The days stretched into weeks as the warm Asgardian sunlight dimmed their senses and concept of time. The only thing that kept them knowing how long they had been in the palace for, was the food delivery every morning and Thor's unexpected and unannounced calls to their home. Loki loved it when she called it their home, it made it feel almost like it would have been if they weren't both prisoners. But for being prisoners, their cell was a dream.
Green, well maintained, flowering gardens and beautifully carved fountains decorated his land. Loki's land did extend all the way to the cliff, including the beach below. Vara had spent very little time in any kind of water, let alone the glorious soft waters of Asgard. Loki took her down to the beach one day, with their guards following shortly after. She didn't know what to wear to the beach, so she wore her everyday dress. She hesitated at first, letting only her toes get wet, but as soon as she felt the warm waters, she ventured in deeper. Loki followed shortly after, having taken his shirt off to keep it dry. She bent down and ran her hands over the white sand under the water and smiled back and up at Loki.
"It's so soft." She smiled up at him, seeing him so healthy and beautiful again.
His long wavy hair hung over his shoulders, his muscle tone had all returned and stood proud under his silky skin and a light had returned to him. Even though he was forced to wear the mask, it did nothing to deter her attraction to him. She jumped up suddenly and ran to him, splashing in the water as her feet glided through the water. He held out his arms and she soared into his embrace. She laughed loudly as a huge smile broke over her lips; a sound of the familiar chimes Loki had missed so in the darkness. He spun her around in the water, just below their ankles for now, until a wave took them by surprise and snuck up on them. It knocked their feet out from under them and they fell, sprawling and splattering in the water as the wave washed over them. Vara surfaced, her hair wet and tangled with salty water, hanging over her face and eyes, making her look like a bedraggled little puppy. Loki rose up out if the water, his hair slicked back and perfectly wet. She frowned at him. Why did he get to come out looking like a god, and she was left, splattering.
"You okay?" he said, looking at her, wiping the water off his forehead and into his hairline. She smiled sweetly and nodded.
"I'm fine." she smiled, reaching out for his hand. he reached out and took hold of it, standing up and then helping her up, only to see her underwear showing through her now soaked dress.
"I think it's time to go back home now." he suggested to her only to have her pout at him.
"Why we just got here?" she asked him. He dropped his eyes and then looked back up at her. She caught his hint and looked down, seeing her underwear shining through.
"Oh. Yes, I think we can go now." she said, moving behind Loki to hide from the guards. They nodded and began to escort them back up to the palace, with Loki and Vara giggling behind them. Suddenly Vara shouted out in ecstasy and the guards turned to see him, having picked her up, carrying her back up to the palace, her giggling all the way. They smiled and walked on, happy to see their wayward prince in love.
Thor didn't pop in too often, and they were left to do as the pleased, as long as they stayed inside the property, but on one unannounced visit, Thor wanted to make clear to them some laws that they were by all means, breaking.
He arrived early one morning, helping carry some food into the palace with the staff. This was unusual, as he often arrived in the late evening. He walked into the palace to see Vara waiting for the staff. She looked more like a lady of the house, graceful and well groomed, than a prisoner. She looked at Thor and her surprise wasn't hidden as well as she would have liked.
"Thor, it's a little early for you, isn't it?" she smiled at him, stepping aside as the staff began to lay out their food for the day on the table.
"Shouldn't you still be sleeping?" she smiled and joked with him.
He smiled and laughed his deep bellowing laugh.
"Yes, indeed, but I remembered that my brother loves these little sweet pastries, and I wanted to make sure he got them before my father raided the kitchens." he said, holding up a basket that was covered with a white linen cloth.
Vara reached over and took the basket from him.
"I'll make sure he does." She smiled at Thor.
"How is he faring, now that he has a little slack in his leash?" Thor asked her softly and sincerely.
It was clear that he still loved his brother.
"Well. He's being very kind and attentive to both me and the egg." She said, trying to sound convincing. She didn't want to tell Thor that they were both worried about the egg.
"And the egg, is there any news? My mother keeps asking after it." Thor asked Vara.
Vara looked at him and he could see the sadness wash into her eyes. She hung her head and shook it slightly.
"None." She said.
Thor was shocked but only slightly. He knew they might have killed the creature when they removed it from Vara.
"It's been six months, it's probably…" Thor stopped, not wanting to say the words.
They all knew what they were.
She nodded.
"Probably." She said sadly.
"But I won't give up hope." She added, a small smile breaking over her lips.
He reached out and touched her shoulder.
"I agree. We know nothing of this creature. It might need a long time still." he smiled, trying to shine on the good possibility.
"But how is he, really?" Thor asked Vara, drawing her away from the crowd of staff.
He hadn't seen Loki since they closed the palace gates. Vara looked to the staff, some of whom were regulars here in the palace.
"He's doing better than when I met him in the dungeons. He's almost back to his old self, but he's worried for the egg. He was hoping this child would be the one he could make up with, for all the evil things he's done." She explained to Thor softly.
"But he's still not the Loki I met on Muspelheim." She said, looking down at the ground.
He nodded, knowing that something as precious as his freedom and craft being taken away from him would affect him deeply.
"I do not mean to sound insensitive, but I need to see him." Thor said to her.
She looked up at him. All this time, she had been protecting Loki from Thor and Odin, allowing only his mother to see him. She came more regularly than any of the others. She had gotten to know Vara a little, and she was happy with Loki's choice of mate this time round. He had won her heart fair and square, with no spells involved, unlike Sigyn.
"Why?" Vara asked him, her defensive nature showing.
"There are some things we need to discuss. You must be present as well." He said to her, his voice changing from his happy, jovial self to his kingly tone.
Vara nodded once and turned, before heading toward the stairs. Thor followed her, making sure that the guards were stationed at the exit before he did. Vara led the way to the library, where she and Loki spent some of their time reading. She had learnt a lot of the lives of Asgardians, but she hadn't gotten to the laws of Asgard yet, which is what Thor needed to talk to them about.
They reached the library doors and she reached up and pushed the doors open.
"My heart, your brother is here to see you." Vara said, walking into the library with Thor following her.
Loki looked up from his book as he sat on his bay window seat and saw Thor and Vara walking towards him. He closed the book and put it down on the seat next to him. He stood up and reached out for Vara. She placed her hand in his and turned to face Thor as she stepped up to Loki's side. Loki wrapped his arm around her waist and held her gently.
"To what do I owe this honour?" Loki whispered to Thor.
"He brought you some pastries." Vara said to him.
Loki turned and looked at her and she could imagine him smiling under his mask. She reached up and touched the button, opening the mouth piece for him to talk to Thor. he nodded to her, thanking her without words.
"You still remember." Loki said, looking to Thor.
"Always brother." He smiled at Loki.
But soon, the tension rose up out of nowhere again.
"I need to talk to you concerning the marriage laws." Thor said solemnly to the two of them.
Loki looked at him and then after a few moments, he looked to Vara.
"Can you go fetch me those pastries, please?" he said to her and she smiled and nodded, before walking off to go get him his sweets. As soon as she was out of earshot, Loki looked at Thor.
"What about them?" Loki asked Thor.
"You may be lovers and parents, but you have yet to join your lives in marriage." Thor pointed out to him.
"And you know the laws… you cannot…" he began to talk to Loki.
"Live in the same house without being married, yes, yes, I know." Loki finished what he was going to say.
"Then when do you plan to marry Vara?" Thor asked him.
Loki smirked at his brother.
"It's a little hard to arrange a wedding when I'm locked up in my palace." Loki said, beginning his jabbing again.
Thor nodded in agreeance.
"Should I have mother arrange it?" Thor asked him.
Loki laughed, and turned around, looking out the window.
"You would need to ask Vara what she wants, but I have no problem in tying my life to hers." Loki said to him, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Ask me what?" Vara said, walking into the door, carrying the basket.
Thor turned and watched her as she walked up to where Loki was. She set the basket down on the bay window seat and looked at the two of them. Loki looked to Thor and then to her. He reached out and took her hand lovingly as she stepped up to him. She looked to Thor as Loki left him to explain it to her.
"Our laws state, that to live under one roof, a man must be married to the woman he shares his home with." Thor explained to her.
She took a second to take this info in and then she turned to Loki.
"We need to be married to live here?" she asked Loki.
She had never anticipated this law when she pleaded to move here.
He turned his head and looked at her, before nodding. She gasped softly and turned back to Thor.
"You said nothing about this when I asked you if we could do this." Vara challenged Thor. If she had known this then she would have done the arrangements herself before moving here.
"I knew it was only a matter of time till you two wed." Thor said, looking to the two of them.
"And that time is now. The council is beginning to feel that we have given you two too much leeway." He added, looking at Loki.
"Council? You are king; you are the one person who can make a decision like that." Vara said to him, stepping forward slightly.
"I did, but now, even mother is asking where you want to wed." Thor said.
"She's been looking forward to another wedding for centuries." He added, smiling at Vara.
She sighed and looked at Loki.
"How do you feel about this?" she asked him.
He removed his dagger gaze for Thor and looked at her, his eyes softening substantially.
"I always intended to make you my wife." He said softly to her.
She smiled and blushed slightly.
She turned to face him, gently caressing her hands with his own. She looked down at them, she was so happy to see his blackened hand had fully repaired.
"Are you sure, when I am your wife, as you said about Angrboða and Sigyn, once you take a wife, there is no going back." she said, looking to Thor, who nodded, confirming that divorce didn't exist in Asgard.
She looked back to Loki, who nodded once to her.
"You know the monster I am, and you still want me?" she asked him.
He nodded again.
"You are no monster, but if you will have one as your husband, then I will accept you as my wife." Loki said softly and sweetly to her.
She smiled and blushed again, looking at their intertwined hands.
"I will." She said, leaning forward and touching her forehead to his.
Loki smiled at her. It was one decision he had made that wasn't corrupted by vengeance and anger. It was real and based off of the future he had in mind with Vara.
"I'll tell mother she can begin arranging it. Any specific place, brother, Vara?" he added, looking at her two of them as they embraced.
"Anywhere, it doesn't matter to me." Vara whispered, her head now resting on Loki's shoulder and looking at Thor.
Thor nodded and began to walk off.
"Thor." Loki said, lifting his head slightly to look at his brother over Vara's head.
Thor stopped, and turned to look at Loki.
"Mother's rose garden is beautiful this time of year. I would like it there. And intimate, please, I don't want it to be a massive festivity. " He said, looking down slightly at Vara, who didn't object. Thor nodded and walked out.
"Thank you for accepting a monster." He whispered to her.
"You're no monster either. I'll show you that every chance I get." She whispered to him.
"It seems that monsters tend to gravitate towards each other." He said to her.
"How do the humans say, birds of a feather," he said, breaking the embrace and holding her at arms length.
"Then we're both monsters." She smiled at him, before leaning forward, and lifting her hands to the sides of the mask, caressing his skin above it with her finger tips. She missed being able to kiss him whenever she wanted, without having to press the button. But at least there was a button.
"You do have such a lovely mouth." She said to him, running her thumb over them before leaning up for a tender kiss. He gave into the kiss willingly, before reaching out and wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her gently into him. He lifted her up to his height, holding the kiss, lifting her feet off the floor, and holding her tightly while they kissed and celebrated their engagement. He walked over to the bed and gently lay her down beneath him, as they kissed more feverishly.
Thor went home to tell his mother the good news. She was so happy, that she began to arrange everything as soon as she got the news. She began tending to her roses, and making sure there was enough food and mead for the week long party to be had. Thor told her that Loki and Vara wanted it to be small, given they were prisoners, and not well liked, not that ever stopped her.