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Kaysa walked somewhat uncomfortable into the salon. She was completely detached from the spell that had accompanied her for so many months. She could not help but check her dress at every turn. Her hands often moved up to her face, brushing against the mask with her fingertips. As she did so, she felt the lump in her throat loosen slightly. That relief allowed her to think about other things. Kaysa was unclear about why she was going to the royal dance, but something inside her was screaming at her and begging her not to turn back. The knot tightened again and Kaysa felt short of breath. She stopped, leaning against a wall, trying not to lose her balance.
"Are you okay, my lady?" Kaysa looked up quickly, something she later regretted. Viggo stood in front of her with a rather unpleasant face.
"Yes, of course," Kaysa replied by walking away from the wall and back to the dance. She was hopeful that Viggo would find something else to do, but his footsteps rushing toward her made them disappear completely.
"Who are you?" he asked, but his voice was neither authoritative nor suspicious. He was just curious.
"I am a friend of the prince," Kaysa answered naturally. She was not lying so she did not have to feel bad.
"I don't think I've seen you here before. Maybe without the mask..." Viggo suggested bringing his hand close to Kaysa's face. She reacted quickly, walking away and avoiding his caress.
"I think that would spoil the magic of the dance," Kaysa responded politely as she resumed her walk towards the great hall. Though Kaysa no longer turned to him she could feel his eyes devouring her completely. She had to get to the hall soon. At least Loki would be there to protect and defend her.
Loki walked from one end of the room to the other, watching the door at all times, waiting for it to open at any moment and for his elf Queen to appear.
He wore his official outfit as the Prince of Asgard, a pair of tight black leather trousers that matched his jacket. Everything was covered with a gold mesh that covered his torso and opened from his hips like a skirt. Although it was somewhat uncomfortable to wear, the occasion required it. Thor and Odin also wore their respective suits of shining, gleaming armour.
"People seem to be very excited about the idea of masks." Loki met with Frigga. They had been talking at the beginning of the night, but Loki had been so distracted that he had barely paid any attention to her all night.
"It was time to do something a little different." He smiled and kept his eyes on the door.
"But let's not forget the old ways." Frigga pointed her arm to one end of the room. Loki followed where she pointed and noticed the dance area. Although he did not feel like it, Loki offered his arm to his mother. Normally Frigga and Odin would start the dance but after a few seconds, he would continue to dance with his mother. "Oh dear, it's not me you must accompany." Loki turned his eyes, hoping to find Kaysa in the crowd, but there was no sign of her. Frigga bowed her head.
"But mother..." Loki sighed.
"It is your duty," Frigga replied as she walked away. Loki knew he had no choice.
Kaira was waiting for Thor to appear in the small booth Loki had indicated. Her identity was hidden under the mask Loki had placed on her. Kaira's ears heard footsteps approaching and she rushed to meet her prince.
"I was looking for you," Thor muttered as he hugged her in the air.
"I was waiting for you here," Kaira replied excitedly. "How did you manage to distract him?
"I don't think we should waste time talking about it." Thor carefully released Kaira on the floor and took her hands in his, kissing them tenderly. "Tonight we must make the most of the time we have."
Kaira was about to answer when a high-pitched voice came up to them. Kaira cautiously walked away and cursed inside.
"Prince Thor!" exclaimed Ada. "I was looking for you." Her eyes caught sight of the figure in the red dress that accompanied him at that moment. Kaira looked away. Thor had tried hard to hide her and she was not going to let Ada spoil him by discovering her.
"Excuse me, Lady Ada. I was trying to help this lost young lady." Thor replied with a sneaky wink at Kaira.
"I think she can handle herself. Let's go and open the ball!" she said as she pulled Thor's arm. His face showed that he was not very comfortable with the situation. He looked to Kaira for help, but she merely shrugged. Fortunately for both of them, Frigga and Loki arrived at that point.
"Dear ones, it's time for you to play host." Frigga smiled, looking at her children with pride. "Oh, who is this young lady?" she asked curiously looking at Kaira.
"She is a friend, mother," Thor answered with a smile. "If you don't mind, I'd like to open the dance with her." Frigga nodded with a smile and stepped to the side. Thor took Kaira by the hand and accompanied her to the area where people were beginning to gather to watch the show.
Loki followed them with his eyes. He felt completely hurt and disappointed by Thor. He did not understand why the couple always managed to get away with it while he had to resign himself to taking the few opportunities he had with Kaysa. He was dying to dance with her and yet he had to settle for Ada.
"My lady," Loki said politely as he offered Ada an arm that she took with resignation. Frigga accompanied them and took a position in the front line to watch her children take up one of Asgard's oldest traditions. With a gesture of her, the music began to play slightly, silencing all murmurs of conversation. Loki looked back at the door and sighed in disappointment. She is not coming, he thought in pain as he grabbed Ada by the waist and prepared to follow the rhythm of the sweet melody.
Kaysa opened the doors of the salon wide, with Viggo on her back. She expected to hear laughter and conversation, to see people dancing and the princes doing their work and attending to the guests. However, the image was very different. People were crowded together at one point with excited expressions. Kaysa approached with the idea of discovering what was causing that effect, but she could hardly see from where she was. Luckily for her, her height was a bit small and her slim build allowed her to move through small gaps that gradually allowed her to reach the front row.
There, in front of her eyes, was Thor dancing with Kaira. She recognized her by her dress and mask, though she did not understand how Viggo was so calm while his future wife was enraptured with another man. Seeing her sister move so gracefully was something magical that she could not help but notice. Her red dress floated in the air with every turn she made and the shimmering dust that adorned her shoes splattered the air every time she moved. She had to admit that she looked beautiful and was a little upset that she could not keep up with her.
Kaysa was so distracted that she did not see Loki coming, who pulled her hard, pulling her to the centre of the salon. Kaysa began to breathe nervously. Everyone was watching her, and Loki was waiting in front of her, holding her hand and ready to continue the dance. His black leather costume marked his slim figure and the golden adornments shone brightly in the palace light. Kaysa stared at him.
Loki could not help but admire Kaysa. At first, he was annoyed to see people distracted by something other than himself. No one could deny that his dancing skills were extraordinary and worthy of admiration. He tried to ignore the lost looks, but the moment Ada turned her gaze to the crowd, Loki could not help but follow her. There was Kaysas's small figure, trying to appear in the crowd. Loki did not hesitate to throw Ada aside, receiving protests from her, and to ask Kaysa to dance. If Thor could do it, so could he. He had been waiting for her all night and was not going to waste a minute without her.
Just as he had expected, Kaysa surprised him with her dress. Her long dress began with a black top that turned to green as it went down to the floor. The sleeves reached halfway down her arms and were decorated with green floral details. Her hair fell flat on her back, shining with every turn she made. But what Loki admired most were her eyes, which shone and stood out from the mask she wore. He knew he had done well in choosing it. It was an image that would take years to forget and that he would treasure deep in his heart.
Loki watched as Kaysa stood motionless in the spot where he had left her, looking at him defiantly. He was not going to let her make a fool of him in front of everyone so he pulled her up and began to dance. He placed his right hand behind his back and raised his left. Kaysa imitated him at once, stepping forward and standing beside him. Together they circled around each other to the rhythm of the music, slowly, and without looking away from each other. Loki began to feel the people around him disappear and all that remained was the sweet sound of the music and Kaysa. He was doing it for her and he hoped she would appreciate the gesture.
Kaysa was quick to recognise the movements that Loki marked alongside the music. He was performing an Elvish dance and he knew it. Kaysa felt uncomfortable. What if someone found out who she was? What good would it have done to hide behind the image of the maiden for so many months? The questions filled Kaysa's mind more and more, but a gesture made everything disappear as quickly as it had appeared. Loki wrapped his arm around her waist as he approached and pressed lightly against her. Kaysa fixed her gaze on his half-open mouth and threw herself backwards. This was not the time or place to do what her mind wanted to do. A mischievous smile appeared on Loki's face and he went to find her again, this time pressing her harder and whispering in her ear.
"Go to the balcony at the back." He whispered as he parted from her and stopped in front of her. Kaysa looked at him strangely and noticed that the music had stopped and people were beginning to applaud. She looked around and saw how Kaira and Thor were standing apart next to the audience and the kings, applauding with a surprised expression. Kaysa looked at Loki wondering what had happened. Loki merely smiled and waved to the audience. He bowed his head slightly and pointed to Kaysa, giving her all the credit for the dance. It was intoxicating. Kaysa bowed and stepped out as quickly as she could onto the balcony where Loki had indicated.
As she walked away from the people, a sense of excitement began to grow inside her. She had been there, right under Odin's nose, with no spell to hide her appearance, dancing an Elvish dance with his son, the prince, and he had not even noticed. Kaysa ran to the stone balcony railing and began to laugh as she leaned against it. It had been something incredible and she did not mind repeating it. Added to that feeling was the need to see Loki and run to him. She was eager to see him appear and to be able to talk this over with him. The thought of Loki brought other thoughts to the sea in her head. He was very handsome in his ceremonial attire and would give anything to be alone and private with him. Kaysa closed her eyes as she laughed uncontrollably. She had to try and calm herself before Loki saw her in that state. A few steps distracted her and Kaysa did not care about her condition, she needed to run to him. She turned quickly with the illusion of a small child on its birthday. The illusion vanished in a matter of moments. Odin stood before her in his golden armour glowing in the moonlight. They looked at each other for a long time until the king decided to speak.
"Has it really been worth?" he asked in a harsh and cruel tone. "You thought I would never know, didn't you? You thought I was stupid enough not to notice the spell. I'll tell you something, child, I am the All-Father. My name is known for the wisdom of my person. I know everything." Kaysa felt the blood leave her face and cold began to rise up her back. "I was willing to overlook having you as my servant. I was willing to forget everything. But tonight... Tonight has shown me again the arrogance of your person. Do you think you can come here, and revel in front of everyone like you did? And involving my son." Odin's words made a dent in Kaysa, who felt smaller and smaller.
"I didn't mean to." Kaysa murmured as if she could.
"Stop this nonsense. My son is a prince, and as such, he should honour his charge and family. Do you really think someone like him could be with someone like you?" That line from Odin stuck in Kaysa. She took off her mask as she looked at him in pain and thought of it. After all, he was right. Kaysa had been a queen, but she lost everything. At that moment she was nothing. What did she and Loki want? No matter how much they said otherwise, their words were not going to change reality. Kaysa was no longer anyone in the world, and Loki was a prince of Asgard. She looked at the mask in her hands and the dress she had worn that night with such illusion. They were just lies and deception. In a moment, her dress fell apart and the white cloth from the beginning remained. "Accept your place. It's the best thing for everyone. Stop playing these games." Odin's tone softened for a moment as he gently took off Kaysa's mask. He lifted her face so that the two of them looked at each other and with a gesture, indicated that she should return to the interior of the room, but this time she would not return as a queen, not even as a guest. She knew that the moment she entered again she would do so as a maid.
Loki came out to the balcony a little later. His mother had kept him longer than she should have, but he hoped that would not bother Kaysa at all. He had planned to go to his quarters from there, hidden under a blanket of stars so that he could have some privacy to dance and chat without having to hide from anyone. Something strange was happening. Loki walked around all the corners of the balcony but saw no one. It was strange because he had seen Kaysa come out to that place. He called out to her in whispers, but there was no answer.
"Darling." Loki turned and found Ada, who walked resignedly towards him in a rather leaden dark blue suit. "I would like to have a conversation with you."
"Does it have to be now?" Loki looked at her annoyed. He made no attempt to hide his distaste for her. "I'm quite busy." His gaze continued to search for Kaysa's trail.
"I don't know who the hell that woman was," Ada said, ignoring Loki's words and gestures. "But don't ever humiliate me like that again in front of all the guests. You know you don't want to make my family angry." The expression in Ada's eyes showed defiance. Loki looked at her seriously. He felt the need to send her back to his cursed kingdom immediately, but Odin would never forgive him. The sound of someone sobbing caught their attention. Loki watched as a maid dropped a tray on the ground and sat by a tree trunk while covering her face with her hands. The girl was sobbing. "Maid!" Ada shouted and the girl rose quickly. "Come here now!" The girl came sobbing quietly and with her head down. "Damn it, what the hell are you doing listening to a private conversation between Prince Loki and me?" she asked angrily as she raised her hand ready to slap her in the face. Fortunately for the girl, Loki acted quickly, holding her tightly in the air.
"Don't even think about touching her," he muttered angrily. Ada turned to him, but his eyes were on the maid. Loki could not understand what was going on, much less what Kaysa was doing as a maid in front of him.
"Thank you, my prince," Kaysa answered with her eyes fixed on Loki's, unable to stop crying and her face red with rage.