Freya found herself alone a few minutes later. The royal family had gone their separate ways without her noticing, for she was far too lost in thought. She was glad that she had not been thrown in the dungeons like Thor so dearly wanted, yet she was still trapped here. She would not be able to return home until this binding was undone, and she knew that it could take a long time to find the answer. After all, she had no idea how to break the bond, and it would appear that even the Allfather was unsure. She could only pray that a solution would be found soon, for she had no wish for her family to worry about her missing, and she still had a cat to look after, let alone the fact that she had a lot of work to do. But then she did have a once in a lifetime opportunity here. Sure, no one would believe that she had ever set foot in the legendary realm full of golden halls and heroes, but that did not stop her from wishing to explore. Would she be allowed to look around? Or was she to be trapped in a room? The sound of more arguing snapped her back to reality, and she knew she ought to find her shoes as her feet felt as cold as ice.
A moment later found the mortal girl wandering back down the corridor the guard had brought her down, and she could not help but admire some of the decoration on the columns. She hovered by one about half way down, for she could see a balcony beyond it, and the view looked out to the citadel and the Bifrost beyond. It truly was beautiful, but the two men were stood on it, and she did not want to interrupt. She turned to go, and then felt her heart stop as a very large hammer flew millimetres past her nose.
"You! Girl! Come here now!" She was commanded, and Freya gulped nervously. She felt incredibly afraid of this man, and yet she found herself following his order. She came to a stop a metre away from him, and was only a little relieved to see Loki standing behind him.
"I'm telling you brother, she has done nothing wrong."
"You will undo your work, witch, and if any harm befalls my brother then you will suffer for it." He warned.
"I am truly sorry for…" But the god of thunder had already stormed off, and Freya shivered. Loki looked at her then and sighed.
"I am sorry for his behaviour. You have done nothing to…"
"He is protecting his brother. It is what siblings do." She said after taking a few calming breaths and using a column to support herself. "I am truly sorry for…"
"You should change." He interrupted, while she looked confused. "Or at the very least put something on your feet."
"If I knew where my room was then…" He simply gestured for her to follow him, and so she did, struggling to keep up with his long strides. Within a few minutes they were at the room where she had woken, but the journey had been in silence. Though she wished to apologise to him, she had been unable to keep up and it seemed he had purposely remained out of earshot.
"Here we are." He said as he opened the door. Freya caught her breath back and then hesitated in the doorway.
"I am…"
"I will be back in a moment." He told her, before heading down the corridor. Freya shook her head, feeling incredibly confused as she could not read him, but then figured he would possibly be as shocked and surprised as she was. Yes, today had been crazy for her, but Loki had only just returned to his normal form when he had been snatched away and then told he was bound to a mortal's will. Sighing, she headed inside and retrieved her socks and shoes, smiling slightly as she felt her feet start to return to a normal temperature. Then she sat down, and tried to deal with the thoughts racing through her mind. Just how had she managed to have a God of Mischief live with her for so long without her noticing that something was wrong? And how had she bound him to her? She was no sorcerer, for they only existed in books and films. The main question though was how would they undo it? She had no wish to keep Loki bound to her, and she wanted to return home as quickly as possible. As much as she would love to explore Asgard, she needed to focus on undoing the work which the sceptre had done. She sighed then, for she still had no idea if she was to be a prisoner or a guest during her stay here. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn about the accuracy of the Norse myths, and yet… Yet she was not supposed to be here.
"You should get changed." Freya looked up a moment later to find Loki standing just in front of the door, and he smiled warmly at her.
"Sorry?" She asked, not sure that she had heard him correctly, and confused as she had not heard the door open.
"Well, it is your choice, but it will be easier to go unnoticed if you are dressed like one of our ladies." He shrugged, but her interest had been piqued.
"Where are we going?"
"You will see." He teased, but Freya sighed.
"I have nothing to change in to."
"Try the chest." He said before disappearing. Freya stared at the spot in confusion for a moment, before shaking her head and finding that the green fabric on the chest was actually a dress. She swapped her jumper for it, and then grinned for it was a beautiful gown. It was full length, and the bodice sat perfectly against her torso while the skirts came out around her hips much like the Medieval dresses she loved. It was also in her favourite colour, which was especially a bonus, and the fastenings at the back were easy to sort unaided. Once she had gotten over the fact that she got to wear such a beautiful gown, she headed over to the door and found Loki leaning on the wall opposite.
"Will I do?" She asked, noticing that he too had changed into something more comfortable.
"Not without this." He handed her a black hooded cloak and she put it on. "That's better."
"Where are we going?"
"Well, you are to be a guest while a solution is found, and I figured you would like to see some of what this realm has to offer." Freya stared at him as she tried to take in this information.
"I am to be a guest?" he nodded. "Why? Surely I should be punished for what I have done to you. I…"
"Your knowledge may be required to reverse what you have done." He stated as he began to walk down the corridor, this time slowing his pace. "As such, it was thought wise to allow you the freedom a guest has, for it may help to come up with a solution."
"I am truly sorry for what I have done." She apologised, and he gave a slight bow of his head. "If I had known what I had done when you first arrived then…"
"There is nothing to be done about that now."
"I am truly ashamed that I have kept you as my pet for…"
"You ensured that I was kept safe and well cared for during my time as a cat." He told her. "And I realised very early on that you had no idea what you had done."
"I really didn't." Freya sighed as she tried to match his pace and struggled, for her feet kept catching on the hem of the skirt.
"I must thank you for allowing me to stay under your roof, even if I was a cat."
"From the sounds of things, you didn't really have a choice." He had come to a stop at one of the balconies, for which Freya was grateful. Loki leaned on the railing, smiling as he took in the view before him, while Freya took a proper look at him. He was certainly handsome, with chiselled cheekbones, raven hair, pale skin and the most beautiful green eyes. He was not as muscular as his brother, but she had no doubts that he was strong, and his clothes were perfectly tailored to his body. He wore a dark green tunic with gold embellishments and black trousers with leather boots which accentuated his slim yet well-toned body. Freya could scarcely believe that this man had slept in the same bed as her for the last three months without her knowing, and then she blushed as she realised that he had seen her in many different states. She wrapped her arms around her body, suddenly feeling rather vulnerable, for he knew all about her and yet she knew very little of him.
"I have missed this view." Freya turned her attention away from the Prince and then smiled as she took in the view. It was truly awe inspiring, for the citadel seemed to stretch for miles, and in the distance she could see the Rainbow Bridge. Water seemed to cover the rest of the land, and she wondered if the tales were true about the waterfalls at the end of the world. In the courtyard below a number of men were training, and she could see a few people hurrying between places. Freya watched as servants ran to fetch things, and then turned to find Loki watching her.
"This is truly breath taking." She admitted, her eyes full of wonder.
"Then where would you like to go?" He offered.
"Surely we should be focusing on undoing this binding, and not exploring…" She said, though the offer was incredibly tempting.
"Have no doubt Freya, the moment that it is undone, you will be returned to Midgard without a second's thought." He warned, and she felt a little hurt at this. He shook his head and softened a little as he saw the sorrow in her eyes. "Though if it were up to me then you would be allowed to stay for as long as you wish."
"Why?"
"I have grown to understand you during my time as your cat. I know your nature, your hopes and wishes, and your dreams. I know that you have always wished to see Asgard, ever since you were a small child, and I would like to ensure that you get that chance." He paused. "That's why I ensured you stayed with us on the Bifrost."
"You know, a lot more is starting to make sense now that I know you weren't actually a cat." She admitted as she leaned on the railing too. "Like how you were so picky about food, and why you hated being moved." She subconsciously rubbed the scar on her arm. "And why you were so interested in my work."
"I thought that if I could get you to realise the truth then perhaps…"
"Well, I am sorry for treating you as I did."
"And I am sorry for hurting you." He apologised. "I was unused to being picked up."
"It's nothing that won't fade in time." She shrugged. "Besides I'm covered in other scars from my other cats."
"You truly love them, don't you?"
"I do find them adorable." Freya smiled. "And my parents always teased that I should get enough to pull a carriage." Loki laughed.
"Why did they name you after the Goddess of Love and War?" He asked after a moment, and she shook her head.
"You would have to ask them." Freya pointed out. "Though I believe they just liked the name. I think they regretted it when I decided to start reading the Norse myths." She paused. "How did you get stuck as a cat?"
"It was the same day you first summoned me, though I never did see who was responsible for it." He explained. "It was hardly an accident that you gained a new cat the same day you summoned me."
"So someone is responsible?" She asked, trying to think who would have been in the university that day.
"I believe so." He bowed his head, before looking back out at something in the distance.
"And you were bound to me at that point?"
"I was." He sighed. "It is no coincidence that you found me outside your flat."
"The storm I am guessing was your brother's work?" he gave a slight nod. "But you could not shift back."
"You do not seem surprised."
"It has been a very strange day. I doubt much would surprise me." She laughed. "After all, until this morning Asgard was just a myth, and now here I am. I have discovered that the Norse gods actually exist, and I apparently managed to have one live under my roof without realising."
"I am presuming there are certain things you would like me to forget about these past few months." He guessed while she flushed red and nodded. "Very well."
"Where exactly does the water go?" She asked after a moment, and Loki smiled.
"You had best follow me."
Half an hour later found the pair sitting in a boat. Freya was staring at the citadel and admiring the architecture, while Loki focused on steering them across the water. He was a good tour guide, pointing out various items of interest and telling her stories, and Freya was very attentive. She wished she could have more time to explore without having to worry about finding a way to reverse the binding, but she very much believed that Odin would return her to Earth without a second's thought the moment his son was released. After all, she only a lowly mortal, and these were Gods. Odin was the king of the Nine Realms, and she was only an insignificant human.
"To the left is the Bifrost. You travelled in it earlier." Loki explained after a moment, though Freya was struggling to hear him over the roar of water. "And behind you is the end of the world." She turned to look and quickly regretted it. What had been calm water had quickly disappeared and been replaced with a fast-moving current which was dragging the boat with it. Loki was grinning, but Freya was panicking, for she could see the point where the water fell away quickly approaching.
"Loki!" She yelled, hoping that he would turn back and get them to safety.
"You may want to hold onto something!" He called as the boat moved closer and closer to the edge. Freya's heart was in her mouth as she clutched tightly onto her seat, praying that she would she survive this. Loki was clutching onto the oar, grinning like this was just a bit of fun, and then the boat tipped. Freya screamed, before everything turned to darkness….
