As Freya had suspected, the rumours did get worse from that day onwards, but she was determined not to let them affect either her work or her friendship with Loki. She did her best to quell her feelings for the Trickster, but he was making things difficult, for he had started to tease her about her taste in men. Not only that, but she kept finding him reading, which she found incredibly attractive, and her heart raced whenever she saw him playing with Sif or the younger children here in New Asgard. She was starting to suspect that he was doing this on purpose, but she knew she could not give away her true feelings. After all, he would never be hers, and she had no wish to risk losing their friendship over this, but it was fun to dream.
Things in New Asgard were finally starting to settle down too, and Freya's workload was starting to level off a little, for which she was grateful as it meant that it was easier to manage. Though she was still stressed, she was at least well rested, for since Saturday she had not had any nightmares. She had found that talking most of her worries through with Loki and Hilda had helped her far more than she had anticipated, and she did have Astrid's visit to look forward to. Her sister had leapt at the chance of coming to stay, and Freya had spent most of Sunday getting things ready, for she had known that she would not get much chance to do so during the week. She was also trying to work out what to do while Astrid was here, for it had been a while since they had spent a weekend together. Still, Freya knew that regardless of what happened, they were bound to have fun.
The God of Thunder was having a good day, for things had settled down since the weekend, he and Loki had reconciled, and everyone was looking forward to the future. Work had just begun in earnest on the temple, and there were plans being made for constructing more buildings. Things were certainly improving for the Asgardians, and it helped ease the guilt he felt at the destruction of their planet. After all, he had been the one to invoke Ragnarok, and he had decided to bring his people to Midgard without much of a plan. However, it seemed that the Asgardians were finally finding their feet here, and he knew that he owed part of that to their consultant. Though Thor still had his doubts as to Loki's motivations surrounding the Midgardian woman, the King was grateful that Freya had decided to join them. Her knowledge was invaluable, and she had done everything she could to help them. It also helped that she was a good friend to Loki, and Thor wondered what would happen if the consultant ever decided to leave them. After all, she had proven herself worthy of the role, and she would be missed by many. Of that he had no doubt.
Thor also knew that he could trust Freya, for they had spoken on several occasions about things that were confidential, and she had not made any mention of them since. That was why he had made his decision regarding his brother. As well behaved as the Trickster had been since their arrival in New Asgard, Thor knew from experience that it was only a matter of time before Loki did something chaotic, and he was unwilling to lose everything because of it. That was why he had decided to go ahead with this plan, for he had been deliberating about it ever since Freya had accepted the job, as he knew that if anyone could stop Loki, then it would be her.
Friday morning then saw him giving Loki a task in the town, while he went to talk to the consultant. He was not surprised to find her in her garden, sipping tea as she replied to some emails. She smiled when she saw him, and instantly closed her laptop so that he had her undivided attention.
"Hello Freya."
"Sire." She greeted, wondering why the Asgardian King was visiting her. "What can I do for you?"
"I have a task for you." He told her.
"What has he done now?" She asked with a resigned sigh, while he chuckled.
"Nothing." He stated as he inspected one of the growing sunflowers. Freya certainly had one of the loveliest offices and he wondered if she knew that only she had her own dedicated patch of garden. Thor still was not entirely sure why Loki had gone to such efforts for a human, but he was starting to grow suspicious of the pair. Their friendship was certainly getting closer by the day, and yet neither of them seemed to notice.
"Then…?" She queried, before she saw what he was holding. Her eyes widened with surprise as he held it out to her, for she had believed that the item had been destroyed. After all, it had been left on Asgard when she had returned to Earth, and the police had believed that it had been lost in the fight with Caygill… Yet here it was, in one piece and very much as she remembered it.
"I can trust you, can't I Freya?" He asked, while she stared at the artefact.
"You can." She assured him. "But why…? I mean, I had no idea that this survived, and Loki has been fairly well behaved recently…"
"Insurance." Thor said simply as Freya took the sceptre from him. The stone felt cold in her hands, and she tried not to think of all the pain that it had caused her all those years ago. "I know you trust him, but there is always a risk that he will do something and then…"
"You trust me to stop him with this?" She asked, very much uncertain that she would be able to do so, especially given her current feelings towards the God of Mischief.
"You said you would have done when New York was under attack." He pointed out, and Freya knew he was right.
"Does he know about this?" She asked after a moment, still troubled.
"No." Thor paused. "I would prefer it to remain that way."
"Very well." Freya reluctantly agreed.
"Good." He grinned. "I am sure you are a very busy woman, so I won't keep you for much longer."
"The to do list never ends." She told him. "Listen, about the other day…"
"Don't worry about it. I had no idea you had such a temper." He told her. "I am sorry you got caught in the storm though. My brother mentioned your dislike of them."
"I never have liked storms." She explained. "But I knew they would be a relatively frequent occurrence here." He gave a funny smile at that, before they were interrupted by Freya's phone ringing. "Sorry, I had best take this."
"Of course. See you later Freya." He said, before heading back to his own office.
Freya was very confused as she saw Astrid's name flash up on her screen, and she hoped that everything was still alright for this evening. After all, her sister should have been setting foot on a plane right now, and she hoped that her journey would be far less stressful than Freya's had been.
"Hi Astrid. How's it going?" Freya asked as she slipped the whetstone into her work bag.
"Do you ever read your messages?" The youngest Wilkes chastised.
"I've not really had chance to look at my phone." Freya admitted. "Why? Is there anything you need? Any issues at the airport? Or…?"
"Everything is fine." Astrid assured her.
"Then what's up?"
"You should have received a parcel."
"What parcel?" Freya asked, feeling very confused for she was not expecting anything.
"I did explain in the messages." Astrid pointed out, while Freya rolled her eyes. "As you've had a bit of a stressful time recently, I thought I'd send something to cheer you up. Of course, this was before you invited me across."
"You didn't have to." Freya pointed out, though she was touched at the thought. "How do you know it's been delivered?"
"I've just checked the tracking. It should be at reception for you."
"Alright then. I'll grab it after work."
"Freya…" Astrid groaned.
"Can it wait?"
"Not really, no." This piqued Freya's curiosity, for she had no idea what it could be. "Can you go and get it?"
"Alright, I'm on my way." She told her as she headed inside. "I suppose you want me to stay on the phone while I open it too?"
"Uh huh." Astrid said, while Freya rolled her eyes.
"How is your journey going by the way?"
"I'm just waiting for the plane." Astrid said. "It's been a while since I flew anywhere."
"Well hopefully you will have a far better journey than I did." Freya told her as she reached the reception area. A few people were moving about, sorting out things for tomorrow's feast, but as Freya enquired at the desk, she frowned. "Astrid, are you certain it has been delivered? Only they don't seem to have any record of it and…"
"That's because it needs signing for." She was told, and Freya wedged her phone between her ear and shoulder as she reached for the box.
"Do you have a pen?" Freya asked, barely paying attention to anything but the box.
"Freya…" The voice came, but not from the phone. Freya looked up to find Astrid standing there with a bemused smile, and she instantly hugged her.
"What are you doing here? You're not due for…"
"It's good to see you too!" Astrid laughed. "I caught an earlier flight."
"But you don't like early starts…"
"I don't mind when the journey is instant." Freya blinked, then realised what she meant.
"Bifrost?" Astrid nodded. "Well, I suppose you'll want to get freshened up?"
"That would be nice."
An hour later found Freya giving her sister a tour of the palace, with them chatting away about work, life, and things in general. It felt as if a weight had been lifted for Freya, for she was able to have a normal conversation without having to worry about rules or offending someone, and she could just be herself for once. Letting Astrid talk about work for a bit, Freya realised she should probably sign off her emails for the day, and so she steered them towards her office.
"So when do I get to meet the gods?" Astrid asked after a moment, and Freya laughed at the description.
"If not today, then tomorrow certainly." She paused. "They are very busy people, but I'm sure they'll make an exception for me."
"Oh? What makes you so certain?"
"For one, I am friends with them, and for two, I'll have to ask if I can bring you with me to the feast."
"I thought you'd already asked that?"
"I've been meaning to do so all week." Freya admitted as she bit her lip sheepishly.
"Freya…" Astrid groaned.
"I am certain there will be no objections." The women were startled by the voice behind them. "I take it that this is your sister?"
"It is indeed." Freya confirmed. "Loki, this is Astrid." She introduced. "Astrid, this is Prince Loki Odinson of Asgard, God of Mischief and Trickster Extraordinaire."
"It is a pleasure to meet you." Astrid said, holding out her hand.
"The pleasure is mine." He smiled as he shook it. "I take it Freya is keeping you out of trouble?"
"For the time being." She smiled.
"I am giving Astrid a bit of a tour." Freya explained.
"Then I won't keep you." The Trickster paused as he spotted Astrid casting an admiring glance at him. "Just don't forget our lesson on Sunday."
"I'll try not to." Freya smiled, while he headed towards the conference room and Astrid turned to her sister in amazement.
"Handsome, charming, and a prince to boot. I can see why you were so willing to come here." Astrid said before Loki was even out of earshot, and Freya panicked a little. "I'll tell you something, if I had bound him to me, then I would not have been so willing to let him go!" Neither woman heard the Trickster chuckling to himself at this.
"Sshhhhh!" Freya desperately hushed her sister before pulling her into her office.
"What did I do?" Astrid asked, confused.
"You can't… Not when…" Freya sighed as she sank into her office chair, while Astrid gave her a sympathetic look.
"You truly have caught it bad, haven't you?" Freya just bowed her head in response. "Alright then, you can answer me this."
"Go on."
"Is it a rule that all Asgardians are so handsome?" Astrid asked in all seriousness.
"I think it must be." Freya told her, before they burst out laughing.
That evening found the sisters taking over the conference room for a film night. The table had been put to one side, and a sofa had been found so they could curl up on it. Freya had found a couple of blankets for them to use, and they had quite the pile of snacks and popcorn to work their way through. As Astrid set up the film, Freya poured them some wine and wondered if they would be able to get through the evening without being disturbed. After all, wherever they had gone today, someone had stopped to ask her something or just say hello. As nice as it was to be so accepted, Freya did wish to be left alone sometimes.
"Here we go." Astrid smiled as she pressed play, and Freya grinned as she saw that it was one of their childhood favourites.
"Of course you would choose this one."
"Well I figured it was pretty apt, considering you have also given up everything you know for the chance to live in another world."
"Except I am still on Earth, and I didn't do it because of a handsome prince." Freya pointed out, while Astrid regarded her sceptically.
"Didn't you?" Freya's response was to place a finger on her lips, before turning her attention to the young mermaid on the screen.
Saturday morning found the pair walking along the beach, skimming stones and talking about Astrid's plans for the future. After all, they were women of a particular age, and societal pressures said that they should be married and have kids by now. However, Freya had devoted herself to her career, while Astrid had not found the right man yet.
"Sometimes I wish my life was like a fairy tale." Astrid mused as she threw another stone at the water. "I mean, you seem to have managed it."
"I may get to live in a palace and hang out with a prince, but this is no fairy story." Freya told her. "I mean, I don't know what happily ever after looks like, and I am certainly no princess." She paused. "Plus there's no big bad wolf or evil queen here."
"I have no doubt you could rescue yourself if there was."
"We will never be damsels in distress." Freya told her.
"Yet we both long for our knights in shining armour."
"One can dream." Freya pointed out. "Whatever happened to that guy at work? I thought you were dating him?"
"It didn't work out." Astrid sighed. "But it's alright. I'll find my prince eventually."
"I think Disney ruined us for our taste in men." Freya said, and Astrid laughed.
"I can agree with that." They shared a smile, and Freya's mind wandered as they walked in silence for a moment. Freya loved walking along the beach and hearing the waves crash on the shore, but she had rarely seen any of the Asgardians on the sand since they had arrived. Was it because they believed that the water would take them off the edge of the world? Or a fear of the unknown? Or was there some other reason? Freya had no idea, but as Astrid reminisced about childhood holidays and their father's sandcastle building skills, an idea was starting to form in Freya's brain.
"Please tell me you are not cancelling on me again." A voice came from the sea wall above them, and the women turned to see Hilda standing there, her arms crossed.
"Cancelling what?" A curious Astrid asked, while Freya gave an apologetic smile to her friend.
"I'm sorry Hilda. I lost all track of time." The consultant called. "Astrid, this is Hilda. She has been teaching me all about Asgardian culture, including how to dance and what to wear."
"And you cancelled on her?" An unimpressed Astrid asked.
"Last week I did, yes." Freya confirmed.
"Why? Especially when you need all the help you can get!"
"Thanks." Freya huffed playfully, while Hilda giggled at them.
"Mind if I sit in?" Astrid asked, already dragging her sister towards the steps.
"The more the merrier." And so that's how they spent the afternoon, although there was far more giggling and gossiping than learning. By the time of the feast, the three were inseparable, and Freya grinned as Hilda put Astrid through her paces on the dancefloor. Astrid did her best to keep up with everything, but Freya was not too surprised to be escorting a rather tipsy sister back to her room a few hours later.
It was a rather tearful goodbye on Sunday, for Freya had no idea when she would see her family again, and she had rather enjoyed having a few days to just be herself without fear of judgement. She had also really enjoyed showing off her new home and spending time with her sibling, for it had become a rarity as they had gotten older. Freya just hoped that it would not be too long before the rest of her family visited, for she so dearly wished to prove to her parents that she knew Thor and Loki rather well. However, once Astrid was gone, Freya pulled herself together, for she had work to do. The idea about the beach as not leaving her alone, and so she headed to her office, already working out her case.
"And I thought I was the one who schemed and plotted…" Loki commented as he appeared in the open doorway behind her.
"What can I do for you?" Freya asked, barely looking up from her computer.
"You're late for our lesson." He pointed out as he stepped inside.
"I'm sorry. I got distracted by an idea." Freya told him, suddenly very aware of how close he was as he peered over her shoulder.
"It must be a pretty good idea if you had forgotten about me." He said, while she rolled her eyes.
"I've noticed that hardly anyone goes on the beach, and I want to dispel any worries about it, so I figured a field trip might help." She explained.
"A beach is not a field Freya." He told her, while she giggled.
"It's terminology." She smiled. "Field trips were the best parts of school. Our teachers would take us out for the day and we would get to explore somewhere different while learning new things. Children are very curious beings."
"Some remain so, even as they age." He said pointedly.
"Adults are only children grown up." Freya told him. "And I will freely admit to being a big kid. Being an adult with bills and rent and stuff is really no fun… Anyway, I digress. I thought a trip to the beach might benefit the younger residents of New Asgard. Undoubtedly the logistics won't be easy, but…"
"That won't stop you from trying." He paused. "It does seem to be a good idea, but it will be difficult persuading some of the parents and…"
"Loki…" Freya purred as she faced him, her eyes wide and pleading. "Would you be willing to…."
"You are more than capable of persuading them yourself Freya." He told her, somewhat impressed at her tactics.
"Please?" She asked, her voice like honey as she turned on the charm. "I mean, they'll listen to you, and you are the best at talking people into things…" She paused, and Loki had a feeling that Freya would not relent on this.
"What's in it for me?" He asked, while she smiled.
"The happiness of your people."
"And?"
"If you say no, I will just keep pestering you until you say yes."
"That is a fair argument." He paused, while Freya looked at him eagerly. "Alright then. When were you thinking?"
"Two weeks time?"
"I'll see what can be done." He promised, while she grinned, for she knew she had won.
