A/N: I only made Sif into an enemy because I needed one, and I didn't want to complicate things by introducing lots of new characters at the same time; I have nothing against Sif, just to clear that up :) Anyway, enjoy and have a wonderful day/night love abbiemca x
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Chapter Three - Dinner
Loki led the way through to the Great Hall where we were going to have our dinner. The doors to enter were elaborately decorated with huge swirls of silver on top of the golden base material. Loki pushed them open and held it until we had all stepped through. I kept stumbling on my heels and I had to grab Loki's arm to stop myself from falling flat on my face. He chuckled to himself as I was tripping over my own feet.
"Can I please just take these off?" I moaned, Loki grinned.
"You would have been able to take them off if you had worn the dress I picked, that way nobody would be able to see your feet now would they?"
"Shut up," I grumbled, which made Loki laugh. He then spotted Odin and what I was assuming was his mother. Well, not real mother, but you know.
"I will only be a minute, go and sit down at the table." He said, before releasing himself from my grip on his arm and walking towards his 'parents'. I sighed to myself and attempted walking without his support in the heels. I was doing quite well - for about two steps. Then I fell straight down and accidentally took the nearest person to me down with me. That person just so happened to be Sif.
"Ah...sorry," I said, very unconvincingly. She snarled at me. She was wearing a one shoulder silver dress which flowed elegantly across the floor.
"Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?" She hissed, whilst pulling herself up and dusting her dress down; not offering me any help at all.
"No...I just fell."
"Why are you on your own anyway? Where's your Loki?" She snarled. I just about managed to pull myself up, wobbling on my heels.
"I'm not on my own. He's...He's...over..there somewhere," I said, searching the hall for him. Damn you, Loki.
"Yes. Because that is very convincing," She said, I couldn't help but snarl at her. She smirked before sweeping away in that shiny dress and seating herself at the long wooden table in the centre of the room. There were at least thirty seats around it, and there was various dishes and food placed upon it. I went to walk, and then began to trip on my shoes again. I cursed under my breath and and pulled the stupid shoes off my feet, holding them by the heels and walking around in bare feet. A few of the other people in the room stared at me as if I was mad but Sondra soon saved me from the looks and sat me down at the table beside her.
"Why have you taken your shoes off?"
"Because I can't walk in the damn things."
"And does Sif having a face like a wet weekend have anything to do with you?"
"Maybe."
"What did you do?"
"I pulled her down with me when I fell," I said simply, Sondra burst out laughing and just as she recovered, we realised Sif was sat opposite us.
"I do not see how that is amusing. Your friend is clumsy and unworthy, Sondra. I do not think this is a laughing matter," She said, flicking her long black hair out of her face. I shot a glare at her from across the table and snapped at her before Sondra had the chance.
"So, I'm unworthy because I can't walk in heels? How the hell does that work?" I growled.
"No. You're unworthy because you act like a peasant."
"How dare you!" I yelled, beginning to stand from the table; Sif did the same. Then suddenly I felt arms around my waist pushing me down softly.
"Ava, sit down." Loki's voice said calmly. I did as I was told and sat in my seat with Sondra on my right. Loki took his seat on my left.
"Do you always do as you are told, are you like his pet?"
"I am not his pet."
"You act like it."
"And you are acting so acceptably, aren't you?"
"You dare to insult me?"
"I dare, yes."
"Stop arguing!" Loki yelled, silencing not only us, but everybody else in the room. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." I grinned to myself and now everybody was seated at the table. Odin was sitting at the head of the table, with a golden goblet in hand. He tapped it with a piece of cutlery and everybody looked towards him as the cup made a soft ringing sound.
"Today we have a new member of the palace," Everybody looked at me. "Everybody, this is Ava Richards." He said softly, gesturing his hand to me. I stood up, took a bow and sat back down. Loki smiled at me, and a few people gave a small laugh. Sif just glared. "And I think that's all the relevant news for today...Oh, no, nobody is to use the Bifrost until I say it is allowed. Okay, Loki?"
Loki just grinned at his father and held up a glass to him. His mother, who had curly blonde hair in a fancy up-do just shook her head and smiled. Everybody began to pile their silver plates up with the food that was stacked in front of us. I sat there, not knowing what to do with anything. I mean, I had three forks. What do I need three for? I leaned over to Loki subtly and whispered in his ear.
"Loki, what fork do I use?" I asked, very quietly so I was sure nobody could hear what I'd said. Loki didn't reach out or anything; he knew I didn't want to make myself look stupid. He just whispered back in my ear.
"The smallest is for pudding, the big one is for meat, and medium is for anything else," I nodded to him and I put some chicken (I think) onto my plate along with some vegetables which had some sort of sticky sauce covering them. Sif watched me throughout my meal, which was lovely by the way, and narrowed her eyes at me.
"This is what I mean by unworthy. You don't even know what fork to use," She said, with a flick of her hair and I couldn't help but blush.
"Okay then, I'm unworthy. But you're still unbelievably rude." I snapped.
"I am not rude, I am simply proving a point!"
"If you're not rude, I'm not unworthy. Deal?"
"No."
"Yes."
"Ladies, stop!" Odin bellowed. I snapped my head towards him and he just looked at Sif and I. I felt my cheeks blush and I looked away from Odin and Sif and into my food. Odin then addressed me again, but not shouting this time. "So, Ava. Tell us a bit about yourself, your family, your past."
"I don't think-" Loki began, trying to avoid this conversation.
"No, Loki, it's fine." I said, brushing my hand over his for a moment. "Well, when I was little, about 3, my parents gave me up and I was put into a care home with other abandoned kids, if you like. I hated it in the home, everybody was miserable and all of my things would get stolen or broken. I didn't really have much. I was picked on in school, and the teachers didn't care. I'd fail classes because I used to be too busy worrying about everything else to be studying for maths and English. When I was 16, I just abandoned school and joined the armed forces. (A/N: I don't know if it works like that in America, I'm British :).)"
"You were in the army?" Sif questioned. I nodded and gave her a glare for interrupting me.
"When I was in the army, I was a captain. I was leading my team to storm a terrorist base, so I went in first. Just as I was about to give the signal to the others, a bomb which contained chemically manipulated gas exploded behind me. I got caught in it, and the chemicals...changed me. They gave me telepathic powers, I can read minds, moves things without touching them, destroy people's minds and I've learnt to harness the power to attack with the energy it produces, a bit like lasers."
"Woah, so you can read all of our minds, right now?" Somebody across the table said. I smiled and nodded.
"Everybody, except Loki. He pushes me out of his head." Loki smirked to himself. Sif narrowed her eyes at me.
"Prove it. Read my mind." She said, raising an eyebrow cockily. I sighed and focused on her.
This girl is so annoying. I don't even like Loki and I feel sorry for him. And now she's spouting some rubbish about being able to read minds, as if.
"This girl is so annoying. I don't even like Loki and I feel sorry for him. And now she's spouting some rubbish about being able to read minds, as if." I said, in a monotonous voice. Sif's eyes widened and she gasped at me. Loki raised an eyebrow at her. Everybody else just gaped at the two of us.
"Get out of my head!" She screeched.
"You asked me to read your mind." I stated simply.
"Sif, Ava, if you carry on you will both be in big trouble! Ava, would you like to continue your story?" Loki and Thor's mother said softly. I nodded and started again.
"So, after the explosion I was invalided back home because I was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. But the Governments knew about my powers after the explosion, they wanted to carry out tests but I was deemed too unstable. After about two weeks of being home, with absolutely nothing, a secret agency called SHIELD found me, and asked me to help them. I then joined The Avengers, with Thor, and we had to fight Loki and his army."
"So how did you fall in love with him?" Somebody called from the end of the table. Loki and I both blushed in turn.
"Um.." I began, but Frigga, Thor and Loki's mother, interrupted.
"You don't have to explain dear," She chuckled.
"Well I would love to know." Sif sneered. I glared at her.
"Why would I tell you?"
"Because I want to know."
"I want a lot of things, it doesn't mean I get them."
"I can see that, you think we're all going to fall for your stupid little sob story. No parents, bad life, bullied, stolen from. Yes, we have heard it all before."
"I don't want your pity. I was asked to tell my past and I did. Why would I sugar coat something that doesn't deserve to be sweetened? I'm not going to lie about who I am."
"I think you do lie. I think you lie about a lot of things. Why would you miss out on an opportunity to prove your love for Loki? Why? Surely there's a reason. I think you're a dreadful liar. You've simplified that explanation, a lot. I'd be surprised if half of it was even true." She said, sneering and snarling at me. I was absolutely speechless. I don't think I'd ever been accused of something like that before, ever. Loki noted my discomfort and was about to say something until Odin opened his mouth.
"SIF!" Odin bellowed. She turned to look at Odin, who was glaring at her.
"I think that will be all for tonight," Frigga said softly. People nodded and began to get up from the table. Loki and Sondra didn't move from either side of me. They just looked at each other in bewilderment.
"We haven't had any pudding!" Loki yelled, like a child. I raised my eyebrow at him.
"Are you serious?" I asked, frowning. He looked at me as if I'd just shot somebody.
"Of course I'm serious-" Loki said, before he was interrupted by Sondra.
"This is an outrage, Ava, I'm blaming you for this!" Sondra yelled, and both of them refused to move and folded their arms like petulant children.
"How can you blame me?" I asked innocently.
"All of your bloody arguments!" Sondra said, pouting. I sighed at both of them before dragging Loki by the collar of his outfit, and Sondra by the back of her dress; assisted by my powers of course. Loki stood up but Sondra threw herself to the floor and wailed.
"Fine! You can have my pudding tomorrow!" I said, trying to silence Sondra. She grinned up at me, before pushing herself to her feet. Loki looked at me in bewilderment.
"What? Why does she get it and I don't?"
"Okay! You can share my pudding tomorrow!" I said, grabbing my heels from under the table and starting to walk off once Sondra and Loki seemed satisfied with my offer. Just as Loki went to hold the door open for me, Frigga called me over to her. I ran over to golden tiles to reach her, Loki waited outside for me.
"Hello, dear. How are you settling in?"
"I'm doing well, thank you," I said with a smile. She smiled back at me, even though there seemed to be something behind her eyes.
"I'm so sorry about Sif, she gets like that occasionally." She said, her head dipping a little.
"It's alright, I'm used to stuff like that," I said, dismissing everything that had just happened, even though it did hurt me a little.
"Can I ask you something, sweetie?" She said softly. Odin and everybody else had left the hall; leaving just me and Frigga in the room.
"Of course."
"Do you truly love Loki?" She asked. I paused for a moment before answering.
"Yes, yes I do." I said, quietly. She nodded and gestured for me to sit down on one of the chairs crowded around the table. I did so and Frigga followed suit.
"It's just, Loki has never done this before. He has never had a serious relationship, he tended to just annoy people, his tricks were always too much trouble for anybody who once showed an interest in him. But you, you're different, you're just like him. You play tricks and you happily joke around with him. He loves you, you know. I have never seen him so relaxed or happy as he is when he is with you." Frigga explained, in her usual soft, calm voice. I didn't know what to say to her.
"I love him too but everybody I know thinks I shouldn't love him. After what he done on Earth to all of those people, it was wrong, but everybody should be forgiven, shouldn't they? I love him and nobody understands why. But love isn't one of those things that is easy to understand is it, really? I love him dearly and that's all there is to it, I guess. I've never had a relationship before this one, with everything that happened; I didn't see the point. But now, I know, that I'm in love and I never want to leave him, ever."
"Can I ask you to promise me something, sweetie?" I nodded. "Please don't hurt him. He may have ruined the lives of lots of people, he may have a dark side to him, but he is still my son and I love him."
"I will never hurt him, I promise." I said solemnly. Frigga smiled and pulled me into an embrace. She then said I could leave, and she bid me goodnight. I pushed the heavy door open and Loki was leaning against the wall waiting for me, smirking.
"What are you smirking for?" I asked him, as he linked my arm.
"I heard all of that, you know."
"Ah." I said, he grinned at me, and then leaned over, unlinked my arm and softly pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was sweet and magic, and it was the first one we'd shared since being drenched in New York. When we broke apart, Loki took my face in his cold hand and smiled.
"I love you, Ava Richards."