Chapter 1
The kingdom of Asgard was a prosperous and charming land. A city of gold lay in the kingdom’s capitol, four districts laying in each cardinal direction. People came together to support one another and the kingdom they’d grown to love, tending to be kind and generous and giving what they could when they could.
Slowly, however, as time passed and hardships ensued, the kingdom began to change. It began with the war. The country North of Asgard’s borders began its mission: to expand and to plunder, and with it came bloodshed and battle. The toll was high, but Asgard managed to keep the horrid mountain men at bay. This didn’t come without much loss, however. Many knights were lost, their families left to grieve. It left the kingdom wondering why they had suffered through unwanted and unnecessary violence. It seemed hopeless. That was, until King Odin came into power.
His majesty, King Odin, was a mighty warrior and fearless leader. He fought back with such ferocity and power, pushing the cold blooded mountain men back into their own territory and far from Asgard’s borders. There, the battles resume. A constant struggle for the upper hand continues. King Odin continues to fight for Asgard’s freedom and future, while the cold mountain men, or better known in battle as the Frost Giants, continue to fight for dominance, led by their terrible leader, King Laufey…
“… King Odin has the upper hand, and has vowed to fight until victory belongs to Asgard and her people. However, every day, soldiers are whisked away and sent to fight, while others perish on the battlefield…”
“This isn’t a happy story. I don’t like it.”
You sighed, closing the book in your lap slightly.
“It’s not meant to be happy, Lia. It’s our history.”
“I wanted a happy bedtime story.”
“This is much more relevant. It tells us of why Father is absent. How he’s off leading forces to help defend our kingdom.”
“I wanted something happy.”
You gave a small, defeated sigh before you smiled at the little child beside you, tucked up in her tiny, little bed.
“Of course, Lia. Anything.”
You put away the history book and grabbed a short story from off of Cordelia’s book stand. Sitting back down, she snuggled up close to you, her warm breath on your arm.
“If one travels deep in the forest, beyond where most are willing to go, one can attempt to sneak a peek at the mysterious, beautiful, and often tricky faerie folk...”
-
You carefully shut Cordelia’s bedroom door, walking back over to the small living space of your small cottage. Taking a seat at the dining table, you let a sigh escape your mouth and drop your head into your hands. What an exhausting day… You had spent the day at the market, working long hours with Miss Ideline just to get paid a measly amount that would hardly cover food for the week.
Cordelia had caused her nanny trouble again today. She didn’t intend to cause so much trouble, just a bit of fun, but she had a tendency to go overboard. The community knew of her antics. They had began talking a while ago, claiming Cordelia was undisciplined and that you were unable to properly take care of her. The leader of your small district, Lord Tivert, had actually spoken to you personally once about the issue. They had the nerve to come to you and ‘gently warn’ you that she could be taken away and sent to a children’s home if you were unable to properly take care of her. All she was doing was having fun. Apparently fun was frowned upon here. Granted, other factors were also being considered. With the small wage you made at the market, you were struggling to make ends meet. But what were you to do? You were alone taking care of your baby sister while your Father was off leading knights to (hopefully) victory. The crown only provided a small supplement for families of soldiers, only enough for you to cover debts. Even with your Father being one of the top leaders of the army, you didn’t get very much for his efforts.
But tomorrow was a new day. Tomorrow, Cordelia would be joining you on your shopping journey. She hated going to her nanny’s home while you were at work (the nanny didn’t care much for it either). Tomorrow you could spend some quality time together. You had scraped together enough extra money to whip up a small picnic for her. She needed a pick-me-up. Your dear Cordelia didn’t really have friends, what with all the trouble she seemed to get into. What she thought was fun, the other children found annoying or mean. If you were being completely honest, you found her antics entertaining, but they often did get in the way. Today she had collected insects from her nanny’s garden and released them in her home. You had to pay her extra for that. It was a mischievous, yet harmless act, but the world around Cordelia couldn’t, or rather wouldn’t, see that. They saw her as strange and in the way. You longed for a day where they could see her the way you did.
Slowly you picked yourself up from the table and walked to the main bedroom. You had started sleeping in there after your Father had left. You could still faintly smell him, a whisper of firewood still steeped into the fabric of the bed. Everyday you prayed he would return speedily. Life had gotten too hard without him. Reliving the past with memories of him, you fell into a restful sleep.
-
“Lia, I need to stop by the shop today. There’s a few things I need to pick up before we head to the main market.”
“Okay!” She spoke cheerily, resulting in you giving a smile. She always seemed to find a way to bring joy into even the most mundane of things. “Can we get a treat?” She asked, bouncing up and down as you both walked down the stone paved road, hand in hand.
“We have a picnic, Cordelia. There will be a treat for you later, I promise,” you responded, shaking your head and chuckling at her frustrated pout.
“I met a friend yesterday!” She cheered, easily bouncing between moods. Your eyebrows shot up, surprised and excited by what had just escaped her mouth.
“Really? Tell me about them!”
“He’s tall, taller than the trees. He can lift his hands and touch the sky,” she said as she demonstrated as well as she could, leaving you smiling at her adorable manner. “He said I have a wild imagination.”
“That’s very true.”
“He helped me find the bugs yesterday. I told him about my inside forest idea and he said he thought it was very… very…” she paused and pondered, obviously having forgot what this friend had said. Suddenly it came to her, her eyes lighting up once again. “Clever! He called me clever.”
You chuckled again. “Well, I don’t know that I’d call it clever, but imaginative and creative, yes. I hope you never lose your sense of wonder, Cordelia. But perhaps, let’s avoid setting insects loose in other people’s homes? Remember, you need to tone down the chaos.”
“But chaos is fun,” she said, kicking a rock down the road.
“I know it is, Lia, but this is important. Please, less mischief? For me?”
She turned to look up at you, a bit of sadness in her eyes.
“Okay. I’ll try… for you.”
You gave her a small smile, sorrow hiding beneath it. You wished she could just live the happy life she wanted. Curse this district. She only wants to have fun.
“I appreciate that, Lia. And I’d do anything for you. Don’t you forget it.”
The two of you eventually made it to the shop where you were employed. You stopped before the door, bending down to meet Cordelia’s eyes.
“I want you to stay out here. Don’t move, and don’t get into trouble. I’ll be back in a minute. I just have to help with something real quick.”
She gave you a stern nod before you let her be and walked inside the shop. You walked to the back counter where Miss Ideline was sorting through some paperwork. She gazed up, her gaze as hard as a rock. The crotchety woman was never pleased.
“I need you to grab the bags of flour that were delivered today. They are there, beside the door,” she said, pointing at where you had just entered. There they were, four twenty pound bags of flour. “I’d do it myself, but I’m too weak to lift them. Get them to the back and then head out. Your little nuisance drives away customers.”
Your did your best to hide your resentment as you sighed and made your way to the door. You bent over to pick up one of the bags, and as you rose, you realized Cordelia was no longer in front of the shop. You stepped out the door, ignoring Miss Ideline’s protests.
“Cordelia??” You called out. Nothing. You kept yelling, getting a bit more concerned as time passed with no answer. Suddenly, from down the street, you could see a massive herd of ducks running and flapping in your direction. The ducks were manic, and for good reason. A little girl was chasing behind them, laughing her heart out. You wanted to laugh, but as the fowl got closer, you began to realize they were heading straight for you. You quickly turned around to enter back into the shop, but it was too late. A couple dozen or more ducks crashed into you, causing you to drop the bag off flour, which in turn exploded and sent the white powder in every direction.
You stood there for a moment, dumbfounded as the herd passed and the feathers and flour settled. You were covered from head to toe in the white substance. You heard Cordelia creep up behind you.
“I-I’m sorry… I really didn’t mean to…”
Before you could even respond, the shop door slammed open.
“Look what your little brat did now! That’s a whole bag of flour wasted! That is coming out of your pay! You can’t control your little parasite!! Get her out of my sight before I get Lord Tivert to send her away for good!”
You turned around to grab ahold of Cordelia, but found she was already gone. Looking around, you saw a tiny set of white footprints leading back down the street. You hastily apologized to Miss Ideline, who only snapped at you and sent you away, claiming she’d find someone competent to help her with the other three bags and was sure to remind you how lucky you were she didn’t fire you. You quickly spun around, ignoring her words, and followed the little prints.
“Cordelia??” You called out, searching hard for the little girl. She didn’t deserve to be snapped at. “Lia!! Please come out, I’m not angry with you! I promise!”
Eventually you came to the edge of the market where the road hit a clearing near a pond. You looked around the corner of the last building to find Cordelia sitting down, her back against the wall. She was fiddling with her hands a bit, obviously a bit distressed. You sighed as you walked up to her. She looked up at you with sadness and a bit of fear in her eyes. You knelt down in front of her and stayed silent, waiting for her to speak.
“I didn’t mean to…” she said, sniffling a bit. “I just wanted-“
“To have fun,” You finished for her. You placed a hand on her flushed cheek, the tears starting to well. She looked at you with the saddest eyes you’d ever seen from her.
“Are they going to take me away like she said?” She asked, her little voice choking up. Your eyebrows instantly furrowed as you grabbed her hand.
“No, no, they aren’t going to take you.”
“But that’s what Miss Ideline said…”
“Listen to me, Cordelia, I will never let them take you from me. They can threaten all they want, but I will not let them take you,” You said firmly. You moved to meet her gaze, her poor eyes starting to swell. “Do you think I take good care of you?” She gave a small nod. “Do you want to stay with me?” She then gave a fervent nod.
“I want to stay with you.”
“Then that’s how it will be. You just… need to let some of the mischief go and start behaving a bit more. As entertaining as I find your antics, the district doesn’t think you should be behaving in such a manner. They think I can’t take care of you properly. We don’t have a lot of money and they think you’re undisciplined. They don’t know you’re just having a bit of fun.”
“My friend does…”
“One person unfortunately will not be able to change this, Lia. Under different circumstances, maybe you could live the way you want to, but with Father absent and Mother…” You took a deep breath before continuing, “…this is the way it must be. I’m not saying to lose your sense of imagination, but you must be a bit more aware of the consequences you bring about.”
She gave a small nod, eyes to her lap. She seemed so sad… Suddenly a thought came to you. You slowly began to grin as you said,
“But you want to have fun, right?”
Her gaze rose when she suddenly got a face full of flour. She breathed out a puff of air, powder flying every which way. You laughed as you began shaking all the excess flour onto her, Cordelia going into a giggle fit. She quickly stood up and ran out into the clearing, heading for the water. You ran after her, threatening more flour as she squealed. You finally caught up to her and pulled her close, covering her dress with the powder, both of you now white as a ghost. You bent down and looked her right in the eyes.
“That is what you get. Now you’ll have to bathe when we get home.”
Her eyes widened before she scrunched her face up tight.
“Noooo! Please! Not a bath!!”
You stood and crossed your arms, sticking your nose in the air.
“Fair’s fair. You must suffer the consequences of your actions.” You looked back down at her and gave her a smile. She ran into your arms and the two of you hugged tightly for a moment. You savored having her so close, worried that you may not get many more chances like this. Suddenly she gasped and said,
“It’s my friend!”
She pulled herself from your arms and ran to a tall gentleman who was back on the paved road. You narrowed your eyes. You really hadn’t expected her friend to be an adult man, although from her description you should have guessed.
Cordelia hadn’t been lying when she said her friend was tall. He was about a foot taller than you, with long dark hair that framed his elegant and structured face. He was dressed very regally. You couldn’t recall ever having seen this man before, reasoning that he must be from a different, more wealthy district. Perhaps the Capitol. He kneeled down in front of Cordelia and began speaking with her, Cordelia going on and on, most likely about what had just transpired.
As you got closer, your skepticism and hesitancy turned to panic. You felt your heart quicken as your eyes widened. You quickly ran over to Cordelia, taking her hand and immediately spewing apologies.
“I-I am terribly sorry, Your Highness! I apologize for our appearance and poor manners…” You immediately bent into a curtsey. You looked at Cordelia and quickly said under your breath, “Lia, curtsey…” She quickly followed suit.
The Prince shook his head. “You don’t have to worry about that, I assure you. Please, as you were.”
You hesitantly rose, quickly dusting yourself off, and looked him in the eyes. They were gentler than you had heard. The youngest Prince had a reputation for being strict and demanding. Stories flew through the districts about his unpleasant demeanor and poor treatment of his people. How in the world had Cordelia managed to befriend the Prince?? How did she even meet him??
“Again, I apologize. She’s gotten flour all over you…”
The Prince chuckled. “Again, not to worry. Your younger sister was just explaining to me her antics from today. I actually had the pleasure of viewing the mayhem. I must say, it was quite entertaining. I do enjoy mischief myself.”
“Are you are the one who helped her yesterday? With the insects?”
“Inside forest,” Kyla corrected.
“Yes, that was me. I must admit I found it hard not to join in on the chaos. It was simply too enjoyable.”
You let a small smile crack. Partly because it was just too funny that Cordelia’s nanny had in fact been pranked by her own Prince, but also because someone finally understood you and your sister’s mentality. That life was just too short to not have fun. That harmless pranks weren’t something to send a child away over.
“Well, I thank you, my Prince, for providing my sister with some company and some friendship.”
“Yes, of course. Friendship is hard to come by. It’s nice to find another person who sees life through the same lenses as oneself,” he said with a faint smile.
“Are you going to join our picnic?” Cordelia asked loudly, being sure that she was heard. The Prince looked at you and then back at her.
“My apologies, I’m currently waiting on someone. Besides, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“You wouldn’t be intruding, my Prince. You’re more than welcome to join us while you wait. I-if, of course, you wanted to…” you added quickly. You didn’t want to overstep with royalty, but it wasn’t often you got to dine with a Prince, however informal it might be.
He pondered it for a moment, debating in his mind whether he should or not. He eventually gave a small smile and looked down to Cordelia.
“I’m certain it wouldn’t hurt to have company while I wait.”
You gave a small smile as Cordelia squealed, grabbing ahold of his hand and pulling him toward the clearing.
“Lia, mind yourself,” you scolded. The Prince gave you a smile.
“Don’t worry, I’m not bothered.” He walked off with her toward the pond, entertaining her earnest and seemingly unending rambling. You smiled yourself as you followed behind, but pondered the situation you had found yourself in. Here you were with the younger Prince of Asgard, someone you had never seen before but had only heard tale of. You thought of the things people had said of him. Everything you had heard led you to believe him to be stuck up, condescending, and rude. Yet here he was, smiling and laughing with your younger sister. He was gentle and kind. It was much different from how people described him. You scrunched your brows slightly, wondering how anyone could come up with such rumors about him.
You set out the blanket and began unpacking your lunch. You didn’t have much, but you could split your portion with the Prince. You gazed up at the two, him teaching Cordelia how to skip a stone atop the shallow pond. He was extremely patient with her, Cordelia cheering and calling back to you to make sure you saw once she had accomplished her goal. You laughed and applauded her, congratulating her from a distance. She came running back to the blanket, the a Prince following behind at a steady pace.
“Can I have my treat now?” She asked excitedly as the Prince slowly took a seat. He almost seemed hesitant, as if worried he was a burden.
“Lia, do we eat sweets before our meals?” You asked her gently. She gave a small pout and mumbled,
“…no.”
“Correct. You must eat your lunch first. After your meal, you can have your treat.”
“Can I see it?” She asked. You chuckled and shook your head.
“You would like to see your treat?” you asked.
“I just want to know what it is!”
You gave the Prince beside you a smile and shook your head again. He returned it with a shrug.
“Well, I think it’s only fair.”
“Whose side are you on?” You asked before opening the basket and reaching in. The Prince let out a chuckle as you pulled a small tart out from the basket. Your smile grew as Cordelia gasped. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for her. It was more than she usually received. “After you eat, you may have it.”
Cordelia groaned a bit but began digging in to her lunch. You handed the Prince your plate with a half portion on it. He raised his hand to turn it away.
“Please, you eat. I’m not here to take your food.”
“I insist,” you replied, placing the plate in his hands. “It’s the least I can do.”
“And what will you eat?” He asked tentatively.
“Once she’s finished I’ll use her plate. I have food, don’t fret.”
He seemed hesitant, but quickly realized refusing would be futile. He began to eat as well and you sat contently as Cordelia rambled on and on about random things. You were grateful the Prince didn’t seem to mind. Everyone else found her overbearing.
After the meal and the tart had been eaten, you sat watching Cordelia down by the pond, practicing what she had just learned a bit ago. The Prince sat beside you, silent. Your mind wandered once again to his reputation among the people. Was it simply this district that thought so poorly of him? How in the world had he managed to gain such a reputation when he was completely opposite of it?
“You seem troubled.”
You snapped to look at your Prince, his face kind and slightly concerned.
“I… I suppose I am a bit…” You opened your mouth to say something else, but quickly shut it and looked away.
“Please, speak your mind,” he said gently. You gazed at him again before looking down at your fiddling hands.
“It’s just… you’re not exactly what I expected.”
“…Ah.” He gazed back to the pond, mouth pursed a bit.
“You’ve been so kind and caring, and you’ve provided my sister what she has been lacking for some time now- a friend.” You turned to look at him, his eyebrows slightly raised. “Surely you’ve been privy to the… reputation you hold amongst these people.” He have a small nod, something like disappointment in his eyes. “I just can’t imagine how you could have gained such a thing when you’re completely opposite from what they say of you.”
He looked lost in thought for a moment before coming back to reality and giving you a small smile.
“I suppose I haven’t been the most… amiable. The kingdom has been saying such things about me since I was a child. Part of what drew me in with your sister was the fact that I saw a young version of myself in her. I, too, have quite the knack for mischief. But, from what she’s told me, it seems the community still views such behavior as disorderly and inappropriate. They did the same thing to me in the Capitol, constantly comparing me to my brother, who, to them, was the golden child. I suppose…” he let out a sigh, “I suppose I eventually grew into the terrible things they were saying about me. Everyone hated me anyway, my behavior had no jurisdiction over their feelings. I turned bitter and cold. I suppose it was easier to simply become what they believed me to be rather than fight a fruitless battle.”
“I… am so sorry… I’ve seen how this type of treatment has affected Cordelia. Constantly having to worry, never having anyone to play with her. No one in this district understands…” you turned to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that the treatment she endures has been everlasting since you were a child. And I’m very sorry to hear that you had to go through the scrutiny of the people as well.”
“It’s alright. I suppose now that I’m grown I can perhaps rectify this. I’ve just fallen into a habit, rude though it be. I’ve not given the people a reason to think differently of me since I was young.”
“But you’ve been nothing but homely to me and my sister…”
“I must admit, it was nice finding somewhat of a friend in your little one. She has the same spark in her that I did. She had no idea who I was and treated me the way she wanted to be treated. It was a welcome change. As for you, well, I was in a decent mood when you stumbled upon me. I had seen your sister chasing the fowl and the plume of flour that resulted from her stampede. Quite entertaining, though the scolding you received seemed unecessary. Not only that, but from the time I’ve spoken with you, you’ve done nothing but treat me kindly. Like a person. I appreciate that.”
“Everyone needs a friend…” you said softly. “Thank you for showing my sister kindness. And me. People tend to treat me poorly as well.”
“You?” He asked, not believing your statement. You just nodded.
“Since my Father left to help with the war effort, I’ve been left with the task of caring for Cordelia. Due to her love of mischief, people think her poorly behaved and undisciplined, and they blame me for that. They don’t think me capable of raising her, for that and various other reasons. Instead they judge me and push me around, constantly making sure I know how terrible Cordelia is and how awful I am at raising her.”
You quickly blinked away a tear, your gaze fixed on Kyla in the distance. She successfully skipped a stone and turned around to make sure you saw. You put on a happy face and cheered her on, your façade fading as she turned around.
“But it’s alright. Everything will work out fine. As long as I keep her healthy and safe, little else matters. I wish I didn’t have to spurn her happiness as often as I seem to have to, though. But they’ve threatened to-“
“Brother!”
A voice called from behind you, loud and confident. You spun around, eyes widening once again. You snapped to look at the Prince next to you, who had a bothered look on his face.
“You didn’t tell me the person you were waiting on was Prince Thor,” you hissed.
“Well, who else would I had been waiting on?” He responded, a mischievous glint in his eye.
As the eldest Prince approached, you bent into a low curtesy.
“My Prince,” you said, eyes to the ground.
“As you were,” He said kindly. As you rose, you saw a wide, smug grin on his face. He glanced over to his brother, folding his arms. “Brother, who is this lovely maiden?”
“Just someone I met while I was waiting on you to finish your tasks. It took you long enough, I had to occupy my time with something. Luckily I met her and was able to actually have a decent time on this trip.”
“Well, I’m glad she was able to satisfy your boredom.” He turned to you now. “My Brother doesn’t often make friends, I’m suprised he-“
“Who’re you?” A voice called from behind you. You turned around to see Cordelia, arms full of stones. You gave her a look and subtlety nodded to Prince Thor, to which she dropped all the rocks and curtsied. You heard Prince Thor chuckle.
“Please, little one, rise.” She came back up and he kneeled in front of her. “I remember you from yesterday. Hopefully my Brother didn’t get you into too much trouble.”
You heard the younger Prince quietly say, “Hey…” as Prince Thor chuckled along with Cordelia.
“Not too much, I think…” she said, looking at you. You gave a sigh and a small smile. Thor let out a laugh and stood.
“Well, as pleasant as meeting you was, I am afraid my Brother and I must be on our way. We have much to do.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you in town? Not to say meeting you want enjoyable, just that I’ve never met you previous,” you asked.
Prince Thor nodded. “Mm, yes. We never really had to come to town before, or really any of the other districts. Only occasional, sparse visits. However, our Mother recently thought it good for us to spend time getting to know the districts of our kingdom. She needed some things from town, which I’ve left in the carriage. We must be off to deliver them back home.”
“Of course,” you said, bowing your head. “I apologize for keeping you.”
“Not at all, it was a pleasure. I don’t believe I caught your name?”
You gave your name to which he gave a large grin. He took your hand in his and bent down to give it a kiss. You flushed a bit and chuckled at the gesture, not used to this kind of treatment.
“Well, here’s hoping we meet again one day. I’m sure of it, what with us having to be in town more often. Brother?”
The younger Prince, looking stone cold, simply nodded his head. Prince Thor began walking off, when his brother turned to you, his gaze softening.
“May the gods bless us to meet again, fair maiden. Thank you for your kindness.” He gently took your hand and brought it to his lips. It was gentler than Thor’s, his lips soft and warm on your hand. You felt a few butterflies in your stomach as he released your hand and gave your sister a small wave before catching up with the other Prince.
You stood stunned for a moment before turning to your sister.
“Alright,” you said, beginning to clean up the picnic, “explain how in the world you became friends with Prince Loki.”