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Anthony Howardson was a blacksmith. That’s all he was. Just a blacksmith. Nothing else.
He was definitely not a mage.
Anthony wished that his life was simpler. All he wanted to do was work and create new things. He definitely did not want to worry about the hidden power inside of him, especially because he could not use it.
When Howard Stark realized that his son had his own seidr, he was not happy. Magic defied the laws of nature and science, and he made sure that no one in the family was going to use it. He had a bracelet made to bind Anthony’s magic, which he wore at all times. Anthony had not felt the power of his seidr in centuries, but he never forgot that it was there. His father wouldn’t let him.
When Anthony accidentally cut the bracelet with a dagger he was sharpening, he felt it right away. His magic that had been waiting for a release for too long surged inside of him. Gold mist flowed from Anthony’s hands, causing flames to spill out from the forge, filling the room with heat. Daggers and work tools flew across the room and Anthony had no idea how to stop it.
Anthony’s magic scared him. He had been taught to fear it from a young age. He did not want to be different, and he certainly did not want to do anything unnatural. Magic should not exist and he should not have it.
Not wanting to witness his father’s anger or destroy the workspace any further, Anthony fled. He ran into the forest where no one would find him. No one knew about his seidr besides his parents and he wished for it to remain that way. He did not want people to view him as a monster.
Anthony wasn’t sure how far he ran, it felt like forever and only a few minutes at the same time. He could barely make out his surroundings through the tears that threatened to spill. Thankfully, his seidr wasn’t as prevalent as it was back in the workshop, he could only feel the faint presence of it at his fingertips. He hated his magic. He hated how it made him unique and how it made his father despise him. Most of all, he hated how intriguing it was. Every day Anthony wondered what his seidr could do and he knew he shouldn’t have. It was wrong.
He clearly was not paying attention to where he was going, because he came to an abrupt stop when he crashed into something. He felt himself falling to the ground, but two hands held onto his arms to steady him. Anthony gasped at the contact. It sent a shiver down his spine and he felt his seidr whirling in excitement. His breath was caught in his throat when he looked up to see who he collided with. Anthony was met with a man with piercing green eyes that stared back at him with a look of both concern and intrigue. The stranger was much taller than Anthony and more slender than the average man in Asgard. He had raven-black hair that was pushed back to be kept off of his face and he was absolutely stunning.
Anthony was ashamed that he didn’t recognize the man right away.
“Prince Loki!” he exclaimed. “I am so sorry!”
Seeing that Anthony was stable on his two feet, the prince took his hands off of his arms. Anthony immediately missed the prince’s touch. His skin felt cold without the physical contact and he wished to be as close to him as possible. It didn’t make sense.
“It is alright,” the prince responded. “What is your name?”
“Anthony.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Anthony,” Prince Loki said.
Hearing the prince say his name caused Anthony to shudder. He didn’t know why his presence was having this much of an effect on him. Anthony could feel his seidr threatening to release; his magic was reacting to Prince Loki and he couldn’t figure out why.
It would have helped if Anthony could stop looking at the prince, but he couldn’t. Prince Loki was absolutely beautiful and it was as if Anthony’s eyes were glued to his. Anthony never wanted to see any color besides the emerald green of the prince’s eyes ever again.
“I apologize for bumping into you, Prince Loki. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Anthony told him.
The prince had an expression on his face that most likely mimicked Anthony’s own. He looked shaken, but completely entranced by Anthony. Whatever was happening was affecting both of them.
“There is no need to apologize or for you to call me Prince Loki. Loki is fine,” he said. Anthony wasn’t sure why the prince didn’t want him to use the formal title, but he would listen to his request.
Anthony felt his seidr prickle underneath his skin, still excited by Loki’s presence. For a brief moment, it was comforting. Anthony felt like Loki would make everything okay and keep him safe. Gold seidr gathered in Anthony’s hands, traveling forward as if it was reaching out to Loki. He tried his best to stop it, but it would not listen.
“What’s happening? What are you doing to me?” Anthony asked. He knew that it had been centuries since he could feel his seidr, but he also knew that it shouldn’t be reacting like this. There had to have been something that Loki was doing to cause it.
“Our seidrs seem to be compatible,” Loki said. Anthony almost forgot that Loki had seidr of his own.
“Well make it stop!” Anthony couldn’t let this happen. He needed to find a new bracelet and all of this would go away. He would never have to feel his magic ever again.
Loki visibly flinched. “Do you understand how rare this is? To find your match?”
“I don’t want this,” Anthony said quietly, having difficulty admitting it. It seemed like every part of him did want it, besides his brain. He didn’t even know what Loki was speaking of.
As soon as he said it, his seidr lashed out, causing trees to topple over and branches to fly across the path. Anthony tried to stop it, but each attempt seemed to make his magic stronger. There was nothing that he could do. It felt like trying to keep an angry Bildgesnipe inside of a cage.
“No no no no no,” he mumbled as his vision was clouded with leaves.
Everything stopped as soon as he felt two hands grab his own. There was a spark of energy that trickled up his arms from the contact and it felt absolutely amazing. Anthony looked up to see Loki staring down at him with a concerned expression and once again, he was unable to tear his gaze from the prince. He could still feel his seidr stirring inside of him, thriving in Loki’s presence, but it was no longer acting out.
“You don’t know how to control your seidr,” Loki said. He must not have realized it when they first met.
“Yeah,” was all that Anthony could manage to say.
Loki was the greatest mage in Asgard and Anthony knew absolutely nothing about magic. He was embarrassed, even though he did not want his seidr. It was confusing.
“You have the most powerful seidr I have ever encountered and you have no desire to use it,” Loki stated.
Anthony had no idea that his seidr was that strong. He could not imagine it being anywhere near as great as Loki’s.
“I wore a bracelet that hid my magic for most of my life. I accidentally broke it today,” Anthony explained. “This is the first time that I have felt it in centuries.”
Loki tilted his head to the side, obviously curious. “Why?”
“I come from a family of blacksmiths. I like to create things on my own, I don’t need magic to do that for me,” Anthony told him.
“I have a feeling there is more to it than that,” Loki responded.
Anthony remembered that the prince was often called the god of lies. He clearly was able to know when part of the truth was missing.
“Magic is unnatural, it goes against the laws of nature. No one should be able to have that kind of power or be able to control the energy around them.”
“I don’t believe that you gained that opinion on your own,” Loki said.
Anthony sighed before replying, “My father has never accepted magic. When he found out I had it, he made sure that I could never use it.”
Loki gently squeezed his hands, and Anthony was reminded that their hands were still entwined. It felt so natural that he forgot that they were even touching.
“It is a shame that you were raised with those beliefs. Anthony, your seidr is wonderful .”
Anthony’s seidr whirled inside of him from the compliment, happy to be acknowledged by someone so important. When did Loki become important to him?
“You are not going back there. I won’t have you live somewhere where you are not accepted for who you are,” Loki told him.
“I am a blacksmith,” Anthony told him. That was who he was.
“Yes,” Loki agreed. “But you could be more. Let me show you how to control the power that you hold.”
It seemed crazy to leave his life behind and follow a man who he had just met, but it also seemed like the only option because he couldn’t imagine not being with Loki. He couldn’t even fathom the possibility of never seeing the prince again. The thought of leaving Loki made Anthony’s seidr protest, screaming at him to never let Loki out of his sight.
“I cannot imagine saying no to you,” Anthony said with a sheepish grin.
Loki smiled fondly. “Me too.”
Anthony could feel it both in his seidr and his heart that he was making the right decision. Everything about Loki felt right.
Loki let go of his hands and Anthony frowned in disappointment. He wanted to touch Loki and know every part of him. Standing a few inches away from him felt too far.
The two of them walked through the forest in silence. Anthony was only slightly worried. He didn’t know what was going to happen next. He left his home, family, and belongings, not knowing if he was ever going to go back. He followed a stranger based on a feeling his seidr gave him. If he would have known this just hours before, he would have never believed it.
“Where are we going?” Anthony finally asked.
“To my home,” Loki responded.
Anthony found that it did not matter where they went, as long as they were together.
Eventually, they made it to the palace. Anthony had only been near it a few times, but it always looked magnificent. The palace towered over both of them and was painted in bright gold. There were dozens of people walking around outside of it and Anthony couldn’t believe that Loki actually lived there.
Instead of going inside, Loki brought him behind the palace. They arrived in a garden and Anthony’s eyes widened in awe. There were flowers of every color and plenty of trees with different kinds of fruits. Anthony had never seen anything like it. No one in his village had a garden as impressive as this one.
“This is my mother’s garden,” Loki told him. Anthony had only heard stories about Queen Frigga’s garden. It was known as the most beautiful garden in Asgard.
“It’s beautiful,” Anthony replied as he continued to look around. He couldn’t stop staring at all of the colors.
“It is,” Loki agreed.
Loki sat down on a bench in the middle of the garden and Anthony sat next to him. He sat much closer to Loki than he normally would have, feeling eager to be as close to him as possible. Any slight movement would cause them to touch.
“You said that our seidrs are compatible and I found my match. What does that mean?” Anthony did not forget what Loki said, there were so many thoughts in his head that it was hard to focus on one thing. So much had happened since he felt his seidr again.
Loki turned to Anthony and gave him a look of pure adoration, as if he was the center of his world.
“It means that our seidrs are meant to be joined together. They are perfectly matched,” Loki explained. Anthony wondered if it was only their magic that was meant to be together, because he honestly felt more than that.
“Like soulmates?” Anthony questioned.
“Yes, Anthony,” Loki said with a smile.
Anthony had only heard tales about soulmates, but he never knew if they were real or not. There were some that believed that special people had a match to their soul in the realm, but most only thought of soulmates as myths. The idea always fascinated Anthony. The thought of having a person compatible with his soul was intriguing. He didn’t realize soulmates existed because of seidr.
“So that’s why my seidr was reaching out to you?”
“Yes, it automatically recognized me as your match,” Loki told him.
“Yours wasn’t reaching out to me, but I can tell that this is affecting you too,” Anthony said. He could still feel his own seidr trying to bring him even closer to Loki, but he was getting better at refraining.
“I have much more control than you do. I would love to let it free but I can sense that you’re not ready. I am willing to wait.”
Anthony raised an eyebrow. “You want to bond with me? It’s a bond, right?”
“Nothing would make me happier,” Loki answered.
Anthony felt the same way, even though they had only just met. He wanted Loki so badly and couldn’t imagine not completing the bond. With every minute that passed, his desire for it increased.
“Why?” Anthony asked, even though he realized that Loki’s answer would most likely be similar to his own.
“There is nothing that I trust more than my seidr and it is telling me that you are everything that I could ever want,” Loki told him.
Hearing him say that created a warmth in his chest, and it was hard to tell if it was from his seidr or something else.
“I feel it too,” Anthony said honestly.
“I will not force you into a magical bond, Anthony. I will never make you do anything that you are uncomfortable with,” Loki told him sincerely, and Anthony believed him. He knew that Loki could never lie to him, even though he was the god of lies.
“You’ll keep me safe,” Anthony said confidently. “I want this.”
A magical bond with Loki sounded absolutely amazing, like it was supposed to happen. Anthony wanted to feel Loki’s warmth for the rest of his life.
“Your seidr wants this, but I am not convinced that the rest of you does. Only moments ago you stated that you did not.”
“I was scared. I’m not anymore,” Anthony said.
Loki tucked a stray piece of Anthony’s hair behind his ear, and Anthony had to try his best not to lean into the touch. “I am glad that you’re not scared of me. But I think that we should wait until you are absolutely sure that you want this.”
As much as Anthony wanted to argue, he knew that Loki was right. Anthony’s mind was filled with conflicting feelings and he needed to sort those out before creating a most likely irreversible bond.
A cool breeze blew by and Anthony realized all of his nerves had disappeared. He was excited for the journey ahead of them. Of course it would take time for Anthony to learn to trust and listen to his seidr, but he knew that Loki would help him feel at ease. His seidr wriggled beneath his skin, warm and happy at being wholeheartedly welcomed. It was a new feeling, but Anthony could get used to it, especially with Loki by his side.