Chapter Ten

The next morning was hot and arid on Asgard, and the castle was alive and bustling. Thor loved the energy right before a mission, loved how the courtyard was packed with servants and warriors running back and forth with last-minute tasks, frantic to get everything done. He mostly stayed out of their way, but he did like to help down at the stables.

He brushed down his own horse and got her ready for the journey before asking after the horse he had chosen for Luke, since he was fairly certain his new friend didn't have one of his own. The mare he had selected was mild-tempered and sweet, making her easy to handle. Having no idea what Luke's comfort level with horses was, he had decided that was best.

After he finished preparing the young mare for the journey, he returned to his own horse with an apple, content to spoil her for a while until the men were ready to leave.

-Loki-

Loki had fallen asleep analyzing the book that he had procured from Neyir—a perplexing old tome on some kind of ancient shielding that Loki thought was familiar, but couldn't place—and had overslept just slightly. It wasn't much, but was enough to make him tense and snippy. If he arrived late to Asgard would they leave without him? He thought probably not. Still, it was better to be safe, so he dismissed the servants who had come to do his hair and settled for a neat braid. Loki finished preparing himself in the bathroom and then grabbed the simplest clothing he could find for ease of dressing before transporting himself to Asgard's training grounds.

His first thought upon arrival was that he needn't have worried. Loki appeared right in the middle of what at first seemed to be a minor battle. Men and women were running back and forth shouting and throwing things to be packed at each other, while others cursed at each other creatively and tried to fix mistakes that had been made. Loki was amused at the general incompetence. Compared to what he was used to on Jotunheim, this was chaos. He wondered what all of the men were doing yesterday when Thor had claimed that they were preparing for this journey.

Speaking of Thor, he didn't see the prince anywhere. Balder was overseeing the extra weaponry being packed, but Loki didn't wish to bother him. The poor man looked harried enough as it was. Loki also wasn't as comfortable and familiar around him as the others.

Squinting into the distance, he thought he saw someone who could be Fandral across the palace grounds, closer to the gates. He was about to go check when someone else who was unmistakable stepped out of the crowd nearby and walked purposefully towards the training grounds. Despite the chaos, men and women scurried out of the way of Queen Frigga, whose figure was still commanding even if not intimidating.

Loki panicked slightly upon seeing one of the few people that might be able to figure out who he was, and so he quickly stepped back into the relative cool of one of the open-arched servants' entrances to the castle. He peered outside only to find that the queen had pulled Balder aside and was now leading him to the very area in which Loki had decided to take shelter.

Cursing his luck, Loki moved deeper into what he now identified as a pantry and slid behind the first outcropping he found. He wove an intricate cloaking spell around himself as their footsteps grew nearer, making sure to keep it light and as undetectable as he could manage. He knew Queen Frigga possessed some talent and was heralded as one of the best (if not the best) healer in the galaxy, and that she was also renowned for her visions, so he thought it best to be safe.

It did occur to Loki that he could just teleport away, but he found himself curious. Why was the Queen of Asgard pulling the Captain of the Guard away into the servants' pantry right before a mission?

Loki decided he wanted to know. He could always leave if his magic was detected.

"I want your word you will speak of this to no one, do you understand? This is confidential, and if you tell anyone—including my son—I will consider it a breach of trust and possibly even treason." Queen Frigga's voice was quiet but stern. Loki felt a hasty detection spell wash over the area, and was relieved that he had decided to take extra precautions with his own magic.

"Of course, You Majesty. I understand, and I hope you know that you can trust me," Balder's voice was also soft, and Loki thought he sounded slightly hurt. Perhaps it was because the queen was being uncharacteristically curt, as Loki had only ever heard of her being sweet and kind. She was the only person living on Asgard that he had ever heard his father say anything positive about, though he had previously assumed that it was because she was Vanir. But come to think of it, his father had onlyever said good things about Queen Frigga. So what was it that had her on edge now? Loki found himself even more curious than before.

"Good. You and Thor are close, correct?" Balder must have nodded here, because she continued, "Then I want you to swear your loyalty and service to him, right here."

Loki could actually hear the frown in Balder's voice as he spoke his next words, "He already has it. I have never been anything but loyal to Thor and Asgard."

"Thor first, Asgard second," Frigga pushed. "He needs someone loyal to him and him alone right now, and I want that person to be you."

"Of course," Balder promised, now sounding relieved and perhaps a bit pleased, "I consider him almost family. I would willingly sacrifice my life before I'd let anything happen to him."

There was a long pause after this declaration, and Loki wished he could see what was happening. Finally, Frigga sighed, "Very well, then. I'm glad you feel that way, because he needs you. You've probably heard," she faltered for a moment before pressing on, "You've probably heard that he and his father have been… tense, lately. My husband loves our son very much, and was always very lenient with him as a child, but lately he has been fretting that Thor is not turning into the ruler that he wants him to be. Thor has always been careless of protocol, and not very politically adept, but now Odin is finally noticing his missteps. I believe that Thor will be fine, of course. He needs guidance and help from the right people, but he is compassionate and fair, and I believe he will ultimately make a wonderful king."

"As do I," Balder said earnestly, "Everything else can be learned."

"Then you feel the same as I. But the problem is that Thor has not been learning those things. On this mission, I want you to make sure he succeeds. Not just with the bilgesnipe, but politically. If he gains Lord Armand's support in the council Odin may rethink his current course of action."

Loki blinked several times, surprised, and he heard Balder shift uncomfortably. "And what is it that the Allfather is considering?" he asked finally, his voice full of trepidation.

There was another pause, and a sigh. "That's not your concern right now, and hopefully never will be. Make sure Thor succeeds and we will not have to worry about anything else. But there's one more thing," Frigga's voice hardened again slightly, "Take no credit for anything, and let no one suspect that you are helping in any way. If they do, my husband will be sure to hear, and will not consider it Thor's success."

"But what about Heim—the Watcher? He will see if I do anything and report it, will he not?"

Frigga's tone turned slightly smug, and Loki could imagine the satisfied smile she had on her face as she said, "He is very loyal to my husband and the realm, it is true. But perhaps he is a little more loyal to Thor than Odin suspects. I am not worried about his reports."

"Very well, then, I'll do whatever I can to make sure this makes Thor look good. May I ask," he hesitated before pushing onwards, "May I ask why you picked me? There are many men who are more than willing to help Thor, and maybe one of his close friends would be a better choice. They will certainly be around him more often."

Queen Frigga didn't answer right away, and when she did there was an odd note in her voice. Loki wished he could see her once more, wondering what passed through her expression when she wasn't speaking. "I picked you more for your closeness to Tyr than to Thor," she finally admitted, "I suspect that he may try to sabotage this mission and make my son look incompetent. He is one of the few that I believe Odin has entrusted with his thoughts on this matter, and he may not have Thor's best interests at heart. Please," the queen implored, "Help my son. He has no idea that any of this is going on, and he'd be devastated if he ever found out."

"You have my word," Balder swore solemnly.

"That will have to be enough," Frigga sounded weary. "I will re-enter the palace through the pantry so that I'm not seen with you again. Hopefully in the chaos no one took note of me pulling you aside, but if someone does ask what I wanted you may tell them that I am just a worried mother watching her son go off into battle again, and that I was checking on the strength of the party you are taking to escort him. In a twisted way," Loki imagined she smiled grimly here, "It's not far from the truth. Good luck, Balder," she hesitated before finishing, "And thank you. I apologize if I sounded anything less than grateful for your assistance in this. Please rejoin your men, it seems like you still have much to oversee."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Loki stayed still and quiet as Balder's footsteps faded, still digesting everything he had overheard. It suddenly occurred to him that the queen should have passed by him by now on her way back inside. He considered peeking around the corner, but then he'd risk discovery if she was still there, so instead he prepared to transport himself back out into the main courtyard.

Just as he was about to leave, Frigga's voice said coldly nearby, "I swear to you, Odin, if the magic I'm detecting right now is one of your filthy birds spying on me again I will have him cooked into a pie and served at dinner."

Startled by her detection and not sure what else to do, Loki teleported.

-Loki-

It didn't take very long for Loki to find Fandral in the courtyard. He appeared to be bidding farewell to what looked like half of the castle. Sif sat not too far away, her expression torn between amusement and annoyance. Hogun and Volstagg were nowhere to be seen.

Deciding not to fight through the crowd to reach his blonde friend, Loki instead passed by the throng of people and approached Sif, who perked up when she saw him coming.

"Oh thank the Norns, someone not here for Fandral. Finally some semi-intelligent company." Sif was dressed in travel clothing of red and grey that complimented her coloring and her hair was pulled back into a sensible tail.

"Semi-intelligent?" Loki asked archly. "I daresay I'm the most intelligent person you've met."

Sif's lips twitched slightly. "That's not saying much."

Loki broke out into a full grin, "No, perhaps not. Where's Thor?"

The smile fell from Sif's mouth and she rolled her eyes skyward. "Really? If it's not Fandral, it's Thor. Anyway, I should have guessed."

Loki felt himself flushing and decided to pretend as though she hadn't said anything. "And I don't see Hogun or Volstagg either. Where is everyone? I thought we were to be leaving by now."

Sif laughed, "Oh Luke, you have so much to learn. No one ever runs on time here, especially not for a larger enterprise like this. Volstagg is probably still saying goodbye to his family, which always takes forever. The kids always try to latch onto his legs and try to keep him from leaving. Don't worry, it's not as sad as it sounds, they've made it into a game. He should be here soon, though. As for Hogun, I'm not actually sure where he is as the moment, but he went home to visit his friends and family on Vanaheim yesterday after we parted ways so it may be taking him longer to return."

Loki waited expectantly for her to continue, but she just smiled like the cat that has the mouse, waiting for him to ask again. Finally, Loki said through gritted teeth, "And?"

"And what?" Sif asked innocently. "Fandral's right over there." Loki continued to glare, and she finally grinned and continued, "Oh, you mean Thor? He's in the stables, I think, getting the horses ready."

Loki felt himself pale several shades. "Horses?" he repeated, mildly horrified.

Sif raised a brow, "Of course, how did you think we were going to travel? The Bifrost will take us to Lord Armand's manor, but after that we will be on horseback." She gave him a speculative look, "That's not a problem, is it?"

Loki licked his lips nervously but replied, "Of course not." Maybe he could convince Thor that it would be more enjoyable to walk. Somehow, he didn't think that would go over well. "I'm going to go see if I can find him," Loki excused himself and walked towards the stables, his mind buzzing.

How was he going to explain that he had never ridden a horse before? The poorest people on Asgard and Vanaheim may not have either, he supposed, but he disliked the idea of pretending to be a peasant. He might not have a choice. Loki reluctantly decided to let this go and instead reviewed the startling conversation he had overheard earlier.

He had realized that Thor and the Allfather had argued, of course, but he hadn't thought it was this extreme. What exactly was Odin's plan if Thor didn't live up to expectations? Surely he wouldn't disown him. He couldn't even really declare Thor not the heir, not without someone else to give the crown to. Unless he was considering another distant blood relative. Or maybe he wasn't thinking along that line at all, but considering an arranged marriage to someone more politically adept, or perhaps he would send Thor somewhere remote for more tutoring and keep him there until he was ready.

Truly, Loki was grasping at straws. He only knew what he'd overheard, and now he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with it. Should he just tell Thor?

Thor might be a fool, and he might have disgusting prejudices against Loki's people, but it sounded as though most Asgardians shared his viewpoint. And Thor, Loki thought, could be molded. He had changed his mind about women fighting because of Sif, who was to say he wouldn't change his mind about Jotuns because of Loki? So having someone else on the throne would probably not be to Jotunheim's advantage. No matter what, Loki decided, Thor had to keep his title. He would make sure of it. And for now, Loki also decided to keep the information to himself. Knowledge was power, after all.

He finally reached the stables and stepped inside. They were huge, with high wooden ceilings and row upon row of spacious stalls. A slightly musky scent filtered through the air here, woven through with the sharp scent of hay despite the fact that many of the stalls were currently empty. This wasn't much of a surprise since he could see through to the other end of the stables where the men were starting to gather with their bags and horses.

Loki didn't see Thor right away, so he began to head towards the other men, thinking that perhaps Thor was outside with them. He was halfway down the main isle of the stables when he heard a soft and familiar voice from one of the stalls.

"…think you'll really enjoy getting to charge through the trees again. You're probably just about as excited as I am for this mission, aren't you girl?"

Thor was apparently holding a one-sided conversation with his horse. Loki smothered a snicker and let himself into the massive stall. He immediately wrinkled his nose—the smell was much stronger here. Thor sat facing away from him at the other end of the stall on top of an overturned wooden trough. He was rubbing the muzzle of his horse, which was a creamy golden color with a milky gold mane and tail. It was the first time that Loki had ever seen a horse up close, and his first thought (other than that it stank terribly) was that it was actually quite a lovely creature.

The hair looked soft and silky; its eyes were large, glossy, and rich. When it shifted its weight, despite its gangly legs, it moved confidently and gracefully.

Loki moved closer, curious, and Thor finally startled and noticed him. A broad grin immediately appeared on his face and he sprang up to pull Loki forward. "Luke! This is Gullfaxi, my mare. Isn't she beautiful?"

She was. She was also much, much bigger than Loki expected her to be, taller than Loki himself. He supposed it made sense; she did have to bear Thor on her back, after all, and that was no mean feat. Thor pushed Loki towards her, but he dug his heels in. His knowledge of horses was severely limited.

"Go on, pet her muzzle, let her get your scent. What do you think of her?"

"She stinks," Loki's tone was disapproving, but he shuffled forward carefully despite the smell.

Thor laughed, "That's no way to talk to such a beautiful lady! Besides, it would smell worse in here if I hadn't mucked the stall out earlier."

Loki grimaced at that. "You? Personally?" He stood his ground as Gullfaxi took a step towards him, curious.

Thor shrugged. "Of course, it's a bonding activity." He laughed at the face that Loki pulled and protested, "It's not that bad!"

Gullfaxi wuffed at his palm a few times, her velvety muzzle just barely brushing his skin. Then she pushed forwards and nuzzled his hair. Loki stood as still as possible, petrified. It might have been almost pleasant if he could remember whether or not the beast was carnivorous.

"Relax," Thor's voice said, his hands coming up to rest on Loki's shoulders, "She's not going to hurt you." As Thor spoke Loki became conscious of the fact that Gullfaxi's eyes were to the sides of her head, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Right, an herbivore then.

Thor slipped something into Loki's left hand, and he brought it up to look. A delicate sugar-spun flower sat in his palm. Gullfaxi perked up immediately and tried to steal it, but Loki stepped back quickly, causing Thor to break out into laughter.

"It's for her, Luke! But if you want one, I think I have a few more."

Embarrassed but determined not to show it, Loki held the lovely little flower up for the mare to take. She immediately moved forward and grabbed it greedily, sniffing around for more when it was gone.

Thor watched them interact with a grin on his face before moving forward to place a blanket on the horse's back, followed by a supple leather saddle. "So, I'm going to assume you have never ridden a horse before," he addressed Loki as he worked.

Loki placed his hand on Gullfaxi's muzzle and rubbed it slightly, amazed at the softness. He purposely avoided Thor's gaze as he replied, "You would assume correctly."

The Asgardian prince nodded thoughtfully as he tightened the stirrups and then on slid the bit-less harness. Loki stepped back to let him work.

"Well, that does pose a problem. I was going to have you ride Mara, but with absolutely no experience on a journey like this that just won't do." He grinned again as he finished adjusting the harness and led Gullfaxi from the stall with Loki trailing behind them. "Fortunately, I have a solution."

"What's that, exactly?" Loki asked dubiously as Thor swung up into the saddle.

"You can ride with me."

Before Loki could protest, Thor spurred the horse forward and fluidly scooped Loki up into his lap.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think :) The next chapter should be up shortly.