Chapter 7
Loki.
What was he doing here? Leya stood frozen, but her mind was racing. She didn't have time to ponder much, though, because the next thing she knew was Thor gripping her forearm and leading her toward the end of the table where the King and Queen sat, to none other than the seat directly across from Loki. Loki gave a sly smile, mock-bowing at the waist as Leya lowered herself into her seat. Leya did not smile back. Jane took the seat next to Leya, leaving Leya between Jane and Odin, and Thor took his seat next to Loki, putting Loki between himself and Frigga. All the other nobles sat down, then, and the festivities got under way.
The meal alone was a huge affair, with several courses spread out over hours. The food was wonderful and delicious, but Leya's appetite had slowly disappeared. She spent most of the meal pushing her food around her plate and carefully avoiding looking across the table. But she couldn't help glancing at Loki occasionally and found he didn't seem to take his eyes off her once. Every so often, Thor or Frigga would say something to Loki and he would turn away briefly, or Jane would say something to her, but Leya was still tense throughout the entire meal. Having Odin on her left side didn't help at all, either. The stoic king never looked directly at her, much less spoke to her, yet she could swear his sharp eyes – er, eye, rather – didn't miss a blink.
Once dinner was finally over, the entire entourage moved into an adjoining ballroom. Leya thought she might be able to escape briefly, but Jane begged Leya to stay with her.
"You can't leave me alone with all these fancy people," Jane half-pleaded, half-joked.
The two girls sat down on a bench at the edge of the ballroom, hoping to have a breath from interaction with the nobles, but Thor soon walked over to them, Loki accompanying. Leya immediately stood and grabbed Thor's arm, dragging him, or at least directed him, out of Jane and Loki's earshot.
"What is Loki doing here?" Leya hissed.
Thor sighed. "It was my mother's idea. Loki is very close to Frigga, and I'm assuming Loki told her about you. She suggested to my father that Loki ought to be allowed to attend our most important festival, but I think it was because she knew you'd be here. Mother has a soft spot for Loki. I did not like the idea, but evidently my father wasn't in the mood to argue with her, so now Loki is here," he told her.
Leya opened her mouth, then closed it again. He cares that much that he'd tell his mother about me? That she'd agree to let him out just to see me?
Aloud, Leya sighed, "All right. Well, I suppose there's nothing we can really do about it now, is there." She turned to go back to Jane, but Thor stopped her.
"Leya, I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again. Be careful with Loki," he warned, "He's my brother, but I care about you, too."
Leya nodded, "I know." Then she and Thor walked back to Jane and Loki, who looked very uncomfortable standing next to each other.
Thor looked at Leya, then at Loki, then offered Jane his arm, who took it.
"We'll give you two some space," Thor said. He and Jane walked away.
Thanks a lot, Leya thought. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her jangling nerves as she turned to look at Loki, fully look at him for the first time that night. Loki looked as sleek and regal as ever dressed in black, gold, and dark-green. It took Leya a moment to realize her heart was pounding. What is wrong with you?
"So. You're out of your cell," Leya spoke after a minute, sounding rather cooler than she'd intended.
"Yes. For the moment," Loki dropped his eyes, "Odin must have decided I have nowhere – and no one – to run away to." A silence settled between them.
Are you sure about that?
Then Loki said, "I hear you have been running around with some of the local boys."
What? Oh, Thor saw me and Thom, he must have told him. Wait. . . why would he. . .
Suddenly, Leya smiled. She could have laughed. Is Loki jealous? Of course he'd never admit it, and maybe he wasn't, but it was a funny concept. Loki, jealous! Hah!
Leya shook her head, trying her best not to grin like an idiot, "Thor told you about my afternoon walk? Well yes, I did meet up with someone, it's just a history thing. . . long story. Thom, he's an old friend from home, and we were catching up, seeing as we haven't seen each other in nearly a decade. But anyway, it was none of Thor's business to tell you when he didn't know the whole story," Leya half-grumbled.
Loki still wasn't smiling, but Leya could see he was relaxing a bit. She briefly thought of James, of how she could never have opened up to him. Maybe Loki and I are both doomed to be that way.
"Oh Loki, do you really think I would –?" she asked, letting the rest of the sentence fill itself in.
Loki's voice dropped low so as not to draw attention to their conversation. He leaned toward her, his lips close to ear "Of course not, my dear. You're mine," the statement was soft, escaping his lips like a breath. Leya shivered, his voice carrying something. . . something menacing, yet also irresistibly enticing. And he's back to being himself.
Suddenly, the opening notes of music sounded from the other side of the ballroom. Leya looked in that general direction and located a small group of musicians starting to play. A waltz, or one of those fancy ballroom dances.
"Would you care to dance with me?" Loki asked abruptly. Leya turned to look at him, wondering at the strange, 180-degree turns his personality was doing tonight. Half the night he was giving her that infuriatingly seductive smile, the next moment jealous for some ridiculous reason, then bizarrely possessive, and now asking her to dance? But of course. . . was she really going to say no?
Leya considered Loki for a minute, and somehow, she suddenly felt as if she were seeing him for the first time, as if all the past they'd gone through ceased to exist. In that moment, he wasn't the frustrating enigma or the tortured psychopath, but he wasn't the broken prince either. He looked in-his-element and, well, almost perfect. Lit up with the light of the room, the buzzing excitement of the party, Leya felt some kind of dizzy hope, some grasp on a possibility of being together, with Loki. Maybe that kind of wayward thinking was what drove her to let her guard down and accept.
"Yes," she replied, "Yes, I would very much like that. But, I can't dance a step of anything to save my life." Why do you sound like such a little girl?!
Loki smiled then, a smile that seemed genuine. He held out his hand, "It's all right, Raven. Just follow my lead." Heart fluttering rapidly, Leya took Loki's hand. He led her out onto the dance floor. Leya saw Jane and Thor already dancing amidst the other nobles.
Loki took Leya's hand and placed it on his shoulder. He put his other hand gently on her waist, and Leya shivered involuntarily. Loki grinned, to which Leya rolled her eyes, but good-naturedly. Perhaps there was something. . . magical about the night, as she danced with Loki, even though Leya felt as if she were barely breathing. When the song ended, Loki didn't drop his arms around her.
Instead, he leaned close and whispered, "I want to show you something." Leya nodded, not questioning, still caught up in the strange atmosphere of the evening. She didn't even worry about where they were going, didn't notice Odin signaling two guards to follow them as she walked with Loki out of the ballroom.
