"Ella!" a voice snapped as she lay on her bed, her hands resting on her stomach as her eyes shut and tiredness washed over her body. She had barely slept the previous night, choosing the sit up and contemplate her life after her intake of wine. She'd been sat at the dresser she owned, her hands running through her blonde curls as her blue eyes stared back at her, watching with undue intrigue.
"Ella, I do not wish to force my way into your room."
Ella groaned but moved from the bed, grabbing the simple crown which sat on her bedside table and straightening out the light pink gown she wore, checking her reflection quickly and pulling the neckline upwards, covering more of her chest and nodding sternly at herself in the mirror. Moving to the door, she stretched her hand outwards and reached for the handle, opening the door to reveal Loki stood there, dressed in his fine green amour along with the helmet.
The laugh which moved from Ella could not be repressed as she shut her door and moved into the corridor, looking down it as the guards stood there and remained about their business. She often wondered how no one burst out laughing when they saw him in that ridiculous head gear. Surely it did not need to be so grand and overbearing.
"Oh, I see," Loki drawled; rolling his eyes as his lips fell into a stiff line. He turned swiftly on his heel, dutifully holding his arm out as he looked straight ahead. "You mock me for the horns."
"How can anyone do anything but that?" Ella wondered lightly, placing her hand into the crook of his arm and walking by his side, doing her best not to look onto the horns with fear of convulsing in laughter. Loki allowed a small smirk to grace his features as he looked down onto his younger sibling with ease.
"It is considered impolite to laugh at other's misfortune," he reminded her. His comment earned a quirk of her brow as she looked up to him condescendingly and he chuckled deeply, shaking his head as Ella lazily looked ahead of her.
"You are not one to speak," she warned him. "Could you not ask for a change of helmet?"
"It does not bother me as much as it seems to bother you," he informed her and she laughed once again, suppressing it with a cough and Loki rolled his eyes. "You had better calm down. You are already late and father is not impressed."
"You have already been to see him?" Ella checked; looking up to him with wide eyes and he nodded to confirm.
"He told us to come to him this morn."
"It is morning," Ella complained. "I am not a mind reader as to when he wants to see us. I thought that he may send someone."
"Yes," Loki confirmed. "He has sent me to collect you when you did not turn up with me and Thor."
"I am hardly going to show with you two. You reside on the opposite side of the palace," Ella replied. "Is he honestly mad with me?"
"Father can hardly be mad with you, can he?" Loki replied and Ella wondered if there was a hint of resentment which resided in his tone. She studied his face for a moment, unable to see his features due to the large helmet which covered his cheeks. She must have been imaging it for his words were much kinder next. "I think he is more annoyed with your tardiness. What is a Princess not supposed to be?"
"It seems a Princess is not to be a great many things," Ella muttered as they turned around the corner and moved along the staircase. "Tardiness is just one thing on the great list which I am positive mother has drawn up somewhere."
"Oh, Ella," Loki laughed, moving his head back before shaking it back and forth, his eyes watering as he listened to her. "You really will make some man's life a nightmare in the future."
"I thank you for those words, Loki," Ella haughtily told her brother, removing her arm from his and sarcastically curtseying in front of him as he watched her with intrigue. "I am glad you think so highly of me."
"It is hard to think anything other than highly of you, sister," Loki admitted and he nodded at the guards who stood outside the wooden doors to Odin's private meeting area where only his trusted advisers tended to be let in. Ella removed the smile from her face and looked at Loki who nodded simply to assure her. The pair of them moved into the room and Ella took in the large wooden table which was empty and surrounded by large chairs. At the head sat Odin in his large throne, his eyes looking onto the two siblings who moved into the room.
Loki allowed Ella to go first as Thor stopped his boasting. The God of Mischief placed his hand onto her back, walking her forwards whilst Odin looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"And what time do you call this?" he wondered from her. Ella bit the inside of her cheek, remaining silent as Thor looked at her with slight pity.
"You did say to come in the morn," Ella reminded him as Loki prodded her with his finger in the back. She felt the notion but did not react. It was his way of telling her not to annoy the Allfather. "However, I apologise that I was not here sooner," she added on, appeasing the room as the doors slammed shut and Odin nodded once.
"You are forgiven," he assured her. Loki pulled her chair out once again as she sat to the left of her father and opposite Thor who was leaning back in his seat, the grin never seeming to leave his face. Loki quietly sat beside Ella, resting his hands onto the table and looking to their father with intrigue. He simply wanted the meeting to be other with.
"Now, you may be wondering why I have summoned you all here," Odin said and none of them spoke. They each had a good idea as to why they were sat around his large table in the minimum decorated room. "As you know, the Odinsleep nears me. I can feel my body tire once more and I have delayed for a while now."
They all remained silent as Odin took a breath and looked between the three of them, a small smile moving onto his lips.
"The time has come for Asgard to have a new leader once I fall into the sleep," Odin decreed.
Ella looked at Thor whose smile seemed to be increasing with each passing moment. She quickly turned her eyes to flash onto Loki who was calm and collected, his emotions not betraying him as Odin stood up, his fists banging on the wood of the table as he made the movement.
"You know that only one of you can become King," Odin informed them. "Both of you are worthy of the title and I love both of you as equal. This decision is one which I have not taken lightly."
"Thor," Odin said, addressing the blonde whilst Ella moved quickly, her hand moving to Loki's arm and squeezing it lightly. He turned his gaze onto her and impassively did nothing as she removed her hand from his armour.
Thor continued to smile widely as the news was given to him, his glee unable to be contained as Odin told him of the duty which he owed to Asgard as well as to his family.
"Your mother shall be by my side the entire time," Odin said softly. "Loki shall be by your side as a brother shall be. Listen to him, son. An ally is always needed in times of unfamiliarity."
Thor and Loki looked at each other, mutual understanding becoming of them as Odin watched them, his face seeming to relax before he turned to look at Ella who was still watching the wood on the table. He sighed for a moment and moved his sight back to Thor.
"Ella shall be under your protection whilst I sleep," he declared. "Both of you shall look after her and ensure that no harm comes to her. No suitor is to be arranged during my sleep. Any young man who intends to court the Princess of Asgard shall need to be brought before me firstly."
"I do not foresee a problem, father," Thor said as Ella finally glanced upwards again and looked at her blonde sibling. "Ella will hardly take a suitor now. I do not see a problem in the future."
"Regardless," Odin waved Thor off. "That is the way that it shall be. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, father," they spoke together and Odin nodded, moving his hand to the side before settling back in his seat.
"You may go back to your duties," he said and they stood up quietly and moved from the room as Odin watched them. He noted how Thor wrapped his arm around his sister's waist, lazily drawing her to his side and how Loki stood back in the shadows and watched him, his face emotionless whilst Odin remained slightly puzzled. He often wondered how Loki's mind worked. He sometimes longed to know what went on in his son's brain.
"Did you hear father?" Thor's voice boomed as soon as they were out of the room and in the corridor. Thor swept Ella into his arms, hugging her tightly before looking at Loki who offered him something along the lines of a smirk. "King of Asgard. I can hardly believe it."
"You are not the only one," Ella teased him as the three of them moved out into the grounds, the sun shining down onto them as they leisurely walked along the grass, admiring the gardens of the palace. "It was quite obvious that he would choose you, Thor."
"Do you think so?" Thor wondered and Loki clasped his hands behind his back, simply willing the conversation to end. "I always thought Loki stood an equal chance."
"Never," Loki quickly spoke. "The throne is not something which bothers me, brother. By all means, take Asgard and all of the glory which comes with it."
"Are you sure, Loki?" Thor checked, his tone suddenly becoming serious as he looked at his sibling with slight worry. "I do not wish for this to come between us in any way."
"Why should it?" Loki wondered; baring his teeth in a wide smile as Thor removed the winged helmet from his head. "I have told you many times that I do not wish for the throne."
"As you wish," Thor simply replied and the smile moved back onto his face. "I should go and speak to the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. I am sure they will appreciate the news."
"Go ahead," Ella implored him and he looked at Loki expectantly. The God shook his head slowly and shrugged.
"You go without me," he told his brother. "I shall accompany our sister on a stroll."
"I shall see you both for lunch," Thor called out as he turned quickly and moved back towards the palace.
Loki reached up and pulled the helmet from his head, tucking it under his arm as his free hand ran down his black hair, making sure it was in place whilst Ella walked aimlessly by his side through the rose garden, bending down to look at the pink petals.
"Alas, it does not bother you that father chose Thor?" she checked and Loki chuckled, watching her as she moved her fingers to gently cup underneath the flower.
"We both knew it was an inevitable outcome," Loki assured her. "Thor has always been the favoured one."
"That is not true," Ella defended her father quickly, turning her head to look back up at Loki, squinting as the light beat down from just above his shoulder. "Father cares for us all equally. You must know that."
"I struggle to remember it often," he admitted to her. "I see the way he looks at Thor in comparison to me. I cannot explain it other than he favours him. I did not believe that you would see it for you are his only daughter. He looks at you as if you are a prized possession. When he looks at me I think he simply sees someone he must care for."
"Loki!" Ella snapped at him, standing tall again and staring into his eyes fiercely as Loki looked back at her, his eyes wide and a new depth to them which she had never seen before. It worried her slightly. Where had these beliefs come from? They were misguided and completely unreasonable in her eyes. To Loki they were called for and needed.
"What has made you speak like this?" she whispered to him as a couple of maids moved along the main path of the garden, keeping their heads bowed as Loki and Ella remained hidden behind the rows of roses. "Where has this come from?"
"I have thought it for a while, Ella," Loki admitted to her, looking past her shoulder and at the palace which stood before him as she continued to stare at him intently. "Thor is favoured by everyone. I do not possess any of the qualities which he does."
"And you do not need to," Ella promised him. "Honestly, Loki. Thor is confident...bordering on cocky. We both know that. Yes, the people love him but does it honestly matter what the people think of us?"
"I know what they think of you," Loki snorted, resting his heavy helmet on the floor and moving along the grass, Ella trailing behind him. "I have heard the maids speak of you. Daughter of Odin, fair and intelligent yet unlucky in love. I believe they have bets regarding when you will marry."
"What?" Ella snapped out and Loki arched a brow at her as he turned to look at her over his shoulder and she rolled her eyes. "Pardon?" she corrected herself slowly and Loki chuckled darkly, taking a seat on a bench in between the rows of flowers. Ella settled herself next to him, pushing her blonde hair behind her ears before turning at an angle to face him.
"I fail to care what the maids think, Loki," she informed him. "We have gone many years without caring what anyone thought. Why must we instantly do any different?"
"Because we are no longer children," Loki clarified. "You do not know how it feels. I have been living in his shadow for what seems like such a long time. I just never noticed before."
"Loki," Ella sighed his name, wrapping both of her arms around one of his, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder. "You have to know that we are all loved equally. Mother and Father would never say anything other than that. You are an Odinson. Please tell me that you will not worry of this anymore."
"Ella," Loki complained and she moved to look up to him sternly. "I cannot make you a promise which I have no intent of keeping."
"Well, you can," she said. "You are known as the God of Mischief."
"To many," he agreed. "But I would never deceive you, Ella. You are too wise for such things."
"I am," she agreed. "I can see when you are attempting to divert the conversation. Loki, just tell me that you will try not to dwell upon these unnecessary thoughts for much longer."
"Hmm, perhaps," he agreed remotely and Ella sighed in exasperation, shaking her head and knowing that was as close as she was getting to an agreement.