Fix You (Loki Romance)

Chapter 7

I looked up as Valda came in carrying my breakfast. She smiled a good morning.

"Her Majesty was not happy to hear you will be working through breakfast."

I waved it off. "She'll get over it. Need to finish this." She set the tray down on the bed and asked what I was doing as she walked to my closet. "Kaldr has created an economic plan to bring us out of the depression. We have to solve a major housing issue to get people back off the streets and start dealing with unemployment from there. Trade routes have fallen and if his plan to ally more securely with Muspelheim works, we can get a jump on weapons forging and mining."

"Why Muspelheim?" She held up a burgundy dress and looked at me. I agreed around a mouthful of egg and sausage.

Once I swallowed, I explained. "It's mostly untapped but the population is perfectly situated to reach the best resources. I suggested it as opposed to raiding the uninhabited reaches of Jotunheim. Not only would it cause war, but most of what may be there is oil and unless they can find a clean way to use it, let's not ruin Asgard, right?"

She made me stand so she could help me into the dress.

"Meanwhile, Petra is working on the findings of the latest research on the virus so we can treat and eradicate it. And I have to find a way to merge trade schools with common education."

"You must be exhausted." She murmured, deftly buttoning the row of gold buttons following my spine.

"I'm actually glad for the work." I shrugged. Kaldr, Odin's economic advisor, and Petra, Eir's closest apprentice, were doing the bulk of the work. My job was to advocate and gather whatever resources they needed. If there was anything I had learned from Loki, it was how to schmooze people. It was all politics and while I never did well with it in class, hands-on was fairly simple.

"And how have you been?" I asked, sitting down in front of the vanity. I hadn't seen her for a week since she'd gone to help her mother while Navid was sick.

"Well, m'lady, very well. Unnr is growing stronger with each day and more demanding. Mother is beginning to miss sleeping all night but his crying in the wee hours relieves her. He is strong enough to be heard in the whole tavern now."

"She's still refusing to live somewhere else?"

"Oh yes. But our regular patrons do not mind. Unnr is family, they are happy to hear he is growing healthy. Mama says there is a certain angel who gave Unnr hope. And now he is well." She looked pointedly at me in the mirror. "Word of your work is spreading, m'lady. The west winds are warm and kind."

I smiled at the saying. "I'm only supporting the real workers."

"But had you not moved for change, would they have tried?" She squeezed my shoulders as she finished pinning my hair up. "We are glad you have come."

With hot cheeks and an inability to say anything more, I simply stood and hugged her. "Thank you."

Valda had become something of an inspiration to me. She believed in an Asgard neither of us had ever seen. An Asgard that was worshipped, that exemplified all that a race could achieve. They were strong and hopeful and at their peak. But they had begun to fall long ago, as all great empires must.

Valda believed we could rise to our potential again and for some reason, I had decided to take that challenge and push it forward. The children of Asgard, like Valda, believed in greatness. They weren't like the kids on earth. On Earth, we were taught to dream and strive and attain. But we learned very early that dreams don't come true. So many, too many of us, gave up. On Asgard, they still clung to that optimism. They still wanted to save the world and sometimes they died fighting for it. I hated to see another generation with so much life and greatness be let down.