Chapter 1
The ceremony was in full swing throughout Asgard. No matter where you look, people danced, laughed and raised their glasses for the king and the royal family because today, they celebrated the day when the All-father had brought them peace decades ago.
For many years, this cruel war had lasted. Both sides suffered heavy losses and families had mourned for their loved ones. But Odin had finally won the battle and had brought the long-desired peace. Beyond that, he had succeeded in taking away the Frost Giant's source of power, which made it no longer possible for them to start a new war or to try to take over other realms.
That night, a small group made their way to the marketplace, where a large fire was to be lit after sunset. It was a symbol. The children were told that it was good for keeping the Frost Giants away from Asgard and that it demonstrated the power of Odin. Should these monsters go too far and dare to invade the golden realm, the king would bring desolation over Jotunheim, just as a fire could devastate entire tracts of land.
When the friends had reached their goal, the market was already crowded, children played with their wooden swords and men danced happily with their wives. It was a peaceful sight.
"Who of you would like to drink some mead? The first round's on me. We have to express our thanks to the royal family."
A young man stepped out of the group and walked purposefully toward the bar. The others followed him.
"And you show them respect by getting drunk, Fandral?"
Everyone had to laugh. Of course, it was no need to get drunk, but the festivies had been going on since dawn. People traveled from remote villages to the golden city. They used the day to watch the big parade with their children, where the soldiers of the Asgardian army demonstrated their military skills, or to visit their family members and friends they hadn't seen for some time. The mood was at its peak and especially men enjoyed a glass of delicious mead.
Which was the plan of Thor and his companions. They had a busy day, because they were not just friends who had known each other since childhood, no, they were also soldiers, or to be more precisely, they were contenders for the royal bodyguard. This training wasn't easy, they had had to sacrifice every free minute for years to be able to master the difficult art of fighting. Whether it was melee or practicing with weapons. Every move had to be perfect, because in an emergency, it could protect the royal family.
"Why not? We're here to have fun, Volstagg. Those were your words and after that day, we deserve a break. On the other hand, I could go to the palace and court the young prince, if that were more respectful."
Thor had to smile. It was well known that his good friend Fandral wanted to meet the prince. He had been passionate about Loki for years, although he had never met him in person. In general, he was shielded as good as possible, only people who had access to the palace or noble men knew what he looked like. Allegedly, it was said that his beauty couldn't be compared to anything in this world. But those were just rumors.
Next to him, a person also laughed amused. Probably he had heard Fandral's comment.
"I have to apologize for my friend. Of course, he wouldn't dare to invade the palace."
Although, it was obviously a joke, you had to watch what you said. You never knew who was standing right in front of you. Through his training, Thor knew too well that Odin had his spies everywhere. Which was the reason, why a thoughtless statement like this could cause a lot of trouble.
"Don't worry. I would, however, be interested in how far he'd get into the palace until the guards would stop him."
The thought made Thor chuckle. All too well, he could imagine how his friend was held by the guards and he would scream like a girl on the floor. Of course, he didn't said that out loud. Instead, he turned to the person. Because of his size and his voice, it was clearly a man. Unfortunately, Thor couldn't see his face because he was wearing a black cape which was covered with green embroidery.
"He wouldn't come too far, I heard that the guards are well trained."
He couldn't hide the pride in his voice. For almost his entire life, Thor had dreamed of becoming a soldier of the royal army of Asgard in order to protect the golden realm with all his strength. His mother, Lady Eir, was one of Asgard's best healers. In the beginning, he wanted to follow into her footsteps, but he had quickly realized he would never learn the art of sorcery. Even though, men nowadays believe that magic should only be learned by women, he envied anyone who was born with this gift. His lovely mother, on the other hand, had often encouraged him as a child, but he had simply lacked the talent and probably the patience to do so. The study of sorcery took a lot of time and was exhausting. Some people, no matter how much they did practice, would never be able to master this art.
Unfortunately, he was one of them, but his physical strength was above average according to Asgardian standards. Even as a child, he was able to lift things that sometimes even a grown man couldn't manage. His mother had always joked that one day, he would be able to move mountains. When he had met Volstagg at school, who had also been a strong child, his interests had changed. More and more had he turned away from magic and had discovered his talent as a fighter.
"Thor, are you coming, or what?"
His friends had arrived at the bar and had ordered the first round of mead. For the man next to him, it was apparently a sign to turn away from the group, because he seemed to want to go. But Thor was quicker and put his hand gently on his shoulder to prevent him from leaving.
"What do you think, would you like to join us?"
He didn't know the stranger, but today was a good day and the evening was still young. Why shouldn't he made new contacts. The man, on the other hand, seemed to hestitate, but nodded and finally followed him to the rest of the group.
"Order one more glass for my new friend."
Laughing, Thor patted the other man on the shoulders, causing his hood to slip backwards and reveal his face. For the first time, he was able to look at him properly and he was delighted to discover that his new friend not only had a voice like silk, but also had a beautiful face under his cape. He had high cheekbones, pale skin and black, curly hair. The man first looked startled at his friends. But when no one said anything, he seemed to relax a bit. Thor didn't care, he was fascinated by the emerald eyes, which shyly looked at him. He had never seen such an intense green and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away.