Maybe I could get a happily ever after, after all?

I only fell for a few seconds, before my body stopped moving downwards. I opened my eyes to see why I wasn't falling to my death.

A hand was wrapped around my ankle.

"Norns, (Y/N), you're heavier than you look," I heard Austri say, struggling to hold on to me.

"You could always let go if I am as heavy as you claim," I muttered.

Why was he there? There had been no one around when I climbed onto the balcony to jump, I had made sure that I was alone. Had he been following me?

I tried wiggling out of his grip, moving as much as I could, hoping it would make him lose his grip on me, so I could finally die in peace. It didn't work, however. Austri began pulling my body upwards, grabbing my waist to make it easier to pull me over the railing.

I was once again, after Austri struggling for a while, back on my feet inside of the palace, safe and sound. My mission had failed, I wouldn't be reunited with Loki any time soon.

"What has gotten into you, (Y/N)?" Austri asked, his large hands on both of my cheeks, forcing me to look at him.

I didn't answer him, of course. I just looked him dead in the eye, showing no emotions. How could I when I felt nothing but the longing for death or at least some good wine?

He began sniffing the air, he clearly noticed the smell of alcohol on my breath, or, anywhere really.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked, accusingly.

I nodded, still not wanting to say anything. He wouldn't understand my actions so why try to justify them?

His grip loosened, he looked disappointed, almost sad, that I was intoxicated. Wouldn't it make the fact that I tried committing suicide, better? Of course, he hadn't experienced loss the way I had, he hadn't loved the way I had, no, he knew nothing of my misery, even though he tried understanding.

"I lost him. I lost him, Austri, and I can never get him back" I whispered, my eyes as dead as a fallen soldier.

Austri didn't say anything at first, he looked more confused than anything.

"Is that why you have been drinking?" he then asked.

His voice was almost a whisper, seemingly afraid to even know the answer to the question he had just asked.

"I drink to forget," I muttered.

"To forget what, exactly?"

I paused for a second. He was my truest friend, one of the few I had left, but he was also a royal guard, he was meant to be loyal to the throne and no one else; not even me.

Could I trust him with what I had gone through, trust him not to run to Odin if I told him how horrible Thor was? If I told him that I was in love with another man?

Then again, there wasn't much for me to lose. In the best-case scenario, I would be executed, reunited with my love, and be free, so maybe it was worth a shot.

"Everything, Austri," I whispered.

"He took my innocence and left me feeling used and worthless. He left me while pregnant because he couldn't control his temper, and then came back when I was finally happy, only to make my life worse," I said, tears forming in the corner of my eye as I thought back to that horrible night.

Austri gave me a sympathetic look, a look that showed he understood I was miserable but at the same time said "he couldn't have ruined your life that much just by returning home".

"He raped me, Austri. The love of my life, the man I wished to marry is no longer the last man to touch me and it makes me feel even worse about myself, to the point where suicide was the only way for me to remove the pain. I may not be worthy of Loki any longer, but I will not suffer while stuck in these damned halls where Thor can walk freely," I said.

Anger and sadness mixed in my mind as I felt the first of many tears run down my cheek.

Finally, I had broken down and confessed.

Austri didn't say anything. I noticed how his breathing was becoming uneven, how every emotion he could possibly feel flew by. How every thought he could think filled his wonderfully simple head.

I was about to ask him what was going on, but as the words were about to fall from my lips, Austri picked me up in a swift movement and began walking. I didn't protest, I had fought too much the past few months to care what would happen to me.

He walked for a while. At first, I had no idea where he was taking me, he led me through secret paths made for the guards to travel through the castle faster in case of an emergency. I had never been granted access to those halls.

After a good 10 minutes of Austri carrying me, I found us standing in front of the courtroom. Odin was most likely in there, making plans involving the kingdom and maybe even war.

Was he going to turn me in? Tell Odin that I was a traitor and that I should be hung when the sun had settled?

I didn't say anything, I wouldn't even judge Austri for bringing me here. It was his duty to bring anybody who believed the royal family to be frauds to the king so they could be punished for their horrible way of thinking.

It took him a moment before he opened the door. I noticed how his heartbeat was picking up more speed the longer he stood in front of the door.

"I never thought in a million years that it would be necessary for me to do this," he sighed, trying his best to breathe normally.

After another 5 seconds in front of the door, Austri took a deep breath as if he was about to walk into a room filled with toxins, and kicked the door open with his left foot.

The voices in the room came to a halt when the door flung open.

Austri began walking into the room, all eyes were on us, including Odin's one good eye. His glare was intense, he was clearly angry that he had been interrupted in whatever he was in the middle of doing.

"I hope you have a reason to barge in here as if the kingdom belongs to you, good sir!" Odin's voice boomed.

Austri didn't say anything until he had made his way to the foot of the throne Odin sat on. He didn't let go of my limp body, he held me in his arms, which despite the circumstances was quite calming.

Had it not been because he was about to hand me over to Odin for treason I would have felt at peace for the first time since Loki's death.

"I come with the demand that you as well as the rest of the royal family treat princess (Y/N) with the respect she deserves. I will not stand by and watch you treat her like common filth, and if you choose to do nothing then I wish to resign, and I will personally make sure the princess is treated properly!" Austri said.

There was such power to his words I didn't recognize what he had said at first, it didn't seem Odin had fully understood what Autri had said either.

I didn't say anything, my body was filling with shock when Austri's words finally settled in my head. Had he stood up to the all-father, king of Asgard, and the man he swore his loyalty to?

"Leave us be," Odin ordered.

Within seconds every nobleman and council member had scurried away, leaving Austri, Odin, and myself alone in the large room.

Fear began seeping through the cracks in my mind as Odin, one step at a time, made his way toward us. It was that very moment I realized I was indeed still wearing the nightgown Loki had gotten me.

Not only was I wearing Loki's color in public, which itself was considered a felony since Thor had returned, but I was also dressed like a common slut in front of my own father-in-law.

"What do you mean when you claim my family and I treat the princess like common filth?" Odin asked when he had made his way down the stairs.

You had hoped Odin would never see this side of you. The vulnerable and devastating side that you only let out when you were alone, he had not seen that side since you were a child.

Austri didn't respond, he feared that his words would somehow be twisted and I would seem like the villain of the story. He looked away, avoiding eye contact with the all-father.

"Put me down, Austri," I whispered, not thinking he would hear my silent plea.

To my surprise, he did just as I had asked, placing me on my own two feet. The marble floor was just as cold as it had been by the balcony.

I turned to Austri, giving him a soft smile, a gesture he returned before taking a step back, disappearing from the picture that was currently being painted. I turned back to Odin shortly after, the faint smile I had given Austri had vanished while moving.

My eyes were dead once more. It was better that way, it would lessen the risk of me bursting into tears in front of Odin.

"(Y/N), my child, please tell me what troubles you, why you have told this guard such horrible things about your own family," Odin said, his voice surprisingly soft with a hint of remorse.

"How could you let me marry him?" I asked.

I watched as Odin's eyes filled with confusion, sorrow, and disappointment. He didn't understand what I meant, of course, he had not been through what I had.

"I beg your pardon?" Odin asked.

"How could you let me marry Thor? He took everything from me and violated me in ways I dare not say out loud to the king of my realm. He is a monster," I sobbed, internally cursing over the fact that tears were forming in the corner of my eyes.

Odin didn't respond. I saw how his mind was twisting and turning, trying his hardest to figure out what I was talking about, but he wouldn't understand.

Why couldn't he just kill me already?

"I gave the two of you my blessing believing that you were in love with my son, that your feelings were as strong as the ones Frigga and I share if not stronger. Why did you marry Thor if you did not love him?" he asked.

There was no point in hiding the tears that were streaming down my face. The truth hurt too much to be shoved from my consciousness.

"Because I loved Loki!" I shouted.

I covered my mouth when realizing what I had admitted to the all-father. I had finally opened up about my feelings towards the youngest prince, the only man I had ever wished to court.

Odin stood in front of me, speechless with his mouth ajar. I knew Austri had most likely shared Odin's expression at my confession, neither of the men had seen me with Loki, how he had treated me. He was nothing like Thor, he was better in every way, but Odin had grown blind with love over the years, only turning to his oldest son.

"I agreed to marry Thor because I believed Loki didn't love me. He had grown so cold towards me during the last century that I thought he hated my guts, so, instead, I chose to marry Thor, hoping that my feelings for him would turn from a dear friend to a loving wife, but those feelings never occurred," I sighed.

I felt defeated as the tears continued making their way from my eyes onto the marble floor.

Why had I been so foolish, so naive? I could never love Thor, I could only tolerate him if that was even possible, and now I had suffered the consequences.

My legs gave in, making me fall forward and sinking to the ground, sobbing as the feeling of regret passed through my body. It was like the cork that had held all of my emotions in had been removed, letting everything I had tried my hardest to hide make its way to the surface.

I tried hiding my face as the tears ran down my face. It was humiliating to act like this in front of the all-father, the king of Asgard, and my father-in-law. How could I ever show my face again?

"I-I can't face him again. Forgive me, my king, but I can't just throw away what little sanity I have left," I sobbed, not daring to look up at the all-father.

There was silence. The only sound echoing in the large room were my whimpers and silent pleas to the all-father, begging him to spare me from his cruel son. In my mind, I still hoped he would cut off my head, allowing me to flee from the fleshly prison I was stuck in.

I felt a set of arms wrap around me carefully. I knew it was Odin embracing me, but I wouldn't believe it. The man everybody found cruel and scary, the feared king known for his glorious battles had grown soft and caring within seconds.

"I'm sorry, my dear. I never meant for you to get hurt like this. I made a promise to protect you as a child but it seems I have failed," Odin said, his voice barely anything but a whisper as if I would break if he spoke too loudly.

I couldn't stop crying. The all-father's embrace only made more emotions appear, emotions I didn't think I had in me anymore.

For a few minutes, Odin didn't say anything, he just sat there comforting me.

"You there, guard, what is your name?" Odin finally asked, turning to Austri.

I had completely forgotten he was still in the room, quietly observing. He seemed almost frightened when Odin spoke to him, he was clearly caught by surprise, forgetting he was in the presence of the king of Asgard.

"A-Austri Freyerson, my king," he stuttered.

"You no longer serve the throne, sir Freyerson. Your new purpose as a knight and guard is to protect princess (Y/N). Do whatever you must to ensure her safety. You answer to her and no one else, not even myself," Odin said, his voice no longer comforting.

Odin had taken my words seriously, something I thought would never happen. He had chosen me over his own son, the golden child.

I felt a bit of relief when I realized I was now protected from that awful man. Thor would never be able to touch me again; he would have to kill Austri first and despite being a brute he wouldn't be dumb enough to kill a guard.

"Where are you currently staying, my dear?" Odin asked, his voice once more gentle.

"Loki's chambers," I muttered, the need to cry slowly disappearing.

I still didn't dare look at him, I focused on my knees, trying to calm myself in the process.

"They are no longer Loki's chambers. You may stay there as long as you like, if not permanently," he said.

I finally looked him in the eye, clearly shocked. The all-father had, without further questions, decided I was allowed to live in my own chambers, despite being married to prince Thor. It went against everything I had been raised to believe.

"T-thank you, all-father," I stuttered, feeling another tear threatening to fall to the floor.

"Think nothing of it, my dear. I raised you as if you were my own daughter and I intend to protect my children the best I can," he said with a soft smile.

I was overcome with joy. I couldn't help but embrace him, thanking him over and over again. Tears fell from my face, but not because of the past, but because I was promised a slightly brighter future.

I let go of the all-father, who still had a soft smile on his face. I thanked him once more and tried my best to get on my feet, which proved to be rather difficult. Austri offered me his hand which I gladly accepted, and he helped me up.

"Shall I take you to your chambers, princess (Y/N)?" he asked, smiling from ear to ear.

It was obvious that he was as thrilled and surprised at the outcome as I was.

"Please do," I sighed happily.

We turned to leave, but before walking out of the massive door I turned back to Odin, thanking him one last time, before leaving with Austri.

Maybe I would get my happily ever after despite everything.