Chapter 6
She had not seen Loki again throughout the day, instead, Thor had knocked on her door and invited her along towards the training grounds. His clearly hopeful expression had been enough to make Freiya agree to the harmless request. No one had told her so far if she would have a kind of schedule to follow and she did not feel settled enough to ask after it.
The spell Loki had cast over her once again shielded her from Thor's overly loud thought and she recognized his company as pleasant. The God of Thunder seemed to be of a kind nature and mostly smiled brightly at everything she offered tentatively. It was obvious her brother wished to connect to her and she felt a little saddened by the realisation of how unneeded the loneliness which had plagued her life actually had been.
Freiya was wary of Thor's friends though. The Warrior Three had been on the training grounds as well and she had been introduced to Sif. She had not seen another female warrior in Asgard yet - all guards patrolling the halls of the palace very visibly were male - but watching Sif train quickly showed just how skilled the woman obviously was.
Fandral seemed to have recognized his error from earlier and apologised to her. She may have even been inclined to accept his apology if it had not been delivered like a cheesy actor in a romance would have played his best scene. Thus, Freiya only begrudgingly inclined her head, Thor had been watching the scene with such hopefulness that she just could not have declined.
Thor himself it seemed was putting on a show on the training grounds as well though. His friends teased him rather loudly about being a show-off. She had laughed at the shove Thor had given Fandral for it and the slight but unmistakable blush on his cheeks was indeed an adorable sight.
She had not listened too closely to what Thor and his friends were discussing while they trained. At first, it had only been politics, but her attention was attracted once she heard them argue about Loki. If the second prince of Asgard had been there on the training grounds, she would have asked him to repeal his spell, but it seemed Loki had stayed in the palace. She could feel his spell in her mind though and once the formerly friendly banter turned tenser, she pushed against it.
A moment later the spell vanished from her mind and she was all but assaulted by a variety of thoughts. They mixed together so quickly that she failed to understand any of them.
It took only a few seconds before the thoughts of those physically closest to her came into focus.
Apparently, Fandral had made a snarking comment about Loki being allowed out of the palace and even worse out of Asgard yesterday.
Freiya frowned; she still did not understand the reason for his confinement to the palace in the first place.
Once again Thor's thoughts were offering the most explanation as they were interwoven with fragments of different memories. Freiya was not certain if Thor could feel her look into these memories, if he did, he did not acknowledge the fact and Freiya quickly found herself wrapped in memories of the last few years.
The memories showed her how Thor's coronation had been botched by Frost Giants. The anger about this was clear as day and Freiya frowned at how different Thor's thoughts sounded now than they did in the past. Something significant must have happened for him to change in such a way. She saw their trip to Jotunheim and how Thor was banished to earth for it. She wondered for a moment if there would have been a chance for them to meet on earth and actually recognize that they were siblings, but she discarded the thought just as quickly again. Freiya continued to watch Thor's memory and observed Loki fall from the Bifrost. His expression at it made her heart clench. It was obvious he had not wanted to be saved at this moment. What really puzzled her was Thor's view on reuniting with Loki on earth. Loki appeared visibly different, his very eye colour had changed somehow and his maniacal expression gave her the chills. Something was wrong about all of it though, she could feel it. Thor seemed to have felt it as well as his memories of that time were tainted with confusion. The last memory she saw was of Loki being returned to Asgard in heavy chains and Thor trailing behind.
When Freiya focused back on the presence she was directly faced with Thor. Freiya blinked for a moment, both to focus more - she obviously had missed Thor's friends leaving the training grounds - and to try and focus less on Thor's thoughts loud once again in her mind.
Thor definitely knew that she had basically just invaded his mind. Surprisingly, he did not seem upset about it.
"You must have stopped the spell" Thor articulated although she had heard it in his thoughts already.
She nodded "I apologise for pushing…" Freiya knew that she should not continue to look into the memories of others purposefully. She had never done so before and she should not get used to it now.
Thor interrupted her though with a shake of his head and a gentle smile on his features "You should have been a part of our family and known all of this already".
His logic surprised her greatly and she needed a moment to reflect on it.
"I will ask Loki if he can instruct me to shield my own thoughts like he is doing" Thor surprised her even more before she could actually say anything.
She heard in his mind only honest regret about hurting her with the intensity and sheer volume of his thoughts, something he currently was powerless to control. In addition, he seemed hopeful to have a chance to try and connect with his brother again.
"Loki and I have been very close as young children" Thor explained and his expression and thoughts were both mournful of how badly his relationship with Loki had turned over time.
Freiya could not judge how willing Loki would be to try and reconnect with Thor. It did not appear too likely to her so far, but she appreciated Thor's goodwill "Thank you for trying" she offered in an honest tone "How come Loki is obviously a very skilled sorcerer while you are not? I can feel how powerful you could be" Freiya had added the last as an afterthought. She had actually sensed that the majority of people here had magic, so, it puzzled her why this did not seem to be used to its full potential.
Thor's thought told her quickly how unusual and weird it appeared to him that someone claimed to sense Seiðr from others but he chose not to comment on it. Instead, he admonished "I have never been a patient scholar and was more at home on the training grounds".
Freiya inclined her head with a slight frown as she heard Thor comparing himself to Loki and just how different they had apparently always been. "I would be very interested to actually observe someone fight with Seiðr," she said while the word still felt foreign and weird in her mouth.
"Loki would undoubtedly be the best to give you a demonstration of it" Thor answered. His thoughts clearly told how unlikely he regarded it.
She could feel other memories attached to the statement, but before Freiya could decide if she should follow her curiosity and see them as well, an attendant appeared and asked them to return to the palace. Apparently, someone was waiting to aid Freiya in getting presentable for the feast.
A little bit later Freiya stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom with a critical gaze at her own reflection.
An attendant had been in just a little while ago, draping her wavy light brown hair in intricate braids and applying some kind of makeup. Freiya had of course used makeup before, but the products here felt much different on her skin and she did not think her skin had ever appeared as flawless and glowing as it did now. She actually barely recognized her own reflection. She left the bathroom and returned to the bedroom.
The dress she had been given for the event was spectacular. She had not put it on yet and it was still on a hanger in front of the closet. The material was gold, but somehow Freiya had never seen such a particular hue. It was gold and yet it was not, depending on the angle from which she looked at it. She reached out and let her fingers glide over the material. It felt like it may possibly be silk. But she had never seen silk appear two-coloured in any way. The ornaments applied on the shoulder straps indeed were a richer gold, embedded with shining crystals.
"It is a lighter shade to signify your status as a princess and not queen" Loki's voice suddenly sounded from the door.
Freiya whirled around with a startled gasp. She had not heard him enter, and neither had she even heard the door being opened at all.
She blinked at his appearance rather dumbly. Loki was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame casually. His dark hair was neatly styled back from his pale features and he was wearing some kind of festive armour, consisting mostly of black leather, highlighted with a few dips of dark green and gold here and there. He looked dashing to the point, but also intimidating.
Freiya was glad that Loki had not worn this kind of armour during their first meeting but a normal black suit instead. She was not sure if she would not have felt threatened by him in this attire. He knew that his build was different from Thor's and Loki actually was lither and finely muscular than Thor's visibly bulging muscles. But dressed in this kind of armour the prince appeared bulky and taller than he actually was.
The smirk playing around his lips showed easily enough that he had caught her staring "You broke the spell" he said, switching the subject casually.
Freiya blinked once more and nodded. She had already guessed Loki to be able to sense his spell being shrugged off earlier.
"Do you want me to cast it for you again?" he asked in a surprisingly kind tone and his green eyes seemed even more intensely dressed the way he was now.
"I would highly appreciate that," Freiya said as she had hoped to run into Loki before the feast began to ask him for exactly this. She looked back at the dress she was supposed to wear and sighed "I will look ridiculous in this" she exclaimed in exasperation. She had tried to argue with the attendant to let her choose another dress, but apparently, it was expected of her to dress in exactly this robe. Freiya had never enjoyed dressing in fine robes in the past, usually, it used to draw too much attention to her and she rather preferred to remain unseen and blend into the crowd. Of course, if she was treated as the princess she was born to be, that would no longer be a valid option. It would take her more than just a few days to get used to that concept for sure.
Loki's expression was almost flirtatious as he stepped closer slowly "I highly doubt that". He waved his hand and Freiya felt the spell being reapplied and it was instantly once again heavenly quiet within her mind.
She made a little indignant sound when she felt Loki's magic waft over her body again and the loose bathing robe she had been wearing was instantly replaced with the dress.
Freiya had little time to contemplate it though as she was taken aback by the clearly appreciative expression on Loki's features as he looked at her now fully dressed.
"Magnificent" he commented and Freiya saw his green eyes sparkling when he finally looked back into her eyes.
"Do you need me to spin around for you" she retorted with a little cheek, but a blush warmed her features as she smiled and added, "You don't look too bad yourself".
Loki raised a brow at her as if he wanted to question if this was unexpected.
Freiya remembered how his appearance had looked like in Thor's memory of the fight on earth and later returning to Asgard. She could detect the difference now. It was not just that his eyes had been blue instead of the vivid green they were now but his whole complexion had been different. He was pale now for sure as well, but in Thor's memory, Loki's skin had not just been pale but rather ashen and clammy, very much as if he had been sick during that time.
She doubted that right before a feast would be a very fitting situation to ask about all of this, but on the other hand, the right moment may never present itself if she waited for it.
Worrying that Loki may just leave her without an answer, she reached out and took one of his hands in hers again. The feeling of their magic interacting with each other was starting to become normal and weirdly comforting she noted absentmindedly.
Something within her expression must have already pointed Loki towards her intention to bring up something he did not wish to speak about and she could literally watch his features close off while his whole poise changed. The changes were subtle, but they were obvious to her.
Freiya sighed and gave his hand a soft squeeze - he had not pulled it away yet after all - "Don't do that please" she started and watched his expression closely.
His brows furrowed while his eyes looked suspiciously at her "Do what?" his tone had gotten slightly gruff as well.
"Close yourself off like this" Freiya chose to be honest and blunt with her observation, while she held onto his hand forcefully.
Loki's brows furrowed even more, but he remained silent, obviously waiting for her to elaborate.
"Your posture gets more rigid and you stand slightly taller, while your jaw tightens and your gaze is more observative" Freiya described the little cues Loki was giving away.
Unexpectedly, Loki seemed to exhale a big breath and his composure softened, but his gaze remained probing "You are very observative" he said in a neutral tone "Surprisingly, no one else has pointed all of these little changes out yet".
Freiya shrugged slightly "Being extremely observative was necessary all my life".
Loki seemed surprised at the bitter note which had crept into her tone and he raised a brow as if he was utterly unconvinced Midgard might hold any dangers for an Asgardian.
For some unknown reason to Freiya, this thought that Loki did not believe her angered her immensely. She also guessed that she would have a higher chance of getting an honest response from Loki if she offered him some of her own secrets. So, she concentrated on her own magic as much as she knew how and forced it to move in the way she wished.
The widening of Loki's green eyes and the little gasp he made, were proof that Freiya had succeeded. She knew what he was seeing. The dress left her arms and parts of her chest visible. The formerly smooth skin revealed by the cut of her dress would be riddled with scars now.
Freiya flinched away slightly when Loki reached out with his free hand and touched a patch of her scarred skin right above her collarbone. She let go of the utter concentration on her magic and felt it slide back into place as it covered her fully again. She knew her skin would be smooth and unmarked once again.
Loki's fingers still rested on her exposed collarbone for a moment longer before he retracted his hand again. "Who did this to you?" the prince questioned and his voice was shaking slightly. Something flashed through his eyes while he spoke.
Freiya sighed "Different people" she answered vaguely, feeling uncomfortably exposed now. She had not shown anyone this on purpose yet, not even those she had loved in the past. Neither had she ever chosen consciously to hide it, her magic had done so automatically.
"Midgard should not hold weapons able to leave such marks" Loki retorted with a shake of his head and narrowed eyes, obviously highly displeased by the answer she had given.
The chuckle which escaped Freiya's lips was void of any humour before she answered "If you are weak and exhausted enough that is not true and you'd be surprised how imaginative and determined humans can be when they really set their minds to it".
Something flashed through Loki's eyes again, but Freiya could not identify the emotion or thought. She once again wished for the possibility to hear his thoughts "So, you see, my life basically depended on being observative. The marks left behind showed when I failed or let down my guard too much" she had added the last part on a sad note.
"Why did you show this to me?" The suspicion was back in Loki's green eyes now but mixed with something which may have been desperation. Desperation for what, she could not fathom.
Freiya bit back another sigh. It was clear that it would actually take work and a lot of that she guessed for Loki to really trust her. At the same time, she felt the almost burning need for him indeed trust her, although she could not name just why she wanted this so much. "Because I want you to know that you can trust me," she offered in earnest.
Feeling Loki tense again, she gave his hand another squeeze before she let him take a step back from her. "You are very adamant," he said and his voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement although his eyes still were suspicious and hard.
"I have always been headstrong," Freiya easily agreed. "I know you cannot see me as a friend right now, but can you see me as an ally?" Everything she knew about Loki and the rest of her family yet, somehow had awoken this almost subconscious knowledge and need to prove to the second prince that he would not be standing alone any longer.
Loki contemplated her for long silent moments and Freiya was fully expecting him to reject her now. Surprisingly, he inclined his head finally "As one of your allies I feel pledged to ask you if you are prepared to dance at the feast."
Freiya blinked in surprise at the trickster, who had put on a clearly teasing smile, not fully a smirk though. She would prove to Loki that she indeed could be a worthy ally, although she hoped that the prince could see her as a friend one day. "Dance" she echoed with a frown. There had been times in the past when she had been required to dance, but those had been rare and somehow, she had a feeling that it may be entirely different dances Loki may be referring to now.
"Well, Asgard is renowned for their glorious feasts" the prince retorted with what clearly was meant to be a charming smile.
Freiya found it a little too dazzling though as if he wanted to prove something to her. "You are jesting me" she all but guessed, voice showing a little bit too much doubt.
Loki actually laughed at that and surprisingly his posture fully relaxed "You are good" he acknowledged and his expression got a little more serious before he added, "There will most likely not be dancing tonight. But mind you, there are feasts which require dances you will have to learn".
"I already assumed that" Freiya easily agreed. She knew that she basically had to learn all of the loyal protocol and she had no clue yet about how quickly they would expect her to know how to behave properly. Thor and Loki had gradually grown into their receptive roles, most likely with the support of countless tutors.
What no one had bothered to tell Freiya beforehand and she would remember to scold Loki about him not giving her any hints either, was that right before the feast which was supposedly intimate and small there was supposed to be a gathering of almost all of Asgard's population for a formal proclamation.
She was not entirely sure if she would have so easily followed Loki through the almost endless rows of halls of the palace if she had indeed known to what exactly she was being led by the dark-haired prince. Freiya was utterly convinced she had no chance of finding her way back to her room later without any guidance.
She looked at Loki with some confusion when the prince actually led her out of the palace. Freiya did not question him openly though as she thought she should back up her proclamation of wanting to be trusted by showing him trust first-hand.
In retrospect, it probably had been better that Freiya had not known what to expect. Her breath had clogged in her throat when Loki led her around what felt like the hundredth corner and they suddenly could see a very large area filled to the brim with people. A path had been held free in the middle, flanked by heavily armoured warriors and Loki had placed a hand around one of her elbows to decisively guide her through the free path and towards the large throne.
Odin was already been sitting on the throne, flanked by Frigga wearing a dress which utterly let Freiya's own pale in direct comparison and of course Thor as well. Her brother was obviously dressed in some kind of festive armour as well. Both, he and Odin, had red cloaks strapped to their armour, standing out starkly against their shining armour.
Freiya felt her knees shaking at feeling all those eyes rest heavily on her. She did not even delude herself with the fact that some eyes may actually be following Loki. She was extremely grateful for the prince basically dragging her past the crowd. She had felt nauseous all of a sudden and all her instincts told her to turn around and run away again, no matter if she had any place to actually run to or not. Earth still sounded like a possibility, although Freiya somehow doubted that the gatekeeper would transport her away without direct order.
Against the loud rushing sound in her ears, Freiya barely registered a word from what Odin was proclaiming loudly to the crowd. She did see though that the expressions of those she could see were not just blending together, were looking up at them with joyful expressions. She guessed that it was not entirely unexpected for the citizens of Asgard to be pleased with the return of their princess. She would remember to inquire at a later time what they had been told about her abduction, how she had been found again and what was rumoured to have happened to her all those years on earth. So far, she only had some knowledge about the thoughts of the people who had passed by her room in the morning. Now, that Loki was shielding her mind again, she had no clue what the others may think. She knew from prior experience though that being in such close proximity to such a high number of people would have been immensely stressful to her.
Freiya did notice though when Loki gave her elbow a slight squeeze, apparently the prince had retained his contact the whole time. This small detail had not even fully registered within her mind.
She was not familiar enough with who had been supposed to be her family and probably friends to recognize their reactions to the apparent closeness between her and their second prince. There definitely was a clear reaction.
Freiya chose to focus on Thor's and Frigga's reactions, and both of them seemed happy. To her puzzlement, Loki actually seemed to tense again when he noticed it as well.
He did not sever their contact thankfully as he led her away from the large crowd. Apparently, the proclamation was over and they were on their way to the actual feast.
Freiya raised a brow at Loki at what he apparently considered to be a "private" setting. The room the feast took place in, was still more a large festive hall than an actual room. Four extremely large golden tables stood in a square in a centre of the room, laden over and over with different offerings of food and drinks.
Loki directly led her to one table and pulled out a chair for her. She gave him a short sweet smile at the gesture before she sat down and looked around. A number of people had already followed them. The king and queen had taken their place as well, Thor sat down on her other side and Freiya frowned slightly when her brother's four obviously best friends immediately came over to the other side of the table.
There did not seem to be any official opening and Thor already was reaching for some food.
Freiya looked at the offerings of food a little more sceptically, unfamiliar with almost everything that was on the table. She had barely eaten a few bites in her short stay on Asgard so far and she still felt unsettled by the unfamiliar atmosphere.
At last, attendants also entered the room, carrying even more carafes with drinks. The noise around the room grew quickly and Freiya started to relax a little when she noticed that most people were focused on their food for now. She hoped it would stay that way. Otherwise, she may be lucky that Thor and his friends would keep curious people from approaching her at the table, simply because there was no free space.
"You should really eat something" Loki was the first one to speak to her.
She raised a brow at him critically "There has been nothing on your plate so far as well" she assessed. She may have been focused more on the room filling with more and more people, but she had still watched him as well. She had definitely not missed Odin and Loki looking at each other intensely for a long moment, neither of them had said anything though and the king had severed eye contact first by answering something Frigga had whispered to him.
Loki seemed almost perplexed for a moment and Freiya was not entirely certain if she had just imagined appreciation flashing through his green eyes for a second before he inclined his head and reached out to take something.
Thor apparently had little reservation about food and Freiya found the speed at which he was eating almost alarming.
She actually jumped a little in her chair when Thor downed a whole drink in one go, turned a little and smashed the goblet on the ground right next to her, shattering it to pieces in the process and loudly proclaiming his wish for "another!".
Freiya blinked at Thor utterly bewildered, she had never seen something like this. One of Thor's friends, she had forgotten his name for the moment, repeated the motion.
She frowned turning back to face Loki "Is this normal?" she questioned in a low tone, leaning over towards him to make sure no one else overheard them.
Loki appeared utterly amused as he popped a grape into his mouth "It is considered normal in Asgard. I have not seen such in other realms though now that you mention it".
Freiya watched Fandral do exactly the same thing, she did not jump anymore at it thankfully. "What a waste" she commented drily and with an expression of distaste. She would most definitely refuse to pick up this particular habit "It appears rather dumb" she added with a slight glower.
An attendant had already hurried over to hand out new goblets and pick up the pieces of the destroyed ones.
Loki only inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement, but remained silent otherwise and seemed to make almost a show about eating now.
Taking the hint, Freiya sighed slightly. She had hoped that Loki would continue to speak to her, but somehow, she had the feeling the trickster would not be so forthcoming in the company anymore.
She took a closer look at the offered food. She had never been a picky eater truly, but over time of her life, she had developed some preferences in what she liked to eat if she had the choice. She had noticed to have quite the sweet tooth, if possible, often just eating a light salad and having a rather large and elaborate dessert to go with it.
Nothing which might be a desert caught her eye though. She did see some fruits as Loki had already taken grapes.
"Are there no sweets or deserts?" she asked him, as Thor was deeply in a conversation with his friends now and paid her basically no attention at all for the moment.
"There are fruits and nuts" Loki answered and for some reason, Freiya did not understand his tone had taken on a hint of annoyance.
Freiya blinked at him with a slight scowl on her features. She shook her head mentally at herself at how scandalized she felt by the information that there were no sweets here at all, as she definitely did not count fruits or nuts as dessert.
"We can surely provide you with something more to your liking as soon as you instructed a cook on what to prepare," Frigga said, obviously the queen has listened to their exchange.
Freiya blushed slightly when she looked up and noticed that a number of heads had once again turned in her direction and she was internally thankful for Thor smashing yet another goblet at that moment, disrupting the small bubble of silence which had threatened to fall over the table immediately.
She shook her head at the offer "I will surely get used to it" she argued easily. She saw little sense in trying to bring the culinary culture of the earth to Asgard. She had never been the biggest fan of cooking and had grown fond of meals which required next to no preparation. In the last few centuries, the earth had gotten much more attractive there with the widespread junk food availability everywhere.
"You should try this" Loki averted her attention fully as Freiya had still been focused on Odin and Frigga and the weirdly sad gaze which had passed between them.
Freiya blindly accepted whatever Loki had been pointing out to her. She felt oddly melancholic for the past she would never have all of a sudden and met the dark-haired prince's gaze with a shaky smile.
The emotional moment passed immediately though when Fandral spoke up. It seemed Thor and his friend had already taken in an alarming amount of food and alcohol likewise. The man's words were a tad bit slurred already "You s'ould 'ot t'ust t'ings he offers".
Freiya felt her expression harden immediately in response to the clear jest towards Loki, who tensed next to her again while his green eyes blazed angrily.
Obviously, Thor had not drunk enough yet to miss the clearly insulting comment towards his brother and he halted midmovement to drink more.
Before the God of Thunder could have said anything or before Loki could decide to either retaliate or just storm away, which Freiya thought utterly possible as well, she put on the best fake smile she could muster at the moment, going as far as reaching out and placing one hand over one of Loki's.
The prince had balled his hands to tight fists around the cutlery he had been holding on to. Freiya felt a fraction of his tenseness melt away instantly at her touch and she did not care to keep her voice down now as she looked back at Fandral and said "Oh, but I trust him entirely".
Freiya could feel their magic visibly mixing around their hands again and she looked away from Fandral who was dumbstruck and apparently too stunned to speak thankfully. She hoped that turning her back to him would convey her lacking interest to continuing conversing with him. She wanted to see how Loki reacted to the scene and her open proclamation.
The prince was looking down at their linked hands visible on the surface of the table. Freiya only noticed now that a number of other people who had not been introduced to her as well as Odin and Frigga were openly staring as well.
Apparently, Fandral was not the only one dumbstruck by her words as she noted by a number of shocked expressions around the table.
"You are shielding her thoughts now, aren't you?" Thor dissipated the situation again by leaning closer to Freiya and obviously directly speaking to Loki.
The dark-haired prince inclined his head, taking his eyes away from their linked hands.
Freiya lightly let the tips of her fingers graze over him as she pulled away finally to indeed try what Loki had put on the plate for her.
"I wanted to ask you to teach me that" Thor continued, obviously undisturbed by the lack of a verbal answer from his brother.
Loki's carefully blank expression failed at that and he frowned "You cannot perform the simplest incantation. Teaching you to shield Freiya's mind would be next to impossible".
Thor looked a little demoralized by that but he shook his head "I meant for you to help me shield my own thoughts or at least to make them quieter".
Freiya smiled softly at that. She was still surprised that Thor obviously showed no talent at magic while Loki had to be extremely skilled in comparison. It already meant something to her that her brother was showing a will to learn this skill to make it easier for her, no matter if he succeeded at it or not.
Loki still appeared bewildered "And you ask my help for that?"
Thor just shrugged and Freiya strongly suspected he was actually just looking for a way to have an excuse to spend time with Loki. His thoughts earlier had at least led her to the realization that Thor missed the closer relationship he had with Loki many centuries ago.
"An evening full of surprises" Loki commented a lot lower and Freiya was not certain he had actually meant to articulate that out loud, but he resumed his focus on his food, so, the conversation was obviously done with for him.
Freiya began feeling slightly bored by the feast a while later. Loki had been quiet next to her, simply observing the room in silence.
Once Frigga and Odin got up, apparently leaving the feast, Freiya hoped that it would either change the atmosphere or that Loki would wish to leave as well. Weird, how she did not even consider the possibility of staying after he departed.
"How did you like the food?" Loki surprised her by asking.
Freiya wondered if the prince had just been waiting for his adoptive parents to leave. She also wondered how long it would take her to get any moments with them to get to know them without either her freaking out or being in the company of countless others.
She nodded her head to his question after a few seconds "It tasted good" she agreed with a slightly rueful smile "I am still missing something sweet to finish it".
"For example?" he prodded with an intense gaze.
Freiya huffed lightly, surprised a little by how her whole focus seemed to shift in a second. The loud room around her paled as she focused on his almost boyish features and the way he was looking at her "A chocolate souffle would be heavenly now".
She watched him pull a piece of normal bread from a basket, placing it on his own plate and waving his hand over it for a moment and she gasped at how it transformed right in front of her eyes.
The smell was intense in seconds and she smiled brightly as he pushed it closer to her.
The delight on his features appeared honest as well and Freiya immediately took a small spoon and dug into the chocolate souffle. She held it in front of her nose for a second, appreciating the smell.
"I thought you cannot conjure food" Thor commented as he had obviously watched the scene. Freiya noted quickly that all of his friends were watching as well and Loki's expression immediately dulled.
"You never listened to anything our tutor had to say, did you?" Loki commented with a roll of his eyes.
Freiya turned to look back at Loki as she took the first bite and she sighed at the intense taste. It was perfection. "Have you had this before?" she questioned him as she took another spoon.
Loki shook his head in the negative slightly.
"Oh, that cannot stand" Freiya frowned and shook her head before she filled the spoon again and held it up for Loki. She was wondering though how he could do this incantation if he had no idea how it was supposed to taste.
The prince rolled his eyes again and took the spoon from her quickly. His features did show his appreciation though as he indeed tried the foreign desert.
"We might want to introduce some foods from Midgard here" Thor commented "I have tried a lot of different things there by now which are truly noteworthy."