I own nothing but my OCs and the plotline. :)
"Time it took us
To where the water was.
That's what the water gave me."
~"What the Water Gave Me" by Florence + the Machine
Loki was pleased to hear thunderous applause at the mention of his name. That only lasted briefly, however, because with the mention of his older brother he was soon forgotten. It stung a bit like it always did.
He looked out over the crowd and soon forgot his irritation when he saw a pair of storm gray eyes peering back at him. Anja quickly looked away and ducked through the crowd to Fandral's wife. Wait, Fandral's wife? Surely she was not the sister Anja had mentioned…
He smirked as he looked away from her. She was so obviously trying not to meet his gaze. It was almost cute. Wait. Cute?
His thoughts were interrupted before they could go any further by Odin standing to give a speech. It lasted for a few minutes, nothing compared to what Loki knew his father was capable of giving. He must have been able to sense the party in the audience as well as Loki. All the guests were itching to get on with the evening.
He looked back at the dark skinned girl in the crowd of pale Aesir. Her arms were clutched behind her back and she was paying avid attention to the All-father. Why did he want her to be paying that much attention to him? He found himself staring at her more than was proper, taking in her dark curls, pinned back with few strays falling to frame her almost silver eyes. The smooth planes of her thin cheeks… thin lips reddened and polished… the silver satin of her dress as it fell in waves over her breasts...
Loki reigned his thoughts in suddenly as the All-Father's speech came to a close. Anja's eyes locked onto his briefly before she looked away. He could swear he could see a blush forming under her tan skin and he looked down as well, swallowing as the band struck back up again and the guests dispersed.
*o*O*o*
Anja sat stoically at the edge of the dance floor, taking everything in but never quite participating. Fandral and Selena had disappeared into the crowd hours ago, leaving her to fend for herself. So far the stance she had put forth had done a good job of keeping any unwanted attention pale man- or Prince Loki, she supposed she should call him now- was nowhere to be seen. She stood, her back against the wall, arms crossed and fingers itching to find water.
But she would stay and be good… for now. She let her mind wander to the novel she had been reading that day. It had been a Midgardian novel concerning a rather flat teenaged character struggling to find herself while battling the pressures of her peers. She had only brought it along as a last resort to read, but with the higher stress levels she had been putting herself through lately she had gone through her books at the speed of light.
"Ah. Glad you saw fit to grace us with your presence. Anyone catch your fancy, My Lady Anja?" she heard a voice say from her left. She pulled herself from her thoughts as she snapped her head to see Prince Loki, arms crossed and leaning against a pillar- just like the day she had first met him. Thank the Norns he had removed that ridiculous helmet…
"Not yet," she managed. He did look dashing in his armor… even she had to admit that. It was green and gold in color, crisscrossing in an intricate pattern across his abdomen and chest. A green cape billowed from his shoulders as he came closer, smirking. "Has no one caught yours?"
He stopped next to her and she stood up a bit straighter. She hadn't realized how much taller he was than she. She was tall for a woman and yet he looked like he could place his chin on top of her head. She wanted to smack herself at the idea when she realized she wouldn't mind it if he tried.
"I've yet to decide on that one as well, My Lady." He offered her his arm. She just looked at it. She let out a breath as she looked back up at him and he lowered it awkwardly.
"You do not care to dance? Surely there are several young men here that would want to spend the evening with a lady such as you."
"Forgive me, sir, but I am not one for dancing." She did not want her sister seeing her with this prince. It would be all she heard about until she left if Selena saw her with him. " And I find that strangers are not good company to keep." He did not miss the double meaning in her words.
He raised his eyebrows before he broke into a toothless smile. She was still addressing him as 'sir,' not 'my lord,' or 'my prince.' Nearly every woman in this room would die for a prince's attention and yet here she was- surprising him yet again- with her actions. "I might have known you would say that…"
"You did not expect it, Sir, and you know it," she replied swiftly, stopping his silver tongue in its tracks. She had not lost her sweet demeanor, but she was standing her ground.
"Touché," he replied softly before looking back out over the heads of the guests on the dance floor. "You clearly have not danced with the Silvertongue before, then." And with that he took her arm before she could say anything else and led her to the dance floor. He never formally asked her for the dance and she had to admit it took her off guard.
She furrowed her thin brows. "You planned this tonight, didn't you? You wanted me to hear your name announced like that, let me look the fool after blowing you off in the garden this morning." She cringed inwardly as he raised his eyebrows at the midgardian phrase she had used. That did it. When she got home she was burning that novel. Anja had never wanted to burn a book.
He never answered her. He just leaned in a bit so he would be heard. "Dance with me, Lady Anja." He nearly whispered it in her ear. They were in the crowd now as he hooked an arm around her waist and swept her into the music. She nearly gasped at the lightness with which her feet moved. She had never been graceful. Ever. The only time she had felt one with her body had been when she had been practicing her magic. She had a theory as to why she felt so right and it had to do with the warm hand at the small of her back, but she quickly pushed it away along with all her other thoughts about Loki.
She was still tense, remembering everything she stood for. She had not wished for someone to talk to her, much less this man. How had she allowed herself into this position?
*o*O*o*
The music was nearly over and Loki had not asked anything he had wished to. "Where do you come from?" he asked quickly, nearly blurting it out. Had he ever been so awkward?
She flashed her silver eyes back up to meet his green ones. "Vanaheim; The Great Library to be specific."
He nodded. "I have fond memories of that place from my youth. I've not been there in quite a while I am sorry to say." He did not miss the spark of interest in her eyes when he mentioned going there. "Your father is the book-keeper?"
She nodded. "He was training me to take his place before…" She trailed off, lookinga way from him.
"Before he sent you here?" he asked quietly as he nearly swept her off her feet with the speed in which he turned her, forcing her to look back at him.
She pursed her lips. "What makes you think I was sent here? Perhaps I came here of my own accord."
He raised an eyebrow again, giving her what he knew was an infuriatingly knowing smirk. "My dear, I do not think you would be anywhere near here if given the option." Then he leaned in to her ear again. "The same could be said for myself."
When he withdrew he looked back down at her to gage her reaction. Her brow was furrowed again as she made sense of what he had just said. "You do not like it here? But it is your home."
"I believe we are quite similar, My Lady Anja." That was all he said as the dance finished and she found herself pulling from his grasp. He offered her his arm again almost as soon as she broke contact with him. He refused to allow himself to think it any more than good manners, but part of him just wanted to feel her there. His brother's feast was about to begin and a blare of trumpets gave insdication.
She studied him with a scientific scrutiny. He could not blame the poor girl. She had just truly met him for goodness sake. But something about her was… utterly bewitching. He had never been this interested in another person before. She seemed to have created her own ways of dealing with the stupidity of those around her- in the form of her mind and imagination. She was nothing he had ever seen before, an uncharted territory to the human spirit.
"Anja!" he heard Fandral's wife say his partner's name and he dropped his arm suddenly. She had not taken it. The small blonde woman came up to Anja. When she saw him she bowed. "My Lord," she said respectfully. Loki returned the bow as she turned back to Anja. There was a funny, almost girlish look in her eye.
"If you will excuse me, Ladies," he said. Loki decided to bow out of the situation… but not before he took Anja's hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles very lightly. Green eyes met silver and then he was gone.
*o*O*o*
Anja's hand remained extended long after Loki's green caped back had disappeared in the crowd. He hadn't just… No. She had imagined it. She had to of. His lips had been cold though and her senses did not lie. She clenched her hand in a fist as she turned back to Selena. Her sister looked like she wanted to throw her arms around her sister right then and there. Her violet eyes sparkled as she took Anja's hand and led her towards the dining hall.
"You've much to tell me in the coach, Anja!" she squealed as the two took a seat beside Fandral. Anja looked to the head of the table. The All-Father and Queen Frigga were at the head as well as Thor. A single seat was empty to Odin's left. Anja knew exactly who it belonged to, but came up blank when she thought of where the prince could be. She shouldn't be thinking about him at all, really. She cleared her throat slightly as she took a sip of wine. It burned slightly as it went down.
*o*O*o*
Loki stepped out onto the balcony of the astronomy tower, taking in a breath of night air. The feast was in full swing now and he had plenty of time to work without his brother or other guests disturbing him. He closed his eyes and inhaled again through his nose and out through his mouth. He repeated this exercise several times, clearing his mind of the party and the extra glass of wine he really should not have had earlier in the evening.
Once he was satisfied that he was focused enough he turned away from the balcony and removed a burlap piece of fabric from a lump-like object. A crate of Midgardian fireworks surfaced, filled to the brim. Loki smiled as he looked up at the night sky dotted with stars and a crescent moon. These play pretties would make his brother happy even in their simple mortal forms… but with a bit of magic they would be unforgettable.
He knew he had hours until midnight and he really should return to the feast. He set the fireworks up carefully in rows, preparing them for midnight. All it would take would be a flick of his wrist sending a spark to the closest fuse and they would go off in perfect timing with one another. The whole feat of preparing them took a half hour. When he was done, he wiped his sooty hands on the underside of his cape and turned back to head downstairs.
When he entered the dining hall, no one seemed to have notice his absence. The only set of eyes that were on him were the same silver ones that intrigued him so… and they darted away quickly when he returned their gaze.
Loki allowed himself a smirk as he slipped into his seat, grabbing for a goblet of water and a leg of lamb.
The song that I have quoted goes perfectly with this story. During the dance scene of this, I actually pictured the melody or something similar playing. Give it a try? The song will probably play an important part of the story, at the very least in the story it tells.
Thank you all so very much for the wonderful reviews! Really… I love you guys!
Til next update (which will hopefully be soon)
~Sirius
