Love Me?

Chapter Three

 
Laufey and Helblindi laughed madly as Loki furrowed his brow at them.
 
"Elli deserves someone who truly loves her and treats her the way she should be treated. She shouldn't be treated as someone else's property or possession, as Helblindi will." Loki explained.
 
"You don't know anything about how I treat-"
 
"Every women you've been with, you've made her feel neglected and you hurt them emotionally and mentally. Elli deserves better than you." Loki told him angrily.
 
"And what kind of a man does she deserve?" Laufey asked.
 
"Someone that's not Helblindi." Loki replied, not wanting to mention himself.
 
"It does not matter what you think. You are not heir to the throne and never will be. You'll never have a throne. Now, Helblindi, after the feast I will talk to the Allfather about making our truce a little more permanent." Laufey explained.
 
"Father, please, rethink your decision." Loki pleaded.
 
"It's final, Loki." Laufey groaned.
 
"Well it's a terrible decision." Loki boldly stated.
 
Laufey quickly turned around and stalked towards Loki. Laufey smacked Loki across his face and Loki fell to the ground as he cried out in pain.
 
"Do not dare question my decisions!" Laufey shouted at him.
 
Loki slowly looked up at Laufey as he wiped his mouth. His hand had some blood on it and Loki wanted to cry as he saw Helblindi laughing at him.
 
"He's so weak. I'm surprised he survived over mother." Helblindi chuckled.
 
"Never speak of your mother that way," Laufey scolded, "Now, we need our rest for the feast."
 
Loki watched as the two went to their chambers and once they turned around the corner, he broke down into sobs. He slowly stood up and made his way back to his chambers where he threw the covers of his bed over him and cried himself to sleep. The following morning, Loki awoke and hi eyes felt raw as he opened them. He pulled himself out of bed and changed into the Asgardian attire he was given. He then slowly made his way to the dining hall when he saw Eira walking down the hall with Frigga. Loki smiled softly and made his way towards them. When Elli heard footsteps coming her way, she turned her head and her eye slit up when she saw Loki.
 
"Good morning, Loki. I hope you slept well and are rested for the ball." Elli smiled brightly.
 
"Good morning to you as well. I did sleep well and I hope the same for you." Loki told her.
 
Frigga smiled at the two and coughed softly.
 
"So sorry, your majesty." Loki said as he bowed his head.
 
"You can go mother. I'll catch up with you." Elli smiled.
 
Frigga nodded her head and walked down the hall as Elli turned to face Loki and smiled brightly.
 
"Would you like to continue helping with the library after breakfast?" Elli asked.
 
"Certainly." Loki replied with a grin.
 
As he grinned, Elli furrowed her brow as she looked at his lip.
 
"Your lip? It has blood on it." Elli said.
 
"What?" Loki asked.
 
Elli pointed her finger at the corner of his mouth and he put his hand on it. He saw some dried up blood on his fingers and his expression stilled as he looked at it.
 
"How did you cut it?" Elli asked.
 
"My glass from the water I drank this morning had a small chip it in that I did not see." Loki lied.
 
"Well, I'll be sure to get you a new one...as a going away present." Elli told him.
 
"That's very kind of you but you have no need to." Loki reassured her.
 
"Please, I want to." Elli said.
 
The two walked down the hall and walked closely to one another. Loki wished he could be with Elli, but, he would be leaving and would never see her until Helblindi married her.
 
"You look very nice in our clothes." Elli commented.
 
"Thank you. You look very beautiful as always." Loki told her.
 
Elli blushed as she giggled softly. They walked into the dining hall and sat next to one another as breakfast was served. Loki listened to Laufey as he thanked Odin for the hospitality and couldn't wait for the feast. He knew that soon after breakfast was over, he would be convincing Odin to have Helblindi marry him. Once breakfast was over, Elli and Loki rushed into the library and went to work on the shelves.
 
"Loki, may I ask you something?" Elli asked as she peered through an empty space in the shelf.
 
"Of course." Loki replied looking at her.
 
"Do you like it here? In Asgard?" Elli asked.
 
"It's much better than Jotunheim I can assure you." Loki told her with a chuckle.
 
"What's Jotunheim like? Is it full of large buildings and mountains of snow?" Elli asked as her eyes lit up.
 
"It i full of broken down buildings and extremely cold but us Jotuns are used to the climate. Others are not used to the extreme weather patterns and do not like it there. They say that Jotunheim is Hel." Loki told her.
 
"Oh, well, although it has some negative aspects, you still call it home." Elli said.
 
"I wish I had something else to call home." Loki said softly.
 
"Well, think of Asgard as your second home. You're always welcome here." Elli chuckled as she grinned.
 
Loki couldn't help but smile as he looked down at the ground.
 
"Are you excited for the feast?" Elli asked.
 
"We never have feasts in Jotunheim, well, we do, my father never lets me been seen in public." Loki confessed.
 
"Why?" Elli asked.
 
"I'm the runt prince of Jotunheim who killed his mother who the Jotuns loved so dearly. He doesn't want me to be seen by our people in case they might try to kill me. As much as he hates me, he doesn't want that." Loki explained.
 
"Well, tonight, I hope you will come. Our feasts are always lively and full of dancing. The food is exquisite and the wine, well, I don't drink, but, I've heard it's magnificent." Elli told him with a soft giggle.
 
"If it sounds as wonderful as you say it is, then I guess I will come." Loki smiled.
 
Elli grinned from ear to ear as she went back to arranging the books. A few hours later, the two had finished what was left of the library due to Loki's magic.
 
"If you ever came back to Asgard, would you teach me magic?" Elli asked as she sat down next to Loki.
 
"You want me to teach you magic?" He asked.
 
"Of course. You must know a lot of tricks." Elli replied.
 
"I'm not sure. I'd love to teach someone but if my father were to ever find out-"
 
"No one has to find out about it. We can meet like this and have sessions in private." Elli told him.
 
"I've always wanted to teach someone, since I've always kept it to myself." Loki said.
 
"So, do we have a deal?" Elli asked.
 
"Yes, Elli, we have a deal." Loki replied.
 
"Oh thank you, Loki. My mother has always told me about magic but she said that a princess doesn't need magic. I know she knows magic herself but she's just reluctant to teach it to me." Elli explained.
 
"I don't understand why women are treated the way they are treated. I mean they are just as capable of the things men do. Why not let them do what we can do?" Loki told her.
 
"They think us weak." Elli said.
 
"Well, I don't believe that. Women are not different from men and should be given the same kind of attention that men get. In Jotunheim, the women are always as high as the men. If they want to join the army, they can. If they want to run for an office, let them be. I don't get why it's so hard for people to understand that." Loki explained.
 
"I don't think I've met anyone like you before." Elli commented.
 
"What do you mean by that?" Loki asked as his brow furrowed.
 
"What I mean is that you're a lot wiser, mature, compassionate and more understanding the men of this court in Asgard. You're an amazing person, Loki. You deserve a lot better." Elli replied.
 
"You're a very kind soul, Elli. I've never met anyone like you." Loki told her.
 
Elli blushed softly and then widened her eyes when she realized the time.
 
"I must be going to prepare for the feast. See you soon, Loki." Elli said cheerfully as she ran out of the library.
 
Loki smiled to himself and slowly made his way back to his chambers.
 
"Mother, what dress should I wear?" Elli asked after she had stepped out of the bathroom from her shower.
 
"You can wear anything you'd like, dear." Frigga replied.
 
"You know I'm not good with picking out clothes, mother." Elli whined.
 
As Frigga picked out a dress and helped Elli into it, she began to talk with her.
 
"What do you think about the Frost giant princes, Helblindi and Loki?" Frigga asked as she tied up Elli's corset.
 
"I haven't talked much with Helblindi but I get the feeling he is not a very nice man." Elli spoke.
 
Frigga smiled softly as she listened to Elli.
 
"You are a people reader. Frigga chuckled.
 
"But, Loki is more caring and very understanding. He's an amazing friend. I can tell that he really cares for me. He's even told me very personal things which makes me assume he confides in me." Elli explained.
 
"Personal things?" Frigga asked as she raised her brow.
 
"Nothing inappropriate. Just personal things about himself and his family." Elli replied.
 
"Like what?" Frigga asked.
 
"I don't think he'd want me telling anyone." Elli replied.
 
"You can trust me. I have kept secrets for thousands of years." Frigga told her.
 
"He told me that he is always being blamed for his mother's death and that his father and brother treat him horribly since he is the runt of the family. They ridicule him and make him feel as though he is worth nothing to them. It's terrible to think that family would do that. A sweet man such as him should never have to go through that amount of pain." Elli explained.
 
"That's terrible. I can't believe a father would do that and allow his other son to join in. It's disgusting." Frigga told her.
 
"But, either way, Loki is a wonderful man. His father and brother just don't take the time to see just how special he really is." Elli added.
 
Frigga pulled on the strings and Elli gasped softly. She finished tying the laces and then helped put on Elli's dress.
 
"Why must I wear a corset? I never wear corsets." Elli asked.
 
"It's only for tonight." Frigga replied.
 
"I'm going to be sad watching Loki leave tomorrow. He's the only man, besides Thor, who's been kind to me and understands me." Elli told her.
 
"Well, I'll have you know that Laufey talked with your father today and Odin has agreed to let them stay for another week." Frigga smiled.
 
"He has! Why?" Elli asked gleefully.
 
"He wouldn't tell me." Frigga replied.
 
"Maybe he has a surprise planned for us." Elli smiled.
 
"Maybe." Frigga chuckled.
 
"Oh, Loki will be ecstatic to hear the news." Elli giggled.
 
"Now, let's get your hair ready and accessories picked out before we get to the feast." Frigga told her.
 
A few hours later, the feast began and Elli and Frigga made their way to the throne room. Loki stood a little behind Laufey and Helblindi as they spoke with Odin and Thor. Thor seemed a little agitated at them and Loki furrowed his brow. As the doors opened, a fanfare went on and everyone turned as Elli and Frigga were announced. Loki's eyes widened and he almost dropped his glass as his eyes met Elli. She wore an elegant red dress and she was beaming with excitement. Loki felt his chest tighten as his throat went dry. Laufey excused Helblindi and Loki from his talk and the two walked over to the table.
 
"What do you think about, Elli, Loki? Do you love her?" Helblindi teased.
 
Loki rolled his eyes as Helblindi laughed.
 
"I'm glad that Odin agreed to letting us stay another week. That's plenty of time for me to woo Elli." Helblindi told him.
 
"We're staying another week?" Loki asked.
 
"Yes. Odin said that if I can get Elli to like me at the end of this week, I get to marry her. He really cares for his daughter." Helblindi replied.
 
Loki looked at his glass as he bit his lip.
 
"Isn't she sexy? I wouldn't mind having my way with her. I bet she's really tight given that she's so-"
 
"Enough! Don't you dare talk about her that way. She is a woman and another human being. Treat her with some respect." Loki exclaimed angrily.
 
"I can talk about her in any way I want. She's going to be mine." Helblindi told him through gritted teeth.
 
"Only if you get her to like you which will never happen." Loki said.
 
"Why? Because you'll steal her from me?" Helblindi asked.
 
Helblindi cackled as Loki sighed and walked away. He knew that Elli would never fall in love with Helblindi but he couldn't know for sure. He didn't know if Elli liked him the same way he liked her. After all the years of being made fun of and ridiculed by everyone he met, Elli was the only one to treat him with the respect he deserved. Loki's eyes widened and he smiled when Elli came over towards him with a bright smile on her face.
 
"Mother told me that you are going to be staying for another week. Isn't that great!" Elli chuckled.
 
Loki debated on whether or not to tell her why.
 
"Yes, it is. I'm very happy that I won't be leaving soon." Loki smiled.
 
"Now, we'll have time to talk more about things. I can learn more about your culture and you can learn about ours." Elli told him with a smile.
 
Loki loved Elli's curiosity and admired her wonder and beauty. He slowly nodded his head knowing that once the week was over, they would be returning home.