Part 5: A party in Asgard

Cautiously I made my way to my chambers which Loki had told us about on that first day. All the warriors were asked to live in the palace, our chambers directly next to, or across, from each other. Which was actually a good thing because if tragedy should strike, we would all already be together.

I sat on the bed for a while, looking around my chambers, it was about half the size of the royal chambers, with a window and place to keep my clothes, a dressing table and that was it. I would have to personalise it but I had to face facts that this was my life, and those four walls were the walls I would look at before I went to sleep every night.

I was also pondering talking to Loki again, I had to ask about my job here and I wasn't too keen on asking him. I got up to do what I had to do but I heard a shout from outside "whoop whoop!" I looked outside popping my head around my door, and saw Colby waving his arms around, joined by Endre and Gustav. Gustav was stuffing his face and Endre... Well Endre was doing a fantastic impression of a rock, only it was permanent.

Ake popped his head out of his door, with scruffy hair like he had just woken up "go to bed Colby" he yawned.

"No way man!" He shouted. I would have told him to keep it down but I felt timid around them, separate from them.

"Fine! I'll come with you" he didn't want to, but he knew that Colby was capable of anything, he shouldn't be allowed out by himself without supervision, Ake, had volunteered himself.

He ran back into his chamber and threw on some clothes and slicked his hair back "are you coming?" They hadn't even noticed I was here but he had. Everyone's head snapped around to me, I felt uncomfortable under their gaze. Ake's eyes were expectant and also waiting for an answer.

"I don't think so..."

"What a shame" Colby mocked sarcastically, faking a pout.

"Colby!" Ake snapped "come on I could use some civilised company.

Admittedly I was flattered "what's that supposed to mean! We don't want her here!"

His forked tongue had flicked too much poison my way, and I wasn't about to stand there and take it from a weasel like him "because I'm a woman?" I put my hand on my hip.

"Yeah" he gave me a sharp smug smile, which I wanted to rip off his face.

"Let me guess, I should be home, cooking and having babies, is that it? Do you think I can't fight?" I crossed my arms now, leaving the doorway and coming out into the corridor.

"Please, you couldn't hit water if you fell out of a boat" he scoffed, Gustav chuckled behind him.

I felt my face redden and then my body just jerked forward like I had no control. I grabbed his right arm and twisted it behind his back, I held it so that his back was to me "what was that?" He jerked about like a fish on a line, Ake was trying to suppress a smile but managed to separate us.

"Bitch" he said under his breath.

"Too right I am!" I smiled smugly this time, he growled under his breath "I'd love to come, Ake" I grinned at him and then to Colby who was evidently not amused.

We went to a large room with long wooden tables and beer enough to fill an army, I hadn't expected people but the room was alive with gossip and chit chat, something I had missed. My aunt had loads of friends and she would often have them round at our house, I loved the sound of them talking and laughing, but I had heard about parties in the palace, it was different to a friendly gathering, here they would party for weeks. 'Commoners' would be able to just show up to a palace party but I never did, I was too busy training.

I noticed that Colby and Endre were inseparable, like Colby had recruited him to be his personal bodyguard. Gustav had paired himself with a chicken wing, and though I had expected Ake to be surrounded by women, every time they came over he sent them away. Ake didn't want any attention, so I was flattered when he came over and sat with me "do you think they have a brain cell between them?" He took a sip of beer and I almost choked on mine.

"I wouldn't know" I choked.

"Well I would and I'm certain they don't" he took a second sip and I stared at the other men curiously, Colby in particular. Ake had already said that he had spoken to Colby before, but they didn't seem the most likely of friends, they were complete opposites, two completely different people and yet... They were able to hold a conversation? The thought alone baffled me.

"How do you know Colby?"

He shrugged his shoulders and took another sip "we trained together" I should have been satisfied with that reply but it was too short and sweet to seem the whole story.

"So you aren't friends?" I looked to Colby and then back to him.

Now it was him choking on his drink "God no! That man turns my stomach, saying women shouldn't fight, it's not right" Ake was a man of honour and courage, Colby was not.

"He is a bit of a... A..." How does one describe Colby in a single word?

"Exactly" he finished his drink and then slammed the glass onto the table, he then turned to me with his head rested on his hand "enough about him, tell me about you" my goodness this conversation was becoming so cliché, this is the part in the fairytale where I confess my life story to him and then he tells me his, at which point we realise we aren't so different, then we kiss and get married. The end. Thanks for reading. But he asked and I didn't want to be rude and tell him where to go.

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows, well I didn't exactly tell him where to stick his question... Not in so many words anyway.

"Well what would you rather talk about?" He knew what I was thinking, which meant he was perceptive.

I thought on it for a second "well gee wiz I have no idea" I said sarcastically while smiling. Suddenly he rose from the bench and stood tall in front of me "what?"

He stretched his hand out for me to take "come on"

"Where?"

"Round the back of the palace so I can brutally murder you and blame it on the dog" he gave me that 'duh' look and I held in a laugh.

"Funny" I smirked.

His hand stretched out further and persisted that I take it, slightly reluctant I did as he requested. He tugged me off of the bench and then guided me through the crowd, leading me away from the party. I wondered what he was doing, where it was he hauling me off to.

It turned out our destination was the training grounds, but this time we weren't there to talk "why are we here?"

"Well what do people normally do on training grounds?"

"Sarcastic bugger aren't you?" I giggled.

"Ah you love it really" was he flirting with me? You know in those books where they only play flirt? And then those other ones where they full on flirt? Well in real life which was happening then? Or was there something in between? So many questions and so few answers. I shifted uncomfortably and the silence became unbearably awkward, I shifted again under the weight of it "I want to see what else you've got" I furrowed my brows "you know..." No I didn't "... After what happened with Colby"

"Oh" I said plainly.

"It was brilliant" he laughed reminiscing on what I did to him.

I blushed at his compliment and felt awkward under the warmth of his gaze, if he likes me in any way then he should know my feelings aren't returned. I don't know if it's because I'm the only female warrior or what, but I wasn't looking for a husband or a boyfriend, it was just a little harder telling him that.

He gestured toward a pile of swords which had been just left on the ground, from that pile I took one and he took one "what would your choice of weapon be in battle?"

I thought about it but then liked the humble feeling of the sword in my hand "this'll do it for me" I looked down at the sword, it was quite worn from being used many times and was very simple, a simple training sword "of course not this one..." He began to chuckle a little "and you?"

"Maybe something double bladed" he picked up a second sword and attached the handles to each other, then he wrapped his hand around the seam so you couldn't see it and it looked like one long double bladed sword.

"Ah like Lady Sifs?" I had heard about her and different weapons she fought with.

"Oh? I didn't know she carried such a weapon" he eyed the swords and then separated them, throwing one of them back into the pile.

How could he not know that? Everyone knew everything about the warriors three and Sif and Thor and dare I say Loki "okay you're joking right?" His look of uncertainty was genuine and my jaw almost dropped open "you're a strange one Ake" he simply shrugged and then got into a fighting position, I did the same hesitantly and he began to circle around me.

I had never seen Ake in action before, so I wasn't sure of his skill set, but once his sword came wielding at me making it difficult to avoid, I knew he was somewhat advanced at his trade. The fight was lengthy and was a good excuse to practice, something I had been wanting to do for a while, but distractions had prevented that.

"How much do you actually know about your role here?" I panted as I swung my sword at him.

Ake blocked it effortlessly "what kind of a question is that?"

"I was just wondering because I have no idea what it is I'm supposed to be doing" I blocked a swing from him.

Then he just stopped and stood still "I patrol the grounds, I can skive off if I like..."

"Yeah what's with that? What kind of king wants his warriors to wander off instead of doing their job?" I leant on my sword while panting, wiping sweat off my brow.

He shook his head "you realise he only hired us to give the staff some sense of security? To know we're here, the other three are only supposed to keep the people from ripping each others throats out. No one can attack the palace because we've been sealed off"

"So he hired us to stand around and look pretty?"

He scratched his chin and looked down to the ground "well I don't know about pretty but..." He looked up slightly with a teasing grin on his face, my jaw dropped and I punched his shoulder "ok I'm sorry, but seriously come on, didn't you realise we were here only to make him look competent?" Actually no I hadn't thought about it, but now that I had, I truly wondered why Loki would hire us.

Loki had guards, so I'm sure the servants would feel safe with them around, so why the need? We were only there to give the guards orders and watch over the people, something the guards could do. Perhaps he wanted some company, people to talk to. I'd say he could do that with the guards, but they were mindless drones who marched around the palace in groups, Loki wouldn't be able to just waltz up and strike a conversation.

Besides like I have said many times its improper to talk to the king, so the other guards would raise their eyebrows and he would appear incompetent. Whereas with us, we were mostly always alone so he could talk to us if he wanted. And there I was feeling awful for asking too many questions, when that's what he wanted.

"Should I get worried when you daze off like that?"

I blinked and saw him sitting on the grass below me "sorry... I have a habit of doing that don't I?"

"What were you thinking about?"

I lowered myself down to the ground in front of him "I was wondering if Loki hired us for the company, you know, people to talk to"

"I wouldn't know, I've never spoken with him" wait... So it was just me? I thought he and Ake would have had some form of conversation... But now I knew he hadn't my theory changed "wait a minute... Have you... Talked to him?"

"Yeah... He gave me that book" it felt like I was being judged now.

"Whoa" His expression turned amazed.

"What?" I narrowed my eyebrows, leaning forward slightly.

He looked blankly at me "nothing"

I crossed my arms "no tell me, what?"

He giggled and held his hands up defensively "nothing really"

I uncrossed my arms and he leant back, supporting himself with his elbows "you can be really... Infuriating... Infuriating and sarcastic" I leant back to my first position.

"Like I said you love it really" he smiled and I couldn't take it anymore, I didn't want to give him the wrong impression.

"Look Ake..."

Ake held up his hands and laughed a little "whoa there, I know what you're thinking, you're gorgeous and all but I'm not looking for anything"

I looked confused at him "but I thought you were..."

He cut me off again "flirting with you? I was but in a joking- friends way, not that I wouldn't... I mean you're very attractive but..."

A smile crept to my face at his embarrassment "Ake, Ake, it's okay I get it" he let out a deep sigh of relief "it's my fault I got the wrong impression"

"No it's mine too, but that's just me" we giggled for a while and I felt more comfortable around him, like he was the brother I never had, everyone needs someone they can talk to, and Ake looked like he was going to be that person, my best friend.