Gardenias (L. Laufeyson)

Chapter 28

'Can we leave yet?'

Maeve quietly laughed into her hand at her husband, who winked and continued to converse with a few of the nobles of Alfheim as if he hadn't just spoken telepathically to her. Throughout their tour of the kingdoms, Loki and Maeve had been perfecting the art of reading each others' minds, which proved to be difficult at first, but both were able to catch on in a relatively short period of time. While communicating telepathically did use a great deal of magic and exhausted them both, it definitely came in handy during boring dinners like these.

'No, your father would kill us if we ruined the alliance with Alfheim,' Maeve thought back. 'Get through dessert and we'll make up some excuse.'

'Are you faking an illness this time or am I?'

Maeve nearly snorted into her soup, causing the light elf at her right to look at the princess questioningly. She only smiled demurely and began to butter a soft roll. Years and years of sitting through endlessly boring lessons on court etiquette taught her how to keep her face straight. Even though her brothers could get away with laughing rambunctiously at the table, the fear of her father always drove Maeve to silence and ladylike manners.

'It's definitely your turn. I can't keep pulling the 'my dress is too tight and I can't breathe' card. Everyone will get suspicious! They'll think I'm sickly!'

Loki chuckled under his breath and returned to his dinner. It was true. Unless they came up with another excuse soon, his wife would be known across all of the nine realms as an extremely light-headed young goddess. Not that rumors bothered him. Frankly, they never had.

'At least we won't have to deal with this in Vanaheim. Your brothers will leave us alone.'

'Or swarm us worse than everyone else!"

Loki could hear the laughter in her voice and he loved it. In a way, their bond allowed them to always be together. She tucked a curl behind her ear, winking. Next to him, Lord Arvid began to discuss Alfheim's alliance with Asgard, forcing Loki to pay attention yet again. He leaned back on his seat with casual elegance, a smirk on his lips as he discussed politics, truly one of his favorite topics of conversation. Alfheim ruled with a group of lords, so he enjoyed learning the differences between their realm and his. Meanwhile, the ladies begged Maeve to describe the details of her favorite dresses, and while she would have preferred to engage in the conversation about peace treaties with the Jotunheim, she obliged them and recounted a few of her favorite gowns.

The marriage of Loki and Maeve raised the public's general opinion of the Aesir royal family substantially to each member's surprise. Every single visit to a new realm increased this positive outlook. Even Odin had to admit he was impressed and believed that the couple might one day be as beloved as he and Frigga.

Many saw the newlyweds as perfect for each other in every way and deeply in love with each other, something many monarchs never appeared to have. Her calm nature balanced his fiery temper. She was the light to his darkness. To them, mischief and joy were nothing more than opposite sides on the same coin. Their union itself stood for peace, ending a long war between the Vanir and the Aesir, a bond that would only be strengthened as time went on, especially if the couple was ever blessed with children.

Both acted as strong diplomats of Asgard, using their words to fight for the security and freedom of all peoples. They showed genuine interest in the culture of each place they visited, adapting to the norms of their locations out of respect. It had been so long since two sympathetic and thoughtful individuals traveled together on a diplomatic mission like this. However, what the citizens of the realms found most interesting of all was how the couple presented themselves as united in everything.