Maiden Warrior

Chapter 2

Tilde's eyes lit up when she saw the celebration, there were people everywhere, sitting at tables eating and drinking, dancing wildly on the large dance floor, chatting in small groups, and King Odin sat at the royal table, the seat next to him was empty and awaiting Queen Frigga.

"Come, there is Thor and Sif." Loki led her over to a packed table. They stood and listened to Thor recount the adventure, embellishing certain events and telling everyone is great detail exactly what happened.

"Do not forget Tilde throwing the dagger that saved me!" Sif chimed in.

"Oh yes! I almost forgot. Lady Sif's apprentice, Lady Tilde saved her life today. While Sif was battling another brute came up behind her and was about to split her head with an axe!" There was a resounding gasp throughout the avid listeners, "But then Tilde saw this and loosed a dagger into the man's back, allowing Sif to live and to finish off her opponent." Applause rose up from the crowd.

Tilde blushed as Sif reached over and grabbed her hand raising it in the air, Sif turned her bright eyes to Tilde, "Come have a drink with me!" She laughed and dragged Tilde away from the crowd. They found a servant carrying a tray of wine and Sif plucked two glasses and handed one to Tilde.

"Drink up!" Tilde laughed and clinked her glass against Sif's. The wine was dry but Tilde liked it that way, bitter the whole way down.

She followed Sif around, accepting the wine that was offered to her, but never taking it from a servant herself. Soon she started refusing the wine, she was inebriated and knew she would be too far-gone if she didn't stop then.

She had lost sight of Sif, and was feeling a slight panic take over her, when a hand fell on her shoulder. She jumped at the contact and saw Loki standing next to her.

"Have you seen Sif?" She asked, standing on her tiptoes in hopes of seeing over the heads of others.

"Oh please Tilde, you wouldn't be able to see over anyone even if you wore stilts." Loki laughed at his own joke.

Tilde pouted, "Have you seen her?"

"Yes."
"Where is she?"

"She was at that end of the hall dancing with a soldier." Loki watched her reaction, her face fell, "Want to dance?" He asked.

Tilde thought about it, there could be no harm in dancing with him.

"Leave Sif's side for a while, have your own fun." Loki insisted.

She smiled, "Alright." She grabbed his hand and looked towards the dance floor.

Loki took her other hand and put it on his shoulder, while his other free found her waist. "Do you know this dance?" He asked.

"No, I'm afraid I was never much of a dancer." Tilde laughed lightly.

"Just follow me." Loki grinned.

Tilde did what she was told with marvelous results, she and Loki were dancing wonderfully. She had never danced like that before, the only dancing she had ever done was unstructured dancing with the other whore's in pubs. But there she was, in a beautiful gown and dancing a sophisticated dance with a Prince of Asgard; her life had sure taken a drastic turn.

After a few dances she managed to pull Loki off the dance floor, "Please, my Prince, my feet are begging for a break." She laughed.

"Did you have fun?" He asked smiling.

"Yes, yes I did. Thank you," Tilde grinned, she was feeling a little bit light headed from all the wine and dancing. "I need some water." She got up and began wandering around looking for a servant. Before she could find one a man stopped her.

"Milady?"

"Oh, yes?" The man looked very familiar, he was older, far older than her with a scraggly beard and hair to match. He was a soldier, or a retired soldier. She suddenly remembered his face, he had been one of her clients, and a regular actually, she had seen him more than a few times. Tilde pulled away from him and tried to escape.

"Mistress Evans has been looking for you. Heard you ran away from her and your sisters." He leered at her. "Never thought I'd find you here in the palace." He cackled.

Tilde saw Loki come up beside her and give her a questioning look and she just shook her head.

"Come dance with me again." Loki took her hand.

The old man laughed louder, "And in the company of a Prince to boot! A whore wearing a dress, dancing with a Prince in the palace, who would have ever thought."

Tilde's face hardened, she remembered her lessons with Sif, she was never to let people trample her because she was a smart and able woman.

"Excuse me, Sir," She said scathingly, "I will have you know I am Lady Tilde, apprentice to the Lady Sif. I will not have anyone speaking to me in such a way. You have disrespected me and my companion," She gestured to Loki, "And I believe you owe us an apology."

The man sneered, "You are no Lady. You are a whore, you belong to Mistress Evans and she will here about you being here. Believe me dear, I've missed having you and will be happy when you are back in the brothel."

"That is quite enough." Loki stepped in, "Guards, seize this man and escort him out."

A pair of guards came and grabbed the man on each side. As she watched him being tossed out Tilde felt tears prick her eyes, a lump in her throat kept her from explaining anything. She blinked rapidly trying to rid the tears as she walked out. She knew she could never belong there. Tilde sat down on the floor a little ways down the corridor from the hall hosting the celebration to think. She was very happy Sif had saved her from her miserable life in the whore-house, but she knew with all her heart that she didn't belong there, she was forcing herself into a place she wasn't meant to be.

The tears were flowing freely when Loki plopped down next to her, "I couldn't find Sif or any other female that you may know, so I am here myself to offer you comfort, and to find out what that was all about." Loki smiled at her trying to lighten the mood.

"I knew him. Everything he said was true." She sniffed.

Loki frowned, "Everything?"

"Yes, feel free to shun me now." Tilde waved a hand.

Loki shook his head, "So that's where Sif found you, that is why you have such an undying loyalty towards her?"

She nodded, "Sif saved me. She happened to walk by as I had pulled a knife on a man you had tried shorting me money. She says she saw potential and wanted to take me in. I have lived with her ever since, as well as training."

"Is the mistress of the brothel really looking for you?"

"Probably, though not very hard. Girls run away, sometimes they get brought back, and sometimes they are skilled at hiding. I have made some powerful friends, so I doubt she'll come looking for me." Tilde admitted. "I hope I didn't offend you."

"Not at all, I would be scared too if someone I was after had made friends with Odin's sons and their friends." Loki laughed.

Tilde wiped her eyes dry, "It's silly of me to cry."

"It's not."

She smiled at him, "I do not think I belong here with everyone else."

"Nonsense, you made a spectacular dance partner, of course you belong." Loki looked across the hall. "There is Sif, would you like to go to her?"

Tilde was smiling honestly now, it felt good to have someone other than Sif say she belonged there. "No, I think I will go back to the party." She got to her feet and offered him a hand.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around, I offering you a hand to get up?" Loki took her hand.

"Why should it not be this way?" Tilde heaved him to his feet, "Goodness you're heavy."

"That is why." Loki laughed.

Tilde danced the rest of the night, she accepted every offer and danced with whoever asked her; though most of them were rudely interrupted by Loki. She noticed that the women in the room only really looked at him, they seemed afraid to approach him. She had had far too much alcohol to really care what others were thinking of her, the run in with the man from the brothel had made her inhibitions fly out the window; and she was loving it.

Finally Sif came to get her, "We must go home now." Sif laughed at the younger girl still dancing while she held her arm.

Tilde sighed loudly, "Fine." A few young men bid her goodnight, which she responded to with a wave and a smile. Thor and Loki stopped them at the door to say goodbye. Thor enveloped both women in a bone-crushing hug, when Tilde was put down she swayed and Loki steadied her.

"Goodnight Tilde," Loki gave her a smile before letting her shoulder go.

"Goodnight Loki," She replied brightly. "Thank you for making me dance and thank you for talking to me in the hall." She gave him a drunken hug; she had really appreciated him coming out to talk with her when the man had upset her.

Loki shook his head softly when he saw Thor and Sif exchange significant looks. He gently pushed her into Sif's arms to be taken home; Tilde was far too intoxicated to get home on her own.

"Brother, what was that about?" Thor looked at him skeptically.

"Nothing, we danced a few times that is all. Tilde is very drunk, I was merely looking out for her." Loki explained.

"Of course. You are always looking out for the well being of intoxicated girls…" Thor said dubiously.

Loki just laughed it off and accepted his brother's curious looks.

/ . / . / . / . / . / . / . / . /

Tilde woke the next morning with a pounding headache. She groaned and rolled over, pulling her pillow overtop of her head. She did not want to wake up and face Sif. The problem was she could remember exactly what had happened last night, she wish she could have forgotten. The dancing had been fun, but now she had no idea how she should be acting towards Loki. He knew the truth about her prior life and she felt as though she had liked it better when only her and Sif knew. She had danced with him all night, sure there had been other men too, but almost every dance had ended with him. And she had hugged him goodnight, she was mortified.

She grumbled around the small house looking for Sif when she realized the diligent warrior was probably at the training arenas already. She smacked her forehead, why hadn't Sif woken her. Tilde scrambled to get herself ready and eat something light even though her stomach protested.

As she neared the arenas she could see everyone there, they were all in paired battles and no one noticed her. Tilde slunk off to a smaller arena that no one really used save her. She took out her sword and began swinging it, practicing her swordsmanship; she then began to beat up the dummy position in the arena for her use. She attempted a few more complicated moves and was surprisingly happy when she completed them successfully.

A few claps brought her down from her victory; she spun around and saw Loki was sitting on the fence clapping. He smirked when she turned red and walked up to him.

"Prince Loki, I am very sorry for my behavior last night. I understand I acted foolishly and I apologize sincerely." Tilde bowed her head.

Loki laughed, "Why are you apologizing? I had fun last night, as did you. I also learned about your secret," He looked at her slyly. "Now tell me what you did that was foolish?"

"Well, I danced with many men," Then she added in a whisper, "I danced with you a lot."

"Nothing to apologize for there, if I hadn't wanted to dance with you I would have said so." Loki crossed his arms.

"I cried, I cried in front of you. I was weak." Tilde said scarcely.

"You need not apologize for showing moments of weakness, even the fiercest warriors do so."

With her final confession Tilde's face was burning, "I hugged you, for that I apologize."

At this Loki laughed again, "Please little one, if anything you should be explaining yourself to my brother and Sif, for they think it was more than an embrace between friends."

Tilde was pretty sure her ears were on fire, "They would not think that."

"According to the look they shared as you hugged me, yes, they do indeed think that."

Shaking her head Tilde groaned. "Oh no." She looked up at Loki, "I am sorry all the same. It was inappropriate."

"You have no need to apologize for anything that happened last night. It was all in good fun and is now water under the bridge. Do not dwell on anything you considered embarrassing because I can assure you Thor was ten times drunker and ten times more humiliating." Loki then reached for her belt and took her dagger from its sheath. "You need to sharpen these."

She spent the rest of her afternoon sharpening her weapons with Loki. They sat in the small arena with stones and blades scattered in an organized chaos around them.

Eventually Sif came looking for Tilde, she was ready to head home early as she had been up early and was still feeling the celebration from the night before.

"Tilde, what are you doing?" SIf asked.

"Sharpening my weapons." Tilde didn't look up from the dagger she was currently running a stone across.

"Hmm. And Loki, what are you doing." She raised a brow at him.

He gave her a bemused look, "Oh Sif, I am merely helping Lady Tilde with her work."

"Watch yourself, Trickster." Sif warned, "Come on Tilde, let's go home."

"I will stay here until I am finished. I started late so I will finish late."

Sif watched her sharpen her blades diligently for a few moments before replying to Loki instead of Tilde, "If she isn't home by night fall you will be answering to me." Sif glared at him.

Loki just shrugged and looked back at the sword he was gently running a stone along.

After Sif had left Tilde turned to him, "Why doesn't Sif like you?"

"Oh she likes me well enough, we've been friends since we were children. However I played a particularly cruel trick on her, and ever since then she has been highly suspicious of me and my motives."

"What did you do?"

"I tried a spell on her. A spell I had not practiced enough yet. I turned her beautiful blonde hair black as ink, and I couldn't turn it back, in fact no one could turn it back." Loki laughed quietly.

"Why did you do that?" Tilde asked.

"She had been making fun of my dark hair, because her and Thor were blonde. She was teasing me and I had had enough, so I made her hair the same color as mine."

Tilde thought for a moment, "Sounds like you were both acting rather immaturely."

"Oh no doubt. We weren't as wise as we are now." He winked at her.

Tilde laughed, "You two are wise?" She continued laughing. "That means Thor must be a genius and I a war-lord." Loki laughed along with her.

/ . /. / . / . /. / . / . / . /

Sif was flying through the corridors of the palace searching for Loki and Tilde. She came across Thor, "Where are Loki and Tilde?" She demanded.

"I have not seen Tilde since this afternoon and Loki is in his chambers. Sif what has gotten you so riled?" Thor asked.

"Tilde was to be home before dark and she wasn't. I am blaming your brother." Sif marched off to find Loki.

He answered his door with a huff, "Why are you banging and yelling Sif?"

"Where is Tilde?" She growled.

Loki frowned, "She left the training grounds before I did. I saw her, it wasn't even close to being dark out when she'd left."

Sif's face paled, "Oh no."

"What?"

"She always said that her past mistress wouldn't come after her, but I fear something has happened to her." Sif admitted.

Loki nodded. "I will help you find her, as will Thor and the Warriors Three."

They rounded up the other four before taking to the streets. All of them wielded weapons and were hunting for Tilde and her mystery captors. Thor and Sif had gone together to the northern parts of the city, Hogun went to the west, Volstagg went east, Fandral went south. Loki took on the heart of the city; he crept through the streets all of senses keen on listening for any hints on Tilde's location.

He decided to start at the training grounds and trace Tilde's walk home, he was over half way to her and Sif's house when he heard a groan coming from a heap in the gutter. What he, and probably everyone else who had passed by, had thought to be a pile of rags was actually a person. Loki kneelt down and rolled the being over. She was hardly discernable, but he could tell it was Tilde. Blood matted in her hair and ran down her face, she was clutching her abdomen and appeared to be in an immense amount of pain.

"I'm so sorry," He whispered before lifting her up, she nearly screamed at the sudden movement. Loki carried her as quickly as possible to the palace where he already had plans to bring her straight to his mother.