I'm sorry guys, I've been pretty busy over the last few weeks. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long :D

ENJOY!

Chapter 49

One week after Frigga's birthday, Heimdall informed the court that the Dwarfs had finished Frigga's armour and insisted on bringing it to Asgard themselves. As a result, Loki ordered another banquet in honour of their guests from Nidvellir, the realm of the Dwarfs.

The young king understood that the Dwarfs were only seeking more publicity, so he invited inhabitants from across the befriended realms, using the official announcement of the new princess of Asgard as an excuse.

And so it came to be that little Frigga, standing next to Loki's throne, more excited than ever before, watched the guests enter the room. From Vanaheim came the Drottinn family, being one of the richest of the realm. Frigga had to admit they seemed rather cocky. From Alfheim came the Light Elves. There were five of them. It was the first time Frigga'd ever laid eye on an Elf and she was speechless. The Elves were exceptionally tall. Taller than Loki, taller than her father… Besides that, they almost seemed to float in their long silver robes and spread a soft white glow everywhere they went. Their eyes were as light as their long blond hair. Their faces showed little emotion, but were perfect in every way. It was almost as if Frigga was staring at a bunch of beautiful statues.

The Light Elves strode through the room until they reached the throne where Loki awaited them with a kind smile playing on his lips.

"Lord Melrakki, I welcome you and your fellowship to Asgard. Please honour us by staying with us a few days. Asgard will be your home."

The tallest Elf smiled softly. Lord Melrakki was as perfect as his fellow Elves, yet he seemed older. Especially his big white eyebrows attracted Frigga's attention. His light eyes pierced into Loki's. When he spoke, Frigga thought she heard the wind speak.

"My king… Loki, Son of Odin and known Trickster…" Melrakki said softly. "Your reputation has not faded throughout the years, nor have you left any doubt about your… abilities."

Loki forced a smile on his face. The Elves were mysterious creatures. Some were believed to be able to read minds. They knew ones deepest secrets and could not be fooled. Odin had never fully trusted the Light Elves, just because they seemed to know more than the Allfather was prepared to share. Loki had always believed the Elves were capable of reading signs that were invisible even to him.

Therefore, the young king understood the full meaning of what the Elf meant by "his abilities" and Melrakki knew he didn't have to explain any further.

For a second the corners of Melrakki's thin lips twitched up, but his carved out face quickly returned.

"Word has come to my people that you have succeeded in returning our precious Valkyrja Stone to its original state. I am most curious about how exactly you managed to vanquish the Dark Elf Magic."

Loki smiled. He knew where this was going. "I am certain we will have enough time to discuss these matters over a fine meal, my good lord Melrakki."

The Light Elf nodded almost invisibly.

Loki looked down for a second, silently happy that he could avoid those cold stares for a second.

"May I introduce, Princess Frigga, daughter of Prince Thor Odinson, Asgardian, and Jane Foster, Midgardian," he said with a smile while gesturing to the nervous girl next to him.

The Elf looked down, his companions silently followed his stare.

Frigga timidly shuffled with her feet now that those creepy silver eyes were fixed on her. Lord Melrakki observed her for a second before an almost invisible smile cut through his perfect face. The Light Elf bowed his head.

"It is truly an honour to meet you in my lifetime, Your Majesty," he said.

Frigga frowned. Partly because the Elf had called her "Your Majesty", which sounded extremely old, but also because she had the feeling this Elf already knew her.

"You… you knew I was… errr… coming?" she asked rather abruptly. The Elves behind Melrakki seemed shocked, for as far as their stone faces allowed any emotion. Frigga felt her throat run dry.

"Sir…" she quickly added. The Light Elf didn't show any sign of anger.

"We Light Elves know things that are, things that have been, things that could have been, things that will be and things could be… Your existence has been foretold, just as your father's and his father before him."

Frigga stared at the Elf in awe, not fully understanding what he was saying. She didn't notice Loki roll his eyes next to her.

Melrakki gave Frigga some time to process before continuing. A slight frown appeared on his perfect forehead. "Nevertheless… the universe holds many secrets, even to those who claim to know them…"

Frigga felt a bit uneasy. The Elf was not making any sense to her. Melrakki's silver eyes never left her face and wherever she tried to look, his stare stayed put.

It stayed silent for a second and Melrakki seemed to be lost in thought.

"A great power dwells over you, child," he suddenly continued, even more silent than before. "Only time will show its potential and purpose."

Frigga swallowed. Melrakki was starting to scare her.

"Thank… thank you.. sir…" she stuttered. Without realising she grabbed hold of Loki's trousers next to her, if only to feel some comfort under the Elf's cold stare.

Melrakki's eyes finally left Frigga's face and fixed on something above her. In a flash he raised his hand and softly touched Frigga's silver crown which she was wearing. The gift from Hogun.

The Light Elf's long fingers caressed the sparkling diamonds in the silver vines. Again his mouth twitched in a dreamy smile.

"Stars of Morginn" he whispered. Afterwards he turned his silver gaze back on the little girl.

"You are a child of Light, Frigga Foster. A Diamond Star…" he said as if Frigga was supposed to understand his riddles.

Without another word, Lord Melrakki turned on his heels and soundlessly walked away. His quiet fellow Elves bowed their heads and followed, leaving Frigga stunned and slightly terrified.

Only when Loki had kneeled down and had put his hands on her shoulders, did Frigga notice that she was shivering all over her body. Loki smiled warmly.

"Don't you worry, Frigga. They like to show off. Lord Melrakki in particular. Luckily for us, they prefer their boring perfect home world and leave us alone most of the time."

Frigga finally stopped shivering. "What did he mean by 'a great power' and that time thing… And what is a child of light?" she asked. For a second Loki's eyes turned dark, but it happened so quickly that Frigga blamed her imagination. The young king smiled softly and raised his shoulders.

"If we only knew… Like I said, all a show. They think themselves so smart, but if you ask me they don't even understand what they're saying half of the time."

Frigga smiled back. One thing was certain: she didn't like that Lord Melrakki!

Suddenly Thor and Jane appeared. Thor was carrying a fresh goblet of wine and smiled at his brother before petting his daughter on the head.

"What did we miss?" he asked innocently. Loki rolled with his eyes and sighed.

"As if you still need to ask. Of course the great God of Thunder accidentally disappears when the Light Elves enter the room!"

Thor grinned widely. "What can I say? My throat was in desperate need of some refreshment!" he declared while raising his cup. "And besides: it is better if Frigga meets Lord Melrakki without my bad influence."

Loki smirked. "Mother warned you… Elves don't easily forget. If only you had shown the same respect as I did…"

Thor growled. "Yes, thanks for that reminder, brother. Excuse me if I can't be bothered with some stargazing creeps…"

Loki only grinned and Thor turned pale. Both his wife and daughter were staring at a point just behind him.

"… which is of course a fine art, just like any other…" he quickly added.

Lord Melrakki's dreamy voice sounded from behind his back.
"I can see the stars forgot to mention the lack of brain cells you still suffer from, Thor the Thunderer…" he said in what Frigga could only describe as a dark tone which surprised her. She looked back at her father. Thor smiled dryly.

"I do hope our … misunderstandings in the past won't interfere with this night of celebration…" he said rather sternly. Lord Melrakki smiled softly.

"Obviously… no child can chose its parentage…"

Thor almost turned purple, but managed to remain calm. Lord Melrakki turned his gaze on Jane and smiled softly. Afterwards he looked back at Frigga and bowed his head before walking away.

The four of them stayed silent for a moment.

"You brainless imbecile!" Loki hissed after a couple of seconds. Thor looked up, showing his most innocent smile possible.

The young king rolled his eyes. "You'll get us into a war one day!"

"Says the man who got Frost Giants into Asgard!" Thor threw back.

Loki sighed. "A joke, Thor! And I wasn't the one who decided to start fighting off the whole of Jotenheim!"

Thor just ignored Loki and drank from his goblet. His wife finally managed to rip her eyes from the five Light Elves who were walking through the room, introducing themselves to the other guests.

"Nope.." she said. "I don't like them…"

The next one to make their way to the throne were of course the Drottinn family from Vanaheim who had found it necessary to first introduce themselves to the other guests – aka potential future clients – before meeting the new princess.

After the Light Elves, the little girl didn't feel like anything could surprise her anymore. Yet, the Drottinn family really overdid themselves. Not only were they, as Frigga had expected, extremely cocky, they were also rude, laughed at everyone including Frigga and Loki without shame and only attempted to sell Frigga some personal training grounds on Vanaheim.

The young princess was happy that her uncle and parents were at her side now. They could handle all this grown up stuff like saying "NO!" for example.

When every important soul had had a chance to feel more important, Frigga finally saw the ones she been waiting for the entire evening: The Dwarfs. Of course it wasn't the first time she'd seen them, but now that they had left their dark tunnels of Nidvellir and entered the light halls of Asgard, Frigga was once again taken by surprise. The Dwarfs had a rather small build, hairy faces and hands and a pair of dark glistening eyes under their massive eyebrows. They obviously had dressed up for the occasion, but the dirt covering their skin would probably never fade. There were three dwarfs. The first one was the tallest of the lot. His wild blond hairs and beard were both bound together in a scruffy braid. He wore a dark red vest above a pair of dark trousers. Around his neck twinkled a golden chain embellished with numerous diamonds and precious stones. He marched inside with big steps. Behind him followed two other dwarfs who looked quite alike. They both had dark black hair, dark eyes like beetles and big hands. Frigga had met both of them. They were named Brokkr and Eitri and they were twins. They were famous for their craftsmanship and had forged many of the royal weapons and armours.

The twins were dragging along a big bag, bound together with a long rope. When the three Dwarfs had reached the throne they bowed for Loki and turned to Frigga who smiled brightly.

"Princess Frigga!" the blond one shouted loudly. "It is an honour to meet you and see your famous beauty for myself!"

Frigga blushed and muttered a word of gratitude.

The blond Dwarf continued. "My name is Hreidmar and I am the Dwarf King!"

Brokkr sniggered. "Yes, when he feels like it!"

His brother laughed loudly and Hreidmar threw both of them a meaningful glare, although he was obviously enjoying the joke himself. He turned back to Frigga.

"Just like ordered we forged our best armour yet!" he said pompously while Brokkr and Eitri lifted the packed once more and dropped it in front of Frigga's feet. The little girl stared down in excitement and used all her willpower to not rip open the parcel. Hreidmar carried on with his speech, but the words didn't really find their way through. As in trance, Frigga stared at the packet while the two brothers slowly untied the ropes.

After what seemed ages, Frigga could see the first bits of her future armour. Frigga wanted to move forward when she suddenly felt a soft, yet stern pet on her shoulder. She looked up and met Loki's piercing eyes.

The young king gestured to Hreidmar who had finished his speech and seemed to be waiting for an answer. Probably one of those royal answers with lots of difficult words. Since he was only a few inches taller than Frigga, his eyes were almost on the same level and it was a lot harder to ignore him.

Frigga's mouth ran dry. The whole room was watching her.

"It's beautiful… sir…" she managed to say. Hreidmar frowned.

"Princess Frigga will wear the armour with pride, just like you demanded, my lord…" Loki quickly said. Frigga looked up, silently thanking her uncle for helping her out. The little girl nodded fiercely. Hreidmar beamed with proud and smiled.

"May this armour protect you throughout your life, dear princess. Its metals are made to grow with you and offer you the best of protection in every situation.

Frigga nodded vaguely. Her attention was drawn back to the armour which was now, finally, fully unpacked. It was breath-taking! The Dwarfs hadn't been lying. The metal shone bright and silver and moved around like waves on water as if it was trying to find the perfect fit. Loki moved his fingers around and the armour slowly rose up until it was floating in the air right in front of the speechless Frigga.

The room went silent for a moment.

"From this day forward," Loki started in a strong voice which reached every single corner of the room, "you have a new princess. For ever more she shall be known as Princess Frigga: the Lady of Light!"

"Hip Hip Hooray!" Fandral's voice sounded, immediately followed by a thunderous applause. Frigga smile widely and felt her blood rise to her cheeks. She looked up at Loki and found her uncle smiling proudly. He gestured to the floating armour. Frigga bit her lip, but eventually nodded. While the applause slowly died, except of course for Fandral and Volstagg who were having their own competition, Loki moved the armour closer to the excited little girl. The second the silver metal touched her skin, it opened and carefully moved along her body until it fitted perfectly. A few seconds later, the metal made one last click. Frigga looked down. Her armour shone bright silver, although it didn't cover her whole body. A thin silver breastplate hung from her right shoulder, across her upper body to her left thigh. Her back was fully covered with an incredibly intricate network of silver vines. A curved silver vine curled down from her right shoulder, across the skin of her right arm until it reached her wrist and ended in a tiny ring on her middle finger. As for her legs, they were both covered in a shiny plate on the outside of her thighs. The plates ran down to her knees where they curved over her shins before ending in two silver rings around her ankles.

The girl looked in pure awe to the detail and beauty of her armour. Just like the Dwarfs had promised it only gave her that what she needed which was now a ceremonial and simple, not that heavy armour which showed her grace and status.

When the little girl looked up she found the whole room in silence. The second her eyes met their's everyone kneeled down or bowed their head. Frigga blinked confusedly. Even Fandral, who threw her a big wink had sunk down on one knee. Lady Sif and the other warriors had done the same. Frigga looked to her left and found both her parents, too, bowing their head with proud smiles on their lips. When Frigga turned to Loki, hoping for some explanation, she was astonished to see Loki bow as well.

The young king could sense the girl's unease and quickly looked up. A playful sparkle lit up his light grey eyes.

"You're our princess now, Frigga…" he whispered so that only Frigga could hear him. "Tell them to rise again…"

Frigga's mouth was bone dry. Her brain set off every possible alarm bell. Noting seemed to function anymore an she was starting to panic. Loki smiled softly and smiled encouragingly.

Frigga licked her dry lips even though her tongue felt like sandpaper.

She turned back to the room. She was scared, she was hot, she was shivering, she was panicking, she was sweating, she was thirsty and nervous, but some ancient power, resting in her heart suddenly came to the surface and gave her lips the strength to form the right words.

"You… you may rise…" she heard herself say rather awkwardly, yet a lot stronger than she felt. "Please…" she quickly added.

Loki smiled and arose. Once he'd got back on his feet the others followed his example.

"Thank you…" Frigga said, shifting her feet timidly.

Some people smiled, some laughed and Frigga felt a lot better. She got a thumbs up from Arya, a big grin from Sif and another wink from Fandral.

And that was it… Frigga was officially the princess of Asgard and the second one in line for throne, right after her father. Not that she really understood the meaning of that yet… But that all didn't matter for the young princess. She only smiled and played with her amazed new friends and her beautiful wolf, Prince. Not once she even thought about the possibility of problems. This night was simply perfect in every way.

Yet, in the world of the grown-ups, dark clouds threatened to cover the bright sun. While Frigga was running around with her friends, Loki and Thor set down at the main table right across Lord Melrakki and the other Light Elves. Arya, Sif and The Warriors Three joined as well and Jane decided to stand behind her husband and follow the conversation. Although both parties seemed calm and friendly, an noticeable tension hung in the air.

While one of the servants poured Lord Melrakki a new goblet of wine, the Light Elf king turned to Loki.

"As we discussed earlier this evening: my people are very interested in how exactly you managed to purge the stone of its dark magic," he said in his dreamy voice.

Loki smiled. "You must forgive me my rudeness, but I doubt you don't know that already. I am certain the stars spoke of what happened on Vanaheim."

Melrakki smiled softly and drank from his goblet, his light silver eyes not once leaving Loki's.

"The White Witch…. Allmother Frigga…" he admitted after a long tense silence. "She stopped the Great Merlin from the other side. A fearsome battle it was… But in the end the apprentice defeated the master…"

Loki could not hide the proud sparkle in his light grey eyes.

"Her power was strong enough… stronger than the ancient dark spells…" Loki added almost in a whisper.

Lord Melrakki nodded. "Truly remarkable…" he said without emotion. "And of course, we cannot forget His Majesties extraordinary actions… I have to admit: I never thought a sorcerer of your…"

Loki's eyes turned dark for a second and an almost creepy grin crossed Lord Melrakki's face.

"… special kind…" he continued. "… was ever capable of preforming this form of pure Light Magic."

Loki's nostrils flared, but the young king knew better than anyone that showing disrespect to a Light Elf was the last thing you had to try, so he smiled.

"Let us skip the flattering," he answered sternly, "and get to business. I believe the Elves are, by all good means, not just here to congratulate Asgard with its victory."

Lord Melrakki turned silent for a couple of seconds. He shared a quick glance with the other Elves.

"The Valkyrja Stone was taken from us by force, by the Dark Race. After the war Asgard claimed it as his own, a dark relic of war…"

Loki nodded. "With the admittance of the Light Elves. If I remember correctly, you yourself, Lord Melrakki, were present when your father signed the treaty. The Stone was a danger to everyone who held it and safer kept on Asgard."

"That treaty was broken when you yourself, my lord, stole the stone and used it on The Allfather."

Loki felt a pinch of fear. These Elves knew too much… Not that blackmail was in their nature, but still… he didn't like it! Time to start biting back!

"That is entirely outside this matter. I took the Valkyrja Stone decades ago. I practised its magic for years… I used it once, six years ago! If you had any objection of any kind you should have acted back then… or did the stars forget to mention my actions?"

Lord Melrakki's eyes shifted colour. For a second they were dark as night.

"Fair enough, my lord…" he finally said darkly. "Yet that treaty was signed for a Dark Stone… now that it has returned back to its original state, it belongs to the Light Elves. It is no longer a threat and my people can use it correctly!"

Loki immediately responded. "The Stone is property of Asgard now. Besides, we are not certain of its potential now. It has seen many kinds of magic… it might be too dangerous to be used."

"And still, you plan on bringing Odin back…" Lord Melrakki continued.

This time it was Thor who intervened. "What we do with it is none of your business. Ever since that treaty, the Stone belongs to Asgard!"

The Light Elf turned to Thor with an almost amused smile.

"Excuse me… did you say something?"

Thor started losing his temper again, so Arya quickly took over.

"Why do you want it back so badly?" she asked. The Elf turned to her.

"The Stone is a part of our past, it's our legacy."

Lady Sif also joined in. "From what I've heard your people were only too happy to leave the Dark Stone on Asgard after the War Against Darkness…"

"Indeed…" Fandral added. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've just been waiting for this to happen… Let Asgard face the trouble. Let's see if they can fix the Stone. And now that we have, you just come and claim it after decades of silence…"

Loki smiled when he found Lord Melrakki speechless for a couple of seconds.

The young king cleared his throat. "I believe we are making ourselves clear…" he said. "The Valkyrja Stone remains on Asgard!"

Unfortunately Lord Melrakki wasn't one to just give up. The two parties discussed the matter throughout the whole night while the other guests were having the time of their lives.

When Loki finally fell back into his own, soft bed, feeling more exhausted than ever, he once more cursed his kingship. How he missed the mischief, the jokes, the sneaking around invisibly, the hours of reading, the time he used to spend on exploring portals between the worlds, …

Yet, the young king didn't have too much time to worry before he sank into a deep sleep.

Everywhere in the castle people got ready for a good night sleep after a night of drinking, dancing and laughing. This was a night that would be remembered! And so, Asgard slowly dropped off to sleep, enjoying the fake perfection while October swiftly closed in.

Not much, I know... but we all know what happens next! I hope you liked it!

By the way! I would like to tell you all about this amazing book I read!

THE GOSPEL OF LOKI by JOANNE M. HARRIS.

Some of you might have read it already and otherwise go and give it a try. It's no "big" literature, but it's fun and easy reading. A real page turner! If you already read it/ are going to read it than you might notice some little details from the the story which I used in this fanfiction. Couldn't help myself ;P

So go ahead! Read it and let me know what you thought! I certainly liked it and would recommend it to everyone who loves our favourite trickster! It's also a very fun way to get to know the "original" Edda story... Although I must say, it's a bit of an edited version. You'll see...

Anyway, please review! And thank you for reading! I got my hundredth review, THANK YOU GUYS! You make my day every time!

Rumple x