#child!loki

The grassy alcove outside the library was empty save for one solitary figure. Loki’s breathing was rushed, having run the remaining way from the hallway. He focused on calming it, then making it quiet. His steps were soundless as he slinked up behind the figure.

“Boo,” he whispered.

“Boo, yourself,” a voice said from behind him. Loki jumped with a yelp as you stepped out of the shadows. With a wave of your hand, the figure turned and faded away.

“Someday you must teach me how you do that.” Loki looked up at the sky and a smile broke out over his face. “It has begun.” Overhead a glowing celestial orb rocketed through the sky. Its tail sparked as it fought the Asgardian atmosphere.

“Do you think it will pass the correct spot?” you asked.

“Perhaps.”

The comet soared closer to the object of your attention: a relatively close moon, not your own, that filled the sky. Every two hundred and fifty years or so, the comet Orvar had the chance to pass behind the moon, creating a comet-lunar eclipse. When this happened, the reflection of the moon shown blue with the space fire around the comet. It was called the Belewe Moon. If one watched the comet pass by in a secret place, the observer was supposed to have good luck until the next Belewe moon.

“Do you want to see if we can see anybody else watching the moon?” Loki asked, walking towards the edge.

“No, Loki, don’t. Don’t ruin someone’s luck by spying out their hiding place,” you held him back and shrugged, “besides, if, by peeking you give our spot away, you’ll curse us both with bad luck.”

Loki nodded in agreement.

You sat on the grass and laid back to watch the sky. Even with the brightness of the comet, you could see billions of stars. Loki laid next to you, hands behind his head. You twisted to lay your head on his chest, breathing in time to the rise of his breath.

“What luck do you think you’ll have?” he asked.

You thought for a moment then said, “maybe I’ll marry a husband who’ll build me a library. I know it won’t be as big as the one here, but it’ll be mine.”

“Marry?” Loki’s breath hitched beneath you. “You are not old enough for that yet. And we’re still in school.”

“Not for much longer,” you sighed, “Mother and Father have been discussing taking me out of school. A boy is coming tomorrow. They say I might be betrothed to him.”

“Betrothed? What is this, the Dark Ages? Nobody does that anymore.”

“They do here at court.” The comet continued its path, finally drawing close to the moon. “We wouldn’t have a ceremony till years later, but… I’m of an age where they must start thinking about it. And at this stage, I have a choice. They told me I can say no if I wish.”

“Then say no.” Loki’s chest was tight. You rolled over so you could twist to look directly into his eyes.

“Why should I? I have not met him yet.”

“But you’ve met me,” Loki smirked at you, but his eyes claimed something deeper.

“I don’t think you are on my parent’s list. You are too above my station.”

Loki turned to lay on his side; you did the same. “Then it will help your family even more. I’m a prince of Asgard. You are an intelligent young lady of the court. There couldn’t be a more perfect pairing. And Father favor’s Thor, so he will be the one to have an arranged marriage for the throne.”

“You speak like it is so easy, Loki,” You rolled back onto your back. “There are more politics involved than you think.”

Loki looked down to his feet, so close to yours. “Then I will learn the politics.” He glanced at you, but you were watching the sky. “Y/N?”

“Hmm?”

“If I learn the politics, and if I can convince our parents that the match will be good, would you at least consider… me?”

Orvar was just touching the inner edge of the moon. You two were so young. What could you possibly know about marriage? The first glimmer of blue started to glow around the moon. It gave you an idea.

“Do you think you could wait for me?”

“What?”

“If I have not married by the next Belewe Moon, nor you, would you marry me then?”

Loki laid back with a confused huff. “Yes. But that is not for another two hundred and fifty years.”

“Exactly. If no suitors have caught my eye by then, my parents will want to take any proposal given to them. It will help you sway them even more. But you would have to promise. I do not want to wait that long with the false hope that you will back out, married or not.”

“Agreed.”

The comet was fully behind the moon now. The sky surrounding it burst into different beams of blue as the tail fully eclipsed the moon. You could hear soft cheering around the city.

“Y/N, I promise you by the light of the Belewe light: if neither of us has wed by the next moon, I shall wed you without hesitation.” His voice was strong.

“I promise you, Loki, by the light of the Belewe light: if neither of us has wed by the next moon, I shall wed you without hesitation.”

The cheers died off as Orvar passed the point of illumination. The moon lost its halo, and the sky was as it was before.

Loki took your hand and squeezed it. He continued to hold it till the comet was out of sight. He successfully escorted you back to your room without incident. You fell asleep with the courage that he had the luck, and skill, to make it back without getting caught.

The Next Morning

“What do you think of him, Y/N?” your mother asked you. The boy jumped out of the transport and took a small bouquet from his father.

“He’s cute, I guess. But looks are not everything,” you replied. You could feel your parents grinning at each other over your head.

“Sindri,” your father called out, “welcome to Asgard!”

“Thank you, my friend. May I introduce my wife, Erna, and my son, Theoric.”

The fathers continued to talk as you looked at Theoric. He was cute, in a way. His hands were shaking around the flowers, but he kept his posture straight and strong. You found his eyes observing you as well and looked away, blushing through getting caught.

“Here,” he said, holding out the flowers, “these are for you.” You took them. A few sprigs of baby’s breath surrounded a single, small, red tulip that hadn’t opened yet.

“He picked those himself this morning,” Erna said kindly. Your mother tapped you on your shoulder.

“Thank you. They are beautiful.”

“Perhaps you could show Theoric around the palace while we talk.” You clenched your jaw and looked up at your mother with pleading eyes. Could she be any more of a cliché? She didn’t give you time to reply or to complain before taking Erna’s arm and leading her inside. Your heart was thundering in your chest as you turned back to face Theoric.

“You don’t have to show me around,” he said, breaking the silence. “You can just show me your favorite place. If you would like.”

You nodded in agreement. If Thor and his friends saw you with him, you wouldn’t live it down for weeks. “Follow me.” You led him through back hallways to the library, opening the door with a flourish.

Theoric gave you a single nod as he looked around. “Your favorite place is… a library?”

“Yes. I have an impossible dream to read them all.”

“That is impossible.” Theoric walked to one of the bookshelves and pulled out a book. He flipped through the pages quickly, then shelved it with a huff. “Do you have any other favorite places?”

Your eyes flitted to the grassy alcove, but you played it off as thinking. “No. I have been known to stay here all day when I’m not called elsewhere.”

“How incredibly dull. How are you still sane?” He looked past you to the hallway. “I think we should get back. Mother said there was to be a lunch before they started discussing anything important.”

“My mother said the same. This way.” You took the short route to the small dining hall outside your family’s quarters while at court. You walked quickly, answering shortly to any questions Theoric had. Then he was silent. You turned around to ask if he was alright, but he was gone. Panic set in. While you had already eliminated him as a suitor, your parents and his would be furious if you lost him in the palace. You started to backtrack your steps, hoping he could not have wandered far.

Loki was deeply engrossed in a book when a disgruntled boy walked around the corner muttering about incompetent girls.

“You there! Which way to the dining hall?”

“Which one?” Loki muttered, refusing to look up from his book.

“The one Y/N Y/L/N was taking me to before she lost me around a corner. Would you stop reading and show me the way?”

Loki sighed and closed his book. The boy’s hands were clenched, as was his jaw, and he kept shifting his feet impatiently. Loki was going to take his time with this rude boy. There was no way you were going to choose this one over him.

“This way.”

Loki led him in circles for quite some time. He occasionally poked his head into one of the other small dining halls, feigning innocence. By the time they reached the correct hall, Theoric was fuming.

“I asked for guidance, not a tour. Everybody in this place is so incompetent.” He burst through the doors, starting chaos inside. Loki thought it best to slip away. Besides, he’d left his book on the window sill.

You burst in through the other doors as Theoric did. “Mother, I cannot find-“

“You! You lost me on purpose.” Theoric pointed at you across the table, face redder than a beet.

“It is not my fault that you could not keep up.” It was an accident. A gentleman would be understanding. You looked at your mother and sent her a curt nod. This was not the one. She sighed and looked at the other three adults, passing along your message.

“Father, I refuse to stay any longer.” Theoric turned on his heel to march out.

“Are you sure that is the right way, Theoric? Are you an expert of the palace now?” You smirked at his back, enjoying the way he flinched.

He stopped, flustered. He stomped his foot and waited for your father to usher his parents out the door. Your mother shot you a look. You were in trouble, but they’d have to find you first. Nobody knew the palace better than you, except maybe Loki.

Loki.

He had to know about this idiootti, this idiot.

You found him in his favorite window alcove, reading as always. He heard you coming and made room for you. You laid against the opposite wall so your feet could almost touch.

“How was the meeting?”

“A disaster. I lost him on the way back from the library, and he was extremely rude about it. And he thinks reading is dull.”

Loki whipped around to look at you. “What? A person who does not read considers it dull because they find themselves so.”

“I know that, and you know that. But I’m in trouble now for losing him, and probably again for not sticking around to see him off.”

“He wasn’t worth it.”

After a moment of reflection, you spoke up.

“Did you mean what you said last night? Or was it just the moon?”

“I swore, Y/N. I will never break that vow, no matter how many stars fly through the sky.”

Your heartbeat slowed. Calmed.

Loki handed you a book from his stack. You two sat reading in silence except for sound of the palace bustle below. 

Part 2: Intimidation  

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