Ceremonies of Kings

Loki quickly made his way into an anteroom of the palace, the ceremony for Thor about to begin. He'd nearly been late, nearly, he'd escorted Kona in and excused himself to prepare, took a small trip elsewhere for a moment before rushing to get ready. But he was there, he was right on time and no one would know how close he'd come to being late.

Thor himself wasn't even there, though he supposed he should have expected that, his brother was…well, he could tell he was a cross between being nervous and being excited for this moment, a moment they had all been waiting for for ages now. He looked back when he heard the doors open to see Thor enter, his hammer in hand, a goblet in the other. He shook his head as Thor downed the wine within the cup and smashed it down on the ground with a cry of, "Another!"

He turned back, looking out at the hall that held their people, he could see their father on his throne, his mother standing beside it. The Warriors Three, some of Thor's best friends were on the right, the three men standing there a few steps apart. There was Volstagg, a rather plump man with a reddish beard, known throughout the Nine Realms for his appetite and his...girth, but also his strength as a warrior. Fandral was also there, a young, golden-haired man with a well-trimmed beard and moustache, blue-eyed and quite the charmer among the ladies and graceful on the field of battle with a sword. He was infinitely thankful that Kona seemed immune to the man's charm. And last was Hogun, a rather silent, dark-haired man, very serious, hardly smiled, hardly talked, but was truly a fright to face at war, very loyal and very determined. The Lady Sif was also there, one of the greatest female warriors of Asgard, standing on the left of the stairs with Kona standing a few steps above her, her hands clasped before her where Sif had her hands held behind. He smiled softly as he saw her, the contrast between her and Sif was so startling and so clear cut that it was hard to believe they had both been born on the same day.

That was all they had in common really.

Where Kona was blonde and dark-eyed, calm and regal and wise, a woman who would rather read and discuss matters rationally, Sif was black-haired and light-eyed, feisty and strong and eager to fight, a woman more likely to grab a sword and fight first before asking questions than to sit and study. He had a small suspicion that Sif was even more like that given her dark hair. It had once been as blonde as Kona's was but, well…he'd played a bit of a joke on her and…things happened. She seemed to love her hair the way it was now though, claimed it made her look more a warrior, more dangerous and less fragile than had she been a dainty golden-haired maiden.

He glanced to the side when Thor came up beside him, both of them dressed in their ceremonial clothes, their armor and headpieces…well, HE had his horned headpiece on, Thor seemed to be missing his eagle-winged helmet.

"Nervous, brother?" he asked.

But Thor merely laughed, "Have you ever known me to be nervous?"

He had to nod at that, there were so few times when Thor was jittery and not his typical confident self, "There was the time in Nornheim..."

"That wasn't nerves, brother," Thor cut in, "That was the rage of battle. How else would I have fought my way through a hundred warriors and pulled us out alive?"

Loki considered that a moment, "As I recall, it was only upon warning from Kona that we managed to leave alive, specifically…when I veiled us in smoke to ease our escape."

"Yes," Thor rolled his eyes, "Some do battle, others just do tricks. And visions are cheating Loki. I do not see why father puts such value in Kona's sight, mother and he see enough as it is."

Loki's jaw tensed, more at the slight against Kona than the jab at his own tricks. Thor had gone through quite a few phases in trying to cope with what he'd done to Kona all those years ago. At first he'd tried to make it up to her, tried to do all he could to help her, nearly to the point of acting like her personal servant, but…Kona hadn't been able to forgive him entirely and had been a bit…distant to his attempts, less receptive than he was sure Thor would have liked. Thor had taken it to mean she did not appreciate it and that she was refusing his noble efforts.

Only HE knew that it was because Kona had been terrified of Thor for such a long time after she'd lost her sight. She had been so young then, she had never seen Thor truly start to fight someone, had always come to see him and Thor near the end of their training and hadn't had experience in him when he truly got into his sparing. She hadn't been expecting one of her dear friends to hurt her so…brutally, in her mind. She knew it was an accident, that Thor hadn't meant to cause her to fall, she knew that there was a small blame on her own part for not ducking instead at his swing, but…if Thor had never insisted and baited her to fight him, the entire situation would never have happened.

It had taken him ages to get Kona secure enough and feeling safe enough to be around Thor, he had had to be beside her for most of it at the beginning, almost like a reminder that he wouldn't let Thor hurt her again. But Thor constantly trying to check on her and touch her and help her just put her on edge. It was something Thor seemed to finally realize even if he wasn't exactly aware of why Kona treated him differently. After that he'd tried to ensure that others helped her as well, like their parents had, but Kona had rebuffed that as well.

She had confided in HIM that she didn't want to be treated differently. To have lost her sight was terrible yes, and the new foresight she had gained was a terrible burden, but…to have every single person constantly fretting over her would only serve to remind her of why. It would only make her feel like she couldn't do things normally or for herself because others seemed to think she couldn't. And she didn't want that. Her mother had been a servant in the palace, had raised her to do things her own way and do them herself, to not let others wait on her, but to take initiative and take care for herself.

She didn't want attendants that Frigga and Odin had tried to give her, no more than any other 'lady' would be expected to use. She had one handmaiden who helped her dress and helped keep her room tidy and helped her put food on her plate so she wouldn't stick her hand into anything, and that was all she truly could handle having. She didn't want people leading her around, because she wasn't an invalid, she could walk just fine. She didn't want people to coddle her because…she wasn't a lady. She had lived years of her life as a servant and she was used to that lifestyle, she was used to taking care of herself and not having people wait on her.

She couldn't see, yes, but that didn't mean she couldn't function.

He respected her for that when she'd told him, had done his best to…watch her and if he saw her struggling offer help, but never just swoop in and help her. Kona was a proud woman but if she saw that she needed help, she would ask for it, if not then she didn't need it and it irritated her when others assumed she couldn't do something. Like Thor had.

He'd grown out of that after Kona had sent back the attendants he'd tried to give her, he'd tried to explain to his brother how she felt, but Thor took it as her holding a grudge. After that Thor's relationship with Kona had been strained at best. He was more than a bit…disheartened that his attempts to gain forgiveness had been denied. He had begun to almost resent her in a way, that he had made efforts but she was being stubborn in refusing them. As a result, he had a difficult time seeing why Kona was an asset to Asgard, something Odin himself had declared her to be.

Their parents, they had foresight like Kona had, but…he knew it was in a MUCH smaller and more narrow way than Kona could see. His mother got small sensations of the future, his father more...educated guesses using the knowledge gifted to him by Mimir. But Kona…she had TRUE sight, she could see the actual future, what was happening, what would happen, and sometimes, depending on the vision, she could warn them early enough to change the future. But as the future was a tricky place to view, there were some limitations to her sight. She could not see into other worlds, unless an Asgardian was there, as though they were a tie to the other world that gave her access to its future. And there were some species that she had difficulty seeing. It wasn't impossible for her to see those species, but it took more effort than most to see them.

And that was why he always hated when Thor made remarks like that, it was because of Thor that Kona had the sight she did and yet Thor himself rebuffed her visions as she had rebuffed his attempts at apology. His brother could be quite a bit…immature in that sense, holding onto a grudge from childhood. He knew Thor saw Kona's actions and her own temperament with him (civil, but not overly warm) to be her holding a grudge as well, but HE knew different. All Kona had ever wanted from Thor was a sincere apology for what happened, something Thor hadn't given her in all those years. He had tried with attempts and gifts and actions but Kona had just wanted words, just words, just heartfelt and sincere words that he was truly sorry.

She was STILL waiting for such words. And, he supposed, that might be why she was as…disillusioned…by his brother as she was, why she saw things in him that others didn't. Their parents adored him and Thor, he felt at times that Odin favored him more as the first-born, which did make sense as Thor was the heir to the throne, they saw little fault in him. Thor's friends, the Warriors Three, had developed a strong sense of loyalty and comraderie with him over the years, through all the battles and adventures Thor had taken them on, it was all…a fun fight for them when Thor was around. The Lady Sif well, she saw him as the perfect man which could only be expected, she was as in love with Thor as he himself was with Kona and…

He blinked at where his thoughts had taken him, shaking his head though he felt himself smile as he thought on Kona. He loved her, very much, he just…was waiting for the right moment to tell her. He…he had it all planned really. In one month exactly it would he the day she had lost her sight as a child and he had everything worked out, that he would take her for a ride on the horses, lead her to a meadow they had always played and read in as children, a secret little nook he'd discovered when he'd been running from the guards after having played a small trick on them, and they would have food. He'd wait till sunset and describe it to her, but using her as a reference instead of the sky and…he'd tell her, he'd tell her he loved her.

He wanted to make a terrible memory for her turn into, what he hoped, would be one of her best ones. To take the day she'd lost her sight and, possibly, make it into the day she gained him. He knew he was nowhere near a fitting trade but…he did love her, very much. Really it would probably be more of a gain for him, he would be the one (hopefully) gaining the heart of the fairest maiden in Asgard, at least to him.

He heard someone chuckle and looked over to see a servant who had come to bring Thor another glass of wine had heard the last part of their conversation. His mind went right to the thought that the man was laughing at the slight against Kona and he waved his hand, his eyes on the goblet on the man's tray…

And snakes began to appear, slithering over the sides of the goblet, across the man's hand. The servant screamed and dropped the goblet and tray to the ground as Loki chuckled, served the man right.

"Loki," Thor gave his brother a mock-chastising look, though Loki could see he was equally as amused.

Loki sighed and twisted his hand, the snakes disappearing, turning them back into the spilled wine of the goblet.

Thor sighed, "Now that was just a waste of good wine."

"Just a bit of fun," Loki defended, before smiling at the servant, "Right, my friend?" the servant just hesitated before handing Thor his eagle-winged helmet and rushing off. Loki glanced down at the headpiece, "Nice feathers."

"You don't really want to start this again, do you, Cow?" Thor chuckled, pointing up at his horned-helmet.

"I was being sincere!" Loki rolled his eyes.

"You're incapable of sincerity with anyone who isn't Kona," Thor remarked.

Loki frowned at that, it was true he was more sincere with Kona, not just because she could 'see' the truth or falsehood in his words but because he just never felt the need to lie or hide things from her, and he did love a good trick, but that didn't mean he was always lying, "Am I?" he turned to Thor, growing so serious that Thor himself quieted, "I've looked forward to this day as long as you have. You're my brother and my friend. Sometimes I'm envious, but never doubt that I love you."

And it was true, all of it. He had been looking forward to this day for…ages. He had always seen a sort of…pressure put on Thor to be a good and wise and just king. To be responsible for the lives of all of Asgard, to be the one they looked to for war and hope. It was a crushing burden and one…one he didn't want to bear himself. He had always feared that, one day, Odin might become enraged with Thor's antics and overlook him for the throne and turn it instead on HIM. He didn't want that, he didn't want to be king.

There were times where he was a bit jealous of the affection and attention that Odin bestowed upon Thor, but their mother more than made up for that in making sure he felt just as loved by her as he was sure Thor felt by Odin. And he did have Kona as well, he had been truthful on the bridge, if he were king, he could never leave and he could never take Kona with him, somewhere they would both be happy and together. He had heard her words about him, that Thor wasn't like him, wise and patient and other things, and that those were the qualities a good king needed, he knew that she felt he would be a magnificent king, but…he didn't want the throne, he just…wanted to be happy and feel accepted, like he felt when he was with Kona. He'd always felt a bit out-of-place growing up, his parents and Thor being light-haired where he was dark-haired, him being smaller and more focused on his studies than he was in training and warfare like Thor was. But he had found solace in his mother and Kona, in his mother teaching him magic, in Kona speaking of books with him.

He looked up when Thor put a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you," Thor smiled at him.

Loki grinned, feeling the moment get a bit too touching for them both, "Give us a kiss," he joked.

"Stop," Thor laughed, slapping the side of Loki's head gently before he turned back, fixing the rest of his ceremonial attire, "How do I look?"

"Like a king," Loki nodded moments before a horn blasted in the hall, "It's time."

"You go ahead," Thor nodded Loki on, gesturing to the stairs the curtain that led to the hall when Loki glanced at him, "I'll be along. Go on, Kona's waiting for you isn't she?"

Loki nodded to himself and stepped over, past the curtains, entering the hall to take his place near the top of the stairs, above Kona. Thor smiled when he saw Loki reach out and gently take Kona's hand as he passed, squeezing it a moment before he took his position. Even if he himself had issues with Kona, he could see how happy she made his brother.

~8~

Kona smiled as she felt someone take her hand for only a moment, she could recognize the feel of it anywhere, Loki. His hands were always warm and gentle, and he always did that, whenever he was near her, he'd take her hand for only a second and let her know he was there. She liked that about them, how they had their own little form of communication between them, little gestures from him, little expressions from her, it made her feel closer and it always made her feel safe.

~/~\~

"Loki why is there a cloth over my eyes?" young Kona asked as she was led through the woods, by the hand, by Loki, "I cannot see anything as it is…"

"Because that is what I do with everyone I'm trying to surprise," Loki countered.

Kona smiled, knowing why he'd done it, she had always said she wanted to be treated normally, as though there were nothing wrong with her because nothing was. She just…couldn't see, but that didn't mean she was at a disadvantage. Loki and Frigga seemed to be the only ones to truly take that to heart. Odin still kept a close eye on her, as though he feared his new seer would be kidnapped, as though she would be defenseless, but Loki and Frigga allowed her to be what she was. Loki had put a cloth over her eyes to blindfold her because that was what one did when trying to surprise someone else.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"It is a surprise Kona," Loki laughed, "You must be patient."

"Well that will never happen," she giggled herself, she was quite an impatient person.

"We are almost there," he reassured her, squeezing her hands, she knew he was walking backwards to lead her on, he did that a lot lately, she noticed, squeezed her hands to reassure her he was there.

She liked it.

"Just a few more steps…" he murmured before… "And we're here!" he cheered.

She felt him move behind her and pull her blindfold off, "Loki I still do not know where we are," she reminded him.

"I know," he whispered, by her ear, before she felt him take her hand and lead her further into wherever they were, "We're in a clearing, a meadow," he gently tugged her down so she was sitting with him, she could feel a change in the warmth on her face and knew they were below a tree, "It is as wide as the Vault, oval like an egg, with grass my favorite shade of green…"

She let out a small laugh, imagining it in her head, knowing he was describing it in terms of things and colors she knew so that she could picture it more clearly.

"And…" she felt him shift before something was pressed into her hand, "There are quite a few flowers around here," he explained, gently moving her hands to trace the petals of one he'd given her, "And I'll show them all to you Kona, I'll take you to every tree and bush around it and, if you can picture it enough, you'll know exactly what it looks like."

Kona turned her heard in his direction, somehow managing to find his eyes despite not being able to see them, and reached out a hand, hesitatingly and slowly, searching for his face before she found it, "No…" she cut in when she felt the muscles in his face relax, as though shocked, "Don't…please, um, smile, like you were."

"How do you know I was smiling?" he asked, and she felt him lift his hand and press it to hers on his cheek.

"Because I could hear it in your voice," she explained, "I can…hear a lot of things now that I could not before. I could hear you smiling Loki…now I want to see it."

She felt a small tensing in his jaw, one she could picture from before her sight had been lost, an expression on his face that he made when he was hesitant to ask something for fear of offending her, and she knew what that question was, "Not really SEE but…it is like you said. If I can imagine it, I can picture it. You cannot describe your own smile, but…I can feel it, I can trace it…if…" she could feel her cheeks heating up and knew she was likely blushing, realizing what she'd said, "If that is agreeable with you…"

Loki let out a small laugh, nodding into her hand, the muscles of his face moving under her touch and she knew he was smiling once more. She gently moved her hand across his cheek, her thumb and forefinger lightly tracing over his nose and mouth.

"I am glad I got to see you smiling before," she admitted, "It is easier to see it now," she smiled herself, "I like it when you are happy Loki."

His hand was back on hers, taking it from her face but holding it, moving to place his other hand on hers, "I am always happy when you are with me Kona."

She laughed, "Then I shall have to never leave."

He laughed as well, "I like that. Let's never leave the meadow either! It can be our secret place."

She nodded at that but stiffened when she felt Loki let go of her hand and reach towards her. A moment later she felt his hand near her head, felt him brush a lock of hair behind her ears and…place something there. She blinked and reached her free hand up to touch by her temple, smiling when she felt a flower had been placed behind her ear.

~/~\~

She remembered that day fondly. They really had stayed in the meadow the rest of the day, so long that they'd fallen asleep under one of the willow trees. Odin and Frigga had been frantic when they hadn't returned to the palace that night. It hadn't been till the next morning when they'd woken to see it was daylight that Loki realized what had happened and they'd dashed back to the palace. Seeing them, Frigga had been relieved and had managed to temper Odin's anger (terror) at their lapse in judgment, they were just children after all.

Her thoughts were cut off though by the cheers that had suddenly arisen in the back of the hall, turning her head to that direction she knew, by how loudly the others had begun to applaud, that Thor had made his appearance. She shook her head at that, with how long it was taking him to reach them, from what she could hear through the loud noises, he was taking his time and enjoying the adulation of the other Asgardians. There was that arrogance and pride she had mentioned to Loki on more than one occasion peeking through.

"Oh, please," she could hear Sif murmur and had to nod to herself.

She as Sif didn't quite see eye to eye about much, they were quite different in temperament and personality and…tastes. She loved Loki very much and was wary of Thor, and the opposite was true for Sif. She didn't quite understand Sif's feelings towards Loki though, yes the boy had played a rather nasty trick on her, cutting off her golden hair as a child, but he had made it up to her by bestowing her with black locks to replace them (well, originally they WERE golden as well, but he'd stolen the work of the Dwarves he'd commissioned to make the hair and it had turned black). Sif was thrilled with her new hair, looking even more like a warrior, but…she still regarded Loki warily.

Everything had been made up for with Sif, been made better because of Loki, but Sif still didn't quite like Loki. She knew the same was true for her and Thor but SHE had an excuse. Her sight could never be restored by any means, all lost because of Thor. It had NOT been made better, not truly, by the actions of Odin, but given her another burden to bear (albeit one that helped protect Asgard). And, the largest difference, Thor hadn't apologized where Loki had.

Kona looked back towards the throne when she heard thump, Odin striking his own staff, Gungnir, on the floor, silence falling all around as she heard the Allfather begin to speak, "Thor, Odinson, my heir, my first-born. So long entrusted with this mighty hammer, Mjolnir. Forged in the heart of a dying star, whose power has no equal, as a weapon to destroy, or as a tool to build. It is a fit companion for a King. I have defended Asgard, and the lives of the innocents across the Nine Realms…"

~8~

Two Asgardian Guards walked through the relics Vault, not noticing the frost that had started to coat one of the pillars, heading for the Casket in the back…

~8~

Loki glanced over, seeing Kona shifting as the ceremony went on, as Odin spoke. He felt himself frowning, she looked…he recognized that expression, it wasn't one of her ill ease with Thor taking up the position of king, though he DID see traces of it, but something else entirely. It was an expression he recognized when she was trying to see something at the edge of her sight or that a vision was struggling to reach her. She was standing stiffly, her hands no longer clasped before her but starting to cross her arms.

"Thor Odinson," Odin continued as Loki's frown deepened, "Do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?"

Loki glanced at Thor who was kneeling before Odin as he answered, "I swear," before making his way slowly down the steps towards Kona.

~8~

The two guards turned, hearing something behind them, only to be attacked by large, blue men with red eyes…

~8~

"Kona, I'm here," Loki reached out, sliding his right hand to the small of her back, his left moving across her arms to gently grab her left hand as it rested on her right elbow. He felt her right hand move to rest on his arm as well, felt her tense, staring ahead and not in the direction of Odin or Thor, a clear sign that something was wrong. He leaned in, resting his forehead to the side of her head, his nose brushing against her temple, "What is it?" he whispered in her ear.

"Do you swear to preserve the peace?" Odin asked, unaware of his other son confronting his seer, unable to see them on that side of him.

"I swear," Thor repeated.

"It's the Casket," she blinked rapidly, seeing it in her mind, seeing the Casket, the box with the swirling blue light in it that she had once glimpsed as a child just sitting in the Vault…and then…it was gone…and she felt cold, "It is there one moment, and gone the next."

"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and to pledge yourself only to the good of all?" Odin recited.

"I swear!" Thor cheered.

"But…" Loki shook his head, starting to understand why she was alarmed, why her vision wasn't as focused or complete as normal, why she was having difficulty seeing it, "The only ones you cannot see clearly are…"

She nodded, squeezing his arm, "Frost Giants."

A/N: Kona's difficulty seeing Frost Giants will, as you might guess, have quite an impact on Loki in the future ;) I'm going to be adding bits and pieces of deleted scenes from the movies as well as rearranging a moment here or there, but hopefully it'll all flow and make sense :)

I'm sure you might have guessed, but I forgot to add it to the first chapter, the ~/~\~ is a scene break for a flashback. They'll be mostly appearing in just this story though :)

I also tend to do a small section to answer some reviews, mostly the ones that ask questions or I think might need comments on, so I'll be doing that here :) I'm glad you're all enjoying the story so far though ^-^

Some notes on reviews...

There's definitely a twist coming for what Loki does with the Frost Giants and what it means for Kona ;)

Lol, I know about Sif's hair yup :) Mostly from the actual myths before I read about it on the internet so I sort of blended the two together here and put a tiny spin on it :) I had it in the first chapter, before deciding it would be better in this chapter to sort of contrast Sif and Kona :) There's actually going to be a bit more about the dealings with Sif's hair, I can say it actually has an affect on Kona ;)

Aww, thanks! I'm glad the stories warm your heart :)

I definitely wanted Thor's arrogance to come out a bit more because in this story we'll see it more from Loki's and the Asgardian's POV, so we see him leave arrogant as anything and return a worthy king so it's more shocking to them :)

Lol, gotta love The Sandlot ;)

Oh the biggest heartbreak for Loki is yet to come }:)

That's ok, I definitely get life getting in the way :) I hope you enjoy the DW stories when/if you read them :)