The Fallen Prince - Loki fanfiction ✓

19. Laufey

After dinner Loki walked back to his rooms with Mirilya on his arm, not really caring anymore if anyone saw them. But the hallways were empty, save for the occasional Einherjar who was standing guard. The royal guards were vowed to protect their king and his family, they would not spread gossip around the castle. However, people would be talking about them shortly anyway. At the ball next week he would announce their engagement. If the people thought Lady Loriana and her guardian were the summit of inappropriate relationships, they would have to think again. Maybe he would put some extra guards in the ballroom, to reinforce his absolute power as King of Asgard. On the other hand, Loki was sure he could do without the Einherjar, being a master of magic had its advantages.

One of the advantages was his power to change outfits at will. He happily exchanged his formal wear for homewear as soon as he was inside his room.
Mirilya chuckled when the green ripple of magic brushed against her skin. "You really don't like that formal armour, do you?"

He shrugged. "I like it just fine. I just have to wear it more often now that I'm king, so often that it's nice to take it off when I can." He bent down to scoop his girl up in his arms, causing her to gasp in surprise. He kissed her nose, her mouth and trailed his lips down her throat. "Speaking about taking clothes off..."

In a few quick strides he was next to his bed and let Mirilya gently down on top of the covers. He admired her for a few seconds from a distance, before letting his fingers slide down her body, her dress disappearing underneath his magic touch.

"That's cheating," she said with a coy smile, and hooked her finger behind his waistband.

"Not if I do this," Loki chuckled and snapped his fingers to make his outfit disappear too.

"Show off." Mirilya wrapped her arms around his neck as he crawled on top of her.

"Anything to impress the woman I love."

****
Loki waited until Mirilya was sound asleep before he quietly snuck out of bed. He quickly dressed himself in his armour again and took Gungnir with him. He could stow away the staff with his magic, so he didn't have to traipse around with it the whole time. After sealing his room with magic nobody could enter and Mirilya would be safe. He didn't like keeping secrets from her, but it was only for the best that she did not know about his plans for tonight. She would only try to stop him.

The hallways were empty, just like earlier this evening. It was a quiet evening, perfect for the execution of his plan. He strolled through the palace and exited it through a side door in the East wing, which was closest to the stables. While walking, he created a perfect image of himself which he sent off to go inside the stables. Checking up on the horses was something he did more often, anyone who saw him go in the stables tonight would think nothing of it. Invisible to everyone's eyes, even Heimdall's, he steered to the right and went to the dense forest that started a little behind the stables. There were some bridle paths that cut through the forest, but Loki headed to a far less heavily traveled area.

Between two ancient trees, both warped and twisted in a way that made them stand out to the rest of the foliage, was a secret portal into Asgard. Nobody knew about this, except Loki. Years ago, he had found a cryptic note about the portal in an ancient text he was reading. It took some searching, but finally he had found the portal in the woods. It wasn't anything like the Bifrost, you really needed to know your way once inside. If you got lost, you were lost for all eternity. Without hesitation, Loki stepped through the portal and travelled to the barren wasteland that Laufey called his own.

When he returned, he was followed by Laufey and two other Jotuns. The three Frost Giants stepped warily on the forest floor, the fallen leaves rustling under their feet.