The Brightest Star

Chapter 36 - A Friend

(Kára's POV):
I awoke the next morning late in the morning, finally having gotten to sleep after visiting Loki and assuring myself that he was adjusting well to his new life. Thankful that I no longer had to teach a lesson, I chose to sleep in and catch up on some much needed rest. Eydis brought me my breakfast and left it on my vanity for when I woke, attached with a note apologizing for not waking me up but stating that it looked like I needed the sleep.

I eventually dragged myself out of bed, forcing myself to eat something and then wash up. After getting dressed, I decided to go wandering around the palace. Up until Loki's sentence, I had been given permission to explore only the west wing, but now that I was technically one of Frigga's servants the entire palace was up for me to explore, aside from private quarters, that was. There were so many places that I had not known about, although I soon found out that I really was not missing much. Most of the rooms that held any interest to me were located in the west wing, but it was still nice to explore a bit.

I found myself overlooking the grounds, spotting Thor wandering around with a woman that I had never met before. Rather curious to know who she was, I decided to introduce myself to her, hoping that I would be able to make a friend of someone other than Frigga. I teleported down to the grounds, landing close by where Thor and the mystery woman were walking, but making sure that I was still at such a distance that I could act as though I happened upon them by accident.

"Oh Thor, how nice to see you," I smiled as I walked past, hoping that my acting skills were up to par. "And who is this? I do not believe that I have met you before, my lady."

"Lady Kára, this is Jane Foster, from earth," Thor replied, a large smile on his face.

I raised my eyebrow, "she does not happen to be the mortal that you told me about, does she? The name sounds awfully familiar."

"As a matter of fact, she is," he spoke proudly, making Jane look between the two of us with a bit of confusion.

"And how in Hel did you manage to get your father to agree to bring her here? Thor, you truly do impress me."

"My father did not agree with my bringing her here, but it was an emergency so I did anyway. Jane here has somehow managed to obtain an infinity stone and now the power of it is coursing through her veins."

"An infinity stone? Like the mind stone that Loki was brainwashed by?" I questioned, growing wary of this woman before me.

"Well yes, except hers is the called the aether and it is less of a stone and more like an angry sludge sort of a thing. Jane, this is Lady Kára, Loki's fiancée," Thor replied, informing Jane of who I was.

I noticed her eyes darken, "you would actually marry that monster?"

I gave her a small smile, "he really is not a monster when you get to know him, but he certainly does have that affect on those around him. I must say it is an honor to meet you and if you ever need someone to talk to after having to deal with one of Odin's talks, I will always be available to you. Trust me, I know what it is like to be disliked for my relationship with one of his sons."

"Lady Kára, we were about to go eat lunch, do you care to join us?" Thor asked me, giving me the sneaking suspicion he was only asking me to make sure that I was still holding up after yesterday.

"Oh no, I would not want to spoil your date," I declined, hoping instead to pay a visit to Loki.

"Nonsense! We were going to meet up with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three anyway, you will not be spoiling anything!" Thor boomed, seeming quite excited to have Jane meet all of his friends and family.

I eventually found myself giving in, not being able to tell Thor that I did not want to go because I was planning to illegally visit his imprisoned brother. However, it was a rather enjoyable experience and I felt that Jane and I started to really connect. I could tell that she was really scared about what was going to happen to her with the aether, but she trusted that Thor would protect her at all costs.

"So what's with you and Loki?" She asked me while we ate, seeming quite interested given the fact that everyone else seemed to hate him.

"Well, I was hired by Frigga to essentially spend time with him and become his friend under the guise of a magic instructor. And trust me, I know why people do not like him. When I first met him, he was cold and indifferent, he seemed to hate me for no reason and believed that I was below him. However, as we continued working together and I made it clear that I was not going to deal with any of his bullshit, he began to open up. It was a crazy thing to see, to watch him transform from the monster burdened with jealousy and rage to a broken man who had been neglected his entire life."

"Still does not make up for the fact that he invaded my planet."

"No, I am sure that it does not. But if it is any consolation, he was not in complete control over his actions and does regret what he did. And he is safe from causing you more pain, he was just locked up for life in the dungeons," I explained, my heart sinking as I spoke those words.

"Lady Kára, have some of this wild boar it is absolutely delicious," Volstagg encourages, dropping a disgusting chunk of meat on my plate. I felt my stomach churn at the sight of it, forcing me to excuse myself and rush to the bathroom.

I barely made it by the time that the bile surfaced, proud that I had not thrown up in the middle of the dining hall. I do not know why I was so disgusted as I was used to eating things tenfold more disgusting back when I lived in poverty with my family, but perhaps as I grew used to life at the palace, my tastebuds has grown far too accustomed to the finer foods. Not to mention my body as a whole was not doing very well under the stress of having my fiancé locked up.

Sighing, I decided that I had enough public interaction for one day and returned to my room, trying not to feel guilty that I had abandoned Jane and Thor without any explanation.

-

(A/N): I'm exhausted and I really shouldn't be because I've done literally nothing all day except for figure out what was up with my loans, send a few emails, and catch up on Agents of Shield rip. Anyway, Thor Dark World stuff is going full swing now!