The first day was about as hard as Freya had expected it to be, and though she felt bad for being late for the morning meeting, she had soon gotten into the swing of things. There was much to be done to convert the buildings for Asgardian purposes, and there were very many questions, but Freya did her best to answer them. For most cases, it was a simple task of finding an alternative to what had been available on Asgard, but there were a few where it was not quite so easy. Though Midgard did have similarities with the Golden Realm, there were also major differences. The wildlife was one of them, as was the landscape and the weather, and they were too late into the year to start growing crops. It meant finding other things for the farmers to do, and Freya had spent most of the afternoon sending emails to ask for help. By the end of the day, she wanted nothing more than a hot bath and a large glass of wine, but neither would be possible until a lot later, for she had promised to visit some of the houses and explain some things. This was the problem with being the human consultant. Though SHIELD and the Norwegian government had agreed to help with certain things, some of the simplest requests required far too much paperwork. Certainly, in the time it would take to fill out the forms, Freya could have the thing done and explained three times over.
As the days wore on though, the Midgardian consultant was starting to feel very out of her depth. Though she had managed to muddle her way through the council meetings, her workload kept increasing and she was struggling to keep on top of all of the requests. She had spent most of her evenings helping at the cottages and teaching some of the palace staff about Midgardian foods, and she had rarely not seen midnight. By Friday, she was exhausted, and she knew that her weekend would not offer her much respite, for she still had the last of the unpacking to do, along with starting her lessons with Loki and Hilda, and there was a feast in honour of the fallen too. Next week saw her evenings filling up with lessons, and though she was excited to learn everything possible about the Asgardians and their way of life, she wondered if she would ever get some time to herself. She had tried to snatch half an hour each morning just to be alone, but she had rarely made it to the harbour before she was joined by someone. Freya had even tried to hide in her garden on her lunchbreak, but it had not been long before Loki had found her. Although she would not normally complain about spending time with the Trickster, Freya knew that she could not keep going on like this. She needed to be able to do something that wasn't work or sleep, and, so far, she had not been able to find any semblance of balance. She just prayed that she would be able to figure it out soon.
The first week was most definitely the most difficult for all involved. While Freya was struggling to adapt to her new role, the Asgardians were trying to come to terms with the differences in technology and the availability of things. Alternatives were desperately being searched for, but it was hard to accept that they may never come across the same foods or flowers or animals that had been freely available on Asgard. Even the landscape was different, for the water did not run off the edge of the world, and this only served as a constant reminder that Asgard was gone. However, every resource had been pooled together, and roles were found for every individual. Thankfully not many had to find new skills, but there were still a few who needed to find something of value to occupy their days.
The most infuriating thing though was the sheer number of meetings. It seemed that every minor decision required at least an hour of discussion, and Loki was growing bored of it all. Of course, it did not help that his every move was being watched, or that he could not use his magic. As sorely tempted as he was to cast an illusion and send an imitation of himself to the Council meetings, he knew that he would be imprisoned indefinitely if he was discovered, and he would never hear the end of it from Freya. She had already given him enough of an ear-bashing after the stunt in the crypt, but he had been unable to resist. His seidr was part of his very being, and he was no less able to stop using it than Thor was able to not use thunder. It was impossible, and though he was trying his best, he could not stop himself at times. He was, after all, a trickster and a rule-breaker by nature. To expect anything less of him… Well, you'd have to be a fool.
Freya found that the first few weeks flew, and before she knew it, a month had passed by. She had finally started to find a balance between work and her social life, and she was feeling rather settled in her role. Not only had she gotten the hang of her new job, she now knew the layout of New Asgard relatively well thanks to Loki and Hilda showing her around, and she had a good idea of Asgardian culture thanks to all the lessons she had been given so far. Ragnar and Hilda had been more than willing to help her, and Freya had also managed to befriend the chief cook, Thyra. This was of great benefit to everyone, for Thyra had been able to adapt Asgardian recipes to Midgardian foods, while Freya had been able to bake whenever she wished. Whenever Freya wasn't learning or working, she was to be found swimming in the pool, reading in the library, or walking on the beach, and she was feeling rather content. Of course, she did miss home, and it was not easy being the only human living among the Asgardians, but this was a relatively small price to pay in the long run.
However, it was growing increasingly difficult to spend time on her own, and she knew she needed time to think. Freya had spent much of the last week feeling exhausted, and she had barely slept thanks to nightmares about Thanos and Ragnarok. Not for the first time did she wonder if it had been a wise idea for Loki to show her everything, and she had no idea how to deal with such things. She had thrown herself into her work as a distraction, but she knew she could not carry on like this, and so she decided to take a day just for herself. There would be no work, no meetings, no fixing things in houses… Just time for her to come up for air and figure things out. She had thus cancelled her dancing lesson with Hilda, and Loki had postponed their usual Saturday meeting. With her day clear, Freya had seized the opportunity to go for a walk, for she still had not been able to explore all of New Asgard, and she knew that the fresh air and a change of scenery would let her think.
Half an hour later found her sitting by an outcrop of rock at the clifftop, watching the waves as she tried to clear her mind. She had managed to avoid everyone on her way here, for she had taken the long route around the outskirts of town, followed by a short walk through the woods, and she wondered if anyone would miss her if she skipped the evening feast. It was nice to have some solitude for once, and she breathed in the salty sea air, content to spend an hour or so here while she figured out what to do. The nightmares were bad enough to contend with, but doubled with homesickness and the fact that she still felt a little out of place… Well, not for the first time was Freya questioning if this had been the right thing to do.
There was much that was bothering her, and she knew that there were some things she could not do anything about. Though Loki had promised that the rumours would eventually stop, they had not done so yet, and if anything, they were getting worse. The people were gossiping as much about Thor and Valkyrie as they were about her and Loki, but they were truly beginning to get to Freya. She had not had to deal with such things before, and so she had no idea how to quell the gossip without losing her friendship with the God of Mischief. The best parts of her working days were spent in his company, and she had no wish to change that.
Astrid had suggested that the reason that she was so troubled by these rumours was because a part of her wished that they were true. Freya had only been seeking advice, and yet when Astrid had seen a picture of the pair together at one of the feasts, she had just pointed out that they weren't helping the gossip at all. The consultant had just changed the subject, and only once the phone call was at an end did she finally sigh. Freya knew that her sister was right, but she was also aware that she had to stop those feelings from growing out of hand, especially because nothing good could come of them. Freya continually reminded herself that it was just a stupid crush, and that she was a grown woman, not a teenage girl any more. She should be looking for someone to settle down and enjoy the rest of her life with, not fantasising about something that was completely unattainable. He was the God of Mischief after all, and she was just a lowly mortal woman. Even if he did feel even the slightest bit the same for her, it was only bound to end up in tears.
Of course, it did not help that they were also spending so much time together both when working and in their spare time. Loki had recently taken to walking with Freya to meetings in a morning, especially as their offices were next door to each other, and they tended to share their lunch breaks in her garden. When they weren't discussing work or diplomacy, they were talking about other things, and Freya was grateful that he had not yet abandoned her in her work. She had half expected him to step back when their meetings had begun, and yet he had simply stepped up, making sure that she had everything she needed to succeed. He was truly attentive, and he never made Freya feel bad for disturbing him with questions, of which she still had many.
He also always found her during the feasts, often spending time on the balcony as she talked him through the constellations or pointed out various birds, while he explained the different songs and their lyrics to her. Both had the same thirst for knowledge, and Freya was always happy to indulge the Prince. Their Saturday morning meetings often started by discussing protocol, but they somehow always managed to talk about something entirely different by the time Freya was due elsewhere. She had to admit that she had been surprised to discover that Loki's room was just two doors down from hers, and it was also only a little larger, though he had a far better view of the seafront and a much bigger balcony. More often than not they spent their mornings having breakfast on the balcony while discussing the plans for New Asgard, and Freya wondered just how much longer this would carry on for. The Trickster seemed to be snatching whatever time he could get with her, and Freya was not complaining, for she was glad to have such a good friend. She just wished that it could be something more, but she knew that reality meant she had to get past this crush. Picking at the grass, Freya gave a heavy sigh. Of all the men that she could fall for, why did it have to be him?
Loki gave an exasperated sigh as he waited for his brother to join him. The first month had been hard for all of them, but things were finally starting to fall into place. He was rather proud of how much they had accomplished in such a small space of time, and how restrained he had been in bending the rules too. He was pleased that Freya had settled into her new role, and that she had been welcomed with open arms, while his people were finding their feet in this new land. However, not everything was going so well, and he truly hoped to rectify that today. He had been somewhat relieved when Freya had asked to postpone their meeting, for this gave him the perfect opportunity to try and make amends with Thor. Though the brothers had not gotten on particularly well with each other in recent years, they had been thrust together to run New Asgard, and their resentments were only growing. Thor still blamed the God of Mischief for Odin's demise and Ragnarok, let alone the attack on the ship and New York, and his anger was only growing by the day. Meanwhile Loki held him responsible for the destruction of Asgard and he had never forgiven him for what had transpired since he had fallen from the Bifrost. The Trickster knew that it was only a matter of time before there was a major argument, for Thor's temper was bound to get the better of him, and there was only so much that anyone could do to placate either of them. They had spent much of the last week avoiding each other if they could, and when they couldn't, they were snapping at each other. Loki could not help but goad his brother on, for that was part of his nature, and yet… Yet he knew he would be at a terrible disadvantage if Thor's temper snapped while he was around. After all, though Thor could use his lightning, Loki could not use his seidr.
As a peace offering then, Loki had suggested that they figure out the memorial for Odin. He had cleared their morning of all plans and had made sure that they were not disturbed as they walked up to the top of the cliff. The remnants of Mjolnir had long been moved, and there were plans to have it remade, but this was undoubtedly the place where they had spent Odin's last moments. Neither of them had known then quite what was to unfold after, and yet… Yet Loki had not been surprised to learn that the Allfather had been lying to them both. Though he was the God of Lies, at least he was truthful about the most important things, unlike Odin who had lied about stealing Loki from Jotunheim and the fact that they had a sister…
"Why have you brought us here?" Thor demanded, already suspecting some cruel trick and not in the mood for any games.
"I thought that this may be the best place for a memorial. I know it has been debated for quite some weeks, but ultimately it is your decision. Might I be so bold as to suggest something along the lines of a statue, or a runestone, or…" The Trickster replied, desperately trying not to snap back. For once he was actually trying to be nice to his brother, but it seemed the God of Thunder was having none of it.
"And you certainly are knowledgeable about statues." Thor said snidely. "Tell me, just how much did the golden one cost? How long had you left our father in exile before you did that?" Thor paused, while Loki was already resigned to his fate as he saw the clouds darken. Thor's fists were sparking with small strands of lightning, and the Trickster knew that it was only going to get worse. "You know that you are the one responsible for all of this. Had you not cast our father aside then…"
"Ragnarok still would have happened." Loki pointed out, thankful that he had chosen to wear his armour today. His daggers were already in his hands, though he had no wish to use them. He was only just about recovered from his encounter with Thanos, and he was in no hurry to suffer any more pain.
"You cannot know that."
"Neither can you." Thor was not happy at this response.
"You are the one who caused the other realms to fall to chaos. If it were not for you, then our ship would have been left alone. If you had just…" The sky roared with thunder, and Loki knew that there was no way out of this one.
"If I had just what, Thor?" He asked, his patience wearing thin.
"If you had just stayed on Sakaar then…"
"Then our people would have died on Asgard." Loki pointed out, unwilling to be blamed for everything. "I am the one who brought a large enough ship after all." Thor's eyes narrowed, and the Trickster knew that although he was right, it was not helping matters. More thunder filled the sky, and the sparks around Thor were growing larger, while Loki instinctively took a step backwards.
"Must we do this?" The God of Mischief asked, hoping to avoid a physical fight, although he was already prepared for one. Thor's response was to tackle him to the ground.
Thor's response was to tackle him to the ground.
