"Inga, get back here right now!" you hissed, following your sister as she pushed her way through the crowds to get to Loki. Apologising to everyone that she shoved out of her path - literally every person that she passed - you grabbed her hand to stop her going any further. "Inga, you can't just interrupt a dance with the prince!"
"Oh, we're back to prince now are we? When did he stop being Loki?" Her voice was quiet enough for no one else to hear, knowing how much trouble you could get into for breaking protocol like that, but the sisterly snark came through loud and clear. The way her face softened as she diverted you both to the edge of the room had you practically spluttering with embarrassment. "This is about more than just the dress, isn't it?"
She pulled you into a corner of the ballroom covered by shadows and, even though you were well removed from the rest of the party, Inga still checked that no one was near enough to over hear you. Jutting out a hip, she raised her eyebrow the way she did when her own children were being naughty and said, "Tell me everything."
That was exactly what you did. Feeling simultaneously better and worse for putting all your feelings into words, you sighed, "I don't know what to do. How could I have let this happen?"
"How did you let yourself fall in love with a handsome and witty prince that listens to and respects your every word? You're right; he's terrible and doesn't deserve a single drop of your affection."
"I hate you."
"I'm your sister; if you don't hate me then I'm doing something very wrong." Inga pulled you into an embrace, the simple action enough to quell your anger enough that you no longer felt like punching every blonde haired woman you saw. Smoothing your hair down in the way that only older sisters are allowed to do, she asked, "So, what are we going to do now? Are you going to tell him?"
"I can't do that!" A few of the nearby nobles glanced in your direction following your sharp outburst so you lowered your voice to continue, "Inga, if I tell him the truth then I will ruin our friendship. I value his company too much to let it go."
Inga frowned, tapping her fingers on her jutted out hip as she tried to think of a solution. She had always been this way; she'd approach every problem from a logical point of view, even matters of the heart, and try to reason out the best path. "Well, if you're going to give up on your dreams of romance just because a thief got in the way then we must simply eliminate her."
You burst out laughing, hiding your head in your hands as you fought to maintain some semblance of dignity in the company of the lords and ladies of Asgard. "We are not stooping so low as to murder her, Inga!"
"Why not?" she whined, pulling a small dagger from somewhere in the many layers of her beautiful red skirt. You widened your eyes at the sight, wondering a) where your sister had gotten such a stunning blade and b) why on Asgard she had it with her tonight. "Do not look so surprised, Y/N! I am the mother of three beautiful children. I would not risk being caught out alone with no way to defend myself."
You felt your gaze soften at your sister's words, understanding her fears completely. She would never risk the long journey from her village to the palace alone without some way to protect herself - especially with the path well known to home many dangerous beasts. Touching her arm gently, you smiled, "You are a wonderful mother to them, Inga."
"Of course I am," she said, almost offended that you could believe anything else. "Anyway, I could never let them grow up with you as their only female role model."
"I hope you're nicer to your children than you are to me," you bit back, although completely without malice.
Inga pulled you into a hug and squeezed you so tightly that you could barely breathe. "Love you really," she said with a grin. Her face suddenly become fierce once again, she asked, "Now, what are we going to do about the dress thief and the prince?"
You opened your mouth to speak but the words fell dry on your lips as you noticed Loki striding in your direction. Inga curtseyed immediately, not so subtly whacking your hip to remind you to do the same. "Your highness," you breathed, barely meeting his eyes. "This is my sister, Inga."
"My prince, it is such an honour to meet you," Inga said, the welcoming smile on her face not quite reaching her eyes. Whilst the majority of her anger was directed towards the woman that stole your dress, she still watched Loki with reservation. If he broke your heart, you were in no doubt that she would hunt him down and make him suffer.
"Likewise." Loki looked over Inga's shoulder towards you, his uncertainty palpable. He might not have understood why, but the prince was intelligent and observant enough to work out that your sister was out for someone's - most probably including his - blood. Still, and perhaps even because of it, he dialled his charm up to eleven and flashed her the most charming of smiles. "Y/N tells me that you're a seamstress of quite remarkable skill. I must say that I agree with her. Your gown is exquisite. It rivals those designed by the palace's tailors."
No matter how much Inga wanted to keep a cold affront towards the prince, to act like the protective big sister she was, she practically melted from the compliment. Stumbling over her words, she finally managed to collect her wits enough to say, "Thank you, my prince. If only my patrons thought so too; I would be able to charge far more for my services."
"If I could tear you away from your sister for a few moments, I would be delighted to introduce to a few nobles with more riches than sense." Not giving her the opportunity to argue, Loki held out his arm for Inga to take and led her towards a nearby group of gossiping nobles.
Looking over his shoulder, expecting you to be smiling at him, Loki frowned when you turned away from his gaze. Noticing you shuffling away into the crowd, Loki sent you a pleading glance, wordlessly asking you wait for his return. As much as you wanted to leave, you nodded and stayed put.
A few minutes later, having left your sister with the kindest noblewomen of the court, Loki returned and immediately asked, "Y/N, why are you upset?"
You shook your head, deciding now wasn't the right time to explain. Giving him a gentle smile, you said, "I'm fine, Loki. It's just been a long day. Tell me, how was your dance with..."
You left the question hanging, knowing that you could hardly call the woman "the bitch that stole from me", but he seemed to understand perfectly. He frowned and for a moment you thought that he would just brush away the encounter as nothing more than an irritating distraction. In fact, much to your astonishment, Loki's face then lit up and he began to gush about how beautiful a lady Cinderella was.
"Loki," you said, stopping him from singing any more of Cinderella's praises by gently touching his arm. As happy as he seemed to be, you didn't want to hear another word about Cinderella's beautiful hair, eyes or lips. Especially not her lips. "I'm glad that you enjoyed dancing with her but..."
"She is a wonderful dancer," Loki repeated, resting his hand over yours. He seemed completely entranced and it made you feel more than a little sick.
"I'm sure she was, Loki, but I..." When the prince still didn't stop talking about her, you tightened your grip on his arm and pleaded for him to listen to you. "Loki, I'm really very tired. I'm glad that this hasn't been a wasted evening for you but I just want to go home. Is that okay?"
Frowning, Loki rested his hand on your cheek, gentle but firm to stop you from turning away from his gaze. "Y/N," he whispered, your name barely audible over the loud bustle of the ball. "Tell me what's wrong. If someone has upset you..."
"I don't know what to say, Loki. It's alright. I'm alright. Thank you for dancing with me. I'll see you later."
"Y/N..."
"There you are, brother!" Thor exclaimed, throwing his arm around Loki's shoulders. The younger prince tried to shrug his brother's arm away but couldn't quite manage it without full on shoving Thor away. His voice far too loud for the quiet corner of the ballroom, Thor said, "Father was beginning to wonder where you have been. You have wasted far too much of the evening standing around and now is the time to socialise with some of the guests."
"I'm in the middle of a conversation, Thor," Loki said.
Looking away from the bickering brothers for a moment, you noticed Odin watching you intently. He wasn't scowling as such but it was clear that he thought you a distraction to both of the princes. The last thing you wanted was for him to have you reprimanded so you blurted out, "Loki, it's fine. We can talk another time. Go and entertain your guests."
You didn't miss the way Thor looked between you and his brother, raising an eyebrow at informal way you spoke to Loki. You'd realised far too late that you hadn't used Loki's title and Odin was still watching you from the other side of the grand hall, however you relaxed at the sight of Thor's easy smile. Something about him made you feel less tense.
He patted Loki heartily on the back and said, "Worry not, brother. I shall keep... Oh, do forgive me. What is your name, my lady? You're Y/N? Wonderful. I shall keep Y/N company while you take your turn on the dance floor. Off you go, brother."
Turning your head to hide your laughter at the way Thor practically shoved Loki towards the nearest woman, you bowed your head to the older prince and tried to excuse yourself. "As much as I appreciate the offer, my prince, I was just about to leave anyway. You needn't waste your time with me. As you told Prince Loki, there are plenty of beautiful women waiting for a dance."
"I have heard much about you, Y/N," Thor said, stopping you in your tracks. As you slowly turned back to face him, you once again found the tension leaving your body at the sight of his ridiculous grin. "Nothing bad, I assure you. Loki is remarkably fond of you."
"I... I am quite fond of him too."
Thor's grin seemed to grow even wider and before you could stop him, the prince wrapped you in his arms and spun you around. Laughing until you had tears in your eyes, Thor finally put you down and said, "You are incredibly good for my brother, Y/N. It is rare to see him as content as when he has been to see you. I am sure that you and he will be incredibly happy together."
Your smile faded and the tears in your eyes were no longer from laughing. "I am... I don't suppose that Loki told you but I work in the kitchens, sire. Even if I wanted to, uh, further my relationship with your brother, I very much doubt that the king would approve."
"Loki did tell me that you were a cook. He said no one peeled vegetables as well as you. Rest assured, though, if my father learnt of your affection for one another, I am certain he would give you his blessings," Thor said, completely oblivious to the way that the king was continuing to stare you down from across the room. Not content with distracting one of his sons, there you were keeping the other from the grandeur of the ball as well.
You could understand how that must look to him; even in your beautiful gown, you were still nothing more than a servant. A servant seemingly intent on stealing not one but both princes for her own gain. Whilst of course those weren't your intentions, Odin's scowl - for that was what it had now become - was enough to make you want to back away immediately.
Shrinking into the shadows, you gave Thor a friendly smile and said, "It hardly matters anyway, my prince. Loki's affections for me a purely platonic, I am sure. I value our friendship and would have it no other way. He also seems incredibly taken by Cinderella and I'd do nothing to get in the way of his happiness."
Thor's expression dimmed, an almost imperceptible change but one you noticed nonetheless. Sighing yourself, feeling as if the full weight of the world was pressed against your chest, the blonde prince threw an arm around your waist and pulled you into a hug. You were far too shocked by the break in protocol to refuse and instead simply allowed his enormous frame to envelop you and your sadness.
When he finally pulled away, taking some of your dark thoughts away with him, Thor noticed you awkwardly avoiding his gaze and laughed, "I apologise for embarrassing you, my fair lady. Any friend of my brother's, as few and far between as they may be, is a friend of mine and I shall treat them as such. Come. Dance with me and then I shall finally leave you with your thoughts."
"I really don't dance," you mumbled, barely bothering to try and pull your hand free. For one, it would be incredibly rude to refuse the prince's request, especially in the presence of so many people. For another, you suspected that Thor would just follow you around all evening until you finally relented.
Allowing him to take you into hold, you let him lead you purposefully around the dance floor in a perfectly decent waltz. Being in Thor's strong arms made you feel calmer and your worries seemed less important than before. You were just two people comfortable to be near one another. It was nice.
As nice as it was, though, it was nothing like dancing with Loki. With him you'd felt like you were floating among the clouds, almost overwhelmed by being held so close, feeling like you meant something more than just a friend. There had been a power as you'd moved, sweeping you across the floor and leaving you hoping that it never ended.
But, of course, everything had to end eventually.
The piece drew to a close and Thor stepped away graciously to bow. He brought your hand to his lips and brushed his lips against yours before standing upright with a genuine smile on his face. "You sell yourself short, Y/N. You are a wonderful dancer."
"Thank you, my prince."
"Thor," he corrected you, leading you off the dance floor. "If you are to call my brother by his name, then I shall extend you the same courtesy."
"Thank you, Thor," you said, shaking your head at how ridiculous it felt. Odin really would have your head if he ever heard that you were on first name terms with both of his sons. Glancing around the ballroom, seeing no sigh of the dark haired prince that you were definitely not searching for, you asked, "What time is it?"
"Almost midnight, I do believe. Any reason why?"
A smile graced the edge of your lips as you explained, "I was given some wonderful advice earlier. I was told to leave by midnight or risk facing the unwelcome propositions of drunkards."
"Wise advice indeed," Thor nodded, although his small frown told you that he wasn't impressed by the fact that members of the household - of his household - lived in constant fear that they may face such propositions from the upper classes. "Would you like me to call a member of the guard to escort you home?"
"You really needn't do that for me," you protested, hearing a distant clock begin to chime as it signalled in the new hour. "I have walked back to my home alone in the dead of the night more times than I care to remember."
Thor went to argue but stopped mid sentence as something caught his attention. Mere seconds later, there was an almighty crash from outside and the echoes of nearby screams filled the air. A handful of palace guards burst into the ballroom and began shouting for the guests to make their way to the nearest secure locations.
"What's happening?" you yelled to Thor, pressing your back against the nearest wall and making yourself as small as possible. It seemed a far better option than getting crushed to death in the crowd that was now pushing and shoving its way through the previously hidden servant's doors. You knew first hand that those corridors were tight even for just two people; managing to get an entire room's full of people down into the tunnels would not be an easy feat.
Stretching out his arm, Mjolnir was suddenly in the prince's grasp and his whole demeanour changed. Where before he had been carefree and jolly, enjoying the ball in its entirety, Thor now looked fierce and ready for anything. Turning to you with a grin on his face, clearly energised and almost excited for the coming fight, he began pushing his way through the crowd towards the main gate, following the guards on their way to battle. Briefly looking over his shoulder, he yelled, "Get yourself to safety, Y/N! The palace is under attack!"