I can't seem to remember when things started to get out of hand. It was either before or after I was offered a tankard of mead. More specifically, an Asgardian boy bought me one, which I wasn't entirely grateful for. I flipped him off.
It appeared as though the Asgardians had no drinking age since the barkeep placed the drink before me without giving me so much of a glance. He was burly and had a beard that fell all the way down to his clavicle. I decided I wouldn't push too much on the subject. The mead was chilled, but as I took a sip, I found myself feeling warmer. It was an odd sensation, but pleasurable all the less.
Within a few moments, I had finished the drink before me and was worried that, well, as a ten-year-old, this was going to have severe complications on my mental health. Then again, I was pretty sure I was already insane. So, as I slowly found my desire for more mead growing and my control over my impulses lessening, I knew that perhaps that disaster I'd been imagining would, in fact, be me.
"Care to join us, young lady?" A voice called from one of the nearby tables.
I turned to find four men sitting around a table, all obviously drunk. One was already pulling another chair over but was stumbling over the legs. He had me worried that he'd trip over himself onto the floor, but when he did, he just burst into a fit of childish giggles. Was it a good idea to take the man's offer? Probably not, but what trouble could I possibly get into if I played it safe?
It might be best for me not to get into the details of what happened for the rest of the evening. Let me assure you that my mouth almost got me into a fight once or twice. Still, thankfully, those same lips could talk me out of whatever situation I'd managed to get myself into. I was on the edge of feeling like collapsing or running around for hours, neither of which would do me much good when I hopped onto one of the tables.
My speech was slurred as I spoke. "Why, oh why, dear, dear friends, should we be forced to listen to a king? " Their drunk ramblings came to a halt. "I mean, you're all capable of taking care of yourselves. Don't you want to have some say in what you can do, what you can say? How much mead you can have?"
A cheer echoed through the room. Not surprising, I knew they'd have liked that part. It was why they were here, after all.
"But," I waved my hands trying to silence them once more, but almost tumbled off the table. Multiple arms caught me, bringing me back to a standing position. "Thank you, thank you. But, at the same time, who's to say one of you can't become king? The answer, my friends, is simple." I paused, a giggle escaping my lips. Oh, how I was dying to see how this ended. Even in my daze, I still remembered the goal I'd come here with.
"Your allies hold you back. The only way for you to gain the power you want is to take down those who stand in your way. So, I'll ask once, who wants power?"
The whole tavern stood, arms waving like children. It was as though they thought I could give it to them like a gift, a birthday present. No, that wasn't what I wanted them to be thinking.
"Then I suggest you take it for yourselves. These people who claim to stand by your side, perhaps, they sat next to you all day, they are your enemies. And they must be destroyed."
I was worried they wouldn't take the bait. Or, maybe, the barkeep, who I hadn't seen touch a single drop of alcohol, call my b.s. and stop things before it got messy. He didn't step in, however, and after a couple seconds of people gazing around the room, taking in those before them, chaos ensued.
Someone threw a chair, which splintered into fragments as it hit the wall, its target having ducked out of the way. I leaped off the table, though, in all honesty, it was more of a hop that ended with me on the floor. Another man fell beside me, a pool of blood forming beneath his nose. He gave me a lopsided smile. I gave him one in return. Loki was right, there had been some trouble I could get into, and get into it I had.
It was a lot of fun, starting such a fight, and I'd never had the opportunity to do such a thing when I'd been on Earth. I'd never even been into a bar, but I'd seen movies and hoped that things would turn out the same. Unfortunately, I'd miscalculated the fact that these were people with inhuman strength and that I probably should have run before I could have gotten hurt. A person grabbed me from my ankles, and I found myself dangling upside down.
"Hello!" I chirped, bending myself slightly upward to see an angry woman's face.
She was about to, well, I don't exactly know what she had planned. She could have wanted to rip me in two or smack me a couple of times on the floor. Thankfully, I'll never know since before she could even give me a proper greeting back, a man tackled her from behind. Her grip loosened on my feet, and I fell out of her grasp. Unfortunately, that meant that I was going to slam my head on the rim of a table.
I brought my hand up to my forehead, rubbing the spot I'd hit by my temple. "Ouch!"
Weaving through the sea of people, I'd casually throw out jeers and insults here and there. It tricked many into beating up the person behind them. Finally, I made it to the spot I'd been trying to get to. I scooched over behind the bar to find the barkeep.
"I feel like I should say sorry for starting this." I turned to face him. "Should I say sorry?"
He rubbed his knuckles in a towel. "No, my lady, you needn't do that. Most of the time, they get to this point without some elaborate speech. I wouldn't go preaching those words around the castle, though. The All-Father would most certainly not like that."
"Eh," I shrugged. "All the more reason to do just that. Mind if I sit up there?"
My finger pointed to the bar, which had been vacated of all people and beverages. Most of them were now engaged in battle or smashed upon the floor. The barkeep shook his head. Sweet. I got to my feet, not swaying as much as before. Heaving myself onto the counter, I dangled my legs over the edge and surveyed the wreckage before me.
Only half of the folks who'd been rowdily responding to my call for action still stood. The rest were passed out, or maybe dead, I couldn't really tell. Either way, today could officially be deemed a success. Everything seemed to be going well until the two doors of the entrance swung open, revealing a blond Asgardian wielding a hammer.
"Lady Winter?" He gazed around the hall, and all fighting came to a stop. "What have you done?"
⚬ ⚬ ⚬
"I thought you were only supposed to escort me to the ball. And that was only if I didn't show up of my own accord."
Thor had removed me from the tavern, apologizing to the barkeep for my actions, who just shrugged it off. He hadn't talked to me yet, and I was wondering how he'd known where I was. We were heading back to the palace, which was where I had absolutely no interest in returning to. Couldn't I have had just a couple more minutes of fun?
He looked down at me. "That is what my father commanded. I was also told that a fight had broken out. I like to take part in that sort of thing. Can't say I expected to find you in the midst of it all. You caused it?"
"I sure did." A smirk danced upon my face. "Pretty impressive for my second day in Asgard, if I don't say so myself."
"Pretty ignorant if you ask me. Little girls aren't meant to fight."
"I've got words to protect me. I don't need to use my fists."
Thor chuckled sadly. "You remind me of my brother, Loki."
"Oh, yes. I'm quite fond of him. It's nice to—"
"Even after he almost destroyed your planet?" He gave me a quizzical look. "Not many here on Asgard look up to him in any way. I recommend you do the same. For your own good. He's manipulative and a lier. Never trust him."
I kept quiet after that.
⚬ ⚬ ⚬
A knock sounded at my door. I hadn't been expecting anyone. That was apart from Thor making sure I went to the ball, but I still should have had an hour before that.
"Miss Winter?" A timid voice asked. "May I come in?"
I didn't know who the person was, and I really wasn't in the mood for conversation, but. . . "Of course. The door's unlocked."
In came a girl who must have been around my age. She had short blond hair, which was styled in a ponytail. Her skin was tanned, and she was dressed in what seemed like rags compared to the attire of others in the castle. I couldn't meet her eyes, she was avoiding my own.
"What's your name?" I tried to sound as gentle as possible. For all the times, I could be cold and sarcastic, it didn't feel right to be this way to a girl who's life was probably already wretched.
Her head still hung low. "Lilja."
"It's nice to meet you, Lilja. You already know my name." She didn't move. "You can look at my face, you know. I don't mind. I'm new here, and I'm not one to follow customs. Honestly, I'm gonna get you in trouble."
She slowly raised her head. Now I could see that Lilja had the most beautiful doe brown eyes. I was almost jealous of her, but I preferred green.
"See. That wasn't so bad."
Her voice trembled ever so slightly. "I suppose not, Miss."
"That's the next thing we'll change. Forget the whole title thing. If you need to get my attention, just call me Winter. Apart from that, we can do away with the whole ordeal. Does that sound good?"
She nodded.
"Now, I don't want to seem rude or anything, but why are you here? I mean, I don't remember calling for you."
"I was sent, Mi—. I was told to prep you for the ball."
I sighed. "Ugh. That ghastly thing. You know, I really don't want to go that thing."
"But you'll get to see the royal family. That's every girl's dream." Her face seemed to brighten just talking about it.
"Well, not this one's. I'd love to send you in my stead, but the All-Father wants to have a chat and—"
"Odin wants to speak with you? My, you must truly be something. He only has time for the most important of matters."
"I'm sure he's in awe over my presence here. Apart from the fact that he's the one who forced me to come, so that doesn't exactly work." I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. "You don't happen to have access to any daggers, do you? I'll need a pair of scissors too."
She seemed perturbed by my request. "I can get a knife. I already have scissors in case you need alterations to any of your gowns or such."
"That would be great, Lilja."
I sat myself down before my vanity, I had a few of my own alterations that I needed to take care of. This mop of black hair was starting to bother me.