The Midgard Woman

Twenty years ago...

Laufey knew that his son was a lonely child. After all, being as small as he was meant that none of the other Frost Giants his age wanted to play with him, and to be perfectly frank Laufey didn’t want his son to play with them anyway, because he was always worried about his boy getting hurt. It had been a little distressing for him when he had learned that Farbauti had given birth to a “runt” because he had known then that his heir would always need a little extra looking after, but he loved him even so and was always very proud of any achievements he made in life. He had become especially protective of him following Farbauti’s death at the hands of a Dark Elf during a battle. Had it not been for the intervention of the Aesir, the Frost Giants would have been all but wiped out in that battle, and it was largely due to this story that Loki had always vowed that no wife of his would ever become embroiled in the horrors of war.

At any rate, watching his son grow up surrounded by more books than people, it finally occurred to Laufey that perhaps what Loki needed was a friend his own size to play with. So, when Loki was seven years old, Laufey decided to take him to Midgard. Using magic, which Farbauti had been highly skilled in, and which Loki would always grow up with a talent for, to give them both Aesir form, he took his son through the Bifrost for his first glimpse of humans.

“They’re my size,” was Loki’s first observation when he spotted a group of Midgard children playing around the frozen pond. “Not huge like Frost Giants.”

Laufey smiled. “They are similar to the Aesir in a lot of ways, Loki, but they have not yet developed magic. So, be careful not to scare anyone with it.”

Loki watched the other children for a while, feeling too shy to go and mix with them even in his Aesir form. One in particular caught his eye, a girl who looked to be about his own age, sitting on a bench beside the pond by herself not far away from the clump of trees behind which they were watching from. She had fair hair in curls and was sketching reverently in a large black book. It was the fact that she was on her own that caught his attention most, however, and he found himself wondering if she was like him, unable to find anyone like herself to play with.

“See something you like?” Laufey teased him, gently.

Loki blushed and looked at his feet. “She’s on her own. Like me most days.”

“Well, why don’t you go over and say “Hello” to her?” Laufey suggested. “Then she won’t be on her own anymore.”

Loki shook his head. “No. I couldn’t-”

Before he could finish, however, his Father had given him a small, encouraging shove that send him stumbling forwards rather clumsily through the snow, coming to an unsteady halt beside the bench. The girl looked up at him in surprise and then smiled politely.

“Hello,” she said.

Loki was certain that his blush was deepening as he stammered a shy “Hello,” back, holding his hands awkwardly clasped behind him and shuffling his feet.

The girl managed to put him at his ease, however. “I’ve not seen you around here before.”

“Well, I’m not from around here,” Loki replied. “I’m new.”

“Oh.” The girl nodded as if that was enough and got to her feet. “My name’s Georgiana.”

“Mine’s Loki,” Loki replied.

To his surprise, however, she laughed. “That’s a funny name.”

Feeling somewhat indignant, Loki folded his arms and retorted “Well, I think Georgiana’s a funny name.”

They both looked at one another and for a second Loki thought he might had offended her. Then she laughed again and Loki found himself laughing too. Watching from the shadows, Laufey smiled and slipped away. “You can take it from here, son,” he murmured to himself.

“What were you drawing?” Loki asked and she held out her sketchbook. He took it and flicked gently through the pages, smiling at her talent. “You’re really good.”

“Thank you,” Georgiana smiled, but her eyes looked distant as she did so.

“What?” Loki asked, noticing her expression.

“Well, I just get tired of drawing all the same things, the same people,” Georgiana sighed. “There’s not that much that’s interesting to draw around here. Even drawing flowers and stuff gets boring after a while.”

Loki smiled and handed her back her sketchbook. “There’s some really pretty flowers back where I come from, not like the ones here,” he said, choosing his words carefully as his Father had instructed him not to give too much away about their home to someone he barely knew. “I could find you one if you like.”

“Could you?” Georgiana’s eyes lit up like the sun. “What do they look like?”

“There are some that we call Eisblumen that look like those white ones you get here, the ones that women sometimes carry at weddings,” Loki replied.

“Lilies?”

“Right, those, but they’re blue.”

“Blue?” Georgiana laughed again. He liked her laugh, Loki decided. “Oh, I can’t believe that!”

“You’ll see,” Loki insisted. “I can bring you one tomorrow, if you promise not to show it to anyone else.”

Georgiana didn’t ask why, because children never do when asked such things by other children. Instead, she said “I won’t,” and brought a smile to Loki’s face. They stood talking a while longer and then Loki realised that it was beginning to get dark.

“I should go,” he said. “My Father will be worried.”

“Mine too,” Georgiana admitted. “And my Mother.”

“I’ll meet you here tomorrow evening,” Loki promised.

Georgiana smiled. “Goodbye, Loki.”

It made him feel warm inside when she said that. “Goodbye,” he said, and then added as she left, “Georgiana.”

“Now that wasn’t too hard, was it?” Laufey smiled as Loki reached him.

And that, as they say, was that.

The very next evening, Georgiana found herself approached by a rather smug looking Loki holding a flower that looked something like a lily with a long stalk and no leaves, but which was entirely blue all over and covered in thousands of tiny ice crystals.

“I told you so,” he smiled as Georgiana gave a gasp of awe and reached out to touch it with her gloved hand.

“Oh, Loki, it’s just beautiful!” Georgiana breathed, taking it from him, and then she noticed for the first time that he wasn’t wearing gloves. “Are your hands not cold?”

“No,” Loki answered, truthfully. “I don’t feel the cold.”

“Oh, you’re so lucky,” Georgiana sighed. “I love winter. It’s my favourite season. But Mama always makes me wrap up warmly before I can go out and play in the snow, because I caught a chill from not doing so when I was little.”

Loki smiled. “I like playing in the snow too.”

“And skating?” Georgiana asked. “I love skating.”

“Me too,” Loki said.

They smiled, shyly at one another, and then Georgiana brought the flower up to her face, brushing its petals against her nose. “It smells heavenly,” she smiled.

“They stay fresh for a whole month in cold water,” Loki told her. “So you’ll have plenty of time to draw it.”

Georgiana smiled, and then, to his surprise, stepped forwards and hugged him, gently. “Thank you, Loki.”

“Um...” Loki hesitated, unsure what to do, and then he cautiously hugged her back. “You’re welcome, Georgiana.”

There were plenty of hugs between them after that. And more besides.

Loki’s visits became a regular occurrence in Georgiana’s life, and she found herself looking forward to them. They were a bright spot in the boring consistency of her normal existence, an escape from the boring everyday world she inhabited, as the things he told her always excited and enthralled her imagination. Slowly, he began to tell her more of Jotunheim without actually disclosing where it actually was, and Georgiana never asked, although a part of her suspected that Loki was not of this world without actually knowing she suspected it.

“Your home sounds fascinating,” she told him one day when they were ten.

Loki was surprised. “Fascinating? No one’s ever said that before.”

“Well, isn’t it?” she challenged, with a smile. “With flowers that can survive in winter and vast glaciers and places you can always skate all year ‘round? How can no one else find that fascinating?”

Loki shrugged. “A lot of people near us, our allies and that, just think of it as primitive.”

“Why?” Georgiana asked.

“Because we’re not as advanced and sophisticated as they are, I suppose,” Loki sighed. “Some of them even call us savage monsters.”

Georgiana frowned. “Why monsters?”

Loki glanced at her and remembered what his Father had told him.

“If you trust this girl enough not to judge or to bring soldiers to hunt you down, you may show your true self to her. But if she is afraid, it’s probably best if you leave.”

He took a deep breath, got to his feet and held out his hand to her. “Do you believe in magic?”

“Magic?” Georgiana repeated. “Well, yes, I think so. I mean, people always tell me it doesn’t exist, but I think they’re wrong.”

“They are,” Loki replied. “It does exist. I can show you. If you trust me.”

Georgiana nodded and put her hand in his. “I trust you.”

She got to her feet and Loki pulled her behind the nearest tree. He hesitated and then dropped her hand. “Georgiana, what I’m going to show you might scare you, but I want you to know...what I am.” He took a deep breath and willed his illusion of the Aesir form to melt away, revealing his true self to her for the first time. Closing his eyes, he waited for the scream, or the frightened gasp he was certain would come. To his surprise, however, Georgiana drew in her breath and whispered “I knew it!”

Opening his eyes, Loki saw that she was neither afraid nor disgusted by his true form, but awed by it. Her eyes were wide with what looked like delight and she reached out an un-gloved hand, because now it was spring and she had no need of them, to touch his, not shying away at all from the coolness of his skin. “I knew you couldn’t be from our world,” she whispered, curling her fingers around his palm. “The way you talk about your home, and seem so out of place here...I knew there had to be more...”

Loki blinked at her. “You’re not scared?” Georgiana shook her head. “You don’t think I’m a monster?”

“No,” Georgiana insisted. “You don’t look like a monster, not like the ones in books anyway.”

Loki smiled and then changed back to his Aesir form. “You’re a lot nicer than a lot of people then, Georgiana.”

“So, where are you from, then? If not here?” Georgiana persisted.

So, Loki explained the Nine Realms to her, and Georgiana listened with a patient fascination as he described the history of their creation and the details of each individual race so vividly that she could almost picture it for herself.

“Will you take me there?” she asked when he had finished.

“To Jotunheim?” Loki asked in surprised.

“Yes,” Georgiana replied. “I really want to see it.”

Loki thought about it. “I’ll have to ask Father’s permission first.”

So he did. And Laufey was surprised to say the least.

“I think,” he said, eventually, “that it would be best if you both waited until you’re older. No, don’t look at me like that, Loki. It wouldn’t be right to take a child away from her comfort zone and into a strange land without permission from her own parents. You need to wait until she’d old enough to do so. How much younger is she from you?”

“A few months,” Loki answered. “Not much.”

“Very well, then,” Laufey decided. “When you’re both seventeen, then she may come to Jotunheim.”

Loki knew that he had to be content with that, but Georgiana was patient and the years seemed to fly by, with several incidents happening along the way. One day when they were both twelve, Loki turned up at their usual meeting place and was surprised when Georgiana didn’t. He waited but she didn’t show, and eventually, feeling disheartened and wondering what he had done wrong to make her not want to see him any longer, he went back to Jotunheim.

Laufey was surprised the next night when he discovered that his son hadn’t gone to see his friend on Midgard. “What happened?” he asked.

“She wasn’t there,” Loki said into his pillow. “I waited for ages but she didn’t show up. I don’t think she wants to see me anymore.”

“Oh, Loki, don’t talk rot,” Laufey replied. “I’m sure that something must have delayed her. Maybe something’s happened to her at home that stopped her from coming. True friends don’t abandon friends. She must have had a good reason for it.”

With his Father’s coaxing, Loki eventually decided to go back to Midgard, and to his relief, Georgiana was waiting for him. It was only when he got closer to her that he realised she had been crying. Glancing up, she spotted him and leapt to her feet with a little gasp. “Loki!” She threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in his front, beginning to sob all over again. “I thought you’d abandoned me! Please don’t you leave me too!”

Bewildered to say the least, Loki hugged her back. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”

“My Father died,” Georgiana wept. “He was riding with friends...for the hunt...and there was a snake that startled the horse and...and...”

She choked out another sob and Loki hugged her tighter. “Gods, Georgiana, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise. I thought I’d done something wrong and you didn’t want to see me anymore.”

“No,” Georgiana whispered. “No, I’d never want that. Never.”

They stood for a long time together in silence, with snow swirling around them, both reflecting on what they had both lost, for after all Loki knew the pain of losing a parent all too well, so he could share in her sorrow, and he resolved from that moment onwards to always be there for her when she needed him.

Something else happened as well, for as they neared Georgiana’s seventeenth birthday, the day that they had decided Loki would finally take her to Asgard, she noticed a change in herself, something she wasn’t entirely certain she knew the true nature of. It had to do with Loki, for as they grew she had begun to notice that he was growing into a rather handsome youth and each time he made her laugh, she felt a stirring like butterflies within the pit of her stomach. It occurred to her the more she thought about it just how much she liked being around Loki, how safe she always felt with him and how she could always talk to him about anything and he would understand, or be supportive of her opinions. Occasionally he might tease her but then she would tease him right back and they would laugh together. Sometimes they disagreed or even squabbled, but it was never enough to damage their friendship, and they always made up in the end. Even fighting with Loki she felt safe, knowing that he would never hate her or abandon her when she needed him most. She trusted him with her entire heart.

So, is it any wonder then that she woke up on the morning of her seventeenth birthday and realised that she was in love?

The realisation sent a tingling through her entire body and she lay for a while wondering what to do about it. She had no way of knowing if Loki felt the same way or not. Sometimes she wondered if he did, when he did little things like brush her hair out of her eyes for her or help her to her feet in a gentlemanly manner, but then other times she felt that he just wanted to be friends with her. Best friends, she reminded herself, clambering out of bed.

She spent the rest of the day pondering it, and in the end, she decided that whatever the outcome, she had to tell him. After all, there was a chance he might feel the same way and in that case, all would be well, and if he didn’t feel the same way, well, well at least he could go through life knowing that at least somebody loved him.

Yes, she had to tell him.

So, come evening, she wrapped herself up warmly as Loki had instructed her to do, because even though it was late spring and far too warm for warm clothing on Midgard, and was making her way out of the house when her Mother spotted her. “Georgiana?”

Georgiana turned with a bright smile. “Mama?”

“Where are you off to?” Margaret Spencer asked.

“Just for a walk, Mama, to meet a friend,” Georgiana replied, truthfully enough.

“Dressed like that?”

“I felt chilly.”

“In this weather? Georgiana, don’t be ridiculous. You’ll faint of heat exhaustion-”

“Goodbye, Mama,” Georgiana cut across her, hurrying from the house. She giggled as she made her way towards the pond where she was to meet Loki, wondering just what her Mother would say if she knew her daughter was really off to explore a completely different world somewhere above their own.

Loki was already waiting for her and as he smiled at her, she felt her heart give a merry little kick. “Happy Birthday,” he said, hugging her and Georgiana smiled as she clung to him.

“Thank you,” she smiled back, “and I think you’re about to give me the best present of all.”

Loki smiled and then took her hand. “Hold tight to me,” he instructed and as she pressed closer to him, he glanced at the sky. “Heimdall, please open the Bifrost.”

The shatterings of rainbow light swallowed them up and Georgiana gave a little gasp of excitement and tightened her grasp on Loki’s hand. Then, she felt soft snow crunch beneath her feet and she looked around at the new landscape, glittering blue and white in what light there was.

“Oh, Loki,” she whispered, looking all around them. She turned to him with a laugh of delight. “It’s just like I pictured it! But better!”

Loki smiled and then offered her his arm. “May I be permitted to show you around, Miss Georgiana?”

“You may, kind Sir,” Georgiana teased back, slipping her arm through his and together they made their way across the snowy terrain. They discovered a patch where Eisblumen shot up right from the snow banks, along with other winter flowers that Loki pointed out and named, and it wasn’t long before they reached the frozen lake where the waves were frozen into points and the dark mountains around it shot upwards towards the sky. The whole area was surrounded with what looked like ruins of buildings but which were actually Jotunheim sculptures, as Loki explained to her.

“I’m afraid our concept of art is quite different to yours,” he apologised.

Georgiana smiled and Loki sensed that something was on her mind. He stopped, bringing her up short too. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” Georgiana insisted. “It’s just, well...” She took a deep breath. “I’ve got something to tell you, Loki.”

“Something bad?” Loki asked, feeling a mingling of worry stir within him.

“No. Well...no, nothing bad.” Georgiana took a deep breath and stepped closer to him. “Loki...”

It was hard, she realised, when she didn’t know how he was going to react. Would he be surprised? Would he turn around and leave her? No, surely not?

“What is it, Georgiana?” Loki asked, softly. “You can tell me.”

She laughed, softly. “I want to tell you. Just...please promise me we can still be friends?”

Loki frowned. “Aright, now I’m really worried.”

Georgiana laughed again, and then realised that it was now or never. Closing her eyes tightly, she said, slowly and calmly, “I’m in love with you.”

She heard a slight sound, snow crunching underfoot, and for a second she thought he had left her after all. But then she felt his arms embrace her, tightly and she opened her eyes only to be met by the green fabric of his tunic. She breathed in his warm, comforting scent and pressed closer to him, enjoying the moment while it lasted.

“Why were you afraid to tell me that?” Loki asked.

Georgiana hesitated. “Because I didn’t think you felt the same way,” she admitted.

“Oh, darling,” Loki murmured, fondly, kissing the top of her head. “Have I really given you that impression?” Hardly daring to believe it, Georgiana slipped her arms around him and clung tightly to him. “I’ve loved you since the moment I met you.”

Georgiana pulled back slightly to look up into his eyes. “Cross your heart?”

“Cross my heart,” Loki answered, honestly.

He leaned forwards and Georgiana closed her eyes, awaiting his kiss. Before he could kiss her, however, a voice from behind him said “Ah, Loki. I was wondering where you’d got to.”

With a quiet sigh, Loki turned and gave Georgiana her first glimpse of a fully-grown Frost Giant. And as with Loki when she was a child, she was not afraid but fascinated.

“Father,” Loki greeted him, turning completely so that Laufey could see Georgiana properly. “This is Georgiana.”

“I’m honoured to meet you at last, your Majesty,” Georgiana said, politely, extending her hand. “Loki’s told me so much about your wonderful culture. I’m so thrilled I can finally be here at last.”

Laufey blinked in surprise as he gently took her hand in his much larger one. “It is rare for someone such as yourself to use such kind words when referring to our kind, Miss Georgiana. Frost Giants are generally perceived as savage monsters, the kind that parents tell their children about at night.”

Georgiana nodded. “Yes, Loki has told me that, although I’ve really no idea why that is. Loki doesn’t strike me as a monster and neither do you, if you don’t mind me saying so. And your realm is so beautiful.”

Laufey looked even more surprised, if it were possible, but pleased. “You are very kind to say so, Miss Georgiana. I think we will get along very well. Please, won’t you join us for dinner, unless, of course, you have already eaten? I’ve been informed that today is your birthday.”

Georgiana smiled. “Actually, I haven’t had dinner because my Mother saw fit to give me a rather large lunch, but I could possibly manage something small.”

With a smile, Loki took her hand and led her towards the palace in wake of his Father. Georgiana thought of the place as ruggedly beautiful, like the old castles of Midgard, with an echo of the past still locked away deep within, and she said as much to Laufey, who appreciated the compliment, and Loki felt proud of her.

“I think you’ve chosen well, Loki,” Laufey murmured to him, secretively. “She is a truly remarkable young woman.”

Loki flushed. “I think so too.”

“She will make a fine Queen for you,” Laufey went on, and when Loki glanced up at him in surprise, he smiled. “I am not blind, Loki. I know you’ve fallen for her, and she for you.”

“She must be the first human to ever fall for a Frost Giant,” Loki murmured. “Do you think...we can have a future together?”

“I do,” Laufey answered, honestly.

Loki caught Georgiana’s eye and smiled at her, feeling a rush of pride when she returned it. All too soon, it was time for her to leave and Loki walked with her to the spot where the Bifrost would take her home again, a little unwilling to let her leave in all honesty.

“You know, I’ve never seen my Father take to someone the way he’s taken to you before,” he admitted to her as they left the palace.

Georgiana smiled. “I was worried he might not like me.”

Loki gave her a look. “How can anyone not like you, Georgiana?”

She shrugged. “Well, growing up, you were my only friend, remember?”

“Well, yes, but I always thought that that was just because you were always saving yourself for me,” Loki teased and they both laughed.

Georgiana hesitated before daring to ask “Would it be alright if I came back here? Sometime?”

“Darling, of course,” Loki replied, surprised that she even felt the need to ask that question. “You’re welcome here anytime.”

Georgiana smiled. “When exactly did you start calling me “darling,” Loki?”

Loki flushed. “I’m not entirely sure.”

Georgiana pressed closer to him, slipping her arm through his. “Well, I like it.”

They reached the spot and Loki turned to her. “Good birthday, then?”

Georgiana nodded. “The best, Loki.”

This time, Loki was able to kiss her without interruption.

A few more years passed, five to be precise, years that were filled with laughter and snowball fights and Jotunheim dinners and kisses, a great many kisses, and soon Georgiana felt that the time had come to tell her Mother about her relationship with Loki. After all, in Midgard most people did ask permission from the parents of the one they were looking to court before they went about courting them and though her Mother was a little more open and relaxed about such matters than most, Georgiana still felt that she ought to have her permission for such a thing.

The question was, how to break the news to her Mother that her beloved was actually a Frost Giant from another realm?

In the end, she sought help from Laufey, who volunteered to accompany her and Loki to her home and talk matters through with her Mother. Of course, Margaret was surprised to meet these two new people, under their Aesir guises again, but pleased to hear that her daughter had met someone, and even more impressed by Loki’s royal status. Then, Laufey requested a private word with her and the two went into her private parlour alone, leaving Georgiana and Loki pacing the corridor, wondering what was going on, although they both had a feeling that this was Laufey’s way of revealing his true form to Margaret and showing her that, contrary to their looks, Frost Giants were not monsters. Georgiana silently thanked whatever Gods were out there that her Mother wasn’t one to judge by appearances.

After what seemed like hours, the door opened and Laufey called “Loki, could you come in here a minute, please?”

With a frown, Loki took a step forwards and then, as an afterthought, took Georgiana’s hand and gave it a brief squeeze. “I’m sure everything’s fine,” he said, softly.

She nodded and motioned for him to go in. Once she was alone, she sank into a chair and leaned back against the wall, crossing her fingers for luck. Through the thick wooden parlour doors, she couldn’t hear anything at all, but she assumed that the lack of screams were a good sign.

Then, suddenly, the door opened and she jumped as Loki came out, looking slightly stunned. Before she could say anything, however, he held out a hand to help her to her feet. “Walk with me?”

She nodded, startled, and allowed him to lead her out into the garden. “Loki, what is it? Is everything alright?”

Loki turned to her, looking slightly nervous and took her other hand in his. “Georgiana, I love you.”

She blinked. “And I love you, Loki.”

“So, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?” Loki asked, all nerves suddenly fading away.

Georgiana was startled but only for a second as she laughed “Well, yes, of course I will!”

Loki caught hold of her as she flung her arms around his neck and lifted her up off her feet in the most enthusiastic hug ever. “Is that what all this has been about?” Georgiana laughed, clinging to him. “Our parents talking and then wanting to talk to you?”

“I’m afraid so, Georgiana.” They both turned to see Laufey and Margaret smiling at them from the doorway. “Welcome to the family,” Laufey added, kindly.

Georgiana smiled as Loki set her back down on her feet. Margaret came up to hug her. “Mama, you’re really alright with this?” Georgiana asked, quietly. “I mean, I know it’s probably not what you expected.”

“No, it isn’t,” her Mother admitted, releasing her. “But if this makes you happy, darling, then I am happy for you. Both of you,” she added, smiling kindly at Loki.

Loki returned it, gratefully. “I promise I’ll take care of her.”

“I’m sure you will,” Margaret smiled, and then to Georgiana, “but you had better visit me as often as possible, young lady. I don’t think I’ll be able to manage a world made of ice with my knees. And that goes for all of you,” she added, looking at Laufey. “Don’t be strangers; you will always be welcome in this household.”

Laufey bowed. “As you will always be in ours.”

In the end, it was decided that a Jotun ceremony would be carried out in the grounds so that Margaret would be able to see daughter married. In Georgiana’s mind, a Jotun marriage ceremony felt more meaningful than a Midgard one, because there was a lot of talk about what a marriage entailed as well as talk about love and respect and the ritual involving their joined hands being bound with a ribbon over a fire which then had salt thrown into it to turn the flames a lovely blue colour felt more significant than a mere exchange of vows. Of course, there were vows made too, but with everything else that the ceremony involved, in the end it just felt better than a Midgard wedding.

“By the powers bestowed upon me by my ancestors,” the Jotun priest finally declared, “I hereby decree that they be husband and wife, joined in matrimony until death parts them. May they live prosperously and happily for the rest of their lives.”

Georgiana smiled as their hands were unbound and then Loki raised one of hers and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I love you,” he mouthed.

“I love you too,” Georgiana whispered back, so softly that she could barely be heard.

And that was how the young Jotun Prince gained a Midgardian wife.

It was easy to get used to a life in Jotunheim, surprisingly. Georgiana supposed that it was because she had always had a fondness for snow and ice anyway, and even though moving outside of the palace called for her to always wrap up warmly in fur-lined clothing and a thick cloak, it felt like a small price to pay for living with the man she loved. Inside the palace, however, many of the rooms were lined with magical stones that could give out heat but in a strange twist didn’t melt the ice floors or palace walls, so she could move from room to room in her normal Midgard clothing.

Which explained why she had left her room during her “kidnapping” dressed in nothing but her nightgown, because she had not been expecting to leave the confines of the palace at all that evening.

Now, had Thor been sitting a little nearer to Loki during their meal in Jotunheim, he would have seen rather a different scene to the one he thought he saw.

After gallantly offering her guests some wine, Georgiana had made her way over to where Loki was waiting for her and asked in a teasing tone “Some more wine, my Lord?”

Loki had looked up and smiled at her. “I didn’t know we were so short on kitchen staff that we were resorting to self-service now,” he had quipped, and Georgiana had laughed as she went to place the jug away. As she did so, Loki had added, his expression darkening “Careful of our Aesir visitors, though. I don’t trust the way Prince Thor and his friends are looking at you.” At that, Georgiana had stiffened, a little worried. Prince Thor was a large man, after all, and his friends looked rather strong. The thought of any of them trying to take advantage of her sent a chill through her.

“They’ll have to be disappointed, then,” she said, ducking her head. “I’m no one’s but yours.”

“They’re not going to touch you,” Loki said, taking her hand. Georgiana winced and he got to his feet. “Norns, I’m sorry. I was forgetting,” he muttered, a little annoyed at himself for having done so, before taking her wrist instead, gently, and leading her from the room.

Once they were safely in the confines of the corridor, Georgiana smiled “You know, I didn’t hurt my other hand by slipping on the steps earlier; you could have just taken that one.”

Loki grinned at her and did so. “Sorry. I don’t think my head’s quite with it this evening, after that meeting.”

“Oh, yes, I forgot, how did that go?” Georgiana asked, pressing closer to him.

Loki groaned. “It was the most boring thing I’ve ever sat through in my entire life.”

She laughed. “Well, I know it’s not what you want to hear, Loki, but I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to it! After all, you’ll still have to go through them when you’re King of Jotunheim!”

“Well, it’ll be different then,” Loki replied.

“How so?” Georgiana asked.

Loki pulled her into a hidden recess in the wall with a mischievous grin. “Because you will be suffering right alongside me, my Queen. I’ll make sure of that.”

Georgiana let out an indignant laugh which was swiftly cut off as Loki kissed her, something he’d been longing to do since before the meeting began. They stood for a while, wrapped in one another’s embrace, kissing passionately. Five years of marriage onwards and their feelings for one another were just as strong as ever and with no chance of ever diminishing. And it wasn’t just Loki; Georgiana was loved by the people too, because she was kind and could see the beauty beyond their outward appearances. Children especially loved her and since she was so good with them, people often asked her when she would be expecting to bear her own. So far, she hadn’t, but certainly not through lack of trying!

“Seriously,” Loki added, breaking away from her for a second and trailing kisses along her neck. “Never leave me alone in a room with Father and the rulers of Asgard ever again. I can’t take it.”

Georgiana giggled. “Was the view not lovely without me there then, Loki?”

“Not in the slightest,” Loki murmured, making his way back to her lips.

“Well, then,” Georgiana smiled, taking his hands and pulling him towards the stairs. “Perhaps I can attempt to make it up to you in some way?”

“I’m sure I can think of something,” Loki teased, and when they finally reached their room and tumbled into bed together, all thoughts of politics and ties with Asgard and boring meetings finally melted away in his mind as Georgiana finally made him forget all of that with her deep, devoted love for him.

“Feeling better?” Georgiana murmured later, snuggling up to him beneath their enormous fur blanket that kept them both warm regardless of whether or not they were clothed beneath it.

“Much,” Loki whispered, kissing her the top of her head. “You are amazing; have I ever told you that before?”

“Yes,” Georgiana smiled, “but it’s always lovely to hear it again.”

“I love you, Georgiana,” Loki murmured, kissing her forehead this time.

Georgiana smiled as she reached up to meet his lips with her own again. “I love you too, Loki.”

Neither of them had any way of knowing that their happy little world would be shaken the very next night by an Asgard Prince who had made a rather large mistake.