Author's Note: That's right. Höfðingja. Indeed. Icelandic for prince. Ooh ho ho! What ever does it mean? What is the significance?! THERE MUST BE ONE! Happy almost Christmas everyone, if you celebrate! I have done no Christmas shopping and I am terribly behind, surprise surprise. Instead I do a lot of this. Writing and editing and being poor. Anyhow, I will likely update again on Christmas, with a fun Christmas surprise! Yipee! I can fully admit right now that I only have some of the main plot fleshed out so you will have to forgive me at the moment if I take a while to update! Again, have a wonderful holiday season, be careful, be safe, be smart. Write and love and inspire and eat a little extra chocolate! All my best! 

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Chapter Five - Höfðingja, or Ruler

 "So," I begin slowly, closing the door to Loki's bedroom. 

Loki looks up at me, his hands clasped behind his back. "So indeed."

"What are we going to do?"

"Well it seems to me that this...freedom quest is your own little task, so I assumed I should - "

"You should what? Stand back and let Odin exercise his cruelty over those men just as he did to you?" I demand to know, closing the distance between Loki and I. Oh, I could just wipe that smug little look his face. Then I take a step back and look at him...I mean, really look at him.

"Suddenly you don't want to help people any more? Is that it? You're only concerned with looking out for your own neck?"

"Considering the number of times it has been placed on Odin's chopping block, yes, I should think I should be a bit more cautious with where I put my neck."

I groan, tearing my fingers through my hair. ""What happened to us?"

Loki shrugs, "I do not know. You woke up like this. Frankly I find it better not to argue with you when you are in one of your...moods."

"I am not!" He looks at me with pointed severity. "Yes, yes I am."

"Are we having some sort of lovers quarrel?" he asks sincerely, looking at me with those radiant eyes that instantly soften my heart. "I would certainly like to make up."

"As would I. I'm sorry for overreacting, but you must admit we must do something."

"And so we shall," Loki says simply. His hand strokes my cheek gently. "But there are times when we cannot act so rashly as you are inclined to. Give it time, we shall sort something out. We will use our heads, love, and not just our hearts."

He's right. Of course he is. I suppose after being alive for thousands of years you gain some sort of rational perspective. "I'm not sure what came over me, to be honest."

"Just your womanly charm," he teases and I push him back a bit, rolling my eyes. He grabs me by the waist and swings me around, laying me down on his bed. "Now time for the real making up!"

He waves his hand over me, disrobing me instantly, clothes disappearing from my body. I pull his face towards mine hungrily. "You ruin all the fun of getting undressed."

He laughs against my lips, "Well, then, show me just how fun disrobing can be."

I lean back from him, bringing my hands to his jacket. Black leather, buckles down the front. I begin to unbuckle them, the process rivaling my patience and certainly not made any easier by the location of Loki's lips on my skin. I giggle as his fingers dance across the bare skin of my back and his lips smile against my shoulder. I free one hand from the laborous process of unbuckling and tilt his chin up with my finger so that I can bring my lips to his. I would hate to describe the way I kiss him as devouring, but I fear there really is nothing so accurate to describe my passion for the feel of his lips against mine. Finally, I give up on the buckles and rip his jacket straight off of him.

"Valkyrie!" he gasps, clearly a bit surprised. But he looks into my eyes and smirks back at me as I flip him onto his back. There is no doubt that this is going to be a very long night.

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I awake and Loki is still asleep, stomach down, his arm draped across my stomach. I prop myself up on my elbow, careful not to disturb him, and I watch him sleeping. He is so calm and so stoic when he's sleeping, but somehow it gives me the strange sense it is when he's at his happiest. He has no cares when he's sleeping; not the weight of his past mistakes, nor his incessant worry about the future, or his constant need to protect me. He is serene, he is peaceful, he is...

"Gorgeous," he mumbles. 

I laugh and lace my fingers through his. "It's not fair of you to be reading my mind, you know."

He looks up at me in sleepy confusion, mumbling, "I was doing no such thing. I was merely stating the fact that you are gorgeous."

He sits up in bed and leans over, placing a kiss upon my right eye. I feel the tingle of his magic and I push him away, curling myself up in the sheets. "Stop that. You know it's no use."

"I have always enjoyed a challenge."

"I've almost gotten used to it now, really, I would much prefer you save your magic and your energy."

Loki looks as though he wants to continue pressing the issue but clearly decides against it. He kisses my forehead again and then slides out of bed to get dressed. I watch him from the bed as he strides lazily towards the closet, his naked body bathed in golden sunlight. Every time I think he can't get more beautiful to me, I am mistaken. 

I am across the room in the blink of an eye, wrapping my arms around his bed-warmed torso. I press my open mouth to his shoulder blade and rest my cheek there a while, radiating happy thoughts, trying to will them into him. I am happy. Happy to be back, happy to be with Loki, happy for all that I have. And I'm just going to have to remember this and every happy moment Loki and I have shared as I go forward on the path I'm finding myself on. Never really thought I be a crusader for intergalactic social justice, but here we are.

"I'm going to speak with Odin today," I decide as I pull away from Loki. He turns around to look at me and it reminds me there was something I wanted to... "Oh."

"Oh?"

"Big 'oh'."

"Enlighten me, please, darling?"

"I...I think I might have magic."

Loki laughs. I do not. "Surely you are not serious?"

"Yesterday, in the dungeon? The guard would not let me pass, so I whispered something...I don't know where it came from...and suddenly he was frozen, still." I muse on this a moment. "For all I know, actually, he could still be stuck like that. And that would be rather unfortunate, if he wasn't such a dick."

Loki peers at me with a new curiosity. "What exactly happened?"

"Well, he was rude, and then I tried to go to see Frey and then he held a knife to my throat, aaaand then he was frozen!"

"Yes, but, what precisely did you say?"

I remember the word clearly, the way it felt on my tongue, so strange... "Frysta."

Loki arches an eyebrow and seems to be staring straight through me. He reaches up and places his hand against my forehead. "Curious."

Then he turns back to the closet and resumes getting dressed. I watch him, my mouth hanging open slightly. I wait, expecting him to say something...anything...really, anything at all. 

"Honestly? Curious?"

He shrugs, not even turning around. "Very curious."

"Who are you? Alice in Wonderland?" I cross my arms over my chest. He continues to stare at me blankly. "Tonight we are going to Midgard and we are watching some movies and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Oh." He nods, looking pensive as he turns around to look at me. I cross to him and adjust his collar. 

"I promise you'll like it."

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I cross my arms over my chest. "What do you mean Odin won't see me?"

"My husband has gone into an Odinsleep...albeit a temporary one. He exerted himself too far during Lady Jane Foster's trial." Frigga puts on a brave face but she is wringing her hands, twisting one of her rings about her finger over and over. I reach out to her and take her in my arms, hugging her close to me. 

"It will be fine, I promise." I squeeze her extra tight and then release her so that I can wipe her tears. She is strong and she is fearless, but her love and devotion to her husband has never been clearer. She worries for him. Understandably. I know that feeling all too well. In fact, I'm fairly certain it's the same feeling I feel every day about Loki. Constant worry. What can I say, the man knows how to find trouble!

I realize Frigga is talking to me and I haven't heard a single word. "Valkyrie?"

"Yeah, sorry, um, who is going to rule in Odin's place? Will it be you?" I ask optimistically. 

Frigga smiles slightly, shaking her head, "Not quite. Against what will probably be my better judgment, your betrothed will sit on the throne until Odin has recovered."

I choke, "Loki? Don't you mean Thor?"

"Unfortunately I do not think my eldest son is in the proper mindset to be ruling Asgard. Thus, I have decided the duty falls to Loki." Silence passes between us as I try to process. The gears are turning, slowly but surely. "I must return to my husband." She smiles. "I will assume that if Loki has not already heard word that you will inform him presently."

I can only manage to nod and then Frigga returns to their chambers. I stand there, staring at the intricate wood, my mind absolutely blown. I let out a girlish squeal despite myself and I hike up my dress, gathering the fabric in my arms. I dash down the hall and tear straight into the meeting I was supposed to be at. Loki is sitting in my place, donning my appearance and he looks up and smiles mischievously at me. He stands up and everyone in the room, Thor included, looks bewildered. 

"Hello, love," I smile widely and Loki, still wearing me, comes over and kisses me directly on the lips. Finally I have to push him off of me and take his hand. "Come along, you dirty thing. We have business to discuss." I think about this context and then I turn my attention to the room full of men staring at me. "No, literally. Business. I'm not being coy or anything...in case any of you thought otherwise...okay. We'll be back, momentarily."

I linger in the awkwardness for just a moment longer before pulling Loki out of the room and into the relative privacy of the hallway. He smiles at me...or I suppose, I smile at myself? I examine myself carefully. "This is kind of depressing, actually. You're way hotter as me than I am as me and I just don't think that's fair."

"Don't be ridiculous. My visage pales in comparison to the real thing," he says back at me, a little eerie to hear in my own voice, coming from my own lips. 

"Now come along and change back, I want to tell you something to the real you," I say seriously and he smiles as he shifts back into being Loki. I place my hand on his chest. 

"Your father..." I stop and take a deep breath. I sigh. "Your father has fallen into the Odinsleep."

Loki's expression becomes suddenly very serious. "For what reason?"

"Exhaustion. Apparently the testing of Jane took its toll on him. Which leads me to believe he was being unnecessarily hard on her. There is likely no way she could have passed that trial," I comment and Loki begins to shift into anger. I press my fingers firmly into his skin. "Loki, you are in charge. You are the reigning king."

"What?" he whispers. I take his hands into mine and squeeze them tightly. 

"You are the king of Asgard!"

He stares at me, holding my hands and slowly but surely a smile creeps across his face. He pulls me close and kisses me passionately. "Mmmf!"

"Oh, my queen, what a time we live in!" he cheers before he lifts me off my feet and twirls me around. He places me down gently and looks like he is positively glowing. "This could not be a better time for us! Our future is looking positively bright for once."

"Well, aren't you the optimist suddenly?" I laugh, relishing in the secure feel of his hands upon my waist. 

"How could I not be? I'm on the throne instead of the eternal buffoon that is my brother, I have the love of my life, and soon we will have our own family to share our love with," he smiles and kisses my forehead again.

I smile and then I sigh, "You know I am not actually your queen, right? We still haven't gotten ourselves through that whole marriage thing."

"That does prove to be a problem, doesn't it?" he strokes my cheek, "A problem I will soon remedy, worry not!" He goes towards the door back to the meeting. I hang back a moment, only stopping him with my voice.

"I do think perhaps you should speak to your mother before the day is out. And visit with Odin," I suggest. Loki glances at me sideways and says nothing, but he holds out his hand toward me and I cross to him and take it. We head back into the meeting and Loki takes the seat at the head of the table, with Thor to his right and I to his left. Loki props his feet up on the table as everyone stares at him and then he laces his fingers together and puts them behind his head.

I rise slowly but find myself sitting back down, feeling Loki's magic upon me. I snap my head to look at him, shooting him a warning glance that he blatantly ignores as he gets to his feet. "Gentlemen, you are looking at the reigning king of Asgard."

I mutter under my breath, "Well, you're definitely not king of tact."