Warnings: injury, blood
It took a few seconds for your brain to restart amid the earth shatteringly loud screams that filled the great palace hall but when it finally clicked over you knew exactly what to do. Pushing yourself through the crowd, which was full of people with absolutely no idea where they were going or what to do - honestly, nobles were beyond useless in times of crisis - you squished through the bodies until you reached the next nearest servants' door.
Clicking the panel open with ease, you began shepherding people through the door and down into the secondary tunnels. Once people started funnelling their way down, you shoved your way over to the final door and opened that one up too. With all three servants' doors open, the crowd began to disperse a lot faster and the overwhelming feeling of panic within the guests subsided a little.
As the sounds of battle grew closer, you told the nobles in the tunnel to follow the path down to the safe rooms and wait there until someone came to find them. Thankfully they didn't make you tell them twice, shuffling through the dark underbelly of the palace without questioning your authority once.
Closing the nearest floor behind the final guests, you went to cross the room and hide the entrances to the other passageways when a battalion of soldiers backed their way into the great hall, weapons clearly in defensive. Whoever had attacked the palace had the best warriors on Asgard practically running away with their tails between their legs. The sensible part of your brain told you to get the hell out of there but for some stupid reason you stayed put.
From where you were hiding behind the throne - Odin's throne... Oh, how he would kill you if he found out you had gone anywhere near it - you couldn't see much but the second you laid eyes on the armoured warriors charging their way into the great hall you knew who they were. Dissidents from the outlying villages who weren't happy with the way Asgard was being run. Unfortunately, they were some of the best metal workers in the entire kingdom and had obviously been training hard too.
It soon became clear that the dissidents weren't just here to ruin the ball, though. They were looking for something. Or someone. Almost certainly Odin, you reasoned. It wouldn't be the first time that a group of people had invaded the palace to try and kill him. It certainly wouldn't be the last, either.
Looking around the hall for a way out, grateful that someone had had the sense to close the servants' doors from inside the tunnels, you found yourself trapped. Hiding in the shadows wouldn't work for long, you feared; a worry that was quickly realised when a nearby attacker laid eyes on you.
He struck down the palace guard that tried to jump in his way with ease and strode towards you, a dark focus in his eyes. Holding his sword out so the tip touched your chest, he grinned as your breathing became uneven and your entire body began to shake. "You would make a wonderful trophy, my lady."
"I'm only a servant, sir," you breathed, trying and failing to keep your wits about you.
"That's even better. No one to miss you." He leant closer, backing you even further against the wall. You had nowhere to go, no space to try and fight back - not that you would, for doing so would definitely get you killed. You felt the sharp tip of his blade pressing against your chest as he said, "You must know where the royal safe rooms are."
You merely nodded, not trusting yourself to speak now that the blade was getting ever closer to piercing your skin.
"Odin and the princes will be there?" You nodded again, your earlier suspicions of their motive for being here confirmed. "Take me, then."
He grabbed you by the arm and spun you against his chest, his blade against your neck as he held you from behind. He called over two of his friends and the four of you slipped away from the battle unnoticed by the palace guards - who were far too caught up in the fighting to notice you leave the hall.
The soldier breathed heavily on your neck, making you desperately want to cringe away. However, at the small movement, he gripped you tighter and hissed in your ear, "If you try anything, we will kill you where you stand."
As you led them through the maze of corridors in the palace, praying that they wouldn't realise this was the third time you'd walked past the kitchen now, you found yourself wishing that you hadn't been so selfless. If you hadn't tried to save everyone, save the nobles that never spared you even basic courtesy, then you may well have been down in the safe rooms with everyone else.
But if you had run and they'd found Loki... You could never have lived with yourself.
"How much further?" the man holding the sword to your neck asked. You realised in terror that your feet had led you back to the grand hall and in the moment you knew that they really would kill you for wasting their time. For some reason, rather than terrified, you felt strangely liberated.
Stopping so suddenly that he ran straight into your back, you said defiantly, "I will never betray my kingdom."
"Sentiment," the soldier scoffed, increasing the pressure of his blade on your neck. You could feel the cool metal drawing blood, sharp stinging pains screaming for your body to move but you knew that shifting even an inch would be your death.
He shoved you at one of the other soldiers who without hesitation drove his blade through your side. You fell to your knees, overcome by a sudden dizziness as you pressed your hands over the bleeding wound in your side.
Feeling the tip of the blade over your heart, you closed your eyes and waited for the inevitable.
It never came.
There was a deafening crash as Mjolnir sent the soldiers flying against the nearest wall. You felt a thick pair of arms lift you up and the palace seemed to whiz by around you as he hastily carried you to the healers. As you began to drift off, you suddenly heard Thor ask how you were feeling.
Considering your current state, you were more amazed than anything that you managed to collect your thoughts enough to form an almost coherent sentence. "I ruined the dress."
"Worry not, Y/N. The royal cleaners have found the most effective ways of removing blood stains," Thor said reassuringly, entirely amused that you were more worried about your dress than actually having been stabbed.
"It's not even mine, though," you groaned, trying to move to make yourself more comfortable in Thor's arms. Your side felt warm and tight and you wanted to stretch it out, to make that horrid feeling vanish.
The prince gently tightened his grip on you to stop you from moving, knowing that if you weren't careful that you could tear the skin around wound and do considerably more damage to yourself. "Try not to move, Y/N. We are almost at the healers. If it isn't your dress, then to whom does it belong?"
"My fairy god mother," you said a little distantly, lolling your head to the side. The palace hallways certainly did look strange from this angle. It didn't help that your dizziness was getting worse. "She gave it to me. After Cinderella stole my dress."
"The woman you spoke of before?" Thor asked as you entered the healing wing. Pushing the question from his mind, the prince handed you to the most skilled of the healers and promised to return later once he was sure the palace was secured.
True to his word, a few hours later, Thor did return - carrying a large golden plate of fresh fruit. Offering it you with a smile, not at all offended when you turned the gift down, he took a seat beside you and asked, "How do you feel, my friend?"
"The healers said I was lucky. If you hadn't brought me straight here, I would have lost too much blood and I'd have gone into shock. I am in your debt, my pri... Thank you, Thor," you corrected yourself after a brief pause. It felt strange to call the older prince of Asgard by his given name, especially as you'd only officially been introduced that evening, but at the same time it felt natural.
"You owe me no such debt. It is you that Asgard should be thanking for putting the lives of hundreds of citizens above your own. You acted with great bravery."
"Not as bravely as the guards," you said, looking around at the many injured soldiers around you. It was a relief to see that none of them had been so badly hurt that the healers couldn't save them. In fact, most of them were already up on their feet, joking around and slapping each other on the back for a battle well fought.
Apparently, after you'd left the grand hall they'd managed to turn the tables and defeat the entire attacking force. You imagined that the prisons were currently overflowing but had absolutely no intention of going down to find out.
"Nonsense!" Thor exclaimed, heartily patting you on the shoulder. Gesturing around the room, he said proudly, "The warriors performed their duty most bravely but you risked your life to save others because you felt it to be right. You truly are a remarkable woman."
You couldn't help but smile and graciously accepted his compliments and unreserved enthusiasm. The pair of you sat chatting for a while, joined occasionally by other guardsmen who had somehow heard about the servant that fearlessly directed hundreds of people to safety and managed to distract three enemy soldiers by leading them on a wild goose chase around the palace.
The palace guards thumped you on the back the same way Thor had done, unabashedly expressing their admiration for your "heroic" behaviour. You were soon grateful for the anaesthetic that the healers had given you for without it you would definitely be feeling the bruise that was forming on your shoulder from all their attention.
"I really didn't have much of a choice," you tried to explain to one guard, a younger man that seemed enthralled by the tale of your actions. The last thing you wanted was to become some sort of myth among the household. "Anyone else would have done the same as me."
"You sell yourself short, Y/N," Thor said, wrapping his arm around you and squeezing you tightly. You had never met someone as tactile as him, so open with his affections - especially for a noble - but did find it surprisingly comforting. If you hadn't known otherwise, you would have thought you'd been friends for years.
Leaning against his side, you closed your eyes and thanked him when sent the growing crowd of interested guards away. "Too much?" he asked, smoothing down your wild hair like your sister used to do when you were younger. "You have the look in your eye that my brother used to wear when he was overwhelmed by attention."
"It definitely isn't what I'm used to."
"If I may, Y/N, I have a question for you," Thor said, suddenly sounding somewhat unsure of himself. It was completely at odds with what you knew of him and it filled you with a deep sense of dread. When you nodded, he asked, "You mentioned earlier that this was not your dress..."
"Y/N!" Loki exclaimed as he burst into the healing room, cutting Thor off mid question. He slipped pass the busy healers and apologised to them all as he wove his way over to where you were sat. For the briefest moment, the prince stared at you and his brother, clearly wondering when you'd gotten so close, before pushing the traitorous thought aside.
Thor immediately jumped to his feet - understanding that you two needed to be alone - and squeezed your arm comfortingly before wandering over to the nearest group of soldiers. After only a few seconds the group of men were laughing hysterically, so loud that it made your head hurt.
"Do you feel well enough to walk?" Loki asked, offering his arm for you to hold on to. "We can find somewhere a little more... peaceful."
"That would be nice," you said, taking his arm and letting him lead you from the healing room. Just as you rounded the corner to leave, you caught Thor grinning at you and his brother, sending a knowing wink your direction. You simply rolled your eyes, knowing that any other gesture you may or may not have been considering could probably be classed as treason.
You walked slowly through the halls of the palace, content to silently just be with Loki. His mere presence made you feel calm, a trait the princely brothers seemed to share. Of course, with Thor it felt like being in the company of an old friend. Someone that knew your thoughts and understood your feelings and would always be there to help.
But with Loki... With Loki, it was like coming home after being away for months. It was comfort and safety and the knowledge that he would lay down his life for you. You didn't have to pretend to be anything other than you were and you knew he returned the favour. There were no charades, no falsities. You just were. In your entire life you'd never experienced safety like that before.
"The entire palace is talking about your bravery. The stories circulating are almost beyond belief." Loki's voice was soft as he stroked the back of your hand with his thumb. It was such a gentle motion, almost certainly subconscious on the prince's part and that made your heart swell. "I came as soon as I heard."
You couldn't help but frown a little at that. You'd spent all night with the healers and in that time had been visited almost a hundred guards, servants and grateful nobles. People of every class and station had heard about your actions and tried to see you. Even Inga, who had been trapped down in the safe rooms for many hours, had managed - after fighting of a hoard of soldiers at the door - to make her way to you before Loki.
All that doubt swirling around your head, you found yourself asking, "Where were you during the attack, Loki? Did you get hurt?"
"Why? Were you worried about me?"
"I was a little preoccupied being stabbed to be concerned about your whereabouts," you hissed, unexpectedly annoyed by his teasing. Even so, the words came out harsher than you'd been intending and apologised immediately. Coming to a halt and taking his hands in yours, you looked up into his eyes and asked, "May I be honest with you, Loki?"
Loki nodded, pulling you ever so slightly closer. He didn't seem to notice the difference but you could. Taking a moment to work out how best to phrase yourself, you came to the conclusion that there was going to be no best way. "It hurt that you didn't come and see me earlier. I have spent the entire evening surrounded by people desperate to hear about my heroics - which literally entailed nothing more than me walking around in circles with a knife to my throat and then getting stabbed for my troubles. For all that time, I couldn't help but wonder why you hadn't yet visited."
"Y/N..." Loki rested his hands on your hips, this time consciously closing the gap between you. He was careful not to put pressure on the healing wound in your side, his fingers so light against your body that you wondered if you were imagining it.
Dropping your gaze to the ground, too scared to see his reaction to your words, you whispered, "I just thought that you cared about me more than to wait eight hours to check that I was okay."
"I do care about you, Y/N. Tremendously so. I sincerely regretting not seeking you out beforehand and I cannot apologise enough for making it seem that I'd forgotten about you. That could and would never happen." Loki lifted one hand to cup your face, barely touching your skin as he lifted your gaze. You could still feel the echo of his fingers when he let his hand drop.
Emboldened by his delicate brushes, you bit down on your bottom lip before asking, "Loki, why did you wait to dance with me? I need to know. If it was simply for fear of engaging with the other guests or the relief of a familiar face or maybe even just as a show of some kind then that's fine but if it was for some other reason... If you actually wanted to dance with me like I wanted to dance with you..."
Your words faded away as you realised just how close you and the prince had gotten. Somehow you'd ended up chest to chest, his hand resting barely on the small of your back stopping you from pulling away - not that you would. With his other hand Loki tilted your chin upwards, his movements so soft that you had every chance to stop him and step back if you wanted.
You didn't.
Loki brushed his lips hesitantly against yours, still giving you every opportunity to end this before it went too far. When you instead deepened the kiss, wrapping your hand around his neck and pulling him closer, you could feel the prince smiling against your mouth.
As you finally broke the kiss, Loki held you tightly, not wanting to let you go. Brushing the stray pieces of hair from your face, he asked, "Does that answer your question?"
"It wouldn't hurt to hear you put it into words," you breathed, your heart beating in your chest.
"I waited for you to arrive because I wanted to dance with you, Y/N. No one else would have done. I've wanted to hold you close since the first time you threatened me with your knife in the kitchens. You are the most incredible woman that I have ever met and I wish it hadn't taken you being injured to admit my feelings for you."
There was so much you wanted to say to him, so many things to talk about, not least Cinderella, but before you could put any of your thoughts into words the sound of boots clattering on the hard floor came echoing down the corridor. Reluctantly putting a respectable space between you and Loki, missing the contact instantly, you turned towards the oncoming guard and bowed your head as he relayed his message.
"My prince, the king requests your company in his study." The guard looked over to you and almost regretfully added, "He commands your presence also, miss."
The walk to Odin's study was short but somehow seemed to last a lifetime. Loki kept his hand in your for the entire journey but the moment that the grand doors came into view he released his grip. Although you understood his actions, it didn't stop them from hurting.
Stepping into the room, you immediately counted the guards - mainly for something other to do than look at Odin - before falling to your knees in respect for the king. "Your highness."
"So, you are the child that I've heard so much about," Odin said, staring you down from where he sat. Even without his enormous golden throne he still commanded the room in a way you'd never seen elsewhere and to be the subject of his intense gaze made you feel two inches tall. "Are you not also the one that convinced my son to argue for the attendance of the common folk tonight?"
"I, um, yes. I suppose that was me, your majesty."
"Hmm." It almost amazed you how Odin effectively could convey his distaste for you in a single syllable. A long silence stretched across the room, you practically squirmed under the weight of it, before the king finally said, "Well. I should commend your bravery. Your actions saved many lives tonight. To express the gratitude of kingdom, you are to receive a better position in the royal household."
"That really isn't necessary, my king."
"The decision has already been made," Odin insisted, dismissing your protests with a mere wave of his hand. "You shall be Lady Cinderella's new maid."
Stumbling over your words as you processed what Odin was saying, you managed to ask, "Excuse me?"
Odin rose from his chair and gestured towards the blonde woman at the side of the room, whose presence you'd previously not noticed at all. She strutted towards the king - still in your beautiful dress - with an almost vicious smile on her face. "Lady Cinderella has travelled from Vanaheim and is to reside here at the palace while preparations are made for her to marry Prince Loki."
"I beg your pardon?" you asked, at the exact same time that Loki exclaimed, "Father?"
"Enough. The matter is settled," Odin said, cutting you both off. Directing his words at you, he added, "We are done here. You may leave. Show the Lady Cinderella to her new quarters."
That deadly smile of hers growing even more, Cinderella strode over to your side and said, "I can't wait to get to know you more, Y/N. This is going to be such fun."