Loki woke up while the sun was still barely visible, opening his eyes to find Solweig snuggled up against him. The prince could feel her bare breasts on his chest, the skin soft and warm. The bedsheet only covered the lower part of their bodies and he traced with the tips of his fingers an invisible path on her ribs, all the way to her shoulder. He kissed her in the crook of her neck and she moaned, drowsily, slightly opening her eyes.

"I have to leave" he whispered in her ear, his hand brushing her arm. "Rest."

He wished he would have had the time to spend the morning with her as the sight of her lying in his bed made him want to hold her close. Sadly, his weekly programme was extremely dense since Odin had decided to deploy troops in Vanaheim. The main objective was to discourage Thorsten to attack Asgard, and he and his brother were meant to train the commanders of the operation, a task that Loki was not particularly enthusiastic about. Even though he was well-versed in the art of war, his fighting style was rather solitary and he found most of the soldiers of his father's army dull and ungraceful. He dressed up and left his room, walking swiftly towards the stables.

They had decided to train in the mountains, the dire conditions of that area proving to be an excellent exercise to test their resilience in battle. He was reaching the end of the corridor when Thor suddenly appeared next to him and pinned him forcefully against the wall.

"How could you?" shouted the God of thunder.

"Good morning brother" snickered Loki in a strangled voice for Thor's hand was pushing against his throat.

"What did you think you were doing?!" he vociferated, his fist grabbing Loki's shirt while the other was holding Mjolnir menacingly.

"I do not know what you're talking about" replied Loki, feigning innocence, a polite smile spreading his lips.

"Do you think I'm a fool? First King Harald saw her leading him out of the palace and now she saw her mother guiding her out of her dorm?"

Loki laughed for he understood that his brother had payed a visit to the academy's headmistress. After Solweig had awaken from her induced sleep the previous day, she had been asked to report on the night of the abuse. She had explained that her mother was standing next to her bed when she woke up in the middle of the night. She had simply followed her, escaping the dorm until they reached the barn where the incident happened. She had explained that her mother had left, but when Solweig wanted to go back inside the building, King Harald was waiting in the doorframe. People had assumed she had dreamt of course, for her mother was long dead and could clearly not appear in Asgard and guide her helpless daughter out of the slaves' quarters.

"All right" cursed Loki, pushing his brother away. "I guided her outside the academy and I led Harald all the way to the barn. For the record, I didn't think he would hit her that hard"

"You went too far" interjected Thor, his face red in anger.

"You know what would have been too far? Us not managing to prevent Father to send her to Svartálfar" Loki chided at his brother, quietly now for two guards suddenly appeared in their vicinity.

"He could have killed her"

"Well, good thing he didn't"

"I will denounce you"

"Be my guest" retorted Loki sarcastically before he pushed his brother. They stopped once the commanders materialised in the corridor, glancing at each others in bewilderment when they saw the two princes arguing.

"Where is she now?" questioned Thor loudly as Loki walked away.

"Sleeping" the God of mischief replied.

"In my room" he added before passing the door that would lead him to the stables.

—-

Solweig woke up to the sound of three sharp knocks against the door. It was passed eleven and she had been sleeping in, unaware of the time. She had heard him leave in the morning, but she was too exhausted to find the strength to stand up. She felt sore but also deliciously exhausted from her night with the prince. He had been gentle, as he had promised and she enjoyed lounging in his gigantic bed.

A middle-aged woman entered the room, followed by two young ladies.

"Miss" she indicated to her with a strict nod of the head.

Solweig covered herself with the bedsheet, horrified that the little procession was already standing next to the bed while she was still naked under the blanket.

"My name is Kleve and I am responsible for prince Loki's concubines" she added, ignoring the look of discontent on the princess' face.

"I am here to bring you to your room and guide you through the concubines' apartments. Before that, I am to inquire about your new name"

"I… haven't had the time to think about it" replied the princess, hesitant.

"Of course not" the lady laughed contemptuously, her eyes pausing respectively on the blindfold, the empty bottle of wine, the dress in front of the chair, Loki's clothes on the ground and the collar resting at the end of the bed. Solweig had the unpleasant feeling that she was tracing back mentally the exact proceedings of her evening.

"Put this back on immediately" said the lady, pointing to the leather choker. Loki had taken it off in the middle of the night, for she woke up dreaming that someone was trying to strangle her.

She turned to Solweig, raising an eyebrow.

"Sadly my dear I do not have all day… If you do not give me a name now you will have to be forever addressed by what you are" she smiled, obviously very proud of herself. She added, in confidence: "If you ask me, though, "slave" is not that ill-fitting"

"Right" spitted the princess, angered by the scornful manners of that woman. "I will be called Sólveig" she muttered as she attached back the collar around her neck.

"This is impossible my dear, you have to pick a different name" replied the lady nastily.

"Oh no no, you did not get this right" corrected the princess with impatience. "Perhaps your humble origin does not allow you to hear the difference. I meant Sólveig. g" she spelled slowly, giving the lady a defiant glance.

The woman looked like she had been slapped in the face.

"Please go fetch your manager and ask whether homophones are forbidden" asked the girl, in a false genuine tone while standing up, revealing her nakedness to the room. She walked towards the dress on the floor before adding: "You know what a homophone is, don't you?"

—-

She had been guided to the slaves' quarters by the two young girls accompanying Kleve, who had left reluctantly to ensure whether Solweig's wish could be granted. The apartments were located in the lower parts of the palace, above the kitchens.

"This corridor here is the one of prince Loki's servants" indicated the brown-haired girl, nodding at a fairly narrow corridor. Two guards were waiting on each side of the passageway, to the princess' great surprise. She wondered whether their existences were so valuable to Asgard. She followed the girls into the shade of the hallway, her eyes finding the next source of light on the left where the corridor opened into a magnificent room. Inside, a long wooden table indicated the dining room, opulent fruits baskets and a jug of water neatly placed on the buffet. Behind the furnitures, a small staircase led to the sitting room where the hearth was located in the middle of the room, surrounded by a big leather sofa and two green velvet couches. Thick, fluffy blankets were neatly folded in a woven basket at their feet. The room was filled with plants, conferring a feeling of greenhouse and a light, constant slosh was audible. Solweig discovered, mesmerised, that the sound arose from a waterfall against the wall, which ended in a small pool.

"Prince Loki likes to treat his people" smiled the red-haired girl enviously.

The room was lulled in a smooth light that came from the higher windows.

"Food is served three times a day" declared Kleve who had come back. "Your programme will be handed over to you at the start of each week. Don't expect to be able to sleep in like you used to. The day starts early and you need to rest in the afternoon. There is a dedicated and obligatory resting time, because prince Loki likes to receive his slaves in the evening"

So many rules, again, thought Solweig, trying hard not to roll her eyes.

"There is everything you need in here but if you have particular requests, you may come to me. I will forward your suggestions to prince Loki who will decide over them"

She guided them back to the corridor and walked for a while, passing various doors until she stopped in front of a particular one. "You will be sharing the bathroom with the others. The cleaning staff comes every morning. Just leave your dirty clothes in the basket in front of your door. They will be collected and handed back to you on the next day"

Solweig nodded, trying not to show that she was extremely relieved to benefit from the services of a cleaning staff. She almost felt like a goddess again.

"This is your room" the lady said, opening the door. It was small but cozy. A single bed, bookshelves and a wardrobe were the only furnitures in there but it was bright and warm. In comparison to what Solweig had experienced at the academy, having her own bedroom was already luxurious.

"Where is everyone?" questioned the girl as she passed her hand over the furnitures, opening the wardrobe where a few dresses were already hanging.

"They are attending their various classes… You have been instructed at the academy in how to serve your master right, but there will be a lot more to learn about. Usually the slaves arrive prior to their claiming so they have time to adapt and grasp what his expected of them. Since your case is… different" she paused for too long before pursuing "you will have to adapt quickly. Tomorrow is the meeting with queen Frigga for organising Loki's birthday party".

"Now go change, the others will be here any minute"

—-

Solweig entered the dining room where people were already sitting. She searched for familiar faces and recognised a few of them, for the princes' concubines were sometimes allowed to join Asgard's festivities. They would do nothing else than sit around Loki and Thor but Solweig had often been envious of those gorgeous people whispering in the ear of the raven-haired prince, laughing at his jokes or pouring him wine. Her eyes settled on the blond man, a prince of another kingdom who is said having fallen in love with Loki. Gossips speculated he was Loki's first ever male sweetheart, but she knew this was wrong for she remembered the kitchen boy was. Her gaze turned to Daia, who was one of the first slaves the prince ever owned. She was often sitting next to Loki during major events, her back straight and her chin high, she was also former royalty. Many kings or queens sent their daughters and sons to Asgard in the hope for them to become one of the princes' concubines because serving Asgard's royal family, in whatever way possible, was considered an honour.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't seen them all staring at her, until the blond and handsome prince jested: "My, my… So the rumours are true"

He beamed at her. " You are even more exquisite from up close!" He slid to the right and patted the bench next to him. "Come and sit now fagr, you must be starving"

Her cheeks reddened at the compliment and she walked towards the table, sitting next to him. They were still all watching her and a thin, graceful elf asked in a high-pitch voice: "what were the rumours about?"

Prince Erik drank a sip of water before whispering to the elf, falsely in confidence: "Haven't you heard? All Asgard is talking about it. Prince Loki claimed the former goddess of fertility, his almost sister, the Vanir princess"

His almost sister. Was this how people in Asgard saw her? What did they think now of their incestious relationship? She was staring at the food in her plate, trying not to pay attention to the others' comments.

"Odin will rage when he learns about this" sighed Daia towards Erik, ignoring Solweig who was now glancing at her. He nodded: "Possible... Yet exciting"

She frowned. If Odin did not know she was there it was only a matter of time until he'd find out. Gossips in Asgard spread fast. She grabbed some vegetables and meat and ate, ignoring all the glances from Loki's other slaves.

"Tell me, have you met Kleve alredy?" asked Erik jokingly. "She must have been absolutely delighted to welcome you here"

"Oh she was! And so honest" replied Solweig sarcastically. He laughed for he liked her humour. "Don't take it personally. She thinks she's overworked" he rolled his eyes playfully. "Do you already have a name?"

"She doesn't" answered Daia, before Solweig could even open her mouth. "He completed the claiming right after she arrived. She was not even sent here…"

Solweig frowned as she was sure she noticed some resentment in the girl's voice.

Erik's next comment seemed to confirm her presumption: "Are you scared to have some concurrence? Come on Daia, you know none of us can compete with a goddess"

He winked at her.

"I am not anymore… technically" rectified Solweig with a shy smile.

She had spent the rest of the afternoon familiarising with the people, to the exception of Daia who had pretexted being tired and wanting to get some rest alone in her room. The others sat in the living room, enjoying the warmth of the fire in the hearth. Erik had hundreds of questions about Loki, how he was as a child, what it was like to grow up next to him. Solweig herself had questioned them about their past, who they were, where they came from. She considered herself lucky that her integration was going well, for she'd heard it could be real issue, the former concubines sometimes allying against the newcomer as a way to ensure he or she would not get too comfortable.

Before dinner was served, Kleve entered the dining hall and walked to the new girl.

"Prince Loki wants to see you"