You woke the day after your trial before dawn and had one thing to do before you could head home. There was a small room in the hall of the trials and you and your mother went there at first light. The Trial Mistress was waiting for you there.
"You have passed your trials with flying colors," she told you proudly and you couldn't help beaming in pride. "Welcome to the ranks of the Valkyrie, Y/N, daughter of Sigun. Let us make it official," she told you and opened the door to the small room and the tattoo artist inside. The mark of the Valkyrie was inscribed on your wrist in ink as well as the spell of assignment, etched in magic. The mark of assignment was blank and would remain so until the ceremony that evening, but the marks there there and so they would remain for all of your days.
You were officially a full Valkyrie with all the rights and rank that entailed.
After that was taken care of, you headed straight to the stables with your mother to ride back to the palace. Conversation was sparse. You wanted to get back to the palace, back to Loki. You missed him terribly after your year apart; before this you'd barely spent as much time without him as it took to sleep.
You were nervous the entire trip back to the palace, anxiety and fear convincing you that you weren't going to get the assignment you so desperately wanted. Anxiety made no sense when you had literally broken every single trial record, including the record for the grand trial. There was no way you weren't getting whatever position you wanted, though no one bothered to ask. They all knew that you wanted to be assigned to Loki.
You prayed you would be assigned to Loki instead of your services being claimed by one of the other members of the royal family. That was your real concern. Any of them could claim the services of you and Loki couldn't fight their claim.
So you fretted and worried the entire trip home and rode your horses as fast as you dared. "You'll be assigned to Prince Loki, daughter," your mother tried to reassure you when you stopped for lunch. You wouldn't have stopped even this long, but you had to for the horses sake. You were pushing them hard to make it to the palace to prepare for the ceremony that evening. Most of the other Valkyrie took a few days to make their appearance before Odin to determine their futures. You were being assigned as soon as possible.
You rode hard to make it to the palace as quickly as possible. There was a lot of work to do when you made it back to the palace.
*
A long ride later and you finally made it to the palace stables where the hostlers took your horses. You were disappointed when Loki wasn't waiting there for you. You'd expected him to be here the second you got home.
He wasn't here.
You didn't have time to worry as you were swept into preparations for the ceremony the second you dismounted. You were fitted for a formal uniform first.
You had your hair cut and styled for the first time in ages. Your maids had their work cut out for them. They had to make you presentable for court after a year of trials. It wasn't easy on them either, especially the day after the grand trial without any recovery time. They hid the bags under your eyes with makeup, braided your hair elegantly, and brushed out and cleaned your wings. Your new armor was delivered and for the first time you dressed in your white formal uniform.
You couldn't help staring at yourself in the mirror. You hadn't thought anything would change, but you looked the part of a full Valkyrie, decked out in your formal finery. You couldn't believe you had finally done it. You finally looked the part of a real Valkyrie. You finally were one.
Or you would be soon. It would be completely official when you received your assignment.
It came to your attention when you were standing in front of your mirror that Loki still hadn't come to see you. He had to have heard by now that you were home. You wondered what in the nine realms was keeping him away.
And then it was too late to worry about it. Your mother walked with you to the throne room, but she had to leave you at the door. This was the actual last trial. You were a full Valkyrie and had to present yourself to Odin.
The guards opened the double-doors to the throne room to admit you and you strode confidently up to the throne. It was easy to ignore the crowd around you. You were on a mission, and you were used to being stared at by the court regardless.
Odin was standing at the steps leading up to the throne, Frigga beside him. Their sons on either side. Loki was here, and he was smiling with pride. He'd waited to see you until your official proclamation as a Valkyrie of Asgard. Until your assignment. You didn't know if he hadn't been allowed to come see you before, but even though you knew he'd be here, it warmed your heart that he was. You noted the entire royal family was in the formal best, Loki was even wearing his horned helmet for the occasion.
So you strode forward until you were the prescribed distance from the king. You dropped gracefully to one knee, your wings furled gracefully and beautifully behind you. You extended both of your arms, holding your dragonfang blade in offering to Odin. You kept your head bowed and recited the words you had memorized for this moment. You kept your eyes down as you recited them, not daring to look at Loki who you prayed you would be assigned to.
"I am Y/N, a Valkyrie of Asgard, daughter of the famed Valkyrie Sigun. I have trained in the palace of the golden city and have passed the grand trial in the land of Valhalla. I am ready to accept my duty. I offer my services to the throne of Asgard," the words fell off of your lips as you had practiced reciting them hundreds of times before.
"The throne of Asgard applauds your achievements and welcomes your service, Lady Valkyrie," Odin told you, reciting the correct response as he'd done for hundreds of Valkyrie before you. He paused and your heart sped it's beating. This was the part you'd been waiting for, the official announcement of your assignment. "Your accomplishments and standing have earned you the assignment of personal service to Loki, your prince. Will you accept this honor and this duty, Lady Valkyrie?" Odin asked the words and you nearly jumped for joy and sighed in relief at the same time. I was only long practice of controlling your emotions that kept you from doing either.
Instead you gave the proscribed reply. "I accept my duty," you intoned, loudly enough to be heard from the crowd.
"Then swear your oaths to my son," Odin bid you. You glanced up as he stepped aside and Loki took his place. You saw the warmth in Loki's eyes and couldn't help smiling in return. He wanted this as much as you had, wanted you by his side.
You looked up into his eyes as you spoke again, your words loud enough to be heard by the court, but spoken just for him."To my prince goes my faith and my honor. To his blood goes my blade, my shield, and my fist, ever to defend him and his kin. To him I swear my loyalty. On my honor, I swear to be his guide, to be the light in the darkness, his sword, his shield, and protection. I swear my life ever before his. So I swear from this day until my final breath," you recited the words, looking directly into Loki's eyes. If you looked at him you could ignore the others watching. Though, you were so proud of passing the trials and getting the assignment you had so desperately wanted that you barely noticed anyone else.
You turned your blade, drawing it across the palm of your hand before you laid it at Loki's feet. Blood sealed the oath. Loki knelt, and took your blade in one hand. He took both of your hands carefully and stood, bringing you with him. He used your blade to made a cut across his own palm. He handed your blade back to you and you vanished it, to clean and resheathe later, and took your bleeding hand with his, your blood mixing together.
"I accept your oath and your service, Lady Valkyrie, and swear in return to cherish your company, heed your advice, care for your well being. I swear to you my loyalty and my trust, for this day and for every day to come," he spoke the reply, his eyes only for you. He flipped your hand over and summoned a handkerchief to bind the wound on your hand with. He had already used magic to heal the cut on his, but him binding your hand was part of the ceremony, part of the whole 'caring for your well being' part of the oaths. He lifted your arm and bowed over it, placing his lips against the currently blank assignment mark on your wrist. It flashed with power as his sigil etched itself in magic on your skin.
You couldn't be happier in that moment.
In that instant you had everything you'd ever wanted