A Game Of Love And Lies

Part 7

Loki

I did not manage to get much sleep that night. I kept replaying my plan trying to find any flaws in it. If I became king I would unite Mistan with Asterin and build my empire. The next step was convincing the current king that I fell for his daughter. He seemed naive and he would not even question my motives since as a son of Odin's I could marry someone more suitable with more riches.

As a person, I was always very focused on my schemes. There was not a time in my 1000 long life that I did not know what to do next. I was aware of the steps I had to take and I was confident with my moves but deep down something was wrong.

I kept tossing and turning all night not being able to clear my mind and rest. I even started reading one of the books next to my bed that I had no interest in. My eyes were burning from my tiredness but every time I attempted to close them panic took over me.

In a few hours, I had woken up five times with no reason to do so. After all this effort I finally gave up on the idea of a good night's sleep.

I crossed my arms and stared at the ceiling. The room shortly after was filled with a blue light coming from the windows meaning that the suns would rise in any second. The room was lit enough for me to observe it. It reminded me of home. It could be the reason for my restlessness. The high ceilings with the marble columns and the golden details brought back some marvelous but some dreadful memories as well. Sometimes I felt too much and other times I did not feel anything. It is hard to sleep when your heart declares war on your mind.

Thoughts were racing around my head but the sound of heavy booted footsteps heading my way knocked me back to reality. Most likely the guards changing shifts.

It felt like it was just an hour ago when I took off my formal clothing. The idea of a warm bath calmed my nerves. I called for the servant and requested as kindly as I could to run me a bath.

The moment I laid in that bathtub all my worries simply faded away giving me instant relief. If I did not have to meet with anyone I could have stayed in there all morning.

For just one brief second no one was trying to kill me or capture me. I needed that pause after what I went through.

When I picked myself up weight was lifted off of me. I was not as energetic as I should be, due to my lack of sleep but I was way better than before.

It was pretty early and I had enough time to meet with the king before breakfast. I forced myself to get ready and head to the throne room. On my way, I passed the balcony from last night. I caught myself smiling and wondering what Althea was up to.

There he was sitting on the throne. His expression hardened when he spotted me approaching and he immediately put an end to his conversation with the commander.

As much as he tried to conceal his nervousness his leg that was slightly twitching betrayed him. At the end of the day, he was not fit for a king. I was doing him a favor.

Someone else in my position would have kneeled because I was still a guest but I just lowered my head for a second and even that did not sit right with me.

"King Luther, I would like to express my gratitude for having me as a guest and yesterday for lending me one of your horses. Everyone so far has been nothing but kind to me but I would like to make one more final request."

He was in all likelihood thinking it had to do with the tesseract for the reason that he pressed his lips as a reflex.

"If the request is within my capabilities you could consider it done."

"I would prefer if we had some privacy."

He glanced at his guards kind of reluctant at first but eventually agreed.

"I can not lie to you my king that the reason Asgard has not even crossed my mind from the moment that I arrived is that I have developed some feelings."

Vertical lines appeared between his eyebrows and he gave me a death glare. A few seconds past but he remained silent. It would be best to continue, so I did.

"From the moment I noticed princess Dalia she has been in my mind ever since. I was not going to act on my feelings since I did not know if she was accountable to anyone. I overheard yesterday a conversation between two soldiers about her upcoming birthday and engagement and made me believe I might have a chance."

Logically, as a father, he should have shown some feelings of doubt or even anger towards me but instead, a wave of relief came down on him. It was at that moment that I realized what was he petrified of. He did not care the slightest if I had feelings for the princess. He was only worried if I liked Althea. They must have known each other for 30 to 40 years and when he met her they were probably around the same age. The thought of that man with Althea infuriated me. Unfortunately, I had to keep the facade and remain calm.

"The idea of Odin's son marrying my beloved daughter brings me and to the kingdom great joy. Your request is my command. You can take a walk this evening with the princess for you two to get to know each other better and from me, you have all the blessings in the world."

I dismissed myself as kindly as I could and power walked to my chamber. As I was arriving, outside of my door standing, was Althea ready to knock but noticed me before she did. She was holding on to my coat that she accidentally took last night.

"I wanted to thank you and apologize for forgetting to give it back. Also, it is almost breakfast time and I wondered if you would like to take your meal outside with me."

I glanced down at these ocean blue eyes wondering if she even knew about the king's feelings towards her. She seemed so excited and impatient for me to answer.

"I'd love to but I had the impression we had to dine at the dining hall."

"We usually do not take breakfast at the dining hall only lunch and supper. Servants bring it to our chambers but the weather is lovely and we do own a tent with a dining table that we never find the opportunity to use in one of our gardens."

I could not refuse with her so enlivened looking up at me with puppy eyes. I smiled and offered her the crook of my arm for her to slip her hand through. I gave the servant at my door the coat and asked if we could take our meals there instead.

She was standing so close to me that I could smell her intoxicating aroma. Her dark blue dress flattered the color of her eyes and she also wore her signature silver rings.

While walking we stumbled on the princess taking a walk around the castle. I could sense awkward situations and this was one of them. Both acted happy seeing each other but none of them were.

"Good morning, nice seeing you two, where were you heading to?"

"We decided to take our meals outside."

"What a wonderful idea. I shall join you."

That will be fun.

Without me offering she crossed my other arm with hers and all of us started walking. That move was rather strange considering yesterday she was afraid to even pose me a question during dinner.