Asgard was hardly awake when Loki rose from his slumber. The sun was just beginning to peak over the mountains in the north, Loki leaned on one of the arches of his open balcony. He wore only a loose pair of black trousers, bare feet on the tiled flooring of his room.
His balcony had lounge chairs and a fire pit. He used to sit out in one of his chairs to have breakfast if he wasn't eating with his family. It was quiet and overlooked all of Asgard, golden and glittering during the day, but serene and of a different beauty that Loki enjoyed, at night.
He loved getting up this early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Even after over a thousand years of seeing it, he was always humbled by the scene.
Loki was exhausted, in short. The council has been keeping him up late at night. His father left him quite the number of things to do. There were many renovation projects going on, within the main city of Asgard, as well as beyond its borders. There were people to meet that came to the palace when town leaders could not find a solution. Meeting with the people took up most of his days, holding court, and giving judgment to his citizens. Many of them had never seen him before, and they were always wide-eyed and hesitant to approach him. He had to keep his expressions inviting, and despite wanting to roll his eyes more times than he blinked, he had to stop himself, so he didn't give them the wrong impression.
Loki missed being the second son and not having all eyes of the public on him all the time. Now as King, he had to present himself in the best manner.
Luckily, he was more capable of holding his tongue and wielding it to work through the problems of the council and the people, than his brother. Yet, the day to day activities drained him by the end of the night. By the time he ate dinner and went to his rooms, he would collapse on his bed and fall immediately asleep.
Loki also had the issue of his coronation. Despite that Thor's was mere weeks ago, it would still take quite a few months to finish setting up for his coronation. Loki also wanted to be sure that his coronation would be different than his brothers, but not in a way to alienate the people that he now ruled. So many things to consider, and so much to do.
Finally, over the horizon of Asgard's great city, came the sun. Peaking over the horizon slowly, as if not ready to wake just yet. Loki breathed in deeply, closing his eyes and allowing the sun to wash over his face. The sensation was calming, allowing him to collect his final thoughts and prepare himself for the day.
He still had to talk to his mother. Eventually. His mother's words stung, eliciting a deeper emotion that he desperately tried to ignore.
No matter what, though, Loki knew his mother loved him. And despite everything, he still loved his mother.
There was a light knock on his door before his manservant, Arvid, came in.
"My King," he greeted, bowing deeply. Arvid began preparing his bath, sorting through his clothes that Loki would wear. He then opened the door for the maids to come in and start cleaning his rooms.
Loki stood at the balcony door for a moment longer, when the sun was now clear over the horizon, to begin getting ready for the day.
"Your coronation preparation is coming along. It's still in the early stages, but we have people working on it as much as possible," Rikard, a council member, said.
Loki's finger absently brushed over the spread of papers in front of him, listening to his councilmen update him since the day before. Not that Loki needed them to tell him all that he missed since he fell asleep.
These briefings were really just time for Loki to take each members measure. The war generals were still struggling in seeing Loki as their king. He often had to remind them that he was certainly in charge. The others were quiet in their hesitance. Loki almost appreciated the war general's outward displays, but he could tell the men were all there for one single goal: to ensure the future prosperity of Asgard.
"Keep it going. My mother is overseeing much of the preparation, so I'm certain it'll be done in time," Loki said.
"I think it's time for lunch now," Håvard reminded them. Loki sighed in relief, glad to be able to step away from the council members for a while.
They all stood, the men around the table bowing to Loki as he began to walk away. He planned on having lunch in his quarters, but he stopped when he noticed his mother standing near the door towards the royal chambers.
"Mother," Loki said. Taking one of her hands he brought it to his lips to kiss the tops of her fingers. She smiled and raised her other hand to brush his cheek.
Yes, indeed he still loved his mother.
"Might you have lunch with me?" Frigga asked, her thumb brushed under his eye. She was doing this because it would mean he couldn't refuse. And that she had stopped him in the meeting room with the other council members standing nearby.
"Yes. I'll have food sent to the dining room," Loki told her. Satisfied, she smiled and began leading the way to the royal dining chambers.
He was not expecting on dealing with his mother at a time like this. He didn't necessarily feel ready to face his mother. What happened weeks ago seemed so far away now. His mother didn't know much of what happened, but he was certain that she knew more than Loki thought she might.
He wondered what she would want to talk to him about. It was only lunch, so they didn't have a lot of time.
After telling someone on their way their plans, they made their way to the dining chambers. Walking in, Loki was reminded of their last conversation and could feel his temper flaring fractionally. He didn't want a repeat of last time.
His mother gave nothing away as he pulled her seat out and took his own next to her. Their lunch was served, which consisted of glazed meat, roasted vegetables, and an assortment of bread. Loki piled his plate with meat and having a servant fill his cup full of red wine. His mother took a fair share of the selection and no wine. This was obviously serious, but maybe it was because he was looking into this too much. Perhaps his mother was just here for some idle chat, she was always good about getting Loki to crack first.
He could not allow her to break him anymore. He was king now, and even if he was in an argument with his mother, he could not break on the whim of a woman. Even if it was his mother.
Frigga was ignoring Loki's mood, eating her lunch as she normally would. This caused Loki to be irritated, but he began eating his own lunch. Maybe she would start talking before Loki would be prompted to. Or she'll give him "the look".
Oh, the woes of having a mother that had taught her boys to be wary of "the look". Even Odin shared some of their discomforts when Frigga would give him a sidelong glance and the boys would squirm in their seats. Loki frequently found himself under her scrutiny when he did something, or Thor and him both when they got into trouble. That was ages ago, and even as they grew up, that look never changed how it made Loki feel. He was certain that if he didn't say something before, he would be under the ire of his mother. Luckily, the only people to see this exchange would be the servants.
Yet, his mother was the first to speak.
Frigga sighed, setting down her utensils and facing Loki better. "My son," she began, her hands resting in her lap, eyes serious. "I know the last we spoke, we were quite upset. It's my fault, for assuming the situation. You have to understand, I want to know. No – I need to know what happened that day."
Loki's throat seized up. If "the look" was bad, this was even worse. Loki locked his jaws and tightened his fist to keep from showing his mother what he was feeling.
That day was such a blur of problems. He wasn't sure if he wanted to admit to his mother all the things he did, that he wanted Thor to do, what he didn't want Thor to do. What happened, in the end, was misguided judgment and Thor got banished for it. Thor's choice to be in exile was the cause of Loki's choices. Now he was in the mess of being King while Thor paraded around Midgard.
His mother stared at him, quietly. She was waiting for him to say something.
Loki cleared his throat, loosening his fist and jaw. "Mother-"
"The truth, Loki," Frigga snapped, noticing the signs Loki was about to tell a lie. He stopped, the words caught in his throat.
"I wish to not speak of it now, mother," Loki stated simply. His face hardened, he did not want to talk to his mother about it. Not yet. "All I ask is you give me time."
Frigga seemed crestfallen, but she nodded her head. "I will wait. And I will give you my full support if you promise to tell me one day."
Loki curtly nodded his head and went back to his lunch. At least this conversation went better than the last. A weight Loki didn't realize was there seemed to lift fractionally off his shoulders.
Loki was at the council table again. It was getting late again, but there was one last thing they needed to discuss.
"I have made my decision on the marriage prospects," Loki said after a beat of silence from his councilmen. Many seemed tired, Håvard looked as if he was asleep in his chair, and the rest had dark circles under their eyes.
Their eyes came up to meet Loki's, interest piqued. "Joakim gave me information on each of the realms potential candidates. I have looked them all over and have decided to bring Midgard into the Nine Realms."
"Your majesty-" Sigurd began to protest.
"Yes, Sigurd?" Loki asked, eyes narrowing.
"Midgard is under Asgard's protection. They were never meant to join the Nine Realms." Sigurd's eyes fumed, hands flat on the table.
Loki's brow rose. "Are you to say that it was Odin's decree that made it so? Or the fact you feel they are inferior? Thor does not seem to think so since he is there."
Sigurd bristled.
"Midgard at present doesn't seem to have a central command. Who would we even speak to?" Håvard asked, coming out of his slumber – or he was just resting his eyes.
"What about that organization that captured Thor?" Loki asked.
"That would be a good start. Thor is there, perhaps he has been in contact with them. We could find who to begin negotiations with." Håvard seemed to have fully woken and was shuffling through papers laid out in front of him. "SHIELD is what they were calling themselves. From Thor's reports. A Son of Coul approached him speaking for the organization. We could try him."
"Yes, that sounds good." Loki nodded his head at his old tutor. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully he sat there, mulling over this idea.
Contacting Midgard had its own risks. Deciding to have one of their own to marry Loki would be even riskier. It would take a while to get everything sorted, but he was confident he could do it. He supposed that nothing would happen until after his coronation. They had a few months to devise the best plan.
First, though, he had to get his councilmen all in agreement with this.
"It's quite late. I think we'll call it a night. I want everyone's support in this." Loki announced. The men around the table nodded and then set about cleaning up everything. Loki would have dinner with his mother, after a successful lunch, and head promptly to bed.
Loki rose early again, but instead of looking out his balcony he hastened to the royal library. Rikard was not set to get him until a little later, so he had time to look at his collection.
Everything was quiet, save for the few servants who were up at this time. He paid them no mind, and they didn't seem awake enough to realize their King walked among them. The library was off the side of the palace, and though he enjoyed coming here, he didn't come often. He had his own collections that he had gathered over the years. There were a few that were not available to him, as a prince. Now, he did.
The library was even quieter than the palace. Large in length as in height. He walked further into the building in search of a section he had never set foot in.
Odin's private collections.
There were wards put around the section to keep those who did not belong out. Though, it was always reserved for the King. Loki wondered if it would be out of his reach still. He had to try.
He stopped, suddenly, hearing something. He pivoted on his heels and turned, ready to attack whoever would try to sneak up on him. Yet, when he turned, he dropped his arm. Joakim stood behind him, equally surprised to see him.
"Your majesty!" Joakim jumped, eyes instantly falling to the floor. "I apologize, I didn't know it was you. I heard someone."
Loki shook out of his own shock. "No trouble. I thought I would come and check Odin's collection before everyone woke."
Joakim raised his head a little, eyes peeking from under his brows. "Oh- yes. It is for the King, not just Odin's."
Loki nodded curtly. "What are you doing here this early in the morning?" He asked.
"I help out around here. Keeps me informed, and it allows me to be on top of what books we have your majesty." Joakim responded, a slight smile spreading across his lips.
"Good. I need good men in my council. Keep up the good work," Loki told him. Despite his reticence to trust all the councilmen, he felt he could trust Joakim.
"Thank you, your majesty." Joakim knelt, which was hard considering his robes and the large tomes in his arms. Loki shook his head, a small smile on his lips as he left the man to stand again on his own.
Approaching the part of the library that was off limits to the general population, Loki felt the wards before he even got close enough. Yet, the feeling dissipated as he turned the corner. The entrance to the section was dark and seemed to have some dust flying in the air. Obviously, Odin hadn't come here in quite some time. Not even the servants were allowed in this section most of the time. Only under the watchful eye of Odin would they be able to clean.
Loki felt like he was encroaching on dangerous territory. Stepping over the threshold of the aisle, he had the distinct feeling of giddiness. It was a welcome emotion after weeks of spending with the councilmen. He was bored out of his mind dealing with all the issues Odin left him.
He never had the time to actually explore the parts that were not allowed to him before. He figured that he would have to do it early enough in the morning. He was fortunate that he didn't sleep much.
This section was surprisingly bare, save for some extremely large texts. His fingers brushed over the spines of the ones nearest to him, feeling a deep sense of magic running through them. He narrowed his eyes, brushing away some of the dust from the spines. Almost all were in the old language. Not many spoke it, even Loki had trouble picking it up.
He didn't even recognize the handwriting, which was odd, considering that Odin and his fathers were the only ones allowed back here. He assumed that they had written the books. Perhaps they were just old books taken from other worlds? Taken as hostages and left forgotten in the forbidden section of the library. Loki let his hand fall to his side as his eyes perused over each of the books. A candle came on automatically after each section he passed, staying lit until he was far enough away.
For as much as the old fool shit on magic, he used it quite a lot.
The further back he went, the spines became more worn. He could see pages falling out of the books. Some of them were tossed on their sides, their guts spilling onto the shelves. The writing became more illegible the further he went, and soon he reached the end. Supposedly the beginning of Asgard's history, or the start of the kingship.
By comparison to the other worlds, Asgard was relatively young. With now only four kings from their beginning, Asgard only came out on top by how powerful they were. Odin was said to have the most prosperous rule, but Loki had to question that. As the stories told of his forefathers were grand and seemed to have lost most of its truth, Loki had hoped to find some answers.
He would never be able to look through these books now, he would have to wait until he had enough time. He would also need someone who could read the old language. Maybe someone on his council knew. Håvard seemed the likely candidate, but even his old tutor, with all his strengths, could not even read the old language. Sigurd was out of the question. Brynjar had never alluded to him that he could speak it, but even so, he didn't totally trust the man. Joakim seemed too young, but he was the keeper of the books. Maybe he knew some of it.
Loki backtracked from the section, making it to the end and listening around for the shuffling of Joakim's robes. He noticed a bit more light coming in, indicating it was later in the morning than he had expected. He didn't hear anything, and after walking around for a bit, he couldn't find him. Possibly getting ready for their first meeting for the morning – Loki will have to do something about his duties now that it's been a few weeks.
Resigned, he made the trek back to his room. This time, there were more servants and people idling about the palace already. Men preparing their carts for the market at the base of Asgard's palace bowed to him. None spoke to him, only eyed him warily as he went by.
Rikard was ready for him when he returned to his rooms. He made no comment to Loki's absence, merely went about his duties as Loki entered his bath.
His morning briefing went by without incident. The men needed more time to think over the marriage prospect, so that saved him the headache of having to hammer that out with them. When they disbanded quite early, Loki was asked to hold court with the people again. Before he did that, he caught Joakim. The young man perked up at having been called by his king.
"Yes, your majesty?" Joakim asked.
"Can you read the old language?" Loki asked bluntly. Joakim's eyes widened and then tilted his head.
"Actually, I can. My father taught me," Joakim said. Loki sighed in relief. Surprised, but satisfied.
"Your father was the last keeper of the books?" Loki remembered the last keeper of the books. He'd shoo him out of the library when he was being particularly rowdy with Thor.
"No," Joakim chuckled. "I was the last keeper's helper. My father was a soldier. He worked as Odin's personal guard until he died."
"Oh? When was that?"
"Several decades ago. I was a mere boy then," Joakim said.
Loki wanted to say that he was still a boy now but looking at him closely he noticed that the boy seemed much older than he first thought.
"Well, I have a task I'd like you to join me with," Loki told him. "I want to read through the texts in my section, I admit I do not read the old language well. I need some help translating."
If Joakim's eyes could not widen further, Loki would be mistaken. Large brown saucers gazed up at him in amazement for a few seconds too long before he shook himself out of whatever state he was in.
"Yes! I would be honored to do so!" Loki could practically see the bounce in his step, his eyes seemed to get misty. Loki had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.
"I would like to start this afternoon. I need something else to do than sitting with the council and meet with the people," Loki said.
"I can start this afternoon. When you have finished lunch," Joakim reigned in his excitement, but only marginally so.
"Good." Loki nodded his head. Joakim bowed to him as Loki went to the main throne room to deal with the problems of Asgard.
Hello, sorry for the late update. I hit kind of a block on this, on top of being busy. My brother flew in unexpectedly (happily). I was back at my parents, then back at my apartment, then back at my parents. I also went to the AWP conference in Tampa this weekend, so that was a lot of fun. I hope to get another update over Spring Break. I've got some work I need to do for a few of my classes, but I'll try and find time for this story. I won't abandon it.
Thanks for reading!