Into the Unknown

Kingdom Dance

The library is huge! There are shelves upon shelves filled with books and scrolls.

"Wow! Now I know how Belle felt!" I say taking a few steps away from Loki.

"Who?" I hear him ask.

"Belle from the movie Beauty and the Beast. She loves to read so the Beast gives her a library as thanks for saving him."

He steps up beside me. "Then you shall have to show me this movie."

I let out a laugh. "No you don't want to watch it with me. I will sing all the songs." I laugh until I register his words. "Wait, does that mean that you're coming back to Earth?"

He looks down and clasps his hands behind his back. "Yes. In fact, I will be going back with you. It is part of my punishment."

I look at him, horrified. Not because he was coming to Earth with me. But that it was a punishment. I frown and look away from him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."

He steps in front of me and lifts my chin so that I'm looking at him. "Never apologize for that. You were in trouble and needed help."

"But I didn't want you to be punished for it." Once again, Loki does something heroic and is villainized for it.

He gives me a small smile. "It's better than being thrown in the dungeons. It was mother and Thor who helped change Odin's mind about that."

I scowl at that. One more reason for me to hate that bastard! With a huff I step away from him.

"I prefer to not be mad when I'm surrounded by books. So show me the kinds of books you like."

Loki's smile grows wider as he leads me through the shelves. We spend the rest of the afternoon there and he even has a tray of snacks, which consisted of nothing but fruit and nuts, brought to us.

"Well, at least when we both go to Earth, I'm going to introduce you to Earth snacks." I tell him.

He laughs. "What was that thing you gave me when we first met?"

"The Snickers? It's a candy bar. There are tons more of them." I answer him.

I don't even notice time going by. To hear Loki talk about his favorite books has become one of my favorite things to do. I don't even notice that someone else has entered the library until I hear someone clear their throat.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, My Lady, but I need to get you ready for dinner." Kari says as she curtsies.

"Oh ok." I say standing up from the chair I was sitting in.

"You will be eating dinner with us from now on. As a guest." Loki says. Guess he could sense my confusion.

"Really? Awesome!" I exclaim.

I follow Kari back to my room where she draws me another bath, which feels so good. My legs were finally starting to ache from riding a horse. Kari fixes my hair again when I reach up and gently grab her hand.

"Thank you Kari, for today."

She blushes and smiles. "Oh you're welcome, My Lady. To be honest, I'm rooting for you. I've seen the way you look at Prince Loki. I think you're exactly what he needs."

I blush at that. "Am I...really not that subtle?"

She laughs. "To another woman in love? No. To a man? Well, men are so oblivious about some things."

I laugh with her. "So who are you in love with? If you don't mind me asking?"

Her smile grows softer. "He's an Einherjar. We've been courting for a year."