The Lost Asgardian (A Loki X Reader Story)

Part 4

All conversation ceased, the rest of the royal family glancing between you and Loki as you entered the room. You quickly bowed your head in reverence, your eyes remaining downcast as Loki addressed his family.
"I have wonderful news. Y/N has... returned to us, after all these years."
King Odin was silent, raising a goblet to his lips as he looked to his wife for her reaction. Queen Frigga's mouth opened in surprise, and it was a few moments before she finally spoke. Her voice was warm and made you feel welcome. "Y/N, we have waited for this day for a long time. You must know that we never truly stopped searching for you."
A smile formed on your lips and you nodded your head, saying, "Thank you, your majesty."
Your attention shifted back to Loki as he looked pointedly at Thor, who had just opened his mouth to say something. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but it might be a good idea to save them for later." There was a slight edge to his voice, almost like he was warning (and telling) the royal family not to ask you anything. Odin raised an eyebrow at Loki, but when the king opened his mouth to speak, he merely said, "Go on and sit down then, the two of you."
You looked to Loki for guidance and he pulled out the chair next to the one beside Thor, smiling gently as a way of suggesting you sit there. You did, thanking the prince as he helped push the chair in before taking his own seat in between you and his brother.
Loki had sat himself as a defensive barrier between you and the rest of the royal family. Not that any of them would do you any harm- Loki just felt that you should be beside him and a little further away from the questioning gazes of his relatives.
This went unnoticed by you, and you completely missed the knowing look from Frigga as well as the matching perplexed expressions of Odin and Thor.
You spoke softly, feeling like you could unknowingly say or do something wrong at any moment. "I'm afraid I never finished my lessons on table manners and do not quite remember what I learned, so please pardon me if I do something terribly out of place." A small laugh escaped king Odin's lips at the slight humor in what you said. Frigga's warm eyes were on you as you said, "I am unbelievably honored to be sitting at this table, or to even be in the palace. Thank you, your majesties." There was a seemingly sympathetic smile on Frigga's face as she began, "Y/N, do you not know-"
"Mother, please..." Loki interjected, his voice quiet and pleading.
An awkward silence filled the room, and though you were intrigued and confused as to what Frigga was going to say, you knew it was best not to ask anything.
The conversation was saved as servants brought out delicious smelling food for Loki and yourself. As a plate was set before you, you thanked the servant who had placed it there with a wide smile. The royal family stared at you as the dumbfounded servant left, and you were filled with the fear that you had done something wrong already.
Frigga directed her teasing words at the two princes of Asgard, "Maybe you both could learn a thing or two about gratitude from our guest."
Your cheeks turned pink as the table shook from the boisterous laughter of Thor and Odin. A fond smile played on Loki's lips and Frigga glanced at you approvingly. Even though you were nervous, there was something almost comfortable about being there with those faces surrounding you. You couldn't help feeling that somehow, some way you belonged there. As quickly as that thought came, you shook it away and forcefully focused on the food in front of you.
The topic of discussion shifted to something that had nothing to do with you, and you were incredibly grateful for the distraction as you finished your meal.
Loki's voice was rushed as he rose from his seat, saying, "Please excuse me." He turned his gaze to you and you couldn't help but smile at the adorable, hopeful expression on his face. "Would you like to accompany me for a walk, Y\N?" You smiled, the sound of your name really starting to grow on you. You nodded and stood from your seat, thanking the royal family once again.
You struggled a bit to keep up as Loki led the way, his excitement (and nervousness a hint of nervousness) showing in his stride.
As you passed a window overlooking a crowd of people, you stopped and gazed at the competition. There were archers lined up, bows drawn back just waiting to hit the target with an arrow. At the same time, every archer released the string and arrows went whizzing towards the row of targets. There was a clear winner, and the archer raised his hands up with a victorious look on his face.
"Y/N?" You turned to see Loki looking at you with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and you hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, your highness, I.. I'm a little fascinated by archery."
A slow smile graced Loki's face and he suggested, "Tomorrow, if you'd like, we'll go down and have a go at it."
"Really?" Your eyebrows rose in surprise, and your lips tilted into a small smile as Loki replied, "Really. But for now-"
Loki held his arm out for you to take once again, only this time you were fully capable of walking on your own.
You hesitated before accepting, and Loki looked at the ground with a sweet smile on his face. "For now, I have something to ask you about and a few things that you must know." His voice grew solemn toward the end, and you glanced worriedly at his profile.
He led you into a room and gestured for you to sit in a velvet chair behind a desk, and you gently let go of his arm as you did so. Loki went to retrieve something and you glanced around at the seemingly endless number of bookshelves covering the walls. What made the room exquisite was the scent of parchment and leather, and there was a hint of something that you couldn't quite make out.
Loki returned with a metal object in his hand, and you knew at once what it was. You instinctively sat back in the chair, afraid that Loki might have changed his mind and be angry with you for taking the medallion.
One look at the expression on Loki's face reassured you that wasn't the case. "Y/N, Please don't be afraid. I'd never, ever hurt you." Something in the way he said it and the hurt and guilt in his eyes made you question why you would ever believe otherwise.
You straightened as Loki walked towards you, stopping just before he reached you and perching on the edge of the desk.
Loki's voice went soft. "I wanted to ask, why do you think your captor picked this for you to steal?"
You hung your head in shame as you answered, "I'm sorry, your highness, but I haven't a clue."
You almost jumped as a gentle finger lifted your chin, and your wide eyes met Loki's. His touch lingered for a moment before his hand went back to his lap. "If I am to forgive myself, you must forgive yourself."
You nodded slowly, still in shock from the feel of his skin brushing yours.
"I asked because of all the things that were in that bag, he had you take the item with the least monetary value. It makes me wonder what was going through that monster's mind when he picked it."
His gaze wandered in thought for a brief second before his eyes moved back to you.
"What were you doing with it when the guards caught you?"
You drew circles on your wrist as you answered, "I was going to put it back- if I could, your grace."
"Why?"
"I knew it belonged to the royal family, highness. And I could tell that the medallion meant a lot to its owner."
Loki slid the cool metal into your palm, and you glanced at him questioningly.
"The medallion was given to me by my mother. I treasure it greatly, and I thank you for bringing it back. The gems are symbolic of each member of my family; the middle stone is representative of my mother, the heart of the family. The others represent my father, brother, and myself."
You gazed at the medallion incapable of speech, knowing that you'd almost taken something so precious from this man- and this family- who had been so incredibly nice to you. You blinked back tears as Loki resumed speaking. "Do you want to know what my mother said when she gave it to me?"
You swallowed the lump in your throat as you nodded, handing Loki the medallion.
He twirled it between his fingers as he spoke. "It's the most remarkable thing. She told me that the medallion would help me find what I had lost. It proved useless in finding any misplaced objects, but I kept it regardless since it was from my mother. I never imagined that it would bring you back to-"
He took a deep breath before correcting himself and simply saying, "Back."
You missed the intense emotions shining in his eyes as he continued, "Y/N, I have to tell you something. I wanted to give you time to learn more about your family and the life you would've led without overwhelming you, but this would have been a very big part of your life so.. you have a right to know."
You sat forward, apprehensive of what he was about to say.
You hardly believed the words that next came from his mouth.
"You and I were... promised to each other."