Freya woke up feeling incredibly cosy, and as she shifted in the soft sheets, she hoped that the events of the last twenty-four hours had all simply been a dream. Rolling over onto her side, she took the blanket with her, and then felt a little confused, for the fabric did not feel like anything she owned. It was far too smooth and of far better quality than she had ever been able to afford, and as her eyelids flickered open, her heart sank. This was not her bedroom. In fact, it was nothing like anywhere she had stayed previously, for this was far too beautiful. Sitting up, she was glad to find that her headache was gone, and then surprised as she was feeling well-rested, which was an increasingly rare occurrence these days. She looked around the room, and wondered what to make of it all. This one room was the size of her entire flat, and everything was covered in gold or carved decoration. The walls held tapestries depicting events from some of the Norse myths, while the furniture was of finely carved wood. She would have guessed oak, except she wasn't sure if they had those here, as she had a good idea that this was not somewhere on Earth. At the end of the bed was a large chest, and this had been draped in a forest green material. A sturdy table stood to one side, with an equally fine chair by it, and she was glad to see a plate of food and a jug of something upon it, for she could not remember when she had last eaten. Climbing out of bed, her bare feet hit the marble floor, and she winced at the cold stone before hurrying across to have food. The jug seemed to contain mead, and she grinned, for that had always been her favourite alcoholic drink of choice. Pouring out a goblet, for she knew she would need something to help her get her head around things, she tucked into a plate of bread and cheese, before helping herself to an apple. Only once her hunger was satisfied did she wander over to the small balcony on the other side of the room, and she steeled herself for the view.
"I don't think this is Earth somehow…" She muttered to herself. All she could see before her was miles of water and rocky outcrops, while the sky was different too. She could faintly see stars that were not familiar to her, and she had a very strong feeling that she was on Asgard. Though she could scarcely believe that this place actually existed outside of the Norse myths, she certainly didn't believe that she was actually here in the golden halls. She hurried back to the basin of water which had been placed at the end of the bed and splashed her face with it.
"Okay, so this is not a dream then…" Freya stood in the middle of the room and wondered what on Earth should be done. It had most definitely been a strange day, and she had no idea what the rest of it held in store. Her cat had turned out to be the God of Mischief, and Thor had stolen the sceptre. She had apparently gotten here via the Bifrost, but she had no idea why she had been given a room. Was she being held prisoner? Did they think that she had kidnapped the Prince? But if she was a prisoner, then why was she not in a cell? Unless this was a cell…. And where was Loki anyway? She knew that there was only one way to get some answers, and so she took another sip of mead to help her nerves before heading to the heavy wooden door to the room.
She was shocked to find that it wasn't locked, and she peered down the corridor to find an armoured guard standing just a little way down. He wore a horned golden helmet, and she simply rolled her eyes, before he spotted her. He marched straight towards her and then offered a slight smile to try not to frighten her too much.
"You are to come with me."
"Where are we going?" She asked, though she was already following him. The corridors were just as fine as the room she had left, though the floor was cold, and the view from the balconies they passed looked amazing. She wished she could have more time to look through them, but the soldier was walking quickly and so she had to half run to keep up with him.
"The Allfather would have words with you." He told her as they turned the corner onto another corridor. Freya gulped nervously, for she knew he was referring to Odin, King of the Gods. It had been bad enough meeting Thor, and she sincerely hoped that she had not angered Odin. She had certainly never intended to summon Loki. All she had been doing was translating an inscription, and then somehow he had become her cat for a few months.
"Where is this?" She asked as they turned down a passage. "I mean, I think I know already, but could you please confirm my suspicions?"
"This is Asgard." He said, and Freya wasn't sure whether to be happy or not. She knew that no mortal would have set foot here for centuries, but that meant that no one would ever believe her when she returned home. That's if she was allowed to go home. Her thoughts were disrupted by the sound of arguing voices, all of them male, and the guard offered her a sympathetic smile. This was it then. She stood still for a moment, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, and then summoned up every ounce of courage she had. She knew that she had not done anything malicious, and she hoped that they would listen to her.
"She kidnapped a Prince of Asgard and then had the audacity to enchant him! She is dangerous, and should be in the dungeons, not here in the palace!" Thor was arguing. His face was red, and it appeared that this discussion had been ongoing for quite some time.
"Freya has done nothing wrong father. She did not mean to summon me, nor did she realise I was even on Midgard until a couple of hours ago." Loki defended calmly.
"She is dangerous!"
"She is not to blame."
"Then why did she have this?" Thor handed the sceptre to his father, who took it and examined it closely. Loki smiled slightly.
"Freya is a student. She has been studying the Midgardian legends of Asgard, and so has been recording certain items. This is but one of many that she has access to." The trickster explained.
"She could summon an army against us!" Thor argued, and Loki laughed.
"Freya? Wage war? No. She may be named for the goddess of war, but she has no taste for it. She is…."
"Allfather, please forgive the intrusion, but you demanded that the girl be brought here once she woke." The guard said, bowing before his king. Freya could only stare in awe at the Allfather, for he was exactly how she had imagined him to be. He wore a golden patch over his right eye which he had sacrificed for knowledge, and his hair was white with age. He wore an exquisite set of armour, complete with a golden cloak, and he held the great spear Gungnir in one hand. Freya suddenly felt rather insignificant and incredibly nervous.
"You are the mortal girl?" Odin asked her, and she nodded.
"I am sire." She said as the guard nudged her forwards. Dressed in leggings and a jumper dress, she felt incredibly out of place. Her eyes flickered to the large gold throne behind him, and she knew he had her life in his hands.
"You are the one who summoned Loki to Midgard?"
"I am, but…" She tried to explain, but he interrupted.
"You have kept him captive these past few months?"
"I suppose I have, but…"
"You dared to come to Asgard?"
"I did not mean to." She admitted. "Sire, if I could please…"
"Enough!" He demanded, banging Gungnir on the floor so that it echoed around the hall. Freya paled as her heart raced, for she knew that this was not good news.
"Father, please, Freya did not keep me prisoner. She did summon me, but she released me from another's curse." Loki explained hurriedly as he took a step forward. Freya instinctively looked at her feet and cursed as she realised she had forgotten to put her shoes on. "In these few months she has done nothing but give me shelter and ensure I was well cared for."
"She…" Thor tried to object, but the glare his father gave him caused him to fall silent.
"Is this true?" Odin asked, and Freya took another deep breath.
"It is sire." She told him. "I did not know that I had summoned Loki until a few hours ago, at which point I discovered that the cat I had taken in three months ago was actually the Norse God of Mischief." She explained, thankful that no one was trying to interrupt her. "I am truly sorry for any hurt or upset I have caused. It truly was not done deliberately."
"Then you do not know what this is?" He asked, holding the sceptre. Freya was glad to see that it had survived its ordeal unscathed.
"It is the reason I followed Thor from my flat." She paused. "It is a priceless artefact, dedicated to Loki and his children in our myths. We do not know its purpose, and until now I was unaware of its ability."
"You plead ignorance?" Odin asked and Thor scoffed.
"It is all lies father."
"I did not know what the runes would do when I translated them." Freya admitted. "If I had then I would have left them well alone." Odin regarded her curiously, then asked yet another question.
"What do you do on Midgard?" he was rather abrupt, and Freya looked a little confused.
"He means your trade." Loki whispered to her after she had been silent for a minute.
"I am a student… A scholar of the Vikings and their legends." She explained.
"So you can read the runes?" Odin asked, and Freya sighed.
"Not without help." She admitted, feeling incredibly worried. Her heart was racing and her breathing was growing quick too. She hated being scrutinised, and right now she felt like her answers would be the difference between life and death. "I truly had no idea that I would summon your son when…"
"You have not only summoned Loki, but bound him to your will." Odin stated.
"What?" Freya, Loki and Thor chorused in various tones.
"I…" Freya was almost speechless, and then she was full of sorrow as she turned to look at the trickster. "I am so sorry. It was never my intention…"
"How do we undo this?" Loki asked, ignoring Freya's apology.
"Is there a way to undo it?" Freya asked hopefully. She did not wish to keep the man against his will any longer than absolutely necessary. It was bad enough that she had kept him as her pet for so long.
"You truly did not mean to do this, didn't you?" Odin looked thoughtful and then sighed.
"I only wished to gain some extra marks for my dissertation…" She admitted, fiddling with the cuff of her sleeve.
"You do not know how to reverse it?"
"I'm afraid I don't."
"Then I have no option but to keep you here on Asgard until we find a way to break the bond." Freya's eyes widened as she realised what he was saying. Thor was instantly arguing for her to be thrown into the dungeons, while she was more concerned about the amount of work she would have to catch up on, and how her cat would fare without her.
"There is a way to undo it, isn't there?" Loki asked, and Odin sighed.
"I certainly hope so."
