—MENTIONS OF SEXUAL THEMES—

THE NEXT DAY ROLLED AROUND AND ASTRID DECIDED TO VENTURE DOWN TO HER DUNGEON. It was an empty yet accommodating space. Each cell held a bed and toilet and regular meals throughout each day, it was enough to live on. The cells were surrounded by a golden veil, one that refused entry to visitors and exiting by prisoners. It also prohibited use of magic and sorcery.

So as she entered, she was not surprised to see Loki spread out of his bed, bored.

"Ah, Astrid. Have you come to entertain me?" Loki smirked.

Astrid squinted. "No, I've come to speak instead."

Loki raised a brow. "About what, my Queen?"

"Hopefully to get some truth out of you so I can sleep at night." The previous night, Astrid could not get a wink of sleep. The thought of Loki being in her castle, several floors below her made her restless.

"Intriguing," Loki mused. "Care to join me? I know you can do it." He smirked once more as he patted his bed.

Astrid smiled, passive aggressively. "I'm more than content on this side of the cell," she stated. "I recall asking you a few questions back on Midgard and you not answering them. Ring a bell?"

Loki nodded. "Indeed it does."

"Brilliant. So you should have no issue in telling me why you felt it necessary to use me."

Loki gulped. "Use you?"

Astrid nodded. "Use me."

Loki chuckled at her words, they sounded like a request that rang through his ears. "If you insist."

The flustered queen scrunched her face up in anger and disgust. "Stop playing such childish games."

"I never used you." Loki answered as he stared at Astrid. "You consented to my every will."

She furrowed her brow in disdain. "Yet you led me under false hope."

"Indeed, I did. But I remember telling you back on Midgard that I knew you'd be found safe and sound, did I not?" Loki questioned.

The blonde goddess agreed. "But was I ever sound after it?" She asked quietly. Loki stared at her, his mouth slightly open as he pondered over her words. "Are you so self absorbed that you really don't remember what I said two days ago? How you ruined my trust in people?" Loki remained silently. Astrid let of an astonished breathy laugh. "I suppose you are." She answered her own question.

She spun on her heels and began walking out the dungeon however Loki's words made her halt. "I'm sorry."

She twisted her neck to look at him. His face was sunken with a sudden wave of realisation of his actions towards her. Astrid turned once more so her body was facing him. Did he really mean it? Probably not. But do you care? Not really."I suppose that's a good start."

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LATER THAT DAY, ASTRID, ZITHARA, AND FREYJA WERE CURRENTLY HAVING TEA IN ASTIRD'S LOUNGE. The Goddess of Love had arrived after sensing relevant feeling radiating from Astrid all the way from her kingdom, Niflheim, though she wanted to ease that information out of Astrid. Not like last time in her bedroom.

The three friends spoke candidly, Freyja periodically stealing glances at Astrid and analysing her behaviour. "So Frey, what have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know, this and that, the kids are fine. They keep me busy, I have a new partner too, probably won't last though," Freyja casually stated. Astrid always forgot Freyja was a mother of five, and Astrid was their godmother. Partly because most of the children were fully grown, the ones that weren't were calm children. Astrid also had visited Niflheim in a while to see them. "What about you, Eli? Any love brewing?"

Astrid narrowed her eyes at Freyja's playful smile that she hid behind her tea cup. "No, none for me, how about you Thera?" She redirected the question to Zithara.

Freyja held her hand up to stop the conversation. "As much as I would love to hear Thera's story about her criminal ex again and her blossoming love for your brother, I'd really like to know what happened yesterday and early today."

A blush rose to Zithara's face at Freyja's words. Astrid furrowed her brows though, confused. "What do you mean?"

Freyja tutted before taking a sip of her tea. "I felt you were aroused most of yesterday and today," she whispered scandalously. "You can tell us."

"I was not!... aroused," she hushed the last word. "You must've gotten confused... again."

"Oh darling, you can't fool me twice", the Goddess of Love grinned. "Ooh! Was that Prince you've been seeing? Loki, was that his name? Oh was it someone else? Oh my Nords! Do you remember that blonde you used to date? Car-"

"Alright enough!" Astrid cut Freyja from her rambling. She mumbled out a confession.

"What was that? Didn't quiet hear you," Freyja teased. Astrid mumbled one more. "Hmm?"

"Oh my Nords! It was Loki!" She yelled out in dismay and slouching further into her seat.

Freyja smiled as Zithara gapped at her queen. "What exactly did you two get up to?"

"Nothing!" Astrid exclaimed once more. "I hate him! But he was just teasing me all day and-"

"You're lonely?" Freyja guessed. "Sexually, of course."

Astrid huffed but nodded. "Ever since her, I've not-" she cut herself off, not being used to speaking about such matters. "Been with anyone." She finally mustered up the courage to whisper. "I couldn't even sleep last night. It's agonising."

Freyja awed. "That's nearly 20 years sweetie, that's no good," Freyja remembered Astrid's love life as if it was her own. But then again, Astrid's love life was drastically shorter than Freyja's. The Goddess of Love flipped open the clasp of her bad and fidgeted around inside.

Freyja pulled out a little vial, containing pink liquid. "Here, take this," she placed the glass vial into her friends hand. "It's something I've been working on it for a while. It should relive some of that sexual tension you've been feeling, and subsequently, help with your sleep." The Goddess winked.

"Really?" Astrid raised a brow, suspiciously.

Freyja held a hand to her heart. "I swear by it. Trust me. Just take a swing of it before you go to sleep and all your problems will disappear for the night."

Astrid sighed. She toyed with the vial in her hand but clutched it nonetheless. "Alright. I trust you."