A Gods Favor

A Chance

Frigga knew Elora, and most likely Yrsa as well, would be leaving in three days time and she'd asked all her children to carve out this time to spend one meal together.

So Thor walked around his mothers chambers listening as she and his sister chatted while they waited for Loki and Elora to arrive for breakfast. They were late, which wasn't unusual for Loki but was very odd for Elora. He hoped that meant they were together.

Loki still hadn't spoken more than those few awkward words to him at dinner the other night but Thor hadn't missed the way his brother's usually icy demeanor melted when he looked at Elora. The thought of them together was grand in his mind. He knew Elora had loved Loki since they were children and Loki needed someone like her. Someone who could break through his aloof exterior.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, my queen." Elora's voice was tight as she came rushing through the door. She was never one to be put together in her appearance, especially after long days of healing, but she seemed to be extraordinarily out of sorts for so early in the morning. "I overslept."

Thor watched as Elora walked swiftly to the table as his mother rose to greet her. Her eyes were red rimmed as she accepted a hug from the queen.

"My darling, are you feeling alright? You look absolutely dreadful." Concern was evident in Frigga's voice as she touched Elora's forehead.

Elora's smile was strained as she pulled Frigga's hand down. "I am fine. Just tired is all."

"If you're sure?" Frigga asked, still not convinced and Elora nodded. "Very well, why don't you sit down. Loki is running late but you can start eating while I grab your gown for the coronation. The tailor dropped it off this morning and I don't want you to forget it."

"Let me help you mother." Yrsa spoke, standing to follow the queen as she shot Thor a look, jerking her head to Elora who had plopped audibly into a chair.

"El," Thor spoke as he crossed the room to sit beside her as she rubbed at her temples, fingers glowing softly as she eased a headache. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just tired, Thor. I didn't sleep well." She patted his arm before reaching for a goblet of water.

"Come now, El, I know you and I can tell you've been crying. Did something happen?"

She sighed deeply and looked at him, opening her mouth to speak after several moments but the door to his mothers chambers opened and they turned to see Loki halted in the doorway, glaring at them both before entering without a word.

"El?" Thor asked in a low grumble.

"I'm fine, really." She said and then Frigga and Yrsa came back from the bedroom and Elora dropped her gaze to the table without another word.

The breakfast had an air of tension. Elora eating quietly and only responding when directly spoken to, Loki's eyes shooting dagger every time Thor caught him sneaking glances at her. Yrsa and Thor did their best to keep conversation going and to hide the turmoil from their mother and failing miserably.

"Yrsa, dearest," Frigga spoke as her children readied to depart. "Would you take El's gown to her rooms please? I have something I need to speak with her about."

"Of course, mother." Yrsa swept the garment up and kissed her mother's cheeks before walking swiftly from the room, her brothers trailing behind after saying their own goodbyes to the queen.

When the royal trio left the room the queen turned to Elora.

"Now, would you like to save some time and tell me what happened with you and Loki or would you like me to guess?"

Elora stiffened. "I'm not sure what you mean you-"

"Please, dear," Frigga cut her off. "Give me some credit. I've watched you give him moon eyes for five hundred years and then I watched him sulk and grow even more detached for the next five hundred after you left. Which," she held up a hand to stop Elora's protests. "I'm not blaming either of you for, but earlier this week in the great hall I saw you come in together and I've never seen either of you happier than when you were on each other's arms. This morning, though,"

Elora's mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to come up with an explanation for the queen and she grew more and more nervous under the monarch's gaze before Frigga rested a hand on her arm.

"I'm leaving," she said finally. "My life is no longer at the palace, your grace. The people of the realms need me and it would be selfish not to return to my duties no matter how much I wish I could stay and I'm afraid the prince walked away from our, uhm," she fumbled over her words realizing she was talking to Loki's mother. "Encounter before I could express that."

Frigga nodded and was quiet for a minute. "Maybe there is a way you could stay in Asgard and still serve the realms?"

Elora's heart nearly jumped from her chest before she shut it down. She would hear the queen out but she knew she would not stay unless she could still work in the same capacity. She had done so much, had made so much progress and discovery, she would not give it up. "How?"

Frigga smiled. "What if I told you I had Odin summon you and work from Himinbjorg as a test?" When the elven woman's face only looked confused the queen went on. "I know you and Yrsa are grown but I want you both home as much as possible. I wanted to see how well you could work from here and I've been speaking with Eir. I'm waiting until the coronation is over to speak with Odin but I want you to teach the younger healers. We could set up a more permanent station for educational purposes and Heimdal can still send you to more fragile patients when necessary. For now you could split your time until the younger healers are more skilled and can take on traveling for you and then you would only have to leave when you felt the need to."

"You'd do that just to get Yrsa and I here more?" Elora's heart was jumping again and this time she couldn't stop it.

Frigga placed a hand on her cheek. "I'd do that and more to have my children here and happy. If you are agreeable I will speak with Odin and get things in order. You may need to return to your travels for a bit until we can get things going but for now let's keep it between us, yes? Just until things are set in stone."

Elora wasn't sure if she could get Loki to speak to her, give her the chance to explain and apologize, but this was a chance. A chance to have the best of both worlds and she was taking it. "Yes, your grace."

-

Thor stalked after Loki as Yrsa parted from them, heading the other way. When they had gone far enough that he thought his sister was out of earshot he pounced, grabbing Loki's arm.

"What did you do to El?" He growled in his brother's face.

Loki yanked free of Thor's grip and straightened his leathers, anger brewing at the accusation when he'd been the one to get rejected. "Why, brother, do you assume I did anything?"

Still simmering from their fight in the yard and fueled by the image of Elora on the verge of tears, Thor allowed harsh words to cross his lips. "Because you're you, Loki, and you just can't let anything be good. You have a primal instinct to ruin it all no matter who gets hurt, including yourself!"

Loki went very still as he glared at his brother. Their rage opposites, one molten and one ice. "You're right, I don't care who I hurt. A fact you should watch out for, brother." He disappeared from sight as Thor tried to speak again and began to walk down the corridor. Just wait and see what I can ruin, brother.