Mischief Makers Ch. 03

Cami laughed. "Not a very good one," she admitted. "That's what got me in this mess."

Sif's gaze skimmed over Cami's exposed backside. "These are drag wounds," she noted with a frown.

Cami considered explaining the situation, but didn't know the best way to describe what asphalt was to them when she couldn't concentrate very well.

Frigga said, "Sif, now that Cami is awake, I must speak with her alone."

"Yes, My Queen. I was pleased that you requested my help." Then to Cami, Sif said, "I hope to speak with you again." With a respectful bow of her head, she departed.

Cami rolled carefully onto her side as the queen draped a silky sheet over her then moved to where Cami could see her more easily.

"We have determined that Loki has been cursed," Frigga said. "It is our belief that the spell on him is of both blood and shadow magic, which is a very distinct combination."

She wouldn't have known how serious the situation was if she hadn't read the worry in Frigga's kind eyes.

"Did he tell you who put the curse on him?"

"No. The curse limits him from telling us that."

"Is there anything I can do?" Cami asked, though she doubted she had the knowledge or any skill that would be useful against a curse.

"I think you are already doing all that you can do," the queen said. "Your friendship with Loki gives him comfort, which I'm sure he needs."

"I think it might soon be more than just a friendship. He... kissed me," Cami admitted, feeling a bit nervous when the queen's features brightened.

Frigga said, "This is welcome news. Loki has not been happy in a very long time."

"Well, relationships in Midgard can be complicated. He's got so much going on that I don't want to be one more thing that adds to his stress."

"Though I realize that you will be compelled to return home as soon as you can, perhaps you will consider staying for a while to get to know his friends and the way his life is here. It would help you understand him better."

"That sounds very well-intentioned, Your Majesty, but you're basically asking me to spy around for information on Loki," Cami said, "which is something I don't want to do. I am learning everything I really need to know just by being with him."

"Are you sure you understand Loki as well as you believe you do?" Frigga asked gently.

The queen was the cunning sort. Cami knew the game she played, even if her intent was not malicious.

Cami replied, "I might work for an organization that makes it their business to know everyone else's, but personally I would rather he told me what he wanted me to know than to sneak around behind his back. I can't afford to do that to him."

There was no anger or disappointment on her features as Frigga said, "If Loki could be here and unhindered in his words, I think there is much he would choose to share with you."

"I've found so far," Cami said, "that Loki is getting better at telling me what he wants me to know without the use of words."

"Like that kiss you mentioned."

Cami smiled slyly, but considered the topic closed.

She slept very little through the passing hours after the queen's departure. Though her wounds were numb from the medicine and she was plenty warm enough, she was unable to get comfortable in the strange place with her worries so stirred up.

She was drowsily gazing into the flames of the closest brazier, pondering how very far away she was from everyone important to her, when Sif returned with a tray of food.

"Did you sleep alright?" Sif asked.

"I've been awake for hours, it seems. What time is it?"

"It is morning. I have brought you some breakfast." Sif laid the tray carefully on the floor beside Cami's resting place before seating herself. "The queen requested that I keep you company."

"Are you the only woman warrior in Asgard?" Cami asked Sif. She thought she might have read something to that fact at some point.

"There are a few others," Sif said. "I train those who wish to learn."

"Asgardians start training as kids, right?"

"Traditionally, but not everyone trains in the art of war. Our city would not thrive without the skills of many different masters."

"Before I joined S.H.I.E.L.D., I was a dancer," Cami decided to share. "It was something I wanted to do since I was young, but didn't get much support until I was older."

"Why did you leave it?"

"My dancing eventually got me in trouble," Cami said with a frown. "So, Clint had me join S.H.I.E.L.D."

"You are not happy there?"

That was a difficult question to answer. If anything, her time in field training had opened doors of opportunity and knowledge to her that wouldn't have been as likely if she'd stayed a civilian. Still, she didn't see herself pledging the rest of her life to S.H.I.E.L.D. either.

"I've learned some things about myself that were surprising," she admitted to Sif, "and some that were disappointing."

"King Odin says it is a fool that finds fault only with others and never with himself," Sif said.

Cami smiled. "That sounds like something Director Fury would say. Only I think it would have a few touches of profanity. I bet he and the king could have entertaining debates."

The fresh fruit, meats and pastries on the tray did look very tempting. So, Cami reached down and took a plump pink and green fruit that had a bell shape. She bit into it, finding that it was very juicy and smelled and tasted like a rose.

"Mmm; that's really good," she said.

"Thor likes rose apples best," Sif told Cami. "Loki told me that they first grew in some regions of Midgard. Then Thor brought some samplings to Asgard to be grown here."

"You've known Thor and Loki a long time, huh?" Cami asked, already sensing the answer.

"Very long," was the warrior's strained reply, implying that Cami's question had struck a nerve. Possibly, it got tiresome hanging out with the brothers all the time.

"You have other friends, I'm sure," Cami added.

"Of course, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg have been our companions for years."

While the women had breakfast and Sif tended to her wounds, Cami got the full rundown on the Warriors Three, as seen through Sif's colorful and sometimes conflicted perceptions of their antics.

"At least they're loyal to you," Cami pointed out after listening with amusement to Sif's stories for a while.

"They are indeed. I hope you are feeling much improved soon. I would like to introduce them to you."

"I'm looking forward to it," Cami said truthfully. "I bet they have great stories to share too."

"Their tales become more embellished with each telling," Sif told Cami. "You will see."

It was the evening of Cami's third day in the healing room, following the removal of her stitches and a hot, satisfying bath, that Sif brought her a light blue gown with long, silky sleeves and a full skirt. Since she had been able to sit up and move about with only minimal pain, she was being invited to join in a gathering for Thor and his friends.

"When did Thor get back?" Cami asked, slipping into the gown.

"This morning," Sif said, carefully tightening the laces on the dress. "The queen said he's been in a poor mood. She suggested this small gathering to cheer him."

Sif was also dressed up for the occasion, wearing a long red gown with gold accents. She looked lovely, yet not exactly comfortable in the restrictive finery.

"If we hurry, Queen Frigga said she would do our hair before the party," Sif said, smiling to convey that this was to be considered a special treat.

Cami followed Sif out of the healing room and through the palace, racing to keep up with her long strides. Sif was at least 5'9" tall with long legs. Cami was only 5'4" so she figured she had to be working twice as hard to keep the pace. By the time they reached the king and queen's private suite, Cami was panting for breath and her body was aching some, especially her foot.

"Come in girls," Frigga called from a room adjacent to the entry. "Let me see you."

Now that they weren't rushing along, Cami took the opportunity to actually look around at the splendor of the palace decor as Sif pulled her into the queen's presence.

Frigga was seated at an elegantly carved vanity, removing ribbons and jeweled clips from her long hair. She caught a glimpse of them in her large oval mirror and turned in her seat.

"Cami Dear, you are flushed," she said with concern and gestured for her to come closer. Gratefully, the queen didn't appear to be holding a grudge over the request she'd made that Cami had refused.

"I was running," Cami explained, stepping into Frigga's reach. "Your castle is immense, Your Majesty."

Frigga glanced at Sif disapprovingly at this news, but offered Cami only a smile. "It is quite large, but is home to many servants and a gathering place for the people of Asgard."

Sif fetched some short, padded stools, placing one directly in front of the queen. Then Frigga drew Cami over to sit on the stool facing her, their knees touching, so she could actively examine her.

Guess this is where Loki gets his tendency to stare, Cami thought after several moments passed in silence.

"What do you think, Sif?" the queen finally asked, reaching out to pat and fluff Cami's hair. "Pull it all up or leave some down?"

"Down. She still has the remnants of those scratches on her neck," Sif pointed out.

Frigga looked to confirm that the scratches caused by Anna had not completely healed over yet. With a dissatisfied click of her tongue, Frigga uttered something about forgetting to apply some medicine to them earlier and then reached for a broad silver hair brush.

Cami turned around, trying to keep her posture tall and straight as any good dancer would while the queen drew the brush through her medium brown tresses. After three days of rest in the healing room and the bath, her hair had tangled itself up quite nicely, yet Frigga was skilled at working through these complications with minimal discomfort to Cami's scalp.

Cami was reminded of the days when Joyce Murphy, her last foster mom, had helped her get ready for drill team and ballroom dance competitions. By then Cami had been plenty old enough to do it herself, but she liked the strong yet soothing strokes of the brush and Joyce's long fingers gathering and styling her hair.

"That is a far away look," Sif commented to Cami. "I can't tell if you're thinking about something happy or sad."

"A little of both. No one has done my hair for me in a while," Cami admitted as the images of the past dissolved.

"Being a mother to only boys has its disadvantages," Frigga said. "Sif and some of the other young ladies are generous enough to let me pamper them on occasion."

Out of the corner of her eye, Cami noticed movement in the doorway.

Sif looked that direction, jumping to her feet to perform a curtsy. She said, "Good evening, My King."

"Good evening to you as well, Sif," Odin replied. "I see Cami is finally out of the healing room."

"I do not think she is quite ready to return to her S.H.I.E.L.D. duties," Frigga said, beginning to separate the strands of Cami's long bangs to braid them. "She favors her injured foot."

Odin stepped into the room, moving around to where Cami could look upon him in his grand armor and cape.

"Are you off to battle, Your Majesty?" she asked.

"Not at all," Odin replied. "I have returned from a conference with my envoys and inquisitors. I have asked them to take note of any information pertaining to the recent use of certain types of magic within the realms."

It hadn't occurred to Cami until that moment that King Odin would have his own network of spies and informants.

"Thor is having a gathering tonight," Frigga told Odin. "Can you escort the girls to his dining room?"

"I certainly can," Odin said. "Call for me when they are ready to depart."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Sif and Cami said together, and then exchanged smiles as the King strode off.

"Sif, choose a pearl string from the upper right drawer there," Queen Frigga said, indicating the large jewelry box at the far end of the vanity. "Pearls will look lovely braided into Cami's hair."

Sif looked over the selection in the box and drew out an especially long string of bright, white pearls.

In no time, Cami's hair was done in a style known as a cascading crown as the braid circled the top back of her head. She liked the look, especially with the pearls and the splendor of her blue gown.

Wow! I kind of look like a princess, she thought, feeling intrigued and freaked out at the same time as she admired herself in the large mirror.

Like most little girls, she'd been convinced by media and marketing that she wanted to be a princess when she grew up, but life had a way of ruining all childhood dreams with harsh reality. For instance, her parents were dead and definitely not royalty. Kings and queens rarely participated in the foster care program. And finally, there just weren't enough princes in the world for all those princess wannabes to marry.

Cami turned away from the mirror to watch the queen expertly tame Sif's long, thick mane into a work of art with spiral lace braids intertwined with gold ribbons.

"This might be a weird question," Cami said, "but do either of you know why Loki thinks piggy tails are so funny?"

Frigga finished her work and patted Sif's hair gently. "A pig's tail?" she asked with confusion.

Cami didn't want to demonstrate and possibly ruin her own hairdo. "It's a hairstyle," she said, "but not important."

With the addition of some light color to their eyelids, lips and cheeks, Frigga announced the girls ready for the party. She walked them out to the entry then went to find Odin, calling for him as she moved deeper into their suite.

"What becoming creatures," the king said upon his arrival, stopping mid-stride to admire Sif and Cami who grinned and thanked him in return.

Frigga came up beside him, smiling at his compliment. "Yes, they are," she agreed. "Now get them delivered before the boys begin to complain of their tardiness."

Considering the size of the castle, the walk to Thor's suite was relatively short. Thor had left his door open, so Odin walked them through the entry and into the dining room where the men were gathered and already drinking, feasting, talking and laughing.

Clearing his throat loudly, Odin broke up their revelry. The men abandoned their chairs to bow to him.

"I bring you Lady Sif and Miss Cami Barton," Odin announced. "See that they are delivered safely home at a decent hour."

There were promises offered then Thor came forward to take them from Odin, who promptly departed. "You both look very beautiful." His brilliant blue eyes lit up with earnest admiration. "Sif, help me with the introductions," he said, pulling them toward the table where the other men were waiting.

Cami already knew so much about the Warriors Three from Sif, that she could have guessed their names base solely on appearance. She greeted each man in turn, accepting a friendly nod from Hogun, a smile from Volstagg and an almost seductive kiss on her hand from Fandral. All the men towered over her.

As the group settled around the table to continue the feasting, Thor felt he should elaborate on Cami's simple introduction.

"Cami is the younger sister of Clint Barton, the Hawkeye," he told the men.

"Are you a master of the bow as well?" Hogun eagerly asked.

"No." Cami shook her head. "He's never tried to teach me the bow." She didn't take it personally that people always assumed she'd be exactly like Clint.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has many types of warriors," Thor told them. "Cami is training to be what they call a field agent."

"What is that exactly?" Fandral asked, looking between Thor and Cami.

Cami balked, searching for the right terms that wouldn't be confusing to non-Midgardians.

"May I attempt to explain?" Thor asked her.

"Please do." Cami was interested to hear Thor's take on what Clint and Natasha did.

"Field agents are much more than warriors. They must be scouts, emissaries, performers, craftsmen, sages, inquisitors and even executioners at times."

Cami thought this explanation was quite thorough and bolstering.

"That is very impressive," Fandral said and the others agreed. "You must have been training since you were quite young, Cami."

"Ummm... actually, it hasn't even been a year since I joined S.H.I.E.L.D.," she said, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "It takes years for field agents to get really good in all the areas. Though, most never try to become masters at everything. We usually band together in teams so we can support each other with the skills we do know well."

"Cami is on a team with Hawkeye, Black Widow and Loki," Thor interjected with visible pride.

Everyone seemed very impressed by this fact.

"How is Loki?" Hogun asked, as if he had been waiting for the topic to be introduced.

"Loki is doing well," Thor answered with some hesitation. "He is making new friends and learning the ways of Midgard. Cami has been helping him."

"That is splendid to hear," Volstagg said merrily in his deep, rich voice and raising his cup as if to toast. He then took a large chug of his drink that spilled over the edges some and into his long, thick beard.

Hogun looked skeptical. "I've rarely known Loki to ask for or accept help."

Fandral chuckled lightly. "It's not like he has much choice now, considering his condition."

Cami instantly felt her face flush with heat. "I'm sorry," she said barely loud enough for her voice to carry the width of the table. "What do you mean by that?"

Sif, who was filling Cami's plate with samples of the local delicacies, suddenly stiffened, and Thor, who was sitting on Cami's left, stopped drinking.

Fandral's smile faded as he decided his response. "I was referring to the loss of his magic. He relied on it so heavily. I assumed..."

"He lost his magic two years ago," Cami interrupted him, trying to keep her emotions from stirring up a frenzy within her. "S.H.I.E.L.D. chose to recruit Loki because he's smart and has plenty of other strengths and skills that we need."

Cami stole a glance at Thor. He looked a bit tense and not happy at all.

How much has he told them? she wondered.

"I apologize," Fandral said, sounding surprised and uncomfortable. "It is often our way to tease each other. I didn't think."

Cami shook her head mindlessly, wondering how often the group had made Loki feel unwanted and no one had stood up for him, even Thor. Cami found herself staring at the food Sif had put on her plate, which would have looked appetizing under different circumstances.

"Loki is going to be a great field agent," Cami continued, wishing to make her point. "He already caught an extremely dangerous criminal and saved my life on his very first mission."

Sif said gently, "Please share this tale. We would like to hear it."

The Warriors Three were staring at Cami, making it hard for her to process her own thoughts and feelings. Maybe she did want to tell them the story of Drago's club, but there was a warning in Thor's eyes that she could tell was meant to keep her silent.

"I'm sorry," she said again, "but I..." She climbed out of the chair, nearly tripping over it and her dress in the rush. "I think I should go."

Thor and Sif both got up from the table.

"Sif, wait here," Thor ordered gruffly. "I will speak with her in private."

"She is upset," Sif insisted, following them into the entry.

Thor caught up with Cami, grabbing her arm and forcing her to stop. "Cami, we must speak," he said. His tone was anxious and foreshadowed with anger.

Cami sensed a lecture coming on and she didn't feel like she'd done anything wrong.

"Let go of me," Cam said, trying to sound braver than she felt. Thor's size alone made him intimidating; plus his hand was starting to clench painfully around her upper arm.