The Curse

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Once upon a time, there was a very lonely prince, without any real friends. He had a loving mother, it was true, but his father always preferred his brother, the golden son. So, the Prince was stuck in the shadow of this brilliant sun, always the second choice, never the first.

He went on adventures with his brother and his friends, but he always felt as a fish out of water. He tried desperately to fit in, tried to be as brave and bold as the others, but he never truly was part of the merry band. He was a patch, not an official member of their team.

He longed for it, though. He longed for true, real acceptance. He wanted a hand to hold his and never let him go, he wanted someone to jump into his arms joyfully every time he opened them. Someone to cheer for him from the stands. Thor did it, from time to time, but then his friends would sneer at him and remind him that "magic was cheating" and that therefore, he did not deserve such applause. He needed someone to stand up for him, and tell them they were wrong, stand by his side in his glorious or not so glorious moments.

He needed a friend. His friend, not his brother's. Someone that would put him first, that would chose him. Not Thor, or anyone else.

Did such a person truly exist? Loki was starting to doubt it.

In friendship, like in love, they always chose Thor, didn't they?

Sif. Volstagg. Hogun. Fandral.

And Norns. Amora, most of all. The beautiful Enchantress flirted with him, shared his bed from time to time, but whenever Thor smiled at her, or gave her a sweet word, it was clear who had her preference.

Always Thor, never him.

One day, Loki decided to take a day off from his brother's adventures – it was not like anyone was going to miss him- and have a little walk downtown. It was a lovely day, the sun was shining, and there were many people on the public square.

Ah. Of course. This was market day! The Asgardians, nobles and commoners alike, were very fond of this weekly tradition, and he understood perfectly. The profusion of smells, tastes, noises of all kinds was addicting.

Pure chaos unleashed, how delightful!

There were so many people that day, it was easy to stay anonymous, mostly with his dark cloak and casual clothes. It was not like anyone ever truly paid attention to him – except when he was making mischief. And so, he could wander among the citizens of the Golden city, enjoying the food and playing tricks on some of the merchants.

Fruits, vegetables, meat of all kinds, fish, plants, books – some interesting ones, other much less, but he still found one volume on Vanir magic that could interest his mother.

There was also some antiques that caught his eye. A few piece of cheap jewelry, some old ceramic plates with a nice design, a map from Alfheim, and a quaint little statue. He picked up the last item and inspected it. It was not really beautiful, but once he had it in his hand, he could not put it down.

The figure represented was female, with voluptuous forms, clothed in the Vanir fashion, but in a quite modest way. The lady was rather pretty, Loki admitted to himself with a smile, with a lovely, sweet face, pretty eyes and dainty hands. She had a soft demeanor that made the Prince want to keep her close to his heart and never let her go.

She could be a good gift for his mother's birthday... on the other hand, he was not sure if he wanted to give the statuette to anyone, not even his mother.

"How much?", Loki asked the merchant, trying not to sound too interested, in case the dealer would increase the price suddenly.

"It's in pure gold, m'lord", the seller commented.