I'm sorry for the long wait! The Internet at my house has been out and the only way I'm updating right now is because I'm at a friend's. I'm going out of town next week though so I may be able to update then. At any rate, I hope my Internet gets fixed soon. I can't wait to hear your feedback! And as usual, I don't own anything except Charlotte.
I backed away from Thor slowly, as my mind flashed to the dream I'd had about Loki the night before and grabbed the glass of Scotch that Tony had been clutching, downing it. "Alright, okay. I can't promise you miracles but I can try," I said, returning the glass to Tony's still open hand. He appeared actually shocked by the entire ordeal and it was a rare thing to ruffle his feathers. But all at once, he had snapped out of the trance he was in.
"Are you insane?" Tony demanded. "You can't just up and go to another realm! What if you die? What are we supposed to tell Clint and Fury and Coulson? You can't just leave!"
"I'm sorry but I have to try, if only because Thor asked me to," I said. Thor looked visibly happier by my answer.
"Jane and I will await you outside," said Thor, gesturing to Tony's balcony. "I cannot tell you how relieved I am to hear that you are willing to do this for me." I shook my head at him.
"It's nothing. I probably owe you anyway." When Thor turned, Tony and Bruce approached me fast.
"You owe him, Charlotte?" Tony practically hissed at me. "What about you owing me for oh, I don't know, saving your damn life when you practically broke your neck wrecking a motorcycle? You can't go. I won't let you." I almost laughed but it was clear Tony was to the point of absolute desperation.
"What the hell are you so worried about, Tony?" I asked lowly, not wanting Thor to overhear. But it was clear from the way the three of us were huddled together that the conversation about Asgard probably wasn't pleasant.
"A human has never gone to Asgard before, Charlotte," said Bruce. "There may be something about that world that's volatile to you. Dr. Selvig told me when we were studying the scepter together that there was some rule about humans not being able to stay in Asgard longer than a couple of weeks without grievous consequences." Tony nodded eagerly beside him like he had already known this.
"Well, there has to be some sort of loophole with that," I said. A trial like the one Loki is facing still won't be done in two weeks if trials are done in Asgard anything like they're done on Earth.
"The only loophole Erik mentioned was marriage. You have to marry an Asgardian to truly be considered one of them." My stomach dropped and I'm sure my face showed it.
"If you were gonna go, which you're not," said Tony, "you would have monitor your days and be back here within two weeks. Otherwise, you might be killed and I don't want that on my mind, okay?"
"Well, I have to go, Tony. There's no way around it. I've already agreed and I might be saving his life," I said. "I don't expect either of you to understand because you hate him but I'm not gonna stay here and let it play out now that I know I could have a hand in it. If I go and what I say means nothing then at the very least, I tried." Tony closed his eyes sharply and groaned.
"What are we supposed to do about Steve if he calls you? Hell, what are supposed to tell anyone?"
"Shit, I don't know. You're gonna have to say I'm sick with something, the flu or something that would majorly prevent me from training. I don't care if you tell Clint where I am, he'll find out when I'm back anyway but Fury can't know and don't you dare tell Steve." Tony and Bruce both made a face. "What?"
"It's none of my business but is lying to Steve going to make your imminent relationship any better?" I rolled my eyes.
"If you tell him while he's got some important mission from S.H.I.E.L.D. to do, he could lose focus and then he could get hurt. Use some common sense for once, Tony, and do me this one favor," I begged. Bruce nodded at me.
"Be conscious of time constraints," Bruce said, "and don't get engaged while you're gone." I knew he was joking but it certainly didn't feel like one and it made it finally sink in that I was leaving the planet and that I was going to see Loki again, however briefly.
"I'll get some stuff together quick and I'll be back in under five minutes," I said, grabbing another piece of pizza before hurrying down the hall into my room with my purse. I kept several things in it, like my first aid kit that had so come in handy in New Mexico and random other necessities. For some reason, throwing a roll of toilet paper in too seemed like a fabulous idea. I grabbed a couple more shirts and threw them in before making myself calm down by doing several breathing exercises.
Eventually, I clutched the handles of my purse and made my way down the hall and out onto the balcony where the four of them were enjoying the pizza with Tony hanging up his phone. My hands were shaking fast but I wouldn't back out of this. It was clear that Thor needed me to do this and Loki needed me to do this.
"Great timing," said Tony. "That was Agent Coulson saying your next mission will be with your new partner, Agent Barnes." My mouth dropped open. "Partners" on a regular day at S.H.I.E.L.D. simply meant people who regularly worked on missions together. Clint and Natasha were the prime example. Being assigned a partner pretty much meant that you had to work with that person multiple times until they switched you over to a new partner. But most of the time, that rarely happened. Partners stayed together for years during their careers as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
"That's impossible," I said. "He absolutely hated me." Actually, come to think of it, I'm not sure "hate" is a strong enough word for the way Bucky feels towards me.
"I'm sure it wasn't like he put in a request for you or anything. All Coulson said was that your files indicated partnering up would suit the two of you." I rolled my eyes. Another thing Coulson did just to piss me off. I wonder how Bucky had taken it, probably not well. "But the good news is that you can avoid him for a while." I nodded and turned to Thor, who remarkably hadn't vanished. It was still hard for me to believe that he was actually there.
"Heimdall says you have a new ability," said Thor. I nodded. Creepy as it was, knowing someone was watching me generally all the time, it did make me feel good to know that Thor knew what was happening. "Is it your skin?" I nodded again. Thor offered me his hand eagerly, awaiting his chance for me to see one of his memories. Reluctantly, I grabbed it and swirled into a memory that must have been recent.
It was some dark place, maybe even a cell, and I, as Thor in his memory, felt terribly guilty for confining Loki here. It was then that I noticed he was even in the room. My breath sucked in and I gripped Thor's hand tighter. Loki looked sickly, as he had in the cell before he left Earth, and Thor grabbed his neck. I wanted to make the motion with my own hand. At that moment, Loki's face drew up in contempt. "Did you mourn me?" he asked, gazing at me intensely with bright eyes. I released him, feeling terribly hurt and responded, "We all did."
I pulled away from Thor's hand and rubbed my face with my hands. "We all did what?" asked Tony.
"I'm sorry?" I said slowly. It was then that I realized I'd said it out loud, the part in Thor's memory when he'd spoken. Thor looked at me knowingly and I understood that he knew which memory I'd seen.
"This could help you in Asgard," said Thor. I didn't see how but I trusted him. "Jane is coming with us." My mind whirled. Sure, I'd wondered why Jane was here other than to see Thor briefly but I was immediately glad to hear that another normal person would be in Asgard with me. Looking past Thor, I saw Jane standing there, eagerly waiting.
"Well, what exactly is the status of what's going on? I mean, what am I walking into?" I asked. Tony and Bruce leaned closer, obviously wanting to know just as much as I did.
"Loki is confined to solitary quarters that diminish his magic when the Allfather is not having the public trial and during the proceedings, he has to wear the muzzle." I tried to puzzle that out. How were they expected to have a trial if they didn't even let Loki speak for himself? "My mother has been fairly lenient with him and just a few days ago, she and my father agreed to let him take his meals with us and the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three." Gosh, that had to be embarrassing for him. "But as I said, his trial is not ending in his favor and I fear there is much I still have not told you, Charlotte. But if you and I can convince them of a lesser sentence, it will not matter." I nodded.
"Well, you can tell me that stuff later. But like I said, I can't promise you miracles. I don't think I know a piece of evidence that your father probably doesn't know. But I'm willing to try," I said. Thor gave me a weak smile and took Jane's hand. She smiled at me too.
"I only wish that your coming to Asgard was under better circumstances." I shook my head.
"I'm excited to be going at all. I'm sure Jane is."
"Imagine all of the things we'll get to see, Charlotte," she said. "It's going to be amazing." I nodded and tried to smile. Of course, it was going to be amazing for Jane. She was going to visit what will probably be her future home. I was going to make sure Loki didn't get sent off into a realm of no return.
I moved to hug Tony, trying not to press too hard on his arc reactor. I doubted pressure would do anything to it but I didn't want to risk it. Then I hugged Bruce. "Don't rent out my room while I'm gone," I said.
"I won't if you don't fall back in love with that psycho," whispered Tony. I didn't think Thor heard it; he was too absorbed in Jane to notice. I just clenched my jaw and nodded.
"I'm not gonna make you any promises."
"I'm serious," he said. Bruce nodded beside him. "As much as I don't like Steve, I was really hoping you'd get together."
"I don't have the time to be thinking about 'getting together' with anyone. You just don't tell him anything and keep my cover at S.H.I.E.L.D." I moved away from them.
"Good luck," said Bruce. I gulped and nodded.
Thor offered me his hand and shaking, I took it. I felt relief when touching his hand didn't give me any memory at all. Maybe I was getting used to it. "Travel this way will be jolting for you both," said Thor. "I will do my best to keep you steady." Jane and I nodded at him and I closed my eyes when I felt him jerk me closer. I didn't hear what he said but Thor called out and I felt a rush. My stomach felt like it was in my throat, my head started pounding, and a loud whirring noise was making me want to scream. I clutched closer to Thor and I barely opened my eyes enough to see a swirl of different colors surrounding us before I tightly closed them again. Just when I thought it would go on forever, everything stopped.
I crashed down onto something that felt like glass and slid until I clutched the edge of it. I finally opened my eyes and saw that I was looking down at dark water. I gasped. I felt a hand on my back and I scooted away from the edge. When I looked over, I saw Thor and Jane. At their feet, and where I was sitting, was the glass expanse I'd crash landed on. It was a multitude of colors and it lit up when I touched it.
Thor helped me to my feet and I grabbed him fast, feeling dizzy, when I looked behind him. We were actually on the Rainbow Bridge and I was staring at a dark expanse of space with constellations that were indeed different than our own. I started shaking when I saw where the bridge crumbled and ended abruptly. Loki had fallen from there.
Then my eyes focused in on a figure clad in gold, standing tall, watching us. Thor put his hand to my face and made me look at him. "Are you alright?" he asked. I nodded slowly before turning back to the man. Thor let me go abruptly and turned to him. "Heimdall, our trip was quite a success." I gasped again. That was Heimdall. He was the gatekeeper.
"Jane," I whispered, moving my arm to try to get her attention.
"Charlotte," I heard her respond quietly, "are you seeing this?" I finally turned from staring at where the bridge ended and I gasped yet again. Down the long road of the bridge was Asgard and it was every bit as magnificent as I'd imagined. It looked exactly the way it had always been described to me. It was glamorous and golden and filled with light. It looked huge. I couldn't wait to see it all up close.
"Oh, my God," I breathed. "It's gorgeous." Staring at it, I felt like the human I was and even though it was beyond beautiful, I automatically got the feeling that I didn't belong; almost like I was too much of a bumpkin to be respected here.
Feeling Thor grab my arm, I turned back again and was face-to-face with Heimdall. He was just as tall as Thor and Loki were and was evidently, strong. "Charlotte Kent, I would like to welcome you to Asgard." His voice sent chills down my spine and I nodded at him, gratefully. "It is an honor to finally meet you." I nodded again.
"It's good to meet you too," I said. It was odd to think that this man had probably been focusing in and out of my life for months, even before Thor and Loki returned home. "I've heard a lot about what you can do." Holy hell, his eyes were as gold as his helmet.
"And I have seen a lot of what you can do. But I also know that it is imminent that you return to the palace, Thor." Heimdall turned to look at Thor and I backed away. When Thor introduced Jane and I'm sure she got the same creepy feeling that I did, I leaned over the side of the bridge again, staring at the dark water.
I was pulled away from the edge by Thor and he kept a grip on my arm as he started walking faster. Jane was practically running to keep up and I already felt out of breath. "What's going on?" Jane asked.
"I will take you to your room first, Jane," said Thor, "but Charlotte, you must enter the throne room immediately. They are finishing things for the day and they may be settling on a sentence. You must show yourself."
"How am I supposed to do that without you?" I asked desperately. I couldn't imagine bumbling around lost in that great golden palace, just waiting to be gutted by their guards for looking suspicious. How would they take me seriously if I just waltzed in on their proceedings? How would I take seeing Loki again for the first time in months? I felt sick just thinking about it.
"You must. My father knows your name and if you must show them your strength, you should." I opened my mouth but only some noise seemed to come out.
"I am nowhere near as strong as an Asgardian. Surely, you know that, Thor. They could throw me across the room and kill me before you ever noticed. I need you by my side." He must've sensed the desperation in my voice because he stopped walking and he put his hands to my face. I tried to shake away from the memory the touch wanted to send me.
"I have faith in you, Charlotte. You will not be alone long. I just do not believe they should see Jane at the moment they see you." Maybe he had a point there. I put my hands on his forearms and nodded.
"We're still partners, okay?" I said. "You still need to look out for me here." He smiled and nodded, moving away from me.
"Jane will join us at the feast tonight as will you."
"There's going to be a feast?" asked Jane. I could only imagine how excited she was to explore. I wish I was that giddy about it.
"A feast?" I said at the same time. Jane and I's perspectives on the idea of a feast couldn't be farther from each other. She probably couldn't wait to meet all of these people and visit with the ones she already knew, like Sif and the Warriors Three. All I would see is people who pushed Loki to be at the point he was at.
"It will be a fantastic experience," he said jovially, clapping me on the back. The force of it pushed me forward. "I cannot wait for you to meet my friends, Charlotte. It will be a marvelous time for the three of us. But first, we must take you to the throne room."
The three of us walked fast towards the end of the bridge and I almost took off running. I wanted it done. The belt on my hips padded against me and I had forgotten I still had it on. I silently thanked God that I hadn't taken it off. I knew they weren't just going to let me walk in and talk to Odin. Thor was right; I would have to show my strength and where physicality failed me, my knives never did.
We arrived in front of huge gilded gold doors after Thor had hastened us down an open-air hallway that had been breathtaking. The architecture of the place was what made it fascinating. But I could admire what it looked like later. Right now, I had a job to do. "I will be back here as soon as I can be," Thor said.
"I won't keep him long," said Jane. She seemed to sense the urgency of the situation and for that, I was grateful. I wondered if hiding her in a room would matter that much. She could just come in with us, couldn't she? Well, Thor was mostly right. The focus was going to have to be on me. Seeing Jane too would probably shock them too much and Thor knew that. So I nodded at Jane and waved them off. I could do this by myself for at least a little while.
Thor gave me a solid nod and walked off with Jane, their hands entwined. I gulped before wrapping my fingers around the handle of the tall door. I heard voices inside and I silently prayed that this wouldn't go over badly for me. I pulled hard and the heavy door opened slightly and I slid in.
I pressed my back to it firmly when I noticed that the door seemed to be shaded. I needed to get my bearings. First off, I noticed that there were a great many people here; many more than I would've expected. But that could probably boil down to curiosity about Loki; how one of their own could've committed such heinous crimes. Many of them looked important. Did they have some specific hierarchy here? I wasn't all that sure. My eyes scanned the room fast. At the front of the absolutely huge room was a golden throne that you had to go up stairs to reach. I didn't need someone to tell me who the older man with an eye patch sitting in it was. I recognized Odin. A gorgeous woman stood to the left of him and I figured that was Frigga. They were heatedly talking to each other; I could see that from the back of the room. But then I moved forward from the shadows near the door and craned my neck. I had to see him. Sure enough, Loki was sitting at the front of the room with his hands chained and the metal gag on his mouth. I gasped for what was probably the fifth time that day. He actually didn't look that bad considering the circumstances. He still looked as though he was in a cold sweat but his eyes had lost that eerie tesseract blue.
I hadn't gone unnoticed. The guards standing near me moved at the sight of me so I started running down the middle of the throne room. People were assembled on either side of the aisle and even though I was several feet away from them, some of them flinched back. Odin's attention turned where I was and all of a sudden my feet were ripped from under me, pulling me back. I yelped when I hit the ground and pulled a blade from it's hiding place on my belt, slipping it between my fingers as my hand closed in a fist. I was yanked up and I forced the blade near the guard's throat without pressing down. I heard a multitude of gasps but I kept focused on the guard. "Let me go," I threatened.
He loosened his grip but I turned to only be faced with a group of them. I rolled my eyes, throwing the blade I'd been holding into one of their legs and I pulled out two others before running and slipping through one of their legs. "I am Charlotte Kent of Midgard!" I said loudly, not bothering to get up. I heard their gasps but I didn't let them phase me. I moved to one knee and, still clutching one of my knives, put my right hand in a fist and placed it on my heart. Thank goodness, I knew that much about their custom. "I am here to witness for Loki Laufeyson's trial." When one of the guards approached me, I threw out my right arm and thrust up the blade. "Don't bother."
I looked up to see that Loki was now standing and staring at me in absolute disbelief. I dropped both of my knives and didn't resist when I was pulled to my feet and my belt was ripped off. "You better not lose that," I said.
The doors at the back of the throne room opened and I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it was Thor. "Release her!" I heard a strong voice say. I expected it to be Thor but then I noticed that the command had come from Odin. I was dropped from the hold and I found Thor to be at my side. He put his hand on my lower back and urged me forward.
I felt a sickening amount of dread, like I was heading into another press conference. I didn't do well with people staring at me and I didn't like talking to a bunch of them. I could only do it when Steve was around and there was no way Steve could help me in Asgard. And the way these people looked at me was like I was a caged tiger or something akin to it. It was clear that most of them thought I was dangerous. How many of them knew who I actually was? I walked slowly, my combat boots ticking on the floor and I tried to ignore the fact that all of them were whispering. Look at the clothes I was wearing, what kind of pants I had on, and the boots were really confusing. I felt severely underdressed. But more than anything, they were all staring at my hair, how short it was. My hands started shaking uncontrollably when I saw how all of the women's hair was waist long and every single one of them was gorgeous. I'd never felt so embarrassed and haggard in my life.
I looked at Thor but he was simply smiling and looking happy. I wasn't sure whether or not it was a front. But the fear was probably fairly plain on my face. I had been more comfortable attempting to take down one of their guards than I was in talking to them. When I turned, I locked my gaze on Loki and I tried to muster a smile. He just continued to look shocked.
I heard a noise and I turned my head quickly. Thor waved at whoever had made it and I noticed three men; one huge and burly, one small and clearly skilled, one beyond handsome. Standing beside them was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever laid eyes on and I simply looked down at myself, regretting wearing some simple tank top and jeans. I figured they were Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. Sif was staring at me in some sort of disbelief and all three of the men couldn't look away, like they'd paid to see me.
Thankfully, we reached the bottom of the stairs and Thor dropped to one knee, pressing his right fist to his heart but I remained standing, as if in a daze. Odin moved forward and I looked away from him because I couldn't tell whether he was angry that I was there or not. My eyes fixed on Loki's and I felt sick to my stomach. I had missed him so so much. It was impossible to imagine how much I'd missed having him around. I'd felt the same pull towards Steve and Thor but I was always certain I'd see them again at some undisclosed time in the future. I had doubted that there was even a small chance of seeing Loki again in my lifetime. Yet here I was, trying to help him yet again.
"Father," Thor began, "Lady Charlotte has travelled a long way to aid my brother in his trial. Her information may be vital in the conclusions you draw." Lady Charlotte? Damn, we were getting fancy. I tried to hide my reaction to it but I doubted it went unnoticed. I saw that Frigga was staring at me but she wasn't trying to analyze me the way the crowd had been.
"Is this true, Lady Charlotte?" Odin's voice rang out and the last of the whispers died down. My heart felt like it had actually stopped beating. I nodded my head.
"I'll help in any way I can. And I'm sorry about hurting your guard. I wasn't… I wasn't thinking straight," I said. "Sometimes I don't know what I'm capable of." Odin actually didn't look mad at me. He actually appeared to be pleased I was there, if that was possible. He might have been smiling at me.
"We will accommodate you in all of the ways you need. I am sure that Thor can show you your quarters. I am pleased to finally meet you." I gulped and nodded.
"Father, Lady Jane has accompanied us as well," said Thor. "She is in her rooms." Frigga smiled at that and Odin really did seem pleased; there was no mistaking the emotion this time.
"The two of you shall join us at a feast in your honor tonight." In our honor? What the hell? There was no way that I would stand up and make some speech in front of these people while Loki sat there gagged. I was here for business, not to humiliate him or me any further. If Jane and Thor wanted to enjoy their pheasant's leg, they can feel free.
But I smiled and nodded anyway, attempting to slowly back away. I was in no rush to start dishing out information I may or may not have. I turned and looked at Loki once more. I felt something catch in me and I felt an automatic pull to go toward him. Thor must've sensed it because he gripped my arm and I got sucked away immediately.
I was in that dark dingy cell again and I was facing Loki, talking about Heimdall who was keeping an eye on me sometimes. I shook my head and tried to pull back. Thor was talking about me and my knives, how I was clearly taking after Loki, and Loki didn't respond at all. He only stared forward.
I choked out of it and Thor loosened his grip. "I apologize. I had forgotten," he whispered. I shook my head. Luckily, I think the only other person who had noticed I was different was Loki. His eyes were large and I felt sorry for him.
"This is dismissed," said Odin. "I will reconvene tomorrow." I heard everyone slowly leaving and Loki was pulled up harshly and started to be taken out of the room. He looked back at me several times.
"See that he is at the feast," said Frigga. Her voice was just as beautiful as she was.
"Where do they take him?" I asked lowly.
"Later," said Thor as Frigga made her way down the steps towards us. I sucked in my breath when I saw that I was the object she sought. "I placed your bag in your rooms, Charlotte." He clapped me on the back once again and moved away.
"I will help you change," Frigga said, taking me by the hand and leading me out of the throne room. Her touch made me receive a memory of Loki killing some creature that had to be a Frost Giant, claiming his death came by a son of Odin. She then embraced him and I tried to hold onto that for a long while. But the memory itself confused me. When had that happened? What did it mean? "I have heard so much about you and when Thor told me he wished to bring you here, I was in complete agreement. I fear that Thor and I are the only ones willing to forgive Loki."
"You knew I was coming?" I asked. I couldn't imagine how crass I must sound to her.
"Yes. Thor brought the idea to me last night and I am pleased that he could bring Jane." I nodded and smiled.
"Thanks for helping me," I said. She smiled sweetly at me and I knew it was completely genuine.
We entered, what I assumed, were her chambers and I saw Jane was there, awaiting us. "What a genuine pleasure, Lady Jane," she said, approaching Jane much in the way she had with me. After they spoke for a moment, she turned back to us. "I will have ladies attend you both in the morning but as of the moment, I can only offer you dresses." Jane nodded eagerly.
They soon discovered that ladies would have to help us into the elaborate gowns that were so common to Asgard. Someone helped me in a daze and said nothing to me until I felt her grip my hand. She was staring at my nail polish. I forgot that they had probably never seen anything like it. "It's um, it's nail polish," I said to her. "You can get it in any color you want on Midgard. It's really fun." She nodded at me but again, said nothing. Was everyone here afraid of me?
I couldn't ignore how obvious the dresses were. Mine was emerald green with gold complements while Jane's was red with silver. Bile started to rise in my throat. Frigga made us sit down and have our hair braided next. I was probably a huge disappointment compared to Jane. It was out of my control, how short my hair was, but I didn't doubt that Frigga knew the story. At any rate, they fixed my hair to look like it was secured at the base of my neck and had somehow managed to braid pieces of it anyway.
When I looked at Jane after we were finally prepared, she looked gorgeous. I actually think she looked better in an Asgardian dress than she did in regular clothes. She belonged here. When I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror though, I didn't look bad. I actually think the dress was fairly flattering but of course, that could've been due to the color.
Not even two hours in and I was missing Earth terribly.
I heard a knock at the doors to Frigga's room and I knew instinctively that it was Thor. When he walked in, he looked radiant and handsome. Yet again, I felt a pang at how lucky a woman Jane was. I knew she had to be ecstatic to be seeing him again and to actually be here. His metallic outfit sparkled like it was brand new and he swept Jane into his arms playfully, telling her how beautiful she looked. I had to admit I was jealous. No relationship I had would be playful like that, would it? It just would never be simple.
"Charlotte, you are gorgeous! You should have joined us in Asgard long ago!" Thor proclaimed, sweeping me into a hug just as wonderful as Jane's. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Thor had an incredible way of making me feel fantastic.
"Thank you and look at you! You're such a handsome devil," I said back. I was grateful the dress covered my back and my arms. I didn't want any unintentional physical contact. Thor's memories were hard for me to get through and even sort of hard to understand.
"The feast is going to begin shortly. I thought we could arrive early. Charlotte is not fond of being the center of attention." I mouthed my thanks at him once Frigga and Jane accepted.
I was lucky I would have people to lead me everywhere because the palace itself was like it's own city. I doubted I would be allowed to wander around alone anyway since all of the Aesir seemed scared of what I could do. I'm not even sure of what I did. Sure, I'd pulled out my knives but I'd barely even used them. I dropped them once I let their court (or whatever they wanted to call it) know who I was. Shit, they better have not lost my tool belt with all of my weapons in it. Tony had made those knives specifically for me.
"Where'd they put my knives, Thor?" I asked. Frigga didn't seem fazed, which I thought was odd. But Jane looked shocked that I'd had them at all.
"You actually used them?" she asked. I shrugged.
"Thor told me to show my strength if I had to and I felt like I had to." Jane almost rolled her eyes. She'd never been fond of me training to begin with.
"I will have them returned to your quarters," said Thor, "but I do not think you should wear them."
"Well, I don't have to have them on but Tony made them for me and I'm fond of them so I'd like to know they're not confiscated for long." Thor shook his head.
"I believe they are simply looking at them. One in particular caught the guards' attention. But I will return them to you tonight." I knew which one had caught the guards' attention; it was the one Bruce had found and analyzed from Tony's balcony. They had found the blade that was Loki's. I wasn't sure how they could possibly know that it was any different than any of my other knives. They all looked fairly similar and had the gem in common. My unique blades, that were curved or even long, all seemed to look alike. Of course, I knew which one had belonged to Loki and maybe they were familiar with his stuff.
I made a face but nodded anyway. "I'm not gonna kill anyone, I promise." Jane laughed a little which made me relax.
Frigga opened the doors that we came to and revealed something that resembled the throne room in appearance. I held my breath, almost tearing holes in my new dress. Luckily, there weren't many people there yet. A huge table was up some stairs, like the throne had been and on the floor were four long tables. I took it in easily. It reminded me of the great hall in Hogwarts.
I walked with Frigga to the front of the room while Thor and Jane hung back to talk to someone. I started sweating when I noticed people staring at me like they had earlier. Frigga took my hand again and nodded at me. "Do not be so nervous, dear," she said. I closed my eyes and counted to five before opening them again, a trick I'd learned that nearly always calmed me down. Frigga went to her place at the table up the stairs, where all the seats faced the room, after encouraging me to stand at the bottom so that I could meet people.
It might've seemed like a good idea to her at the time but no one at all approached me, which I was slightly grateful for. My breath caught in my throat as I saw Loki being led into the room by his guards and I took a step forward before thinking better. No one at all probably even looked at him when he was in here and my reputation was clearly already down the drain. No matter how badly I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to speak to him in public.
When they made him sit down, it was at the end of the table nearest me, and I took a deep breath. He didn't have on the muzzle luckily and I didn't suppress the smile that was creeping onto my face. He gave me a sly one in return.
Thor jerked me from my trance. When I turned to him, I noticed the room was practically full and Jane was talking with Frigga and Odin. Thor had brought with him the people I assumed were Sif and the Warriors Three. I gulped when I took them in again. Every one of them was clearly superior to me in every way. But I forced a smile anyway.
"Lady Charlotte, these are my greatest friends, the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three," said Thor. "This is Volstagg." The extremely tall man with a lot of hair nodded at me. "This is Fandral." The handsome one offered me his hand and I took it reluctantly. He kissed my knuckles and my face must've been shocked because Thor held back a laugh. "This is Hogun." The littlest one that I thought was clearly skilled nodded and I nodded back. All three of them seemed cool. "And of course, this is the Lady Sif." Sif smiled down at me and I held my breath. She was gorgeous and prettier in armor than most women were in gowns.
"I am so glad to finally meet you," said Sif. "Heimdall has told us so much about you." So they had known who I was when I walked in the room earlier. How strange to think about it. I wonder what all they'd heard.
"Forgive me for saying so," said Volstagg, "but you are much prettier than we expected." I snorted out a laugh.
"Compared to all the women here, I'm like chopped liver or something," I said. They clearly didn't understand the expression so I just went on. "But I'm glad to hear that I exceeded expectations."
"It is just that Loki has never been with a woman before," said Fandral and he was clearly the expert in that field.
"We expected a complete hag," said Volstagg, laughing to himself. The expression drained from my face and I tried to muster a smile. Loki could hear them.
"Well, I-I hope I'm not one," I responded.
"Impossible," said Thor, shaking his head fervently. I laughed at him.
"You do remind me of him, to be quite honest," said Fandral.
"How old are you? You seem so young… and small," asked Volstagg. Sif rolled her eyes.
"I'm 27," I said. "How old are you?" Fandral and Sif laughed then, like I'd made some hilarious joke. I smirked a little.
"Much older than you would think," he responded. I figured as much.
"You look marvelous in your gown," said Sif, changing the subject. "The color is perfect for you."
"Thanks," I said, vacantly touching my hair, making sure it hadn't fallen to pieces.
"Do you like it here so far?" I laughed a little.
"Yeah, it's really different than Midgard, that's for sure. It'll take some getting used to. But a lot of people have been staring at me and it makes me feel really weird. I guess it's because I'm so different." Thor shook his head again, obviously trying to make me feel better but I knew it was true. I'd stood alone, being scrutinized, while he and Jane were treated like the royalty they are. Had Loki's reputation been transferred to me too?
"Oh, they know who you are!" said Volstagg. "Like I said, we all highly doubted Loki would ever find anyone and you are better than anything we could have expected." I must've had my deer in the headlights look because Thor put his hand on my arm and looked down at me with a protective look. I turned and saw Loki simply staring down at the table in front of him. "It is not all you either. It's your hair." I nodded slowly.
"That's what everyone looked at earlier. It made me wish it was longer," I muttered.
"They know how it was cut," said Hogun, finally speaking. My face fell. Sif gave me an understanding look.
"I know how it feels," she said.
"But those knives!" said Fandral. "You are incredibly skilled with them." I shook my head.
"Not at all," I said, raising my hand and shaking it. "I'm not as good as I'm sure ya'll are." Thor grabbed my hand, sucking me into a memory I didn't want but I pushed it back immediately. Damn, I was getting good.
"What are these?" he asked, tracing scars on the hand I was holding.
"It's from when I first started training with the knives. I'd flip them and they cut me every time. But now, I'm pretty good so that doesn't happen anymore."
"You are going to have to show us how good you are," said Volstagg. "Join us at practice soon. I would like to see you take on Sif." I shook my head fervently.
"Oh, hell no, I could never hope to even try," I said.
"Loki could not either," said Sif proudly.
"Well, in that case, I have to show him up in something," I replied. Thor laughed and Sif and the Warriors Three seemed pleased.
"I am going to make sure he can watch," Sif said, nodding in Loki's direction.
"Hel, when is the food going to be served?" said Volstagg. "I am starved."
"When are you not?" asked Fandral. I liked all of them quite a bit. I could tell we'd get along.
I heard something and turned, noticing it was Odin telling everyone to take their seats. Sif and the Warriors Three nodded at me before moving away from us. Thor took my hand and guided me up the stairs and to a seat beside him and beside Frigga. Jane was sitting on his other side. "Loki usually sits where you are," said Thor. I nodded slowly, sitting down beside him, still clutching his hand. When I glanced up from the table, I gazed over at Loki, who was looking at me as he had been the whole time. He still couldn't quite believe Thor had brought me here.
"I want to see him," I whispered.
"I know," was all the response I got from Thor.