Chapter Text
Though it had been a whole week since the Prince had come to visit her, Elira was still reeling in surprise. The fact that the second Prince of Asgard — and one of the most powerful seidr users in the Nine Realms — had offered to tutor her still shocked her. Elira was a nearly-impoverished child from the outer districts, a region of Asgard wholly forgotten, people like royalty don’t hand pick street rats on a whim.
Though it wasn’t on a whim, she thought, I stole from him.
Elira cringed.
While she couldn’t quite believe she was about to be tutored by a Prince of Asgard, she still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that she stole from said prince first.
How could I be so stupid? It must all be a trick, right? He is the God of Mischief, after all.
Yet, a trick it was not. A week came and went, and on the morning of the final day she got a summons from a palace page. The letter was short and curt, outlining the details of where she should be and when. The message, indicating she should be at the palace gates at noon, gave a her a few hours to ready herself before embarking on the journey.
She didn’t need to pack anything save personal affects, as the letter indicated all of her material needs would be provided for. As such, she made her way to say her goodbyes to her family. As it was before opening, her whole family gathered in the main room of the shop.
Standing behind the counter stood her father, a tall man with cropped blonde hair and beard. Sitting adjacent to him in the same area she had met the Queen and Prince was her mother and little brother. Her little brother looked to be readying himself for school, as he was of the appropriate age and couldn’t be of use to the shop.
Her mother, however, was sitting solemnly on a couch. Though she had been doing better as of late, her illness was still ailing her bones if her pallor was any indication.
Elira gave a final good look at her family. Well, not final strictly speaking — she wasn’t trapped in the palace after all — but final for the seeable future until she established herself in the palace.
“Well,” she began, glancing outside at the sun, “I suppose I should be off now.”
“Don’t go Lira!” Her younger brother cried, running towards his sister.
“Come on, Jon,” she said, crouching down on her haunches to reach his level. “You’ll be more than fine without me. The Prince and Queen have ensured you all will be taken care of. Plus…”
Jon looked at her with a bit of hope in his eyes.
“You’re the bravest brother I have ever had. You’re always going to succeed as long as you set your mind to it, whether I’m here or not.” she reassured him, giving him a long hug. “Now, finish getting ready for school.”
With that, Jon ran off to finish his morning preparations. Her father quickly stepped in to come to where Elira and her mother were standing and sitting, respectively. He took up a position behind her mother, his hands resting on her shoulders.
Elira’s father sighed heavily, “We’re going to miss you here.”
Elira glanced at her feet, “Well, as the Queen and Prince said, the store will be taken care of so you won’t need—”
“That’s not what I meant, Elira,” Her father said.
“Your father and I love you dearly,” her mother said. She lifted her hand up to her face, brushing her hair out of her face and cupping it with her bony hand. “I can’t imagine it here without you.”
“That being said,” Elira’s father began, “We couldn’t possibly hold you back from this opportunity.”
Elira looked up and smiled at him.
“Make us proud, daughter.”
“Thank you,” she said, moisture condensating in her eyes. “I should be on my way now.”
And with that, Elira turned and left, giving one final glance to the store as she walked down the street.
The journey through the center of the city was a long but enjoyable one. Elira enjoyed seeing the shining spires and towering buildings. The sun reflected over the golden architecture, with warm rays illuminating the surrounding areas. Elira was… conflicted, to see the splendor of the city. While she couldn’t help but bask in the grandeur of the city, she also couldn’t help the faint feeling of jealousy tinting her view.
Regardless of her feelings for the nobility, she was going to be living amongst them now whether she like it or not. Similar to her feelings about the city, her feelings about her situation were similarly conflicted. While she appreciated the opportunity beyond all ends, she felt guilt about her family’s situation. While the Prince and the Queen had insisted her family would be taken care of, she still felt fear for them.
But that was neither here nor now, what was, however, was her encroaching upon the palace gates. While the main entrance was large and showy, with a towering and gilded portcullis blocking the entry, a smaller door existed off to the side that seemed to allow entry without the pomp and circumstance.
She approached the adjacent door, only to greeted by a guard stationed at the entryway. Looking around, she noticed many guards, as they patrolled the palace grounds and surrounding areas. Elira felt the hair on the back of her neck perk up, usually if she was this close to a guard something had gone horribly wrong.
The guard cleared his throat expectantly, “What is your business here?”
“Oh, um, I have summons,” Elira began, fishing into her pocket for the message from the page. She proffered it out for the guard to see. “I am to be learning seidr under the guidance of Prince Loki.”
The guard gave her an unimpressed stare. He looked her up and down, taking in the shoddy and dirty state of her clothing and overall appearance.
“You?” He said. “Training under Prince Loki?”
Elira, now feeling thoroughly offended though trying to not let her irritation show, simply responded “Yes, I am. I have my summons here if you will only read it.”
She offered the parchment once again.
“I have no need to read forged documents,” the guard sneered.
“I- Forged?! What is your problem? You haven’t even seen them!”
“Everyone knows the Prince would never take an apprentice, especially a street rat like yourself. I should have you thrown in the dungeons for daring to insult the —”
“Excuse me,” a new feminine voice cut in, “is there some sort of problem here?”
Elira turned to view a figure coming through the gate doors. The woman who emerged was someone she had never seen before, though Elira could immediately tell she carried herself with confidence. Though Elira was entirely unfamiliar with palace dynamics, she assumed by the lack of jewelry this woman was not a Lady or a noblewoman of high status. The woman was, however, dressed nicely and neatly, as she was adorned in a clean linen gown with a green overdress that almost mirrored an apron. Upon the overdress, Elira noticed, was a small golden symbol embroidered in the fabric showing two snakes encircling each other in the shape of an “S”. If Elira had to guess, she would assume this woman a servant, though one undoubtedly of higher status.
The guard turned to face the woman. The woman cleared her throat and looked at the guard expectantly.
“I ask again, sir, is there some sort of problem here?” She repeated.
“Only this girl attempting to forge her way into the palace,” the guard said as he turned and grabbed Elira by the arm.
“Hey! Let go of me!” Elira yelped. “I have an official writ!”
“Well,” the woman said. “Can I see it?”
Elira handed the woman the parchment. The woman’s eyes skimmed the letter, trailing back and forth along the lines.
The guard turned, a smug look crawling over his face. “See, as I said, a clear and blatant forgery. I say the child should be taken—”
“That will be enough,” the woman commanded with more force than Elira had expected of a servant to a guard. The woman now turned to look towards her. “Elira, is it?”
Elira nodded.
A warm smile overcame the woman’s face, “The Prince has been expecting you. I do hope you will forgive this…” she glared at the guard, “misunderstanding.”
The guard started, “But surely the prince of all people wouldn’t-”
“Ah-ah-ah,” the woman started. “The prince’s orders.” She glared down at the letter.
The guard paused a few moments, and Elira could see his eyes hover over the symbol embroidered upon the woman’s garments. The guard finally released Elira, and with a grunt opened the door for both women to go through.
The woman made way first, as Elira followed on her heels.
“I apologize for that,” the woman said, “The Einherjar can be quite uptight at times — though I suppose that comes with the job, you don’t become the best warriors in the Nine Realms by being complacent.”
“I-” Elira stuttered, “Thank you. For that, I mean. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t have shown up. If I may ask, who exactly are you?”
“Oh, my apologies,” the woman chuckled. “I am Sigrid, the personal handservant to Prince Loki. I am here to provide you instructions for your stay and lead you to your accommodations.”
“Oh, well, nice to meet you, Sigrid. I would introduce myself but it seems you already know who I am,” Elira mused, eliciting a small smile from Sigrid. “I don’t mean to be a bother, but what exactly am I doing here? I was told simply to arrive at noon, I have no clue as to what the rest of the day has in store.”
“Ah, well, the day is still young and thankfully so, as we do indeed have much to do.” Sigrid began describing the day with the practiced precision of someone who was practised at such a job. “First, I shall show you to your accommodations. You have an apartment within the guest wing of the palace. There you can drop off your belongings, though I see you don’t have many on your person at the moment.”
Elira glanced at her feet, looking a bit sheepish at that statement.
“Oh,” Sigrid winced, “that wasn’t meant to offend, simply an observation. I know many from the outer districts, and I hope you know you are very brave to be doing this.”
Eira looked at Sigrid, hesitant, but eventually eked out a quiet “Thank you.”
“Anyway,” Sigrid picked up, “Afterwards, I shall take you to the tailor who will get your measurements to draft your clothing for your stay here. The tailor will also alter a presentable gown for tonight, as the his highness wishes to dine with you in his private dining chambers. As this is your first official meeting with him, you are to be properly presentable.”
Elira paled a bit at that. Dinner with a prince. She still couldn’t believe the situation she found herself in now. Yet, as crazy as it was now, she had a gut feeling it was about to get significantly more absurd.
“After your appointment with the tailor,” Sigrid continued, “You shall have a meeting with Master Brynnar in his study.”
“Who is Master Brynnar?”
“Ah, of course. Master Brynnar is the head of tutoring and noble education within the palace.”
Elira considered this for a moment, “Not to sound ungrateful, but last time I checked I don’t exactly fall within the ‘noble’ category.”
Sigrid turned to face Elira, a slight smile creeping up her features. “You’ll find many traditional rules don’t apply to Prince Loki’s personal apprentice.”
“I’m honored,” Elira bowed her head slightly.
“Well, don’t thank me!” Sigrid laughed. “Let’s get going, we wouldn’t want you to miss anything.”