Erna was beginning to tire of Asgard. It continued to be more beautiful and exciting than home, but the atmosphere of the court could be so suffocating. Everyone was so much more concerned with what good young ladies should and should not do than they were back in Alfheim. Earlier in the week she'd preferred to stay curled up in her room with a book rather than join a hunting expedition and tongues had started to wag. If was as if the court moved as a pack and any deviation was seen as abhorrent.

And with the exception of Lady Sif and a few others, her peers seemed spiteful, petty, and unimaginative. At least at home she could slip over to the local ale house for some ribald jokes and tawdry stories with the peasants. Here that kind of behavior would scandalize the whole city. Asgardians must be born with sticks up their asses, she decided.

She was tired and restless, pacing her room. Even the mead she'd had brought to her didn't seem to mellow her mood. She had half a tankard left and it wasn't likely to help her rest. Contemplating how much longer her father could drag out the visit, she jabbed at the logs in the fireplace with a poker. The problem, she knew, was that she didn't feel at home anywhere.

When the door to her chambers opened, she'd expected a servant to ask if she needed anything before bed. Instead, she was confronted with the king, sweeping in as if it were the most natural occurrence in the world.

"I need an heir," he stated simply as soon as the door closed behind him.

Despite her surprise, she answered easily, mind yearning for an interesting conversation partner. "Yes, you do. And I need a husband." If he was surprised by her own blunt assertion, he didn't let it show.

"Ah, so it's as I thought. Your father brought you along to tempt me."

"Probably, but I'm not privy to his inane plots. He says I'm here to broaden my knowledge of the other realms. It's probably rubbish."

"If he's going to use you, the least he could do is let you in on the plan." That mischievous smile he was so well-known for made an appearance, but she saw it didn't quite reach his eyes. No matter the expression on his face, his eyes always managed to look melancholy.

"Rather rude, isn't it?"

"Terribly. That's why I decided to bypass him and deal directly with you." He stopped pacing and finally settled on a couch near the fire.

"As tiresome as I find social convention, you're doing my reputation irreparable damage by coming to see me alone." Despite her reprimand, the tone of her words was more playful and curious than anything. She was intrigued. Loki didn't seem the type of man to do anything that wasn't premeditated.

"As far as anyone saw, a maid just entered your chambers to help ready you for bed. The king is up in his study on the other side of the castle. Your sterling reputation remains intact."

"Ah, so nobody knows the king has employed trickery to gain entry to my rooms and has given himself an airtight alibi should I make trouble. Yes sire, I'm tremendously relieved." Again, her chosen words seemed to be at odds with the humor in her voice. Nothing in her manner was wary or combative. "Especially with you bringing up the subject of an heir."

Two could banter, he thought. "You don't seem particularly outraged at the prospect of the king beguiling you for his own ends."

"Rest assured, if the king ever tried to beguileme without my consent, he'd be in for… let's just say a savage reminder regarding proper behavior."

"Duly noted. But I assure you, I have no such motives. I merely wished to have a quiet word with you, without the gossip that would normally accompany such a tête-à-tête."

"Please do continue, your majesty."

"I need an heir," he repeated. "And a wife that will help me stabilize the realms and cement my place as king. The light elves are a peaceful people by nature and I think choosing a queen from amongst them will serve my ends nicely."

"And you want to know if I have sway with any of Freyr's daughters?"

"Freyr isn't of Alfheim. He may rule there, but he is as much an outsider as I am here in Asgard. I need a light elf."

"So nobility, but not someone from the royal family?"

"Exactly." He stared at her, finally raising one eyebrow in question.

"You mean me?" He'd surprised her. The numerous reasons she'd concocted to explain his clandestine appearance had not taken this motive into account.

"Erna, I've watched you at court. You hide a shrewd mind behind polite conversation and womanly charms. From what I've been told, you are well-liked by your own people and by the royals in Alfheim. I need someone like you to bring legitimacy to my rule."

Suddenly, she was angry, eyes flashing as she almost hissed out her words. "And I trade my father's rules for yours? I can look forward to playing the obedient little wife as I give you a litter of children?"

He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "We're not talking about subjugation, Erna. This would be a mutually beneficial arrangement. You can do as you like in Asgard. All I ask is that you serve as my queen consort- my partner in rule, not a prisoner. I know you don't have that kind of freedom now."

"You seem to know a great deal about me, your grace."

"We're discussing the finer points of my marriage proposal, please feel free to call me Loki."

"Lest I forget I'm talking to the famous trickster."

Anger clouded his face for a moment, but replaced with a placid smile almost immediately. "I suppose I deserve that after all I've done. But the fact remains I am the best king for Asgard. We are at peace, albeit a grudging one, and I intend to keep it that way. But it would be chaos if I die without a successor- and not just in Asgard. You've seen how war can spill over into the other realms."

"So you're really asking me for selfless reasons?"

"Not entirely, I'll admit that. I like being king and I want to stay in power."

"Why not just ask my father? He'd agree in a heartbeat if it meant he could be the king's father-in-law."

"Believe it or not I do want a woman that consents to be my wife. I will not engage in any kind of coercion in this. What kind of a precedent would that set for our marriage?"

"You sound as if you're certain I'll agree."

"I know how very unhappy you are with your current life. I'm offering a way to change your circumstances."

"No mention of love in all your arguments." He wasn't wrong about her life. It was tedious and unfulfilling, promising more of the same when she returned home.

"We're naive if either of us thinks love is possible in our positions." The truth of it was undeniable, but still managed to sting. She quickly suppressed the painful memories stirred by his words as he continued. "The most we can hope for is a genuine fondness and a relationship based on shared goals."

"What about trust? You know your reputation. How can I believe anything you say?"

She'd expected to see the anger again, almost hoping to gauge this man that suddenly wanted to be her husband. The sincerity that shone through despite the dim firelight genuinely surprised her. "I promise to never lie to you, Erna. I want you to trust me. I wouldn't have laid everything out so bluntly if I wasn't serious about this. If I wanted a puppet of a wife I could easily have charmed you into it with honeyed words and promises of love. Your mind is wasted in Alfheim, at the mercy of a father who doesn't respect your intellect. A situation I recognize all too clearly."

"You think you could have just conjured love out of nothing?"

The impish smile returned. "I'm skilled in the ways of magic, Erna. And while I try to be more judicious with my use of it, if I chose to, you'd be begging me to marry you. But it wouldn't be real. I want to build something with you, something more substantial than a temporary rush of lust."

"Speaking of lust, I'm not a virgin, if that's what you're looking for." Again, she went for the shocking comment, to see is response to such a brash statement.

His answering snort of laughter put her slightly more at ease. "The idea of a pure virginal bride doesn't appeal to me. Those are girls that know nothing of the world beyond their embroidery and gossip."

"Any high-born lady must learn embroidery and gossip is just as much a weapon as that staff you wield."

"The fact that you understand that just proves my point! You would be an excellent queen. I've seen how compassionate you can be, but you're not a push over either. You'd be such an asset to me."

"We've barely spoken since I arrived. How do you know I'm compassionate?"

"It may sound outlandish, but I have ears everywhere. I have to know the climate of the palace at any given time and I need to be able to respond quickly if it changes."

"So you've had people spy on me."

"Yes." He held up a hand to stay the protest forming on her lips. "I told you I wouldn't lie to you and this is the truth. I do have informants in the palace, but most don't even know about it. I glean what I need to know from their thoughts. Actually, the ones that know they're feeding me information are generally the least reliable. I had to get the measure of you and not just the public face you'd show the king."

She considered his words for a long minute before responding. "Tell me what really happened with Odin then."

"I know what the rumors say, but I assure you I didn't murder him. What everyone saw when I returned from my supposed death was a carefully orchestrated show. I came back in secret and revealed myself to Odin privately. He didn't take it well. I suppose you could say I was somewhat responsible for his death, but as I said, I didn't murder him."

"The sight of you resurrected was that much of a surprise?"

"Apparently. I knew nobody would believe that I wasn't complicit in his death, so I used my powers to stand in for him while I formed a plan. Ruling came naturally to me, but I knew I couldn't keep up the charade forever. Through the use of magic, I made my triumphant return to Asgard and reconciled with my father. But any time the two of us were together, one was an illusion. Eventually, Odin was found dead in his chambers while I was away touring the other realms. And although I can't stop tongues from wagging, there were no signs of foul play to jeopardize my ascension."

"How much does your brother know?"

"All of it. Trust me, as much as he wishes to avoid the throne, he would have challenged my ascension if he wasn't satisfied with my account of events."

"And based on what you said earlier, the rumors about your real parentage are true?"

"Yes. I've finally made peace with it. And while the rumors may swirl, I can never admit to the people that I'm not of Asgardian birth."

"So you're an outsider too," she mused almost to herself.

"Yes," he replied simply. "And I have been wherever I've gone. I was a runt by Jotunheim standards, too intellectual for my father, and I never felt like I really belonged even here in Asgard."

"Why stay? Why go through all this trouble to secure the throne and fight so hard to keep it?"

"I was groomed for it and I'm good at it." She gave him a reproachful look and he elaborated. "And I think if I'm to carve out a place for myself in this world it might as well be as king. Don't you see, Erna? Neither of us fit."

"Tell me about Midgard."

"What about it?"

"You tried to conquer it, did you not?"

"I did."

"Then I would like more of an explanation than two words, Loki." This was the closest he'd come to being cagey and she wasn't going to have any of it. "You tried to conquer another realm and you hurt a lot of people in the attempt."

"I'm well aware of what I did," he snapped. After a deep breath he apologized. "I'm sorry, Erna. You have every right to know. I'm not proud of what I became during that time. I was upset and hurting and when I fell into Thanos' realm, his plan sounded like the fastest way to inflict that hurt on others.

"I know it's no excuse, but the mind gem worked its insidious craft on me as well. I wielded it, but it made me feel like taking Midgard was the only logical option."

"You know it's why everyone is so wary of you."

"Yes, I know. But locking me in prison was the best thing my mother could have done for me. I was forced to be alone with my thoughts and work through everything without being able to hurt anyone in the process. It took a long time, but by the time I returned I think I finally understood what it was to be a good king. It sounds ludicrous, but it's the truth."

She sat back against the chair and pondered his words carefully. A swell of apprehension overcame him, almost causing him to elaborate further, but she had the facts and would have to make up her own mind. Effusive words wouldn't change the situation.

After what felt like an interminable silence, she nodded and replied, "We will have to make this look authentic if anyone's to believe it isn't a political game. We'll have to officially 'meet' and we have to show the development of our relationship in a manner acceptable to the palace inhabitants."

"You think we need to manufacture a courtship?" He seemed less than convinced.

"Yes. Wouldn't you rather your enemies assume I'm a weakness of yours because we're stupidly in love? You and I both know that your brother's position in Asgard was weakened when he took the Midgardian Foster woman as his wife, because he loves her. Wouldn't it be to your advantage to have people think you have a weakness where none really exists?"

"You've thought this through quickly."

"Just using the brain you keep bringing up."

"So you would have me publicly woo you?"

"Don't make it sound so tedious! It has to be a show people will actually believe. If you suddenly start following me around with a lute spouting love songs, people will assume you're up to something." She gave him a wry smile. "I expect a courtship that people would believe from you."

"And what makes you think I'm incapable of epic romance?" He sounded scandalized, but his eyes twinkled mischievously.

"It might be the fact that we're negotiating a marriage as if it was a trade contract."

"Point taken." He seemed to be enjoying the discussion rather than being stung by her rather frank comment. "So you envision a courtship of some sort, but nothing outlandish."

"Yes. Because as far as the court knows, we've barely spoken to each other. If we announce our betrothal tomorrow it will be seen for exactly what it is: a power play."

"Well reasoned. So you accept my proposal then?"

"The fact remains that I hardly know you."

"That's the case with most marriages." He studied her earnest face for a moment before surprising even himself with an additional concession. "We can get to know each other as I pretend to woo you. Would that help you feel more comfortable before making your vows?"

"If you keep your promise to never to lie to me, then I think that will be agreeable."

"So you accept?"

"I can't accept a proposal that hasn't actually been made."

He grinned, happy her quick mind didn't miss that detail. "Lady Erna, would you consent to be my wife?"

The devilish smile he wore as he asked the question didn't send the best message, but she'd have time to change that before they arranged the public proposal. "I provisionally accept your offer."

"Provisionally. I suppose that's the most I can expect from such a skilled negotiator."

"You flatter me, your majesty."

"It's not flattery if it's the truth, Erna. I'm not one to bandy excessive compliments where they aren't warranted."

For the first time she seemed genuinely embarrassed. He noted that frank discussions of politics, sexual proclivities, and marriage didn't cause so much as a blush, but one well-deserved compliment flustered her. It might very well be interesting to get to know his future wife before their marriage.

She coughed and managed to regain her composure, focusing on the task at hand. "Well, I will plan to be in the library after the midday meal tomorrow. Perhaps you could run into me there and we could have a quiet chat. A quiet chat that enough courtiers could witness to ensure the palace would be gossiping about nothing else by dinner."

"Are you prepared for the onslaught of new friends you'll likely gain once the king's attention is turned upon you?"

"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, Loki."

"I have no doubt of that, Erna. But I would like you to start thinking of us as a team. This will be mutually beneficial, but we have to work together."

"A team," she mused. "All right. It will take some getting used to, but I'll try."

"I've been on my own of late as well, so it will be an adjustment for me too."

They sat in companionable silence for several minutes, each thinking the situation through. Eventually, a thought struck her. "Loki, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything, Erna."

"The day we first met, when I was late to breakfast. How did you know I'd been lost? For all you knew, I overslept or just wanted to avoid the crowd. But you knew I'd been lost. How?"

"Halfrida," he replied simply, not bothering to conceal a knowing grin.

"There was no time after she left to tell you what happened. You appeared immediately afterward!"

"Appeared is not an incorrect choice of words, but you misunderstood me. I was Halfrida."

"You justhappened to be in disguise as a washerwoman on the day I happened to get lost on my way to breakfast?"

At least he had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. "I tricked you into taking the wrong route and I put myself in your path."

"Why?"

"I wanted to get the measure of you, to see if you would suit my ends."

"It seems the wooing has already begun." Sarcasm dripped from every word. "What a colossally romantic sentiment, my lord!" She stalked over to the remnants of mead still left in her tankard and downed it in one gulp. "Oh children," she railed, "the day your father decided I would suit his ends was the happiest of my life!"

"Why is this, of all the things we've discussed, upsetting to you?"

"You can't just do whatever you like, Loki! King or not, that was duplicitous and wrong."

"I'm being duplicitous right now, letting everyone think a handmaiden entered your chambers instead of the king. Yet that didn't outrage you." He stayed seated, calmly enduring her attacks.

"That… well that's just different."

"Different because it's other people being fooled and not you?"

She paused before letting another diatribe loose and thought about his words. What kind of right did she have to make such a distinction? Sitting heavily on the bench nearby, she realized that she did think it different. The thought was not a pleasant one.

"Yes," she admitted simply, feeling every bit a monster for saying such.

"Erna," he rose and strode over to her, kneeling in front of her. "You aren't other people. Not anymore. One of the reasons I violated your privacy and spied on you was to determine if I could trust you far enough to have this talk with you tonight. Think upon all I've revealed to you. I can't just line up every marriageable maid that comes to the palace and offer them this kind of proposition. So I watched you and you didn't disappoint."

"I'm a good person! Thinking your antics are permissible as long as they're not being used on me is wrong."

"It's not wrong, it's realistic. Any king that doesn't have a healthy mistrust of his court is just waiting to be deposed. But of your goodness, I have no doubt, Erna. It's one of the reasons I brought my proposal to you. You'll make a fine queen."

She stared forward, as if she didn't hear of see him. "How many times?"

"Several. Some I just listened from complete concealment and others, as with Halfrida, I interacted with you." She stayed silent, so he explained further. "Don't you see, Erna? I had to know how you behaved when nobody of consequence was watching. How a person treats their subordinates is very telling, particularly when there's no reason to show them kindness. My mother taught me that."

Finally looking down at him, he saw the anguish etched on her face. "How will I ever know I'm not speaking to you in disguise, Loki? How can I ever trust you or anything that happens in the whole fucking palace after knowing this?"

"Because I'm telling you everything now. Because I'm past having to use tricks on you, Erna. I'm choosing to trust you with all we've discussed tonight and I'm making a promise never to deceive you again. I was serious when I said this wouldn't work if we don't trust each other."

"I don't know what to think," she admitted simply, suddenly very weary.

"I've asked a lot of you tonight, I know." He took her hands in his own and she couldn't help but notice how heartfelt he looked. "Tell you what, we'll keep your provisional acceptance and I'll prove my words to you during our courtship. If you see anything you don't think can be overcome, you let me know and we'll end this. It will be entirely up to you."

"I get to choose?"

"Of course. I meant what I said, Erna. I want a partner not a puppet."

"I need to think."

"You need to rest too." His tone was so tender and such a contrast to the sneering superiority she knew he was capable of. "If you want to postpone your library visit, I'd understand."

"No I… I'm not sure."

"Well, I'll be there tomorrow. If you're not, I'll assume you're not ready yet."

"Okay." It was all she was capable of replying. He was right about the sleep. She was exhausted from their talk and needed to be alone before she could ponder things further.

He stood, again reminding her how very tall he was. "I want this to work, Erna. If you need anything, just ask." He took one of her hands and kissed it lightly. "Goodnight."

He was gone before she had a chance to reply.