A Royal Arrangement

Chapter 21

- Queen Frigga's Pov -

"What have you done?" I asked again, and Loki could only look at me in bewilderment "Do not look at me like that. I was summoned to the Bifrost where Heimdall informed me that you had done something, and Vesper had returned home without you. Out of concern, I just went to the Hawthorne's where I was told that the family was indisposed now but I heard Vesper crying in the background in one of the rooms," Loki sat down at the edge of the bed.
"Oh, mother. I did something foolish," said Loki, feeling very guilty.
"Tell me," I spoke as I stood in front of him, and Loki explained everything to me.

"And then I realized I had made a mistake and left," Loki sighed, finally pausing for breath. It was a lot of information to take in.
"Are you out of your mind?" I exclaimed when my son had finished. I slapped him around the head.
"Ow! Big ring!" Loki winced as he rubbed his head.
"Oh, please, we both know that didn't hurt you. It just made me feel better," I scoffed. Loki closed his eyes and looked to the floor "What were you thinking? Someone must have seen you and told your wife. Good God, Loki! I never thought you, of all people, would do such a stupid thing."
"No one on Midgard knows her. So the only one that could tell her is... Heimdall,"
"I asked him already. He knew nothing until Vesper called for him. Another source told Vesper,"
"Her sister. I invited her sister here to keep her company while I went to the theatre. Tallulah. She must have seen me on her way to see Vesper," Loki stammered. I pinched my nose "I need to go see her,"
"I think that would be wise," I said, gesturing my hands in the direction of the door "Do try to make it up to her. For God's sake, use that silver tongue of yours for good then stupidity," He grabbed his coat and ran out the door, shouting for Heimdall. I ran a hand over my face. Why are my sons so useless in relationships? I hope Loki and Vesper work out. She is such a sweet girl. It's my son that needs a kicking. I sighed and walked out of the room. Shouting Heimdall as I walked into the street. Time to see my other sons.

- Loki's Pov -

I didn't even speak to Heimdall as I arrived. I ran like a madman to my wife's parent's house and started pressing the doorbell. The butler opened the door a tad.
"I'm sorry Lord Odinson but I have strict orders to keep you out," said Mr Corleys while blocking the entrance. I tried budging the door open.
"Please... Let me through! I need to speak to her!" I tried to push the butler out of the way, but the man would not budge.
"Let him in," I heard her say and he investigated the distance and saw her standing with her mother. I finally got throw the door and ran to the stairs.
"Vesper... Darling I... I am so-" Loki began before getting blocked by Lilith Hawthorne. Sighing, "Can you move, please? I need to speak to my wife,"
"Are you sure you want to speak to him?" her mother asked, without looking over her shoulder.
"Yes, mother. Mr. Corleys, would you please escort Lord Odinson to the drawing room... I'll be right there." Vesper mumbled. Corleys gently but firmly guided me to the drawing room.

The next few minutes were the longest of my life, while I waited for her. I felt restless and uncertain and I wished she would appear already. I was risking losing control of myself at any moment. I needed to convince her that I had made a big, immense mistake but that nothing had happened. I needed to tell her that I had been stupid, an imbecile. I needed to tell her that I loved her and that I couldn't live without her. That she had every right to blame me but that I hoped she would not send me away because that... would break me.

The door flew open, and she walked in. I could see that she had been crying a lot, and I immediately felt guilty and awful. I immediately got up to walk towards her but Vesper held her hand up.
"NO!! You stay put. Don't you come near me," she exclaimed in a trembling voice, and I meekly sat back down and stared at the floor. I slowly looked up at her "Now. Answer my questions. Did you go to the opera yesterday? An opera where Miss Hellstrand performed," she asked me after a long silence. "Vesper... I can assure you that-"
"Answer the question, Loki..." she almost shouted.
"Yes," I replied dejectedly.
"And did you go backstage?" she asked.
"Vesper. I... Please, let me-"
"TELL ME!!!!!" She screamed.
"Yes..." I said in a soft voice, looking at her with difficulty. She only shook her head.
"You UNBELIEVABLE hypocrite!!!" she sneered with tears in her eyes and a faltering voice. I stood up and started walking towards her, against her will "Don't come any closer!" she yelled. I stilled in my movement once more but did not sit down this time. I just stood there.
"Vesper, You must know that nothing happened between her and me. My love... I've been an idiot and what I've done is terrible, but please... give me a chance to make it right between us" But all hope of that happening seemed to be fading away quickly judging her reaction.
"That time you accused me of arranging a meeting with Dimitri at the museum... Accusing me of still having feelings for him while you're the one who still has feelings for her... the hypocrisy truly is staggering."
"I have no feelings for her! I have feelings for YOU! " I shouted, now also losing control of my emotions.
"And I'm just supposed to believe that? Who says you and she didn't -"
"Nothing happened... I repeat... Nothing happened. We only talked and-"
"Spare me your lies, Loki... I don't want to hear it," I saw that she had started to cry, something I could not bear to watch. I was responsible for these tears.
"Vesper, you must believe me. I'm so sorry... I'm sorry, I'll say sorry a thousand times as long as you give me a chance to make it up to you. I love you, I realised that now. I was a fool, but I love you... Please," I begged. I tried to get closer to her to embrace her, but she backed away.
"No. NO. This is over," she claimed, and a mixture of shock, sadness and pain went through me "I will be contacting our lawyer soon to start the divorce proceedings."
"You can't be serious... Vesper. There is no need for us to separate, no need at all," I stated as I moved closer "Can we just talk about this?" I suggested with a soft tone, vulnerable and uncertain.
"What good is that going to do? There is nothing left to discuss and we don't have a home together anymore. I will ask the maid to fetch my things soon," she countered. These words angered me a great deal and I am ashamed to say that her words made me lose my composure.
"I will not allow that! You can't just dissolve our marriage like this. You and I are going home now so we can sort this out," but she shook her head.
"You promised you would never hurt me, Loki. You promised yet you did," she said tearfully.
"I know. I know, please forgive me. Please," I stated softly as she walked in her direction, but she held her hand up, making me stop. We stood there for a little while just staring at each other but not being able to speak much more "I can't lose you,"
"You already have," Neither of us had noticed that Vesper's father had entered the drawing room, too lost in gazing at each other, eyes flickering with emotions that displayed regret and hurt.

- Lord Hawthrone's Pov -

I could not bear to see the hurt in my child's eyes anymore. I let out a loud cough as I quickly concluded what needed to be done.
"Loki... I am going to ask you to leave now," I said, making the Prince jump.
"But Sir. I... We are not done with discussing the... matter at hand," Loki objected. I walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, I think you are done for now," I countered. Loki sighed and shook his head and then directed his attention to Vesper.
"Don't make any hasty decisions, Vesper. I beg you," he said before giving her one last look, nodding as a goodbye. My daughter nodded at me before she ran off upstairs.

"She will be back with him before the month is out," My wife spoke as soon as the front door shut. Only just moving out of the way as Vesper ran past her, yelling that hell would freeze over before she was in his arms again. I rolled my eyes and stared at her.
"And what makes you say that?"
"I am her mother and I say so. Her marriage to the Prince has opened many doors for us," Lilith crossed her arms.
"She is hurting. Loki broke her heart!" I raised my voice.
"And she will suck it up. Divorce is not an option for this family!" Lilith shouted.
"Is that so? Great news then, I will be divorcing you once Tallulah is of age. And I can guarantee that the kids will come with me!"
"Take them. I never wanted children. I did what was expected of me. Just as Vesper and Tallulah will do. I have already lined a suitable suitor up for Tallulah once she reaches 1000 years old. Lord Gisbourne is back in Alfhiem. His family will make ours rich beyond our wildest dreams." Lilith boasted.
"He is a horselord. He runs the crime syndicate," I scrunched my nose. I need to end this marriage and fast.
"And Tallulah will be his slut," Lilith flicked her hair over her shoulder "And you don't have the balls to divorce me,"
"Good luck with that marriage, Tallulah is even more stubborn than you or Vesper. Thank the Gods that Killian can't have children. You made sure of that when he was a mere babe,"
"Do not blame that on me," Lilith smiled. I hated this witch. Maybe the All-Father can help me divorce her quicker.
"I shall blame you! In a fit of rage, you squeezed his testicles so hard, they burst. You nearly ended his life when he was a babe! If your father hadn't threatened to take the kid's lives, I would have taken the children a long time ago. You and your family are fucking nutjobs!" I yelled as I finally got to the top of the stairs. I stared at Lilith. It would take much just to nudge her and watch as she bounced down the stairs. If only it had not been against my family's tradition to get a divorce. I do hope that Odin can help me.
"Do not speak of my family that way!" Lilith screamed in my face. I wanted to reach for her neck.
"I will speak how I want of the dead," I then leaned in and kissed her cheek "And I will divorce you, mark my words. I will," I pushed past the bitch and stormed to my room.
"You do not have the balls," I wish I had acted on my impulses and pushed her down the stairs.

- Loki's Pov -

I intended to have Edward bring the last bottle of alcohol from the cellar. I wanted nothing more than to get completely drunk. I wanted to silence my feelings in any way I could; perhaps then I could get rid of the gnawing guilt in me. I was going to lose her. I knew it deep down, even though thoughts of hope still danced through my mind.

I had just downed the latest bottle when the door flew open and I looked up at my visitor, or visitors in this case.
"Drinking? Do you really have nothing better to do?" Vidarr took the bottle away from me.
"Ah, wonderful. It is D'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos and.... Damn it what was the last one again?" I tried to remember.
"Aramis. And thank you for referring to me as D'Artagnan by the way," Vidarr added with a smile to which Vali scoffed.
"Who says you are the one he was referring to? Maybe he meant me?" Vali spoke, boastful as always. Vidarr turned around and tilted his head "Alright then, you are D'Artagnan..." Vali stated reluctantly and rolled his eyes in the process and it made such a funny sight to see that it made Vidarr chuckle.
"As much as I would love to listen to you women bicker. Why are you here?" I asked.
"Mother sent us," Vidarr sat down next to me. Our brothers sat down on whatever they could find to sit on.

- Thor's Pov -

I had called for the butler to bring another bottle (or five) of ale. I had a feeling that we were all going to need a drink at some point tonight.
"Are you alright, Brother?" Vali asked out of genuine concern.
"No. Nothing is right at all," Loki exclaimed with gritted teeth.
"Yeah, we heard that you behaved like a preposterous idiot," I said. Tactful as ever. Which earned me a glare from Vali "I mean um... we heard that you made a mistake," I added quickly.
"That is unfortunately true," Loki sighed and then took a big gulp from his whiskey glass "And what a mistake it was... Well, I am happy you guys showed up. Now I can toast with you instead of doing it alone. To the demise of my marriage," he said sarcastically and raised his glass to the company and then downed the drink.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Loki, I am sure things are not that bleak. You are probably going to have to eat dirt until the end of your days, but you guys will work things out surely," I sighed.
"that's the thing, I don't think that it will," Loki replied, downing his drink "She was talking about getting a divorce." I grimaced and looked at our brother concluding that he did not look good, his hair a mess, his eyes deeply withdrawn, and Loki sat with a dirty, half-unbuttoned shirt.
"People say things they don't mean when they are angry and right now, she is exactly that, angry but that doesn't mean she won't be able to forgive you," I suggested in a soft tone.
"Would Sif forgive you? If you had done what I have?" asked Loki sharply. I knew the answer, never in a million years would Sif forgive for any interaction with an ex. Jane was an exception. I had no choice but to interact with her as she was Valkeriye's intern in New Asgard. And the difference was that she was on Midgard and I was on Asgard.
"Please, we both know that Sif would have had him by the bollocks if he had pulled a stunt like this," Vali chuckled, kicking over an empty bottle "Did you drink all these?" Loki nodded. Vali let out a whistle.
"Forgiveness varies. I think that depends on what happened I guess?" Vidarr argued as he looked over at Loki.
"That's the thing. Nothing happened at all. Yes, I went to her performance but I arrived at the end. Yes, I've been backstage with her too, but we just talked. Just spoke to each other. Nothing out of sorts occurred. When I came to my senses and realized the stupidity of my error I left immediately."
"And did you tell Vesper this?" I asked. Loki nodded.
"I tried to explain that to Vesper, but she didn't believe me and wouldn't listen" repeated Loki and then downed the entire content of his glass. He went to reach for another bottle but Vidarr reached for his hand and took it from him "Hey!" Loki moved towards our brother, reaching for the bottle of ale.
"By the smell of your breath, you have had enough for today. Possibly tomorrow as well," as he psychically recoiled at Loki's breath.
"Give it back, Vidarr. Now." But he said, looking at Vidarr menacingly. Oh, this should be good. Loki can fight but Vidarr is a formidable fighter.
"No," Vidarr shook his head. Vali leaned over and whispered in my ear that we needed some grapes while watching this.
"I'm warning you. If you don't give me back my glass then..."
"Then what, Loki? What? Do tell me, are we going to duel at dawn? Or throw punches here? Fine. It won't be a problem for me, but it will be an unfair fight for you are drunk as a skunk and I'm not but if you insist... I'll be happy to oblige so long as you will be the one explaining to everyone why we fought and why I broke your nose," Vidarr answered and Loki remained silent and backed down "I thought so,"
"Why don't you go to sleep, brother... Maybe try again in the morning. she may think differently and then you can try to talk to Vesper again..." Vali suggested.
"And if she won't talk to me, what do you suggest I do?" asked Loki.
"Then you give her time to think.... just as she needs, brother. You have no other choice but if I were you, I would go sleep on it and try again tomorrow. And do it sober," Vidarr sighed.
"You know he is right, it is getting late," I said, walking over to Loki and holding out my hand to him "Come on, we'll take you upstairs. There is no way you will make it there on your own, not in this state," I argued.
"There is no need. I can walk," but when Loki got up too quickly, he suffered vertigo and nearly tumbled backwards, but Vidarr luckily caught him.
"Point. Proven." I concluded with a sigh as I reached for Loki, grabbed him, and put an arm around my shoulder to support him "Boys, Some help please," Thor said to which Vidarr came up to Loki's left and the three of us walked slowly upstairs. Vali ran ahead and opened the door.

Arriving in Loki's bedroom, Vidarr removed Loki's shirt and socks, and we put the idiot to bed and left. Hoping he will pass out soon.
"Night night," Vidarr spoke as he shut the door "Someone needs to make sure that he washes tomorrow. He stinks,"
"Not it," I clicked my fingers.
"Oh, I know. I'm making Vali do it," Vidarr smiled as we both looked over at our brother. Vali squeaked and ran off, shouting not it. Vidarr and I laughed as we followed him.

Vali was standing at the bottom of the stairs as me and Vidarr walked down them.
"What do we do now?" He asked. I looked back up the stairs and then at my brothers.
"We find a blanket and pick a sofa," I said, rubbing my hands together "It looks like we are staying tonight,"
"Before we sleep. We should remove the ale so he doesn't drink himself to death. I do not think Valhalla will cope with him," Vali walked back to the front room.
"I'll help. Vidarr, You can go and find the blankets in the meantime," I ordered.
"You made him the boss," Vidarr grumbled.
"Because I am the firstborn son. Okay. Do as you are told," I sighed. Vidarr grumbled as he walked off. Maybe Loki had the right idea about drinking. I am going to need an ale or two myself if I have to put up with these morons.