Now And Forever

Chapter 29

-Thalia's Pov -

I stepped out of the dome onto what looked like a glass road filled with scintillating colours. Ahead of me was a golden city.
"Is that? That's The Royal Palace of Valaskjalf!" I exclaimed. It was glistening in the morning sun. The buildings surrounding the palace were basking in all its' glory. The plants were colourful and flourishing. I was in awe of the mountains on the horizon.
"Perfect pronunciation" Loki walked up behind me. He had transformed into his green leather outfit. Not gonna lie. He looked hot. I was grinning and my mouth was hanging open.
"I have dreamt of coming here since I was old enough to read or even look at a book" I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Yep, totally in the real world.
"And does it live up to your expectations?" Loki grabbed me by the waist from behind. I leaned on him. This doesn't seem real. I am in Asgard.
"And then some. This place is just... Wow," I whistled. I looked towards the riverside and a small market. I need to visit there before I leave. I then frowned and looked down at my clothes. I was in jeans while they were all in Asgardian robes "I feel rather underdressed. With these jeans, I am going to stick out like a sore thumb"
"I think we can fix that. Follow me" Loki wiggled his finger at me. Normally, I hate when he does that and will ignore him but my curiosity got the better of me.

After several stops (I lost count after the first fifty stops) Loki opened a set of double doors and ushered me in. It was opulent, as was the rest of the palace. A fire burned cheerfully with two chairs facing it. A closed door was in the same wall as the fireplace. There were various furnishings, including a massive wardrobe. On the floor at the foot of the bed were our suitcases. The realization hit me.
"I am to sleep in that bed?" My eyes widen. Loki smirked as he spun on his heel.
"Why? Is it not sufficient?" Loki responded, looking fake surprised.
"No! Oh god no! That's not what I meant at all!" I was holding out my hands, gesturing to everything "This is too much! This single room is bigger than my entire flat back home. A closest would have been sufficient" Loki smiled as I explained my reaction "And a bed that could comfortably sleep 3 people at once!" Loki tilted his head at me "I'm sorry, I am being rude. I was expecting something much less grand. I ain't that important" He walked over to me and held my hands.
"Thalia, But you are important to me. You always will be"
"Oh my," I leaned into Loki's embrace. I then walked around the room, My fingers tracing the woodwork. It was craved with such detail "It's a beautiful room. I promise not to ruin it"
"I doubt that will be an issue," Loki grinned as he pulled me into his arms "This is my room after all and I doubt we could break that bed if we tried"
"Could always try" I mumbled as Loki let me go. He walked around the room. Thankfully, I don't think he heard me.
"Through that door, there is a bathing chamber. And the wardrobe contains appropriate clothing, all designed to fit you." Loki opened the wardrobe, full of colours and fabrics a million times better than what I brought with me. He pulled out a beautiful purple Asgardian robe "I think this will help you fit in"
"Why do you have dresses in your wardrobe?" I ran the fabric between my fingers. It felt so silky "Ohh soft"
"You forget my dear, I can also shapeshift" Loki smiled. I wanted to slap my forehead.
"Of course. Duh"
"Plus, I had Thor arrive before me and get this room set up" Loki beamed at me. I raised one eyebrow "What did you expect? I've been planning this trip for a few days now. You have no idea how hard it was to plan this without thinking of it?"
"Extremely. Especially with me being able to read minds. Reading Thor's mind was fun. It's like a rainbow and unicorns in there" I smiled.
"No wonder he is an airhead" Loki chuckled.
"*Cough*" I heard behind me as we both spun around. A royal guard stood there. Loki groaned and rolled his eyes.
"I hope you weren't there long" Loki replied as I put my hand on my chest. The dude scared the hell out of me. Are all the guards here secretly ninjas? "How can we help you"
"Not at all, My Lord. Lord Odin and Lady Frigga wish to speak to you and the young miss"

As we waited for the guards to let us into the main hall. I noticed Loki was nervous. To be frank, So was I but Loki didn't need me being all well me. I had to put a front on. Just until we were alone.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" I poked Loki's cheek "Relax, It will be fine"
"We should accept that the worse will happen" I took a deep breath in. Loki's hand ran down my good arm and clutched at my hand.
"We do this together" I looked into Loki's eyes and they are shining.
"If my parents do not accept us together then I don't care. I want to be with you"
"We will face whatever happens in there together" I grinned. Our hand lets go of each other as we moved a little closer when the main doors opened.
"Lord Odin will see you know" The guard stood to attention. I could hear Loki gulp. We both faced the hall and walked in.

As we walked into the hall, Something seemed different, Lord Odin wasn't sitting on his throne. In fact, he was sitting at the bottom of it. Lady Frigga was on his left (Our right). Both seemed happy. It still wasn't enough to ease my stomach. But having Loki by my side made it so much easier.
"Calm your storm, I can hear your heart from here" Loki mumbled, "Though I should really take my own advice" I grinned as we approached the King and Queen.
"My Lord. My Lady" I bowed. Lady Frigga bobbed her head once while Lord Odin stood up.
"Father, Why have you summoned me now? What have I done this time?" Loki folded his arms. Lord Odin looked at Lady Frigga, She nodded and Lord Odin looked back at Loki and me.
"I will cut straight to the point. I wish to talk about you two and your relationship" Lord Odin spoke. Loki and I looked at each other "You see, I know a man in love when I see one and Loki has been since the day he met you" Odin had a small smile on his face. Loki blushed as he looked away. I thought Odin was meant to be a dick?
"I did not fall in love on the first day" Loki mumbled.
"More like a week later" I smiled softly. Loki grinned at me. Lord Odin then took a step towards us so he was now right in front of us. Loki instinctively put his arm in front of me. Pushing me slightly behind him so he was between me and Lord Odin. I put my hand on his upper arm. For two reasons, to let him know I am okay and two, to let him know I am here for him.
"Do I even have to mention the age gap between the two of you?" Lord Odin looked between us both. I felt as if I would be swallowed up by the ground. Lady Frigga stood next to her son.
"I'm well aware of it" Loki looked Lord Odin dead in the eyes.
"I do not think you are. Don't you think you are stealing her youth?" Lord Odin kept a blank face.
"Odin!" Lady Frigga exclaimed. Loki squeezes her hand and looks at her briefly to let her know he can deal with it all.
"Father, I understand your concern but my intentions with Thalia are none other than making her happy for as long as she allows me. We discussed the age difference early on, it's always been there, not overlooked. But we accept it"
"What about your... heritage?" Lord Odin strained the word heritage. Loki clenched his fists. I wrapped my arms around his arm and he seemed to calm down.
"If you are implying about me being a Frost Giant then yes that has also been discussed" Loki growled. Lord Odin looked at me. I looked up at Loki and smiled "Though Thalia knew more about me than I ever told her. She studied Norse from a young age"
"You did?" Lord Odin tilted his head at me. I nodded.
"I did and still do. Even though I took on a different Major to study at University, Norse was always close to my heart" I placed my hand over my heart. I then waved over to a window where two ravens perched. Under the window were two black-furred wolves "Your two ravens, Huginn and Muninn are beautiful. As are wolves Geri and Freki. And the depictions of you wielding your mighty spear, Gungnir. I think I pronounced that correctly. Are truly awe-inspiring"
"Loki, Is she for real?" Lord Odin pointed at me. He sounded so human. It was almost funny. Loki and I both chuckled. Using my powers, I could see in Lord Odin's mind that he was impressed by my knowledge of his animals and weapon.
"Afraid so" Loki nodded and grinned.
"My son, Has the age and race really been discussed between you two?" Lady Frigga picked at her left hand. Loki has the same nervous trait.
"It has, mother" Loki nodded. Lady Frigga smiled. I took a step around Loki's arm. Loki tried to pull me back behind him but I shook his hands away.
"When it comes down to your son, I don't care if he is a Frost Giant, Light Elf, Maybe Dark Elf, A Zombie, Female, Midgardin or even an animal. I love Loki for that reason. He is who he is" I smiled as I looked up at Loki.
"But he is a monster," Lord Odin remarked. Loki went forward but I held him back "I find it so strange that you would defend him? He is a villain"
"While you may think it strange, I always like the villains more. A hero would sacrifice his love to save the world, showing that they are indeed pure-hearted and honest but a villain would tear the world apart if they were hurt. To the world, they seem selfish, manipulative and rude to everyone around but a villain will treat his love like a queen or a king, Theirs and only Theirs. Sitting beside him on a throne with their own crown" I was now my turn to look Lord Odin in the eyes "I think villains are misjudged and most of the time, We don't get to see their story. For if we knew it, The hero may not seem so full of glory. Monsters are made, not born and any soul tortured, Confused, And abused incidentally, would not have time to mourn. For I will defend the villain of the tale, For they too, Were once broken and frail" Lord Odin didn't move from his spot. His face was like stone. I think I may have overstepped but it was too late to take any of it back so I had to face the punishment. Even Lady Frigga and Loki didn't move. (Though Loki did have a proud look on his face)

Lord Odin's face was blank as he closed the gap between us. I stood tall. Lord Odin didn't scare me.
"Hmm. I can see why Loki choose you" Lord Odin smiled. Taking us all by surprise "I wanted to test you, Thalia. To see what your intentions were. Are you with my son because he is a Prince? Or because you want to be"
"Because I want to be. I cannot pinpoint when I fell in love with him but I know it was at the beginning of our friendship. It just happen. But I do know that I love this man with all my heart" I grinned at Loki. His eyes were soft as he grinned back at me. He took a step toward me and wrapped his arms around me.
"I can tell. Why did you hide the fact that you were in an important relationship?" Lord Odin looked toward his son. Loki rubbed the back of his head.
"I thought you wouldn't approve and that you hated me" Loki mumbled.
"It is true that I hated Frost Giants but I never hated you, my son. You were but a mere babe when I saved you from the icy rocks that your father left you on" Lord Odin sighed, heavily. It's like a weight had been lifted "Yes, I was going to use you for political gain. But when you called me dad for the first time when you were no bigger than my arm, I knew you were my son"
"Father," Loki muttered as his eyes welled up. I do hope that this wasn't an act just for me. that Odin wasn't the dick that Loki said he was.
"I may not always have treated you the same as Thor but that was because you were always more independent than Thor" Lord Odin put his hand on Loki's shoulder "But as I grow older, I see that I should have treated you the same"
"He's right. Thor was always an airhead" Loki licked his lips as he chuckled "So you really do approve of my relationship with Thalia?"
"Loki, Be honest, would you have listened if I said no to dating this mortal?" Lord Odin raised his eyebrows and tilted his head at Loki.
"Good point" Loki scratched his head.
"You have always chosen your own path and Thalia here is a formidable post. Thor told us about her powers when he recently visited" Lady Frigga smiled. I was shocked to hear Lord Odin agree with Lady Frigga and that he too has respect for me "Makes me think that you should have been born a Valkyrie my dear" Lord Odin rolled his eyes. I chuckled behind my hands. I would love to be a Valkyrie. Loki tightened his hand on my waist.
"So was that all you wanted us for? Can we leave now?" Loki asked. Lady Frigga and Lord Odin looked at each other.
"There is one other matter..."
"And that is?" Both Loki and I asked. Lady Frigga pinched her lips as she looked at her husband.
"Are we going to have to worry about, you know, in terms of... accidents" Lord Odin smiled. It was strange to see him happy and smiling. From the stories that Loki and Thor have told me. Odin was sourpuss.
"Oh my god! Father!" Loki groans, throwing his hands over his face, completely embarrassed. I laughed. Knowing that we had the exact same conversation with Thor a short while ago (And my Nanna, But I never told Loki about that one)
"I'm just checking that you are being careful. As a father, I do worry about you" Lord Odin smiled at his son's discomfort.
"I'm over a thousand years old, for crying out loud. Do you really think I'd be so irresponsible as to -?" He cuts himself off. I hide my face in my hand. Loki pointed at me, playfully "Don't answer that"
"No, My Lord. You do not have to worry about that" I hugged Loki's arm.
"And if we were to have children, it wouldn't be an accident" Loki blurted out. Loki's hand flew to his mouth. I stared at him. Blinking only once.
"Okay, We need to have grown-up chat," I said to Loki as I pulled his arm. I turned to the King and Queen and bowed "My Lord, My Lady" As we walked away, I heard Lady Frigga and Lord Odin laughing. 
"She has tamed him"