Chapter Fifteen

"What are you doing here?" you asked coldly as Loki helped you to your feet.

"I would have thought you would have said thanks." He seemed slightly taken back.

"Thank you, now why are you here?" you asked suspiciously.

"I was nearby on an errand, and if you recall, I swore to come see this home of your and see why it measures so much against the city. You swore to me that it was better in most everyway." He answered, smiling once more.

"I will inform your mother that you have not accidentally killed yourself." Your father stated going to leave your room.

"He is aware it is not recommended to leave his unwed daughter alone, in her room, with a man?" Loki asked looking out the door.

"With only me for a daughter, he has never had to concern himself as other father's have had to." You looked at Loki as he surveyed the room around him. "Why are you really here?"

"I just told you."

"You are lying, you have absolutely no reason to be near here, meaning you have elected to come here, why?"

"How have you been?" He asked looking at a trinket he picked up from your writing desk.

"Fine." You walked over and took it from him, placing it back where you had had it.

"You do not look fine; you look like you have not slept well since you left the palace." He commented.

"I have not slept well since the day the conscription came to our door." You answered dryly.

"My mother misses you greatly."

"So she says in her letters, why is she so adamant to converse with me may I ask?"

"She admires you and your spirit; she is so used to the vapid and dull women of court that one such as you intrigues her greatly. You are intelligent, strong willed and beyond a doubt the quickest minded woman in all of Asgard, why would she not want to have correspondence with you. She had stated more than once she misses your company, and pleads often with my brother to find reason to bring you to the palace. I fear if you do not accept her invitation soon, she will create a war solely to force you there." He smiled.

"So that is why you are here." You realised. "For her."

"I came because I wished to see your homestead, you spoke so fondly of it, and I had to admit I was curious. I simply swore I would relay her sentiments while I was here."

"Why, why does it peak your interest, what about every aspect of me seems to cause you such curiosity?" you demanded in irritation.

"Your scar has not spread." He sidestepped your question.

"No it has not, and just don't start about it. I am so sick of everyone talking about it, or even worse not wanting to talk about it, so instead simply staring at it." Anger began to surge through you.

"There is no shame in it."

"I am not ashamed of it. I am proud of it. I actually like it; it shows I did something great, it shows I achieved something of note."

"But everyone else does not seem to think so?"

"My mother cannot look at me without beginning to cry at how it has ruined my appearance, and that I will get no man with it. Though I think her very oblivious to the more severe issue of most of Asgard thinking me ruined in everyway by you in the camp thanks to a few envious men whose precious egos are wounded by my being a woman."

"Yes, I, uh, I heard those lies. I of course rubbished them, but I doubt any would listen to the God of Lies on such a matter." Loki began awkwardly, staring at his hands.

"It does not matter, they will think what they wish to think, and nothing either of us says will change that."

"But it affects your reputation far worse than mine."

"I am a woman, there is no expectation on you to be virtuous on your wedding day, I on the other hand, was."

"'Was'"

"I am seen as damaged goods in all ways now Loki, I am scarred and seen as soiled, none will ever want me." You could not look at him as you spoke.

"It is not fair."

"What ever is?"

Loki looked at you pitifully, which annoyed you more. You rose and went to leave the room. "Where are you going?"
"What does it matter to you?"

"Call me curious." He shrugged.

"I have a foal to check on; it was born last night and does not seem to suckle properly."

"May I join you?"

"If you wish." You walked out the door without looking back at him, but the sound of his boots behind you told you that he was following closely.

"M'Lady, your parents have gone for a walk and wished for me to inquiry as to whether you…your Highness." Katrin bowed, not realising Loki had visited.

"Inquired what Katrin?"

"Well, as to whether you and your guest required anything." She looked between you both.

"We are fine thank you, we are heading to the stables if any are looking for us." You informed her as you continued on your journey, walking briskly, though as you had noticed before, Loki's long legs meant he did not need to walk as fast.

Reaching the stables, the stable workers stared at you both as you went by and bowed to the prince. As soon as they thought you out of hearing range, they began to speculate as to why he was there.

"You being here is feeding the lies as to the going-ons in your tent." You stated as you came to the correct stall.

"I apologise." He said sincerely. "It really is a small little thing." He commented looking at the foal in question.

"It is supposed to be."

"Why breed something so small?"

"Because not all of us are as tall as you."

"So it is meant for you?"

"He will be, yes, when he grows." You spoke as you forced the foal to its feet and tried to urge it to drink.

"Are you not worried about the mare?" he asked, studying the creature as she studied you at her son.

"She is a trustworthy thing; so long as I do not harm him, she'll let me do whatever I want in here. She is the first horse I ever bred myself. And she has given me some of the greatest foals. I have actually sold one or two to the palace." You smiled proudly.

"That is impressive; usually we only breed our own."

"Well where do you think one such as your father would learn about such things?" Came a deep voice from behind you both.

"So you are the reason the stablehands make comments as to the great standard our horses in the past millennia or so?" Loki smiled.

"Indeed, and my dear Cubby here is keeping up the tradition." Loki looked at you and mouthed the word "cubby?" with a raised brow and a smile. You just shook your head slightly as an answer. "So young man, do you hunt?"

"Indeed I do."

"Wonderful, the forest near here is overabundant with stags and is in need of a bit of a culling, care to join myself and Eleonora for a hunt in the morn?"

"I would be honoured, but I fear I have neither my horse nor lodgings in the area."

"Nonsense, I wish to formally open my home to you, we have ample room, and with regards the horse, if you cannot find one here, well then you will find none anywhere." He laughed. Your face dropped as Loki accepted his invitation happily. "Wonderful, I shall go and inform the staff to ready your room." He declared and turned to exit once more.

"Cubby?" Loki laughed turning to you.

"Leave it go."

"Ehhehe. Not a chance, I need to know how you got such a precious little nickname."

"Need?"

"Mmhmm. Pray tell me how."

"Why did you accept his invitation?"

"It would have been rude not to. And I said before I would love to go on a hunt with you. I could not pass up such an opportunity." He smiled.

"Will your bed partner not miss you?" you snarled. Loki looked at you in bewilderment. "Red haired, snooty, face like a slapped behind, I think Thor said her name was Ingrid."

"That tramp, she tends to try and social climb through any means necessary, usually I never pay her any heed, but I fear I may have drank too much at the coronation, and that bitch can smell weakness like a wolf on an injured elk." He dismissed. An odd sensation in your stomach caused you to be unable to even look at him. Your eyes watered immediately and you stared at the foal now trying to decide where was best to fall asleep by its mother. "Are you alright?" Loki tried to get you to look him in the eye.

"Fine, I'm fine." You dismissed.

"You say you are fine a lot, but I fear you say it when you are anything but." Loki noted.

"It is almost tea time, I, I mean we should prepare for it." You came out of the stall and walked back to the house silently. Loki simply staring at you in bewilderment as you went.

You showed Loki to the guest room, he thanked you, but you remained silent and went back to your own. Feeling his eyes on you as you made your way down the corridor. The dinner would have been pleasant were it not for the heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach. Your parents and Loki were able to continue light conversation throughout and your mother seemed almost elated to even have the prince stay. After the dinner you sat in the library staring at a book as your father and Loki spoke on many topics, your father seemingly delighted at having someone genuinely interested in much of the same things as himself.

"I am curious to know as to why you call El 'Cubby'?" Loki asked boldly.

You turned and glared at him as your father began to laugh. "I really should have ceased calling her that centuries ago." He admitted. "When she was young, she was obsessed with dire wolves; she thought them the greatest of Asgard's mighty beasts. She was but a small child at the time. She read a story from Midgard, of two human boys raised by a wolf, and one of them going on to kill his brother and create a great empire or something like that, but the part that stuck with her was the wolf part. She declared to all who would listen, and even some that would not, that she wished to be able to be raised by a wolf, and for close to a decade refused to acknowledge herself as a human but as a cub."

"Thank you for that father." You added coldly.

"And so you played along and the name stuck." Loki smiled.

"Indeed. Though it is not really something to call a woman." Your father admitted.

"Especially as she is the greatest warrior in the history of the realm." Loki stated.

"Aye, it is not really fitting." He acknowledged. "Not very lady like. 'El' however is more acceptable."

"Don't you start." You warned, red faced.

Your father chortled. "I take it she is not too fond of it?" He asked Loki.

"There have been several threats on my life for it." Loki chuckled causing your father to laugh loudly.

"And with that, I am retiring for the night." You rose from your seat. "Goodnight."

Loki returned the sentiment and rose from his own seat. "If we are to hunt tomorrow, I had better do the same."

"If I may be so bold Prince Loki, may I request a moment or two to speak with you alone?" your father asked.

"Of course."

You froze staring between the two men, completely unnerved by the situation. "Goodnight Cubby." Your father stated, his tone telling you to leave immediately. Slowly you made your way to the door, still staring between the two men, who both in turn were staring at you, awaiting your departure.

You paced your room as you fretted to what they could possibly be discussing, much to your own chagrin. You knew it was none of your concern, it was not your place to ask, but still you wanted to know. As you heard the telltale sound of boots on the wooden floor, you figured it was Loki by their sound and opened your door, startling him slightly. "What did he want?" you demanded. The smile that he returned unsettled you deeply.

"That is between him and I." he replied.

"Loki."

"El."

"Do not play games with me."

"It is between him and I and you have no right to ask me to tell you." He stated matter-of-factly. "Now, we have an early start so goodnight." He smiled and walked passed you to his room.

More worried than ever, you headed into you room once more and sat on your bed, a thousand scenarios playing out in your head as to what actually was said. You were no fool, you were aware you were the topic of conversation, but what about you, was a mystery.