A few weeks had passed since Loki officially decided to court Nikolas. Every week the young prince had sent some kind of gift. Bath oils, silks, or jewelry. Nik didn't know what to do with all the luxurious presents. It felt rude to sell them or give them away. So they sat in a trunk at the end of Nikolas' bed.
Around lunchtime a couple days after Loki's last gift, the prince himself came knocking at Nikolas' door. A moment later, Nik answered wearing only a pair of black pants. "My prince! What are you doing here in the middle of the day?" Loki's smile both excited and frightened Nik "I'm here to invite you to lunch with my mother."
Nik's jaw drops and his eyes widened. "Lunch with Queen Frigga? The All-Mother?" Loki chuckles. "I know her as just mother, but yes. She's actually a bit cross with me for not having introduced you yet. Therefore in order to save myself from receiving anymore of her wrath, will you please attend lunch with my mother and I?"
Nik stood there for several moments, frozen and trying to form a coherent thought. Loki grinned at the other man's discomfort. "I should warn you that if you decline now, she is likely to come find you." If possible, Nik seemed more horrified by that idea. "Why is she upset with you?" Loki gently push Nik inside the small room and closed the door.
"I've told her about you and she was actually the one that told me about soulmates." Nik laid down on his bed face down. He mumbled something into the pillow, but Loki was unable to make out what it was. He sat down next to Nik and rubbed his back. Nik turned his head away from the pillow.
"The Queen knows that a slave is her son's soulmate? I'm sure she's thrilled to meet me." Loki leaned over and placed a kiss to Nik's forehead. "Do not speak that way. My mother will not care as long as I am happy." A soft smile formed on Nik's face. "I make you happy?" Loki rested his forehead against Nik's.
"In the time that we've known each other, I have felt a contentment that I have not felt since my youth." Nik snorted in amusement. "You say that as if you were eons old. You are not much older than myself and we are still considered children by most." Loki grabbed the other man's hand and pulled him towards the door.
"Still I grew up in the shadow of my brother's glory and was criticized for my magic and odd appearance. Yet that all seems to disappear whenever I am in your presence." Nik kissed Loki's soft lips "I think now I know why they call you Silver-Tongue." A mischievous grin came across Loki's face.
"Oh darling, you have no idea. Now let us join my mother for lunch before I decide to demonstrate exactly why I was given the nickname." Loki winked as he dragged Nik off. Nikolas was left wanting to stall as his pants began to tighten from thoughts of the raven-haired man on his knees.
Queen Frigga waited in the small dining room that was meant for just the royal family. On the table in front of her was several platters full of meat, fruit, and cheese. Three silver goblets filled with wine. She had just taken a sip of her wine when her youngest son entered the room holding hands with another man.
The man had long red hair that was tied neatly. He was a few inches shorter than Loki and had such beautiful blue eyes. They reminded the queen of her eldest son Thor's eyes. The man was attractive and wore simple clothing. ~I've not seen him at court before. Yet he looks familiar.~
Frigga stood and made her way over to the two men, embracing Loki before acknowledging the other male. "It is wonderful to finally meet you! My son has been very tight-lipped about you. I knew nothing of who you were except his soulmate." Nik bit his lip. "I hope I'm not a disappointment to you."
Frigga took Nik's hands and pulled him towards the table. "Oh my dear. Why would you think something like that?" Nik waited until the All-Mother had taken her seat before sitting down to answer. Loki joined them. "I'm sure I am not at all what you were expecting." Loki started putting food on plates for Nik, his mother, and himself. "And what do you think I was expecting?"
Loki stopped what he was doing. "Mother." Frigga looked from my son to Nikolas. "I am merely asking him a question and trying to learn more about him since you have not told me anything." Nik took a large gulp of his wine, hoping the alcohol would calm his nerves. "You were probably expecting a lady from noble lineage."
Frigga chuckled. "Not at all. I know my son well enough to know that none of the ladies from noble families have ever caught his interest. To be perfectly honest, I did not know what to expect. Now tell me more about yourself. I would like to know all about the person who has caught my son's interest."
Nik looked at Loki fearfully, not knowing what to to say. Loki was handing out plates of food, avoiding eye contact and letting Nik direct the conversation. "W-what would you like to know your majesty?"
Frigga smiled, catching on to his son's intentions. "I want to know about you dear. What do you do for work?" Nik looked at her with wide eyes. "W-work?" Nik swallowed thickly pass the lump that had formed in his throat. "Do you work in the markets or for a blacksmith? Are you a soldier?" Those all sounded like wonderful jobs. Perhaps to a 'free' man they were not so wonderful, but compared to Nik's life, they seemed like Valhalla.
Nik bent his head in shame. "No ma'am. I-i am a pleasure slave and do chores around the palace." Frigga didn't hesitate. "Ah so that must be how you and Loki met?" Nik felt his cheeks burn. "Prince Loki has never acquired my services." The young prince decided to save him.
"I did meet him whilst I was in the training grounds. He was tending to the weapons when I thought to join him." Frigga clicked her tongue. "You weren't antagonizing your brother and his friends again were you?" Nik caught the hint of a grin behind Loki's cup as he drank his wine. "I never antagonize them mother." Frigga's eyebrow cocked at her son's words.
"Really? And who was that turned Thor green for two weeks?" Loki chuckled. "That soap was in his bathing chambers for almost a month! It's hardly my fault that oaf bathes once a month. If he had bothered to clean himself before then, the dye wouldn't have been left to sit so long and would have only lasted a day or two."
Nik failed to stifle a laugh. Both queen and prince glanced his way. "You were the one to put that dye in his soap!" Loki chewed on a bit of boar meat before replying. "He shouldn't have stolen my book then."
Nik and Loki were wondering the gardens after their lunch. "I thought your mother would be more upset over me not only being a slave but also a whore." Loki stopped Nikolas by placing both hands on his face.
"She, like myself, can see that you are much more than that. It does not define all that you are." Nik grabbed the back of Loki's neck and forced that lips together.
They're tongues dancing and fighting for dominance. Both out of breath when they pulled apart. Nik firmly bit Loki's bottom lip, receiving a gasp for the prince. "I think I'm starting to believe in soulmates."