Ask me again tomorrow

Part 2

"Y/N. Correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness." He looked back at the page number before closing the book and placing it on the window seat. He walked forward and grinned slightly before pointing his magic at the silver bracelets on my wrists. The metal shimmered and then turned into twin metal snakes with emerald eyes that now twisted up and down my arms. The previously cold metal was now slightly warm as it lazily twisted around my arms. I held up my arms to look at the silver bracelets and smiled. That was obviously not the reaction he expected because his expression flickered.

"They're beautiful." I stated before walking off to the door at the far side of the main chamber that led to my chambers. Leaving Loki watching me walk away.

Loki's POV

She was meant to be scared. But she... wasn't. I watched as she walked to her rooms. Everyone else who I'd done that too had at least looked shocked or terrified. Some had even screamed. But she had just smiled at them, called them beautiful and walked off. I knew she was part of the new batch of servants. I had watched as she picked the lock on her cuffs as she crossed the bridge. Most of the new women looked terrified as I had walked in but she hadn't even flinched. her fearlessness had sparked my curiosity.

Y/N POV

The snakes were not the worst thing in the last 24 hours. They just kind of sat there and moved occasionally. Although the prince had only spoken five words to me since I arrived I failed to see why everyone was so terrified. Sure the snakes weren't expected but they would at least keep me company as I worked.

Later that day Loki called for me. He asked me to get some books for him from the library. He walked off before I could say I didn't know where the library was. Huffing I walked out the door. One of the snakes seemed to sense how rubbish I was at being a servant and dropped to the floor before slithering off. With no better plan, I followed it. It led me down all sorts of passages before halting at a door. I picked it up off of the ground and walked in. Books surrounded the walls and cutting across the floor. Shelves of volumes reached for the ceiling. I went over to a nearby table and picked up the first stack. Making sure that all the requested books were there before walking out again. Once again the snake led me back. Admittedly I was slightly annoyed how well magic was integrated into life here, but I enjoyed the convenience.

I dumped the books of the window seat before making my way back to my room only to be stopped by Loki clearing his throat loudly at me.

"I still have use of you, girl. Give this note to my mother." He walked straight up to me making me tense at how close he got. He placed the note into my hand before turning. He then walked off into his room. I sighed. This was going to be a long time if he continued to give me pointless tasks. He hadn't even touched the books that I'd been sent to fetch.

Once again the silver snake led me through the maze of palace walls. Queen Frigga's door loomed and I knocked timidly.

"Come in." Opening only one of the heavy doors I slipped through before closing it behind me. Frigga's room was wonderful. It was large and open with a balcony that looked onto the forest below the palace. A breeze flowed through and plants tangled themselves in the bannisters.

"I'm on the balcony." A woman's voice reached out to me. The snake eagerly slithered towards it. Frigga saw the snake and smiled.

"You are Loki's servant."

"Yes, Your majesty. His Highness asked me to give you this." I placed the note on the table before curtsying and picking the silver snake from the ground. Frigga unfolded the note and read it through smiling.

"Thank you." I turned and left. slipping back through the door.

Frigga's POV

Loki had sent her here childishly. The note was blank. He was simply showing off what he believed to be his new toy. Usually, he only sent them here if they proved to pique his interest. She had done that very quickly.

Sighing Frigga recalled the images of the servant girl and Loki that had flashed into her mind when the girl had knocked on the door. The two of them laughing. He held her hand. He lay in a bed as she sat on it and talked animatedly. But it was the final one that caught Frigga's attention. It was simply an image of two hands. A man's and a woman's. Loki and someone else. The woman's hand was covered in scars and circling a wrist each was the two snakes that were currently around the servant girls arms. She had looked at the girl's hands when she had handed the note to her. There was no scarring.

Y/N POV

That night I couldn't get comfortable. The sheets seemed to tangle my legs restraining them in a most uncomfortable way. Tossing and turning desperately trying to find some way of getting sleep. Finally, I found a spot slightly comfier than the rest and closed my eyes. Telling myself a story as I drifted off. Randomly in the middle of the night, I woke up to what I assumed to be a scream or shouting but it ended as quickly as I had awoken to it.

Something was hitting my head. Repeatedly. It wasn't painful but it still wasn't something I would usually experience first thing in the morning. The sky outside my windows was dark as I threw the snake off of my face. Landing on the bed it slithered back onto my arm. It hissed to its companion before both went still. Suddenly its eyes glowed and what looked like a magical hologram appeared in front of my sleep-deprived face. The head maid's miniature hologram body shone from the two snakes eyes.

"These are your tasks for today." Groaning I listened to the boring chores that I had to fulfil, followed by the order to do whatever the smirking prince asked me to do. She disappeared and the snakes went still. So much for helping me.

The next week passed uneventfully. I still heard sounds at night but I ignored them. Good things never happen to people who follow strange noises.  I received my orders every morning from the hologram head maid. Loki would send me off on menial tasks and I would try desperately to get some alone time. I learnt the hard way that the snake cuffs had other abilities, such as the prince being able to summon me from almost anywhere in the castle. The first time he did it he explained that there were obviously some places he couldn't summon me from, like the bathroom.

The morning of my seventh day I woke up before my hologram woke me.

"Good morning Y/N. Usual tasks today. Also, do you want to continue being Loki's maid? There are other places in the palace available if you wish. You've been very strong so far." What? Why would I want to quit? Over the prince's childish and harmless pranks? Sure he annoyed the ever-loving hell out of me, but I was living in relative luxury and I had to do half of what the other maids had to do.

"I'm fine for now," I say uncertainly. "I'll tell you if I do want to quit." I add hurriedly. She nodded once before disappearing. I walked into the main room of Loki's chambers to start my daily chores.

"You're still here." I turned to see a faint look of surprise on Loki's angular face.

"Yes? Should I not be?"

"No, no you should. It's just that no one else has lasted this long with me."

"If you honestly think childish pranks, insults and the fact that you're annoying is going to deter me from living like I am you are hideously mistaken, Your Highness. Those things mean Jackshit to me, I had siblings." He looked at me like I was crazy. To be fair I had just sworn at him.