A Gods Favor

Why I Love You

Asgard 975 A.D.

Elora walked with her head bowed as she followed the queen through the palace halls.

"If you go left here it will take you to the hanging gardens, right will take you past the great hall and then further to the royal stables." Elora was too focused on the fact that the queen's words did not match the way her mouth moved to pay any attention to what was actually being said.

After Ioden had spoken with the rulers he'd explained briefly that she would be staying here, permanently, before giving her a small pat on the shoulder saying he would make sure her one small trunk found its way to whatever rooms she was assigned.

Her mother had died a fortnight ago and now she was being ejected from her home, a land of ice cool air and snow covered mountains, to a bright and glittering palace larger than she could ever imagine where everyone looked and spoke strangely.

A pretty woman with golden hair came up to them and curtsied to the queen before she spoke and although Elora couldn't understand the words the sounds at least seemed to match the movement of her mouth.

"Thank you, Torvi." The queen looked to Elora. "Would you like that, dear?"

Elora's brow furrowed and she looked between the queen and the blonde woman waiting for someone to explain.

"Oh," Frigga exclaimed as she tossed her hands in the air and kneeling down beside Elora. "I'm so sorry, dear, I wasn't thinking."

Frigga placed one hand under Elora's chin and the other began to draw strange symbols across her forehead as a strange light glowed from her fingers.

"This will give you Allspeak. It might take a few hours for translation to start when you encounter new languages but you should be able to understand everyone here on Asgard shortly. Now," she stood and held out a hand. "Torvi asked if you'd like to see your rooms now that they are ready."

-

Elora walked the halls of the palace hopelessly lost. At dinner that night the noise and clamor of the Asgardians had made her head feel like it was about to split open. She had never been around so much laughing, yelling, metal clanging, and stomping. Elves were graceful and walked silently, their sensitive hearing made them speak softly and the snow in the ice lands of Alfheim muffled everything else. The noise here had made it so she couldn't eat. Which is why now, late in the night she was walking the halls trying to find the kitchens. Frigga had told her if she needed anything to pull the cord but she didn't understand what that had meant.

Frustrated at walking in circles for what seemed like hours, hunger, sad and lost so thoroughly she didn't think she could even make it back to her rooms, Elora tucked herself into an alcove and began to cry softly.

Loki was curious at the best of times and mischievous at his worst and he'd never been one for sleep. So he'd been wandering the halls trying to figure out if he wanted to go to the library or to slip something into Thor's bed as a prank when he heard sniffling. Curiosity winning out, he followed the sound and found the elf girl crying.

"What are you doing in the halls at this hour?" He asked and she sat up, quickly wiping at her face.

"I got lost." Her words were barely a whisper as she stood and gave him a small curtsy. Her court manners were underdeveloped but she knew at least enough to not be a total fool.

"What were you doing to get lost in the first place?"

"Looking for the kitchens." She kept her head bowed, not meeting his eyes.

If you were hungry, why didn't you ring the bell in your room?" He began to circle her slowly, taking the opportunity to study her less invasively than his siblings had this afternoon.

"I didn't see a bell," her head turned only slightly to follow his movements and he could see her ears twitch slightly. "Besides, how would that make me not hungry?"

He stopped in front of her then and she raised her head, her strange blue eyes looking at him confused. "The cord in your room," he stated but she just kept looking at him. "Did my mother show you where it was?"

She nodded but didn't speak.

"It's attached to a bell. If you pull it, a servant will come. Do they not have those in Alfheim?"

She shrugged. "My mother didn't have servants."

It was his turn to be confused. "Isn't your uncle Lord of the Ice Clans, he doesn't have servants?"

"He does."

"So then your mother is a lady and should have servants as well."

She dropped her head then and he could see tears returning to her eyes. "My mother was a lady but we didn't stay at court and it was just us at our home."

Was. It made a bit more sense to him now, why the Ice Clan had sent her here. If her mother had died he could only assume she was an orphan and a citizen of the realms that right now needed help.

"Come on," he held out his hand to her. "I'll show you to the kitchens and tell you how the bell works."

-

Loki had walked Elora to the kitchens and helped her find something to eat. The whole time he spoke quietly, explaining how things around the palace may be different for her and for the first time in a fortnight she didn't feel alone.

After she'd eaten she began to open up and ask him questions. All of which he answered patiently as he took her back to her rooms. She expressed a dislike for the bell system, claiming it felt rude to wake someone.

"But it's their job." Loki had insisted.

"It still seems rude. Would you like to be woken up to wait on someone who was perfectly capable of doing it themselves?"

"I suppose not." He said as they came to her door.

"Thank you," She said, reaching for the handle.

"My prince," Elora looked at Loki with furrowed brows. "You should address people with their titles so as to not offend them."

"Thank you, my prince."

-

Sitting quietly beside Loki, Elora hadn't eaten at dinner the next night either, the noise on her sensitive ears still making her head hurt and she refused to wake someone up to get her something so she slipped out of bed and headed for the door, slightly more confident that she could find her way through the halls.

When she opened the door however, there was a small cloth covered basket in front of it. She uncovered it to discover a heel of bread, some cheese and even a sweet roll. She smiled as she scanned the hall but did not see the prince hidden in the shadows before she took the basket and closed the door.