"Lord Odinson and Lady Romanova," a man with short blond hair neatly combed to one side greeted them. "It is truly an honour to have you in our presence." He bowed as he reached for the brass door handle behind him. "You must forgive Lord Stark for beginning his festivities without you, but he can be quite persistent."
Loki raised a hand and heartily chuckled. "He is forgiven, so long as Lady Natalia enjoys herself."
"Lord Stark always ensures a good time." He opened the door for them, welcoming them into the banquet hall that bustled with life.
"Many thanks, Jarvis," Loki added as he held his fiance's hand. "Shall we?" he asked Natalia.
There were three rows of long wooden tables that stretched across the vast room. All of the tables were decorated with ruby table cloths and golden plates full of food and goblets filled to the brims with wine. For a banquet so large, there had to be nearly three hundred people in the room. Every seat was occupied as guests feasted and chatted with one another. Natalia had never attended a party like this before so she tightly squeezed Loki's hand as he led her down an aisle. The princess took the chance to admire the paintings lining the hall's walls. Each portrait seemed to be of the same man with dark hair and a goatee wearing different robes and jewels in each one. Natalia assumed that it had to be Lord Stark. Her first impression of him was that he was vain, but still kind-if he threw ornate parties like this for the town, then he was either very giving, or a big show-off.
"So this is the next Queen?"
Natalia looked away from a glistening chandelier to make eye contact with the man from the portraits. "Lord Stark, I presume?"
"My close friends call me Tony. Your husband's always too formal with me. I don't like it," he smirked, making Loki laugh. Tony stopped playing with the sapphire stone that hung around his neck to rise from his seat "Everyone!" he declared, raising his arms in the air. The hall fell silent in an instant. "Our future King and Queen. Let's offer up a drink in their honour!" He grabbed his goblet and lifted it high into the air and applause and cheers broke out.
"Forgive his rudeness," a woman with strawberry blonde hair interrupted. "Tony will do anything to have an excuse for another drink."
"He's only being himself, Lady Virginia," Loki assured her.
"A pleasure to meet you, Tony." Natalia smiled for the Lord and curtsied.
"Take a seat," Tony urged her. "Right beside me, if you'd like," he added, motioning for her to sit at the table especially reserved for his closest friends. "Jarvis, pour them some wine!" he ordered. "While I speak with my old pals Blondie and Robin Hood."
"Tony!" Virginia hissed. Her attempt to get her husband to sit failed. She watched him leave their table to greet Thor and Clint. "He's just being rude now," she groaned.
"Overly friendly," Loki corrected her. "Natalia, this is Anthony's wife, Virginia."
"Hello," Natalia smiled. She almost pitied her-if Tony always acted 'rude' as she had put it, then her hands must have always been full.
"My Lady." Virginia rose and curtsied to her. "A pleasure to meet you. I wish you and Lord Odinson the very best."
"That means a lot to Loki and I. Thank you," she added.
"As my husband said, please have a seat."
Jarvis soon arrived carrying a tray of food and wine for the Prince and Princess. Natalia sat in the unoccupied seat that belonged to Tony while Loki sat at her other side. Being higher up than the other tables allowed Natalia to overlook the whole room. She saw Tony make room for Ivan, Clint, Thor, and Sif at a table and make sure that they were all served their meals. The princess couldn't help but feel bad for Sif who was hiding her face with a scarf wrapped around her head.
"This smells excellent," Loki remarked upon glancing down at his plate. "Doesn't it, Natalia?"
She snapped out of her daze and hummed in agreement. "Yeah. It does." Her stomach began to growl once the smell of fresh meat reached her nostrils. She realized that she hadn't eaten all day and gladly went to work on her dinner. Natalia ate slowly, savouring every bite in order to look like a proper lady.
"Introduce me to that lovely lady of yours later on," Tony suddenly whispered into Natalia's ear. "She's a shy one-tell her I don't bite, won't you?" he added, pointing to Sif as he took his seat.
"Sure," Natalia said after a sip of wine. She wanted to laugh, knowing deep down that Sif could easily take down Tony.
"So Natalia," the lord continued. "You ripped a witch apart with your bare hands? I find that very alluring."
"Excuse me?" she repeated. "No, I didn't-"
"How rumours spread!" Loki chuckled to himself. "You've found some unreliable sources, Anthony."
"Not so," Natalia interrupted. "I did burn it at the stake. That counts as a kill. What do you think, Tony?" she prodded, taking another sip of her drink.
"I think that I like a queen with a backbone. You best watch your back, Odinson," he warned Loki. "The Lady Romanova is a fearless one."
"I wouldn't say 'fearless,'" she quietly added.
"Nonsense!" Tony scoffed. "You're a fearless ruler and I will make this news known."
"I am glad my wife meets your approval," Loki remarked with a grin.
"How do you two know each other?" Natalia inquired.
Tony took a big swig of alcohol. "Royalty knows royalty. We've gone riding several times together."
"And every time, you would manage to attract a new lady friend," Loki chimed in.
"The women go nuts if you've got riches and a fancy title attached to your name. But you're my one and only, Pepper," he quickly added, turning to Virginia.
"'Pepper?'" Natalia repeated.
"Her pet name," Tony said. "They can call you Pepper, right, Pep?" he asked his wife.
Pepper rolled her eyes. "I've been called that more than my given name. All thanks to Tony." She managed a small smile.
"She was asking for it," Tony told Natalia. "She needed to see me the day before our wedding, but the servants wouldn't allow it. So you know what she did? She grabbed a handful of pepper and blew it in their faces as a distraction."
"That's very sweet, in a way," Natalia laughed.
"I'm just surprised you remember the story," Pepper added.
"It's one I can't forget no matter how many pints I've drank."
A light blush coated Pepper's freckled cheeks. "We'll see about that," she grinned.
Natalia felt that Tony had been coming off as a bit conceited, but he was sweet deep down.
A group of jesters joined in on the feast, dancing up and down the space between tables while playing music. Natalia found herself finishing off her second glass of wine, while Tony had downed at least five. Loki took the entertainment as an opportunity to test his newfound tricks. He magically refilled both Tony and Natalia's glasses while both were distracted. When the crowd grew less energetic, Tony staggered onto his chair and stood tall for the whole room to see. "I'd like to say a few words!" His voice resounded throughout the banquet hall. "Tonight's festivities may be coming to a close, but," he pointed down to Natalia and Loki. "My next grand shindig will be at the Odinson wedding!" he declared. "And I'm inviting everyone!"
Pepper made eye contact with Natalia and mouthed 'I'm sorry.'
"I trust that you enjoyed yourself?" Loki asked his fiancé as he led her out of the dining hall.
"Very much," Natalia grinned. She leaned close to Loki, feeling a bit light headed from all of the wine. She swore she only had two glasses, but then again, maybe it was three. Or four. Between the music and the talking, Natalia lost track of everything. "We've gotten his approval-he even said he'll attend the wedding." She stumbled a bit, but Loki caught her before she could fall over.
"Yes. Let's just pray that things don't get too unmanageable." He wondered if he overdid it with refilling her glass… "I want you to be able to remember our wedding."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her words a bit slurred.
"Natalia," he chuckled, "you've partook in a little too much fun tonight," he noted as he escorted her outside into the hallway.
"You wanted me to have fun. You and Stark." She rested her head against his chest. The warmth of his body felt cozier than any blanket. She could stay cuddled up to him all night long.
Loki stroked her hair and began humming to her. He found her neediness adorable. "I hope you enjoyed yourself, Natalia," he murmured.
"I did." She wrapped her arms around his middle. "Loki?" she whispered, gazing into his eyes.
"Hmm?"
She stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss.
Loki could taste the tart wine that lingered on her breath. "Natalia," he gasped.
She began to giggle like a child. "You're too modest, my Lord."
"Am I?" His slender fingers intertwined with hers. "Perhaps you have had one too many drinks. You may very well be as far gone as Anthony," he mused.
"I love your voice-have I ever told you that?" she slurred, resting her head against his chest. "It's like music."
"You've become a poet, it seems." Loki gingerly kissed the top of her head.
"I'm nowhere near as good as you, though. Loki…"
"I wouldn't say that," he quietly laughed.
"You're being modest." Natalia shoved his body against the wall. "Let's go somewhere private," she whispered with a devious look in her eyes.
The prince gazed at her in stunned silence. He wanted to seize the moment and obey her whim, but that wouldn't have been just of him, especially while in another's home. Loki needed to uphold his reputation, as well as Natalia's. "Next time," he promised. "We'll visit again after we marry."
"What if we just got married now?" she grinned. "Loki-please!"
"Natalia, don't be absurd! You aren't thinking!" he sternly warned her.
"Loki!" she pouted.
"My Lord…" Clint's voice interrupted their debacle and Loki was relieved to see the archer for a change. "Your quarters are ready. Same for the Princess…" He could smell the alcohol on the couple, even though he was standing several feet away.
Loki nodded and managed to pry Natalia away. "Thank you, Clinton. Please fetch Natalia's handmaiden before I turn in for the night. She's had a tad too much to drink tonight," he chuckled.
Clint wanted to make a snarky remark, but chose to bite his tongue. "Yes, my Lord…" He kept a close eye on Natalia at dinner, same for Loki, and he couldn't help but notice the way Loki would stare at his fiancé's glass and occasionally circle his wrist. There was witchcraft brewing, this Clint was sure of. Still, he needed more proof. Rather, he needed Natalia to see it, too. He found Natalia's handmaiden with Ivan and brought her to the royal couple.
"Come, Natalia," Sif whispered, taking Natalia's hand in hers.
"But Loki…" she sulked.
Sif yanked on her wrist and felt Loki giving her a disgusted look. "You will see him tomorrow, my Lady…" She dragged Natalia off to her room for the night and helped her get dressed into her nightgown. "The princess can't hold her alcohol, I take it," she mused once Natalia was in bed.
"Don't make me sound like a child!" Natalia scoffed.
Sif folded her arms across her chest and laughed. "As you wish, my Lady. Good night," she added before turning on her heel.
"Wait!" Natalia sat up in bed, clutching the wool blanket. "I'm sorry you have to hide from everyone..."
Sif turned and smiled softly. "Lie down and rest now."
"Stark wants to talk to you," she added. "He thinks you'd be easy. But you'd defeat him, right? Because he's a womanizer… Is that wrong?" she sadly asked. "He loves his wife, but the way he speaks with other women..."
"Bed, my Lady," Sif said, rolling her eyes. What nonsense was this girl speaking?
"What if Loki thinks I don't love him?" she continued. "Clint and I are close-he won't like that."
"Natalia!" the servant snapped. She was growing tired of the drunken rambling. "Bed!" She left, slamming the door behind her on the way out.
"Stop pulling!" Natalia winced as Sif roughly brushed through her tangled curls. Her head was pounding and Sif wasn't helping.
"Forgive me, but you deserve this," Sif smirked.
Natalia noticed the handmaiden's playful grin in the mirror. "You're horrible."
"Horrible was overhearing from Clint about how you were practically throwing yourself at Loki…"
"What?!" she gasped, eyes wide. "What did I say?" Or do… She silently prayed that they didn't do anything, especially since she could hardly recall the previous night. "Why was Clint even talking about it?!"
"Relax." The woman rolled her eyes. "He had to come get me since Loki ordered him. I didn't speak to him, but he told me you were rambling about eloping with your prince right away."
Natalia swore under her breath. There was no way she could face Loki if she made a fool of herself. "What do I do, Sif?" she groaned in defeat.
"Atone for what an ass you made of yourself," Sif laughed.
"I hate you," Natalia groaned. "You're useless…"
Loki wasn't in the dining hall when Natalia and Sif went to get breakfast. There were several strangers occupying some seats. The only person Natalia could recognize was Clint.
"I'll join you later," Sif whispered before leaving the princess' side.
Natalia nodded and made her way towards Clint's seat. "Clint…" She sat down across from him.
"Milady," he nodded, swallowing a mouthful of bacon.
The princess stayed silent for a moment as she contemplated what to say. Clint's eyes didn't once meet with hers and she wondered if he was angry. "The party was fun," she quietly began.
"It was alright," he shrugged.
He was mad-Natalia could tell by his sunken shoulders and lowered eyes. "My servant told me I made a fool of myself." Natalia forced herself to laugh. "Sorry you had to overhear that…Not much I could do in that state, though," she mused. "Never again, though," she laughed.
Clint shook his head. "Do you wanna go somewhere with me? There was something I wanted to show you…"
"I'm not sure what Loki and I need to do today… We're supposed to speak in the city or something like that…"
"We won't be gone long," he promised. "I thought I'd give you a private tour." The archer finally smiled for her.
Natalia arched a brow. "You know your way around town already?"
"Not much has changed here from when I was a kid," he chuckled.
"Oh!" she breathed. "I didn't know you were from here…"
"Care for a tour, Princess?" he smirked.
Natalia decided that a tour wouldn't hurt. She wanted to get to know her surroundings better in hopes of forming a tighter alliance with the people. "Sure," she grinned.