Again Not My Edit

Again not my edit

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Michigan storms 📍📍📍🌩️🌩️⛈️⛈️

IVE MISSED THIS SERIES, OH MY LOVE HAS RETURNED

After three lonely months pass, Loki finally begins to open his mind and heart to you, while you fully realize that you may well be longing for his love. A promising banquet approaches, a chance to fully prove to Loki, Odin, and the Nine Realms that you are worthy of your position.

CHAPTER WARNING: none WORD COUNT: 2.8k

Time began to roll before you like a wheel from dawn to dawn. Three months went by in a whirl.

Your relationship with Loki thawed little by little each day. For the time being, you found yourselves at your shared best when you were in the company of others. Loki clearly enjoyed his sparring afternoons with his confidantes. Some days, he asked for you to join him, which you relished. Others, he expressed a wish to go alone. You suspected those were the days Sif was to meet them. You had yet to see her again after that first unpleasant encounter. 

However, aside from Loki’s friends, you were making few strides toward building relationships of your own. You had not yet been given any ladies’ maids of your own, so Frigga was the only other woman with whom you spoke. The chambermaids were only good for one thing: giggling and gossiping when your moon courses came upon you, indicating there was no heir. 

Being locked away in the Inner Sanctuary for the majority of your life had given you no social skills. Your loneliness had no way of resolving, and you had no idea how to go about remedying the situation.

Routine quickly became your best friend in the palace. You woke mid-morning, bathed and dressed before being served a light breakfast, then studied star charts or Frigga’s diary until two. If Loki didn’t come for you by two, it meant he either wished to meet the others without you that day, or he was holding court with Odin. 

If Loki came for you, you knew it would be a wonderful day. If he did not, you awaited Frigga’s boy to fetch you for tea and lessons instead. Either way, at dusk every night, no matter where you were, you and Loki reported for supper in the private hall. After, you and Loki nearly always managed to share a private hour or two in light conversation over hot chocolate in his library before you retired, sometimes taking another long, hot bath before crawling under the sheets to do everything again in the same order again the following day.

Loki often came to bed, but there was only ever distance between your bodies when you shared the mattress. He was always up, dressed, and out of the apartments before you awoke. 

The monotony finally broke starting one afternoon, three months after the wedding. Loki was with Odin and the Generals today, so you’d gone to Frigga’s apartments, embarrassed that you’d forgotten to read an assigned lesson on hosting diplomatic tea parties. It did not matter, for the moment you were let inside, it was evident something else was afoot. 

These days, Frigga’s chambers were quiet around this time, giving you and your mother-in-law plenty of privacy. Today, however, advisors, maids, butlers, and servants were ducking in and out, carrying samples of cloth, food, drink, and decor. Frigga sat and pursued everything as it was laid out before her. 

“Yes, the ecru silk…oh, my dear!” she stood upon seeing you. “I’m afraid I didn't have the time to tell you before, but I am otherwise occupied today. I suppose you could sit beside me and observe. After all, these duties will be your own one day! What better way to learn?”

You had many questions, but Frigga answered the most vital as you sat beside her. “A diplomatic party is arriving from Alfheim tomorrow. The Allfather has summoned them to discuss matters of Olympia. Alfheim is one of our closest allies, Y/N.” 

“Yes,” you said, nodding and hoping you would understand. 

“I am to plan the banquet and evening’s entertainment, of course,” said the Queen. “Every detail is mine to dictate.”

“Do you enjoy it?” you asked, already feeling overwhelmed. 

Frigga sighed and leaned in, as if to share a secret. “Not in the least. I’d rather be studying or practicing.”

“And this is to be my job now as well?” you asked. 

The Queen shook her head. “Not while you are still only Princess. Your only role tomorrow night will be to look beautiful, and to stay on Loki’s arm as he mingles. At the banquet, Loki will make a formal announcement and present you. The Light Elves have been promised the first outsiders’ glance at Asgard’s newest treasure, so your presence will be essential to the success of the evening.” 

“My presence is so vital, and yet I am expected to remain quiet and pretty?” you asked, still not making the right connections in your head. 

“Surely you knew that you would be all the Realms are talking of, dear girl? A mysterious Seer marrying the most eligible Prince in existence with no warning? My dear, there are ballads being written of your allegedly immense beauty and grace by bards who have never seen you!”

“Then they never heard the truth,” you said solemnly, lying back against the sofa. 

Frigga quickly laid a hand on your shoulder, bidding you back to better posture.  “They’ve heard a…well, a variant of the truth. They don’t know of your prior position in the palace, or your connection to Thor. As far as they know, Loki expedited your union to douse his sorrows.”

“I see.” 

“Sit tall, my child,” she said. “Have I not taught you that the proper carriage can fool even the most experienced king into thinking a peasant is a princess?”

By the end of the afternoon, you were dizzy with knowledge. You saw flying satin tablecloths when you closed your eyes. 

You were thankful for one thing: Frigga saw to it that the pair of you were excused from supper that evening. There was simply too much to attend to, and you were learning so much at the Queen’s side! In response, Odin had the butlers send a meal to her rooms for the two of you. You were afraid you would get sauce or crumb on the exquisite samples still littered about the floor and furniture, so you ate delicately. Still, you were absolutely thankful for the excuse to avoid being all but alone with the King.

In the Sanctuary, you had minimum fare to subsist on. Old superstition often pointed to an empty belly indicating a pure mind, ready to receive the Sight’s deepest powers. Thus, bread, greens, and dried meats were all you’d ever eaten before recently. In the months since your marriage to the Prince, the constant supply of rich foods in generous portions had led to a small increase in your weight, but that pleased the Queen. “You look healthier,” she’d said. 

Before you went back to your chamber for the evening, after all with Frigga was said, done, and selected, the Queen had you stand before her while she glanced you over as she had your first day as Princess. “You already carry yourself a bit better. I think we will be ready to start on your Sight the day after tomorrow.” 

This both excited and terrified you. You still weren’t convinced that your miserable, imperfect Sight could be improved upon. What next, would the Queen attempt to artificially increase your height? 

“Yes, Mother,” was all you could muster. After all, she was still your superior. You weren’t yet in a position to protest. 

Satisfied at last, Frigga dismissed you. Looking forward to seeing Loki in the library, you  quickened your pace through the halls you were finally beginning to find familiar. However, the minute you made it inside the suite, you knew he wasn’t there. 

A small, unrolled piece of parchment sat on the sofa side table, the scrawl in emerald ink. Reading it, you sighed sadly, understanding that it was to be another lonely night. 

Y/N- Father requires me in the war room tonight. I will send your escort to the gala at dusk tomorrow. Please be ready. Yours, Loki

War room?

Perhaps it had to do with Olympia. Loki had been rather preoccupied plotting retaliation with Odin for the assassination of Thor. It was, in large part, the reason that after three months of marriage, you were still a virgin bride. 

To his credit, Loki was trying, as were you, to close the gap of intimacy between you. Five nights prior, he’d pushed himself further with you than you’d been thus far. Your book discussions were now into the third volume of The Price of Paradise. That night, you’d impressed Loki with your insight on a certain passage, and he’d responded by putting his book aside and kneeling by your chair. 

“What is it?” you’d asked lightly, wondering what was brewing inside his head. 

“What you’ve just said about Eira’s soliloquy,” he said. “I’d never thought her use of metaphor meant more than a simple artistic choice on the part of Sir Olssen.”

Smiling broadly, you’d taken a long, dramatic sip of hot chocolate. 

Loki looked pleased. “You’re actually sort of…brilliant.” 

One word flipped your heart in circles. It was as if the first crack in the shell had been made, that he was beginning to see beyond your circumstances, that there was something there that wasn’t there before. 

Not that it mattered. He still didn’t touch your body once the lights in your bedroom were doused at night. You were beginning to feel the pricks of lust that a young woman was supposed to feel for her handsome husband. This only meant that each night that passed in stillness felt more akin to a failure. 

You began to stay awake later, looking at Loki as he slept beside you. He was so beautiful in repose. No scowls, no hesitations or ceremonial masking. When he slept, he was only himself. In the darkness, you never saw what color his skin was, nor how his face wrinkled when he was deep in dream. To you, he was a sleeping Adonis. Soon enough, you began longing for the day he finally chose to part your legs. 

Putting the scroll aside, you could only roll your eyes and distract yourself by reading in bed until your eyelids grew heavier than your heart. 

The politics had ended for the day, and the Alfheim envoys and their pages were seated and feasting in Odin’s hall. Frigga had spent the afternoon dictating your appearance and reminding you of the dance steps you’d be expected to perform with Loki. 

It was this dance that made you most apprehensive. You’d practiced in ‘princess study’ with the Queen, but it was not the same as if you were practicing with your dance partner. After your presentation, you and Loki would dance before the assembly as a way to allow Alfheim to see the alleged grace of the new Princess of Asgard. 

You got the feeling it was also an opportunity for you to humiliate yourself in front of Odin, who would no doubt use a slip up as an excuse to punish you, or worse, accuse you of further espionage. Frigga seemed to agree, although she forbade herself from saying so bluntly. “Let’s just agree that your success tonight will be of the utmost importance.”

Loki sent none other than Fandral to escort you to your ceremonial presentation the following evening, which you were grateful for. The Warriors were growing on you as a trio of big brothers. You’d never had siblings of any sort, and even if you could not share in their inside jests and jousting games, you never felt out of place among them, unless Sif happened to be nearby. 

“My Princess,” Fandral said with somewhat-exaggerated formality. “You look ravishing this evening.” 

You curtsied, playing his game. “And you dashing, My Lord.” 

As you made your way to the hall, you went over the dance steps in your head. Fandral could sense your fear. “I think, perhaps, you look ravishing enough to impress Our Prince,” he hinted with a distinct warmth to his voice. 

“What do you mean?” you asked, but he didn’t say more. The way he’d said it, it sounded as if he knew more than he was letting on. 

Your journey ended behind Odin’s throne minutes later, obscured by a gossamer curtain until the right moment. Fandral left you to join the others, still refusing to address your curiosity. 

The noise from the revelers was deafening, so when they went silent at the Allfather’s gesture, your ears felt hollow, longing for consistent sound again. You quickly began to feel small, as if you were shrinking.

“Friends and Allies of Alfheim, as promised, you will be treated to a historical presentation of a princess this evening. A fortunate young woman who proved her worth to join the Royal Family, and who won the heart of a Prince. She is a treasure to our family, and we hope that you will accept her as a friend and ally to Alfheim as well.” 

Polite clapping rang out. You felt your skin shiver. Odin was an incredible liar. 

You jumped when you felt something smooth and cool slip into your hand and wrap around your fingers. Prince Loki had joined you behind the curtain. 

“Are you ready?” he inquired softly. 

I am now, you thought, but instead of saying it aloud, you nodded. He was pleased. 

“I don’t enjoy these functions at all,” he noted. “And that is your new fact about myself for today.”

“I believe I knew that already about you,” you said with a playful cheek. 

Loki smiled. “And how, pray, did you come by this information when this is our first ball together?”

“I guessed.”

He looked down at his feet for a moment, keeping a pleasant smile. “How insightful of you. Perhaps I should worry about what else you’ve unwittingly discovered of me.”

You were bold, gently squeezing his hand. “You have no need to be afraid of me.” 

A tender gaze passed briefly between you before a servant began parting the curtains. Instantly, you both sprang to attention like the two obedient foot soldiers you were before the King. 

“I am pleased to present to the Courts of Asgard and Alfheim: Prince Loki, and his beloved bride, Princess Y/N.”

Loki guided you out from behind the shadow of Odin’s throne. Instant ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ went up as you strutted in sync to the center of the stage. Loki raised his arm to give you a twirl, which you executed with surprising grace. Applause went up. As it turned out, the dance lessons were good for more than waltzing. 

You curtsied deeply before the room, and awaited Odin to silence the room again, so that you could deliver the small speech that you’d authored with Frigga, and memorized. 

“My dear friends, I am blessed to find myself the child of the Allfather, the wife of the Prince, and the humble Princess of this realm. I pray that you will accept me as you have my newfound family, and that our days will be spent in friendship and harmony.”

The room erupted into cheers. Many stood from their benches. You bowed again, Loki bowing with you, and permitted him to begin leading you to the dance floor in front of the lined benches and tables. 

You caught a glimpse of Frigga, seated next to Odin at the High Table, beaming with pride at her protege’s first impression thus far. You were doing well. 

After several minutes of more thunderous approval from the Light Elves, Loki swung you around, positioning you before him in the starting position for a short, classic Asgardian dance. Typically, it was a bride and groom’s first dance at their wedding. Indeed, the dance retained at least half of its purpose. This was your first dance with your husband, after all. 

Just before the music went up, Loki leaned down and whispered into your ear. “You’re doing marvelously.”

“How can you tell?” you asked. 

“Because my father’s face is red.”

You snorted a little too loudly, and instantly hoped it didn;t diminish your appearance in the eyes of the assembly. To the contrary, they seemed to think your giggle was sweet. For all they knew, you had just shared a small intimate joke between you, like a pair of silly besotted lovers who cared not for the world beyond one another’s arms. 

“I’m happy to please you, Loki,” you said, recovering. 

He kissed you sweetly, bringing out more reactions from the crowd. “My Princess…I may finally be prepared to reward you tonight after we retire.” 

“Reward me? I--” you cut off when you understood Loki’s covert meaning. Your face illuminated. “You mean it? Tonight?”

“Yes, Y/N. Tonight. It may be time to acquiesce to Odin’s wishes for a grandson.”

You wanted to cry, but that was when the orchestra, seated above the room on a balcony, struck the first notes of an ancient love song. Did this mean he was falling in love? Or was he just prepared enough to fulfill his long-neglected duty? 

You chose to ignore the uncertainties for once, and you slowly began to dance as one while the music swelled. 

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