No one ever sees me for them. You could say I am like the shadow of the golden sun. They are perfect, always praised, their virtues are extolled, their looks always commented on and everyone wants to be near them. I am never seen, never praised, my talents and virtues are not celebrated, I am never commented on and few in fact almost no one wants to be near me. I just want to be seen as they are but I am becoming accustomed to the fact that this will never be the case."
"That must be an extremely unpleasant way of life for you."
"Yes, it is why I wished to tell you of my feelings before I lost the chance. You see I plan to take an offer of marriage soon and leave here. I do not love them but...well...I need to go."
"But why?" Thor asked feeling all at once, worried, confused and strangely hurt by this confession.
"I always feel that I am in the way of my sibling achieving their happiness and this has come to trouble me in way in never use to. This offer of marriage comes from a kind person, whom I admire and know well. So I am content that will have a life where I am well take care of and have a chance to be seen for all the good I can of out of the shadow of my perfect sibling. If you were in my place would you not take the gamble of this life?"
"I believe I would. I do not think I could live the kind of life you have lived until now. Though it saddens me to think of such a beautiful lady in heart, mind, body and soul trapped in a loveless marriage."
The lady lets out a small but heartfelt sigh her blue eyes were distant as she spoke to the prince once more. "I must simply hold on to the hope that perhaps in time love will grow between us. A great many marriages of our class are after all based a great deal little less than two people who know each other and get along."
"As you say Loria... But what if I were to suggest wedding me?"
"You cannot wed one such as me, I am no one nothing."
"I am sure you are more than that lady."
"Unfortunately I am the last person your father would permit you to marry."
Thor digested these words with deep thought, and deciding not to say any more to the lady on this subject, he instead asked her. "Shall we dance again?"
The raven haired beauty gave the prince a nod and the two joined the other dancers once again. By now many of the others present at the ball had noticed them together. Most of the conversations going on at the masquerade were centred around the pair currently circling the floor together. Thor and Loki however were completely unaware of this, they were deeply involved with each other and the wonderful feelings they were sharing.
As the music came to a close the prince and his lady left the floor arm in arm once more. "It's getting late." The raven haired woman said to Thor her voice gentle but concerned.
"Yes it is, I believe it will not be long now until we all must discard our masks." Not too far away from them a few people began to do so. Noticing this Loria gave a startled noise, she pulled her arm from Thor's and dashed away from him. Quickly the prince set off in pursuit of her, he couldn't lose Loria he just couldn't.
Loki fled back into the castle, it didn't take the god long to notice that the blonde haired immortal was coming after him. As the trickster climbed the stairs he felt himself lose a shoe but knew he did not have time to collect it with Thor in chase of him. When the prince of Asgard came to the stairs he noticed one of the lady's golden shoes, the blue eyes god picked it up and looked around for her but she was gone. Cradling her shoe the thunder god sat down on the stairs, he stared down at the slipper and felt the tears come. Before Thor could stop himself the prince began to sob loudly. He was completely unaware that just round the corner Loki was standing his back to the wall cradling the other shoe close to him, listening to the other god crying his heart aching terribly at the sound.
