Thor returned to their chambers at the end of the day and gave Loki a full report. Thor ended up siding with the noble that was going to lose land because of the change in the flow of the creek. The other noble was clearly making a land grab and Thor shut him down. Lord Strickman is now a political enemy.
"What else was covered?"
"Tax collection in the eastern villages are down from last year. I don't know what that means."
"It means Lord Njordson, who had a great harvest this year, is stiffing the local taxman. We'll have to make an example of him." Loki said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Great. How about you? How is…she?"
"Starved, frightened, and beaten into submission, until she snapped at any rate. She's a meek little thing, but I suppose even a worm can turn when all other options are gone. She's a desperate creature, but not a criminal. She's already eaten my dinner and yours. Poor thing is terribly skinny. The head matron is putting her in charge of keeping our chambers clean, collecting up our laundry for the wash maids and such. She won't have a friend in the world."
"She'll have us." Thor said.
"She's a servant Thor. A slave in fact. We cannot be kind to her when she is in public. I've warned her as much. You'll need to be publicly cruel to her a time or two."
"I understand. The theatre of politics is more hazardous than I ever imagined. I would not have made it through the day today without your guidance." Thor said.
"You're welcome." Loki said. He sighed feeling tired and defeated. Thor had proven himself a far more capable king than he had expected. It will only be a matter of time before he will have the experience to rule alone. Then what will his life be?
"I see the wheels in your mind turning Loki. Tell me your thoughts." Thor said.
"You did well today." He said simply. Thor picked up on the undertone.
"Well enough to make you feel insecure I see."
"I'm not…" Loki started to scream, but the words died on his tongue. He couldn't tell a convincing lie to himself let alone Thor.
"You handled sitting in that tiny chair with grace and dignity today. I know you hated it. I am proud of you." Thor said.
"It was nothing." Loki said, sounding flippant. "I'm tired. Let's go to bed." Loki turned away from him.
"Hey." Thor grabbed his shoulder. "What we accomplished today was no small thing, and we did it together."
"You saved that girl, not me remember?"
"And you saved me from the wolves. We can do this together Loki. That's not to say we won't disagree. I predict you and I will have some amazing rip-roaring fights in the future with the fate of all of Asgard at stake. But I look forward to them. In time the people will not differentiate between a ruling from you or I. They will learn that your voice has equal weight."
"Not when I'm sitting on garden furniture Thor." Loki said.
"A minor detail which I can fix." Thor said and pulled Loki in for a kiss. It made Loki smile if only briefly.
"Sentimental fool."
"You are getting to know me." Thor said. His expression was warm as he held Loki close in an embrace. Loki leaned in for a kiss, feeling nervous and excited. Desire crept into him and he placed his hands on Thor's shoulders. Thor took the invitation, hopeful that tonight would be the night.
A knock came at their door. It was Kelda.
"Yes?" Loki asked, clearly agitated.
"Forgive me my Prince, but I need to use the facilities and cannot find them. I got lost." She said, as she fidgeted in their presence. Thor chuckled.
"It is alright. Come. I'll show you where it is." He said. Loki huffed and threw a silent temper tantrum when Thor left the room. He tossed off his clothes and yanked on his pajamas and jumped into bed frustrated yet again.
XxXxXxXxXx
"What is this my prince?" Kelda asked as she inspected the different colored powders.
"Makeup. It's usually used to accentuate the eyes, but I'm going to use it on you to make it look like you have bruises."
"So people will think you've been beating me?"
"Yes. You'll be following me today. You must remain always one step behind and never speak unless I speak to you. I'm going to slap you at some point today as well. Be ready for that. I'll try to avoid putting my full force behind it, and I apologize in advance if I hurt you too much."
"I've endured far worse my prince." She said. Loki applied the makeup to her arms and gave her a short sleeved servant's dress to wear. When they were ready to leave the royal chambers Loki put short chained shackles on her ankles which shortened her stride and made it difficult to keep up. Loki went to have tea with the Duchess Fjordnir and her companions. He'd been invited and of course, they would take the opportunity to humiliate Loki's new servant whenever possible.
"I must say, you and Thor handled court yesterday splendidly my prince." The Duchess said.
"Thank you for noticing." He said.
"So the other omegas and I were wondering, how is the new King? You know…" The Duchess waggled her eyebrows at him. She and Loki were not close friends but suddenly everyone around him acted like they were.
"My Alpha is a brute in bed." The Lady Aegir said and giggled. "He is! He's so strong and dominating. I love it. I feel like I could drift off in his arms and know nothing could ever hurt me while I'm there." She said, looking absolutely dreamy.
"Well, Thor is gentle and kind." Loki said, looking down at his plate.
"Gentle? A gentle Alpha. That is surprising. Do you feel secure?"
"Yes, of course." Loki said.
"I don't know. I know if my alpha was gentle with me I'd wonder if he'd have the stamina to survive on the battlefield." The Duchess said. The other women giggled. There were five of them.
"Thor's stamina is not a problem." Loki said through gritted teeth.
"Well, so long as he satisfies you, that is all that matters." The Duchess said. "Oh, I do believe we are getting low on tea."
"Allow me my lady. My new serving girl needs to learn her place. Kelda! Fetch us more tea and be quick about it!" Loki snapped at her. The ladies all looked at each other above their fans with approval. Kelda skittered off and Loki thought he heard the sound of her face planting somewhere down the hall. No doubt one of the Duchess's servants tripped her. She returned a moment later with a giant wet spot on the front of her dress and a half empty pot of tea.
"You stupid girl!" Loki swat her and she went stumbling back with a little more power than Loki knew was in his slap. Excellent.
"Allow one of my servants to see to our needs my prince. You have your hands full training this one."
"She'll learn her place, one way or another." He said, sipping his tea. He was worried for her. How hot was the water that spilled down her front?
"Do you think you are pregnant yet?" The Lady Fortuna asked.
"No. No not yet." Loki said.
"That's a shame. Did you take a potion?" The Duchess asked. Loki's defenses went up. There was more going on here than minor gossip.
"Yes." He lied. "Thor and I want to have time to work on our marriage before we suffered the added burden of children. We barely know each other and we need time to be together and build up our relationship." He said.
"Of course." The Duchess said. She smiled at him but Loki knew better. Twice now the woman has called Thor's virility and stamina into question. Calling Thor a weak alpha was no small insult.
"I'm tired my friends. I have many more duties to which I must see and I have lingered long enough."
"I thank you for gracing us with your presence my prince. We all look forward to seeing you again." The Duchess said.
"As do I." Loki said and left, barking at Kelda for good measure. They returned to the palace where Thor was busy studying Vanir.
"You need to make more appearances in the training yard the next few weeks. Make some big displays of your strength and new skills."
"Why?"
"Your enemies are trying to create a narrative that you are weak and unfit to rule."
"How so?" Thor asked. Loki looked away.
"I was questioned as to why I was not yet with child." Loki said.
"Oh, I see. Do you want children?"
"No. You and I have a lot of work to do before we are ready for that. I told them I took a potion."
"But that is the angle they are trying?" Thor asked.
"Yes." Loki said. "I think we should have sex tonight." Loki said.
"No, not like that. I'll not have a loving act be turned into a matter of state."
"The consummation of our marriage is a matter of state."
"It was consummated."
"You know what I mean."
"I do, and I still disagree. I'll not touch you unless it is something we both want." Thor got up and put the book he was studying back on the shelf. Loki watched him leave and wanted to scream. He did want it.