Loki-15
Thor- 15
Virdi- 14
Virdi was shadowing the Allfather today. A lord was visiting the castle with his wife and daughter to discuss his appointment Captain of the Watch. Apparently, the protection and law-keeping abilities of the City Watch had been unsatisfactory and this lord may replace the one who had been Lord for the past few decades. To Virdi's trained eyes, the tall man with dark hair carried himself stiffly and seemed very aware that he was on trial. He had plain brown leather garb with a deep red tunic and cloak. His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. What made Virdi think he was right for the job were his hands. They were on his hips most of the time. Lord Ulrich's eyes immediately scanned any room the Allfather led him through.
His wife and daughter, on the other hand, Virdi had barely seen. Their golden hair and pleasant blue dresses fluttered past as Odin asked for Virdi to follow him. With the princes off attempting to pass an exam on the various treaties between the Realm Eternal and other nations, the Queen had quickly taken Lord Ulrich's daughter and wife to have tea in her rooms. They were most likely talking of the outlying cities' recent scares with bandits or fashions or some such thing. Virdi almost wished she was with them, if only to learn about what was going on outside of the palace.
The Allfather, Lord Ulrich, Virdi, and the accompanying guards all stopped in one of the large atriums where the King and Queen would receive guests on less formal occasions. Odin continued to ask after Ulrich's experience as a lowly guard, as a captain, and then on his earning of a title. Virdi had made up her mind long ago that the man was right for the job as Lord of the Watch in the lower city. Odin seemed to have chosen as well, for a rare half-smile was on his bearded lips.
"I am pleased with your decision to answer my call, Lord Ulrich. Not many would uproot their life so quickly," said the Allfather.
"Anything for the good of the realm," answered Ulrich stoically as he offered a small bow. Had it been another, the words may have been simpered as an attempt to ingratiate himself further into the graces of the ruling family but Ulrich seemed to have conviction that his placement would be good for the realm. Virdi admired his confidence from where she stood, five paces behind the two.
"One can only hope your wife and daughter will adapt to life in court as quickly," chuckled Odin as he placed a large hand on the arm of Ulrich. The lord was quick to clasp the Allfather's other arm in relief. He was no longer on trial.
"I'm sure Lady Alayna will be overjoyed at the idea of court, she often exclaims that the quiet of the smaller towns doesn't suit her. My daughter is…set in her ways but I believe life here will help her become the lady her mother and I expect her to be."
The king chuckled and began leading the entourage towards the audience chamber. Virdi followed behind them in deep thought.
She knew she had felt out of place and empty when she arrived at the palace of Asgard. She had left everything behind. She had lost her brother and those who raised her in a few days. She had been adrift. She wondered if Lord Ulrich's daughter was feeling the same way. Or perhaps the girl would like the opportunity to meet the other ladies at court and meet the lords? Virdi had no idea what normal young ladies did at here in the palace; she had only ever glimpsed swishes of gauzy skirts and heard tittering giggles as they spied on the princes between columns of the palace.
"It might do to keep an eye out for the girl, she may be lost…or she may be a danger."
Virdi had been having a rough few weeks. Thor and Loki had constantly been at each other's throats, fighting and picking at each other. She was constantly caught in between the two and their petty contests. She knew better than to show preference. It did not matter if she agreed with either, she would not be used as a tiebreaker in their silly games.
At the moment, Thor was walking through the gardens that afternoon with Virdi following closely behind him. Loki was absent; he had told her he was attending studies in sorcery. Thor desired fresh air after his earlier exam. In a surprising turn of events, he did not drag her to the training arena.
"Virdi, you wouldn't believe the foolish types of things we have to include in some of these treaties! Why in the name of the Norns do there have to be so many words that mean the same thing? Loki says it is to insure that there are no loopholes that can be exploited but, honestly, no one would dare break a treaty with Father anyway! Why not just say what they mean and be done with it?! It is enough to split my skull," cried the eldest prince.
Virdi felt sorry for him, he truly did look troubled about the subject. When she first met the prince outside of the study room he seemed angry and was muttering darkly under his breath as he stomped through the halls. When he reached the entrance to one of the many gardens, he grew calmer. He had been complaining for the past ten minutes and, as Virdi was quite an attentive listener, she understood what he was embarrassed to verbalize.
Thor was worried he had not passed the test and, more importantly, that he would never understand an important part of his future duties as a prince of the realm. She stopped beside him as he gazed at a bush of violet flowers beside the path. His golden brows were furrowed in deep thought.
"It seems you are trying your best to understand, my prince. By my judgment, honest effort will lead to success." Virdi did not look at him as she offered her consolation but she sensed Thor's intense gaze as he turned his head to her.
After a moment, he turned his gaze back to the small flowers with a sigh. "My efforts have yet to yield success. Loki barely reads the text and he knows everything. Why should I bother when he can just tell me?"
"Then the knowledge would not be your own," chided Virdi. Thor shuffled his large feet and grumbled. She licked her lips and turned toward him slightly, looking up into his blue eyes. "You are not the type to claim another's accomplishments as your own. This is an honesty I admire."
Thor blinked uncomprehendingly at his companion.
Virdi sighed. Bolstering confidence and offering emotional support was not something she had experienced training in. Migr had never lacked confidence. He had always possessed the self-assuredness and foolish bravery of youth. She wondered if he had grown out of that in the time she had been gone.
"There is no dishonor in asking for help, Prince Thor. We all have our own talents. Loki studies easily but perhaps he envies one of your talents instead. It is unwise to practice only what you are skilled at, you must continue to try new things."
Thor's easy grin spread across his cheeks and he nodded. "You're right, of course you are right, Virdi. I will try again next time and study more fervently with Loki. No reason to waste this beautiful day in anger!" He continued down the path towards his favorite tree and pond. Seemingly all thoughts of treaties and tests deserted the prince as he chuckled at his own musings. Virdi had followed, pleased that her charge was back to his jovial self but also slightly worried that the prince may not have taken the true meaning of her words to heart. Thor's self-centeredness often only presented itself when he was troubled or angry but it was something that had become more apparent during his fights with his brother. He rarely listened to what Loki would say. He wouldn't pause to think about how his actions or words affected others. Thankfully, he was rarely mean-spirited.
She shook herself from her musings and followed her charge. As she reached the edge of the pond, she saw Thor crouching down on the sandy bank with his hand poised above the blue water. She quietly stepped closer and saw a beautiful snake curled on a stone top about a foot from land. The glittering green thing was languidly coiled atop the rock, bathing in the afternoon sun with its eyes closed. A small pink tongue flicked out every now and then. It was unlike any snake she had ever seen in the garden. The prince's stillness should've alerted her to his intention; he was never this patient. She saw Thor's hand twitch a split-second before he made to grab at the animal on the rock. The idiot!
"Thor!" she barked, but it was too late. His large hand plunged into the water atop the wriggling snake. The golden boy clumsily splashed into the water as he struggled to keep his grip behind the snake's head as it attempted to flee.
Virdi was already running into the water to grab the –possibly venomous- snake from her charge when Thor triumphantly held the creature aloft over his head. The snake was thrashing violently, mouth opening and closing in a vain attempt to bite at the fingers grasping its neck. The Protector Eternal stormed through the calf-high water, grasped Thor's wrist sternly, and made to grab the poor creature.
"Come now Virdi! You cannot mean to take it from me when you are so short! Jump, my friend, jump!" laughed Thor as he held the snake just out of reach.
Water soaked her heavy grey cloak and made her tunic and leather armor chafe uncomfortably against her skin but Virdi's eyes were riveted on the snake's fangs. She was contemplating making a leap, as undignified as it might be, in order to eliminate the possible threat. However, before she could, a shimmering golden light surrounded the green snake and a crushing weight landed atop her and Thor. Both of them collapsed into the water with a familiar pale form on top of them.
Loki, Prince of Asgard, appeared with Thor's hand clutching his neck and short hair. Thor immediately fell at the change in weight and let out an undignified yelp as he sat up in the water. Loki was angrily spitting at Thor.
"-you imbecile! I was so close, just a little more concentration and I-"
"-did not recognize you, brother! Why did you not change back when-"
Virdi angrily stood up from the pond, shoving miscellaneous limbs off of her and dragging her way to the bank as the princes bickered. Of all the foolish ideas-
"I hardly plan to fail my lesson just to please you!"
"- not my fault! If you were concentrating so hard, I wouldn't have been able to grab you!"
She fumed as they continued arguing, pushing each other in the pond. She could not believe Thor would grab an unknown creature without thought of danger! And Loki, basking alone in the sun? As a snake! She had no idea he had advanced so far in his studies!
"-showing off, I'm sure!" hissed Loki as he rung out his forest green tunic.
"What nonsense!" shouted Thor as he shot to a standing position indignantly. "You know I'm very fond of snakes! I wanted to show my friends-"
"Oh I just bet you did-"
"Why does it matter, I apologized-"
"You did not apologize-"
"Enough!" shouted Virdi. Both boys jerked their heads to where she stood on the bank. Her cloak sat in a sodden heap at her bare feet and her boots stood next to it. Virdi, shorter than both princes, towered over them in the first bout of anger they had ever seen. Her pale face had forgone its stony expression of indifference and turned a furious red. Her hair was soaked and falling out of her braid, her hands were shaking, her eyes glaring.
"Thor Odinson, how dare you pick up a foreign snake! You could have been attacked! Or poisoned! Have you no thought to your responsibilities, your duty to take care of yourself and your people? You could've been killed! How can you be so reckless with your life?"
Thor looked astounded and slightly afraid. "Virdi, I did not think-"
"And you," Virdi hissed at Loki and ignoring Thor's stuttering, "I know you were not stupid enough to be out here alone, asleep, testing new magic without supervision, and keeping it from me?!"
"Well, I-"
"What would you have done if Thor was an enemy of Asgard? What if you had been taken, with no one aware that we should be looking for a snake instead of a prince? What if you had gotten stuck like that with no help? Reckless, again!"
Virdi took a breath and tried to think, to examine if her reaction was justified but every argument, every scare, every close call over the past years surfaced in her mind. From stabbing each other in training to racing while climbing balconies after a rain, dangerous behavior wrecked every form of peace Virdi would gain. Every time she would think the boys cared for themselves and lifted some of the burden from her shoulders, they would unknowingly wreck it with their childishness.
She breathed a few deep breaths but her voice still shook with disappointment and betrayal. "Do you not want me as your protector?"
Both princes shook their heads quickly and Loki opened his mouth. Virdi did not give him a chance to answer.
"Then why do you do these things? Why do you make my duties infinitely harder with poor decision-making, arguments, pettiness, and lies? One would think you were attempting to make my task as difficult as possible! You are brothers. You should care for each other; you should care for those that care for you! You should care…"
"You should care about me," was left unsaid but both of the boys knew what Virdi had stopped herself from saying.
It was like she was looking at eight-year-old versions of the friends she had grown to know. Neither could look her in the eye. Thor shuffled his feet and Loki blinked rapidly somewhere towards Virdi's left shoulder. They were ashamed. Virdi was ashamed at her outburst. She was bent down to retrieve her cloak and boots when Thor spoke.
"You are right, Virdi. I know I made a rash choice today and I was simply lucky that nothing terrible resulted from it." He turned to his brother, who looked stunned as well. "Loki, I am sorry. Today has been a difficult day and I-"
"Nonsense, I am sorry. You were merely curious," rushed Loki as he clasped Thor's hand in a firm shake. He smiled weakly at his brother and then looked to his young friend. "Virdi, we have been thoughtless in our choices of late. You deserve better than what we have been these past few weeks." Loki looked as tortured as a young teen could. "You deserve less selfish charges."
Virdi sighed guiltily and picked at the hem of her tunic. She did not really know what to say to the sincerity presented in her friends. She decided to react as if nothing had happened, as if she had not breached protocol and damaged her relationship with her charges.
"Come out of the water, you will ruin your boots," she said. Loki scrambled over to her side. His awkward limbs- not yet grown into- picked up her cloak and boots thoughtfully. He looked contrite as he examined her harried state.
"Virdi, we truly are sorry. It is horribly childish to drag you into these-" Loki began again softly.
"I swear to take more care in my actions in the future," interrupted Thor seriously as he trudged his way to the pond bank. Loki stepped back from Virdi and a flash of irritation showed on his pale, pointed features before they smoothed over at his brother's words.
"No more arguing, no more recklessness," the elder prince promised. He made to put his hand on Virdi's shoulder but then he paused, recognizing Virdi's aversions to being touched.
Virdi examined the earnestness in Thor's face and, after finding no duplicity, she reached up and clasped his shoulder firmly.
"I will hold you to your words Thor," teased Virdi awkwardly. She knew she could not make either one do anything they did not want to do. She could only hope they would mature.
Ok so I am still alive, sorry! Things were a little hectic for a while as I was dealing with other projects but I'm back and still writing. Sorry if this is a little short but it's what I've got for you at the moment!
Like it? Have suggestions? Tell me in a review, it really keeps me going and I need some help here. I am still working without a beta so if there are any grammar mistakes let me know in a PM or review!
I do have some stuff in the works for this piece but I also have other stories that are a bit more popular than this one. I'll write whatever has the biggest demand because I am a slave to the people!
Thanks for reading and reviewing and favoriting! Love you guys and hope you have a great day!
