It was a month since they had made it official: Loki was going to marry another woman.
Your heart still ached, even though it cried and let its feelings out every night since you found out, but it still couldn't heal the wound that your love for the god had left.
You always thought you would have all the time in the world to confess your feelings to him, to take your friendship to the next level, but now you realised it was too late. Your only consolation was that the engagement had not been entirely his choice, the king and queen had arranged it and there was nothing either of you could do about it. It was a possibility you knew existed, but you never imagined it would actually happen.
That night, amidst sighs of grief and loneliness, you wandered around the castle, waiting for Thor to pick you up and take you to drink with his friends. He was your best friend, after all. So far, you had refused his help because it involved drinking and a talk you didn't want to have, but by this point, you had tried everything and were willing to listen to suggestions. A night of forgetfulness couldn't hurt.
However, just as you were beginning to lose yourself in the beauty of the moon and stars, you heard footsteps behind you and noticed the reason for your unhappiness; Loki's fiancée.
"Oh, good evening, (Y/N)," she curtsied. "What a nice surprise to find you here. You were looking for Loki?"
There she was, feigning innocence. As if she wasn't the reason why your beloved, platonic love had strayed so far from you lately. Every time she was near, he would run from your presence and seek to hide.
"My lady," you sighed, "No. I await Thor."
The girl gave you a mischievous smile. Thor had not been forced to marry, it was rumoured, because his heart belonged to another woman. Of course, you knew that was Jane, but apparently, Loki's betrothed thought they meant you.
"Lucky you," she laughed falsely, "Don't tell me he's the one who gave you that ring."
You looked at your finger. Everyone knew, even the palace maids knew, except her, of course. That ring was your only inheritance from your mother, who died giving birth to you.
"No, of course not," you whispered, blushing.
"Oh, I understand, you don't want to go public yet."
"It's not that, it's just that-"
"Oh, sweetie. Say no more, I know what you're thinking. Of course, Thor would never give you such a small diamond. You're just using that decoy so no one will see the real thing and be envious. A little tip: I used to do the same, but now I can show my diamond without any fear, it's just a token of Loki's love for me," she showed you the ring on her finger, altering your breathing and causing you a mix of emotions where you didn't know whether to cry or punch her in the face; you'd probably end up doing both.
"Thor and I are not together," you clarified. "The ring is mine."
The fiancée looked at you shamelessly, judging you from head to toe.
"A woman who wears a ring she bought herself?" she laughed. "What a sad thing to say. Darling, you're not that ugly. You'll find someone someday."
"I know I will," you were tired of keeping up appearances. "If you could get someone like Loki with that nose job and your shallow personality, I can get someone who values me for the woman I am."
"You don't need to be jealous, my dear," you didn't manage to upset her one bit. In fact, for some reason, you had fed her ego. "It's no secret to anyone that you are Loki's little pet, the silly girl who follows him everywhere. It's no one's fault but your own to think that someone like him, a prince with manners and unrivalled power, could be interested in a plain, boring girl like you."
You wanted to ignore her words. You wanted more than anything to extinguish the fire inside you, but you couldn't. You thought the same about yourself. You'd had long conversations with yourself about it, never feeling enough for him. He was perfect, and you were just another fan.
Still, you didn't let the tears come to your eyes, you swallowed a lump in your throat, holding your head high.
"Good night, my lady," you turned around and began to walk slowly.
"Good night, Loki's toy."
You were about to turn around to hit her, but before you could do so, a strange sound caught your attention. You turned to see Loki, who was staring angrily at his shoe. No, at what was underneath it. He was about to step on a small snail that took the place of his betrothed. Had he used magic to transform her?
"Just so you know, you're nothing to me," he said to the snail. So, indeed he had turned her. "You can go around saying that we love each other and that I give you those jewels you buy for yourself, but (Y/N), you are forbidden to touch her, to go near her. You are not worthy to be in her presence."
He wanted to step on her. You could see in his eyes that he wanted to end her life right there, he was fighting with every fibre of his being to do it, but something was stopping him. Rather, someone.
From across the hall, Queen Frigga came running in, pulling her son away from the primitive form he had turned his betrothed into. She had been watching what was happening in the distance.
"Give her back her body, Loki," the queen demanded.
"I'm sorry, mother. I won't do it," Loki refused, avoiding your dismayed gaze, which could only focus on his beautiful green eyes.
"It is not a question, Loki. It is an order."
"No," he insisted.
You thought things were going to get ugly, but instead of getting angry, Queen Frigga softened her expression and placed a hand on her son's shoulder.
"I'm not going to force you to marry her, my boy," she gave him a gentle caress. "I have just seen the kind of person she is, and no matter what the father of it all says, I will not have such a woman in my family."
Loki nodded, and with a wave of his hand, Loki's betrothed recovered her body.
"Queen Frigga, please help me. I know Loki is in love with this girl, but you have to believe me, she is evil. She has done nothing but insult me since I wished her good night. There is darkness in her heart."
Loki raised his fist with the intention of attacking her, but once again, the queen stopped him.
"Enough. In this family we are not driven by words, but by actions. It is you who has been lying about who (Y/N) is and what she does behind her back, it is you who made the kingdom believe that my son loves you when every night at dinner all he wants is to leave your side and be with her, and it is you, who claimed not to be interested in gold or riches, who have been stealing the royal jewels. I'm going to ask you to leave this kingdom, I'll take care of explaining what happened to your father. Just go."
In tears, Loki's betrothed had no choice, in a humiliating scene in which she ran away awkwardly, with your angry gazes upon her.
You turned around to let Loki and his mother speak, but the queen stopped you.
"I hope you understand that you are not royalty," she began. Loki was crestfallen. "You are not a princess and you are not fit to marry a prince, much less take care of a kingdom."
Finally, the tears could no longer be held back, and they began to run down your flushed cheeks. You hadn't done anything; you didn't want to be reminded of how painful the truth was.
"I hope you understand, then, the great responsibility that comes with being with Loki," she finished. You looked up to see if she was saying what you thought she was saying. "You are an exceptional woman, and I have no doubt that you are capable of incredible things if your heart is sure of what it wants."
"What about you, Loki?" You could only stare at him, his eyes shining as bright as yours, if not brighter. "Would you really want to be with me?"
"More than anything in the world," he reached out to take your hands in his, caressing them.
"It's settled, then," Frigga declared with a smile.
"But I don't want to commit myself, not yet," you said. Of course you wanted to marry Loki, the thought of him calling you his fiancée drove you insanely happy. But you wanted to have everything with him, including a first date, a courtship, and for him to wake up one morning just knowing it was the right time. That time, wasn't now.
"I get it," Frigga guessed what you were thinking. "As long as it's a serious relationship. Loki is a very jealous man."
"Sorry I'm late!" Thor arrived, always on time for the gossip. "What did I miss?"
Everyone laughed, the worst was over. You let yourself be wrapped in Loki's arms; you were finally where you belonged.