Chapter 3 – Spoke too soon...

That night seemed uneventful for Loki and Eris, as hardly anyone knew that they were the standing in King and Queen, but those who did know weren't that pleased by it. However, the young couple did make each other feel better when they went to bed that evening.

"Loki, I love you." Eris told him as she cuddled up to him after their love making fest, and she watched the blue colour drain from his body.

"I love you to, my little shadow." He kissed her head. "Does it hurt you, to make love to me in my Jotun form?"

Eris looked up at him and shook his head. "No, and I don't fully understand why."

"I think that is something that your shade has gotten used to." He thought out loud, looked down at her. "Eris, are you sure that you want to stand in as Queen?"

"Yes, as long as you remain at my side, I'll be fine."

"I don't want you to be put under pressure though, especially if it comes to producing an heir." Loki sighed.

"I'll be fine." She told him, and she sounded pretty certain about it, before she sat up and pulled the blanket over the both of them. "Now come on, we need to be up early tomorrow, so we need to get some sleep."

"Yes ma'am." He smiled at her, settling down under the blanket with her, as he pulled her close.

When they eventually woke up the next morning, Loki helped Eris dress into an emerald green dress, which was a bit of a favourite for him, before Eris helped him to put his armour on. As she helped him to fasten his armour, Loki looked down at Eris, smiling to him at the look of concentration that was on her face, because of the task.

"Eris." He eventually whispered into their silence.

"Yes?" She asked as she looked up, her eyes immediately finding his. "What is it, my love?"

"Do you think that I will make a good King?"

"Of course I do, Loki a good King isn't made by someone who is the strongest, or the wisest, but by the one who has the most heart." Eris leant up onto the tips of her toes and gave him a reassuring kiss to the cheek. "You will do fine."

"I hope so." He sighed, before he picked up his helmet and put it on over his sleek jet black hair, and then looked at her. "Shall we go?"

"I think we should." She held a hand out to him, which he took gratefully. As they walked down the quiet corridors, Eris came to a sudden stop, having a weird feeling come over her.

"What's the matter?" Loki asked, looking at her.

"Nothing, I just have a feeling that something is going to go wrong." She shrugged it off. "It's probably nothing, though."

Loki looked at her in worry, before he kissed her forehead. "No matter what, the both of us will be fine."

When they carried on walking, Eris managed to put whatever she had felt behind her, and she walked with her husband into the throne room. Once inside, they found that many had lined the room, creating an aisle for them to walk down, and it led to Odin's chair. They walked down the aisle together, but there the cues of people ended, so did Eris and she look Loki in the eye as he hesitantly looked at her. She gave him a soft and comforting smile, telling him in silence to carry on, and he did, soon kneeling in front of the steps that led to the throne, before he took off his helmet and laid it on the floor in front of himself. He looked up as the royal coronation planner walked forward, yet stayed on the steps a safe distance away from Loki.

"Loki Odinson, do you swear toguard the nine realms?"

"I swear." Loki promised.

"Do you swear to preserve the peace?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to cast aside all of your selfish ambitions, and pledge yourself to only the good of the realm?"

"I swear."

"Then on this day, I proclaim you, King of Asgard." At this proclamation, the room erupted into cheers as Loki rose and Eris walked to him. Taking her hand, Loki walked up the steps with her to the throne, and he turned to face the congregation.

"Leave us." He commanded, and as everyone left, he sat in the throne, with Eris standing at his side. "You have a dagger strapped to your ankle." He commented.

"How do you know that it's a dagger, I could have a number of things strapped to my ankle." She told him teasingly, but the innuendo obviously got Loki's pulse racing. "You have a rude mind my love." She kissed him gently.

He smirked, before kissing her back. "That I do, but you love it."

"Of course." She smiled. "See, that went fine, did it not?"

"Fortunately, it went quite well." Loki smiled.

They stayed in the throne room for some time, Loki occasionally having to deal with the problems that Odin was used too, and Loki was surprised with how much Loki actually had to do. Eris however was ever present, and she seemed to be used to the flow of issues, since she normally stood in the throne room with Odin as the main guard of defence for him. Occasionally, Loki and Eris would look at each other, for Eris it was to make sure that Loki was alright with what was happening, but for Loki it was to check that the ever silent woman was actually still at his side. When things grew quiet, they started to divest into their own conversation.

"Are you still sure that you would like to try for another child?" Loki asked her, as he moved a hand down one side of her face since Eris had knelt down onto the floor.

However, as she was about to answer, an announcement was made:

"Presenting The Warriors Three and the Lady Sif!"

At hearing the announcement, Eris stood again and resumed her space at Loki's side, as Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg walked towards them.

"All father we must speak with you urgently!" Sif told him as she and the warriors walked forward, but they froze at seeing Loki on the throne.

"My friends." Loki started, watching them walk towards him and Eris. "Father has once again fallen into the Odinsleep, mother fears that he will never awaken again."

"We will then speak with her." Sif told him, which earned her an eyebrow raise from Eris, who remained silent and watched the whole scene unfold before her.

"Mother has refused to leave my father's bedside."

"Since he is your king, you can bring your urgent matter to him." Eris told them as Loki stood and Eris wondered about the looks of shock that she received when she told them the news.

The Warriors all looked at each other, then back at Eris who gave them a nod and they all moved to kneel before their new king and queen.

After taking a deep breath, Sif started to speak, though she and the Warriors remained bowed. "My King, we would ask that you end Thor's banishment."

At Sif's words, Eris looked at her husband, though she couldn't see his expression, she heard his blatant refusal through his mind. Loki walked a few steps forward, though he didn't descend upon the stairs, instead he had a faint look of hatred at the mention of his brother. "My first command, cannot be to undo the All Father's last. We are on the brink of war, our people need a sense of continuity in these difficult times, to help them to feel safe." As he spoke he started to walk down the steps towards them, leaving Eris standing by the throne. "All of us must stand together, it is for the good of Asgard and its people."

Eris suddenly tensed as Sif was suddenly on her feet, but Fandral and Hogun held her back.

"Yes of course." Fandral told him.

"Good, then you will wait for my word." Loki told them.

"If I may my Lord, would it be possible for his majesty to reconsider-"Volstagg started, before he was cut off by Loki.

"We are done." He watched the Warriors leave, before he turned back to look at Eris. "You look troubled."

"I am, but don't worry, it is nothing that you need to worry about."

Eventually the couple were allowed to retire for a while until that nights festivities started, and they walked hand in hand towards their room.

"How are you feeling?" Eris asked her husband, as they reached the secluded area where their rooms were.

"I feel fine, what about you?"

"I am also feeling fine." She smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek before she moved away to let him pull his armour off, and she also changed into something lighter but still appropriate for the feast. "What do you think?"

"Beautiful, as always my love, but you must change or other men will start to look upon you and you are only for my eyes."

"I will always be only for you my love." She told him with a smile. "Now we must go, or we will be late."

"Alright little Miss Punctual." He told her playfully, as he grabbed his staff and they walked towards the Great Hall. As the doors opened, the announcer introduced them to the room of people, who all bowed at the sight of King Loki and his wife. No one regained their former posture, until the King had taken his seat on the throne that stood proud at the top of the room.

During the feast, Loki and Eris spoke with some of the other important people who sat with them, only Loki stopped ad tensed as one of the men from another table, walked over to Eris. The man bowed and when Eris looked at him, he seemed to be bowled over by her beauty.

"My Queen, may I trouble you for a dance?" The man asked and the whole room went silent, since no one ever asked the Queen to dance except for the King, to which Eris looked at her husband.

"If my King allows it." Eris asked, her eyes remaining on her husband.

"As long as you don't try anything, then I will allow it this once." Loki told him, a dark warning clearly there in his voice, as he watched Eris stand and walk to where a space had been cleared and couples were already dancing. However when Eris got onto the dance floor, they all moved to the sides.

"Play a Volta." Eris told the musicians, before she looked at those who had moved. "Join us, everyone."

At her words, everyone came back to join them, and they all started dancing the laughter and talking starting again, though Loki didn't take his eyes off of his wife, too entranced by her beauty and how she danced to fully listen to anything anyone was telling him. When the night had finally come to an end, Eris and Loki retired to their room for the night and Eris sat on the bed as she watched Loki undress.

"You seem angry, what's the matter?" Eris asked him.

"I didn't like that man touching you." He told her coldly.

"Loki, you hardly like me and Lady Sif touching." Eris told him.

"That is because you are mine!" Loki suddenly shouted, suddenly pinning her by her neck to the bedpost.

"Loki, calm down, you're not usually this riled up." Eris whimpered as she grabbed his wrist. "Calm down and let me go, please."

He suddenly realised what he was doing, and he let go in shock, watching Eris fall to her knees touching her neck but it only caused her pain and he looked shocked at seeing horrible marks on her neck which were slowly healing. "Eris…I'm…I'm…"He then simply left the room, shutting the door behind him. Eris slept alone that night, and she didn't know if Loki was ever going to come back whether it was that night or tomorrow, and she eventually fell into a broken sleep.