Chapter 9
The Royal family stood in the hall outside of the Healer’s wing waiting for word on Balder’s condition. Thor wanted so badly to reach out and comfort Loki. He wanted to tell him not to worry he would be under guard at all times, he started to speak, but a look from his Granddam quickly stopped the words from leaving his mouth.
Loki was picking at his hands and rubbing his arms as if he were cold. But Frost giants did not get cold. Loki merely wanted comfort, he acted just as he did as a child when he was scared and would go to Thor for protection. Thor wanted so badly to hold him, but he knew if he tried he would merely upset Loki further.
Bestla was flicking her eyes back and forth between the two princes, practically begging Thor to apologize. Thor opened and closed his mouth several times. Words were just not the Crowned Prince’s strong suit.
Finally, the blond prince had had enough of Loki hiding in the corner and being insecure.
He muttered an ‘Excuse me.’ Before dashing down the hall. He may not be able to touch him but he would be damned if he wasn’t going to make Loki feel better.
Thor returned several minutes later carrying a mass of white.
It was Loki’s white bear fur, the one that Thor had given him all those years ago.
Loki finally looked at Thor. The Prince approached Loki cautiously as one would a wild horse. Loki stared at the blanket before looking up at Thor’s face. When their eyes met Thor handed Loki the blanket and walked away without a word.
Bestla gave Thor a nod of approval.
Thor didn’t say a word to Loki the rest of the evening, even when most had gone back to bed. Servants had brought couches for them to wait. Frigga had returned the young children to their beds. Tyr and Thor slumped against each other on one couch. Odin held his wife and Hermond on another. Bestla had gone back to her rooms claiming that it would be another medical emergency if she slept on a couch.
Loki lay curled up in his fur on the couch across from Thor and Tyr. Thor was lightly dozing when Loki whispered to Tyr. “This is the second time someone has tried to kill me. I hate to admit it but Thor is right I need guards at all times.”
Tyr smiled a bit. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell him you took them under protest.”
In the wee hours of the morning the large doors opened. The scream of their hinges awakening those in the halls. Lady Eir walked out with a rather emotionless expression. “Prince Balder will recover. It will be sometime before he regains his strength.”
A sigh of relief went up.
“The wine he ingested had traces of powdered Surma root. Extremely toxic for Asgardians, it reacts quicker at lower temperatures. It results in near-instantaneous death for Jotun and Dark Elves.”
Frigga looked to Loki and then back to Eir. She could only focus on one child at a time. “May I see my son?”
Lady Eir gestured for the Queen to follow. “He is resting now. I will have a place made for you to sit with him until he wakes.”
Loki drew his furs around him as he, Tyr and Thor formed a circle around Odin. “Clearly, this was a poison meant for Loki. The real question is it the same perpetrator as the other attacks or is this a completely new plot.” Odin said.
Tyr crossed his arms. “Until we find this assassin or assassins, Loki will be under the guard of my men at all times. He will be guarded like a member of the family.”
Over the days following the second attack, Thor rarely saw Loki. The younger prince left his rooms for only a few occasions. When he was seen, Loki no longer wore his provocative clothes to court. He dressed in elegant tunics and breeches for his political duties. Not only did the clothing change but now Loki rarely said anything.
“I miss the fire and his wit,” Thor told his grandmother as they had tea.
She gave him a small smile. “I’m sure you also miss the sheer fabrics.”
Thor gazed into his cup. “Not as much as one would think. Others leer at him less. I do not feel as though any minute I will have to defend his honor, but instead, I’m constantly on edge for his life.”
Bestla chuckled. “How like your grandfather.” She sipped her tea and peered out over the royal pasture. “Loki doesn’t feel safe outside his rooms even with his guards. I imagine being locked in his rooms must be quite boring.”
“ I do not think Loki would enjoy my company, no matter how bored he is.”
“Considering the words the two of you exchanged I would say not, but perhaps we can find a way to get you two to at least be on peaceful terms. Think Thor, what would you do to cheer him up as a child?”
Thor smirked. “Usually, I’d let him crawl into bed with me and just hold him.”
Bestla rolled her eyes before smacking Thor in the back of the head. “Think with your heart, not your cock. That’s what got you in this mess in the first place.”
The prince rubbed the back of his head as he thought. He turned to his granddam. “I would read to him or go with him to get books down from tall shelves in the library.”
Thor grinned, snatched up Mjolnir and kissed Bestla’s cheek, before heading to the library.
Loki’s guards opened his doors to Thor carrying a stack of books well over the prince’s height. The Jotun jolted up from his couch where he laid contemplating the ceiling.
“Where would you like these?” Thor asked from behind the stack.
“Over on the desk,” Loki said seemingly unfazed. He vowed to himself to remain strong in front of Thor and not let his emotions be taken advantage of.
Thor set the stack down with a great thud. Loki slipped off the couch and began examining the books with a critical eye. The older prince watched as Loki separated the books into piles. Some he sneered at with disdain other he raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and some he rolled his eyes at before tossing them aside. He sorted the massive stack of tomes in silence.
Finally, once he’d examined the last one, he turned to Thor and pointed at the pile of sneers and eyes rolls. “These are of no use to me return them.”
Loki expected the Crown Prince to pick a fight with him. Instead, he was shocked when Thor took his hand and kissed it. “Of course, my dear one.”
He snatched the books from the table and left Loki alone in the room.
Loki grinned in amazement and threw himself across the bed. He had just ordered about the Crowned Prince and not only had he gotten away with it but he was called dear one for his brattiness. The power high was immense.
Loki’s glee turned to suspicion. Clearly, Thor was after something Loki could without some guarantee the Thunderer would marry him. He would not fall prey to his seduction… at least not without some leverage to the situation in his favor.
Loki asked his guards to escort him to the Queen. They found Frigga in her garden. She sat on a blanket in the grass feeding breadcrumbs to Huggin and Munnin.
“All mother, might I speak with you?”
“Of course, Loki.”
“…In private.” He said looking between his guards and the ravens. Frigga glanced to the ravens that promptly stole the bread from her hands and flew away. Loki’s guards also backed away out of earshot but never where they could still watch Loki.
“What would you like to discuss?” She patted a space on the blanket next to her.
Loki sat. “It’s concerning Asgardian marriage traditions and duties. I know my own peoples, but Asgard is where my duty lies I need to know what those traditions entail. As Ambassador it is likely I will be invited to attend nobles ceremonies.”
Frigga gave him a knowing look. “I feel we have failed you, Loki. We have prepared you to be Queen, but we neglected to tell you what courtship customs you’d be expected to follow. What do you wish to know?”
“It’s a delicate topic.”
Frigga chuckled. “Loki, sweet, I have nine children. I birthed eight of them. There is nothing delicate about the topic you seek and not quite as secretive as it is in your culture.”
“For your people, physical intimacy with another is a hallmark of marriage. But for Asgardians as long as intimacies outside of a marriage bed do not result in children, its seen as harmless pleasure. Children are only to be had in marriage and what Asgardians see as the purpose of marriage.
As we have so many children, mine and Odin’s marriage is seen as an exalted one.”
Loki stroked his thumb over his palm. “Did you have difficulties adjusting to the difference from your own culture?”
“My own people the Vanir, we see marriage as a sharing of power both magic and political; physical acts are seen as representing the sharing of deep emotions. So to my people the fact that Odin and I have so many children, its seen as a very emotional marriage.”
Loki couldn’t meet her eyes. “Hypothetically, if an Aesir happened to get pregnant out of wedlock?”
Frigga paused. “They would be forced to marry assuming they were both of age and the intimate acts were shall we say wanted on both accounts.”
Loki continued to pick at his hand and the Queen continued to watch him.
“Loki, if you are pregnant, we need to know, you and Thor would be married immediately and in secret until Thor is crowned king.”
The Jotun’s face turned bright purple. “I’m not! It's just…” he sighed. “I can’t think of another way to guarantee myself as Thor’s future Queen. But I’m not ready for children yet.”
“Until we figure out who is behind these attacks it would be wise not to endanger yourself further but placing more targets on your back. Every nobleman with a daughter is vying for Thor’s hand.” Frigga pulled an empty vial and another filled with some strange opaque liquid out of her sleeve.
“Until that time, I would advise you that if the urge should arise, there are things you can to that will not result in pregnancy.” She placed the opaque liquid in his hands. “But with those acts, a certain seed of assurance comes should you be forced to act. No spell can trick a paternity spell, but one can trick a man.” She held out the empty vial.
Loki grinned and took them from her. “Thank you, my Queen.” Loki leaped from the blanket.
“Oh and Loki?” He paused and turned back o her. “I never want to see or know if those bottles are used, there are certain thinks mothers never need to know of their sons.”
Over the next few days, Thor and Loki developed a rhythm. Thor would bring books he thought Loki might enjoy and would return the ones he read or didn’t want.
The third morning of book bringing, Loki didn’t go through the books he just stared at them. One book, in particular, caught his eye-‘Illusions and other Light-based magic’.
“Loki?”
The Jotun turned to Thor. “Not that I don’t appreciate the books. But perhaps today you could help me with something else. I have yet to see Balder since that night.”
Thor grinned. “I’d be happy to escort you, Balder would definitely enjoy some company.”
It wasn’t a long trip to the Medical wing of the palace, but Loki held Thor’s arm the whole time. A small victory that warmed the prince’s chest and made him puff his chest with pride.
When they entered the room Balder was sitting up in bed reading. “Would you like some company?”
Balder looked up and put his book aside. “Of course.”
“How are you feeling?” Loki slid into the chair next to his bed. There were knitting needles with a partially made square resting on the table beside the chair.
The light of Balder’s smile wasn’t quite up to its normal brilliance yet. “Better with each visitor.”
Loki held up the knitting. “Her majesty, I assume.”
Balder and Thor spoke at the same time. “Tyr-”
Thor stopped and smiled at his brother before laying a hand on his shoulder.
The Jotun smirked. “Of course it is. I’m afraid since the incident, I have been mostly confined to my own rooms. What have the Healers said of your condition?”
“I still lack feeling in my ankles and feet. But the healers are hopeful, I will be able to walk on my own within a few weeks.”
Loki made a face. “I can’t help but feel conflicted feelings about all of this. You were caught in my political crossfire. And nearly died.”
Balder laid his hand atop Loki’s. “Based on everything I’ve read, it’s for the better. The Jotun are far more susceptible to the poison is more stable at lower temperatures than in the heat of Aesir bodies. It would have killed you.”
“I intend to find this assassin and I will bring you their head… after Thor alleviates it from their shoulders, of course.”
Balder chuckled. And Thor let himself smile. “If you look over there under that stack of books Tyr brought me, you’ll find my notes on these attacks.”
Before Loki could move Thor was across the room to retrieve them.
Balder continued. “The plant the poison is extracted from is native to Alfheim, but Svartalfheim imports it for criminal executions. As quickly as it kills it’s seen as a merciful execution.
Thor looked smug. “Once again the evidence points to the dark elves.” His smugness was no doubt due to the thought of war and the opportunity to bash in Algrim’s head.
Loki rolled his eyes. “And your per-usual brash thinking is why you have me as an advisor. “The light elves could be the ones to blame. After all, they are very adept at illusion magic.”
Balder and Loki looked at each other a look of realization struck them both. “That makes perfect sense. Manipulating the light in the camp. The guards really didn’t see anything.”
“But how can we determine if it’s the light elves or the dark elves?” Loki pondered. “Thor, I think we should pay Amora a visit tomorrow.”
Thor looked surprised. “So it’s not the dark elves?”
Loki spoke. “Keep up Thor. We need to know all of what Amora has recollected so far to help determine if it is the dark elves or light elves.”
Thor smiled. “I would be happy to escort you, Loki.” He reached out taking Loki’s hand and bringing it to his lips.
Loki blushed and continued to hold Thor’s eyes. A fake vomiting noise from Balder finally drew their attention from each other. “The two of you can return to Loki’s chambers if you wish to continue making eyes at each other.”
They looked down at Balder who lay between them. Loki suddenly remembered he was supposed to be upset with Thor and jerked his hand back.
Thor fettled with the pieces of the hneftafl board in the corner while Loki and Balder discussed the finer points of magic. They stayed the whole day with Balder. The Healers even had their evening meal brought to them, with a fourth-place setting. This was slightly confusing until Tyr showed up partway through the meal.
“Brother I apologize train ran long-” Tyr was surprised to see his elder brother and Loki joining him and Balder for dinner.
Thor laughed. “And you say Loki and I act like a married couple.”
After dinner, Balder and Thor continued their game of hneftafl while Tyr attempted to teach Loki knitting.
Balder won the game mostly because Thor was distracted by the way the Jotun bit his lip in concentration and the way he pouted at the frustrating parts.
Eventually, the evening wrapped up with Balder falling asleep with one of Thor and Tyr’s tales of battle. Thor and Loki said their goodbyes and slipped from the room.
Loki seemed content. Thor thought to himself that this little visit did Loki as much good as it did his brother. As he escorted Loki back to his rooms, Thor interlocked his hands behind his back to keep from reaching out and touching the other prince.
Loki came to a stop in front of his door before whirling around to face the Crown Prince. “Thank you for today, Thor. I had fun and I have a few leads for us to follow up on.” Loki gave a small smirk before extending his hand towards Thor.
Thor knew instantly what he was offering. He took Loki’s much hand gently with his own and brought it to his lips as he had earlier that day. He held Loki’s eyes.
Loki was playing coy despite this being his offer. Thor intended to beat him at his own game. He turned the prince’s hand over and kissed his lips.
Loki didn’t make a noise of surprise but he did raise his brows. “Until tomorrow, my love.” Thor breathed against the sensitive skin on his wrist. He quickly turned away and walked towards his chambers.
Loki immediately called out for him. “Wait!”
Thor paused and turned back to Loki. Before he could ask a question Loki leaned up on his toes and kissed the corner of his mouth. Before Thor could deepen the kiss Loki was gone-locked away behind his closed doors.
Who was seducing whom? Thor thought as he walked to his rooms.