Special Agent 2: The Dark Soldier

Chapter 21

The banquet hall was filled with beings, noise, and food as the frost giants and Asgardians feasted. Gibbs and Bishop had both been granted seats at the table, although they had been relegated to the lower end of the table. Loki sat beside Thor and across from Hailstohm, who was now clothed in an elegant white evening gown, and Odin and Frigga were both seated at the head of the table near them.

"We hope you enjoy your stay in Asgard, Lady Hailstohm," Frigga said kindly to the frost giantess. "True peace between our peoples has been long in coming."

"Thank you, Queen Frigga," Hailstohm returned. "And I agree, peace has been far too delayed between Jotunheim and Asgard. This meeting should have occurred long ago."

"We had a treaty before King Laufey's death," Odin said. "We will have a treaty again."

"A better one," Hailstohm added, even as Bishop glanced down the table at Loki quizzically. "With both peoples entering into it willingly and not under the thumb of the other."

For a moment, there was uneasy silence as the Asgardians and jotuns absorbed Hailstohm's last statement, the slightly accusatory undertones not lost on the listeners. "Yes," Odin said at last. "Our peace will be on more even terms this time."

The tension dissipated as Hailstohm smiled slightly. "To an everlasting peace between our peoples." Lifting her goblet of mead, she glanced at Loki, eyes calculating and cold. Thor lifted his own goblet, prompting Loki, Odin, Frigga, and the rest of the feasters to raise their goblets, joining in the toast.

"To everlasting peace!"

Loki took a sip from his goblet, the sweet mead slipping easily down his throat. Bishop was still giving Loki an odd look and he finally glanced over in her direction. What is she looking so puzzled about?

"Prince Loki, may I have the pleasure of a dance?" Hailstohm's voice intruded on his thoughts and Loki glanced over at her, furrowing his brow. The warrior was arching her eyebrow at him, waiting for his reply.

"Of course." It was the only answer he could give without being rude. Assemblies in the interest of peace must always be treated with civility and caution, he had been taught throughout his childhood, and as he valued his reestablished role in the Asgardian royal family, turning Hailstohm down would not be a smart move.

But Loki still felt wrong as he escorted Hailstohm out away from the table, into the center of the chamber, as Odin's, Frigga's, and Thor's eyes cut into his back. He also felt the glances of Gibbs and Bishop on him as well. Her touch on his arm made him tense, the illusion he had generated to maintain his Asgardian façade taking more energy than he normally needed.

"Who are the mortals?" Hailstohm asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the table. "I wasn't informed this was a three world peace negotiation."

"It isn't," Loki told her. "The mortals are NCIS agents, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Special Agent Eleanor Bishop."

"Ah," is all Hailstohm said, and they began dancing in silence.

A glance back at the table revealed that Fandral had asked and received assent from Bishop to dance with her, which caused the hairs on the back of Loki's neck to rise, gall threatening to surface in his throat. But he swallowed back his envy, satisfying himself in the knowledge that Bishop loved him and him only, and continued his dance with Hailstohm, willing it to be over so he could ask his girlfriend to dance.

Shouldn't Hailstohm want to dance with Thor, since he's the eldest and the heir?

As the dance concluded, Loki bowed to Hailstohm and prepared to find Bishop and take her away from Fandral, but the frost giantess stopped him. "Loki, I have a wish to speak with you."