The Myriad Misadventures of a Midgardian Queen-In-Training || Loki x Reader

Chapter 7

The palace is...well, it's huge, not to mention beautiful, with walls made of pure white stone and dozens of windows framed in gold. It's preceded by a large lawn and driveway, and circled by woods that seem to extend well past the limits of your eyesight. Everything is so bright and vivid, the needle-leaved trees scraping the cloudless, cerulean sky, blossoms of every color growing along the driveway and edging the castle itself.

It is an incredibly intimidating sight.

"Come on!" You feel a hand around your wrist, and before you know what's going on, Sapphire is pulling you into a run. "You don't want to let them get ahead, do you?"

You don't really care either way, but you humor her, running until you're a few feet to the left of Juliette and Li, both of whom throw lofty glances in your direction. Juliette's hair, a deep, sunrise red, had caught your attention the moment you saw her on the train, but you hadn't really gotten a good chance to look at Li before - she's as beautiful as the others, if not more so. Her hair is so black, it has an almost purplish tint to it, contrasting magnificently against the bright, clear aqua of her eyes. She could legitimately pass for a porcelain doll, or a fairy. Even her gait matches - she seems to float, walking with delicate, pixie-like steps. It's enchanting to watch, but when her eyes flicker back in your direction, you immediately turn your gaze on the white gravel of the ground.

As you place your foot on the first step, you are startled by a loud creak. You and the others watch in awe as the tall, twin doors swing open at a snail's pace, allowing you to take in the foyer little by little. It's still overwhelming - the ceiling is cathedral height, with another tapestry hung up on the emerald walls every few yards. The floors are partially covered by lush green carpeting, like a runway, with thin, shiny stripes of ivory on either side. In between the tapestries are wall lamps, with candelabras beneath - and is that a chandelier you see? Yes, yes it is. Squinting, you make out another one a little further down the hall.

Entering the palace makes you feel as though you have left behind the twentieth century entirely. This new world is impressively, impossibly grandiose, straight from the pages of a fairy tale. You have fallen out of the reality you thought you knew, and into a fantasy swathed in emerald and cream.

"Well, shit," Irina breathes from behind you. You're inclined to agree, and from the expressions on the other girls' faces, so are they.

From the end of the hall, you see...something. A grey line, growing closer and closer; as it approaches, you see that it's mainly comprised of men in green-grey uniforms - guards? I think? A few yards before reaching you, it stops. The center figure steps out to approach. Heavier, but elegant, clad in a moss-green ball gown, with her waist drawn in (presumably) by a corset and emphasized by the swell of her skirt. As she sweeps forward, the velvet of her dress rustles.

"Good afternoon, girls." She beams at each of you in turn. "My name is Lady Amara, and I will be your guide for the duration of your stay." As she speaks, she makes some hand signal at the guards; at once, they all turn sharply, and head back to the end of the hall. One lingers, standing a few feet behind her. You notice, with no small amount of discomfort, that he's staring at you. When you make eye contact, he licks his lips, and winks at you. You turn your gaze to the floor, suddenly uncomfortable. Lady Amara turns to him, and motions for him to step forward, which he does. "This is Captain Absidor Walden; he is the head guard. He will be going over some of the safety measures which are in place to ensure your security."

"Good morning, ladies." His words come out thin and throaty, more rasp than voice. His skin is tanned, his hair slightly longer than a buzz-cut, and although he's far from ugly, you're immediately put off by his bearing: he carries himself not like a high-ranking officer, or even a nobleman, but with the cruel arrogance of a slave owner. He looks each of you up and down as he speaks, and you notice again that he spends a little extra time appraising you, though this time you look away before he has a chance to make eye contact. "You all have been allowed one personal item; we will be collecting and checking those before you are escorted to your rooms. You have each been assigned a maid. In case of an emergency, each maid has been provided with a key to their contestant's room. Upon arriving in your rooms, you will change into one of the outfits provided for you. Your clothes from home are to be discarded; your maid will help you with that. You will be allowed access to both email and 'snail mail' one day each week, but any packages containing anything other than a letter will be discarded immediately, a fact which we will inform your primary contacts of."

Lady Amara nods. "Thank you." The captain and his guards march back down the hallway, until they're no more than specks in the distance. "Guards are stationed at each of the castle's four exits, at the main gates, and at various points throughout the surrounding grounds, including the gardens, the stables, and the woods, which you'll see later." She pauses to give you all a tight-lipped smile, head tilted to the side. "Any questions?"

"So, what's Asgard like?"

"And of what concern is that to you?"

Her tone of voice is so sharp that Rosa actually takes a step backwards. "In the contract. It said the winner - "

" - and their family would be moved to Asgard. Yes. Relations between His Majesty and his family are somewhat...strained. Negotiations are currently taking place to alleviate the tension, hence his absence." She pauses to clear her throat. When she begins speaking again, her tone is considerably brighter. "Never fear, though! He is scheduled to return to the palace in seven days, which gives me just enough time to educate you on the behavior expected of you during your stay. For the next week, you will be trained in table etiquette, inter-realm politics, proper dress, etcetera. The king's arrival will likely be commenced with some sort of event, the details of which will be announced a few days prior to his return. Your lessons, however begin now."

"Now?" As in, now now?

She sighs, closing her eyes as though she were suffering from a headache. And that makes three people who I've managed to tick off in one day. Good job, (Y/N). Really solid work. "Yes, Lady...?"

"(Y/N)."

"Thank you." She claps her hands together. "To begin with: breakfast will be served at eight o'clock each morning, dinner at five p.m. sharp. Lunch is to be taken at your leisure, though you're welcome to join me in the dining room at twelve thirty. You may want to keep your schedules relatively free once his majesty arrives, as there is no set rotation for how he will be dividing his time up amongst you." Does that mean he picks the dates? Do we have the option to say no? "You will be shown to your rooms before dinner. This is the Ladies' Parlor; feel free to come here to read, compose letters to your families. Most importantly, we will congregate here each week to watch the weekly segment on television.

"You may notice a distinct lack of modern technology here; the television is a necessary exception, and will only be used to watch the weekly segment. You will also be allowed to contact your families once a week via electronic mail, as Captain Walden mentioned, but you will not be given any other access to the internet." She looks down the corridor to your right. "Ah, just in time. You each have half an hour to get ready before dinner.

Eight girls, all dressed in plain white aprons atop ebony dresses, line up facing you, four on each side of Lady Amara. The one furthest left is the first one to speak. "Lady (Y/N)?"

"Yes?"

She smiles at you. "This way, please."