Right to the Night

Chapter One

Her feet barely lifted themselves off the ground as she shuffled along through the crowd in her town to get to her work. She quietly excused herself whenever she felt she pushed someone too hard or stepped on their feet. She had been woken up by her younger siblings and immediately realized she was late for her shift. She was in such a rush she dressed herself in her dirty clothes, found her mother's old apron to put on, put on her older brother's boots, didn't even bother to brush through her knotted hair, grabbed her specially made lunch, or what she thought was her lunch but rather the food for their horses and cattle, and ran out the door. Her boots quickly filled with mud as she did her best to avoid the puddles on the dirt road. She held her dress tightly in her hands to keep it from getting stained by the mud. Seeing how late she was going to be, she picked up her pace and ran through the crowd. At this point, she did not care if she shoved or pushed anyone too hard. All that was running through her mind was that she would be punished for her tardiness. As soon as the crowd cleared out, she looked up and came face to face with the large palace where her king resided.

It had been a dark time for most of the civilians in Asgard. Only a few years ago, the Allfather was said to have passed away and Thor had left his people to live on Midgard. Still being seen as the estranged son of Odin, he was the only one left to take the throne. He addressed his people about his father's untimely death and Thor's betrayal to his people. Seeing how passionate Loki was to make Asgard a better place than it already was, he began to gain the trust of his people, little by little. Of course, many still viewed him a trickster, a scoundrel, and most importantly, a liar. They could not forgive him for his heinous acts all those years ago. None could believe having a king who was sentenced to life in prison days before the Allfather died. Many suspected foul play but there was no evidence to support his claims. Afterwards, Loki appointed him king and Asgard was under his rule. Many of his own advisors tried to find laws against this happening, but because he was in the line of succession, he was to be made king. In the years that he was king, he did make Asgard better. The people of Asgard were shocked to see that he was ruling even better than Odin had in the past. Their realm was prospering, their army talented, peaceful disputes, and happy people. To work in the palace was seen as an immense pleasure and something the people strived to achieve.

The woman smiled brightly and hurried up the palace steps, unknowing of the muddy footprints she left behind her. She made her way to her station and walked into the room where she saw all the other servants already going to their shifts. She hurriedly took her coat off and placed her lunch in her marked drawer. One servant came over to the woman and chuckled as she shook her head.

"I don't recall ever seeing you come late to work." The servant stated.

"I overslept. What's happened?" The woman inquired.

"We got our work schedules. The king was not pleased that his personal servant wasn't here on time to start on his errands, Elisabete." The servant replied.

Elisabete laid her head against the wooden drawers and exhaled sharply as she nodded her head.

"I know. But I'm here now, Iona." Elisabete sighed.

Iona took a step back from Elisabete as she looked her up and down and scoffed. She took in the mud stained boots and dress, the apron stained with all sorts of juices and foods, and the knotted hair she was now desperately trying to fit into a bun to look presentable. Loki expects all his servants to look proper to give the palace a clean and polished look to any guests from other realms he may invite over.

"The king will not be pleased with how you look." Iona stated.

"I hadn't the time to prepare myself. I would have been later than I am now and the king would have punished me for this." Elisabete told her.