Loki's Runaway Princess

The King of Asgard's Feast

You were sitting down near the front of an enormous banquet table, dozens of feet long, at the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf in Asgard.

Out of the blue, you and your family had been invited by Odin to attend this celebratory feast. Except you had no clue what you were there to celebrate. The King had gathered several families from each province to feast at the palace, so it had to be significant.

You tried to guess what was going on. This couldn't have been Thor's coronation, as there would've been even more people here. Also, Odin would've announced it in the invitations, prior to the event. You were feeling very indifferent at the moment. You had no expectations for this feast to somehow involve you.

That was until Odin and Frigga and their two sons, Thor and Loki, came to sit down by you and your family. Karnilla, the leader of your province called Nornheim, sat down in the chair right beside you. You were starting to have your doubts about your involvement in this.

Why had you been placed at the front of the king's personal banquet table?

You tried to hide your confusion as you looked directly across the table towards one of the princes of Asgard, Loki. He ignored you completely and instead looked directly to his father.

Odin stood up from the very front and center of the banquet table and began his announcement.

"To preserve the peace in the Nine Realms and all provinces of Asgard, a marriage treaty has been formed. My son, Loki of Asgard, and Y/N of Nornheim, are to be betrothed and wed within the next week. Karnilla, the ruler of Nornheim, has agreed to this treaty in order to bring the people of our lands closer together."

You were in absolute shock, but you managed to hold yourself together to maintain a neutral expression.

Karnilla stood and held her goblet of wine up, looking around at everyone in the room and then at you. She smiled widely.

Karnilla bowed to Odin. "To peace, in all of Asgard." People everywhere erupted in cheers and applause. You didn't.

"Let the celebration begin!" Odin declared, with his arms stretched out wide. Groups of waiters exited the kitchens to bring out trays of grand-looking entrees. It was mutton and mead galore.

The smell of the assortment of expensive meats made you feel sick to your stomach. You could barely tolerate looking at the table filled with food as there was nothing for you to celebrate. Your life was over and your free will was gone. You would now be trapped in the palace forever and be forced to marry a man you knew absolutely nothing about.

This was unjust.

Without another thought or glance at the food, you stood up and made your way out of the palace. You didn't look back to see anyone's reactions. You pushed through waiters, servants, and guards to finally get outside.

You kept running until you felt you were in an appropriate spot to take a rest to just think about this. You looked around and noticed that you were in the palace gardens. You sat down on the steps of its entrance, trying your best not to cry.

The palace garden's entrance had a large, golden archway with columns holding it up. There was a multitude of various types of plant life from all over the Nine Realms. The color of the flowers and plants even mimicked the glittering, rainbow Bifrost. It would have been beautiful to you on any other day, except today.

In most Asgardian's minds, an opportunity like this would be a miracle. They would never have to worry about making ends meet, as there would always be food on the table for the rest of their lives. They could explore the palace freely and happily and be able to afford whatever precious items they wanted.

In your mind, you felt the exact opposite. Back in Nornheim, it wasn't like you were fighting to survive. You had an okay life. A good life, one that you liked and didn't want to change.

You could be yourself there.

So why were you selected for this, out of all the other people in Nornheim? You had to find out. However, even if you did, it still wouldn't change the fact that your freedom was gone.

Your sorrow quickly turned to rage. You got up and reached for your dagger, hidden under your outfit. You hurled it into a large tree a few feet away from you and it stuck there, reverberating against the wood.

You walked to the tree to remove your dagger but it was wedged into the wood deeper than you thought it would be. You grabbed it with both of your hands and positioned your foot onto the tree trunk so you could pull at it with all of your might.

PLUNK.

You tugged your dagger out of the tree as hard as you could, releasing it. You would've fallen back if there hadn't been someone there to catch you.

"Is the tree supposed to be Odin or Karnilla?" A sly voice asked you, coming out of nowhere.

You returned your dagger to its hilt and turned around. Loki, Prince of Asgard, was standing there studying you.

You stared back at him, surprised that he followed you out here. "Um. Neither."

"You should be grateful to them."

You glared at him. "For what? Taking away my free will?"

"Who cares about free will. You'll have everything you could ever wish for here."

"I never asked for this life."

Loki scoffed at you. "You think I did? I don't want to marry a peasant."

You hands balled up into fists. "I'm not a peasant nor is there anything wrong with being one."

"Aren't you? Did they not pluck you from obscurity in Nornheim?"

You wanted to take your dagger out again. This was your soon-to-be husband? The thought made you shudder with disgust. He was so arrogant.

"They should have at least given me a sorceress like Karnilla. I can't believe they picked you," Loki spat out in a snarky tone.

You swiftly seized your dagger and pointed it towards his neck. You had nothing else to say to him. You wanted to run away from here.

Surprisingly, he let out a short laugh when your dagger almost grazed his neck.

"You will make a lovely princess," he said sarcastically.

Loki continued on. "My magic would be such a waste on you. I suggest you return to the feast before I call the guards over here."

He walked away, leaving you standing there in a seething rage. You hated him already.