Part 3: The boy with dark hair

After a while the guide back to my post, became a tour. He showed me most rooms of the palace, except for the locked rooms. We came to this long corridor, which was quite wide and had large doors. At first I didn't know what to make of them but soon I realised that some of the grandest rooms would have been where they slept. These large rooms were the Aesir's chambers.

I was desperate to take a peak inside but, he was already giving me a handy tour so it would have been rude to ask. However through the crack beneath the third door in to the left, was a slight green glow and I guessed that was Loki's chamber. I wondered about what kind of things Loki would keep in his room, he didn't seem like one who cared for possessions, but very intelligent, so perhaps a few books.

As we continued down the corridor I decided to allow myself to ask him one question "what's your favourite room?" He seemed to tense "sorry, private right?" He didn't nod or answer me so I took his silence as a yes "okay so what's your second favourite room?"

Slowly he turned to me with a small smile tugging at his thin lips "you aren't going to give up are you?" I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. Attempting to socialise with a man of such power was very improper, but I am a very forward person and I like to know everything about everything "very well, this way" he directed my attention to a dimly lit corridor leading off from the chambers. I wondered what kind of room I was about to see, either that or he was leading me down there to kill me.

Would it be a room of magic and spells? Or somewhere to just lounge about? Loki was a very enclosed person. Very kept to himself. He didn't like anyone else knowing his business and he certainly didn't like questions, which were my favourite things to ask.

We came to the end of the corridor and reached another large door, wider than the doors to the chambers. He glanced at me and then pushed the doors open, and I was taken aback by the quantity of books I saw. He had taken me to a library which was extremely large and held the biggest collection of books I had ever seen. It was actually quite beautiful.

In the very corner was a desk and some writing tools, for you to read on. Reaching up over every shelf was a long ladder with small wheels attached to the bottom so it could slide along the high shelves. Above was a small chandelier which matched the candelabras on some of the walls. In between the built in book cases, which looked to have hand crafted detailing, it had long red silk curtains which complimented the gold. The whole room was stunning and I could tell why Loki liked it so much.

With my mouth hanging open I slowly made my way to the other side of the room, so I could look out of the large windows. From there you could see a portion of the gardens and most of the training grounds "I spent most of my time here as a boy" I hadn't expected to make any conversation, especially about his past.

"Who wouldn't?" I said still admiring the room in complete awe.

"Thor, Sif, Fandral, Hogan, Volstagg. Take your pick"

"Well, I don't see why" suddenly I was striking conversation with royalty.

"You like books?"

I laughed to myself, looking over some titles on the spines of the books, most of them about history and some stories "I love books... Well at least I did, I haven't read one in ages"

"Well feel free to take one whenever you like" what was this sudden kindness? It didn't seem to suit him somehow.

"Really? I'm allowed to do that?" I said with little belief.

He nodded slightly and looked out of the window for a second, then back to me, his face hard to read for expression "I told you, do whatever pleases you here, except break my rules" Loki's rules where relatively simple, but there was a fair few of them.

1: do not go into the restricted areas2: do not speak unless spoken to3: keep my opinions to myself 4: do not inquire about the Kings personal lifeAnd so on and so fourth.

Most of those rules I had already broken, and it was unlikely that I would ever go into a restricted area because honestly, even though Loki was being somewhat kind, I was still scared to death of him. It was that coldness that seemed to make you shiver. The mystery of him however, was intriguing, because he was a closed person it made you wonder more about him, even stupid things like what his favourite colour was, which was most probably green.

I ran off to the nearest bookshelf and I could see him watching me out of the corner of my eye, but there were so many to choose from that I found myself in a befuddlement "I don't know which to choose..." I said as I stroked the spine of a large book then looked to Loki, half smiling.

"I know the feeling" he spoke quietly, leaning on his staff.

I smiled again and then turned back to the books, but every book sounded so interesting that I couldn't choose which was the one for me. Then a thought hit me, something that might help me make my decision easier. I inhaled deeply "what's your favourite?"

For a while I didn't exhale as I watched him. I had asked too many questions already when I wasn't allowed to. Then I saw a faint smile "it's not in here" I suppose I should have expected that his favourite book would be somewhere closer to him, and that made me think that I would never see it. But I was wrong "would you like to read it?"

"Well... It might make this decision easier for me" I was beginning to feel awkward, in about half a minute the conversation had become too social for a king and his warrior. I wasn't even supposed to say hello to him.

He gestured to the door and was the first to move towards it, I allowed him to lead me to wherever. We retraced our steps back to the chamber corridor. I was right, at the third door in to the left Loki stopped for a second, he hesitated, then eventually pushed the door open, not going in all the way "wait here" I nodded obediently and watched as he went through the door.

I had been given just a seconds worth, glance at his chambers, the first and last thing I managed to see was a large pile of books, and then the door slammed closed. I hadn't expected him to have so many books, I gathered he was intelligent but I didn't think he took such an interest. Loki seemed to be that child, the one that stayed home studying instead of going out with friends.

I remember when I was little, I was walking around with aunt Cathleen, going to buy some new thread for her to stitch my ripped dress with, when I saw five children running loudly past us, and then stopped just a short distance in front of us. I tugged on Cathleen's sleeve and asked whose children they were when I realised everyone had cleared a wide path for them.

She pulled me back into her and took a few steps backwards herself, her arm right around me "they are the children of the Aesir" at that age I didn't know what that meant so she explained it briefly for me "the royal family" I looked again at the privilege I had of being so close to them.

A blonde boy had another boy with hair as black as night under his arm, tugging the dark boy around with him. The dark boy struggled in his grip, hitting his side as best he could, but it made no difference. I wondered why the other three weren't helping him but now I know they were probably in on it.

The girl was waving around a red book in front of the dark boys face as the other two boys laughed. I pitied the dark boy and would have helped him if it hadn't been for their royal blood. I probably would have helped anyway if Cathleen's grip hadn't been so tight on me. So I just watched as the blonde boy rubbed his knuckles on the dark haired boys scalp, I could feel the burn as I watched and wanted to turn away.

I disliked bullies and I didn't like people who watched and laughed like the other three did. Now I know who the boys were and the book that Sif was waving made sense. He had always loved books and his brother did not, so he would torment him about it, the Thor we were told stories about would never have done that, and no one would believe me if I told them, but I saw it, and I pitied little Loki.

Eventually he came out with a red book and handed it slowly to me "I've loved it since I was a boy" he swallowed hard, and I realised that having casual conversation was already hard enough for him.

"I recognise it from..." I slipped up then, I recognised it from the book Sif had waved in his face, and I didn't really want him to know that I had seen that, but it was too late now, he'll want to know what I was about to say.

"From?"

"Erm..."

"Question too hard for you?" He said mockingly.

I swallowed hard and looked up at his face, he would know if I was lying, I could tell "from, when Thor... When you all came to the market... Sif, Thor, Fandr..."

He cut me off before I could finish "I know who was there" he looked away with embarrassment, a king is not to show his insecurities to someone outside the family and that's exactly what he was doing, even if he didn't know it.

I began to wish I hadn't said anything, the silence became awkward "I'm sorry I didn't mean to..."

"Then don't"

I stopped quiet for a second "what they did was wrong"

"So what if it was?" He was going to open up I could tell but he held himself back "this is none of your business, take the book and leave"

I did as I was told as soon as he said the last syllable, I bowed my head and walked away, and when I was out of his sight I ran. I headed for the training grounds he had shown me through a window during the tour. I knew it would be peaceful there and I could wallow in self pity on my own.