In Asgard…
Loki jolted upright, one hand grasping defensively for his scepter, but he felt only air between his fingertips. Muttering a silent curse, he leaped from the bed, feeling inexplicably energized- in a distinctly odd way. There was something about this girl that infuriated him, filled him with defensive fury. He had felt a vulnerability, for brief fleeting moments. And that was unacceptable. And yet….there was a part of him that was…excited, anxious to see her again.
Seeking to escape, Loki entered the dining hall only to be confronted with Jane. She was absorbed in an Asgardian book, breakfast sitting untouched in front of her. He sighed, hesitating in the doorway. Since his repentance, Loki had no idea how to act around Jane. After all, he had threatened to kill her. She's not nearly as amusing as Astrid. Startled, he recoiled from his own thought. Where had that come from? Just as he had decided to sneak away, Jane cleared her throat and beckoned him with a single finger.
"My lady" he said curtly, ruffled at the gesture.
"Oh for goodness' sake Loki. Just come in and sit down" Jane said pointedly. Once they were both seated, they ate in silence for a few moments.
"Listen" Jane said at last. "I know you're not psyched about this competition idea" Loki abruptly set down his silverware and merely raised an eyebrow. Jane sighed.
"Psyched, as in excited" she said smiling a bit.
"Ah" Loki murmured. "Then, no I am not"
"Look I get it okay- I'm a scientist. I don't like to talk about feelings either. But Thor has taught me that sometimes-hey! Don't give me that look. Thor's actually very sensitive!"
Loki snorted in derision.
"Sensitive? My brother? When he was drinking in the applause, merriment, father's love, all in his honor, was that when he was…sensitive?" Loki spat the word at her. Jane glared at him.
"Loki Odinson. I know your brother in a different way. And he has grown much since then, as evidenced by how excited he is about my idea. He cares about you- he wants you to be happy. He also wants to know that there's someone else he trusts looking out for you while we're gone. He knows you Loki- without that you might, go down an even darker road than the one you've already traveled" Jane finished, drawing herself up, and despite being petite- Loki had a rare moment of admiration for her in that moment. She looked like…. a spasm of pain crossed Loki's face.
"I do not need to be lectured. And I certainly do not need to be coddled like a child" Loki remarked chillingly.
"I refuse to believe that you only want the throne" Jane said defiantly. "But if you take a wife, you will not only earn the people's trust- but gain Thor's and mine as well. If you can earn the love of a woman, not through tricks, but through honesty- well, that's enough for me." Loki watched her curiously, feeling a bit shocked and at a loss.
"If I do this, you would forgive me?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah" Jane shrugged. "I would. Nothing changes you so much as love."
"Mortals….love" Loki smirked. "This is what makes your kind so weak. What makes you think your forgiveness means anything to me?"
"It would mean a lot to Thor" Jane said softly.
"That means nothing. I will rule Asgard, Jane Foster. And I will rule alone" The two were now hunched over the table having a dramatic stare down, when Thor burst through the door, brawny arms full of envelopes.
"Good news brother, they're all coming!" he boomed, a servant running behind him scrambling to pick up fallen envelopes.
Loki and Jane stared at Thor for a moment. Thor squirmed slightly under both their intense gazes, and then Jane burst out laughing, and Loki quirked a smile.
"What are those?" Jane asked, through giggles.
"Replies to the invitations, of course!" he replied enthusiastically. Loki's hand broke the arm of the chair he was sitting in clean off, all whilst keeping a calm exterior. "Brother? Are you not excited? I have invited the most eligible maidens in all the nine realms!" To Loki's great surprise, Jane glared at Thor.
"Thor! Loki hadn't agreed to anything yet! You weren't supposed to send those until he gave us his answer"
"Nonsense! He said yes!" Thor boomed.
"He said he'd think about it" Jane shot back. Loki held up his hands, secretly delighted. His plan was in motion.
"Dear brother, as always your heart gallops before your brain" Loki quipped. "Thank you for the spirited defense Lady Jane, but you have convinced me. I will accept your offer of the throne, on the condition I take a wife" he said diplomatically, but with a hint of warmth. Jane smiled, and Loki felt his cold heart swell. Because of the plan…he reminded himself. You're doing this for the throne. Not her. She is nothing.
But even the god of lies could not lie well to himself.
Back on Midgard….
I leaped out of bed as if I'd been stung. He was so, so….so…egocentric. And yet…. I smiled a little as I hummed "But he was mean and he was cruel and un-refined…" I skipped about, not knowing where this giddy energy came from, until my foot landed on something and rolled out from under me.
"Ow" I said wincing, and pulling the offending object out from under me. It was an ancient scroll, and as I touched it- rose into the air, hovering, surrounded by a golden halo of light. I circled it slowly, mouth hanging open, poking at it gently. It shied away from me.
"No, no no no. God. I'm sorry. I've just never seen a floating scroll before" I said guiltily. Slowly, it unfurled itself, and a booming voice echoed into the room.
"Congratulations! You have been hereby summoned by interim King Thor and Queen Jane to compete for the hand of the Prince Loki of Asgard." I furrowed my brow. Asgard echoed around in my head.
*flashback*
"Loki…what is Asgard?" I asked softly. "And I know I didn't come up with it. I mean…what I'm trying to say is…I think I'm beginning to believe you, I mean…about this whole" I gestured to him in an awkward way. "God thing. And I know you don't like talking-but at least answer me that" Loki sighed in defeat.
"Asgard is my home. It is the realm of the gods" he replied, gazing at the stars.
"Can I see it from here?" I joked. "First star to the right….?" Loki looked at me quizzically.
"No..it cannot be seen from simply looking at the sky. You would have to travel there through the bifrost, which is a hmmm, how to put it in terms you'll understand…." he thought for a moment and I rolled my eyes. "Portal. It is a portal. But a mortal cannot enter it without being escorted by an Asgardian. You would perish instantly." This was the most Loki had ever spoken to me in one breath, so I swallowed my quips to try to keep this going as long as possible.
"And what is it like?" I ventured. And Loki smiled, a true smile that made a little part of my heart rejoice.
"You could not even comprehend…the beauty of Asgard" he said reverently.
*end flashback*
"Eligible maidens have been summoned from each of the nine realms to undergo a series of tests that demonstrate magical ability, regality, love, courage, warrior skills, honor, and erm….many other things. Loki…am I doing this right?" the scroll continued, bobbing slightly.
"You imbecile! It's still recording!" I giggled as I recognized Loki's irritated voice.
"Ah, oh, yes. Well, please do us the honor of reporting to the palace of asgard at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Show your invitation to Heimdall and he will let you pass. Prince Loki anxiously awaits your arrival. And it's going to be a rollicking amusement for me. So, please attend. Sincerely, interim King Thor"
"You don't have to say interim every time, brother"
"Ah, well. Brother, how do I turn this off…." And with that the scroll re-rolled itself, and fell to the ground, the glow fading away. As I picked up the scroll, a heavy metal object fell out and hit me on the toe.
"Seriously!" I muttered, picking it up. It was a heavy golden band, branded with an emerald enclosed in tendrils of onyx. Curious, I slipped it on my finger. There was a white hot flash of pain and I was on the ground again. Through the pain, I watched the scroll rise up glowing again.
"Excellent! Well done! Erm, I mean uh- We thank you kindly for your acceptance. Your reply is on its way, and a complimentary guide to Asgard is yours to keep" Thor's voice boomed. My brain could barely process what was happening as the scroll floated towards the window.
"What? Hey no! I did not agree to anything!" I jumped for the scroll, but it zipped out of my reach. After tedious moments of chasing it round the room, it blew a raspberry at me and then zipped out the window. I flopped back onto the bed.
"Wait…" I had an epiphany. "If I can just get this ring off" I exclaimed. "I'll be free" I pulled. I yanked. I tugged. But the ring refused to budge.
"No, no….nononono" I screamed. "I agreed to nothing" I yelled. "Do you hear me?" The silence was deafening as I panted on the bed trying to process what had just happened.
"Okay. Okay. Stay calm. I'll just cut my finger off. Yeah. Sure" I rambled to myself. "Wait I do. I can't flip him off without my ring finger!" I moved to get off the bed and tripped again over an ancient looking tome.
"A Tourist's guide to Asgard" I read and snorted. "Wow. This is for real" Still shaking my head in amazement, I opened the tome and began to read, my head still spinning with questions. A prince and a God? Traveling to the realm of the Gods? To compete to be his…queen? Oh brother, I'm in trouble now.
And somewhere in Asgard, Loki felt a strange shock beginning with his ring finger, spreading and smirked. Astrid. Oh this would be interesting.
I re-entered the dream-scape with a new sense of confidence. Having spent the entire evening getting through a good chunk of the complimentary tome on Asgard (it really was a tome it took all my arm strength to hold the thing up), I was feeling smug. For once, I felt like I had some control in this situation. Alas, this was not to last.
The pavilion was empty. "Loki!" I cried. "Loki?"
"Astrid" a smooth voice came from behind me. I whirled around, and there he stood. And boy did he look smug. It was practically radiating from him, and I immediately felt a large chunk of my new confidence drain away into that sexy grin of his. "What a pleasure"
"Is it?" I asked pointedly. "Because I got a very interesting invitation today" Loki stepped back shocked.
"That's not possible" he murmured. "You are mortal, are you not?" he questioned intensely.
"Yes. Of course…I mean you don't think that…" Loki shook his head.
"I've been doing some extensive research in the royal library. And without a doubt mortals cannot enter dreams, it requires magical energy on the part of both participants. They also would not be able to receive those idiotic invitations" Loki muttered pacing up an down the pavilion. "If only I had my library here…" he glanced shrewdly at me."But I have done enough research to suggest you may not be as mortal as you believe, of course we'd have to run some tests to confirm…."
I took a deep breath and paused, Loki examining me intently. "Nope" I said quietly.
"What?" Loki said sharply.
"Nope" I replied, and quickly sat down criss-cross applesauce on the cool mosaic. Closing my eyes, I breathed in and out evenly. I was vaguely aware of Loki sitting down beside me.
"You are such a strange little thing. One minute you yell at me and the next you are silent. Pray, explain yourself please" he implored. I sighed, annoyed at having my concentration broken.
"I'm mediating" I explained. "I do it sometimes when I'm overwhelmed" At this Loki seemed to understand.
"I know what it is to not know who you are" he whispered quietly. "I do not wish that on you" I opened my eyes gently, and I took his hand.
"Thank you" I said smiling. We sat there peacefully for a few moments, looking out at the stars.
"I think…this is the longest we've ever gone without fighting" I murmured. Loki chuckled.
"Yes. And I enjoy it" he said, feeling a sense of contentment.
"Well. So then there's this" I wiggled my fingers at him, showing the ring. "Can you take it off?" Loki stiffened.
"I could" he said slowly. "But only if you do not wish to participate." I smiled bitterly.
"Loki, what if I did this huh? Can you imagine if we were married? We can barely stop fighting and we've never even met in real life" I sighed.
"Would it really be so terrible?" he had inched closer to me, his breath on my face. Flustered, I leaned back.
"That's not the point. I don't know anything about being a queen" I stuttered.
"That can all be learned" Loki assured. "And better yet, with the knowledge that our scholars and sorcerers hold, we can learn the status of your mortality" I clutched at my head.
"Wait a minute. You're telling me that if I go through with this, you'll help me figure out what I am?" I whispered.
"You fascinate me, Astrid" he breathed, and I squirmed under his intense stare. "And I must discover your secrets. Together, we may even solve the puzzle of our conjoined dreams" he murmured. "And I cannot do it without you. You may leave whenever you wish, I will not hold you against your will. But I implore you….I…" he hesitated.
"You are the strangest, yet loveliest distraction" he finished. For once, I was speechless.
I had no quips. I heard nothing but my heart beat thumping stupidly to the beat of those words.
"The strangest and loveliest distraction"