In town Maisy was too distracted by all of the new and unusual sights that she was seeing to remember that she was supposed to be acting like a princess. She gawked at everything and her two Asgardian companions watched her in amusement, quietly talking about her while she asked various vendors about their wares. Or at least, Fandral was trying to talk about her.
"How is the married life, then?" The warrior smirked, "Any regrets?"
"Are you asking me if I regret saving a dying woman's life?"
"No, no, but are you irritated that you've been tied down? Especially to a Midgardian?"
"Let's be honest, Fandral," Loki crossed his arms and raised a brow, "No Asgardian woman was ever going to marry me after what I did. It isn't as if I've ruined any chance at future romance that I might have had."
"True, but Odin might have tried to arrange a political match for you. Strengthen our ties with another realm."
"What realm would have me?" Loki sneered cruelly, "Jotunheim?"
He followed after Maisy and saw an elderly Asgardian couple staring at the girl curiously so he caught up her hand in his and conjured a rose for her with a charming grin. The couple seemed more intrigued by this and began whispering with the vendor of the stall they were visiting.
"What's this for?" Maisy asked.
"People are watching us. I thought I'd put on a show for them."
"Well thanks, it's a pretty flower - I've never seen this kind of rose before. The petals are shaped so weirdly! It's so cool!"
"It's fairly common in Asgard," He realized that they were still holding hands, but he decided that it would be more convincing if they stayed that way, so they stayed connected as they walked from booth to booth. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling.
"So whose this Fandral guy?"
"A friend of Thor's."
"I think I remember Thor saying something about Warriors Three or something like that when we were talking yesterday. I couldn't keep all the names straight though."
"Yes, the Warriors Three. I don't know why they don't change it to the Warriors Four, as Sif is very nearly one of them and only excluded because she became a warrior later than they did," Loki commented, "A few years ago they could have just called the group 'Thor's Sidekicks' and thrown me in the group as well."
"You were friends with them?"
"Friends is a strong word, I was a part of the group, and I felt like I was their friend, but I've come to realize the only one who cared if I was there or not was Thor."
"You know," Maisy stopped staring at the scenery and looked at him with her big brown eyes, "You're pretty lucky to have a brother like Thor. I might be biased since he saved me from an earworm-"
"Lindworm."
"A lindworm, but I think he's a really thoughtful and selfless guy."
"Well, he is now anyway," Loki snorted, "Ah! Look at that! I didn't know Idunn's Apples were in season yet!"
"Is there something special about them?"
"Not the apples themselves, but the woman who sells them..."
"Good morning, prince," A tall woman rose from behind the stall and smiled vibrantly at them. Her hair was as golden as the apples she sold and her eyes matched, "And goodmorning to the prince's friend."
"Goodmorning," Maisy said shyly.
"I was just telling my companion about your apples, Idunn. Care to explain why people come from every realm to get a bite of them?"
"There is a rumor floating about the cosmos," Idunn whispered to Maisy, "That my apples will make you live as long as an Asgardian and then some. I grow them from a sacred tree that grants immortality."
"Really? Is that true?"
"That's just what this beautiful liar would have you think," Fandral popped in and grabbed one of the apples, "Right?"
"Not all of the apples have the ability that they are rumored to," Idunn admitted, "But they are good for your health - better than even normal apples."
"And, if you have a worthy cause and are willing to trade your secrets then Idunn will gladly give you one of her more special apples, that can cure any ailment, heal any wound, and make you live longer than anyone has the right to."
"Really?" Maisy was in awe, "That's incredible!"
"I know," Idunn smiled, "But seeing as the apples of near immortality are not in season, would you care for these instead? I am having a bargain - a bag of apples for the price of a wish."
"What does that mean?"
"Idunn does not accept the usual forms of payment," Loki commented, picking over the apples. They were all perfect, "If you want apples from her then you must tell her what you wish more than anything."
"I recall, when you were a young boy," Idunn laughed, "You told me of your wish to have blond hair like your brother and mother."
"And you gave me more apples than I could ever eat so I fed them to the horses."
"We'll take a bag," Maisy grinned, obviously enthused by the odd form of payment.
"Then, friend of the prince," Idunn began to bag up some apples, "Tell me what you wish."
"This isn't like with a genie or anything, right? I don't have to be super specific in my wording?"
"I have no power to grant wishes, I just like to hear them. You may speak freely."
Maisy considered for a moment, though Loki thought it would have been obvious what to say. He'd assumed she'd blurt out that she wished she would have never been attacked by the lindworm and that she'd never come to Asgard. That was not what she said.
"I wish that Odin would have a heart and be a little bit more understanding instead of trying to get rid of me at every turn."
They walked away with a full bag of apples, which Maisy swung carelessly as she continued to admire the market and the people there. Fandral continued to try and pry into what feelings Loki and Maisy had toward each other, but neither relinquished much information. When they'd seen all they could see at the market and vendors were beginning to close their stalls the trio turned around and began the long walk back to the palace.
The walk back was relatively uneventful, with Fandral making remarks about beauty all around him in a woman or in the scenery. Maisy was quiet, munching an apple as they walked and seeming to enjoy the quiet buzz as the market shut down for the day. They'd spent so much time just strolling through the place that it was now close to sunset.
And Loki and Thor still hadn't gotten the chance to explain Maisy's ex boyfriend to her and why exactly they'd freaked out. They'd have to do it when they got back to the palace and ditched Fandral. Not that the swordsman couldn't be trusted, but Loki didn't trust him. Thor might have only the highest praise for him, but Loki had witnessed suspicious behavior from the warrior on more than one occasion - not to mention the fact that Fandral knew some magic. Not on any level to cause much concern, but the fact that Fandral could use sorcery put Loki on edge.
Regardless, they wouldn't be in the man's company for much longer and then Loki and Maisy could meet Thor for dinner and get the whole business of Egil Belison sorted out.
"Well," Fandral smiled as they walked into the palace, "I suppose this is where we part ways. I am off to the training arena and you two had best go talk to the king."
"Thank you," Loki nodded, knowing that being polite would expedite Fandral's exit.
"Yeah," Maisy agreed, "Thanks for being out chaperone or whatever. It was nice to meet you."
"Anytime, milady," Fandral gave her hand one more kiss while Loki rolled his eyes, and then he was off.
"I wish he wouldn't do that," Maisy scowled, wiping her hand off on her skirt, much to Loki's amusement, "It's weird."
"Not for him it isn't. He's always been a charmer and a flatterer."
"I'm surprised you didn't freak out about it," She grumbled as they walked in the direction of Odin's study.
"Why?"
"If he did that around my ex, Egil would have gone nuts, like I said, he was crazy possessive at times."
"Despite last night's comparison," Loki said, "I am nothing like Egil Belison. Besides, I know when Fandral is only fooling around. He isn't stupid enough to seriously flirt with a married woman."
"How can you know that you aren't anything like Egil?" Maisy demanded, "You and Thor never explained how you knew him."
"Remember that we are meeting Thor for dinner. He has had more experience with this particular criminal so I think I'll allow him to explain. In the meantime, I'd like to get our rings back from Odin and put this whole marketplace adventure to rest."
When they got to the study Odin opened the door before they'd even knocked and ushered them inside.
"From what the guards told me," The king started, going to the seat at his desk and flipping through documents, "You two did an excellent job of holding hands and smiling at one another."
"I wouldn't say that…" Maisy was bright red.
"And if I were you I would not say anything to discredit myself because you have not yet heard what I am going to say next," Odin snapped, "The observers say that while you did a marvelous job of endearing yourselves to one another, you did nothing to endear yourselves to the people of Asgard."
Loki noticed Maisy shift closer to him and farther away from Odin. He supposed that she wanted someone to catch her if Odin undid her healing and she collapsed. Not that Loki actually suspected Odin would do such a thing. He may have implied to others that a violent death would be Maisy's fate if she fouled up their arrangement, but he knew Odin would never be so cruel to an innocent, at least not while he had witnesses. No, he was clever. Whatever he did to get Maisy out of the picture would make it so that it was entirely her fault. And then, once she was gone from Asgard, or buried so deep in the dungeon that everyone forgot about her, he'd let her die. Whether he simply undid his handiwork if she was back on Midgard or instructed the guards not to feed her if she was in prison, Maisy would die.
Unless they made her more popular with the people.
"She may not have made a scene in the marketplace," Loki said taking out Odin's ring for the tradeoff and flipping it over his fingers like a magician with a coin, "But she did gain Idunn's favor."
Odin looked to the bag of apples that Maisy still clung to and raised a fluffy eyebrow.
"I see."
"And though she did not cause the crowds to cheer her name," He flipped the ring once more, watching Odin's eyes follow it, "She did spend her time in the market chatting with vendors and asking them about their wares, learning more about Asgardian culture."
"Then perhaps my guards were not as observant as they should have been," Odin allowed, taking the two gold bands from a pouch on his belt, "Now that we've seen how she gets along with the public, we must see how she fares with nobility. You will both join us in the feasting hall tonight."
"But we were going to-"
"Don't worry," Loki laid Odin's ring down on the desk, "We've an hour before the feast in which to sort things out with Thor."
Odin placed the two, noticeably smaller, rings on the desk as well, picking up his and putting it back on. From the way he eyed Loki, it was clear that he would check the ring for spells or charms later. Deciding it was only fair to do the same before either of them put the rings back on, Loki stuffed the jewelry in his pocket with a quick grin.
"We shall see you at diner," He gave a bow, which was probably more mocking than it should have been, and offered his arm to Maisy. She took it nervously and they left the study. When they got down the hall a little way she exhaled hugely.
"I didn't think I was going to get out of there alive!"
"Let's find Thor and sort out this business of Egil Belison."
"Great," She let go of his arm, "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Mmm?" He was still thinking about what it meant that Odin was making them come to a banquet. There were so many angles that could be played.
"Why were you so worried about the rings? I know you said something about Odin not recognizing the marriage if we didn't have them, but it seemed like you were, I dunno, scheming or something."
"Observant of you," He put away his current scheming to reflect, "When I first realized that he was actively going to try and get rid of you I put a protection charm on your ring. It won't do much if your wounds open up again, but it should be able to keep you from dying long enough to find a healer."
"Really?" She sounded surprised, "Thank you."
"Don't read too much into it," Loki said, feeling a bit unkind, "I just don't like losing so if Odin decides to end this game I'll have a contingency plan."
"Wow," Miffed, she sounded decidedly miffed about this, "This whole thing is a game to you, huh? Well I'm glad my potential death is so entertaining."
"Oh come now-"
"Hey, if the ring is actually going to safe my life I'd like to have it back now please."
"We shouldn't wear them to diner. Besides, I want to make sure he didn't tamper with them at all. He could have enchanted our rings as easily as I enchanted his."
"What did you do to his?"
"Nothing much. But I doubt he'll enjoy the intense itch that will envelope his entire arm."
"Itching powder? You put itching powder on his ring?"
"An itching spell, actually," Loki smirked and Maisy laughed. He didn't bother to tell her about the other enchantment he'd put on the ring. The real reason he'd made such a fuss over the rings at all was so that he could get his hands on Odin's. While they'd been casually strolling through the market Loki had spelled the ring so that it would attract its mate. Frigga's wedding band. If it had gone to the stars with her then the spell wouldn't have done anything, but given that Loki now had the ancient golden band in his pocket, he'd say Odin was more sentimental than he'd thought and had hung onto it.
A note from the author: Thank you for once again reading my story. I am glad you have deemed it entertaining enough to read this far. And my biggest thanks ever to the two guest reviewers. So glad you like it! :D