Immediately reappearing inside my chambers, I quickly shed off the clothing and threw them in the closet. Undoing my braid, I quickly cast a new attire over me and took a seat in front of my vanity. A simple attire unlike last night, but more concealing than the day of first impressions.

I frantically brushed my hair and oh who am I joking, I realized I am running late for the first breakfast of our stay here. Just a few more minutes and I'll teleport myself in front of the doors of the dining hall. Of course, it was quiet but all the commotion will spur outside near the stables. But first, time for breakfast.

Reappearing before the doors of the dining hall, I cleared my throat and opened both the doors at once, actually being brave enough to garner the humiliation I've decided to muster before the All-father and Asgard's queen.

But to my exhausted eyes, the hall was empty, all except for buzzing servants and servers migrating at minuscule distances, passing meal after meal after utensil after utensil and yes, it seems to not end. But it will. As I have successfully become ready before it even began.

Results seem to be that I will not be overshadowed by mother's reprimanding stares while we eat our grand breakfast.

As I was approaching a servant to find out the real answer to when the monarchs assemble, a bowl of fruit crashed to its unfortunate fate on the metal floors of the dining hall. And because of that, someone screamed at the fallen fruits' sight as if it were tragic heroes murdered by their unconquered fate. And I would say it in such a way that yes, the scream deemed to be a reaction to such melodrama.

I turned my eyes towards the owner of the scream and found it belonged to a bearded individual with a heavy build similar to my suitor and is wearing an attire of what a warrior typically wears. Again, like Thor.

Perhaps he's one of his acquaintances that is easy to be gastronomically appealed. His passion, besides the thrill of battle, is food. He kept exclaiming, "my sires, please, before breakfast begins, try your best to not waste such quality fruit."

The "sires" exchanged looks but bowed their heads and quickly bent down to clean up the mess. Then someone tapped my back, which causes me to turn around and almost slap the stars off its face. But I quite am not intending to give Loki another one.

"Prince-- Loki!" He gives me an amused smirk, as I cleared my throat, "erm, it seems you arrived a little sooner than what was planned..."

He laughs, "no, my princess--"

"Ellika..."

"--Ellika... I live here so I believe I know when breakfast starts pretty well and please, the fruit will be recycled back into compost that aids in producing newer fruit so I don't really consider it as a waste. There is no need to worry." His explanation was well heard by the bearded warrior and he sent him a glare, which I rose a skeptical eyebrow to and gave a small chuckle.

"Right... When does breakfast start exactly?" The bearded warrior approached us and just as was Loki about to reply, he replied for him.

"My princess, it usually begins right about now but the Warriors are training so the start time was delayed by a slight." He stands and pushes Loki aside as he bows, introducing himself as, "Volstagg," he looks up with a cheeky smile, "at your service."

Giving an impressed glance at Loki, I briefly mocked him, "and I thought you lived here." He rolls his eyes, keeping his straight posture and his hands tucked away behind. Turning back to Volstagg, I noticed how Loki kept his gaze down on the shining floor. "A pleasure, Volstagg," I smile and give a look at Loki, who finally looks back me again, and he raises his eyebrows as I lend out my hand, "'Ellika' serves to be all appropriate from now on..."

"No, milady. Simply I mustn't refer as such toward's Thor's future bride." He softly pecks my hand but I look away and snickered, "All right then, Volstagg." Loki rolls his eyes from a small distance and clears his throat. "Gawking at the fruit rather than training now, are we, Volstagg?"

Volstagg laughs, "ha! Funny for you to say, wizard, but on the contrary, Thor hasn't seemed to leave his chambers yet so training was delayed as well."

Loki shrugs his shoulders as he walked towards next to me, "funny. Perhaps the previous night really was exhausting for the warrior prince." A small chill ran up my spine, but I made sure the smug wizard couldn't access my mind. With a spell, of course.

Volstagg fires, "well then, I see that I must attend to my fellow warrior's well-being in the meantime before breakfast begins. I look forward to seeing you again, princess."

I curtsy, "and I to you, Volstagg." With a smile that reflects a small child, he turns a heel and leaves, whispering something in Loki's ear.

But I heard the words clearly, "keep your sly fingers away from Thor's future queen, hm, wizard?" And Volstagg gave Loki a pat on his back. Loki gave a blank stare with furrowed eyebrows as I felt some pity for him. But he looks back at me and grins as if the day began normally, and he shrugged Volstagg's remark off.

I, an intellectual on the magic arts, laughed. "Don't worry, Odinson. I know when to make sure Thor's hand in marriage is alongside mine."

He smirks, "I assume you've figured about our quarrels."

I remarked, "no wonder. Seems quite common." At a small moment, his smirk disappeared which tore me to pieces that I've just offended him. "Oh, I didn't mean-- I assure I try to not make assumptions immediately--"

"No, it's all right. I am used to it..." He sends a small smile, which only for the second day of our stay here, I knew I won't grow tired of his smiles and smirks and grins.

"...the quarreling?" He begins walking around the dining hall as he motions for me to follow him and continue our conversation. "That's just a part of it," Loki replies, with a gaze that focused on the windows of the hall.

"Believe me," I softly spoke, "I know what bullying and mere quarrels sound like." His soft eyes pierced through mine, "have you ever had social conflict, Ellika?"

"I helped others avoid it, but that's the thing. Other children become afraid of you, intimidated." I look down, avoiding his sorrowful eyes, "honestly, as a princess, you get to figure it out that the greatest bully of all wasn't being a victim of other ignorant kids. But being alone and no one bothering to bother you at all."

Loki's finger graced smoothly underneath my lowered chin, his soft emeralds meeting my eyes, "unfortunately," he hastily removed his hand, "some others experience both."

I nod my head, "are we getting up close and personal with our lives again, Loki?"

He chuckles, "I don't mind. You'll be my sister-in-law after all, yes?"

Nodding, Loki offered his arm which I took as just an effortless formality and accepted it, "indeed." Then, a maid approaches us and curtsied, announcing, "your Highnesses, but I have come to address to you about the changes in the venues regarding breakfast this morning. The All-Father has recently announced breakfast will be spent outside, near the peregrinates(1) in a few minutes. He advises that you must ride on your steeds."

Loki lets go of my arm, "thank you." I curtsy, "and I as well."

The maid bows and curtsies once again, "you are welcome, your graces."

As she stood up and left, we exchanged looks. We shrugged and together exited the dining hall towards the stables and proceeded traveling to the peregrinates.

***

As I rode Mimie, her wings folded and tucked as we are bound to the ground, Loki trailed a few paces behind us alongside his steed. We are approaching the rolling hills of the peregrinates, as Loki aided in instructing on how to make our ways there.

To his demise, I permitted Mimie to spread her wings as we flew at a faster rate than Loki's speed. I felt a small chuckle rumble in Mimie's thoughts, we both knew how he would not appreciate this.

Mimie and I landed upon the peregrinates, and to our surprise, Thor appears to be only present. He heard the rumbling of the hooves and the attack of Mimie's wings against the boundless sky, he sends me a grin. "Good morning, Princess."

Mimie trotted towards his steed, as I return his grin, "I've told you, just Ellika is perfect."

"'Just Ellika'?" He teases.

"Ellika. My name. Yes," around that moment, Loki finally arrives.

Loki sent me an unamused face, "that was unfair of your Pegasus."

I laugh, "Mimie needed to stretch her wings thus she became airborne." Loki smirks, as Thor laughs alongside me, "you both arrive in company? Good to see my little brother making some new friends."

Loki rolls his eyes, "brother, I'd rather spend my life into the hollows of introversion."

I interfere, "then please, you two, enough of the rising bickering. You two love each other, now, right?"

In unison, Thor replies "definitely," while Loki answered with "certainly not." Mimie sighs, exhaling rough air through her nostrils displaying on how she's irritated. I laugh at their responses.

Both smiled after a moment of slight pause, Thor and Loki wrapping their arms around each other's shoulders with cheeky grins, laughing purity (as if). After a brief forgiving session, the brothers' and I's attention were drawn to more hooves pounding against the fields, approaching us. But firstly, my mother arrives alongside her airborne pegasus, a similar arrival as to mine. Except she greets us with a straight frown. "Good morning, Princes Thor and Loki." Then she turns to me, with a deeper frown and much more grave, deep-set look in her eyes. "How are you feeling today this morning, my child?"

I made sure she could not read the context hidden in my mind, so I provided myself extra casings of security. "Looking forward to riding today, mother."

Her cold smile caused Mimie to lower her head in uneasiness. "As do I." I returned her chilling smile with a smaller one, but with less sincerity behind it.

Eventually, Queen Frigga and the All-Father arrive at the peregrinates with their steeds, Mimie and I bow our heads, as so did my mother and her pegasus. She was trained to know how to respond before royals. The Asgardian rulers appreciated our gestures, "how is the morning serving our pleasure?" Frigga asks us with a smile, then specifically turning to Loki with a look when mothers give their sons a gentle but firm scolding, however, Frigga displayed regalness. "You better not disappear on us again, understood Loki?"

Thor chuckles, while I smile. Loki nods, "understood, mother." Odin nods in approval of his response, then directed towards my mother and me, "it seems, the power of the pegasus outruns the rulers of this realm with great momentum, we might exchange the usage of the cavalry to what is of Vanaheim's."

My mother gives off a light chuckle, "yes, however, similar with the Valkyrie, the benefits of airborne steeds still cause great consequences in the heat of the battle, my lord."

"And thus, with this beautiful eve of the day, we must utilize it with riding our majestic creatures," Frigga adds, giving me a smile, "our morning feast will be afterward."

Good thing I ate something at least, prior to this. I returned her warm smile. Frigga comments, "now, we must ride as the trail awaits! Who shall be trailing who?"

"Ellika? After me?" My mother asks as I nod. I have to. "Yes, mother."

As we established our positions, Odin then Frigga then Thor then Loki then mother then I, we began to gallop through the fields.

***

After an hour or so of riding, we were able to reach a creek, visiting a few ridges in the Asgardian landscape. As fun as it was, Frigga and Thor especially enjoyed this riding trip so far, as they treated this trip as a tour. With enthusiasm, they introduced and we mainly spent the time sightseeing. It was interesting, but in all honesty, I rather have to explore all by myself. At some times, I rode beyond my mother and Loki, and the All-Father once. He didn't mind, but mother sends me a warning in my thoughts.

As the skilled rider, for once outranking my mother's own ability with her steed, I often times left the group and Mimie and I chose several other forks rather than what they decided to do. Mother, at one point, evidently exploited her anger towards me in front of the Asgardians, but in a more frigid and abrasive manner, but to my defense, Frigga and Odin just advised me to follow their instructions once announced otherwise. I thanked her, and my mother apologized, but her cold gaze just weighed my shoulders. While mother reprimanded, I withdrew my answering back and just obeyed, but I responded, always responded with a colder stare and sharper daggers.

I then looked at Loki and Thor, while Thor gave me an empathetic look, he follows after them. My shoulders shrunk in posture, but Loki, giving me a similar look of empathy with his brother, he decided to ride alongside me. He remained at my side, with smiles here and there, until the ridge.

I enjoyed his company.