Lower Your Eyes (A Loki Romance Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty: The Heart of Yggdrasil

"How do you like it?" Frigga smiled at me, striding into the chamber that was to be mine. Touching a hand to the ornate blanket that covered the bed, she threw second glance toward the fireplace and dresser. "I'm not sure if they've supplied the bathroom yet, we'll check on that before we leave—won't we, ladies?"

Two out of three of Frigga's handmaidens nodded. The third, Analisa, merely smiled at me. I pressed my lips together into a reluctant grin, recalling that the queen had assigned her to stay by my side for the time being.

The unrelenting knot in my chest loosening a bit. "I just can't stop thinking of my friends." I looked toward the bed, specifically, and thought of the cots that they'd all be sleeping on tonight. "It's like a weight in my chest."

"We care for the ones we love, and you love your friends," Frigga said, walking over and clasping my hands in both of hers. "Don't worry. We'll think of something to help them. And we'll do it together."

A tiny ball rose in my throat, and I looked upon the queen's kind expression. "Thank you."

"There's nothing to thank for. These are atrocities that should never have taken place to begin with," Frigga said. "And you're like a daughter to me, I wouldn't have a moment more of it with you. I'd have you join us at the Steps of Yggdrasil tonight, if I could."

I dimmed a little at the reminder. Now that the Solstice had passed and the festival was over, it was time to send off all the guests that had been residing in Asgard. As was customary throughout the history of the nine realms, each time an ever-lasting peace was declared, the celebration of the life of Yggdrasil was held—a ceremony of sorts, blessed by the royal family of Asgard.

In short terms, it was to be my first outing among the noble people of Asgard.

"Don't look so worried," Frigga added, smiling at my sudden demureness. "Loki will be there with you."

"That's not what worries me," I muttered, releasing her hand to stride toward the single sofa situated before the fireplace—unlike Loki's chamber, which had two. Over my shoulder, I saw the queen gesture to the handmaidens, watching as they scurried about through the chamber.

"Loki can't protect me from everything. Even if he could, he's already done so much for me—everything I have now is because of him," I went on, letting her take my hand as we sat. "I don't even know why he found me deserving of any of it."

Frigga grinned and then sat back against the couch, folding her hands over her lap. "Loki was never an easy boy to raise, Aila. As an adult, he can be insufferable at times—even to his mother," she chuckled. "He's perceptive to a fault. But do you know what he isn't?"

"What?"

"Impulsive," she said. "His perceptiveness has also made him careful and resolute. He thinks more than he acts, and that makes him more than capable of making difficult decisions—which is my favorite quality about him."

She went on, "If you knew his life and his mistakes as I do, you'd know that every decision he's ever made has been a terrifying one. Requiring a great amount of determination, even when he couldn't see the fault in his actions. He's the leader of his own story, he always has been." A pause. "I believe you were one such decision, my dear."

My brows rose a bit, and then sank. "Because he chose to involve himself with a slave," I said. "That's what everyone will say. They're already saying it."

Frigga's face fell a bit, but she nodded. "But my son was the first to see the potential in you—he was the first to pursue it. Call it curiosity, but it only had to go so far," she said. "You think the people of Asgard are so blind as to see this for anything but what it is?"