Your heart ached for home more than usual this morning. Perhaps it was due to the gloomy day- an extremely rare occurrence on Asgard, or perhaps it was because today marks exactly three months that you've been so far from home, studying abroad in another realm, and you had yet to make any friends.
While you appreciate that your parents' royal status on Vanaheim earned you a place to stay in the palace while you are visiting Asgard, staying in the palace has proven to be quite isolating.
You head to the palace library, just as you have most other times you were feeling down since coming here.
While you should probably keep focused on your studies, losing yourself in a fantasy world for a little while has always managed to cheer you up in the past, and Asgard's royal library has the most expansive collection of books you've ever laid your eyes on. You're determined to read as many of them as you possibly can during the year that you'll be staying here.
Once you've entered the vast space, you wander over to a section you haven't yet explored.
Mindlessly running your hand along the spines of the books, you suck in a deep breath, savoring the smell of the ancient tomes, already beginning to feel a little bit better.
It's only when you hear the flipping of pages in the next row over, that you realize you aren't alone.
You cautiously peek through the rows of books, trying to get a view of the person on the other side without being noticed.
You spot a young man seated on the floor with his long, lean legs outstretched. There is a large stack of books to his left, and he scowls at the pages of another in his hands. His raven locks cascade down into his face as he reads. You recognize him immediately as Asgard's youngest prince.
'Galdraormur' they called him on Vanaheim. The 'sorcerer serpent-' and he happened to be the one person your parents warned you to avoid.
When he unexpectedly looks up from the page, you crouch to the ground, out of sight.
"Who's there?"
You hold your breath in hopes that the silence will convince him that he was simply hearing things, and you begin to slide your way down the row of books, walking only on your toes. Just as you think you're in the clear, the skirt of your dress catches the worn spine of a massive book on the bottom shelf, and it is sent sailing to the floor with a loud thud.
The sound startles you so badly that you nearly leap out of your skin, tripping over your own feet, and stumbling backwards into the colossal shelf of books.
You spin around just in time to watch the shelf wobble off balance and begin to fall in your direction.
You freeze in fear, and with the realization that there's no possible way you can move out of the way in time to not get squashed, you cover your head with your arms in a feeble attempt at protecting yourself as it falls. You squeeze your eyes shut as several books begin to slide off of the shelves and crash all around you as you brace for impact.
And then, nothing happens.
The library returns to its eerily quiet state, and you timidly peek open your eyes to assess the damage.
Your breath catches in your throat when you see that the young prince of Asgard ran to your aid and had stopped the bookshelf from falling down and crushing you with his magic.
Oh.
You have heard many stories of the dark princes' magic, but seeing it up close was... well- breathtaking.
Hands extended; he carefully uses his magic to steady the shelf back in its upright position again.
"Are you alright?"
You blink at him several times, struggling to form any words.
It's then that you remember that you hadn't actually taken the time to look in the mirror before you left your chambers this morning, and you feel your face involuntarily catch fire from embarrassment.
The stories you'd heard of the young prince had always been entirely focused on his anomalous use of magic and mischievous ways, and had not at all prepared you for how devastatingly handsome he is.
"I..." You stare at him, paralyzed by your own self-consciousness.
He reaches his hands out in your direction as though you are a frightened deer that he's ever-so-carefully trying to approach. "My name is Loki. Are you hurt?" His emerald eyes reflect the beams of sunlight escaping through the clouds in a way unlike you've ever seen before.
"My Prince- I am so terribly sorry for the mess I've made." You drop to your knees, frantically clawing at all of the fallen books. You hope breaking eye contact with him will help you regain your wits. It's as though his gaze has put you under some sort of spell.
Galdraormur.
When he places a large hand over the top of yours in an attempt to cease your frenzied tidying, your heart leaps into your throat.
"Never mind the books. Are you okay? What is your name?" He's now crouched on the floor beside you, close enough that you can smell the fine leather fabric of his clothing.
Timidly meeting his emerald eyes once again, you finally manage to formulate a response. "My name is Gersemi."
"Lady Gersemi. You are here for your studies, correct? I remember my parents mentioning you'd be staying with us."
"I- yes, I'll be staying here for a year."
"Well, Lady Gersemi, let's get these books put back in their proper places, and then I'll give you a tour of the palace."
You don't have the heart to tell him that you've already been here for several months, seemingly unnoticed by everyone, and don't exactly need a tour, so you shoot him a sheepish smile and begin to gather up the scattered titles.
——————-
As you follow the dark prince through the hallways of the palace, you muse about how lovingly he'd handled each of the books as the two of you put them back on the shelves, and the fact that he seemed to have the order that they were displayed in memorized. There was something sexy about the care he'd put into the task, and you find yourself already struggling to understand how he'd managed to earn the frightening reputation he has.
"Your parents, they are the Duke and Duchess of your realm, correct?" His question breaks the long silence.
"Yes- they have held their positions for over 900 years."
"Do you have siblings?"
"Yes, an older sister, Hnoss."
"Is she married?" He questions.
"She wed Lord Kvasir several years ago. I will return to Vanaheim just in time to witness them welcome their first child."
"And do you, Lady Gersemi, wish to be married someday?"
"I... well, yes- of course I do. It is customary that a-"
"I'm asking you- Gersemi. Not what your family has told you that you must do." He slows his pace to look you in the eyes.
You find yourself once again mesmerized by his viridescent gaze. For some reason beyond your understanding, you feel like you can be completely honest with him.
"I would like to marry, yes- but I would very much prefer it be for love, and not solely for the purpose of securing some sort of social status or preserving a royal line."
Why did I just tell him that?
"What is the primary focus of your studies while you are staying here?"
"Botany." You smile. "I hope to learn about Asgard's many plants and herbs. My dream is to someday discover or create species that can cure diseases that have currently been deemed as terminal."
"Hm." He muses, a crooked little smirk spreading across his face.
"Is there something funny about my aspirations?" You do your best to hold back a defensive glare.
"Not at all- you simply did not originally strike me as the working on your hands and knees, digging, getting dirty type." He looks you up and down, his smirk taking full form.
"I assure you sir; I am perfectly capable of-"
"May I show you something outside of the palace walls, Lady Gersemi?"
No. No. Absolutely not. Listen to your parents' advice and DO NOT follow the sorcerer serpent outside of the safety of the palace!
"I would like that very much." You beam.
Idiot.