Winter's Hearts

Chapter 21

"You're a magician," you blurted out when you saw him and felt his power. He was doing a decent job keeping it contained, but this close to him, you couldn't help feeling it.

He just stared at you. "And you're a sorceress," he finally replied.

You nodded. "I haven't hidden my abilities since I joined the team," you reminded him. Everyone knew you had Asgardian magic. Most people didn't know or appreciate the extent of your abilities, but they knew you had magic.

He sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised you recognized my power, should I?" he finally asked. You laughed and shook your head. He held out a hand gloved in one of those fancy white formalwear gloves men sometimes wore, even in this day and age. "Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, Master of the Mystic Arts,"

You shook his gloved hand with a gloved hand of your own. "Y/N, Valkyrie of Asgard, Master Magician, personal Valkyrie of Prince Loki of Asgard, and his betrothed," you rattled off in reply. He gave you a smirk. You shrugged in reply with a smirk of your own. "I have more titles, if you'd like them, but I have a feeling we'd spend the rest of the evening in a competition to see who has the most,"

"You should come visit the sanctum sometime. I'm sure there is quite a lot of knowledge we could share." A slip of paper with an address appeared in your hand. You vanished it a second later. "Yes, your fiance can come too," he finally, grudgingly added.

"Don't worry, he's not mind controlled anymore," you told him teasing.

"That doesn't mean he isn't trouble," Strange grumbled in reply. You grinned. Loki could be trouble when he felt like it. You felt an arm around your shoulders and stiffened for a moment until you recognized Loki's cool touch.

"Is this magician bothering you, dearest?" he asked you pleasantly, looking coldly at Strange.

"Play nice, Lohk. This is Doctor Stephen Strange. He just graciously invited us to exchange magical knowledge with him at his sanctum," you explained, your tone light. You knew that Loki could hear the truth in your words.

"Very well," he replied and inclined his head and said a polite greeting to Strange. He turned his attention back to you. "Darling, Stark is getting ready to start a traditional Midgardian dance called a 'waltz'. He wished for us to participate in it," Loki told you his real reason for coming over to the two of you.

You nodded and turned back to Strange. "It was nice to meet you, but duty calls," you waved and walked with Loki back towards the dance floor.

"What is this dance?" Loki asked as you walked.

"It's the same as the Weller dance back home," you told him. You saw the relief in his eyes that he knew the dance and he nodded and smiled. Loki loved to dance. He always had. You vanished your gloves and placed one hand in Loki's and he led you formally onto the dance floor. He turned you to face him a warm smile on his face as he took your right hand in his left. Your left hand settled on his shoulder, his left arm wrapped around you, his hand settling at the middle of your back, just below your shoulder blades and wings, holding you close to him.

"Are you alright to do this with wings?" he asked you softly.

You smirked. "Stark is doing this because we look damn good on film, especially with my wings. Don't worry, I'll be fine," you told him. He chuckled and the music began. After a few beat to ascertain the timing, you and Loki moved as one, glidinging your way gracefully around the dance floor. You looked into Loki's eyes as your twirled, smiling and how very familiar this was. You knew him so well, knew each movement and nuance of his body as he danced. You had danced with him so many times over the years, including when you were barely older than children, learning the court dances.

If you want to bed a woman, do it in the bedroom. If you want to seduce her, do it in the dance. The old words of the dancing instructor came to your mind unbidden. You hadn't understood him then, but now...

You barely noticed that many of the other dancers were stopping to watch you. Your attention was on Loki, on the dance, on your graceful gliding, his strong arm around you, the music and rhythm of the song.

The dance ended and Loki bowed over your hand to kiss your knuckles while you dipped into a curtsy. "Thank you for the wonderful dance, Lady Valkyrie," he told you formally.

"And you, my prince," you replied, formally, but warmly.

Stark gave you a thumbs up from where he was on the sidelines with Pepper. You nodded and took Loki's arm to escape off the dance floor. Your duty on that front was done. "There is a courtyard where we can escape the crowd for awhile," Loki told you softly and gestured to the open doorway. You nodded and let him lead you, glad to escape from the too-crowded party.

You both sighed in relief at the cool air, breathing in the fall scents and gratefully getting away from the heat and the press of the mortals. You wandered the courtyard, your hand in Loki's until you found a bench to sit on in the flower garden. Loki summoned you each a glass of wine from the party inside and you sat in the chill night air with him, happily escaped from the crowd.

Until the ravens returned.

One of them dropped a letter into your lap. You and Loki both looked at it confused. "What in Vahalla?" you asked softly. Loki shrugged and moved closer to you on the bench so he could read over your shoulder. You broke the seal on the letter and unfolded it. The words inside were written in a harsh masculine script:

Exiled Valkryie, you are to break off your relationship with Loki and terminate all contact with both of the princes at once, forevermore. This is an order from your king and I will be obeyed.

An order

Even on paper an order was an order

An order from the king had to be obeyed

Had to

The magic of your oaths demanded it