Midnight in the garden of mischief & mayhem

Chapter 16

The next few weeks were a blur of preparations for Thor's coronation. The entire realm, and indeed even others, held a feeling of acute anticipation. Everyone was buzzing with excitement and it felt like the entire world was in a tizzy, readying itself for a transfer of power that would change everything. 

The palace was the epicenter of this energy. Loki and I were both swept into the whirlwind and, though he seemed fine, I constantly worried over him. I knew how badly Loki had wanted the throne. Odin had raised the boys with the belief that they both had an equal chance at the kingship, but when the time came for a successor to be appointed, Odin all but ignored Loki.

I sneaked glances at Loki occasionally, and sometimes caught wistful looks of sadness when he thought no one was looking. The morning of the coronation, I helped him into the final pieces of his outfit an hour before the ceremony was to start. "My handsome prince," I laughed, smoothing down his cape.

He grinned wryly. "You look ravishing as well, my love." The softness in his gaze when he looked at me never ceased to catch me off guard. I took a moment to take my breath, and then I adjusted Loki's helmet one last time before he took my arm and led me out the door. 

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We were walking up the anterior hallways of the palace, having left behind the madness of the citizens of Asgard flooding through to the central chamber, all jostling each other to try to get a good view of the proceedings. 

This part of the palace was silent; our footsteps echoed between the tall golden walls, forming a cacophony. Suddenly, Loki turned to me. "There's something I need to take care of, would you mind meeting me outside the doors in a few moments?"

"Why not take me with you? I could afford a few minutes of delay."

"It is probably something I should do alone, my dear. I will meet you at the throne room doors in no more than 15 minutes, promise." With that, he was gone, walking away from me down a different passage. My eyes followed him until he was out of sight. It was becoming hard to swallow down and ignore the concern building in my chest.

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The ceremony was much shorter than I, or anyone for that matter, expected. Just as Thor was about to be crowned, the Allfather stopped, and uttered two of the most terrifying words. "Frost Giants."

The crowd was thrown into a panic. How had Frost Giants gotten into Asgard? They couldn't pass Heimdall, could they? Was this the beginning of a new war? The last one had nearly decimated Asgardian forces and, though no one ever spoke of it, we all knew our armies could not handle another conflict of that magnitude. 

In the frenzy, I managed to slip through a back door and find the Queen. I hadn't seen Loki in the mayhem and I was beginning to worry. "Have you seen Loki, my Queen?"

"He, Odin, and Thor went to investigate the breach of defenses in the weapons vault." She reached out and laid her hand on my arm, her eyes silently reassuring me that everything would be okay.

I breathed a sigh of relief a few minutes later when Loki, Odin, and Thor returned. The King looked concerned. "There were only three, a rogue group perhaps. Nothing the Destroyer could not handle, there is no need to panic." Though his words were meant to assuage any fears we had, I could tell it still bothered him that the Jotuns had managed to enter the realm in the first place. 

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I was reading in my bed by the light of the full moon. The glass doors of the balcony were open and a breeze filled the white gossamer curtains. I was startled by the door to my chambers being thrown open without a knock, but my fear turned to worry when I saw who had come in.