Isabella left the palace as the sun began to set, walking at a steady pace back to her home outside of the palace walls and in the vast village. She walked at a slow pace, allowing the sun to move onto her skin as a small smile rested on her features and she wrapped her arms around her body, thinking of the past few hours which she had just spent with a certain God of Mischief. It was silly of her to become so giddy. It had been one afternoon and he had simply been amicable towards her.
She could not help but find him charming. He was witty, clearly intelligent and he was rather pleasant towards her. She had heard rumours that the younger son of the Allfather was rude and sometimes arrogant towards people but she had seen none of that whilst she had been with him. Her mother had complained about him often, telling her that he was normally terrorising the servants in the Palace.
Isabella just couldn't imagine it.
Before she knew it she was back in her home, opening the wooden door to the small cottage in the middle of other buildings. She closed the door, resting against the door and folding her arms as she saw her mother stood in the small kitchen which they had, a bowl set out and steaming soup inside of it.
"I expected you back earlier," her mother told her, messing with her blonde hair which was pushed up into a tight bun from her work at the palace. Isabella shrugged, moving forwards into the room which was open planned, housing a small make shift stove along with a bowl for washing up which sat on the wooden worktop which curved around the wall. A chaise longue and simple chair sat by the fireplace with a large red rug underneath their feet. Two doors led off the room, one going into her mother's room and the other going into her room.
The walls were white washed, making the space seem larger than it actually was and the floor covered in stone.
"I had to go and find all of the dining rooms and it took me longer than I had initially thought," Isabella informed her mother, walking over to the taller woman and kissing her on the cheek quickly before sitting down on one of the three wooden chairs at the table.
"Hm," the elder blonde spoke, placing the bowl in front of her daughter as she crossed her legs underneath the table. "Is 'I' the correct word to use?"
"What do you mean?" Isabella wondered, picking up her spoon and placing it into the vegetable soup, gathering some of it on her spoon.
"The maids talk, Isabella," her mother said with tight lips, sitting opposite her daughter, flinging the towel she had been using over her shoulder and resting her hands on the table, leaning forwards slightly whilst Isabella sat back, looking around cautiously with hesitance and dropping the soup from her spoon, repeating the motion as her mother continued to stare at her, not dropping the subject until he daughter finally cracked.
"Prince Loki was the one to show you around, was he not? Apparently you two were very civil and looked rather cosy."
"That is not true," Isabella said quickly, shaking her head at her mother and dropping her spoon into the bowl. "He simply showed me where everything was to save me time. He was courteous and kind. I do not see what the issue is, mother."
"There is a large issue," her mother said quickly, interrupting her daughter before she could say anything further. Did she not understand the God of Mischief and Lies? He wasn't someone who Isabella should be associated with. She had seen him on multiple occasions, constantly causing chaos just for fun. "He is trouble, Isabella."
"Should you really be speaking about a royal like that, mother?" Isabella asked and her glare seemed to grow as she looked at her daughter, the inside of her cheek taking a chewing to as she did so.
"Do not be cocky, Isabella," her mother snapped. "I am serious about him. The servants all speak of how he is arrogant, using his magic to annoy them. He scared one servant the other day by conjuring a snake! What kind of a Prince would do that?"
"One who is bored?" Isabella suggested, well aware that she was testing her mother's patience. "I see nothing wrong with the Prince, mother. Besides, it matters not now, does it?" Isabella said, suddenly losing her appetite as she began to lie to her mother. "We shall hardly see each other again. I will serve his food and he will not acknowledge my existence."
"I would believe that, my dear, but you seem to have caught his eye. The God of Mischief hardly acknowledges anyone. Some would say that you should consider yourself lucky."
"Well, I do not," Isabella replied to her mother, standing up and placing her soup back into the large bowl which it had come from to save it for later. She dropped her dishes into the bowl of water, washing them as she looked out the window and onto the street before them which was bustling with people moving, going about their own business. "It really is irrelevant, mother. Prince Loki has better things to do with his time. Could we please stop this?"
"I just want you to be careful. Know your place in the palace, Isabella."
"Worry not, mother," Isabella hissed, her voice low as she dried the bowl after snatching the towel from over her mother's shoulder. "I do not think I can forget my place."
...
Isabella awoke before her mother the following morn, quickly grabbing an apple before she left the home, not waking her mother for she could gain another hour sleep. Isabella had to leave early, making sure breakfast was prepared for the royal family when they woke and there was also food for all of the servants who lived in the palace and dined in the lower areas. Not to mention the visitors to Asgard who were also there.
Isabella almost groaned at the thought but she shook her head, knowing that moaning would do no good. She had worked hard for all of her life, knowing nothing other than hard work. She vaguely remembered the servant's entrance into the palace, walking around the back of the proud kingdom and down the steps into the kitchen. She pushed the door open and her ears pricked up as slamming noises were heard and banging sounds moved through the kitchen.
She felt her eyes widen at the sight before her, allowing the door to slam behind her as no one noticed her existence. She pulled at the simple blue dress which she wore and took a deep breath before looking to the woman who was stood cutting up fruits and dropping them into bowls.
"Excuse me," Isabella said, tapping the woman on her shoulder and she turned around, a hand moving over her chest as she looked at the young blonde.
"Dear Gods, girl, you scared me to death!" she called out loud. "What are you doing? There are meats and cheeses to prepare!"
"I...I know," Isabella stuttered out. "I am the new kitchen maid. I was told to come here first thing this morning."
"I see," the elder woman who was obviously the head cook observed. Isabella remained silent as the woman huffed loudly, shaking her head at the sight before her. The girl clearly had never worked in a busy environment like this before and it was obvious. The sweat which was forming on her brow and the worrying glaze of her eyes was enough evidence to convince the woman.
She coughed softly, covering her mouth before speaking; "So you can start chopping up the blocks of cheese and when you are done then place them in the golden bowl and move on to the grapes, picking them from the stalks.
Isabella kept her manners in check, wondering why the royals were unable to pull their own grapes from the stalk. She set about her work, picking up the knife and chopping the cheese, placing the cubes in the golden bowl whilst looking around the room as people rushed about, each of them set their own challenge in the form of preparing fruits and other foods.
"Good," the woman said, observing the bowl which Isabella had filled after five minutes. "You have cut them the right size, anyway."
"Is there a right size?" Isabella asked and the woman shook her head, her hand rubbing on her forehead.
"Of course there is," she snapped back. "Now go with the others and serve the breakfast."
"Serve?" Isabella asked.
"Are you dense, girl?" was the only reply which Isabella received before she felt the bowls being forced into her hands and she held tightly onto them, balancing them in her gripped fingers before the cook placed her hand on Isabella's back, pushing her behind the other young girls who were walking quickly up the staircase of the kitchen. Isabella followed, taking in her surroundings of the bright palace but mainly concentrating on holding onto the bowls.
She stood behind the other maids, waiting as the guards opened the doors to the dining hall before moving into the spacey room, a roof simply covering the hall as it was surrounded by a large balcony running around the room, showing the view over Asgard. Isabella placed the fruit down before leaving the room, her eyes roaming around it and taking in the fine decorations and the drapes which hung from the ceiling.
Once outside she dropped her gaze to the floor, making her way back down the small archway which she assumed the servants used to keep themselves out of sight as no guards occupied the corridor. But she failed to get that far. She almost jumped when she felt a hand snake around her wrist, drawing her backwards as she yelped slightly. Looking up, she found herself staring straight into the eyes of Loki, his gaze staring back at her as he released her from his hold and she looked down at her wrist where he had dared to touch her.
"Follow me," he simply said in a hushed tone and she looked back down the corridor, wondering what to do. She knew what she should do. She knew what her mother would say if she was present. She would tell her not be so naive.
Looking around one more time, her feet began to instinctively carry her in the direction of the God, remaining a few steps behind him as he strode ahead, his head held high and his body gliding forwards even under the weight of the armour which he wore.
"My Lord," Isabella said quickly as Loki turned down a corridor which contained no guards. Bravely she moved to stand beside him, looking up at him with pleading in her eyes as he stared back at her, his brow arched as he did so.
Isabella knew he was waiting for her to declare why she had spoke but she found herself slightly tongue tied in his presence and especially under his gaze.
Biting down on her lip she frowned; "I have chores which need completing, my Lord. T'is my first day and I do not wish to be found neglecting them."
"You need not pretend with me nor worry of chores," Loki whispered back, pushing a door open and holding it for her. Isabella nervously looked at him as he extended his arm, gesturing for her to enter the room. She did so, knowing it was beyond ridiculous that she had managed to come this far with him.
Loki closed the door behind him, watching with intent as Isabella's jaw dropped open at the sight before her. Her eyes widened whilst she twirled around, looking at the grand library which she found herself to be in. The room was vast, as were so many other rooms in the palace, and the walls were lined with giant bookshelves, different coloured books stuck out by their spines, asking to be read but clearly being ignored.
"It is wonderful," Loki admitted, walking past Isabella and into a row of books. The shelves in the middle of the space were not nearly as tall as those against the walls but they were tall enough to surpass the height of Loki. She followed him down the rows of books, still looking at them before glancing up to a dome covered ceiling above a balcony on the second storey which contained more books along with a sitting area.
"I do not think wonderful covers what this is," Isabella muttered and Loki's lips quirked upwards at hearing her. "But it does not look like it has been used in a long time. Dust covers some of the books."
"The maids pay a small amount of attention to the library. I feel as though they do not deem it necessary of their time if no one comes in," Loki replied to her and she stopped walking as he stood opposite a shelf, his eyes narrowed as he scanned it.
"Like I said before, the Asgardians have much more preference for battle than intellect."
"I can believe that," Isabella admitted. "Anyway, your highness...I really must go...besides, should you not be in the dining hall for breakfast?"
"It is not yet eight," Loki informed her. "I am an early riser in comparison to my family. You need not worry. I have seen the morning routine of maids and they will hardly notice your absence."
"Yet if they do then I am sure I will be scolded and that is something I would prefer to avoid," Isabella said quickly. "As much as I find myself content to spend time here I know that I cannot."
"You are content?" Loki wondered from her, stopping his searching for the book he was looking for before his eyes returned to her. A blush once again occupied her cheeks and she cast her gaze downwards, unsure of what to say back to him. She could lie and upset him or she could tell him the truth and know that no good would come from it.
Blinking a couple of times, she shrugged; "I suppose I am."
Keeping silent, Loki arched his body forwards, intently looking at the books as a new wave of emotions took hold of him. She watched the defensive movement and instantly thought that she had upset the Prince. She shook her head, playing with the dirty blonde hair on her shoulder and looked back down the rows of books, her mind working double time.
"I apologise," Isabella said, gathering her skirts into her hands. "I did not mean to speak so. I should go...really...I should never have come..."
Loki heard her retreat towards the door, her footsteps echoing on the marble floors as he grabbed the book he had been searching for and caught up with her, his hand wrapping around her wrist and stopping her from moving any further away from him. She turned as soon as she felt his touch on her, drawing her back to him.
"Why do you think that you anger me when all you do is speak the truth?" Loki asked her, his face scrunched up as he dropped his fingers from her bare skin and she smirked down to her shoes, her hair clouding her cheeks as she made the movement.
"You forget I am a simple serving maid," Isabella whispered. "My place is not to speak the truth with nobility."
"And you forget that this God of nobility cares not if you speak out of turn," Loki replied. "Besides, what have I said that about addressing me?"
"I know what you said to me," Isabella said, her voice slightly curt. "Yet you should know that I am not to call you by your name. That privilege does not belong to me."
"It does now," Loki said, his voice also tight and clipped as Isabella shrunk back at hearing the harshness in his voice, her fingers lacing together nervously as she waited for him to say something more to her. "I told you that I would find you a book to occupy your time with and that is what I have done."
"I cannot take it now...I have nowhere to hide it," Isabella protested and Loki contained the need which suddenly overcame him to roll his eyes at hearing her. She looked at the red covered front page as Loki rested it on his palm, his other hand moving over it and the book shrunk before her eyes, becoming nothing larger than a small stone. She looked up at him as he smirked, seeing the impressed look on her face.
"When you remove it from your pocket then it will grow back," Loki informed her. "You were not this timid in the gardens yesterday."
"Well...perhaps I should not have been so forwards," Isabella said as Loki handed her the small book and she held it in her hands, opening it to see words which were unreadable on the pages and not simply because she could not understand them, they were so small and Isabella confessed herself impressed with him.
"I mind not," Loki promised her. "It does help to make life slightly more interesting, I have to admit."
"Well, thank you," Isabella said, placing the book in the pocket which rested in her blue uniform at the side of her hip. Loki bowed slightly to her and she curtseyed back out of politeness. "I should be getting back."
"Let me know how the book is," Loki instructed her.
"Shall I see you again?" she wondered and Loki cocked his head to the side, some of his slick black hair falling to the side.
"I imagine so," he simply told her. "Until the next time, Isabella."
She smiled at him and turned on her heel, walking back out through the rows of books and Loki watched her leave. Shaking his head, he chuckled to himself and turned back around, aimlessly moving through the bookshelves with his hands behind his back as he thought about the new kitchen maid and wondered why he should treat her differently in comparison to any of the others.
Perhaps he was becoming soft.
...
Isabella dropped down into her bed at the end of the day, pulling the quilt over her bent knees as the light of the candle flickered in her room, shadows moving over the walls. She moved her hands back, reaching under her pillow and grabbing the book which Loki had presented her with, resting it on her upper thighs as her fingers skimmed the leather cover. The noise from the street outside her bedroom window moved through the wooden shutters, drunken cries of men coming into her room.
Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, she took a deep breath, daring to look at the title and attempt to read it. Taking her time, she moved the tips of her fingers over the letters, trying to decipher it and feeling overcome with glee as she did so.
A Great King and the search for the Forbidden Queen.
She arched a brow at the title, opening the book to the first page and sighing as she set about her own quest to conquer the book.
...
A/N: So thank you very much to 'Guest' for my first review of the story and to the people who have decided to follow this as well as favourite it. Anyway, please do let me know what you think, thanks again!