True Nature

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, they arrive at Frigga’s door unscathed. From the outset, it seems little has changed since Loki last walked the royal halls of Asgard’s grand palace. The lack of life however, is surprising and slightly unnerving. Once there would have been a buzz of maids and pages flitting about, guards should be stalking through protecting the Royal Family and any distinguished guests. Today however, Loki sees not one. Unlikely to be coincidence, he suspects this to be of Frigga’s design, for his sake and nothing more. Odin would hardly survive without his army of servants keeping him well fed — almost too well — and his house to the standards that befit a king, that he has been accustomed to his entire life.

For both their sakes, Tony follows dutifully at Loki’s side, his legs moving a little faster to keep up with the pace. He tries to appreciate the art adorning the walls, but it is the architecture he pays particular attention to. There are at least 6 viable alcoves that could provide adequate protection should he decide to ravish Loki on the way back — intent on replacing his previous memories of Asgard with better ones.

As they approach the room at the end of the long hallway, a lone guard — the only other person either has seen on their journey — stands tall at the door of the Queen’s private chambers. Tony recognises this as the route to and from Loki's chamber and remembers spending the previous evening here with his mate and his mother. A look of bewilderment glances over the guard’s face when he sees the sudden and unexpected arrival of the youngest prince and a mortal companion.

It’s the scent filtering through the air that really catches his attention, making even less sense than the Prince’s return. The mortal’s scent is quite obviously Alpha, anyone in a 10 mile radius could tell you that. The prince though, when he left Asgard, he too was Alpha, but now his scent has changed to indicate a newly mated Omega. An Alpha’s scent will linger on the Omega for at least a week after being knotted during their heat. It is especially potent for new mates and Loki absolutelyreeks.

The guard bows his head in respect to the mated pair as he knocks on the door, awaiting confirmation he can enter to announce the guests. He has little time to lower his arm let alone do any announcing before the door flies open. In seconds, Frigga appears and has Loki manhandled into her tight embrace.

“My son!” She gloats, “What a wonderful morning!”

Loki wraps his arms around her body, tiny in comparison to his. He breathes in the comforting smell of flower blossoms, her body warmed by sunlight. “Good morning, mother.”

Frigga leans back to peak over Loki's shoulder. “Anthony, dear,” She smiles, widening one arm, whilst holding Loki in the other, “Come here.”

Shuffling his feet, Tony awkwardly walks into the embrace, being pulled close to both Loki and the Queen. He can’t help but smile as one of his arms circles Frigga and the other grips Loki's shoulder. Their eyes meet, Tony grinning when Loki's high cheekbones blush a light pink. He can’t help but lean over and press a kiss to Loki's temple.

“You two are just adorable,” Frigga beams, “Now you must be starving, follow me.”

The two follow Frigga as she leads them through her chambers. This room is familiar to Tony, he most certainly had a good snoop the previous night when they left him alone and unsupervised. Tony knows little of how things are in Asgard, so can only assume it was dark last night; he took the time to admire the heavy, though beautifully embroidered curtains that cover the wall. This morning however, the sun is blinding through the tall glass windows beside the door Frigga walks through.

It’s unlike anything Tony has ever seen when he steps out onto the patio. The light, the colours, the smells, it's a bit much and it overwhelms his senses. Flowers with little insects buzzing around; grasses swaying in the breeze; trees with beautiful fruits hanging are planted to precision. Tony has never been one for the outdoors, he spends most of his life inside a workshop or a lab, but this is something else. It’s only when he feels his arm being tugged that he realises he stopped walking. Loki smiles knowingly and pulls Tony along with him.

Down a few stairs, Tony skips between the purposely spaced out stones of the path that leads to a picturesque white wood gazebo; he continues even when he glances Loki's unimpressed pout. There is a moderately sized table waiting, plenty of room for the three of them. It is adorned with flowers, obviously handpicked by Frigga just for Loki. While he may not know the names or specifics of such flowering plants — his knowledge is limited to a vast arrange of plants with purely magical properties — he can admire their beauty, and Frigga has picked those he finds most beautiful to decorate their table.

Loki pulls out the chair for Frigga, her skirts swinging as she takes a seat. Tony goes to do the same for Loki, but he gets pushed away playfully. Loki makes a show of sitting down, he flicks out his black knee length jacket and his body moves a little smoother, a little sexier and teasing than really necessary. Tony gets the point — Loki isn't one of those Omegas — and sits down himself with no fuss other than the slight shifting of his hips to quell any rising interest.

The three sit in a companionable silence, happy to bask in the sun and sense of family. A plate of fruit is placed on the table and both Tony and Loki glance at each other when they notice Dagnyr is the one serving them.

It isn't without trying, but Loki can't stop his eyes connecting with Dagnyr's. Their mutually embarrassed exchange cannot be hidden from their faces and doesn't go unnoticed by Tony, who sits smirking knowingly. Frigga too notices, though is unable to distinguish who is most embarrassed, Loki or Dagnyr. By the redness of Dagnyr's face, the Queen could take a guess.

Feeling it's her duty and within her rights as a mother, she cannot pass up the chance to tease her son. "Darling, this is my new handmaiden, Dagnyr. I found her sneaking through the halls last night, just as you used too. Did she do an adequate job preparing your chambers?"

"Yes," Loki mumbles, still glancing at Dagnyr, almost daring her to tell his mother about the performance she saw.

Frigga notes Tony and the smirk on his face, "We’ve all met."

She looks between the boys, “There seems to be a story here.”

“No!” Loki shouts simultaneously as Tony nods his head cheekily.

Loki obviously didn't learn his mannerisms from Odin, so Tony has seen the eyebrow lift Frigga has perfected before, and he knows she means business. Loki knows that too.

Huffing, Loki sits back in his chair, "Having met only yesterday night, your new handmaiden has seen me in my dressing gown — no other has since my adolescence, Mother — and... in a rather compromising position. That is all I shall say on the matter."

"And that is enough to keep an old woman happy," she smiles, "Shall we move onto breakfast then?"

Dagnyr and a second handmaiden place a selection of foods amongst the fruit and fill their glasses with a red, saccharine liquid. Frigga thanks then dismisses them. As they eat Loki relaxes, humming contentedly as he picks mostly at the sweet foods. Tony sticks to the breads and oat varieties. The conversation is little and pleasant, if a little clichéd to remain polite. It's an unspoken agreement between the three that the topic of Loki’s predicament is, for the moment at least, off limits.

Once the plates have been emptied — Frigga forgot how much Loki could eat — she summons Dagnyr and asks her to clear the table. When Frigga’s attention is elsewhere, Tony leans over to Loki and kisses him chastely. Loki leans into him, foreheads bowed together and their touch lingering, sharing in this moment. They get so caught up in each other, they don't notice Frigga watching them. The smile on her face is nothing compared to the warmth she feels, the happiness making her eyes tear up, the joy of seeing her once so troubled son so blissfully peaceful.

Loki and Tony return to the moment; seeing the expression on Frigga’s perfectly constructed face, Loki blushes. Tony feels like the correct response in this situation should be embarrassment, but he is so damn happy he can’t bring himself to feel anything apart from his new found love.

“Is there anything in particular we need to discuss? Loki?” Frigga coaxes carefully.

“I have but one question: why will my blasted seidr refuse to behave?”

“Your heat, my darling.” She says and gains the exasperated sigh she had expected. “Once your body becomes accustomed to the process, your powers will also become more accessible. You will have to train your mind to be able to use your seidr at full strength whilst in heat.”

“I thought as such, it is just infuriating that my body is betraying me once again.” His head drops and he slinks back into his seat, Tony's hand resting on his shoulder is little comfort.

“Loki, do not think of it that way. Your body has unfortunately been denied this for centuries and is only doing what is natural. You have to think of this as a new start, a new chapter in your life for you to do something wonderful with.” Loki is unsure of what his mother means by that, but does not really want to know at this present moment in time.

Being so attuned to her sons needs is what has made Frigga the highly esteemed mother she is today. She can sense an unrest in Loki she is unsure even he recognises or realises yet. His eyes flit over the gazebo, to the guards and servants; the heel of his foot jiggles up and down restlessly. Best to rectify this before anything can come to pass.

She reaches over the table and takes a hand from both of the boys in her own, "Thank you for sharing breakfast with me, but now go! There is so much to do, Loki must show you the gardens, Anthony." The face she receives is something else she expected, Loki looks something akin to a kicked puppy. She smiles to herself, “Loki, we have had a lifetime together, now it is time to share this one with Anthony. Show him the world you grew up in. Make some better memories than those you left with.”

Notes

I know, I suck at this, I'm sorry...
Any mistakes are my own, so point them out so I can rectify it!