(A/N: Please leave me some reviews! I don't really know if anyone is reading this...)
Andromeda and Thor walked the halls of the palace. The princess marveled at the high ceilings, golden walls and pretty floors. Portraits of the royal family hung in the hallway, and Andromeda pointed to the strawberry-blonde woman in the painting.
"Is that your mother?" She asked Thor, staring at the woman in the portrait.
"Ah yes." Thor grinned as two maids walked up to the pair, "You will meet her after you get settled. Now," He motioned to the maids, "These two will lead you to your quarters."
The servants bowed to the young princess. "This way." Their voices chimed in unison, leading the girl away from her escort.
Andromeda followed after the maids, her wet gown and cloak trailing after her. She walked with her head held high, like any royal was taught to do, and as people in the palace passed her they stared. Andromeda was sure she looked absolutely dreadful. Her wet gown stuck to her skin, making the girl have a slight chill. The bun that she put her curly hair in had loosened during the ride to the palace, but the bun was still in place with the gold ribbon, though strands hung in her face and down her neck.
When the three of them came to a gold detailed double door, the two maids opened both of the doors. "Here we are, Princess Andromeda."
The bronze princess looked around the room, taking slow steps around the suite. Of course the room was smaller than her bedroom back home, but it was still sizable. The room smelt like something similar to roses and there was a desk and book shelf against the wall. There was a king bed in the middle of the room, dressed in blankets and big pillows. The room was painted a pretty white and the ceiling had gold detailing. Andromeda marveled at the ceiling, where a painting of the Asgardian sky was placed above the bed. On the other wall, there was a huge door, that lead to the bathroom no doubt, and by the door was a huge vanity with a mirror extended to the ceiling. A tall dresser stood against the wall, and when Andromeda opened it, it was filled with dresses and shoes.
"Not to interrupt, Princess." The golden-haired maid chimed, closing the door behind her. "We need to get you ready to face the King."
The brunette maid trotted to the princess and took off her damp cloak. "Would you like a bath, Princess?"
Andromeda sighed and nodded, "Please." The maid's led her into the bathroom where a huge, porcelain tub sat in the middle of the room. "May I ask your names?" The princess politely asked, as the golden-haired maid undressed her.
"I am Ragna," The golden-haired maid answered her, before motioning to the maid pouring hot water into the tub, "She is Sylvi."
"Nice to meet you both." She nodded to them, stepping into the tub. The maids scrubbed at her body, washing away the rain and the pain of last night. Andromeda's eyes fluttered closed as Ragna hands ran through her curls and massage her scalp. Usually, Cosima would be the one to wash the young girl's hair, humming softly. Cosima had been with her since she was a baby, and the albino woman took care of the girl like she was her own, even though Cosima was only a decade older than the princess.
In that soothing moment in the warm-watered tub, Andromeda started to feel homesick. Her fingers started to play with her emerald pendant, as she longed for the familiar feelings of home. Asgard was beautiful, but Aethiopia was hers.
Her sad, sapling eyes opened as Sylvi helped her out of the tub. The two maids dried the princess off with fluffy towels before leading her back into the bedroom. They dressed her in a teal-blue Asgardian gown that had flowing sleeves, dipped down to the start of her cleavage and cinched at her waist, an obvious contrast to the dresses Andromeda was used to. Ragna put golden sandals on Andromeda's feet, then sat her down at the vanity. Ragna and Sylvi then began to tame Andromeda's long curly hair.
They both had a comb in their hand and stood on either side of the princess, combing her curls out. Andromeda watched them with a smile, laughing when they got frustrated. "I can do it myself, ladies." Andromeda giggled, "You do not have to struggle."
Ragna shook her head, "It is fine, Princess." She insisted, combing through a snag. After a while, Andromeda's hair was detangled and styled. The princess' hair was left free and flowing, the top half of her hair in a high bun and the bottom half of her hair hanging down her back, two long curls were left in front of her face.
Andromeda found the style odd, back home, her mother had told her it was inappropriate and informal to wear your hair down, so Andromeda's hair was always braided away or put in a bun. But here on Asgard, the women just wore their hair down without a thought. It was also strange that, for the first time in her life, Andromeda wasn't wearing a crown.
A knock sounded at the door and Sylvi walked over to answer it. It was a guard.
"I am here to escort Princess Andromeda to the Grand Hall." The guard said, bowing once Andromeda walked to the door. Andromeda curtsied and took the guard's arm, walking with him down the long hallway. It was quiet in the hallway and the sound of the princess' sandals echoed as they clicked against the floor. They got to a huge door and the guard let go of her arm. As the big doors opened for her, Andromeda raised her head high, relaxing her shoulders and crossing her hands over one another in front of her.
"Princess Andromeda," A voice announced and the princess kept her expression neutral, "Daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Aethiopia."
Andromeda breathed softly through her nose as she walked in front of the throne. She bowed deeply to the King, before returning to her normal height her amber eyes dancing over the royal court.
The King of Asgard sat tall on his throne, glaring down at the little princess. His hair was white with knowledge, and his face aged. He had a patch over one of his eyes and he was wearing gold armor. Sitting to the right of him was the woman Andromeda had seen in the portraits in the hall. She was even more beautiful in person and her eyes were kind.
"Princess Andromeda," Odin's voice boomed, and she saw where Thor got it from, "Your family assisted my youngest son when he was in need. Your presence as our guest is most welcome."
Andromeda smiled then, bowing her head in thanks.
"You may speak." Odin nodded to her.
"Thank you for allowing me to take refuge in your kingdom. It is very beautiful." Andromeda smiled again, her eyes warm as tree sap.
"Your words are very kind, my dear." Queen Frigga smiled at the young girl.
"Yes," Odin exclaimed, "We will have a welcome feast for you in three days. But for now, please feel free to explore the palace grounds."
"Thank you, Allfather." Andromeda bowed, before she was dismissed from the room. She smiled as she walked out of the throne room, happy that she was received well by the King and Queen.
"Ah Princess." Thor grinned at her as she left the room. He seemed to have been waiting for her, leaning against the wall outside the Grand Hall. "How was your initial meeting?"
Andromeda smiled, "It went well." She said shortly, walking away from the prince.
Thor frowned before following after the young princess, his long legs keeping up with her short ones. "Did they tell you about the welcoming feast?" He asked, before adding, "It was my idea, really."
"Oh was it?" Andromeda teased, not looking at the prince. The golden-haired prince stood in front of Andromeda, making her stop walking and stare up at him. She raised a dark brow as he just grinned at her.
"I am going to spar." Thor announced, his voice echoing through the halls. He leaned close to the princess' face, "Would you like to watch me, Princess Andromeda?"
"Well," Andromeda started, averting her eyes from his blues, "I actually wanted to explore the grounds today."
Thor frowned, stroking his beard with his hand, before he quickly began to grin again. "I could be your guide!"
The bronze beauty shook her head, "That really is not necessary, Prince Thor." The princess turned on the charm then, stepping closer to the prince and putting a hand on his chest plate. She looked up at him with wide eyes, "You wouldn't want to miss a day of training, now would you?" She blinked twice, almost like a child in wonder.
Thor smiled down at the princess, his fingers playing with a loose curl in front of her face. "I suppose not." He remarked, and Andromeda smiled up at him prettily.
"Great. I will see you at a later time, then Prince Thor." Andromeda chimed, patting the prince on his chest plate and dancing around him. She swayed away with a roll of her eyes and a snicker, not having to look back to know that Thor was watching her.
After a few moments of walking through the halls, Andromeda came to a door that led outside. She opened it and looked around cautiously, before stepping into the royal garden. Vibrant flowers and shrubbery filled the garden, so did floral smells that were foreign to her. As she walked along the pathway of the garden, her fingers grazed the tops of the flowers. It reminded her of when she was a child and she would run through the plains.
Andromeda laughed to herself when she remembered how Ares used to yell, seemingly turning red with anger at the young girl's antics. Cosima would soothe him, charming him with her smile while Andromeda got away.
The princess smile melted away as she sat on a stone bench. Her fingers twiddled with her pendant as she sighed sadly. It had only been a day and she was already longing for home. How weak of her, she was supposed to be a queen one day, and she can't even stand to be away from her kingdom for more than an hour.
Suddenly, it seemed like the pendant disappeared from between her fingers and Andromeda's hands snapped to her neck. The princess' eyes widened when she didn't feel the chain.
She looked to the ground, trying to find the skinny chained necklace, but did not see the shine of the emerald pendant. The princess got up from the bench and kneeled down, running her hands over the ground, frantically trying to find her necklace. "Oh please." She quietly prayed, looking below the bench.
Her dark brows furrowed in confusion when she saw black boots standing on the other side of the bench. She got up from the ground, embarrassed, and wiped the dirt from her gown. When she looked up, familiar green eyes were staring down at her.
Andromeda's sapling eyes scanned the prince's face, taking in all of his features. A smile began to grow on her face but she bit her bottom lip to contain it. The prince pulled a hand from behind his back and her necklace dangled between his fingers. Andromeda reached up to grab it but he pulled it away from her, dangling above her head like he used to, when she was a child. The princess reached high above her head, trying to grab her necklace but it disappeared completely from his fingers.
Andromeda rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. "I would like my necklace back, please." She said in an even tone.
Prince Loki smirked at her before slowly walking around the bronze girl in a circle. He looked like a predator sizing up his prey and it unnerved Andromeda that he hadn't spoken a word to her. "You have grown, my little princess." The prince spoke at last, smirking at the young girl. He walked up to her and looked down his nose at the short woman. "Here." He muttered, placing a finger on the column of her throat. The necklace materialized on to her neck, the magic feeling cold against her skin. "I am surprised you still possess it."
"I am surprised you're still so pale." Andromeda quipped, her full lips turning into a smirk. "Like a statue."
"Oh little girl," Loki put a hand over his heart, "How you scar me. I thought we were friends."
Andromeda's face broke into a grin at their banter, happy that he remembered her. "Tell me," She started, sitting on the stone bench. She crossed her ankles and looked up at Loki with big, doe eyes, "Do I look different?"
"Oh yes." The prince replied, walking behind the girl and putting his hands on her shoulders. Andromeda felt a chill go down her spine when she felt his bare skin on hers. "You have changed, Princess."
Andromeda's head rolled back and she looked up at him. "How?" She breathed out.
"You have matured." The silver-tongued prince ran a finger across her brows, making Andromeda's eyes snap closed. He placed his hands on her head and traced her eyelids with his thumbs. His pale thumbs traced her cheek bones and her nose before placing a thumb on her soft, supple, bottom lip. Loki pulled her lip back and Andromeda lets out a shuddery breath.
Andromeda feels the prince step away from her suddenly and her eyes flutter open. She turned to ask him why he stepped away but was interrupted by another prince.
"Princess Andromeda!" Thor's voice roared as he approached the young girl. "I am pleased to inform you that I have finished sparring and I can escort you on your tour of the palace."
Andromeda shook her head, her curls falling around her face. "You are most kind Thor but I have already found a guide."
Thor's brows furrowed as he sat on the stone bench next to her. "Who has taken my place as your guide?"
The young princess looked behind her, only to see that Loki was gone. "I must have been mistaken, Prince Thor. Forgive me." The princess apologized, "When would you like to begin my tour?"
The golden-haired son of Odin grinned at her boyishly. He stood up from the bench and offered his arm to her. "We can begin now, if you would like Princess."
Andromeda gracefully stood and took Thor's arm, wrapping her arm around his bulging bicep. "Lead the way."