First Couple Fight
Dinner was an awkward affair, to say the least. Thor jumped to his feet Loki’s arrival, his movement jarring the table. He hadn’t been expecting Loki to show up since he had locked himself in his rooms all day. Thor moved the chair beside him out in offering to Loki. In a show of pure spite, Loki pulled out the seat across from the one Thor had pulled out and seated himself.
The Thunderer huffed as he sat back down and glared at the Jotun.
Something on the table was clearly more interesting than making eye contact with the other prince, as Loki refused even glance at Thor.
Tyr and Balder filed in ending their conversation abruptly sensing the tension in the air. The younger prince took the seat opposite Thor and Tyr took the one Thor had formerly offered to Loki.
Even Frigga did not try to engage in pre dinner chat.
However, the Queen Mother was not going to remain neutral to this standoff. She walked in gracefully; she smiled at the tension rather than retreat from the rising conflict.
Recognizing his mother’s meddlesome grin, Odin rubbed the bridge of his nose and Frigga sighed knowing her family dinner was to be a war zone.
Freya and Njord arrived taking their seats on Bestla’s end of the table.
Tonight was one of the rare nights meant to give the adults a chance to talk. They called it the Weekly Policy Dinner, in order to make the younger members of the royal family belief it nothing more than a political dinner party. Often it was exactly that, which was why only those members of the family with current political power were allowed in. Though other times it was merely conversation typical of a nice family dinner.
Tonight, however, was deathly quiet. Thunder had been rumbling across Asgard for most of the day and small drifts of snow and ice had accumulated in various places throughout the palace.
Everyone knew who the animosity was between.
Bestla held herself back from comments through the cheese course and the soup course, but when the main dish of a roast quarter of stag arrived she held her tongue no more. “Loki, Love, have you heard anything from Prince Algrim since his departure?”
Loki hesitated as he placed a slice of venison on his plate. Algrim was a touchy subject for him, she knew how opposed he was of marrying the man. “I have not. Which is not surprising, he is a very busy man.” Not that he wasn’t relieved not have to have to fend off his advances.
“Ah well. That Prince would do well to him how you’ve enchanted him. Everyone knows of his desire for you. Such a shame, I was expecting a proposal soon.”
Thor’s glass shattered in his hand. The alarming cash drew everyone’s attention. Frigga stood to check on her oldest son, only for Thor to completely ignore his actions. “Loki doesn’t want to marry Algrim.”
Thor’s eyes never strayed from Loki.
“Not that what I want counts for anything.” Mumbled Loki into his own goblet.
Bestla hummed. Odin attempted to change the subject to appease his wife, who was kicking his leg under the table. “Loki, didn’t you have a trade proposal you wished to show me. In particular, the one that would strengthen our relationship with the dark elves.”
Loki straightened. “I-”
Bestla cut him off. “The Light Elves of course! Prince Faradei is quite taken with Loki, though he’s a bit shy.”
Balder offered to pour more wine Loki; instead the Jotun took to bottle from his hands and took a sip.
“Loki, you’ll have to be rather forward with him. None of that flirty banter you like. He’s more bookish than you. You’ll have to ask him to invite him into your room and get undressed before he’ll know he’s being seduced.”
“Grandmother!” Njord bellowed burring his face in his hands.
Everyone was thoroughly embarrassed and avoiding eye contact. Everyone except for Thor who looked murderous.
Loki sighed. “Thank you Queen-Mother. I will heed your advice, but I have an additional plan I would like to discuss, one I have already spoken to Prince Faradei about. He found it most agreeable-”
Thor slammed his fist on the table breaking his second goblet of the night. The servants scurried from the room knowing well what Thor’s temper would bring. “You will not be marrying him!”
“And what gives you the right to say I won’t?” Loki turned to Thor for the first time of the night with an icy glare.
“As your future King-”
Loki stood. “You won’t be my King once I marry! A day I am looking forward to.”
Thor stood hand pressed against the tabletop. “So you’d rather whore yourself out to Faradei than call me King!”
Loki threw the wine bottle at Thor, who caught it easily. “It would be better to be a whore for a real prince than to be one for an insufferable bilgesnipe like you-”
“SILENCE!” yelled Odin.
Loki saw his chance and ran. Balder went after him. Whirling around, Thor threw the wine bottle in his hands at the wall shattering it into a thousand pieces.
“I’ll be in my rooms” He growled and stormed out the door.
Bestla sipped her wine calmly. “Well this has been a productive evening.”
“What did that accomplish?” Frigga said in an exasperated tone.
“Ah. My dear, you still have things to learn. If you will excuse me, I need to talk to my grandson.”
“Mother, you’ve done enough meddling for the day.
“Odin, sometimes you need to break a man to show him how to make amends.” And with that, she walked out leaving the room in silence and disarray.
Freya broke the quiet. “Was everyone drinking excessively before we arrived?”
Thor did not go to his chambers; Bestla had suspected as much. She found him punching a dummy on the training grounds.
“You are by far the most like your grandfather of all my sons and grandsons.”
Thor continued his barrage of punches. “I came out here to be alone.”
Bestla ignored him and continued. “I don’t just mean you look like him. No, he was by far the most jealous man I’ve ever met. You are a close second but you haven’t coupled with Loki on the Throne in a fit of possessive rage…yet.”
The Prince pulled a disgusted face. “Granddame, I really don’t need to know about you and grandfather’s… couplings. I need to continue pounding this ‘til dawn or I’m too tired to care that my brother probably in Loki’s room right now.”
Bestla smiled. “You have no need to worry about your brother; Loki wants a warrior to bed him not another sorcerer.”
“How can you be so sure? He and Balder are enjoy many of the same things. After all he thinks me a mindless bilgesnipe.”
“They do both enjoy fantasies involving broad shoulders and callused hands… but Loki requested a room overlooking the training yard, despite its distance from the library. Much like myself, when Bor and I were first betrothed, Loki enjoys watching a certain Prince get hot and sweaty and fight like rutting bilgesnipe.”
Thor looked towards Loki’s room only to be hit in the chest with the punching bag.
“All he’s ever wanted was to be loved by you above all others, and to never be parted from you.”
Thor moved to sit next to Bestla on the bench. “I do treasure him more than any other. He makes my head go all foggy and I can’t think.”
“That would be the blood rushing from your head to your groin.”
Thor blushed. “Grandma!”
“Lusting isn’t what he wants from you, Thor. Love and adoration are what he wants. Though he is young and he does not know it yet because he can’t separate his feelings from his own blood rushing places.”
Thor looked scandalized. Bestla smiled and waved him off. “Once your son becomes King, you can say anything you damn well please and no one can stop you.”
Thor chuckled. “I’m sure mother will say interesting things.”
She pinched his cheeks in the way she knew he detested. “And one day Loki will say things so scathing that people will be visiting the healers.”
Thor looked to the stars. “You think after that fight, Loki is going to want to be my Queen, he’d rather die. I have no idea why he go mad in the first place!”
They sat in silence, both looking to the heavens.
“Thor, have you ever been invited to a Jotun royal wedding?”
“I can’t say I have.”
“And you won’t unless you are a groom.” Thor looked to his Granddame. “Whenever a courting couple decides its time they will spend their first night together. Usually, they are pleased with each other and they announce to their families they are to be bonded- in my day it mattered not if you were pleased after the bedding you were engaged.”
She continued talking with vague hand gestures. “Once they decide to bond they will leave into the wastes for a time and return with one of them with child.”
Thor hung his head. “Oh no, Loki, thinks I… Grandmother, Loki and I we... we shared-”
Bestla smirked at him.
“You already know don’t you?”
She smiled. “Loki was rather distraught at tea and he may have elaborated as to his mood.”
Thor jumped to his feet. “I have to tell him. Loki needs to know I want him.”
Bestla grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the bench. “Let’s not be to hasty, Loki will need to know you’re serious not just looking for another tryst. Perhaps, a traditional Jotun courting?”
“Excellent idea!” Thor beamed for a second then his face dropped. “Um…er…I don’t know what that entails.”
Bestla rolled her eyes. “What do you think grandmothers are for? I will help you.”
Balder squeezed through the crack of Loki’s door as it closed. His face nearly collided with Karhu’s bare teeth.
“Mind calling him off?”
“Karhu! Back!” Loki yelled as he pulled his hair down.
The Asgardian prince walked passed the bear and curtained archways to Loki’s living chambers.
“Your brother is an arrogant ass!” Loki sobbed as he flung himself onto his bed.
Balder came to sit beside him. “If you think I’m going to defend him against that accusation, you’re wrong. I’m fully aware of what my brother is and isn’t.
The blond prince continued. “He’s also reckless, overbearing, short-tempered, gullible and fiercely jealous.”
“Jealous! Who in the nine does he have to be jealous of?” the Jotun continued pulling at his braids.
Balder smiled. “Anyone who has your attention. I’d never seen him jealous until you arrived a few days ago. To be honest I don’t think he knows how to handle that particular emotion.”
Loki rolled his eyes. “He’ll have to get over that. What use am I as an ambassador if his temper goes off every time I talk to noblemen?”
“I don’t think you’ll be an ambassador for long; he’ll have you busy with a palace full of children before you know it.” Balder rose and walked to Loki’s liquor cabinet.
Loki huffed and flipped his hair over his shoulder. “You mean have me as his whore and a trophy to his reign.”
Balder grabbed two glasses and poured the brandy. “Given the chance and a good tongue lashing, I think my brother could be straightened out into a wonderful husband for you.”
He returned and handed one of the glasses to Loki.
He took the glass. “You’re still optimistic as ever, believing the best of people. He doesn’t want me as a spouse, he wants me as a prize-an exotic rarity to bed and throw away. Just like every other man that has ever tried to woo me… This time I was too blinded by my own eagerness to notice.”
Balder took a sip from his glass. “You know what they say love blinds us all.”
Loki scoffed. “I’ve been in Asgard for all of three days since reaching puberty. Hardly enough time to fall in love.”
Balder smirked. “Just three days?... Lord Ikol?”
“oh damn.” Loki whispered. “Alright so I’ve been sneaking into parties for years. That still doesn’t prove I’m in love with Thor. Nor does it resolve our quarrel.”
Balder sat down again taking a long drink. “No, it doesn’t.” He paused. “I would help if I knew what my brother had done.”
Loki sighed. “You swear not to tell another soul- remember, I know a lie when I hear one.”
“I swear.”
“Thor and I were intimate in the tent this morning.”
Balder’s brows shot up. “You mean-”
“No, your stupid bet isn’t over, we were interrupted. But that entitled moron made it clear when we were caught that it was nothing. My intentions have been rejected and I am nothing more than another conquest for Odin’s Heir.”
“I can’t imagine my brother doing such a thing.”
Loki stood and hurled his glass to the floor. “Well he did! And now. Now I have to spend the rest of my life advising him, having his back, and putting on a fake smile like he didn’t use me!”
“You’re focusing on the wrong things. You need him right now with the Amora thing and you’ll need his protective nature.”
The Jotun rolled his eyes. "That’s just what I need, Thor breathing down my neck for every move and murdering every person who comes near me all because of one assassination attempt.”
“Two.”
Loki whorled around. “What are you-”
Balder’s face was swelling and turning red. Loki gasped and called for the guards.