This is a set up !

Today's task was to prepare the banquet in honor of the two princes returns.
Today's task was to be assigned to the younger prince's quarter.
Azalai carried the three King size table clothed she had just ironed flat, hurrying to the grand hall room before the fabric would crease where it was folded. All the servants were so busy with their own work that she didn't bother to greet any of them today. She accomplished her task automatically while thinking of a plan. She had come this far and hadn't really thought of the rest. Had she been better informed she would have chosen to disguise herself as a guard . Talking with other servant this week she had learned that Prince Loki never kept the same room keepers. The gossip was that the library in his room was filled with dark tomes, cursed and worth treasure, and he never trusted anyone to clean it. Sometimes three or four maids would be commanded to take care of his quarter, and after a week would be sent back, on a sudden change of mood of the prince, some had even been fired from the castle, evidently no one wished to be assigned to Loki's service. And no one had been for the last eighteen months.

The secret assassin draped the cloth on the gigantic tables, careful to align it perfectly and smoothing over any folds. This wasn't good, her current position sent her to various rooms of the palace, most often far away from the young prince. She needed to be within hearing distance of him at all time, starting three days from now. That was her assignment.
_« Zaya » Someone called. The girl spined her head left, it was Dominic, the head of the palace's workers.
_ « This is good enough, all the table clothe have to be pressed and placed in two hours.»
She rolled her eye while spinning around, so he didn't see. As if the tables would disappear if she was late, she thought, there were another 13 of those giant sheats, easy,. She noded and hurried back to the linen room.
How to convince a Prince he needed someone to clean his room, this was a peculiar problem, no one had had come across before, certainly no assassin posing as a linen maid. His room had been dusted earlier today, since the two brothers had been gone a ten day, Azalai had brought up the fresh sheets, as she had for the elder Prince room. So she knew he didn't need a maid. His quarter were impeccable, except for his desk, and no servant had dared come near it.
«How are you doing there? » It was June, a servant girl she had sympathized with.
«I'm okay, I will be done by three,» the fake servant answered.
«You are so good at this, every girl always hates ironing those giant cloths»
They weren't using magic irons like she was.
«I was born with one talent at least» Azalai joked, and June laughed a little. She hadn't been hired because she was so good at ironing sheets, she made sure to get along with every worker, so everyone was eager to spend their shift with her.
«Miss Gossip, what are you selling today?» the assassin-servant asked in a perky tone.
« I'm just here to fetch the new napkins the queen requested, it's so busy today » she climbed on a stool to reach the higher shelves.
Azalai raised her shoulder in a «too bad» manner, «Okay », she said sharply.
«However!» suddenly exclaimed June spinning dangerously on the stool. Azalai burst out a loud laugh.
«The Prince and the warrior Three are already downtown drinking with the off-duty guards » The assassin turned to her new friend.
« Prince Thor tells the story of giant spider invading the wheat fields of Vanaheim, bigger than the gold fleet ships » Both girl's eye were wide, neither of them fully believing the tale.
«The Prince swung mulnir in the sky, flying above the creature to struck them with thunder , but the warrior three and prince Loki were on the ground, and a each slash of their sword, they would be showered with spider goo »
They both made disgusted faces while giggling.
«At the end, Prince Loki was covered in so much goo the other's feared he had started to melt, he cleaned himself with magic but still smelled so awful no one would come near him. He swore if he saw another spider he would burn the building it stood in »
At the end of the story, they were laughing so much the other servant started glaring at them. June went back to her search, soon huffing in frustration.
«Do you know where the blue and gold napkins are ? The ones gifted by the summaerian dignitaries three months ago ? »
«Well I wasn't here three month ago, but they might be on the shelf above the one you're looking … »
June wasn't tall enough to see, she stretched and raised her heels as high as she could and started feeling for cloths beyond her gaze, pulling a deep blue roll she sighed « Ah I think it might be… » she stoped her own sentence when she spotted an eight legged shadow circling her arm coming to her elbow. She shrieked and contorted, the stool tipped and she fell . Azalai caught her arm so she didn't hit the ground but she contorted in all manners as if she would conjure the tiny insect away in shamanic dance. They both saw the spider fly away and disappear behind a corner.

June was still distraught by the encounter, but Azalai relaxed «Prince Loki better not fin dit or else I will be looking for a job again». Her friend chuckled and got back up. The assassin-servant offered to get the other napkins with a higher chair, So she did. And while she was throwing the blue cloths in June's basket, she spotted a little white egg that she swiftly caught and hid in her pocket.
They both hurried to the grand hall. The table cloths were neatly placed, without a crease, with twenty minutes to spare the disappearing time.

A wild Loki will appear in the next chapter