WARNING: This chapter refers to slash interactions

NEW PLANS, OLD SECRETS

Banquets at Laufey's palace weren't that much different than at Odin's: there was plenty of food, music and noise. The only detail really missing was the colour. Everything had a bluish hue, from the walls to the skin of the Frost Giants, their red eyes being the only coloured spot in an otherwise frozen world.
Nevertheless, everybody seemed to have fun, first of all Isleifur who was strutting about the unexpected luck that had fallen upon him.
Loki was still dallying in his rooms fixing his furred cloak around his shoulders; he still had to get used to his true nature so he was lingering in front of the mirror, studying the long, winding marks on his skin and his bright red eyes. His neck was adorned with a large golden collar, golden bangles were clasped around his biceps and wrists. His bare chest was partially covered with a tick furred cloak fastened by large golden buckles. The tiny crown made of icy spikes was gently resting on his raven black hair. His overall look was none less than princely. He smiled to himself and slowly walked down to the banquet hall.
Laufey stopped talking to the unknown giant besides him and greeted his son: - "Loki! Come here!"

The prince motioned towards him duly smiling to his father: - "Father…"

- "I think it is the right time to introduce you to Isleifur." He moved his eyes to the giant next to him.

Loki raised his head and smiled to the giant politely: - "My lord, I am really pleased to meet you."

- "Prince Loki…" The giant answered almost growling.

Loki thought that the giants really lacked the pleasant and harmonious voice of the Asgardians, nevertheless, he didn't stop smiling.

- "I am extremely honoured of the unexpected privilege your father allowed me and my family." Isleifur went on.

- "Father surely knows what's better for us!" Loki's voice sounded sweet and polite.

Laufey was obviously overjoyed: - "I think you are eager to meet your bride, my son."

- "Sure father, I am!" Loki smiled like the good son he wished to be.

The king nodded to Isleifur who motioned towards a small giantess dressed in a glittering white gown.

- "Prince Loki, allow me to introduce you my daughter, Angrboda."

The girl raised his eyes until meeting Loki's and smiled shyly before looking at the pavement again.

- "My lady, I am overjoyed to meet you…" Loki nodded and smiled duly.

- "I am very lucky and honoured to meet you, my prince…" Loki was surprised at the sound of Angrboda's voice. He was expecting some kind of bestial growl, as typical of most of Frost Giants, to the contrary, the girl's voice was sweet and harmonious even if not exactly like an Asgardian one.

Loki estimated Angrboda's age as a few years younger than himself, from what he could see, she was rather pretty for being a Frost Giant . Overall, she would have made a good bride for him.
The young Frost Giantess kept her eyes to the ground but she was enraptured by her future husband, that very first sight had been enough to make her fall in love completely with had never seen him before but she was quite curious on him; her father had told her about that long lost son of Laufey and how the king had plans regarding him and her. She had put up with the idea of getting married pretty soon in her life but she was expecting to be promised to one of the best warriors, a prince was completely beyond her expectations. Prince Loki, then, was even better than her most wonderful dreams: to her eyes he was beautiful although a bit strange due to his still enduring Asgardian manners. That wasn't a complete fault, she thought, that was something that made him even more seductive.

- "You two will have all the time to make your acquaintance!" Laufey laughed.

Loki smiled and nodded: - "Sure, father… she's very pretty. I am sure she will be a perfect wife."

Isleifur looked at his daughter gratified.
The prince reached the other guests and enjoyed the banquet as he seldom had done at Asgard.

Eventually the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three persuaded Thor into going out for an excursion. Their horses were quietly trotting along a path in the wood. Hogun, Volstagg and Fandral were in front of the Lady Sif and Thor who were following a few steps behind. They were chatting and weren't paying any attention to the couple behind them.
Thor was pretty silent when the Lady Sif exclaimed: - "You should stop thinking of Loki, Thor… Thinking of him so much does no good to you."

- "I've never heard of a thought being deadly." He muttered.

- "No, sure… But it takes energy away from you and you need all your concentration if you want to rule over Asgard."

Thor shook his head, eyes straight in front of him: - "Right now I have no desire to rule over Asgard, Sif."

- "You don't look like yourself, Thor. You were eagerly waiting for the day Allfather would have appointed you as his heir and now… Now you don't seem to care any more!"

Silence.

The Lady Sif went on: - "You still don't want to acknowledge the fact that Loki is home now, he's leading his life the way he pleases him more and… And I am not fully sure he's still thinking of you!"

- "Why are you saying so?" He mumbled.

- "Because I care of you, Thor! And I don't want to see you wasting your time thinking of someone who has more than likely forgotten you!"

That wasn't possible, Thor was discarding the possibility from the very beginning. Loki would have never forgotten him! He didn't know what his brother was doing in his icy realm of Jotunheim, if he was really happy as Sif and the others were continuously telling him or if he was sad and struck by melancholy. What he knew from the very bottom of his heart was that Loki would have never forgotten him.

He felt annoyed by Sif's words: - "I don't think you are in the right position to judge my brother such harshly, Sif." He answered bitterly

- "After all what he did to you, to us… you still defend him!" The lady looked at him in disbelief.

- "He's my brother". He replied quietly.

- "He's your foster brother, Thor… quite a stranger… or at least he proved to be so each time he mocked us with his hideous tricks."

- "Stop here, Sif". Thor's voice raised slightly in a growl.

Lady Sif remained silent for a few minutes, then she suddenly asked again: - "So… is it true what I heard?"

Thor looked at her quizzically: - "What did you hear?"

- "Quite incredible gossips about you and Loki… I really cannot believe them!"

- "What about?" Thor's curiosity awakened.

- "Oh, stupid stories about you and Loki being…. Well… " She struggled to find a suitable word, then she resolved with simplest but most effective one. – "Lovers."

Thor blinked and smiled trying to conceal his thoughts. Damn! As long as Loki was with him, he didn't care people figuring out the truth but now that he was alone, it was of most importance to conceal it. He wasn't embarrassed at all by the statement in itself but he really found important to defend his brother's honour. If Asgard had found out that awkward truth, everybody would have surely thought that Loki had cleverly manipulated him for his own interest, to get something back, for instance being appointed as joint regent once Thor would have been king. Odin would have probably sent Loki in exile forever deeming him a major risk for Asgard's stability.
The truth was far different than that: they were in love with each other, they had probably always been and there was no calculations behind their meetings. They simply enjoyed their company and the sheer pleasure of their nights together.

He smirked but didn't answer. Sif's eyes widened: - "Does your silence mean that the gossip is true?"

Thor kept smiling without answering. Sif's voice was tinged with frustration: - "Answer me! Was Loki your… lover?"

- "Would it be of some importance to know?" He finally answered.

- "To me… yes!" The Lady Sif's voice became sweeter.

- "Loki is special to me. He loves me more than anybody else. I love him more than anybody else. That's all."

Sif shook his head: - "Shall I take this as an admission?" She finally asked.

- "Just take it as your feelings allow you to…" He answered mysteriously.

The lady sighed and slackened the reins trotting past Thor.

The blond prince remained immersed in his thoughts. Yes, it was all true, Loki was his lover and he was Loki's lover and he would have been tempted to tell everything to the Lady Sif, tell her how much he enjoyed keeping him tightly against his chest, feeling the pleasant chill of his skin against his overheated one, sinking his nose into Loki's hair to breath his unique scent of dew and moss. And still, he would have liked to tell her about Loki's searing kisses, about his sinewy and glowing pale body, about his sweet smile and precious eyes, about his velvet voice when he was whispering all his dreams to him.
Whatever Asgard was gossiping about them, they weren't half a way from the truth, they couldn't even imagine the bliss of embracing Loki and watch over his sleep all night long.

That was the secret Thor would have guarded until Loki's return.