This is set before the first Thor movie.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. All Characters go to their respective owners, the chapter and fic title to Nightwish.

Story title: From Astral Romance - Nightwish

Chapter Title: From Once upon a Troubadour - Nightwish

Chapter Two: As she danced my eyes began to shine

The area they landed in was barren and cold. Iceland. The island of Midgard where Odin had banished Brynhild. The Valkyrie was a queen here, ruling over her island. She could have had it worse, Loki thought. Despite the cold and the dark skies, he felt immediately strangely at home here. The silence was almost too loud as all of them looked around to see where they had landed.

Thor spoke first, "Where is her palace?" He had imagined an impressive palace, much like theirs on Asgard. But there was nothing.

Loki noticed the women first. Two, clad in armours and each holding a spear. "Maybe you should ask them, brother." He noticed that Sif and the Warriors had immediately placed their hands on their respective weapons. He couldn't quite hide his smile. For three men who had been convinced even Brynhild's army could not endanger them, they had reached for their weapons quite quickly.

Only Thor and Loki did not move. Thor lowered his head slightly, "I am Thor Odinson. I would like to speak to Queen Brynhild to ask her hand in marriage. Please, guide me to her."

The taller one of the woman answered, "Welcome, Thor, Son of Odin. Please follow us." Both turned their backs to them and walked back to where they came from. Only then the castle appeared. Loki could sense the powerful magic. Apparently, to all foreigners and guests until they had stated the purpose of their visit, the palace remained concealed. Now mists and fog disappeared and the palace lay before them. Loki followed the others, looking around. It was impressive, but not decorated with gold and silver like Asgard's palace. The walls were stone, marble some, functional, not decorative.

Then the woman who had spoken before turned around, "Our Queen is behind this door, Son of Odin. We must however ask you to leave your weapons here. No weapons but those of the guards are allowed in there."

Loki could sense the uproar that was about the come from the warriors and Thor and Sif. Before they could open their mouths to protest however, he made a step forward, bowed his head to the women, and handed them over his daggers. The woman collected them. Soon, Fandral's sword, Hogun's mace, Volstagg's axe, Sif's spear and even Mjölnir followed. Loki let out a breath. Good, they were following his advice.

The woman now opened the door. She made a few steps, then went down on one knee with her head lowered in submission, "My Queen, Thor Odinson and his fellowship are here as the Son of Odin wants to ask your hand in marriage."

Brynhild, sitting on her thrown, wearing the same armour and helmet as her guards, nodded. "Guide them in."

Thor and his companions walked in. Thor was the first to drop to his knee, "My Queen, it is an honour to meet you. I am Thor, Son of Odin, and I am here to ask you to be my wife."

"Welcome to Iceland, Thor, Son of Odin." Brynhild replied, her voice slightly muffled by the helmet. "How is your dear father?"

"He is well, my Queen."

Loki rolled his eyes; it was clear from the edge in the Valkyrie's voice that she could not care less how Odin fared.

Now Sif made a step forward, "My Queen, I am Sif, a companion of Thor."

Brynhild now shifted in her seat, "Welcome, Sif, companion of Thor." She then raised both her hands, apparently sensing there was no immediate danger from her visitor, and took of her helmet.

Loki had to admit that not even fair Freyja was as fair as the Valkyrie. Heimdall had been right; she was a worthy wife for a king.

Apparently the Warriors Three thought the same as they all but pushed him out of the way to join Thor and Sif kneeling before the Queen.

"I am Volstagg the Valiant, of the Warriors Three. My axe is forever at your service, my Queen."

"I am Fandral the Dashing. You have my sword whenever you need it." That idiot actually blinked at Brynhild.

"And I am Hogun the Grim, my Queen. Whatever I can do for you, I will."

Et tu, Hogun? Loki thought, slightly disappointed. He looked more like Hogun the Shy than Hogun the Grim right now.

"Welcome to Iceland, Warriors Three." Brynhild said as she ran a hand through her hair. "Anything you need, do not hesitate to bring it up. My maidens and I hope you will have a pleasant stay here." Her eyes scanned the room, resting on Loki. "You have not introduced yourself."

Indeed, Loki hadn't. He went down on one knee as well and lowered his head, "My Queen, I am Loki, Son of Odin and brother of Thor. May I thank you for this your warm welcome? I am sure our stay here will be nothing but pleasant. It is an honour meeting you."

"The honour is mine, Loki Odinson." She answered, then got up and bowed to them. "Thor Odinson, you have asked my hand in marriage. I am sure you of all people know what this means. You will have to best me. Your spear must fly further than mine. Your boulder must fly further than mine. Your jump must be further than mine. Only then shall you be my husband. If you fail, you will die. Are you aware of all this?"

"Yes, my Queen." Thor said. "I am aware, and I will vow to you that should I best you, it will be without magic or trickery."

She smiled, "Very well. If you don't mind, I will have everything arrange for tomorrow evening. Tonight, you shall be my guests at a feast. If you will excuse me now."

Again, all of them bowed their heads as she walked past them and left the room.

Only when she was gone Thor raised his head, "A woman fit for a king."

"If you can beat her…" Fandral added.

Thor only grinned, "My friends, even the most powerful of the Valkyries cannot match my strength. Tomorrow evening, I shall have a queen by my side."

The banquet Brynhild had prepared was just as divine as the banquets in Asgard. Loki sat closest to the queen, not knowing why, but apparently the blatant admiration of the rest of the present men was not something she appreciated much over dinner. But she didn't talk. She sat on her throne, ate grapes and listened to the stories Thor and the Warriors told her. She seemed amused at the very least. Only when Sif talked, she listened intently. Of course. Sif was a warrior just like Brynhild. No wonder the Queen of the Valkyries would want to hear her stories most.

At some point, Sif said, "My Queen, you would do me the greatest honour if you and I could engage in a little fight. A little demonstration of our skills."

Loki almost chuckled. If anything, Sif wanted to either impress Thor or show the Valkyrie who was the strongest maiden in the room. It would be fun to watch. Especially for Thor. Two women fighting over him, that was something even the Thunderer had yet to experience. Loki felt a twinge of jealousy. No maiden had ever fought another maiden to gain his attention.

Brynhild shook her head, "Lady Sif, I must apologize, but I do not fight my sisters. If, however, one of your warrior friends would care for a demonstration, I shall be happy to show you how I fight." She looked around, a sparkle in her eyes.

Loki had to turn his face away or else he would have burst into laughter at the look in her eyes. She knew she would beat them all, except maybe for Thor. Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun seemed taken aback. They whispered amongst each other as Brynhild patiently waited for an answer. Even Thor watched his friends, a smile on his face as well.

Then, suddenly, Fandral grinned and said, "Loki, why don't you fight her?"

However I came up in their conversation… Loki thought.

Brynhild turned to him, "It would be an honour to fight both Odin's sons…"

But Loki shook his head, "Forgive me, my Queen, but I would be easy prey and bore you to death. I am not much of a fighter."

"Ah, now, Loki, do not underestimate your qualities as a fighter." Fandral said. "You should be able to hold your ground against a woman." Both Sif and Brynhild looked at him. "Even this very special woman. And if not, at least the storytellers will sing songs about how you were beaten by the Queen of the Valkyries."

Because this is how I want to be remembered… At least you will have your fun while I am being bashed up…

Brynhild looked at Loki, the sparkle still in her eyes, "Picture it as a dance. I will not hurt or damage you, and if I beat you you may live because this is not a fight for marriage. And if you beat me you do not have to wed me. It would be an honour." She repeated.

Loki lowered his head, "It would be an insult to refuse your wish, my Queen. Please be gentle though. I want to find a wife myself soon, and I hear women do not like to engage with men who lose their battles so undignified."

A smile appeared on her lips, "On my life, Loki Odinson, I will be gentle." She motioned to her servants. "Please bring his weapons. And my sword and armour."

"No magic, Loki." Fandral yelled, a huge grin plastered on his face. "You cannot insult the Queen like this."

I would never, you shallow talker. Loki thought. He watched as the servants whisked away the tables and made room for their fight. He knew he would lose. Of course, that had been Fandral's idea all along. Humiliate the trickster. Loki didn't take it personally. Well, not much. It was how friends joked amongst themselves. Only Loki didn't consider himself a friend of the Warriors Three. So, yeah, he took it personally. He never fit, and it felt like Fandral wanted to show him. Well, let him. Let them. He would fight as well as he could. After all, many before him had lost to Brynhild.

As Loki walked into the middle of the room, he did not wear his armour, contrary to Brynhild. She frowned at the sight, "You are vulnerable like this."

Loki nodded, "Yet, I think this will be my only chance at surviving the first round. I cannot match your strength or precision. So all I can do is try not get hit. Please do not take this as an insult, my queen."

She shook her head, "Loki Odinson, you are the only one who has not insulted me so far." She bowed her head to him. Then she gave him his daggers. "Those are good. Dwarf made?"

Loki nodded again as he ran his hand over the daggers, "Yes, my Queen. Would you like to use them? I can lose just as well with a sword."

She actually laughed, "I am sure you are flattering me, and that you are more of a fighter than you let on. But no, take your daggers." She held her sword before her face, "Normally I would wish you the best of luck."

Loki raised both his hands, each carrying a dagger, "Please, do. Anything that keeps me surviving the first twenty seconds."

"Good luck, then."

She blinked at him and started wielding her sword as she made a few steps backwards. With a scream that almost echoed in the hall she suddenly brought it down on Loki's head. Loki raised his right arm and blocked the sword with the dagger, the force of the hit making his arm shake. She grinned and twirled, her sword blocking the dagger, and, with a slight tug, freed the dagger from Loki's hand. It clattered as it landed on the floor. Well, this is worse than I thought, Loki mused, shaking the numbness from his hand as he heard the laughter from the Warriors Three. Brynhild wielded her sword again, eyeing the second dagger. This time, apparently, she wanted to smack it out of Loki's hand as the broad side of her sword was about to hit it. But Loki was prepared this time. He made a step to the right, out of Brynhild's way. The force of her own hit made her stagger, but she found her balance back quickly. With a movement so graceful it made the warriors gasp, she kicked the dagger out of Loki's hand and caught the weapon in mid-flight. With the dagger in her left and the sword in her right, she charged at Loki, who waited till the last split second to dash away. This time, Brynhild tumbled to the floor. Loki was surprised that he had managed that, but before he had realized it, she was back on her feet. With the butt of her sword, she hit his knee. With a pain filled scream, Loki went on his knee, only to find himself with his own dagger against his throat. He lowered his head slightly and raised his hands in surrender. The laughter was unbearable, and he was actually glad it was over.

Brynhild reached for his hand and pulled him into a standing position. "Thank you very much. I rejoiced in this fight."

Loki nodded, "So did I. All my limbs still attached to my body, I guess I can count that as a victory." He turned back to the table, face flushed. Of course it was not shameful to have lost against the Valkyrie. Many had before. Yet, being humiliated like that in front of his… in front of the others was not something he liked. He sat down on his seat again and took a sip of his mead, the sweetest he had ever tasted. He could hear Fandral, Volstagg, and even Thor making fun of him, but ignored it. Every now and then, his eyes went to look for Brynhild, and every time, he caught her watching him. Probably wanting to watch how the youngest son of her sworn enemy was lamenting his defeat. It didn't take long until Loki excused himself and left. It was even less dignified than losing, but at this point he did not care anymore.

He stepped outside.