The Quest

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Ilmr found Faith an outfit of leather jeans, a rich purple tunic top and a long sleeveless coat, with a pinched waste and such a long and full skirt, that it could pass as a dress. Faith accepted it as a reasonable compromise.

She walked into the banquet hall with Ilmr, but the girl waved to her friends and soon disappeared. Faith kept to the edges and walked a lap of the banquet hall to see what was happening.

The celebration was an informal affair and rather reminded her of the few taverns she had visited, the only difference being that tonight there was music and dancing.

Rows of tables and benches lined the sides of the rooms and there were perpendicular tables at the end of the hall, either side of the doors, which housed the food and drink, enough to feed a large army. Volstagg was piling his plate high with delicacies and he nodded to her as she passed. Faith smiled in reply.

At the opposite end of the hall from the food, were musicians, playing the type of merry tunes that Faith didn’t recognise, but that she could have easily picked up if she were so inclined.

In the middle were the dancers, who were hopping around in an energetic display of some sort of cross between sequence dancing, and an Irish Jig on crack. There was little finesse to the dances but much enthusiasm.

Over in one corner, were the warriors two (Volstagg was still raiding the buffet table), the Lady Sif, Thor and Loki, who were regaling a raptured audience with tales of the battle, and the defeat of the plundering fire demons.

Faith paused and watched them from a distance for a few moments. Fandral and Thor did most of the talking, except when Lady Sif interrupted to correct them (or tell the truth). Hogun mostly stayed silently but with a very slight smile on his lips, clearly pleased with their performance today. Loki joined in occasionally, usually when prompted to do so by Thor but while he smiled, he seemed unwilling. Although it sounded as if he had fought valiantly today, his heart didn’t appear to be in the celebration.

“Penny for them.”

Faith jumped and turned to the man who had just spoken into her ear. She looked between him and Loki for a moment, until she remembered that he could project other versions of himself.

“I was just thinking that you don’t seem to be enjoying yourself,” she answered truthfully.

Loki's eyebrows rose a little, surprised but pleased by her observation.

“And what makes you say that?”

He was standing so close to her that she could practically feel him pressed into her back, and she enjoyed his proximity more than she should.

She turned back to the other Loki, seated over by Thor.

“Your smile doesn’t reach your eyes and when no one’s looking at you, you appear slightly pensive. You’re sipping at your goblet but hardly ever topping it up, and you never interrupt to correct anyone, you wait for someone to invite you to talk which, forgive the insult, isn’t how someone with an ego like yours usually behaves.”

“Oh? How should I behave?”

“However you want, I’m merely saying that if you wanted to be here, you would be louder and more boastful. Plus, and I’d take this as a compliment if I were you, you’re too refined for a gathering like this.”

“What event would you suggest was more to my liking?”

“You’re more of a dinner party person I would think. Black tie balls and cocktail parties, the theatre, the ballet and the opera. This,” she gestured to the dancers and musicians, “is too uncouth for someone like you… In my opinion… For what it’s worth.”