Three Weeks Later...
Kagome gazed at her reflection in the mirror of her vanity where she sat still, scarcely breathing, as Frigga twisted and pinned her hair up in an elaborate Asgardian updo. The faceted beads on her dress twinkled in the light from her window and she traced the embroidery pattern with the tips of her fingers across her neckline.
She met Frigga's eyes in the mirror and returned her smile of reassurance, though it was only a vague comfort.
Tonight was the Feast of Tales, her first official foray into the cultural ceremonies of Asgardian Royalty.
And she was nervous as hell.
Frigga chuckled and decided to take her mind off things for a bit. She scattered several pins across the vanity table top.
"Place a barrier around each of those pins, please."
Kagome latched on to the opportunity to be distracted and began concentrating on something other than her fear of tripping and falling on her face in front of everyone tonight.
She took steady breaths and cleared her mind, centering all her thoughts on the six tiny pins spread in front of her, erecting a tiny barrier around each one, one at a time.
This had been the first thing Frigga had wanted to work on during their training sessions. One big barrier could certainly be useful, but when you're allies were scattered all across a field it would be invaluable to be able to place more than one.
Several very small ones had been as far as she'd been able to go, but they were working on scaling them up as they went along.
"Very good. Again, and this time, try to do them in pairs."
The goal, she knew, was erecting several barriers all at the same time, and she was determined to sharpen her skill and focus far enough to be able to do such a thing.
She dropped the little barriers and tried again, managing to encase two little pins at the same time on their own separate barriers. It was the first time she'd managed to do even that many at once.
She beamed up at Frigga who gave her cheek a pat.
"Very well done my darling. You've come such a long way already!"
"It's all thanks to you. When I came here I didn't expect to find anyone who would be able to help me train with my Miko powers. I thought I'd gone as far as I'd ever be able without figuring stuff out on my own."
"Your abilities are much closer to magic than you realize. All inherent power can be strengthened with a magical touch. You just have to find someone who knows what they're doing."
"Are there any exercises you'd like me to do tonight?"
"No. You are to have the night off to enjoy the festivities to your heart's content."
Kagome's nerves erupted back to life and she began fiddling with the long, draping hem of her sleeve. Frigga untangled her fingers and held her hands gently.
"No more nerves, child. Tonight is all about fun and spectacle. Food, dancing, merrymaking... there's no reason to fear you will do anything wrong."
Kagome bit her lip, eyes dropping to the floor.
"I just don't want to disappoint you. I'd hate it if I made you all regret giving me a place here."
"Nonsense. You've been nothing but a joy to me. I hate to be forward and presume too much towards you in your current situation, but I feel this must be said. I never had a daughter of my own, Kagome, and it has been more than a delight to have you here."
Tears began to well in her eyes. Throwing all sense of propriety out the window, Kagome leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Frigga's waist and let herself feel like a lost little girl for just a moment.
"Thank you. That means so much. It really does."
Going back to her task, Frigga resumed her twisting and pinning, pleased to have helped lighten Kagome's heart even a small measure.
"And I know Thor has also enjoyed having you with us."
She smiled at the thought of her sweet but stubborn 'brother.' He'd been determined since she'd arrived that she would be his family, and after these several weeks she could admit that he'd nearly completely wormed his way into her heart.
'I've had a couple fairly determined suitors in my life, but never a determined brother.'
She chuckled to herself before thoughts of brothers turned her mood just a little darker.
She thought of Loki, Thor's brother, and his distant way of dealing with her.
He was never rude any time she spoke to him, but he never addressed her for anything more than a polite greeting.
She wondered if she'd done something to offend him without knowing.
"Yes, Thor has been a very good friend to me. Even a brother now. He was determined enough to be. But I don't think Loki likes me very much."
Frigga finished smoothing down the stray ringlets that draped freely down her back and straightened the folds of fabric at her shoulders.
"Never you mind about Loki. He doesn't dislike you, but he his choosy about where he places his loyalty and affection. As the God of Lies, he can be difficult to read, if you don't know him. But I do know him and rest assured, he feels no animosity towards you."
"So I haven't offended him?"
"Oh heavens no, why would you think that?"
"I don't know, I just thought that maybe I might have broken some Asgardian social rule I didn't know about and upset him. I wanted to make it up to him if I had."
Frigga smiled sweetly and helped her stand, walking her to her door.
"You have a gentle heart. It pleases me to know your trials have not hardened you. Now, let's go. We have a party to get too!"
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Frigga led her to the entrance door where Loki, Thor and Odin already waited. She separated from Kagome and joined her husband, leaving Kagome to approach Thor and Loki on her own. She gawked openly at them. She'd never seen them in all their princely glory and she was completely floored.
Gleaming metal and polished leather and shining silk and capes. They had capes! And helmets!
Thor's was certainly cool enough with silver wings covering his ears, but Loki's was in another realm of impressive. Looming gold horns swooped up from his forehead, arching in the light and nearly glowing.
He looked every inch the god.
"WOW! You look awesome! Love the horns!"
He looked surprised for a moment, but gave her a polite nod.
"Thank you."
Thor pouted.
"What!? What about me? If he looks awesome then surely I am too great even for words!"
Kagome giggled, his childish jealousy at a simple compliment to his brother just too silly.
"Sure, you have a nice helmet too, Thor, but he's got giant gold horns!"
Thor sputtered in denial while Loki smirked in triumph.
"Allow me to escort you inside, Lady Kagome."
He offered her his arm with a smugness that normally would have annoyed her, but he hadn't addressed her this blatantly in all her weeks here. In a daze of amazement she wrapped her hand around his elbow and turned to face the opened doors.
In her shock and happiness at making some headway with the mysterious second prince of Asgard, Kagome forgot to feel nervous.
A.N.: the Feast Of Tales is totally and completely made up by ME. I didn't want to base all of their holidays/celebrations/feasts/etc. on Norse ones cuz I figure, in this particular fic, Norse culture would be inspired by Asgardian culture to a degree, but There would be many aspects of Asgardian culture and history humans had no knowledge of. So I made this little holiday up. You'll see the rest of it next chapter! It's really fun!
