Down below

Chapter 12.

Loki woke up in his bedroom. He didn't remember how he got there. He sat up and looked around. There was a tray on the table with a jug of water, fruits, oat cookies and a slice of toast. He saw broken pieces of a glass on the floor. A hazy memory of talking to Elianah popped into his mind and panic came over him.

'Fren!' he bellowed, hoping that she was lurking around somewhere, but received no answer.

He groaned and went to the bathroom to draw a bath. His head was fuzzy, his mouth dry. He wanted to curl up in a ball and stay like that forever. He took his trousers off and climbed into the bath tub. He heard footsteps and a gentle knock on the door.

'Your Highness?'

'Fren, there you are. Tell me, did you leave that tray in my bedroom?'

'I left the tray in the foyer as Lady Elianah instructed.'

'You let Lady Elianah in here? Why would you do that, you ignorant girl?'

'On your command, Your Highness. You insisted...'

'I was obviously in no fit state to give you commands!' he cut her off. 'And if I had asked you to jump off the balcony?'

'I would have jumped, Your Highness.'

Loki stared at her incredulously. She was always a strange little thing. He let out an exasperated groan.

'What happened after that?' he demanded.

'I don't know, Your Highness. Lady Elianah ordered me to leave.'

'You useless girl. I will deal with you later. How long have I been out?'

'It is close to dinner, Your Highness.'

'Draw me a bath, get me a jug of fresh water and clean this mess up.'

He was trying to recall what happened, but his memories were too hazy and he had a splitting headache. He did remember doing shots with Thor and Fandral after Elianah and Sif left, dancing around on tables, breaking glasses, then being out on the streets of Asgard, singing inappropriate songs, drinking from wineskin, Fandral begging them to keep their voices down. His stomach grumbled and he decided to attend dinner, hoping Thor or Fandral would fill in the gaps. He got dressed and dried his hair with magic, tying it up in a bun.

The moment he entered the feasting hall, he spotted Thor and the Warriors Three.

'Brother!' Thor waved at him and waited until he sat down. 'You're alive. You were in a merry state when I left you.' he added in a low voice and smirked.

'When did we get home?'

'With the first rays of the sun.' Thor replied. 'I hear you were sleeping all day while we were tending to our duties, preparing for the celebrations, training the guards...'

'Right, right!' Loki made an impatient flick of his wrists. 'I get the hint.'

'You also missed Sif training with Elianah. Our little guest nearly defeated Volstagg in her armor apparently commissioned by you.'

'That girl is fast as lighting.' Volstagg added and the conversation moved onto their fight, so Loki didn't have to address Thor's remark about the armor.

He felt a pang of shame rising in the pit of his stomach on the mention of Elianah although he tried to convince himself it was only the amount of alcohol he consumed bothering him. He wanted to avoid her and meet her at the same time. He could only hope he didn't offend her in any way.

'I need to find Sif to talk about the investigation.' Loki said and grabbed a crispy chicken drumstick.

'She is with Elianah. They are practicing dancing. I kept teasing Elianah about the ball. I think she's terrified of dancing in public.'