The Crowning
A few days have passed since the King’s Ball, and Loki could not be more relieved. Sure, he was suited to wed, but whoever thought he would be fit enough to marry the crowned Prince of Asgard, hell, the soon to be King?
King Odin was passing the torch to his one and only son, Thor, this evening.
Another party to attend.
He has one more set of fine robes that were suited well for the occasion. A light blue tunic and trousers with a brown belt to match his boots, and the robes finely matched with his bright blue eyes, with speckles of gold dashed in as well.
There were no gifts required at this particular occasion, there was only one requirement: that the entirety of Asgard attend. Which was fine with Loki, to be fair, he thinks the Prince, well, soon to be King, is quite handsome, if he may say so himself.
He spritzes a fine Asgardian-made cologne on his temples, brushing it into his hair, and to the pulse points on his neck. He tousles his hair and gazes at his reflection in the mirror. He felt a pang of self-consciousness as he was running his fingers through his inky locks, but that wasn’t uncommon for Loki in the slightest. He doesn’t have very much self confidence. He isn’t terrified of what besees him when looking into the mirror, but he isn’t entirely fond of it either.
Besides, who will see him, anyway? The entirety of Asgard will be at the Crowning Ceremony and it isn’t like the Ball in any way, where Thor was specifically tasked to speak with the suitors. Loki has nothing to worry about.
He takes one more look in the mirror before turning tail and making his way out of the bathroom, through the living room and out the front door.
-
Loki was greeted by streamers, and a lot of them. There were blue and gold streamers intertwining with one another circling all the banisters, and among the pillars of the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf.
Blue and gold were notably Thor’s two favorite colors, so it was suitable for the occurrence. The Royal Palace was lined with Asgardians – in fact, all of them. Each one donned in variations of different azures of blue and hues of gold. Each one of them laughing and carrying on with their family and friends – drinking ale and eating tea cakes and small desserts in hand.
Loki greeted people he knew and people he didn’t, and made his way over to the drink table, wishing to grab some water for his parched throat, due to nervousness.
“A water, please,” he asks the barmaid.
The barmaid pours him a water from a sweaty silver pitcher and hands him the glass.
“Thank you kindly,” says Loki. As he is turning around to grab a good spot to see the crowning, he is greeted by a presence behind him.
“Hello, Loki,” says a woman’s voice. The same voice that belonged to the lady with the brown cascading hair down her back who was talking to Thor at The King’s Ball.
“I- Lady Sif. Please excuse me for bumping into you. It was not my intention,” says Loki, holding his water in his hand, taking a small swill of it in his mouth.
Loki was very surprised that Lady Sif even knew of him, let alone his name. On the other hand, everyone knows who Lady Sif is; she’s a powerful, famous warrior in Asgard that accompanies Thor to nearly every battle and is close with The Warriors Three.
“Please, call me Sif, and you didn’t at all. Anyway, Thor speaks highly of you since he met you at the King’s Ball. I had to meet you for myself,” says Sif.
“Well, if that’s so, the pleasure is mine,” says Loki, extending a clammy hand. Sif shakes Loki’s hand and smiles at him.
“Thor has really taken a liking to you, so I’ve arranged a private meeting for you and him tonight after the crowning,” Sif lowers her voice, “He is not supposed to meet privately with any suitor or swain before marriage, but I’ve pulled a few strings.”
Loki just looks at Sif in shock. Him, of all the men and women and everyone in between in Asgard, him, Thor has really taken a liking to him?
Sif laughs at Loki’s shocked expression. “Meet Thor in The Orchard after the Crowning,” Sif says quietly, walking past Loki as if nothing had happened, her golden robes swaying in the wind after her.
-
“Attention, please! Attention!” says a soldier, knocking a knife against a glass he’s holding in the other hand.
Everyone hushes one another and the quietness fills the air, wafting around the halls of The Palace.
Everyone is lining the walls of the Throne Room, and Thor, Odin, and Thor’s mother, Frigga, are all standing among their loyal subjects.
King Odin clears his throat, and begins to speak.
“As we all know, we are here tonight to crown my beloved son, Thor, as King of Asgard. One week from today, he will be wed at the Wedding Ceremony. He is to choose a fine lady or fair man that he met at the King’s Ball,” says Odin.
“I want to speak of how proud I am of Thor. He has won many battles, and he has won the hearts of many in Asgard. I know he is more than capable of this crown, and I hope you all see eye to eye with me in this. I see no one else who deserves this crown more than my son Thor,” says Odin, placing an absolutely dashing, fully golden crown with different colored jewels in it, shining in the sunbeams that grace the floor of the Throne Room. It compliments Thor’s hair perfectly – the blond locks shimmering against the golden glints of the crown.
Odin picks up a glass full of ale, and hands one to Thor. He lifts the glass to the ceiling and looks at the crowd, speaking loudly as he exclaims, “To Thor!”
The crowd lifts their drinks as well, and toasts each others’ drinks too. “To Thor!” everyone says in unison.