A Royal Arrangement

Chapter 5

- Loki's Pov -

"But you can't," Vesper's aunt, Lady Agatha Fjordson had exclaimed and both Lady Hawthorne, Vesper and I looked strangely at her "We already have made some living arrangements for her, didn't we dear?" and she had looked at her husband, Lord Matthew Fjordson for support.
"Uh, yes we did.. and we were so looking forward to you joining us, Vesper. The children of course as well," Matthew argued, which was a lie because the kids did not particularly care. I was aware of the truth. The only reason they were eagerly looking forward to her visit was because it provided them with ample opportunity to leave their children under Vesper's care and go gallivanting to any realm they desired. As I looked at Vesper, I sensed she had something to say, but as always, her mother interrupted her.
"My dear little sister, I am certain you and Matthew have done your best to provide my daughter with suitable living conditions and I understand that she had agreed to stay with you but these plans have changed now," Lady Hawthorne placed her hands neatly in front of her "Even you would not want to sabotage the happiness of your niece?" Lady Hawthorne reprimanded, and Lady Fjordson went bright red and started to stammer. I thought I was good with words. Lady Hawthorne is giving me a run for my money. Lady Fjordson looked at her sister.
"Of course not, dearest Lilith. I would never do that." Lady Fjordson responded to Lady Hawthorne's accusation with a firm denial. Her tone was sincere and comforting as if she was trying to ease Lady Hawthorne's worries. Turning to Vesper, Lady Fjordson's expression changed. She looked at Vesper with a hint of sadness "It's just a pity. The children and I are so fond of you." Lady Fjordson then smiled at Vesper and continued, "But we are incredibly happy for you, of course, dearest niece." Her voice was warm and genuine, but there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
"Thank you, Auntie Aggie," A moment later, Lady Fjordson exchanged a disgruntled and disappointed look with her husband, who was standing next to her. It was as if they both shared a secret that they didn't want to reveal. Finally, Lady Fjordson hugged Vesper briefly and then let her go. It was a simple gesture, but it spoke volumes about Lady Fjordson's feelings towards her niece. Despite her disappointment, Lady Fjordson still loved Vesper and wished her all the best.
"Looks like we'll have to come back soon, for the wedding, I mean," Matthew then cheerily said with a completely fake happy disposition.
"Yes of course! You must!" Lady Hawthorne claimed. Lord Hawthorne blinked in confusion at his wife for he knew she and Agatha had never been close or would they ever be. There had been bad blood between them since they were teenagers. Everyone knew it "It would be lovely to have you but.. dear Matthew, Agatha." an anxious look came across Lady Hawthorne's face "I think it is best to seek lodging elsewhere seeing our house is a bit too small is it not?" Vesper's mother argued. Lady Hawthorne faked a sigh but was able to pull it off convincingly before continuing "I would not want to cause you any discomfort, My dear sister. Besides, we likely won't be home much since we have a wedding to plan on truly short notice. Oh God, how will we be able to pull that off?" Lady Hawthorne 'concernedly' stated, shaking her head and then she directed her attention towards her husband.
"Oh how indeed," Lord Hawthrone mumbled.
"Dorian, will you be so kind as to arrange their accommodation for the wedding? See to it that you find a reputable, good hotel, for my dearest sister and her family." Lady Hawthorne asked. Lord Hawthorne was doing his outright best not to burst out in laughter at the clever way his wife had just handled things, effectively killing two birds with one stone.
"Of course, Matthew & Agatha, please allow me to take care of things. I'll send word to you when the wedding is happening," he said trying not to laugh. Agatha was happy as it appeared that Lord Hawthorne would be footing the bill for the hotel.
"And not to worry. We'll make sure the hotel knows that you will be paying upfront," Lady Hawthorne said sweetly, and Agatha's face dropped instantly. The Fjordsons said goodbye to the Hawthorne's and judging by their dirty looks, I just know that the Fjordsons were annoyed "My Prince, Vesper. If you want you may wish to discuss things further inside, please. I don't want to draw a crowd," Lady Hawthorne said and they followed her to the hallway, awkwardly and silently "Oh... If you wish, you may join us for lunch," Vesper's mother offered but I had looked at my pocket watch, I did not have the time. (Or the patience for this woman.) I had another meeting to attend.
"I would love to, but I cannot stay long as I have an appointment soon." I declined.
"Very well," Lady Hawthorne said, she glanced at both her daughter and me with an expression I could not decipher but then went upstairs to tend to her other children. And then we were alone. Neither of us spoke to the other. And I am also most confident that Vesper felt as uncomfortable as I did.

- Vesper's Pov -

"That.. that was an unexpected development," I stuttered.
"Indeed. It was a productive meeting," Loki said with a nervous smile. I nodded and then stared at the pavement "I suppose we have some things to talk about," he began awkwardly. I nodded.
"It would seem so,"
"My itinerary is booked for the next two days, unfortunately, and I cannot alter these appointments but are you... are you free on Wednesday? Around noon?" Loki asked and I nodded again.
"Indeed, my lord,"
"Great. Great. I know this place, The Lion... it's a lovely establishment but a bit far from Asgard's city centre but it has a lovely, secluded garden. You don't have to worry about privacy, we can discuss things freely there," he added. As I read through the last sentence of the text, a sudden realization dawned on me. It was about the location of the upcoming meeting... a secluded garden that was quite far from where we were. As I pondered over it more, I couldn't shake off the feeling that this was the same place where he usually met his ex before. The thought of this made me feel a sudden jolt of disappointment that ran through my body.
"That would be great," However, I knew it was irrational to feel that way, as I had no right to be upset. Despite that, I couldn't help but fault him for choosing such an unfortunate location, even though it wasn't his fault. He had no way of knowing that the place held some negative connotations for me. Moreover, I wasn't planning on telling him that the location was in poor taste, even if I felt so.
"Right. Then I'll come by around noon. Goodbye for now," Loki concluded and then bowed, smiled nervously, turned and exited the house. I let out a sigh. I needed to calm down and reflect on the events of the afternoon. Shove this lot. I am going to my room.

- Loki's Pov -

As I made my way back home, I tried my best to remain calm, although it was difficult considering the recent events that had just transpired. I had proposed to her, got told yes then not even 10 minutes later got rejected. Which hurt like hell but then to my surprise, a few days later, Vesper had agreed to marry me. Initially, I had thought that it was a marriage of convenience; a mutually beneficial arrangement that would help us both achieve our goals. However, as I walked and pondered over the recent events, I began to question my thoughts. Why did my heart start racing when she said yes? Was there something more to this? Despite my doubts, I knew that I had to be rational and not let my emotions get the best of me. I needed to focus on the bigger picture and the matters ahead. I knew that I had to tell my family about this decision, and that was not going to be easy. They had always been traditional and would not take kindly to a marriage that was not based on love. However, I was determined to convince them that it was the right decision for me.

As I continued to walk, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought of ruining Thor's bet with Vali. Thor had bet Vali that I wouldn't be able to propose to her, and now that I had, I had won the bet. However, I knew that Vidarr was aware of this bet, and I didn't want him to reveal it to anyone else.  I had a lot to think about, but for now, I just needed to focus on getting home. I needed to prepare myself mentally and emotionally for the conversations that lay ahead. I had to convince my family that this was the right decision for me and that it was not just a marriage of convenience. I needed to be sure that I was making the right decision before I embarked on this life-changing journey.

- Thor's Pov -

I was sitting on the floor, playing cards with my younger brother Vali, Hela and Sif were chatting busily with each other and Vidarr & Baldur were kicking each other under the table.
"Brother, are you sure you are not cheating? You always seem to win," Vali threw his cards down.
"Nonsense. I am just better than you at this game. Same again?" I smiled as I dealt the cards.
"Do you boys always have to argue over cards?" Mother rubbed the sides of her temples "And will you two stop kicking each other!?" Mother yelled at my other siblings "Vidarr, you know Baldur is invincible to most things. Kicking him will do no damage,"
"Makes me feel better," Vidarr mumbled. Mother sighed loudly.
"I do wish you lot would stop arguing,"
"Mother, If we didn't argue, you would think we are dying," Vali picked his cards up, before placing down his bets "I bet one week of cleaning toilets,"
"I call your bet with another week of cleaning the stables," I grinned. I then heard the door open and saw Loki walk into the room "Afternoon, brother,"
"Loki, what are you doing here? Didn't you have an appointment with your bookkeeper this afternoon?" Mother inquired, a bit surprised to see him.
"I have indeed, so I am going to make this brief," he shifted a tad unease in the beginning if he was honest "I, urm, have an announcement to make," he said, trying to speak over the noise in the room. It worked because for a second all eyes were on him "As you know I have proposed to Vesper Hawthorne and she has accepted," The room had fallen silent and our mother's mouth had dropped open. Then the next second Hela got up and ran to hug, and congratulate him and the others followed suit.
"Goddamn it, I lost another bet!" Vali threw a pouch of gold coins at me.
"I told you it would happen. And you also lost the card game. I have a pair of aces while you have a three and four. Have fun cleaning the stables," Vail got up and grumbled. Something about how he had everyone's chores to do.
"I do not have words other than congratulations," Mother finally spoke, hugging Loki.
"Thank you. Now... I have to go to the bookkeepers now, but I just wanted to inform everyone." Loki said, releasing himself from the embrace and patting on the back of his sisters and brothers. With a nod, he left the room.

"That I was not expecting," Baldur leaned on the back of a chair.
"I did. I was there when she agreed," I raised my hand. Vidarr agreed.
"And we all that the man needs someone to help him forget that two-timing bitch," Hela crossed her arms
"Hela," Mother warned.
"But I am not wrong though," Hela and Sif then went back to talking "Sif, perhaps we should go visit Vesper,"
"Let's leave her tonight. She will be overwhelmed with it all," Sif smiled. I shrugged and turned to Vali "Perhaps tomorrow would be better. Gives things a chance to calm down,"
"Another game?"
"You have no chores left to give," Vali crossed his arms. I smirked as I dealt the cards.
"Beat me ten out 15 times and I will do all the chores,"
"You're on,"

- Loki's Pov -

That evening I was in my room, going through some documents the bookkeeper had given me when someone knocked on my door and I said they could enter.
"Hello, Mother," She walked over towards me and I put down my pen and paper.
"So, is your affairs all in order?" she asked.
"Yes, they are mother, but I presume you're not here to ask about our family's finances?" I nonchalantly asked. She just smiled briefly. I knew this conversation was going to happen. I stood up and offered Mother my seat as I sat on the bed. soon we were sitting across from each other.
"I should be ecstatic that you finally decided to wed but, Loki, Are you sure you want to? And with her?" she spoke with a concerned intonation in her voice. Loki nodded instead of providing a verbal answer. Mother sighed then resumed silence for a little while "It is not easy to sustain a marriage of convenience, Loki, especially where the two people involved hardly know each other. It is a daunting task and not everyone is equipped for it and I do not want you or her for that matter to suffer." Mother paused, she seemed to be debating something in her head.
"Mother, please, say what is on your mind,"
"It's even worse when the bride and groom might be still thinking of... others. I can sense that Vesper might still have feelings for Lord Grimwood and maybe, the possibility exists that you are still thinking of -"
"Mother, please... Do not say her name" I interrupted my mother. I will admit that I was a tad snappy "You do not have to explain things to me that I already know. And while I appreciate your concern, Lady Hawthorne... Vesper and I have decided to wed. And in the interest of getting to know her, I am going to meet with her tomorrow to discuss things. I think a short-notice wedding will be best, don't you think? We should do our best to diminish the rumours that have begun to circle," I concluded, still slightly snippy. My mother looked at me a while longer then got up yet did not remove her eyes from me.
"I am worried that you are making a mistake, especially one that cannot be fixed easily and that could negatively affect your life at one point," she replied and shook her head again, sighing deeply.
"I understand, mother," I sighed, smiling.
"And as your father likes to tell me, you are a grown man and not a child anymore and I am to let you make your own choices. And we both know that I can't stop you even if I want to. Believe me, I have tried in the past. Vesper is a lovely young lady we are all fond of. So, I will respect your decision and honour your wishes, but I will not sit here and lie to you that I do not have concerns," she solemnly said, shortly later turning around to make her exit yet she stopped at the door and turned back once more "However, you are my son and I love you, Loki. I want nothing more than your happiness. I mean that," Mother sincerely said. I slowly stood up.
"I know you do," I nodded and a second afterwards, I got up and embraced my mother for a while. She then proceeded to walk towards the door and walked near it, but I had wanted to say one more thing to her "I love you too Mother," Mother just smiled at me and left. I quickly locked the door as I sensed one of my siblings coming down the hall. I was not in the mood for any of them.