Loving Loki

Growing Older

That fateful day, was the first and last time I saw the princes for a very long time. I soon forgot about them and frolicked and played, enjoying my freedom. I finally completed my lady lessons. Nana had  deemed me socially acceptable and I was thrust upon the world on my sixteenth birthday.

I hated it. I felt like a slab of meat at the butchers. Everyone was staring and no one seemed to want to talk. They just wanted to see what was new. The girls came to gossip and compare themselves. They came to observe their newest competitor in the race for a man. And the boys came to look me up and down and decide whether I was worth it. But it was my coming out party and I had to play the part.

I didn't suppose I was beautiful. When I was younger, I struggled. I believed myself ugly. But mother told me that the first step to being beautiful, was to love yourself. And so I did. I believed myself to be neutral. I was neither ugly, nor beautiful.

I had wavy jet black hair and flashing brown eyes framed by thick lashes. My nose was small but rather upturned and it was the one part of me I could not love. My chin was small and seemed to suit my long face. My cheekbones were defined but not horribly so. My jaw was normal. My forehead was large but my hair often covered it. I was tall and slender. My figure was not very curvy, as I was rather small.

That was it. Once I reached sixteen, I changed very little and I liked it that way. I never went courting with anyone. I never felt the need so I didn't. But then again, no one cared to ask me. My one and closest friend was Ashanti. She was beautiful and could have a new beau every week. I envied her slightly, but we were friends regardless.

Now here I was. At twenty two, I had changed very little from my sixteen year old self. I had lost the chubby cheeks look, but other then that, I was the same. Now, I was off to begin my work as the kitchen maid. It was my first day and I was nervous. Ashanti said it was no big deal. She had charmed her way into becoming a very prominent servant in the castle. She was a year older and therefore got her job a year before me. She liked to rub it in. Now I was entering her world, even if I would be very unimportant.

Mother was getting sick more often and looked tired and pale. I knew that if I got a job as a maid, the pay would cover the expenses and she could stop working. I worried dreadfully about her. I smoothed the new dress that Nana had made for me and twisted my waist long hair up into a bun. I looked in my mirror and decided I looked well enough.

It was a miracle that I got this job in the first place, but my mother was old friends with the cook and so she offered me a job. I began the ten minute walk through the village and made my way to the castle.

" What is a beautiful lady such as yourself doing walking unaccompanied?" A voice behind me asked.

I sighed and didn't bother to look back. I never understood it. The one guy who wanted me was a creep. Lawrence Oliver. The creepy boy who stalked the people he liked

" Not now Lawrence. I have a job to get to." I replied briskly.

I felt a steel grip clamp around my upper arm, spinning me around to face him.

" Let me go Lawrence." I said calmly.

He just smiled with his yellow teeth, his rotten breath nearly making me gag. He released me.

" I shall escort you to the castle. A young  lady such as yourself should not be walking alone in the streets." He said firmly.

I sighed. I did not have time for this. Fortunately, Ashanti rescued me.

" There you are! I have been looking for you! I didn't want to let you walk alone on your first day. We can walk together" she said, her silvery voice making me smile.

She linked arms with me and pulled me away from Lawrence. I shot her a grateful look. She smile.

" Is he still stalking you?" She asked, giggling.

" I don't see what is so amusing. It is frightening." I said with a shiver.

" Don't think about it then. He will find someone else soon enough. Don't think about him. Think about all the fun we are going to have. I am so pleased that you will be working with me!" She squealed.

" Fun? You forget that just because you are a favorite of Lady Sif and can roam around the palace all day, doesn't mean that I can. I will have to work." I said, smiling at her enthusiasm.

" Oh I forgot. Ah well. Maybe once I get done eating bonbons and picking aster flowers, I will pop in and see you. If I have time of course." She said sarcastically.

I laughed. We spent the rest of the walk talking about the latest developments with Prince Loki. It was the favorite subject to talk and gossip of. The largest scandal had been that he faked his death, impersonated King Odin, and almost gotten away with it. But this time, Thor wasn't going to let Loki pull that trick on him.  He was caught and once again imprisoned by Odin. This time, he was locked up in a secret cell. No one knew where. Not even Thor.

I never liked talking about Loki. It pained me to think of the young carefree boy that I had met becoming the terror of Asgard. I had heard the stories of his evil ways and twisted mind, but when you looked at it, he was only trying to be what everyone thought he would be. It saddened me to think of him locked away from all human interaction and love.

Ashanti prattled on and on about how she thought he deserved what he got. Then she switched to talking about Thor. I rolled my eyes. The heartthrob of Asgard, Thor's name was always a big deal. Ashanti always had secretly admired him. I was the only one who knew her secret. She would talk for hours about his muscles. I tuned her out and began to imagine that I was a princess pretending to be a commoner.

I never lost my imagination and sometimes it got me in trouble. I snapped myself out of it and tried to focus. We finally arrived. Ashanti bid me farewell and left to go to Lady Sif's chambers. I went through the servants entrance and entered the kitchen.

Smells of the richest kind floated through the air to greet me. Cinnamon and sugar, spice and clove, fresh baked bread and cookies, all rolled together. I breathed in deeply. I was put to work immediately. I will not describe the work as it would take years to recount the hundreds of errands I ran that day.

Needless to say, I collapsed on my straw mat when I got home. My feet ached and my arms were sore from carrying things. Mother had left for the market place and said she would be back late, as she had to visit a dear friend.

I looked out my window and judged that I could take a quick nap and go for a ride on Shelia before a storm hit. I closed my eyes, the weariness of the day washed over me. I fell asleep before I had even finished unlacing my shoes.