Proposition

To the Palace

The carriage ride to the palace was jittery and made me feel motion sick, this wasn't helped by Ezabella's excited shifting as she gazed out the windows on either side.

I had never travelled well to begin with, but the added back and forth from her was making it a thousand times worse, but I didn't have the heart to tell her to calm down.

It was cute, she was acting as though she had never been on a journey in her life, as if the jobs we were hired for didn't take us around the realms and give us a chance to see some amazing sights.

Throughout the entire trip, she rambled and gasped and made comments about near enough everything, all the while I had my head tilted back with my eyes closed as I tried to focus on anything but the rocking of the carriage.

Somehow, her jaw dropped open further as we pulled up outside the palace.

"Wow, this place is so huge and shiny up close," she gasped, causing me to snort out a laugh.

"Yes, Eza, that is very true."

She looked at me and smiled sheepishly, blushing when she realized just how adorably ridiculous and childlike she had sounded.

Once the carriage had come to a full stop, the doors were wrenched open and we were both hastily led out into the open as our bags were retrieved and carried inside ahead of us.

Everything was going at such a hectic pace that even my aches and pains of pregnancy went ignored, before I knew what was happening, I was being whisked inside to the guest hall by some guards while other palace workers stood in a row on either side of us.

It was surreal.

I hadn't expected Loki to make such a deal about it, we were supposed to be being inconspicuous after all.

Poor Ezabella looked nervous as we walked through the halls, people on either side of us to greet their guests.

As we passed, the well dressed maids and servants of Asgard dipped their heads.

It was amazing how these people were dressed to the nines as if we were royalty, it felt nice, even if for a minute I felt like I was being judged heavily.

Ezabella clung close to my side but gave everyone a smile as if she belonged there, typical of her to be welcoming to pretty much anyone.

"Hey Eza," I grinned, nudging her arm, "I think that girl is eyeing you."

She looked to where I was indicating as discretely as she could, a blush coating her cheeks as she hastily looked away again.

"Stop, she isn't."

"She is, maybe you should talk to her later."

"I can't."

"Why not? Will your girlfriend from another realm that I don't know not like it?"

I laughed as she sharply nudged me in the ribs before linking her arm around mine tightly, giving me a glare I was used to from the years of knowing her.

"Hey," I pouted at her, jutting my lip out as far as I could, "I'm delicate."

"You will be when I'm through with you."

She gave me a playful smile then went back to admiring the people who were starting to disperse to continue with their various jobs, the guards in front of us continuing to lead us to the guest hall where Loki was waiting.

My stomach flipped and my heart thudded excitedly in my chest at the prospect of seeing him.

I felt like a young girl with a crush, a very taboo crush on her tutor.

Her married tutor who she had had an affair with and gotten pregnant by.

Ezabella nudged me hard in the ribs, causing me to groan and glare at her again.

"Can you stop that?"

"You were zoning out, what's with you?"

I looked at her for a moment and then looked away, shaking my head.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me," her tone sounded exasperated, "it's Loki, isn't it?"

"What? How di-"

"It's always been Loki lately," she smiled, "I think someone is in love."

"I'm not in love," I flushed, "it's all the shifting hormones, they're making me confused."

She gave me a disbelieving hum and a smirk.

The guards stopped outside the now familiar doors and bowed their heads deeply while pulling a door open each, allowing us to step past and into the room where Loki sat at the head of a long table, waiting for us.

There was a large spread across the table, the smells and look of the fancy food instantly making my stomach growl.

Ezabella's eyes grew wide and I could practically see the drool running down her chin.

"I was starting to think that you weren't coming," he said, lifting his cup to his lips and taking a sip, "please, sit down and get tucked in, I think it's time we got acquainted."