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

Chapter 12

You're lost.

It's a little after nine. Breakfast had been a quiet affair - all the girls (yourself included) had been up late trying to pull together a costume for tonight's festivities. You'd passed out sometime around three, and you were relieved to see that everyone else was every bit as exhausted as you. Lady Amara prattled on about the exact schedule for the evening, not even stopping when Sapphire went so far as to fall asleep on the table (luckily, Rosa was able to pull the plate of food out of the way before she could faceplant into it).

You were all relieved when Lady Amara finished her meal and flounced off to finish decorations for the party. Everyone split, presumably to finish their costumes. Personally, you were hoping to squeeze in a nap first, but that was before you absentmindedly took a turn down the wrong hallway.

So.

Here you are.

On the bright side, you're awake. On the down side, you have absolutely no idea where you are.

You consider the possibilities:

1) You can stand here until someone finds you, and end up looking like an idiot.

2) You can attempt to find the way back to your room, get even more lost, and end up looking like an even bigger idiot.

3) You can attempt to find the way back to your room and, by some miracle, manage to actually find it.

You're feeling fairly optimistic as you begin making your way down the corridor. Ten minutes later, you still have no idea where you are in relation to your room, but your surroundings looks familiar - that's a good sign, right?

Maybe a little too familiar.

Come to think of it, you've seen that banner before, and those doors...but the tapestry is different - and was that last turn you made a right or a left?

Suddenly, you stop. Is that food?

You take another deep breath, and, sure enough, your nose is met with the scent of breakfast. They must still be clearing out the dining room.Relieved, you hike up your skirts and run.

But the closer you get, you realize that the smell isn't the only thing that's getting stronger - so are the noises. Chatter, more than that of seven girls, and...clanging? It's getting hotter, too.

You push open the huge doors before you, and walk straight into a cloud of steam. When your vision clears, you find yourself facing an enormous room, filled with girls in black dresses and white aprons. They scurry about, some carrying pots, some piles of fabric - through a door to the side, you catch a glimpse of a side room filled with sewing machines - and for the first time, you realize the sheer scale of the palace staff, because wow,there are a lot of them.

You slip off to another side room, which appears to be a locker room. It's empty - the work day must be in full swing - so you grab a random uniform off of a hook on the wall and strip. When you're done, you shove your own clothes into an locker.

"Hey, you!"

"Huh?" You swirl around, tying the final knot on the apron as you do so. The woman in front of you appears to be in some position of power; her clothing is far from elaborate, but her black dress is apronless, and is longer than most of the others.

"You're late. And - " She squints, sizing you up. "You're new. We weren't told about a new girl. Name?"

"(Y/N)." If you were slightly less caught off guard, you might have come up with a fake name, but it's too late now. "Yeah. (Y/N)."