Chapter 1.

She stood in shock at what she was hearing, her fingers playing with a golden wave of her hair and she shivered. She was the youngest of all the King's children, surely she would be allowed to marry for love and not for a political alliance with Asgard. This was not fair, ahe never asked for it. And Loki? He was a criminal, still sitting in prison and waiting for his punishment to be met out. She would be ridiculed and considered the Wife of the biggest bastard in all the Nine Realms. Her forest green eyes filled with tears, and she trembled at the thought of him touching her. This was not fair, she did not want him. She smoothed her lavender silk skirts, making up her mind as to her decision.

"Elanora?" Her mother, Queen Matta said, her face concerned at the pale features her daughter held. She looked like her daughter, just older and more matured by her age. Elanora pleaded with her mother silently to fight her father on this matter, but she knew her fate was sealed.

"I will not do this." She whispered. "It is not fair, you promised me a marriage of my choosing. Not this."

"Elanora! This is your duty as my daughter." Her Father, King Orn commanded. She looked at him, shocked as he had rarely raised his voice at his daughter and she shook her head.

"He is a beast. Half bred from Jotun and Asgardian blood. I cannot be his wife, and I refuse to marry him." She replied, balling her hands I to fists and standing her ground. "I will marry a man of my choosing as you promised me, and no other."

"You forget your place! And who put you in it! If it were not for King Odin, then we would not be the ruling family. He sent his own son to assist us in keeping our rightful place during the Civil War our cousin launched against us. You will be wed to his adopted son as a sign of goodwill between our realms." Orn commanded and Elonora shook her head. "King Odin and Queen Frigga are more than pleased with this match. The wonderful Lady is most likely singing your praises to your intended now. Do not make this difficult, I love you as if you were my first and do not like punishing my children. You know this my child, and it pains me to think of you weeping."

"Then promise me to Thor, his deeds cry of his compassion and warmth. Please Father, Loki is cold and cruel. He kills for pleasure and revels in making misery." Elanora pleaded, trying anything to remove herself from her obligations. She wept, her father shaking his head and sighing.

"It is done, You will marry him and dwell in Asgard. As a dutiful and happy Wife of a Noble Born Man. You leave tomorrow to meet with him, perhaps your perceptions will change in the three months before you are pronounced his Wife." He replied and she looked at him with a tear streaked face.

"I will not. I will not marry that monster!" She screamed, her mother stepping forward and grabbing her arm. The silver silk shimmered under her grip and she tried to pull away, her mother gripping her harder.

"Return to tour chambers and pack, I suggest you change your mind, or you may find yourself in a great deal of trouble Youn Lady. Thor is already spoken for, so put a match with him out of your mind. Stop being a willful, spoiled wretch!" Matta hissed, angry that the manners of her sweet and kind daughter had been so turned. She stared into her eyes, sadness filling them, and fear edging the orbs. The normal shine of happiness gone, and slowly becoming dull.

"I know he will hate me, and kill me in that hate." Elanora said, letting her mother lead her away. The only sound filling the modest palace was the sobs of a brokenhearted girl.

"She will be fine my dear Wife, she will find his true nature and see him as Frigga does." Orn said, reassuring his stricken wife. She folded her hands, nodding and smiling at her husband.

"We did promise her she could follow her heart, we have broken her trust in that." Matta said, looking down in shame for betraying her always happy and cheerful daughter. She remembered holding the giggling baby girl that suprised she and her husband in her lap, her small fingers reaching for a butterfly as it fluttered past. That day, the unnamed six month old got her name. Elanora, the Old Vanir word for "Laughter", and it seemed all the girl ever did.

"She will learn my love, and one day be a Queen."

"Of Jotunheim. How will she grow flowers. She loves to grow flowers! What is she fades, forgotten and cast out by Loki to starve?"

"It will not be so. Frigga is arranging chambers for her now, decorated in cheerful colors and overlooking her own garden there to tend. When she is not bearing children." Her husband reassured, smiling and nodding to his wife. He doubted any children would come from the match, but he knew that the always kind and warm Frigga would keep her happy.

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"I dislike her already." Loki said, letting out a long breath and crossing his arms as he paced his cell. "Twenty years you kept me here, and now you take me out to marry me off to some dull witted girl?"

"She is far from that, she is very gifted in music and philosophy. She has even studied all the histories she could, she is a shy girl but very intelligent by her own right. That alone should put something in common between the both of you, perhaps you could discuss literature together?" Frigga countered, her patient nature showing as she explained Elanora to him. "She is very lovely as well, golden haired, and graceful at dancing. Please do try and give her a chance to prove that to you."

"I doubt you see my elation now." Loki said blandly. He sat in a chair, glancing up at Frigga's illusion and groaned to himself. "I was nothing but a stolen relec before, stored away until he had some use of me. Now I am a piece of breeding cattle, sold off to create an alliance. That girl is probably even less overjoyed to hear of this, I am suprised she will not try to throw herself off the Bifrost before she reaches the castle."

"Loki. It is a hard thing to do. Enter into a Political Marriage, but I find that love does eventually come from one. You will meet with her tomorrow, and I arranged for you to have a new suit of clothes made. Look at this as an opportunity to, find a better place for yourself and your future." She replied, sighing and hoping he would hear her out. She was suprised that he did not rage at the announcement, his features betraying nothing if his thoughts as he listened to her.

"I pity that poor girl. Little..."

"Elanora, Loki. Her name is Elanora." Frigga said. "Why pity her? She may be elated when she meets you."

"Would you be elated to be wed to a monster? To know that you must give him children of your body?" He snapped, glaring at Frigga and scowling. "I pity her, and I do not know what she even looks like! She could look like a horse for all I know, nine hundred years old and no suitor of her own! Gods woman! She will be ridiculed by her association to me."

"If you turn your head, I had a Guard bring her portrait for you to see. Perhaps you will find something about her worth calling her Wife." Frigga said and he looked at the hall outside his cell. He saw the painting and his heart sank as he gazed at her face. She was not only lovely, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her golden waves framed her face, and his lips parted as he studied the curve of her full lips and her soft cheek. Lips he would never kiss, a cheek he would never touch.

"I pity her more now." Loki said, Frigga pressing her lips together and looking down. She swallowed, her eyes filling with sadness and she sighed.

"You will see, perhaps she will suprise you Loki." She said and her illusion vanished before he could say more. The Guard moved to take the portrait away, and Loki gestured for him to stop.

"Leave it." He said and looked up at the cell of ragged prisoners across from his own. "It improves my view."