I tried with all my might not to consider the faces of everyone at the table had. Thor looked amused, and his parents were almost the same. "There's something fishy here," I thought, but how could I ask his table companions? Could I ask? I didn't know. What if it was rude?
Okay, Elizabeth... you know you're going to ask anyway, so just speak.
— Did something important happen? — I said, trying not to sound too bad. I would've asked them something like Why the laughter? But it sounded a bit impolite, didn't it?
— Yes, it's something... important — Odin said, trying to contain a smile.
— We need to talk to you, dear — His wife supported him.
What the hell is wrong with them? I thought, waiting for them to speak. They were taking too long, and I wasn't patient. I looked at Thor for help, but only found him holding back laughter. Well, this is weird.
— We saw your attitude towards our son.
— Towards Thor? — I replied to the Allfather and saw the God beside me who had already started laughing.
— No, towards Loki, dear — The Goddess said.
— Oh, what's my attitude towards your son? — Do they find it amusing that I call him a pet?
— You're not afraid to be near him, are you? — Odin asked.
— No... Why would I be afraid? — I asked, unsure.
— And he doesn't intimidate you with anything he says — Frigga added.
— Plus, you seem to enjoy bothering him — Thor said.
— Because it's fun... I don't see him much. Do you want me to stop bothering him? It's not like I go down to his dungeon every day; I only went with you. Before, I had only bothered him on Earth — I was more puzzled than ever.
— Until today — The King replied. — We've decided that you will visit Loki every day after your training.
— Can I ask why? — I said, with a question in my voice.
— Soon, Thor will leave to bring order to the Nine Realms — I looked at Odin — He won't be able to continue visiting his brother... clearly — Uh huh, and what does that have to do with me? I thought.
— When you arrived, you understood very well that he is our son... Despite his behavior, we remain aware of what he does.
— Privileges? — I asked, unsure, swearing it was only Frigga who made his stay in the "Asgardian prison" more bearable — I understand... But what do you want me to do?
— You will go monitor him after training with my wife. — I looked at everyone with a Why me? Face, but the God just kept talking — Apparently, you've advanced too quickly, more than our son. Frigga says you're very good and that soon she won't have much more to teach you. You're already in the most advanced part. Perhaps by the time you requested "vacation," there won't be anything more to learn.
— But of course, you'll be able to do what you wanted in the healing room — The Queen said, looking at me.
— I understand — I said, but it was a lie. I didn't understand in the slightest — So I'll be something like "Loki's special guard"? Why?
— You seem like the right one, and you like to "bother him," — Thor said.
— Right, technically, I'm getting your "blessing" to bother your son whenever I want, is that it?
— Yes — They replied.
— Can I enter his cell?
— If you want... of course.
My conversation ended there. Everyone seemed amused by the situation. Or maybe it was my "explain it to me, please" face.
I was about to ask what they were up to, but I didn't care much minutes later. I was allowed to bother him. I repeat: I'm allowed to bother the God of Mischief.
Since I wasn't going to waste my opportunity, I decided to just do it. Who wouldn't want to bother Loki? The best part... it was handed to me on a gold platter. Yes, gold, because, well, everything in Asgard was gold.
After finishing the meal, I stood up, determined to leave, until I remembered what Thor had asked me for: the photo or "gif" he had of Loki and him.
— Wait! — I shouted, and everyone looked at me strangely — I mean... Thor told me to show you something, my Queen. Allfather can see it too. — I approached the Kings and turned on my cell phone, showing them their sons. They both smiled at the sight of them, but a glint of sadness was visible in their eyes.
— That's very interesting. How did you get that? — Frigga asked.
— Well... I — How to tell her how I got those images — I have many photos and videos of your sons. This artifact is, so to speak, linked to me — if nothing else occurred to me — Everything I know or have seen is here.
— Do you have more things about our sons? — The Allfather asked.
— Yes, you just have to keep changing the image — I scrolled through the image, and the Kings seemed amused by the fact that I had more of Loki than Thor. My mistake was scrolling through them too quickly. The image of Odin finding Loki, his eye still bleeding, appeared on my phone screen. — I'm sorry, you shouldn't have seen that — I pulled the phone close to me and turned it off — It was a small mistake.
— Alright, let's go train — I thanked the Queen with my gaze; she was getting me out of the predicament I'd gotten into.
— Of course, I'm coming — I was following her slowly until the King spoke.
— You could show me more of those "images" later. It's good to remember some moments — He sighed and approached me — but be careful when showing them to Thor. As you said, it's not the time yet for him to know certain things, and you seem to have a lot hidden in there.
— Of course, Allfather — I said and mentally congratulated myself for having Hela's photos in a different folder.
— You can call me Odin from now on, dear.
— Thank you very much... Odin — I thought about it — I guess I can't call you that in front of others, can I?
— No, you can't — He started laughing and left.
— It didn't turn out so bad after all — I sighed and walked to the door with the Queen. As I left, I saw Thor by the door.
— You took too long; I left you alone so my parents could enjoy the image. — Well, it's a good thing he left earlier — It's great, isn't it, Mother?
— Yes, a great... photo — I smiled as I heard her say it. — You'll have the day off today. We'll meet this afternoon to tell my son about your "new task".
— Alright, see you — Frigga walked away. Apparently, she had only saved me from my earlier mistake; I wasn't going to train today — How is it possible that it looks so great? — I said and heard a laugh beside me.
— I'm sorry — He replied after a minute, teasing me.
— Liar, you're not sorry in the slightest, God of Thunder — I told him, crossing my arms.
— No... I'm not — A smile crept onto his face. — Very well, Elizabeth, it seems you'll be a little bored. Can you go find my friends? They're on the other side of the hallway. I need to talk to Father about the upcoming battle, and my friends should come to accompany me afterwards to complete the plan.
— The plan isn't to attack? — It slipped out — I mean... I'll go find them and tell them you'll be waiting for them for the plan.
I ran to the other room where Sif and the three warriors were supposed to be and didn't let Thor speak.
When I turned around, far enough away, I saw him laughing and going another way. I sighed and continued my journey on foot. When I reached the door, I did the stupidest thing I could.
— Knock, knock — I said, knocking on the door.
— Who's there? — Well, if they answered that, there's no turning back.
— Lola — I replied, and they opened the door.
— Lola? — I saw Hogun open the door.
— Lo' thieves — I started laughing, put my hands like guns, and gave a "shot" to the person in front of me.
I honestly didn't expect him to laugh, and no one in the room seemed to believe it because they quickly approached the door.
— Lady Elizabeth?
— Kidnapper, long time no see. Everything alright at home?
— What? — Fandral was completely lost.
— Why are you here, Elizabeth? — Sif said, looking strangely at her companions, one with a lost look and the other still smiling.
— Something terrible has happened — I answered. There were already two "strangers" present; why not finish it? — Allfather has said that... — I paused for suspense and looked at Volstagg — The food has run out, no one in the village knows what to do, and travel across the bridge is still not possible.
— What?!!! — I heard a loud shout and saw the redhead drop a plate.
— I — I tried to look serious and stared at them all, but it didn't work, and I ended up laughing — I'm sorry, I can't — I took a breath — Look at your faces. — I took out my cell phone and took a picture of them, to remember, of course.
— What's that? — he asked, looking at my phone.
— I took a picture of you — I smiled — so you can see your faces — I showed it to them, and they all looked at it strangely. Volstagg started to laugh.
— Look at Fandral's face — The accused looked closer, but then started laughing as he saw the others' faces.
— Hogun is smiling — His laughter grew very loud — It's like he doesn't want to admit it, but it's there.
Everyone started making fun of their companion's face, but I... I was making fun of all four. When it seemed they were done, I spoke to them again.
— Sorry — I took a breath — Thor said you should go talk to him about the battle plan; he's waiting for you... I think. First, he had to talk to his Father.
— Alright, we'll go there — Sif said the first word and left, followed by the three — Aren't you coming with us? — She asked when I was about to go the opposite way.
— Why should I? — I replied and looked at the warriors in front of me — I'm not going to war with you; I don't have to help you with your plan. Just talk about how to defeat them and save your friend's village — I pointed at Hogun — I'm leaving; I have a lot to do.
— What could a girl like you have to do?
— Mischief — I winked at them and went to my room.
Anyone would wonder why Elizabeth hadn't gone to the "battle plan" meeting. At first, she did think about going and listening to everything. But she dismissed it all, remembering her new mission. That's right, she went to her room to write down stupid questions to annoy her new companion after training.
She made a list of the first questions. He couldn't do anything; he had to answer, right? Even if he didn't, it would be fun, suicidal, yes... but fun.
A knock came at her door when she had already filled a page with questions like "How long is a pregnant woman in Asgard?" "How many years were you a child?" "Do you know what your story is on Earth?" "How many years do people live on average on this planet?" "If they live so many years, don't they have overpopulation problems?" among others. Thor entered and saw the paper she was writing on.
— Do you know about our history on Earth? — He asked.
— Yes, I've read many books about Gods. Did you know that in stories... in mythology, they sometimes confuse Loki with Logi?
— Who is Logi? — He asked curiously.
— A Jotun... Believe it or not, the personification of Fire — I made a strange face, and he started laughing.
— Walk, you can tell me about that on the way — He said, and I followed him.
— Ok — I continued telling him everything — There's a story in Gylfaginning in Snorri's Prose Edda where Loki competed against a Jotun called Logi in an eating contest. — I paused when we had reached the entrance to the dungeons — And this one loses, because when he finishes, Logi had eaten not only the meat but also the bones and the plate. — We had already reached Loki's front, and the Kings were there — Then they discovered that Logi is the personification of fire and that he had acquired his appearance using magic.
— What a strange story — He started laughing.
— Why are you always laughing when I have these lovely visits? — Loki asked his brother in an ironic tone.
— I'm going to laugh even more when you find out why we're here — He replied.
— But what a sympathetic being — I said, looking at the prisoner disapprovingly — Did you know that in Norse mythology they say you are, and I quote, "a hypostasis of Odin".
— What? — He replied disapprovingly — Why do you always bring her here?
— Why not? — I replied.
— You're the new "adopted daughter" of the kings — He started laughing.
— Nope, that would be very weird considering I find you attractive. — I looked him in the eyes, waiting for a response — Like... Being in love with your brother? Very disturbing... don't you think? — Everything was silent until I heard some laughs from the blonde.
— I'm sorry... It's just that you always leave my brother speechless.
— Elizabeth, we'll talk another time about "how attractive" you find my son — Odin said, trying not to laugh.
— Of course — I sighed, at the time it seemed fun... but now it sounded like trouble.
The kings didn't erase their smiles as they looked at me and told their son the "new punishment" he would have. And don't even get me started on the face the God made after the explanation.
— This must be a joke, — He said, looking for his mother's eyes.
— Here, you're the one with the jokes — I told him — I told you I was the best companion to talk to... now you'll find out.
— Why don't you just kill me? — He said, looking at Odin.
— Because that's a very simple way out, prince. — I sighed — What better punishment than being forced to listen to the creature you find most inferior in the universe? There's no better punishment... forced to tolerate me, for wanting to destroy my world.
— Whatever — He turned away and ignored me — You can leave now.
— We will leave... but dear Elizabeth will stay here — The Queen said.
— Seriously? — I asked with doubt and fear... I didn't expect it to be this very day — What if I just leave?
— Scared mortal? — Loki started laughing, it's not a blonde phrase anymore.
— Not at all... You're a "weakling", I remind you — His laughter stopped, and he looked at me in a very challenging way.
— Alright, inside — Thor pushed me into the cell and left — In two hours, you can come out, Eli. — He left laughing behind his parents.
— Well, it seems I'll be a prisoner too now — I looked at Loki — How's my great dungeon buddy doing?
— What are you really doing here? — He looked at me and sat down to read.
— Why couldn't I be here? — I told him — You didn't listen, you said it yourself, I'm the new you... I'm Lady Loki. — I started laughing.
— Uh huh — He stopped looking at his book — But what are you doing here?
— Are you referring to Asgard? — I replied, walking to sit in front of him — I came to learn.
— Learn what?
— I won't tell you... Unless you answer some questions — I looked him in the eyes — What do you say, prince? Accept my deal.
— No — He replied, smiling.
— Alright, then I'll just stay here singing.
Isn't it lovely, all alone
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin and bone
Hello, welcome home
— Is that a song for me? — He said, trying to make a face, but a smile was visible.
— You don't like my song... I can do something else, an interrogation? — I looked at him mischievously — Is it true or not that you had sex with a horse?
— What's your problem with horses?
— You have an eight-legged son, an eight-legged horse. — I said, raising my voice.
— Where do you get so much stupidity, mortal?
— You should just answer, maybe you didn't like being the "woman in the relationship" — I started laughing, but Loki got too close to me, and I shut up.
— I didn't, don't, and never will have a son with the characteristics you say. — He said in front of me.
— Alright — I sighed and escaped from where I was... too close to the wall for my liking — What about Fenrir and Jörmundgander? — I left Hela out of this.
— Who are they? — He spoke to me from the corner where I had been before.
— Your children — I blurted out — A giant wolf and a sea serpent.
— More children? Seriously? — He sighed — No, I don't have those children. Where do you get so much... idiocy?
— It's what's written in the myths — I said, shrugging — Narfi and Váli?
— No, how many children do you think I have?
— According to the books, Narfi and Váli are the sons you had with Sigyn, a Goddess. But to punish you for someone's death, they turned Váli into a rabid wolf who killed Narfi. He ripped out his throat, and they tied you with his entrails until Ragnarok.
— How... repulsive — Loki had a disgusted look on his face — Mortals have so much imagination. Do you really believe all that?
— Well... I have to be sure — I thought about it a bit — Why does the children thing bother you so much?... Loki — I paused for a bit, I was going to laugh a lot after this — Are you a virgin?
— Don't you have anything more illogical to ask? — He replied.
— Are you avoiding me? — I couldn't hide my laughter — Don't tell me you are.
— I don't have to talk about my life... with a human — He spoke as if spitting venom... but I didn't care much.
— I think you are... — I honestly doubted it; it was too stupid to think — I'm going to start a rumor about that.
— I'm not — He whispered.
— What did you say?
— I'm not a "virgin" — He shouted — I have a great sex life.
With those words, I couldn't stop laughing, even more so because Thor was listening from outside. It seems Loki hadn't noticed.
— Well... — I approached the entrance and looked at him, amused — It won't be a great life from now on, weakling — I ran out, just before Loki caught me. — I hope you have a great period of abstinence; we don't want those children to exist, do we?... especially the horse.
— Just leave already — He said and went to sit down.
— Why are you so angry, brother? — Thor laughed — You'll have to get used to it; from today on, she'll come every day to keep you company.
— Goodbye, dear, tomorrow we'll talk about other things — I winked at him and walked to the exit, feigning deafness to everything the other prisoners in the dungeons were shouting.
— Did you have fun? — Thor asked.
— Sort of... — I looked at the blond; it hadn't been two hours inside... in fact, it was very little — Thor, neither of you is a virgin, right? — Thor turned red and didn't answer me. — Why does all this bother you so much? — I said with a smile.
— It's not something you get asked very often, Eli.
— I'm not asking you in what position, Thor... It's just a simple thing. Yes or No.
— It's not that simple. — He looked at me — Are you?
— Yup — I said, hiding nothing — Completely, in every sense.
— In every sense? — He asked when we were in front of the Kings and his friends.
— Exactly, I haven't even had "my first kiss" — I made air quotes and looked at them all — Why is everyone so red today?
My gaze went from Thor, who was beside me, to the Kings, Odin, seated, and his wife beside him. Sif, Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral were looking in my direction, while kneeling as if waiting for orders. Heimdall was behind me, and I saw he was a little "uncomfortable."
— Well... none of you talk about these things very often. — I blurted out, looking at them all — Maybe I should ask each of you separately if you've never had relationships...
— No! — Thor had put his hand over my mouth — No, never do that.
— Ok — I said after licking Thor's hand so he would let me go — I get it, you can fight anything, but that makes you nervous... I know how to distract you if, for some reason, you ever have to catch me. — I walked in front of Thor's friends and winked at them — Nice blush.