The Fallen Prince - Loki fanfiction ✓

2. Guests

The day before the coronation the party from Alfheim arrived by Bifrost. Loki reluctantly accompanied his mother to welcome the guests when they came through the portal. He was not looking forward to this, but he had decided to be on his best behaviour so he had the chance to size up his adversary.

Two tall warriors were the first to arrive, with multiple daggers and a bow and arrows strapped to their armour and a longsword in their hand. The Einherjar immediately took a battling stance, but upon seeing how the warriors stood perfectly still and politely greeted the Allmother and the prince, they relaxed again.

The Elfwarriors stood aside and the portal opened again, now to reveal a man and a woman, holding hands. They loosened their grip as soon as they touched ground and the man kept his hand on the hilt of his longsword. The woman was clad in a white hooded cloak, decorated with gold thread in a leaf pattern. Her clasped hands in front of her were hidden from view under her large sleeves, of which the pointed ends nearly came to the floor.

The man, dressed similarly to the other Elfwarriors, but clearly of noble descent, spoke up. "Lady Frigga, Allmother, may I present to you: princess Loriana of Alfheim, daughter of king Vonhir and queen Aylina of Alfheim."

Frigga took a step forward and bowed her head to her guests. "Greetings, princess Loriana, you are most welcome here. We are honoured by your presence."

The princess lowered her hood and Loki involuntarily held his breath for a second. The princess was even more beautiful than Hogun had suggested. She had a perfect porcelain skin, eyes blue like a summer sky, delicate features and long blonde hair that shone like gold. "Thank you, Queen Frigga. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Frigga smiled and gestured for Loki to step forward. "May I present to you my son, prince Loki of Asgard."

Loki bowed deeply for the foreign princess, something he knew would please his mother.
"I'm honoured to meet you, lady Loriana. The stories do your beauty no justice."
When he saw that the princess gave him a friendly smile, he extended his hand to her. She let him take her hand for a light kiss, but soon her hands were hidden under her cloak again. When Loki straightened he caught the gaze of her male companion, who looked at him with a stern face. Loki decided to ignore the look and addressed the princess again, he thought she looked a little shook from arriving through the portal.
"Travelling by Bifrost takes some getting used to, doesn't it, my Lady?"

She smiled politely again. "It does, my Lord. This was my first time and I must confess I was a little overwhelmed by it."
She turned to the man next to her, whose stern gaze softened when he met hers. "May I present to you, Lord Hergund, my guardian and loyal friend." The princess gestured to the man to her side, who inclined his head politely when his name was mentioned.

When everybody was properly introduced, including the two other Elfwarriors, who turned out to be low nobles by the names of Lord Bredun and Lord Mordan, the Bifrost opened another time. Six hooded servants stepped through, catching their breaths when they felt solid ground again. Loki chuckled softly when he saw the face of a young male who looked a little green around the nose. All the servants wore hooded travelling cloaks with pointed sleeves like their mistress, but theirs were plain grey and the tips of their sleeves were not as long as those of the princess.

Two servants joined the princess and her guardians when Loki and Frigga took the party outside to the awaiting horses. The other servants stayed behind to take care of the luggage that was sent through the portal.

Lord Hergund helped his princess on her horse, before Loki could offer his assistance. Instead, he gave his mother a little boost to help her in the saddle before he turned to his own horse, a black gelding with white socks and a white nose. Next to him, one of the servants had a little trouble, her shoe was tangled in the folds of her cloak which prevented her from putting her foot in the straps properly.