"Could you repeat that?" Arden looked at Loki in shock.
"Was I unclear?" Loki smirked.
"How do you know this?" Laufey sat forward and watched his son, highly intrigued by what he told him.
"It appears everyone, you included, underestimated my wife, Father. She is well versed in the goings-on of the Vanir court, and upon my telling her of their recent discussions with us, she was able to inform me of that of which they will most likely wish to acquire and that of which they have that we will wish to obtain."
"This is your reasoning for speaking more with her? To obtain this information?" Laufey looked at his son with both disappointment and impressed shock.
"No, that was not the reason we ate together. I did that so to spend time with her. I am, of course, supposed to be trying to make amends, but whilst I was informing her of Vanaheim's recent discussions with us with regards an invitation there, she informed me of what it is that they will most likely wish to get from us."
"And she told you this, all of her own free will?" Byleistr asked. "I am not sure if I would believe it."
"Princess Ella does nothing that is not for the betterment of Jotunheim, I would not think it a trick." Laufey dismissed his oldest son's thoughts.
"But she is of their line."
"She is of this line now. How many times in her life do you think she has even been in the company of King Wilheim? She has been on Jotunheim longer than she has ever been in his company, I have little doubt. He cast his own sister to the Aesir king the day Odin Allfather made mention of a possible alliance when she was even younger than her daughter and the Allfather over a millennium older than her. No, I see no familial duty to be held there. The princess does this for us." Beside him, Arden nodded in agreement. "If the conversation was not even spearheaded by Ella, if she had no previous knowledge of it, it is not premeditated."
"But didn't the Allmother send her a letter after she insisted on staying?" Helbindi pointed out.
"It was a messenger who recited the message, and he did so in my presence," Arden informed him. "There was no mention of Vanaheim whatsoever. Alfheim, yes, but not Vanaheim."
"What else was said?" Loki asked, not having been told any such news.
"Nothing of importance. That she respected the princess's decision but that she was concerned for her. That when she is finished with them, she will give her daughter the scrolls she has from the Garden of Tyrell to read. She wishes to see her soon but understands that after everything that has occurred, time needs to pass before she may visit and so forth." Arden recited boredly. "Nothing of note."
"So, there is no reason to suspect foul play by the princess," Laufey repeated. "We use this information wisely. That will be all for now." He dismissed, causing his sons and his advisors to leave the room. "Loki, a moment."
Loki remained in place until the room emptied. "Yes, Father?"
"I wish to state I am elated by this news of you taking dinner with the princess. This will better everything, I can sense it. With a strong marriage, you will rule Jotunheim better than I ever could and with an able wife by your side, her information will be priceless." He stood wearily from his throne. "I see already that she is becoming friends with many very swiftly since that little bit of misinformation was rectified. Ensure those with ulterior motives do not get too close to her, it would not do to have her hurt and then suspicious of everyone as a result. What bonds she makes will be imperative when you are King. When you have a few mates, you are likely to have the majority of the court covered, with one, she needs to be well-liked. I already hear that she is well received by most, but we must ensure some of less reputable favour get too close."
"Of course, Father." Loki bowed.
"Good." Laufey nodded as he spoke. "She is an incredible asset to our House. For one born to Odin Allfather, she is a wonderful being. I guess a monster can sire a good soul."
"I think her to have made a deal of some manner with Hela, herself," Loki confessed.
"Why so?"
"Any that makes Heriff laugh is not without some manner of power or magic not of the Nine Realms."
Laufey chuckled at his son's words. "That is a fair argument."
"Arden mentioned that the Allmother sent a messenger after your illness. I would have thought she would prefer to see you, considering?" Loki did not know if he should mention her mother to Ella but braved doing so at their next dinner together.
"Yes, she will have a lot to attend to after over six weeks in the Garden, so it would not do for her to not be present for longer after that," Ella stated, eating some more of her food.
"I would have thought her to be concerned for you?"
"She is, I have little doubt. But she is also of the impression that if I do not severe ties with Asgard fully, I will not find my place here, so she will do everything she can to ensure I do not spend all my time mourning my childhood realm."
"It comes across as incredibly callous."
"I suppose it does if you look at it from an outside perspective. She is doing this of her own previous experiences. She told me as a child that the hardest time is the first year after you marry. As the wife, you are expected to go to his realm, be immersed in your husband's life and though Asgard and Vanaheim are somewhat similar, so too are they different. She loathed it, but her mother did the same, as she went between realms for the first few years of her marriage and it did her no favours in the long run. My grandmother did not repeat her mistakes with my mother and apparently it was easier then. Or so I am told. I will have to take their word for it. What she does, she is doing out of not wanting to see me suffer."
"Were you close to her when you were being raised?"
"Yes, I saw her almost every day. If she went somewhere off realm I did not see her, obviously, but when we were in the palace, she ensured we were in one another's company daily. We spoke often and she always tried to answer any questions I had on any matter. I was very fortunate." She looked at him sadly. "I see how things are here. How involved a mother is in the raising of her child. I cannot imagine it was easy for you to not have your mother growing up when your brother's had theirs."
"Helbindi and Byleistr share a dam. She, Faurbauti, was miraculously able to carry two to term, but seven hundred years apart. I came in the intervening years, through Nal." He looked sadly at his food. "Yes, not having any memory of her does not always sit well with me. Faurbauti and my father's other mates speak highly of her and were very happy to tend to me as they did my brothers, but not having her took its toll in other respects."
"I am sorry you did not have her. From the manner I hear the King speak, she was very dear to him and with the manner he sees you, it is clear he sees you similar."
Loki nodded. "My father cares for us all."
"He is a good King and a good man."
"I would have thought you would dispute such, considering the war."
"Men make mistakes, as do women. It is whether or not you learn from them that is important. We cannot hold onto people's past actions if they show remorse."
"What of justice for their actions?"
"You mean, how my father killed so many Jotnar, where is the justice for you all?"
"Yes."
"And what is the justice for those Midgardians frozen because of the actions of your father and his army on Midgard?" Ella asked politely. "Do we hold everyone to different punishments for loss of life?"
"We suffered because of the loss of the Casket, what did Asgard lose?" Loki growled.
"Not enough." That caused him to look at her in shock. "Trade deals and a few allies is not fair, I agree with that. But to state that my father cost life here then not see how Jotunheim cost life elsewhere is hypocritical."
"Your father is such."
"My father is not what you should hold up as an inspiration. I love him but he has not always been a good man. You, on the other hand, from what I see and hear, are far better."
"Is your opinion on me changing?"
Ella looked at her husband in an analytical manner. "Perhaps a little, now I get to meet the man you hid from me before now. But time reveals all, including whether this is a facade or if I am really being treated to the true Loki."
"You are very sceptical."
"May I remind you which of us thought the other a spy simply because they bothered to learn about the other's realm?"
"I know plenty of Asgard, thank you." Loki retorted.
"Yet you never ask anything of it?"
"There's very little I need to know after so extensively studying it through the years." Loki shook his head. "I have little interest in knowing more. I doubt your brother will care too greatly to strengthen ties when he is named king."
"And if you are wrong?"
"I am rarely wrong."
"You have been incredibly wrong about me, perhaps your prejudice makes you wrong about him too." She smirked.
Loki studied her some more. "You have an arrogant streak in you."
"Recognise a shared trait in us, have you?" She laughed almost playfully in return. Loki gave her an abashed glare. "I see a few shared traits between us really. It's a pity that most of them are negative." Loki's brow rose in bemusement, causing her to laugh again.
To his startlement, he did not loathe the sound.