A royal tour

NOTES:

Hi everyone and welcome back!

Thank you all so so so much for your awesome comments on the previous chapter! You guys are just freaking AWESOME!

Anyway, without further ado, here's chapter 21~!

After taking their leave from Asta, the two travelers roamed through the alleys and streets of Asgard. It did not take long for Loki and Peter to reach the palace. Located in the heart of the city, it stood tall and proud, its golden towers shining in sunlight. Peter made sure to stay close to the trickster, for he already felt lost the moment they set their first step into the courtyard. He looked around, staring at the soldiers marching by. He then bumped into the god who had taken a sudden stop.

'This... this is new,' Loki said as he stared in slight confusion at a beautiful golden statue of the Allmother, glistening brightly in the early evening sun. 'This was not here last time I was in Asgard, I am certain,' he said to Peter, though his eyes remained on the statue as he tried to figure out how to feel.

'Well,' Peter said as he kept staring as well, 'It is really beautiful.' He then looked at the detailed fascial expression, warm and caring, yet at the same time proud and graceful. 'So, this was what your mother looked like...'

'...Not even close,' Loki finally said as he crossed his arms, now certain that he did not care for the statue at all. 'Mother would never have approved of this. I wonder whose bright idea it was to create this thing.'

'Well, whoever it was, they sure put a lot of attention into the details. She looks very kind, Lokes.'

'I suppose so,' the trickster stared at the statue for a moment longer and let out a sigh. 'What would mother think if someone told her that for a moment she had a daughter instead of a son, and then I have not even mentioned the fact that that daughter went on a date with a Midgardian boy to some hormone-infested dance...' He then chuckled softly and looked at Peter with a genuine smile. 'Though I do think she would be most pleased to see you as my boyfr… as a friend, she would, would not mind that at all, I think,' Loki quickly corrected himself as the tip of his fingers searched for the teen's hand once more. A feeling of sadness hit him as he came to realize once more that he would never see his mother again, and that she would never see the life he was living now. Would she be proud of him? He wondered.

Peter looked at the raven and as he noticed the carefully moving hand hovering closely to his, he smiled and took the hand in his own as they both looked at the golden statue.

'Loki?' The two heard a voice calling out to them in complete surprise.

Peter turned around to see to whom the voice belonged to, but Loki quickly let go of his hand and took his wrist as he wanted to pull the teen along without looking back.

'Loki! Norns know how long it has been!' a blond man spoke as he was accompanied by two others. At his left stood a man with seemingly black hair, but as the sun shone its last rays of warm light on it, the teen could clearly see that it was a dark shade of brown. At the blond's right stood the tallest of the three, a man with bright red curly hair, which flawlessly matched with his beard.

'Omg, Lokes,' Peter softly squealed as the three came walking towards them, their capes fluttering in a cooling breeze, their armory clinking softly with every step they took, their unique weapons shining brightly at their side. 'I think I know who these guys are!' he said as he managed to at least look like he was calm.

'I am afraid I do as well, Peter, now let's move before they-' Loki whispered back at him, but he felt a large hand resting on his shoulder as he wanted to take another step.

'Your Highness,' the red-haired man greeted the raven with a bright smile, at which Loki slowly turned around.

'And who might this young man be?' the dark-haired man asked as he looked at Peter.

'This,' Loki started reluctantly, 'is Peter Parker. He is of Midgard. Peter, these are-'

'Oh! Don't say anything,' Peter said as he looked at the three men in front of him in awe. 'You,' he said, pointing at the red-haired man. 'You are Volstagg, right?'

'Brilliant boy!' Volstagg laughed in a merry tune. 'This lad, I like him!'

'Aaaaand that means you are,' Peter said as he looked at the raven-haired man, 'Hogun,' he stated confidently as the man nodded at him with a smile. 'And that leaves you,' he said, now pointing at the blond in the middle. 'You are Fandral!'

'Correct!' Fandral laughed warm-heartedly. 'The Warriors Three, at your service, my boy!'

'This is so cool! You're Thor's friends, right? He has told me so much about you guys! You three are basically legends, at least, that's what Thor's been telling me,' Peter said as he tried to calm down, but noticing he failed epically.

'Peter, I hardly believe any of those stories are-' Loki started, but he got interrupted by a loud laughter coming from the blond.

'Almost, my dear friend, almost,' Fandral said as he placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. 'You see, a legend is a heroic story or, in this case, person, from long, long ago. Yet we,' the blond said as he gestured at the two at his side, 'are very much alive, my friend. We are no legends, we merely create them,' he stated in a heroic voice as he winked with a charming smile, causing the teen to stare at him in awe, his mouth slightly ajar, while his raven friend crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

'So, you are acquainted with the prince of Asgard, huh?' Hogun asked, 'Well, a friend of Thor is a friend of ours. Welcome to Asgard, son of Parker, and welcome to the Asgardian Palace.'

'Has our prince given you a tour yet?' Fandral asked as he looked at the raven.

'No, and I was not planning on doing so either,' Loki stated coldly. 'We are merely here to retrieve some books and then we will make our way back to Midgard again.'

'Midgard?' Volstagg frowned, 'Now I might be mistaken, but did you not attack that realm? Twice? And you are still allowed to reside there?'

'Ah! You and your books,' Fandral laughed as he placed a hand on the trickster's shoulder. 'Honestly, Loki, you bring a friend of Thor into the Asgardian Palace and you were not planning on showing him around?' he asked in disbelief as he then shook his head, making a disapproving clicking sound with his tong. 'That simply will not do, I am afraid.' He then looked at Peter, 'Tell me, son of Parker, would you be interested in a tour by none other than The Warriors Three?' he asked with a charming smile.

'Yes sir!' Peter shouted enthusiastically, but he then looked at the trickster, 'I-if that's okay with you of course, Lokes.'

'Peter, I am really not comfortable wi-'

'Lokes?' Volstagg repeated as he looked from Peter to Loki, causing the other men to laugh.

'Lokes,' Fandral confirmed and he plainly laughed at Loki. 'I like that nickname. It truly suits you, your Highness. Now then, Peter, let's go. The palace is quite large, you see, so it will take some time to see all of it.' Fandral smiled at the teen as he placed his hand on his shoulder, guiding him in the right direction while Volstagg and Hogun followed them, laughing all the while.

'... Be my guest,' the trickster said a bit grumpily as he wanted to turn right, so he could get to his room and grab the books he came for, but his restless mind practically forced his body to move to the left. Feeling drained, both physically, but most of all emotionally, Loki followed the four men from a distance, keeping quiet as he stared at the ground as if he were no more than a shadow.

The Warriors Three were certain not to leave any hall unmentioned. They took Peter everywhere, from the great dining halls to the sleeping quarters, from the kitchen to the stables, they made sure Peter saw it all. They even were so generous to go above and beyond by showing Peter the underground dungeons, even presenting the cell that was Loki's home for months after his attack on Midgard with the help of the Chitauri. The raven listened as Fandral made one remark after the next about him, some more exasperating than others, however, drained as Loki was, he decided to let them slide. Hoping that each sentence coming out of the blond's mouth would be his last, the trickster had to remind himself not to curse Fandral every time he opened his mouth yet again.

'And here,' Fandral said as he pointed at a large old tree on one of the many training grounds, 'Here Lokes and I fought a brief duel over some red-haired lady and believe me,' the blond said as he laid a hand to rest on the teen's shoulder with a kind smile, 'I would have won, easily, if it was not for Thor breaking us up.'

'Wooow, this place is so huge! And I thought Stark Tower was big, but here, I don't know, I feel like if I would take one wrong turn, I would be lost for days,' Peter laughed. 'Really, Lokes, this place is amazing! What is there not to like about it?' he asked happily as he only now turned around to look at his friend, his smile immediately fading as he watched the trickster's tired eyes. 'You okay, Lokes?'

'Ah, he will be fine, not to worry, my friend,' Fandral smiled as he rested his arm on the trickster's shoulders and casually leaned against him. 'You remember that girl, raven?' he smirked as Loki's expression seemed to turn darker with every word coming out of the blond's mouth. 'I do not recall her name, though, she was a bit of a dull mouse. Tell me, Your Highness, what was the fair maiden's name again? You know, the daughter of the librarian, surely you must have remembered.'

'Asta,' Loki stated like he did not care for the conversation, but a ring of irritation was clearly audible in his voice.

'Ah, yes! Asta.' Fandral then turned to Peter again, who was looking at the two with a smile, though he was a little confused on how to feel at this moment. 'Well, you see, Peter, Asta was truly cheering for me. She must have been because-' Fandral stopped his sentence as he looked into the distance, his hair playfully dancing in a soft breeze, 'I have this way with women, you see,' he said, after which he chuckled as he felt the raven's fierce green eyes peering at him.

'Please, Fandral, continue your little tour, I am certain Peter would love to see more of the palace,' Loki said as he tried to calm down and wanted to continue walking. 'And the sooner we are done the better,' he mumbled.

'You are right, Lokes,' Fandral confirmed as he rearranged his pose, placing his foot just in front of that of the trickster's, which made the raven stumble to the ground. 'Oh my, are you alright, Your Highness?' The blond asked as he offered a hand to help the god up.

Loki angerly slapped the hand away, taking in deep breaths to calm down before he would open his mouth. 'I am fine,' he managed to utter through gritted teeth as he stood up. He then swallowed as a coppery flavor filled his mouth, only now noticing that he had bitten his tongue.

'Good, so no harm done then, right?' Fandral said as he patted the Liesmith's back with a hard slap of his hand. 'Truly, trickster, you need to step up your game here. I mean, look at your attempts with this Asta girl. You have spent so much time with her, yet you never seemed to get anywhere with her,' Fandral said as he placed his arm around the raven's shoulders again. 'You see, I spent one night with her and she was all over me.'

'Shut it, you liar,' Loki growled as he had to fight to keep both his Seiðr and his anger under control.

'Oh, but it is true! Has she never told you this?' Fandral continued merrily as he saw the god tremble in rage. 'Norns, I might not have remembered her name, but those lips, that body,' he said as he nodded, 'Now that I consider worth remembering! Let me give you some advice on the ladies, you know, because we are such good friends. The trick is to touch her at just the right spots. Her hips, her waist, slowly moving up, and then those lips! By Odin's beard, she was a skilled kisser! But I guess you have no idea of what I am talking about now, do you? Might this have anything to do with the fact that you prefer...' Fandral turned his gaze towards Peter, looking him up and down a little, '-men? Could it be that you do not fancy women at all?' he finished his sentence with a smirk. 'Anyway, I am telling you, she was shivering under my fingertips.' He patted Loki on his shoulder, noticing the trickster would only need one more little push to completely lose his temper. 'Now that is what the touch of a real man does to a woman, and I guess she had been longing for that for quite a while...' After this, Fandral leaned a little closer and whispered into the trembling god's ear, 'I guess she could not get that from you now, could she?'

Loki finally snapped, his fury leaving him speechless as he pushed the blond from his side, pinning him against the cold wall as he rested one arm against the man's chest, the other held up high with a dagger in hand.

'Lokes!' Peter shouted at the raven as he tried to jump in between the warrior and the god, but Loki kept his eyes on Fandral, as if the teen was not even there.

'Forgive me, my prince, but is it not all water under the bridge now?' Fandral said with a smile as he raised his hands in complete innocence. He then looked at Peter, 'Looks like someone cannot appreciate a jest, would you not agree?'

'Do not involve Peter in this! And do not dare to speak ill of lady Asta!' Loki hissed as his Seiðr raged around his body like a wildfire, his voice low in anger. 'I swear by Yggdrasil, if you lay as much as one finger on her I will...!' the god threatened as his clothes unwillingly changed into his royal battle outfit, the gold of his helmet flaming in the last rays of evening sunlight.

'Lokes! Cut it out!' Peter shouted as he tried his best to keep the two apart. He looked over his shoulder, a call for help written across his face as his eyes met those of the two remaining warriors.

'Let them be, son of Parker,' Volstagg said as he seemed completely calm, 'They will fight this out, they always do.'

'This is not your fight, Peter,' Hogun agreed, 'Do not interfere.'

'Are you truly planning on fighting me?' Fandral asked with a challenging smirk on his face as he placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, 'And here I was, hoping to just have a nice chat with you, give you some well-meant advice, but you are just as ungrateful as ever. With all due respect, I am telling you this as a friend, but maybe you should show the people around you some gratitude. Your father, for instance. He took you in when no one else wanted you, feeding you, clothing you, giving you a bed to sleep in, I am merely saying, he could have just left you in that rotten realm to die and no one would bat an eye. Honestly, I do not understand where all your hostility is coming from. You had a decent life, my prince, so whatever misery has befallen you was by your own doing.' He then smirked as he saw how the bright green of the raven's eyes slowly ebbed away as the god's Seiðr was starting to go berserk, revealing the bright ruby Jötunn eyes that were so desperately hidden from the world for all those centuries. Deciding to see just how far he could go, Fandral continued, 'But I guess if you want to fight this bad, I could go for a round or two. Although one will probably suffice, I mean, everyone here has triumphed over you, is it not? Me, Thor, Lady Sif, well, the whole lot of us, multiple times, actually. You even got defeated by a group of Midgardian mortals. You really have to step up your game, my prince, because that is just pathetic.'

'A fair fight, huh?!' Loki shouted, pushing the blond against the wall with more force than his opponent had expected, causing Fandral to cough loudly as the stone wall in his back started to slightly crumble down from the impact. 'Because you always play fair, is that not right?!' he said as some of the skin in his face and arms started to color a deep shade of blue, causing the blond to shiver heavily at the freezing touch.

'Lokes! Stop it!' Peter shouted as he tried to gain the god's attention. He grabbed the trickster's hand in which he had conjured his iconic silver dagger, Peter's eyes growing wide as he now stared directly into the god's eyes. He held his breath as he saw that the once so brilliant and vivid emeralds were completely replaced by rubies, violent red and crystal-clear rubies. 'Lokes...?' he managed to utter in a slightly quivering voice as he felt all the warmth in his hand slowly being sucked out of him, replaced with a frightening cold. As the god's eyes seemed filled with blood, and the freezing touch of the bright blue skin made his hand go numb, Peter let go of Loki's hand and took a step back. 'Loki, what… what's happening to you…?'

'Not to worry, Peter,' Fandral managed to speak with a smile. He placed his hand on the teen's shoulder, softly pulling him a little closer against him in reassurance as he now looked at Loki, 'You are just witnessing him for what he really is: A Frost Giant from Jötunheim. Not that there is anything wrong with that, right, Your Highness?'

It was only now that the raven's sight, which was completely clouded by wrath, started to slightly clear. He looked at the teen and how Fandral held him close against his body, as if protecting him from harm, protecting him from a raging Jötunn. 'Peter…' Loki softly uttered, wanting to take a step back.

'Loki.' The five men than turned around as they heard a stern, yet calm voice calling the god's name, all falling completely silent as they gazed upon the highest god of Asgard. 'Making a scene as always, I see,' Odin said disapprovingly as he watched his youngest child releasing the blond warrior.

'Allfather,' Peter heard his friend say in a cold voice, only now realizing he had never heard Loki call nor refer to the man as his father. He looked at Loki and saw how the raven tried to calm down, the blue of his skin slowly changing into perfect porcelain, the red of his eyes making way for those bright green emeralds again, his battle outfit changing back to his more casual Asgardian garment, while the god seemed to slowly gain control over his Seiðr again.

'What was the meaning of all this?' Odin asked suspiciously, looking at his son and the young man who accompanied him. He then turned his attention to The Warriors Three, signaling them to leave with a simple nod of his head.

'Forgive him, my king,' Fandral said as he let go of Peter and bowed to one knee in front of the Allfather. 'The prince and I were merely reminiscing about the past. He just got a little emotional, that is all. It is not his fault, we all know Loki is a...' the blond looked at the raven from the corner of his eye, 'sensitive man.'

'And you always speak without anyone asking for it,' Odin said sternly, but then sighed with something that seemed like a smile. 'Much like Thor, I reckon. Dinner is about to be served. You three better head for the halls.'

Hogun and Volstagg passed the raven god without even looking at him, but Fandral stopped for a second as he stood at the trickster's side and placed a hand on his shoulder, 'Welcome back, your Highness,' he said merrily as he patted the raven on his shoulder. Before he moved along, he gave a quick nod to Peter with a friendly smile, which the teen did not know how to answer, so he merely passed the blond a slight smile in return.

'Who might your friend be?' Odin decided to ask his son as the three warriors were out of sight.

'I believe you already know,' Loki stated as he was still trying to catch his calm. 'Surely Heimdall has informed you. Now, if you do not mind, I wish to retrieve some items from my room and take my leave.'

Odin looked at his son for a second and sighed, 'Night is already falling, Loki. Certainly you two must be hungry. Why will you not join us for dinner?'

'I do not have the desire to stay,' Loki said angrily, his expression starting to match his emotion as he took a more defending stance. He then heard a loud growl coming from the teen who stood next to him.

'S-sorry,' Peter said as his cheeks turned a bright shade of red and he placed his hands on his stomach. 'It's just.. We have been walking all day and we haven't really eaten anything, you know, besides breakfast and those weird artichoke fruit thingies,' he said as he looked at his friend, uttering a sigh of relief as he saw those familiar green eyes again. They were screaming rage, yes, but at least they were that beautiful shade of emerald he had come to hold so dear.

'Come with me, young sir, there is plenty of food in the halls to silence your stomach for at least a week,' Odin said with a smile and he gestured to the dining halls.

'You mean,' Peter started as he smiled, 'I get to have dinner in the Asgardian Palace?'

'You may even sit next to the king of Asgard, if that pleases you,' the Allfather continued, 'You are already dressed like a prince, might as well dine like one,' he said as he looked at the extravagant attire the teen was wearing, comparing it to the simple tunic his own son was clothed in. Then he turned to Loki with a judgmental expression. 'I expect you to sit on my other side, my son, for you are a prince of Asgard and you have a place here...' His expression then grew grim, '...but if you would rather go to your room and leave your home like a thief in the night, that will be your decision.'

'I hope you do not expect me to stay here any longer than necessary?' Loki scoffed, 'Because if you do, then I-'

'Of course he will join us,' Peter quickly stated with a forced smile, holding on to Loki's wrist, at which the god glared at him with more than a deadly expression.

'Terrific,' Odin said as he averted his eyes from his youngest child and smiled at the teen. 'Now, if you will follow me.'

NOTES:

And that's it for this chapter!

Now how about some awesome facts. :)
Though not part of the actual Norse Mythology, here are the facts about our warriors three!

Volstagg the Staggeringly Perfect

"Many there are who assume that I eat only to escape a nagging shrew of a wife. Nonsense! I eat only because I enjoy it!"

Together with Hogun the Good, Fandral the Quite Plain, Thor and Loki, Volstagg fought a battle in hell lasting for 80 days. The warriors three were severely injured, leaving Thor to fight a horde of hell's monsters while Loki cared for the fallen warriors.
After this battle and eighty days without food, Volstagg started eating as soon as he could and never stopped since. This battle was allegedly the one that made Thor worthy of Mjolnir. Due to the battle, Hogun the Good became Hogun the Grim, and, for some reason, Fandral the Quite Plain became Fandral the Dashing later.

Volstagg became a huge, bumbling oaf much given to boasting and bragging, the last into battle and the first to claim victory (usually undeserved). Referring to himself as the "Lion of Asgard," he usually caused more problems than he solved and seemed totally unaware of the chaos that almost always followed in his wake.

Furthermore, Volstagg is a fantastic cook. Or at least so he boasts. It is likely that his wife Gunnhilde does much of the cooking though, but for a time he hosted a show about cooking. He also has a pet dragon

Hogun the Good – Hogun the Grim

"BAH! My final answer would be, "Passeth me the million dollars now 'ere I separate thy babbling head from thy shoulders, Regis!"

Hogun is an Asgardian warrior though he is not an Easir. In Thor: The Dark World Prelude it is mentioned that he is of Vanaheim and thus a Vanir. He is an excellent hand to hand combatant and horseman. He is also an expert in all forms of Asgardian weaponry, particularly the mace.
Just like Loki Hogun posseses the power of Allspeak. The Allspeak Asgardians can communicate in all of the languages of the Nine Realms, Earth's dialects, and various alien languages.
Hogun is an increadably powerful warrior, he can press lift at least 35 tons, thus making him a fierceful enemy! Though he is an expert in many weapons, he prefers his own mace called; Hridgandr

Not much is known about Hogun's family, other than that his father and brother were slain fighting for their homeland.

Fandral the Quite Plain – Fanrdal the Dashing

"Stand thee aside, Staggeringly One! My steel shall strike for thee!"

With the help of his sword, Fimbuldraugr, Fandral fought alongside Thor, on numerous occasions for the safety and wellbeing of Asgard. He was known for his superior swordsmanship, bravery, ego and extreme optimism. No matter the consequences he would always do the right thing, even if the result was death. His ego was more of a disadvantage than an asset. His good looks and suave charms made him the ladies man of The Warriors Three but his tendency to court more than one woman at a time got him into trouble.

Funny story!

In the 13th Century; Fandral was being chased by a Storm Giant through a forest in Asgard when he fell through a portal. He landed on Midgard in England in an area known as Nottingham. It was then that he met a woman named Marian. It was love at first sight and she told him of the local governor who was stealing from the poor. Over time he formed a band of Merry Men to help him rob the government, giving the money back to the poor. Working together he took down the governor and the false king as the true king returned to the throne. He married Marian and they settled in a home not far from Nottingham. However due to her mortal nature she aged and died while Fandral remained unchanged. After her death he returned to Asgard through a portal. It remained unclear if he truly was the inspiration for the legend of Robin Hood.

And that's it for today! Please let us know your thoughts in a comment!
See you all in 2 days~!