The feast had carried on until the early hours of the morning, and the Sun was already rising by the time Freya staggered from the great hall. Her head was muddy from lack of sleep and the effects of the mead, while her joints ached from all the dancing, but she could not stop grinning and giggling. She had spent most of her night with Hilda and her friends, though she had ended up dancing with a few of the Sakaarians at one point, while even Ragnar had joined them for a short time. Truly she had not felt so happy in a while, and she was looking forward to the next celebration. However, as everyone made their way back to their new homes, Freya found herself getting rather lost inside the building, for all the corridors looked the same, and she had no idea where she was going, especially as the room would not stop spinning. It did not help that she had been rushing with Hilda on her way to the great hall earlier and had barely taken any notice of which way they were going, and now she was acting on guess work. After opening yet another door to a cleaning cupboard, she wondered if there was anyone around to help, and then she heard a very familiar chuckle behind her.

"I take it you are in need of assistance?" He asked, trying not to laugh, while Freya bit her lip with embarrassment, for she had been unaware that she was being followed.

"And you are my charming prince in shining armour, come to rescue me?" She teased playfully.

"I hardly took you for a damsel in distress Freya." He replied, grinning, as he realised he had never seen her so tipsy before. The woman was leaning on the wall now, trying to steady herself, and Loki wondered how she had even managed to make it this far on her own. "Your room is on the next floor up."

"Then I need the stairs." She hesitated, before stumbling down the corridor in the wrong direction. Loki had known that Asgardian mead would have had some effects on the mortal woman, but he had not considered that she would lose her sense of direction. Then again, he thought, Freya had pestered him to let her try it, for Hilda had told her that it was the best mead going, and eventually Loki had given in, even if it was just to shut Freya up. She hadn't even had that much, barely even a sip really, but it was rather amusing to see that he had been right.

"They're this way." He pointed out.

"Oh…" She paused, before giggling again. Rolling his eyes, Loki knew he could not leave her to find her own way back.

"Come on. Let's get you to bed." He said kindly as he took pity on her, and Freya just gave him a smile before following him to her room.


She could scarcely remember any of that when she woke though. Her phone told her that it was somewhere around ten o'clock in the morning, but she had no idea what time she had gone to sleep or how she had even made it back to her room. Events from the feast were all a distant blur, and Freya groaned as she felt the hangover kick in. Her head pounded, and every part of her body ached, while her mouth was as dry as the desert. It had been a very long time since she had let herself get into such a state, and she blamed Hilda for it entirely. The Asgardian woman truly knew how to put Freya at ease, and for a while, she had truly felt like one of them last night. She had been thanked numerous times, and the offers had continued to come throughout the night, which had made Freya truly feel welcome. Though she had made mistakes in the dances, no one had berated her but instead corrected her steps, and by the end of the night she had picked up a couple of the songs too. It had meant that she had let her guard down, and she was almost regretting that now. She wanted nothing more than to burrow back under the covers and go back to sleep, but the pile of boxes in the middle of the room told her that she could not spend the day in bed, no matter how much she wished to. She still had a lot of unpacking to do, especially as work started tomorrow, and so she dragged herself out of the covers, before realising that Sif hadn't woken her up for breakfast. Scanning the room for the cat, she found Sif curled up by a recently filled food bowl, and she smiled before heading for a shower.


An hour later found the Midgardian consultant sitting on the beach, watching the waves crash on the shore as she sipped her tea from her travel mug. She had not bumped into anyone on her walk so far, and for that she was glad, for she was unsure if she would be able to hold a conversation at that moment. She could hear some of the Asgardians moving about in the streets above though, and she was not too surprised to learn that hardly any of them were suffering from last night. Of course, she knew, they were used to these festivities, while she was not. Snippets of the feast had come back to her as she had walked, and she knew that there were plans for these to be weekly occurrences. She just hoped that she would be able to keep up with them.

Her head now feeling much clearer, Freya decided to attempt a walk through the streets to get the lie of the land, and so she headed towards the harbour steps, knowing that she had a limited amount of time before she should be unpacking. Her curiosity had the better of her though, and she wondered just how much time she would have once work started. Seeing a glimpse of movement above her, she smiled as she recognised them and knew they had not noticed her.

"Hello Loki." She greeted, while he looked around him and then frowned as he could not see her. "I'm down here." She waved, while he rolled his eyes.

"How's your head this morning?" He teased as she headed up the steps to meet him.

"Well, the world isn't spinning, so that is at least a bonus." She replied as she joined him on the seafront. "About last night…"

"There is nothing to be said Freya." The Prince assured her. "Though it was rather amusing to see you so unguarded."

"I don't think I can say anything to that." She laughed. "Are you escaping again?"

"I'm just on my daily walk." He told her. "Checking that everyone is settled in, and getting some fresh air."

"Then I won't interrupt it." She told him, already trying to work out where to start with exploring. Loki frowned at this, and watched as Freya walked away, her eyes already on the old church building behind him.

"You could join me if you like." He offered, and Freya was surprised. "I mean, you are unfamiliar with the place, and it may help to…"

"Only if you wish to be my guide." She told him, remembering how he had shown her around Asgard. "And so long as there are no boats this time."

"I would not have offered otherwise." He smiled kindly, and Freya fell into step with him. They walked in companionable silence for a moment, until they reached the church that was to be the Asgardian temple. Loki had noticed Freya looking at it curiously, and he had not been able to resist starting the tour there, for even he had found it to be a rather impressive building considering it had been built by mortal hands.

"You wish to go in?" He asked as they stood on the steps leading inside. Freya's eyes were bright with enthusiasm, and she nodded, while he was reminded of the young mortal woman who had explored Asgard with him. It seemed that some things never changed.

"I could never resist a church." She told him as she opened the heavy oak door. "They are steeped in history and no two are ever the same."

"You have spent much time in these places of worship?"

"When I was younger, and then I started to visit them for historical rather than religious reasons." She admitted, before she took in the scene before her. The whole place was a mixture of Norse and Christian, and she smiled at the carved panels and the stained glass windows. She wandered towards one of the windows, then smiled as she realised she had an audience for once. "When Christianity started to take hold of Europe, the missionaries would often use the myths of those they were trying to convert to persuade them to join the Christian faith." Freya paused, while Loki smiled at how much the woman was in her element. "Churches were often built on sites of non-Christian worship."

"And here?"

"Most definitely." She told him as she located a door and peered down into the crypt, knowing instantly that it was the oldest part of the building. It was dark, and there were no lights, but Loki knew that this would not be a problem. Conjuring a small light in the palm of his hands, he led the way, while Freya gave him a rather unimpressed look.

"Do you want to explore?" He asked as he stood at the base of the steps.

"You know what the agreement says…" She paused, for she truly looked troubled.

"Yes, but did you really expect me to follow every rule?" He replied with a charming smile, before looking at one of the walls. "Is this supposed to be Thor?"

"What does he look like?" Freya asked from the top of the stairs.

"You'll have to come and see yourself."

"Loki, you can't just break the rules like this. If anyone finds out…"

"What they don't know can't hurt them." He said, and Freya gave an exasperated sigh, for he was repeating one of her sister's favourite sayings. However, though she knew she should not be encouraging him, she could not resist seeing what was down there, and so she carefully made her way down the steps.

"One of these days you're going to get me into a lot of trouble." She grumbled, before taking a closer look at the carving in the wall of the crypt.

"And I will just talk us out of it." He shrugged. "I mean, I have no doubt that you will certainly find a way of persuading people to let me go."

"That was just this once." She pointed out, finding the space to be a little claustrophobic with just the small light. Loki stayed nearby though, and Freya had to admit that she was both intrigued and impressed by his magic. She had seen a little of it on Asgard, and he had used some on their way to Wakanda, but she had no doubt she had barely seen any of his skills. "I suppose I should say thank you."

"For getting you down here?"

"I do love a crypt." She admitted, then pulled a face. "That makes me sound weird…"

"You're already weird." He assured her, while she rolled her eyes. "Is this me?"

"A rather early depiction, yes." She smiled, before shivering a little and stepping closer to Loki's side. The crypt was cold, and she felt a little uneasy at being there with just the one light.

"You don't like the dark, do you?" He guessed.

"Let's go back upstairs." She suggested, and he didn't need telling twice.

After half an hour exploring the church, the pair had headed back onto the streets, and by this time most of New Asgard was awake. The moment they had left the church, Freya and Loki had been bombarded with questions, and the Prince had lost track of how many times the Midgardian woman had nipped into a house to help set something up or answer a query. By the fifth or sixth house, Loki was considering abandoning their tour, for it was evident that they would not get very far today. Freya, meanwhile, was wondering if she would get any unpacking done before bedtime, and as she left yet another house, she gave an apologetic smile to the Trickster.

"Shall we run?" She asked as she saw another door open and instinctively knew that they were going to be asked for something.

"That sounds like a plan." He agreed, and he led them down a small side street before they reached the entrance to the palace gardens.

"I guess I shall have to explore another day." She sighed, for her curiosity was not yet satisfied.

"I had no idea you were so popular." He commented as he took them down a particular path.

"Neither did I." She laughed. "Thank you for the tour we did manage."

"There is plenty of time to finish it off." Loki smiled, for he had plans of his own. "You have questions though. What are they?"

"They're mainly to do with the role." Freya admitted. "And what I can and can't do in general. I have some knowledge of your society from when I came to Asgard, but… Well, I don't know everything, and I don't wish to cause any offence."

"You have time to learn." He assured her, having expected this conversation to happen at some point. "And I have no doubt you will have picked some things up already, but I will do what I can to help you."

"I suppose it reflects rather well on you if I do well in my job." She paused, having realised that she had just said her thoughts aloud without meaning to.

"It does." He agreed. "Where shall we start?"

"I should warn you that there are quite a few questions." Freya looked a little worried, before she realised they had come to a stop in one of the corners of the garden. This was a secluded patch away from the palace, and the flowerbeds were full of blooms of every colour, while a small lawn had a picnic set out on it. Loki just grinned as he sat down, while Freya looked incredibly confused.

"Then it is just as well we have some sustenance to get us through." He said, as he helped himself to an apple.

"How did you…?" She asked as she sat opposite him, for she had noticed there was enough food for two people.

"I guessed you would go for a walk at some point." He shrugged.

"And you figured a picnic would make me forgive you for…?"

"I do feel a little guilty about yesterday." He admitted, albeit reluctantly. "Besides, we won't have the opportunity to do this once work begins."

"The rumours are already rather bad. This can only add to them." She pointed out, though she was touched at the thought.

"Let them talk Freya. They are quite tame compared to…" He sighed, for he was rather used to having people gossip about him when they thought he could not hear them. "These questions?"

"Ah, yes…" She paused as she ate a strawberry. "They might seem daft to be honest, but I feel like they need clarifying. I know colours are rather important, and I am guessing that your green and Thor's red are off limits, as is Valkyrie's blue?" Loki nodded. "I think I can work around that. Protocol is another thing. I know you said not to call you sire, but when in company?" She paused. "And what are the most major offences I can commit?"

"You truly have thought of everything, haven't you?"

"I'm an overthinker." She shrugged. "And I had far too much time to dwell on these while I was packing." Loki just shook his head, before answering her. Of course, each answer led to more questions, and the food was almost a distant memory by the time Freya reached her last query.

"I am sure you'll be pleased to hear that this is my last question for today." She said as she realised the time. "My style of dress. Ragnar commented that my outfit was not in keeping and yet…"

"What would you prefer?" Loki asked, and was surprised when Freya looked rather sheepish.

"I have always loved a long gown. I have not forgotten the one I wore when… Well, when I was first on Asgard, and…"

"Then I am certain that no one will have any objections. After all, you will have to immerse yourself fully into our culture if you are to help us adapt to Midgard as best as we can." He assured her, and she grinned at that. Helping to clear everything away, Freya thanked him for his time before explaining that she still had much to do. Loki was content to stay in the gardens for a little longer, for he was still working out what to do with them, and so he walked with her to the fountain before she disappeared inside.

The Trickster was rather glad to have someone he could call his friend, and he had found that time passed quickly when they talked. He had missed Freya's presence while she had been at home, and he was grateful that she had not changed much despite all that had happened in the ten years they had been apart. She was one of the very few people who always had time and a smile for him, and she had such an optimistic outlook on life, which was rather refreshing. He had rarely met anyone with such a kind heart, and he was still unsure what he had done to gain such loyalty. Still, he was not complaining. Loki was rather enjoying spending time with her, for she was a breath of fresh air compared to the Asgardians, and she was the only one of his friends who was truly his. After all, most of his friends had been Thor's to start with, and not one of them had done as much for him as Freya. He truly hoped that he would be able to keep her as a friend, whatever the future held in store, for he knew that they needed her to help them adapt to life on Midgard, and he really did not want to lose Freya after all they had been through.


Freya did not manage to get her unpacking finished on Sunday, although she gave it a good go. Knowing that she had not even touched her office, she had set an early alarm for the Monday morning, and she had been unpacking since half seven, fuelled purely on sugar and tea, while a Disney playlist helped motivate her. Tackling the boxes of books, she happily sorted them out into their categories, and was grateful that she had followed a system as they had been packed. She always found sorting her bookcases to be rather therapeutic, and she lost all track of time as she worked her way through the pile.

This was how she was to be discovered at five past nine, surrounded by piles of books and empty boxes, singing her heart out as she bopped along to the music. Two of the bookcases were already full and organised, while a third was half way there, and she barely heard the knock on the door as she filed another book.

"…just can't wait to be king!" She sang along with Simba, before noticing that she had an audience. She instantly shut up, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment, while her visitor leaned on the doorframe, not attempting to hide his glee at having caught her completely unawares.

"No, no… You don't have to stop on my account." The Trickster drawled, while Freya focused on the task at hand. The God of Mischief was grinning, especially as he listened to the rest of the song, but Freya barely paid attention.

"Can I help you?" She asked after a moment, having regained her composure. "I mean, I'm guessing this isn't just a social call?"

"I take it you lost track of time?" He asked innocently. Freya furrowed her brow as she glanced at her watch and then swore, much to his amusement.

"Oh no… No… Not late on my first day!" She cursed as she grabbed her notebook and phone.

"You're not that late." He pointed out helpfully.

"Not that late, is still late!" She told him, already running towards the conference room, while Loki chuckled. Things were certainly going to be interesting with a Midgardian in their midsts.