章 13: Chapter 3.3 Coming Together Part 3

Before Egil or any other council member could respond, Hogun, another member of Thor's Warrior's Three spoke up, his soothing voice seemingly dissipating the tension in the room. "I do not believe this is any of our business, Egil. If Thor has chosen to marry someone and bring them into this guild, that is his business. Our only concern should be King Surtr realizing Loki is gone, and coming after us."

Loki didn't want these men worrying themselves over this and sighed, responding to Hogun. "This is not something you have to worry about. I conjured a clone to remain by King Surtr's side. As long as my clone is not physically harmed in Muspelheim, it will remain."

Thor was shocked to hear this and felt relief flood through him. "Can you tell when your clone dissipates?"

"I can," Murmured Loki, closing his eyes to send out a pulse of seidr so that he could check on his clone. "It's still active. King Surtr has no idea that I am gone."

"Bah! Have you ever heard of someone using a clone?! Only the strongest of mages can do this!" Spat Frode, another member of Thor's council of ten.

Loki was furious that these men doubted his abilities, and waved his hand, filling the room with clones of himself to shut these men up. "Do you need more proof that I am as strong as I say I am?"

Everyone in the room paled considerably when Loki did this, and Frode pulled at the collar of his shirt nervously, finally understanding how powerful Loki was. "... There's no need for that, Drotta."

Loki grinned when he was called this, waving his hand again and dissipating his clones. "Splendid. As your Drotta, I expect to be given the same respect that my husband is given. If I am going to work to protect all of you and build this settlement up to where it becomes as strong as a kingdom, then I expect to be treated with dignity and respect."

Thor was surprised to see that Loki took over the meeting so quickly, but was relieved nonetheless. Seeing Loki display his power so effortlessly was astounding to him and it made him think back to their initial meeting. Loki truly could've killed him that night in his room if he really wanted to.

Nevertheless, Loki would be his wife and he refused to have any members of his council disrespect him. "If any of you disrespect him, you will have to deal with me. Is this understood?"

A round of "Yes, Drott" made Thor relax and he nodded, beginning to ask the men about what had occurred in the settlement since his departure. This meeting lasted about two hours, and after it was over, Thor thanked his men and dismissed them, knowing that he and Loki needed to head to a tailor. The last thing he wanted was for Loki to decide he could walk around naked like he did when they were alone and led him across town to his personal tailor.

He hoped that he and Loki could come to an agreement about his outfits and greeted his tailor, introducing him to Loki.

His tailor seemed surprised to hear that Thor was marrying a Jotun but didn't comment on it, pulling out a tape measure instead. "I must say, I've never created clothing for a niouvi, Drott."

Thor crossed his arms, not surprised. "Can you do it, though?"

"I can. From the very little I know about Jotun culture and niouvi, I understand that their attire is quite… provocative."

Loki hated that everyone felt scandalized by his attire and removed Thor's cloak, revealing his figure. "Go ahead and tell him which parts of me you would like hidden, betrothed."

Thor frowned, not happy that Loki viewed it this way. "That isn't what this is, Loki. I just… would rather a bit more of you is covered."

Taking out his tape measure again, Thor's tailor measured from the top of Loki's hip to his ankle, humming softly. "I believe I can craft a few outfits for him quickly. Please, tell me what you're wanting."

Right now, Loki was wearing a top that only covered his chest. His shoulders were left uncovered, and a light fabric encased the length of his arms, tapering off at his wrists. His entire stomach was left bare, and he had what seemed to be similar to a loincloth covering his nether regions, a skirt-like fabric flowing from behind him. Both legs were bare as well, and he had sandals on his feet, completing the outfit.

"Would it be possible to cover his legs a bit more? Not completely, as I understand he doesn't want to wear pants, but… maybe up to his mid-thigh could be covered?"

Loki looked down, surprised when the tailor used seidr to alter his outfit to what Thor asked. "You know seidr?"

The tailor laughed, a twinkle in his eyes. "My mother was an elf."

In their world, the art of seidr was multifaceted and branched out into many different subjects, the most common being seidr healing and seidr building. Seidr could ultimately be used for anything - growing crops, crafting furniture, and making clothing just to name a few - and although helpful, not every being knew seidr. It took years to become gifted in a branch of seidr, and decades before someone could call themselves a master at it. He was pleased heavily that this tailor knew seidr, as that meant that numerous outfits could be crafted for him quite quickly.

Loki wasn't very happy about having to cover himself significantly though and looked in the mirrors across from the stand he was on, deciding that he could live with a covering that came down to his mid-thigh. "What else do you want me to cover, Thor?"

"Loki-"

"Just tell me what you want me to cover so that the tailor can do it," Snapped Loki, getting annoyed all over again and forgetting that he was supposed to be nice to Thor so he didn't get tossed aside.

Exhaling slowly, Thor looked Loki over once again. "Can his top cover more of his torso? Maybe down to his ribcage?"

The tailor did as Thor asked, trying his best to create something that Thor and Loki could both agree on. "Like this, Drott?"

Loki's torso was not covered completely, and he found that his new look was something he could wear on a daily basis. "What about when I get pregnant? Will you force me to cover my stomach? Or dress like the women of your kingdom? A cloak perhaps, so that you're the only one allowed to see my body?"

Thor really didn't like Loki's view of the situation and crossed his arms, a deep-set frown on his face. "No, Loki. The style you have now is fine."

Loki tsked and turned away from Thor, looking into the mirror again. He wasn't happy that he was more covered than he was used to but understood that this was something that he and Thor had to compromise on. "How many outfits can you craft, in a similar style like this?"

The tailor hummed, making a few alterations to his current outfit with seidr. "As many as you need, Drotta. Please pick out the fabrics you would like me to use."

Loki stepped off of the stand he was on and spent the next hour picking out fabrics and getting the final versions of the outfits determined. By the end of it, he had enough outfits to get him through a month, and he sent them to Thor's home in the settlement via seidr, thanking the tailor for his help.

After this, he was able to convince Thor to speak to a group of stonemasons and carpenters in the town and decided on a plot of land that their home would be built on. They were told that their home would be ready in three months' time, so after stopping by the market to buy some food, the pair returned to Thor's home, ready to relax and prepare for their wedding tomorrow.

Because it was so short notice, it wouldn't be a very large or grand ceremony. They would simply sign the necessary paperwork, seal the deal with a kiss, and enjoy the next three days free from responsibility.

He just had to figure out how to cook, first.

While they were at the market, Loki had managed to buy a cookbook from a book merchant and hoped that he could skim through a few pages to decide what he and Thor would make tomorrow.

Thor had been oddly quiet since they left the tailor and while Loki wasn't bothered by it, he understood that he had to show some level of concern for the man he was marrying. Setting his book aside, Loki reached out to Thor, knowing that the Aesir responded well to physical contact and affection. "Are you alright?"

Thor sighed deeply, turning into Loki's gentle touch. "If you want to wear your traditional clothing, then you can. I will not stop you."

Loki knew that this would always bother Thor if he wore his traditional clothing, and understood on some level that he needed to compromise about his outfits. If this marriage was going to work, and if he was going to accomplish the things he wanted to do, he would need to compromise. "I am fine with the outfits we decided on together."

The Aesir still seemed bothered by their heated discussion earlier, so Loki turned on the charms, taking Thor's hand in his and reaching out to caress his cheek. "I am not upset about altering how I dress. I understand your reasoning."

Taking Loki's hand from his face, Thor squeezed it gently, beginning to relax. "I don't want you to feel as if you left your constricting life in Jotunheim and Muspelheim, to come into another one with me. The one thing you asked me to give you was freedom and I don't want to take that from you."

Loki looked away then, quickly thinking of an answer that would placate Thor. "If I continued to dress as I did, it would be troublesome for you. And that's the last thing that I want."

Thor continued to stare at him with an uncertain look in his eyes, so Loki leaned forward and kissed him, not wanting him to focus on that. "I am not upset."

The Aesir seemed surprised by Loki's kiss and affection and warily closed his eyes, returning his kiss. "I'm not perfect, Loki. I will mess up. But I don't want you to feel as if I am constricting your freedom. I'm not going to cast you away if we argue."

Loki searched Thor's gaze then, knowing that he was telling the truth. He still believed that it was too dangerous to completely trust Thor, though, and knew that realistically, he needed to protect his heart from the Aesir. This wasn't a marriage of love; it was one of convenience and because of that, he needed to protect himself.