The sunlight woke Sirith two days later. It forced her eyes open and pulled her sitting, where she watched Ashley move about the room.
"Good morning." The woman smiled at her, folding fabric over her arm. "Did you sleep well?"
Sirith sighed. "I would assume so. Today is a day for Thor's meeting, is it not?"
"It is. I received word that he would be arriving shortly." A knock quickly followed and the two women shared a glance. Ashley moved to open the door as Sirith pushed herself away from the entrapments of the bed to find a robe. Thor's booming voice greeted her.
"Good morning Lady Sirith!"
She moved silently to replace Ashley. "Good morning Prince Thor." Her smile was small, her figure shrinking away from his height.
There was a wide smile on his face, teeth loudly displayed. "We are to go riding today!" His voice was trembling with excitement. Sirith shifted nervously, but she kept the small smile on her face.
"How lovely." She managed to force out, her voice shaking. Thor hardly seemed to notice.
"I will return in an hour with the other ladies; be prepared to ride." He kissed her hand before leaving. Echoes of whistling floated back to her. With a shaking body Sirith closed the door and she cringed at the boom.
Ashley seemed much more excited about the prospect of riding the Sirith. As she pulled the dress for the day from the collection, her body vibrated. "Oh, how I wish I could join you. I love to ride."
Sirith smiled at her as she approached the dress, but the warmth didn't reach her eyes. The dress was of a pale grey silk, with white lace and ribbon entrapping it. It hardly seemed like something one would ride in, but Sirith trusted that Ashley knew more of what to wear then Sirith possibly could.
After lacing it in the back, Ashley instructed Sirith to stand by the mirrors as her hair was arranged. Even more ribbons weaved their way through her braided hair, tickling the back of her neck. The swan was placed between her collarbones before a cape was swept down onto her shoulders.
"It is to be a colder day today. The Queen insisted that you wore capes to keep you warm." The snow white cape seemed to dominate the grey of the dress, but Sirith said nothing. She pulled the fabric around herself and used the mirrors to watch as Ashley placed her nightgown and robe in its proper place. After asking if Sirith needed anything else, Ashley left the lady on her own.
With shaking hands Sirith made her way to the balcony. The sky was a pale blue and it stretched around her. There was a man walking around the lake and she watched. As soon as she began staring, the man stopped as though he knew she was watching him. His head turned and Loki's eyes met hers.
Loki watched as Sirith retreated back into her room. He had known that this lake had been beneath her window; it had been beneath all of the ladies windows. They lived stacked, like stones in a wall. He had wanted to see which one would emerge from their quarters to stare down at the lake. So far, only Sirith had.
When the door was knocked on once more, Sirith opened it to find Thor standing there with a large smile on his face. The other ladies, in dresses similar to hers but in their respective colors, encircled him. "Are you ready?" Thor asked her.
Her smile was the only answer. Thor led them down to the stables. As they walked, he described to them the different horses they could choose from. The other ladies voices tittered around her, but Sirith remained silent.
When they reached the horses, the other ladies rushed in immediately to find the horse destined for them. Sirith remained outside, shifting on her feet as she stared into the darkness that was the stables. A stable hand approached her.
"Are you frightened of horses, my lady?" he asked her.
Sirith laughed slightly. "I believe so. I've never ridden before, but a horse nearly trampled me when I was young."
The young boy smiled. "I know a horse you could ride. She's a mother; she cares for whoever rides her. It's almost as though she can sense their feelings. She's a calm ride; perfect for the first time rider." The boy felt proud to have gained a smile from one of the princes' potential wives.
He led her towards a dark grey horse. The horse stood there still, trotting her feet slightly. When Sirith approached her, the horse lowered her head so that Sirith could rest her hand on her head.
"Her name is Amma. Do you like her?"
Sirith smiled. "Yes. Very much. Thank you."
The boy led Amma to where Thor and the other ladies were waiting. Lika had chosen a haunty white horse, a regal notion about it. Claudia had gone for a beige horse, one with kind eyes and clear energy. Attia had a simple brown horse beside her, one with the same motherly air as Amma. Sol had a grey horse as well, but hers shifted with energy that filled its muscles.
With a gesture from Thor, the ladies climbed onto their horses. Silently, the stable hand assisted Sirith. He whispered in her ear before pulling away. "Do not worry; Amma will assist you in learning how to ride."
As Thor led the way, Sirith found that the boy was right. Amma allowed Sirith to try and ride her, but if Sirith was completely lost Amma did the correct thing. Sol remained behind to ride beside Sirith.
"Are you enjoying this? You seemed rather nervous when we arrived to retrieve you."
Sirith smiled. "I had never ridden before, so I did not know what to expect. But a kind stable boy found me Amma, a horse that doesn't mind that I don't know what I'm doing." Sol laughed out loud, her voice carrying up to Thor.
"Lady Sol! What is it that you find so amusing?" He asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Lady Sirith, my prince."
Thor smiled and gestured for Sol to ride up to him. She waved a goodbye to Sirith before spurring her horse on. Sirith was left to listen to the conversation of Attia and Claudia.
"I saw Loki walking around the lake below our bedrooms." Claudia said. "I was tempted to call to him, but how could a lady do that to a prince?"
"I saw him as well." Attia replied, pushing aside a stray ribbon from her hair. "I wonder why he was doing that; he is not to test us until tomorrow."
Claudia fingered her necklace. "True, but that does not mean he cannot observe us." Attia nodded and their conversation ended, leaving the three of them to cast glances towards Lika, who rode alone.
Thor called Sirith over next and Amma took the lead of riding over to him. "You sit quite stiffly on a horse." Thor said, looking up and down her. "Have you ever ridden before?"
"No, my prince. My father didn't believe it was something a lady should learn."
Thor smiled kindly at her. "Well, you are doing quite well for your first time."
"To be honest, my prince, it is mostly the horse." Thor laughed at that before thanking her and calling forward Attia.
After an hour of riding, Thor instructed that they should stop and eat the breakfast he had brought. Sensing that Sirith didn't know how to leave her horse, Thor assisted her.
They ate in shifts again, with Thor calling them each over for a conversation. On the ride back to the palace, Thor kept Sol by his side. Her golden dress shone in the sun and the red ribbons waved in the wind. Thor's eyes remained on her the entire ride.
They were given the rest of the day to spend as they pleased, with Thor informing them he would visit them throughout the day. Not a surprise to any of them, he chose to spend time with Sol first. The others stood in silence for a moment after the two left, looking around the room in confusion. Attia was the first to drift off, but the rest quickly followed.
As quickly as she could, Sirith found the perch she had remained at every chance she was given to wander the palace on her own. Her hands clutched the stone railing as she closed her eyes and breathed in. It was like this she stayed until the door opened behind her and Thor stepped out onto the balcony.
"Lovely view." She turned in shock to face him, dropping quickly into a curtsy. "Oh, no need for that. I'm here only to talk." He came so that he stood beside her, leaning on the railing. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you stand up here?"
Sirith had suddenly become much more stiff. "It reminds me of my home."
"Where is your home that you could be reminded of it here?" The wind tugged at both their hair.
"High in the mountains with trees towering around it. My home is a stone fortress with plants growing in cracks and the smell of life always in the air. The only place I can reach it here is when I smell the wind up here where it isn't tainted by people or metal." She closed her eyes and breathed in.
Thor smiled at her. "None of the other ladies found a place to remind them of their home."
"Just being here is enough for them."
Thor nodded. He left her alone after that. It felt strange for him to be invading on what reminded her of her home, something so different from any of the other ladies. He had left Sirith for last, namely because she took the longest to find.
He went to find Loki again, wanting to share with him the reason why Sirith stood where she did. The first day Loki had to meet the ladies he had come to Thor wondering why she had spent the day as she had. It annoyed him that he could think of no reason for it.
"Hello Brother." Thor turned in surprise to see Loki resting against a wall, his arms crossed on his chest. "I assume you're finished for the day."
"Yes, I am." Thor leaned against the opposite wall. "I've learned something about your favorite."
Loki raised an eyebrow. "Favorite?"
"Sirith."
"Oh." He shrugged. "I wouldn't say she was my favorite."
Thor had to laugh. "Oh, don't lie to me Brother."
Loki smirked, shrugging. "What did you learn about her?"
Thor glanced back down the hallway he had come, knowing that it wasn't too far from where she stood. "Why she stands at the balcony every chance she has." Loki pushed himself away from the wall slightly, dropping his hands to his side. "It's because it reminds her of being home in the mountains."
"How did you find this out?"
"By asking. I just felt you should know, since you seemed so interested yesterday." With a cheerful wave, Thor left. Loki stood there for a few minutes longer, staring at the wall across from him before leaving them as well.
Sirith emerged into the hallway, watching Loki's retreating figure get smaller and smaller. He had been curious about her.
A/N: Again, it has been a long time since I posted a chapter for this story. My main problem was that I didn't know exactly what I wanted the other "meetings" would be for both Thor and Loki. I still don't know, but I decided to ask you. If you have any ideas, please tell me. Thank you for reading this and I hope I at least get one idea.