Servant of Jotunheim

Breakfast

I lie awake most of the night struggling to understand how all this had all come to pass. I was a palace servant in love with the King of Asgard and he somehow loved me in return.

If I had not resisted temptation, he could have had me then and there but this had only made me realise how much I had not truly wanted Helbindi.

It was all some cruel trick so that male Jotuns can have any female they desire and unfortunately she would be powerless to refuse them.

When I had refused the King's advances earlier today, he had simply accepted it without question and was respectful of my decision which made me love him all that much more.

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Frigga requests Loki and Thor's company at breakfast the following morning as they have hardly spent much time alone together since Thor's return to Asgard.

Thor: "I hear that Princess Dahlia visited Asgard recently?"

Frigga: "She seemed quite pleasant, but I hear she had a terrible reaction to Loki's 'special' strawberries".

Thor: "Classic" he laughs.

Loki: "She was far from pleasant mother. Yet another vapid princess with little to offer me but her appearances".

Frigga: "What type of princess would you prefer?"

Loki sits in contemplation for a moment before answering his mother's question honestly.

Loki: "Perhaps I do not wish to wed a princess at all" he smiles.

Thor: "You must take a wife at some point Loki, it is Asgardian law" he states.

Loki: "I know that I must marry by law, but I am simply saying that perhaps I do not wish for my future bride to be of noble blood".

Frigga: "And who would you marry?"

Loki: "A woman that I actually love".

Thor: "And are you in love, brother? Perhaps with this mystery woman I have been hearing so much about?"

Frigga: "Thor, could you leave us for a moment?" she asks sensing her youngest son's obvious discomfort.

Thor: "Of course".

Thor leaves and Frigga seats herself next to Loki, who appears disheartened when he rests his head upon her shoulder, desperately seeking his mother's comfort.

Frigga: "Speak, my son".

Loki: "Something tells me you already know, mother".

Frigga: "A mother always knows when her son is in love" she smiles.

Loki: "What am I to do?"

Frigga: "Go to her, my son. Love her with all your heart just as she loves you".

Loki: "How can you possibly say that when you know I must only wed a woman of noble blood?"

Frigga: "Loki, what I am about to tell you must never leave this room".

Loki: "Is something wrong?"

Frigga: "No, but there is something you must know. Anya is not all what she appears to be".

Loki: "Then what is she?"

Frigga: "Ever since the first day I saw her in the library, I have strongly suspected that her mother was of Alfheim due to the rare colour of her eyes".

Loki: "The home of the light elves?"

Frigga: "The very same. I once knew a girl who was betrothed and later went on to wed the god Freyr of Alfheim. She was my cousin Valanya and together they had a child. A beautiful daughter they named..."

Loki: "Azalea?"

Frigga: "Yes. Anya's mother".

Loki: "How can this be? How did her mother find herself on Jotunheim?"

Frigga: "Azalea was betrothed to a prince whom now so happens to be Princess Dahlia's father, King Naris".

Loki: "She fled from her home world?"

Frigga: "With the boy she truly loved. It was suspected that they fled through one of the secret Bifrost portals of Alfheim. When the palace soldiers finally found the portal they had used it led them to Jotunheim and the body of that poor boy. He had perished from the cold and everyone naturally assumed that Azalea had suffered the same fate".

Loki: "Why must this stay secret? Anya must have remaining family on Alfheim and she has a right to know".

Frigga: "She cannot know. When the former King of Svartalfheim learned of what Azalea had done, he made a deal with another one of Alfheims powerful families. He would help have the entire royal bloodline wiped from existence so they could claim the throne for themselves. In exchange the Prince of Svartalfheim would have their daughters hand in place of Azalea's".

Loki: "So Anya is the true heir to the throne of Alfheim?"

Frigga: "And their princess, which puts her in grave danger, my son. If anyone were to ever learn of her true heritage then the royal families of Alfheim and Svartalfheim may desire to have her killed in order to keep their treacherous secrets buried".