#sif and dug now share two pieces of a heart

[shroudandsands]

Prompt #30: Two Heads Are Better Than One

His finger brushed through Sif’s road-dusted hair with the calloused care of someone unused to giving gentle touch but growing accustomed to the routine of it. In return she let out a long-held breath in her sleep. A sigh that had been building since she was still waking, since when she was still finding a comfortable place to rest her head, since she’d even had the momentary thought of rest. Rested on his chest, the heartbeat in his chest her steady lullaby. / She held love in her hands as Sawyer let sleep embrace her like gentle wings. Her own wings slowed their soaring, slowly dipped, then gently placed themselves each beside her Hawk. All the while Amesha brushed her fingertips through her love’s hair, alongside her face, a gentle touch to ease her rest. To ease her sleep. Her head rested in her lap, a gentle repose.

It was strangely comforting, he knew, as he thumbed the black shard of his heart trapped in a necklace of leather cords. It beat its rhythm in his hands in time with the one within his chest. He counted in time with it, counted in time with his, a strange moment on his lips as he felt the count be one and the same. It slipped from his hand, then, to rest against her as he reached up to grasp the one at his neck. It, too, pulsed in his hand with life and something else- Something not his but so close and comforting. Still it rest against his breast, still it beat beside his heart. It was slow, now. It was calm, now. It was rising and falling in time with rested breath and quiet heartbeat. He let his piece of her heart fall back against his chest. / Her lips placed a long kiss upon the forehead of her hawk, the storm whose quiet rumbling wakefulness had since succumbed to gentle summer rains of yesteryear and memory, to the gentle exhalation of a spring breeze that she yet breathed in as a hope of her oasis and love. It was here that Amesha could feel her comforting weight and the wide spread of her Hawk’s own wings. To feel embrace of feathers meant for flight and forging. To feel the steady beat of them as even now she dreamed of heights that could only be described as lofty. As sky born. As something that could fly for malms and still never tire. As hers. As theirs.

He slipped out from under her with aching joints and stiff legs as her slow heartbeat thumped against his chest. He could feel it as she dreamed- He didn’t need her mumbling in her sleep, anymore, to know- and for once he could find it to be something kind. Gentle. Comforting. He couldn’t quite fathom what it could be. But it was… It was comforting as he stoked the fire. To know without needing to say. To know without needing to look. He sat down with a groan as the flames began to catch and crackle. The gentle autumn wind slipped by and through him to raise the fire higher and brighten the small pocket of night that cradled them. / Her footfalls padded along the stone floor as the warm cup in her hands wafted cinnamon-weighted steam towards her. Quietly taken, quietly placed at the bedside. She plucked one of her wings from the air as it swirled by her, a crystalline piece of her senses held in her hands. It was always strange to hold them. To have them. She took it and placed it beside Sawyer, her soul and senses releasing their grip on it in the way one might let a limb go limp. But still it drank in all it felt and relayed it to her. Still it spoke. But for now, in this moment, where it was nothing but the quiet night, the sleeping Hawk, and the faint scent of cinnamon bonds… Her hand slipped under the blankets covering her and placed her fingertips on a crystal scar.

He could feel it as the flames burnt a hole in his vision. The afterimages of ghosts on his retinas. But… He thumbed the stone as he stared into the flames. It wasn’t quite what it could be, is it? What it had been. Or, rather, could have been. Right? These ghosts, these phantoms, these memories of memories were his constant haunting companions for so long now. Even in moments when he could bring himself to ignore them they were still there. Still at the edges of his vision. Still always a reminder. He couldn’t tell if it was because the heart that beat against his palm was filled with gentle sleep… But this was different. This wasn’t the artifact of blackened blood like sludge through his veins. This wasn’t the damage done by so many seasons of abuse on his body, on his mind. This was… This was something… Something better. Smoke curled into the sky as he slept, her footsteps sounding out her arrival. She threw a boot at him as he laughed and laughed at something he can’t remember anymore. She was sitting under a tree, her fingers haphazardly plucking out a new song while he slept with a hat over his face. He pressed her heartbeat against his own. / Her fingertips pressed against the scarring of a soul. She’d always remembered when her Hawk was once two. When that defiant, angry, raging storm first caught her soul and pulled her along. She didn’t yet know how it would change her. Break her. Lead her to places far away- Bathed in the oasis and dragged away from her home to one new, one endangered. One that would forge her anew. Forge her heart anew. Forge them both into something… Something… Something better. She cradled Sawyer’s face with one hand whilst the other rest on her chest, on her crystal scar. Her crystalline wings, too, swung low to rest on it together. To bear the same. To be the same. Love was there, she knew. Love was this part of her. She remembered as she cradled Sawyer’s head as she wrought her soul and body back together like iron. Like crystal. Like life. She remembered the fear she felt. The relief as her breath returned to her. As she felt that stormcloud strike with all the force it could muster as she awoke. Even now she wondered if she should’ve accepted the heart of crystal that Sawyer tried to give her. She let out a long, wandering sigh at that. At the wondering. At the what-ifs and the what-could-have-beens. She pressed a kiss to that scar between her breasts. To the crystal heartbeat between her chest, her wings, and the old piece of her soul.

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Of Blood and Roses

Chapter Seven

Previous Chapter

Pairing: Loki x Lauren  |  Word Count: 10828 Warnings: Fluff, angst, violence

As Loki led her down the stairs and around the giant spit, Lauren had the feeling her face was going to be perpetually flushed for some time to come with the way the men all smiled and nodded, their appreciation clear and highly disconcerting. The women were slightly cooler, their smiles more calculating than friendly, at least for the moment.

She hoped that would change with time. She couldn’t imagine spending all her days alone when Loki was busy if none of these women liked her. Though, as they approached the head table, it appeared she had one ally for Sif’s smile was wide and welcoming.

When Loki led her around the end of the table past men and women she didn’t yet know, Odin stood to welcome her. His whiskers tickled her cheek when he whispered, “Well done, child,” causing her blush to burn all the brighter. As she moved on to Thor, Odin embraced Loki, sending the guests into an unholy frenzy, a cacophony of noise which was deafening.

Thor took her by the hand and raised her knuckles to his lips, giving her a wink far more reminiscent of his brother than the God of Thunder and made her laugh.

He tugged her close and murmured against her ear, “You are radiant like the sun, little sister.”

“If y’all make me blush any harder I’ll be hot as one, too,” she said but smiled for she knew he meant it honestly.

Loki took her by the elbow and clasped arms with Thor. “It’s good to be home.”

“It’s good to have my brother back,” Thor agreed. “Sit at my right, Loki. At my side where you belong.”

A tilt of his head was Loki’s acceptance, but he stepped past Thor to see Lauren seated first two chairs over next to Sif who was already holding out a cup of… something.

“What is it?” Lauren asked her, admiring how even in a gown Sif still retained the armour which proclaimed her a great warrior.

“Mead. The finest casks have been brought out for this meal,” she said quietly. “Welcome to the feast, highness.”

The highness was said with a smirk and air of teasing which set Lauren laughing and nudging her new friend. “Cut it out,” she huffed sipping from the cup.

“Bah!” Volstagg barked. “Drink, woman! We feast for you. Eat. Enjoy! Drink!” He raised his cup, sloshing the liquid over the table and sending both Fandral and Hogun lurching out of the way.

“And have her end up as big around as you, Volstagg?” Loki quipped. “I think not.”

Lauren coughed a delicate, “Body snob!” into her cup as the rest laughed at Loki’s teasing.

He leaned closer to steal the cup from her fingers and drink from it himself. “Don’t tease, darling. You’re perfect. Can you blame me for wanting to keep you that way?”

“Are you sayin’ if I eat more I’ll have to work out more?” she asked, plucking a bunch of grapes from a platter as no one else had even paused in their feasting for more than the few minutes it had taken to see them seated.

He snorted softly in amusement and began to load her plate from the sea of dishes on the table. “If it is more exercise you want, pet, I’ll be happy to assist you in shedding those calories.”

His smile was so deviant, Lauren snorted out a laugh. “You’re terrible!”

“You love it,” he grinned and fed the kitten a piece of meat when his head popped up out of her lap.

“You’ll spoil him,” she scolded but traced a finger over Socks’ little furry head.

Loki shrugged. “What else is he to eat?”

“Cat food? Mice?”

“As if we would have mice in the palace,” Loki scoffed. “Try the boar, sweet. It is a special delicacy and quite unlike anything you’ve ever tasted.”

Unlike Volstagg, who seemed content to eat and drink with both hands, the others used proper utensils, though as she looked around, Lauren found many of the men still ate large hanks of meat with their hands. Not one to shy away from a meal, she dug in and damn near moaned at the flavour exploding on her tongue.

“Oh, my god…” she mumbled, swallowing the mouthful, and tried something which appeared the combination of mashed potatoes and corn mixed together in one. “Sweet thorny Jesus. How are y’all not three hundred pounds?”

The three warriors and Sif all chuckled, Loki smirked and began to eat like she’d never seen him do so before. There was no slow picking of his way through the meal. She was reasonably sure he inhaled, and the entire plate was clear. Even the meals she’d made for him in the past few days had not invoked the vigorous downing she was currently witnessing.

Picking up the cup he’d stolen, Lauren drank deeply of the mead and grinned when he caught her watching.

“What is that look for, my love?” he asked, sitting back to feed the kitten more of the succulent boar.

Socks deserted her to crawl into Loki’s lap and gnaw on the piece of meat. “I guess I’ll have to learn a few of these recipes before we go home. I’ve never seen you put food away like that before,” she teased and raised the cup to her lips.

Thor had shared the mead once when he’d visited Earth, but he’d barely allowed her a taste before deeming it too potent for a human. It appeared that was no longer the case as no one commented when she drained the sweet, honey made liquid down her throat with a content hum.

When she lowered the cup, Loki caught her chin and drew her closer, stealing a kiss she knew would be laced with mead. He purred with the taste and flicked his tongue over her lips before pulling away. “Like ambrosia, my heart.”

“Flirt,” she teased.

“Only with you, darling,” Loki chuckled.

Before she could say any more, Thor was getting to his feet and raising his hands, calling for the noise to end. “Now that my brother and his lovely Ástvinur have joined us, I would raise my cup in a toast to them. To the man who so many thought lost to us, and to the woman who has more love, more compassion, more faith in her than any person I have ever met. To Loki, the God of Mischief, my brother and a protector of this realm, and to Lauren, his lady wife and the woman who finished the fastest, strongest binding in Asgardian history. Their good fortune blesses us all! Skål!”

“Skål!” seemed to echo through the hall as everyone raised a glass in tribute.

Warmth bloomed in her face, but Lauren only looked at Loki who was smiling at her and leaned forward to kiss her sweetly.

When Thor sat, Odin stood and turned toward the two of them. “I know had my wife Frigga lived to see this day, she would have been so very proud of you, Loki. Have you made mistakes along the way? Yes, but those mistakes led you to your salvation. Learn from them. Grow from them. Cherish them to an extent, for they made you worthy of the woman who sits like a sun goddess at your side. Trust in her judgment. We already know she is a fierce one,” he chuckled and so did a good majority of the hall. “But I think she is also quite smart. Listen to her, trust her as I did your mother. May the Norns bless and keep you both. Skål!”

“Skål!”

Lauren leaned toward Loki when the cheering grew raucous. “They don’t expect me to stand up and say somethin’ right?”

“No, they expect me to,” he sighed, but rose to his feet, placed the kitten down in her lap, and lifted his cup. Once silence reigned, he began to speak.

“Brother. Father.” He nodded to them. “Words of wisdom and high praise from you both. I too have little doubt Mother would be pleased, but her pleasure would not be at my hands. It would be at yours.” He turned to face Lauren who gasped softly in surprise. “Frigga was… the best of us. Kind, caring, fierce, and so terribly brave. I see all the same qualities in you, my heart. She would have loved you on sight. She would have cherished you. Your compassionate heart would have blessed her. I have had many regrets in my long life, but none are as big as your never getting to meet her.”

“Oh, Loki,” she sighed, reaching up to hold his hand.

“You have become a beacon of hope for me, my love. You are my heart, my very soul. Without you I am nothing. So as I stand before these witnesses, I announce wholly and without hesitation that Lauren Odinson is the only one for me. There shall be no other before her or after her. My heart is no longer my own but well and truly… hers.”

It was the most romantic thing she’d ever heard and got to her feet, forgetting about the kitten until he jumped to the table, to take Loki’s face between her palms with tears of joy dripping from her cheeks. “You’re my only too, peaches,” she whispered, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. “I love you so much.”

“To Lauren! Skål!” Loki cried, but instead of downing his cup, he set it on the table, swept her into his arms, and kissed her, bending her back over his arm as he did.

The hall exploded in cheering.

When he finally let her up, Lauren was laughing and breathless. Her hands were tangled in his hair. His gently stroked her spine. It was as if the throng had disappeared for all she could see was the blue-green of his eyes, and all she could hear was the panting of his breath and the beat of his heart.

“Loki,” she sighed happily.

“My love,” he purred and tenderly touched her cheek. He kissed her again, a swift brush across her lips before he encouraged her to sit, the noise petering out as people returned to their meals.

When Loki turned away to answer a question from Thor, Sif leaned closer, Socks in her lap where he was purring at having his ears fondled. “That should put any doubts to rest,” she chuckled softly.

“Doubts?” Lauren frowned.

Sif paled slightly. “I… oh, my fool mouth. I shouldn't have said anything.”

“Sif? What doubts?” Lauren asked.

She sighed but leaned even closer and lowered her voice. “There has been… speculation. Three days to finish a binding is unheard of. Some are saying it is… fake. Simply another of Loki’s tricks.”

Lauren’s hands closed into fists in her lap. “Rumors started by a redheaded harlot?” she hissed.

Sif’s brow arched in surprised amusement. “So, you have met Sigyn?”

“Barely left y’all this mornin’ and she was appearin’ out of the shadows like some phantom wraith to latch her hooks into my husband. Thor told Loki what she did. I may need those lessons sooner than later as I'm gonna slap that bitch upside her pretty face she comes after what's mine.” She reached for the cup which had been refilled by a passing servant and drank deeply of the mead.

Sif looked shocked for a moment before a smile curled her lips. “I cannot say for certain where the rumour began, but if I were to guess I would assume the same as you. Pray tell, what lessons do you speak of?”

“Loki's gonna teach me to fight. Nat tried,” Lauren shrugged, “but Loki thinks I need to learn from someone less… rigid. As I'm pretty sure y’all were born with a weapon in your hand, sucker punchin’ that ho would likely go badly for me if I can protect myself.” She’d never been the violent sort, but Loki was hers and Lauren would take exception to anyone disparaging their relationship.

A bark of laughter escaped Sif’s lips drawing the attention of everyone at the table.

“What is so amusing, Lady Sif?” asked Thor.

Lauren blanched, but Sif clasped her hand and gave her a wink. “I'm afraid that is between your sister and me.”

“Secrets between the women already? Loki you'd best run for the hills,” Thor chuckled.

“Perhaps we spoke about you, Thor?” Lauren quipped. “Women can have secrets about many things after all.” She grinned wickedly and popped a grape in her mouth, finding the flush on Sif’s cheeks interesting.

“Me?” Thor’s face fell. “What did I do?”

She threw her amused husband a smile worthy of his name before turning it on Thor. “Wouldn't you like to know?”

“Yes, I very much would!” he squeaked.

Lauren laughed loud and long, her blood warm. She felt full of life, happy and joyous, her pique of earlier gone with the rush of the mead through her veins. She didn't notice the way the hall fell to silence with her amusement, or how all their eyes turned to stare. She didn't see the wide grin Thor exchanged with Odin, or the glare Loki gave Fandral when the man sighed adoringly. She merely laughed, happy and relaxed, ending on a smile and a content sigh as she wiped tears from her eyes.

“Y’all are too easy, Thor,” she giggled.

“So cruel to make fun of your king, little sister,” he scolded.

She would have said more but the fur covered snouts appearing from beneath the table on either side of her caused Lauren to jolt in surprise and bang her knee into the wood with enough force to rattle the cups.

“Oh, my goodness. Y’all just gave me such a fright!” she gasped, placing a hand on her heart to hopefully keep it from beating right out of her chest.

Two pairs of yellow gold eyes looked contrite before they began to pull back into the shadows.

“Oh, no! You don't have to go. I just didn't expect visitors to pop out like that.” She pushed her chair back a little, making room for them and had two huge wolfy heads appear to rest on either knee. “My stars. Well, aren't you big… boys?” she asked, looking at Loki who appeared equal parts amused and concerned.

“Yes… boys. Geri and Freki. They are father’s wolves.”

“I didn't even see them down there,” Lauren said, glancing at Sif who sat very stiffly beside her, holding a wicked looking dagger.

Geri nudged her hand and Lauren ran it over his head to scratch him behind his ear. Freki licked her fingers, and Lauren rubbed his muzzle while frowning at Sif. “What's the matter?”

Sif looked from Lauren's hands to Loki and slowly relaxed the death grip she had on the dagger. “It appears… nothing.”

“Really? Cause you looked ‘bout ready to stab someone,” Lauren frowned.

“Tis nothing, love. Sif is overly cautious. Odin’s pets are not known for their… friendliness is all,” Loki said, going back for seconds of the meal he’d inhaled.

Lauren looked down at the pure black head and the shaggier brindled grey. “No? Are you two nippers?”

Geri very gently closed his teeth around her hand while Freki shook his head and made his ears flap.

“Ah, so y’all are more the bitin’ kind?”

Two sets of ears drooped and Geri licked her palm.

Lauren gave each a gentle ear tug. “I'm sure whoever you bit were all bad and deserved it.”

Both sets of ears perked up and Freki let his tongue loll out like a happy smiling dog.

It made Lauren chuckle. “Good boys,” she said.

Before she knew it, a quiet rustle like silk on the wind heralded the arrival of Hugin and Muninn. One alighted on the back of her chair while the other landed across the table where he cast her a curious glance and plucked up a piece of meat from the platter which was bigger than his head.

“Greedy bird,” she chuckled when it took him two tries to swallow all of it. The wolf beneath her hand whined, licking his chops when she glanced at him.

Lauren looked at Loki for direction. “Can I?”

“Father,” Loki murmured, shifting his chair back as he drew the attention of the other half of the table.

Lauren peered down the line at all the faces. Thor appeared momentarily surprised before chuckling softly. Odin’s eye widened in apparent shock, but it was the four men and two women who gasped and cried out, some beginning to whisper to each other behind their hands that set her frowning, wondering what was really going on.

“Loki?” Odin murmured, slowly pushing his chair back as he eyed the two wolves begging at Lauren's knee.

Both shrank a little into her lap and set Lauren cooing softly in comfort. “They're alright. Just jealous of the greedy raven and beggin’ for a treat. I wasn't sure if that was allowed or…”

Silence. Complete and utter silence had filled the hall as every eye turned her way.

“What did I do?” she whispered nervously to Loki.

“Nothing but be yourself, my heart. You are a wonder,” he whispered back and reached for the large carcass before Thor which very much looked like a turkey. He wrenched both legs off and placed them on her plate. “Father feeds them from the table all the time, my love. Certainly, it will do them no harm if you give each an offering of your own.”

Still, Lauren darted a glance at Odin and waited for the older man to nod his agreement before she reached for one of the legs on the table.

The wolves perked up immediately, so excited they smacked their heads on the table and flinched.

“Easy. Y’all act like you haven't eaten in a week,” Lauren snickered and gave the first leg to Geri. When Freki made to snap at it, she grabbed him firmly by the muzzle. “No!” He whined at her stern reprimand. “If you'd waited for half a second more you'd see there was one all your own, greedy puppy.”

She ignored Loki’s snort of laughter and gave Freki his leg. They offered little yips she equated to thank yous and disappeared beneath the table again.

Loki held out a damp cloth for her hands. “You have made friends for life feeding those two.”

“Why is everyone starin’?” she asked, feeling a bug beneath the magnifying glass of everyone's perusal.

“They are simply amazed by you, my love,” he said, disappearing the cloth when she finished wiping off wolf slobber and grease. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm, eyes amused and full of mischief. “You astound them, Lauren.”

“Because I fed a few turkey legs to a couple of big sucks?”

Loki burst out laughing. “Something like that!”

“I feel like y’all are makin’ fun of me, and I don't know why, Loki!” she snapped tugging her hand away to close it into a fist in her lap.

The raven on her chair hopped down to the arm and hissed at Loki. “Mean! Make sad.”

He shooed the bird away, cursing when Muninn gave a hard peck to Loki's hand in the process before lightly cupping Lauren’s chin and turning her face back to his. “I would never make fun of you, my Lauren. We stare because Odin’s pets like you. It is unheard of to have them come to another with such ease. They are drawn to you in a way we have never seen before. I do not laugh at you, elskan min but at everyone else.”

“Oh…” she whispered, seeing the honesty in his eyes. “Critters have always liked me,” she shrugged, fighting off a blush. “Maybe… maybe I really am odd.”

“Special, my heart. You are special and unique, not odd,” he assured her, but it did little to assuage the concern in Lauren's heart.

“Even here I'm a misfit,” she whispered.

“Stop. You are no such thing,” Loki hissed, aggravated with her.

Lauren looked away. “It appears I am. You can't deny what your eyes tell you, Loki.”

He hummed, and it was an angry sound which made her flinch. “I refuse to let you say such things about yourself. You are special!” he snapped, forcing her chin around and up to see his blazing eyes. “Do you think any of them think you odd? They do not! They look at you and see only a woman, an Ástvinur coming into her own. There is magic in you, and none of us quite know how it will manifest, so we wait, and we watch, and we live in awe of what and who you are becoming. You are not a misfit! You fit quite perfectly into this family and that, beloved, is why the people stare. You are remarkable! So remarkable the leviathans rose from the deep to see you. Never in all my years have I born witness to the creatures of the sea in such a manner. They rose for you, Lauren!”

She stared at him stunned. “What?”

“You keep assuming the creatures of this world are like yours, but they are not. If we react in surprise it is because you surprise us at every turn, darling,” he murmured, losing some of the forcefulness of his words.

As if to prove his point, Socks sat staring at her from his place on the table between the two ravens, his eyes far too intelligent for a simple kitten. “I… don't understand what's happenin’,” she whispered.

“Neither do we, yet,” Loki clarified when she stiffened. “But something is happening to the land of Asgard. Something unprecedented and you, my heart, are at its center.”

Lauren sighed and rested her cheek against his palm. “I haven't even been here a day.”

“Time matters little when it comes to the workings of magic and the Norns,” Sif said softly.

Lauren blushed, suddenly aware of the ears who'd likely overheard her worries.

“Do not fear. I only heard a little. You are far stronger, far braver than you know,” the lady warrior squeezed her hand. “I could not have calmly accepted a wolf in my lap as you did.”

“Not like I knew any better,” Lauren grumbled. “I guess I need to stop assumin’ y’alls pets are domesticated.”

“Do not change a thing, Lauren,” Thor said, leaning past Loki. “You are exactly what Asgard needs, or you would not be here.”

“Everythin’ is so… confusin’,“ Lauren sighed.

Sif pushed back from the table, causing all the men to scramble to stand with her. “Up.” She didn't let Lauren deny her, just tugged on her hand. “We’re taking a walk. One without male company.”

“Sif,” Loki growled.

She ignored him and pulled Lauren to her feet. “Don't make me pin you to that chair, Loki. Your Ástvinur is perfectly safe with me, as you well know. We will be back soon enough.”

Lauren cast a final glance at Loki who looked incredibly annoyed. “Sif… what are you doin’?”

The armour-clad maiden said nothing as she dragged her from the hall, heading away from the feast at a clip Lauren had to jog to keep up with, not an easy feat in her fashionable dress. She took a hard left, down a corridor much more in keeping with Lauren’s preconceived notion of what a “spaceship” should look like, slapped her hand to a metal plate, and yanked Lauren through the door into a room surrounded in windows.

Lauren gasped and pulled away from Sif to rush forward and press her hands to the glass. “How beautiful!”

“One never gets used to seeing it from this angle,” Sif agreed, staring down at the view of Asgard from above. “But that was not why I brought you here.”

“Why did you?” Lauren asked, unable to drag her attention from the view.

“Because. You dishonour yourself with your concerns.”

Lauren stiffened. “Beg pardon?”

Sif sighed and sank down to sit, more like sprawl, on a low stool. “I have spent more time on Midgard than many of the others. I understand the worth human's place on knowing how they fit into their world. Asgardians, we have no such fear. The Norns reveal our path when it is meant to be revealed. Not before, not after. Only in its time. You fret over what becomes of you, how you are changing to fit in our world. You must not.”

“That's easier said than done, Sif,” Lauren sighed. “My entire… existence changed in four days. I went from nobody to somebody who everyone thinks is pretty damn important so fast my head still hasn't stopped spinnin’.”

She barked a surprised laugh. “You believe you were a nobody?”

Lauren gave a shrug. “It’s the truth. I was just a secretary. Before that… I was a trophy wife waitin’ to happen.”

“I do not understand this saying,” Sif said with a frown.

“A trophy wife is someone whose only purpose is to look good on a man’s arm. She’s pretty but usually has very little brain. My family is… well off. Where I come from it isn’t uncommon to be expected to marry into another well-to-do family. I was introduced to a man when I was a teenager. It was arranged between our families that we’d marry, but he decided he’d rather have his mistress and ran off with her on our weddin’ day.”

“Did your father ride him down and maim him?” Sif asked.

“Uh… no.” Lauren wrapped her arms around herself. “It… didn’t work like that.”

Sif gave a snort of dismay. “Such villainy would not stand here.”

“It’s fine, really. Was how I ended up in New York and got in with Tony Stark. If George hadn’t walked out, I’d a never met Loki. And I wouldn’t be here wonderin’ how the hell I ended up the princess in a fairy tale,” Lauren sighed.

“Yet you are here, and you certainly are not nobody.”

“Not anymore it seems.” Lauren returned her hand to the glass, the view too perfect to deny.

“Not even on Midgard.” Sif rose to walk closer and cover Lauren’s hand with her own. “I have no words to speak in regards to your upbringing though it sounds… odd and unnatural to me, but then I am not one to speak on odd and unnatural. After all, I stand an equal in battle to most of the men. An unheard of feat for a woman and one I fought long and hard to achieve. It has placed me in a… position I never imagined.” She trailed off and shook her head. “But I digress. When I went to Midgard with Thor, the time we met, everywhere I went, everyone I spoke to, spoke of bits of Lauren wisdom or had questions they needed your input on. All spoke of you with this quiet certainty. As if they knew you held them together, the stone upon which the Avengers rested. You are integral to them.”

Bright pink, Lauren flushed at the praise. “I was just… doin’ my job and bein’ a good friend.”

“Someone who has the ear and shoulder of people such as my King, Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes, and Miss Romanoff is not a nobody, no matter what she thinks.”

Lauren breathed out a shaky breath and fought back tears. “Thank you, Sif. Loki says such things all the time, but he loves me so much. Sometimes I can’t tell if he’s right or just biased.”

Sif drew her away from the windows to sit on a pair of low stools. “He is biased, but he is also right.” She frowned for a moment, her dark eyes watchful, before she asked, “How much do you know about being Ástvinur? About what takes place after a binding?”

“Not a lot, I guess.” Lauren shrugged. “I sometimes feel like I’m swimmin’ through sludge with all these… changes. First, there was the truth thing, and then the magic stuff. Now Loki’s goin’ on about the creatures of Asgard and how the whales never rise from the deep, and I’m… I’m so lost.” She heaved a heavy sigh and rested her head in her hands.

“Truth thing?” Sif gasped. “You’re a truth speaker? For the God of Mischief and Lies?” She burst out laughing. “I bet he finds that immensely amusing!”

“He does,” Lauren snickered.

“But what is this magic and… whales?” Sif asked.

“I’ve got some spark of magic. Loki did a test, and there it was, plain as the nose on your face, a little purple flame dancin’ in his green one.”

“The seiðr test? You passed the seiðr test?”

Lauren smirked at her. “Y’all are repeatin’ yourself somethin’ fierce.”

“I am just… stunned.” Her wide eyes and open mouth said as much. “You’re Midgardian. It shouldn’t be possible.”

She shrugged, not having an explanation either. “My gran apparently has a spark, too. She tells fortunes. Course we always thought she was a bit… touched, but turns out she really can read the cards.”

Sif nodded thoughtfully. “And what… whales do you speak of?”

“Loki called them leviathans. Three of them and a whole bunch of skjønn swam alongside the ship once we left the harbour.”

There was much blinking before Sif finally managed at quiet, “What?”

“Thor was there. I just thought they were pretty. We have dolphins and Orcas similar to them at home. Ours definitely don’t trail rainbows behind them when they leap into the air though, sadly. Plus the ravens like me,” Lauren giggled.

Sif swallowed, and the sound was an audible gulp. “I can see why Loki was so calm about Geri and Freki.”

Lauren fidgeted with her fingers before working up her courage to ask, “Am I odd? Is this… exceedingly weird? Ma’am always said I would never amount to anythin’ worth a lick, but now all these things keep happenin’ and… and am I just really, really strange?” She closed her eyes, fearing the worst. “I don’t think I could take it if I were rejected by another family…” she whispered.

“Another family?” Sif asked, clasping Lauren’s hands.

“Long story,” Lauren sighed. “One I’d rather not get into right now.”

“Well then, no, Lauren. You are not odd, strange, or any number of similar words. You are an Ástvinur. One who's had very little time to adjust to that fate before she finished the binding. And knowing the men of your new family, who all clearly adore you, they have explained only enough of what that means to get by.”

Lauren couldn’t really fault her logic. After all, Loki started the binding without ever telling her. Though, this time, she figured it was more a case of she didn’t know enough to ask the right questions than him purposely leaving things out. “So… what don’t I know?”

“As you’ve finished your torque I will assume you know already what it took to get here.” She flicked her hand at the room.

“Of course,” Lauren agreed.

“Likely what you do not know is what all Asgardians are taught as we grow. The Ástvinur of a dark god changes, growing to be a counterpoint to their partner.”

“Yeah, I got that. Kind of figured that’s where the irony of the truth speakin’ comes in,” Lauren snickered.

Sif chuckled, too. “But you also become what Asgard most needs.”

“I… don’t understand,” Lauren murmured.

“Dark gods are essential to the health of Yggdrasil. In turn, the one who shares their light with their dark god also becomes essential to the health of the World Tree. Loki’s purpose has always been to stir things up. Bring mischief and mayhem to things, but also fun and amusement. He is the balance to Thor’s seriousness. His true name is the God of Revelry. He embodies the spirit of all things mischievous and happy and fun! And he has been sorely needed these past years.” She sighed and looked away, out the window at the view of Asgard.

“Tell me,” Lauren said, squeezing her fingers.

“Asgard was alive and lively for years because of Loki’s influence. Then, when his darkness began to overwhelm him, he changed, grew reserved and secretive. The other parts of his nature shifted to the forefront, and Asgard lost a step. With his betrayal of us, of Thor, and his fall from the Bifröst, we lost another. Then he returned and was so changed, all of us suffered when his darkness returned, and when Frigga died… it was like a shadow befell the halls.”

“I don’t understand, though. How does one person make such a difference?”

Sif looked at her and frowned. “You Midgardians think we call them Gods because they are powerful beings, but we call them Gods because to us, they are. Odin, Freyja, Loki, Thor, Frigga, Ægir, Ran, and a few others, they draw their power from Asgard. They are connected to it and Yggdrasil. They hold the worlds in balance, keep the tree healthy, and their deepest hearts and desires affect our world as strongly as a hurricane does yours.”

Lauren sat back and stared at Sif in shock. “I had no idea.”

Sif nodded slowly. “And now you are here to fit a missing piece of the puzzle.”

A half-hearted laugh slipped from Lauren’s lips. “Ha, great. Oh god…” She dropped her head back into her hands. “There’s no way I can do this and not make a big ol’ mess!”

“You’re misunderstanding me.”

“I am?” Lauren looked up.

“You physically cannot mess up. It is not possible. You are what Asgard needs. What Yggdrasil needs. There is no one in the entirety of the known and unknown worlds who is better suited than you, Lauren. You were picked to be Loki’s Ástvinur, and it was not random. You are not some mistake or second choice. You are exactly what we need, whatever that might be.”

“I… I… really?” Lauren whispered.

“No one will do but you, my friend. What that is yet? We cannot know, but if people stare, if they watch, if they whisper, it is not in judgment. It is in wonder. They hope to see you come into your own. They wish to be there to be able to say, “I was there when Lauren, wife of Loki, became…”

She couldn’t finish the thought, but Lauren got the gist. “I see.”

“I hope you do. Asgard is not Midgard. Those of us who have known Loki longest have been praying to the Norns for this. Most of us had lost hope. To have him back… to have you here.” She closed her eyes and smiled as she breathed deeply. “Already I can feel the change in the air. Frigga’s loss left a pall over the people. Loki’s triumphant return and your arrival have given them back such hope.”

“He struggles on Earth. People don’t trust him. When they found out about… this,” Lauren brushed her fingers over her torque, “most were highly suspicious. They didn’t like it. Threatened him. I, of course, threatened them back,” she snickered, and Sif laughed. “When Thor said people here were happy about this, about us, I was so happy. He’s been through… so much. More than anyone knows. I just… want people to see the good in him. The man I know and love. The one behind the snark and smirk.”

“We already do. He’s much changed. He actually apologized for shaving my head… and meant it!” Sif shook her head in wonder.

“We discussed it at length,” Lauren huffed. “I’m glad he made amends.”

“Nearly knocked me from my horse. Even worried about you Loki said you’d asked it of him, but he was sincere when he said it. In that instant, I knew this was real. He had finally found you. The heart in his darkness.”

Lauren blushed but smiled. “I like that.”

“And he laughs. I have not heard him laugh sincerely in such an age,” Sif said, her eyes clouding with memory.

“You grew up with them?” Lauren asked.

“I did, though they were older. Keeping up with them is what drove me to prove myself as a warrior. Now, Thor counts on me to have his back and handle things most men could not.”

She said it with both pride and sadness in her voice, and Lauren took a leap of faith. “You’ve had feelin’s for Thor for a long time, huh?”

Sif went ramrod stiff and reeled back. “He is my King! I owe him my fealty!”

“And I’m sure you love him as a subject loves their king, but I’m talkin’ about the feelin’s a woman has for a man who’s prime eye candy.”

“Lady Lauren! You are married!” she gasped.

Avoidance was as telling as a confession in Lauren’s book. “That may be, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look at my brother-in-law and appreciate the view. Now, you gonna keep beatin’ around the bush or fess up? It’s just us girls here.”

“Thor and I are friends, that is all,” she said stiffly. “I worked hard for my place at his side, and I will do nothing to jeopardize it.”

“That’s not a denial, Sif,” Lauren pressed.

She slumped forward as much as the armoured breastplate would allow. “It does not matter what my feelings on the matter are. Thor sees me as his sexless companion. That is all. I have no hope of anything else, and the fault for that is squarely my own.”

“Why would you say that? He likes and admires you. I know he does.”

“He admires my arm and my sword. Beyond that, I am no longer a woman in his eyes. I am only a compatriot, an added body in a battle. As I have become to every man. They call me Lady Sif but only to mock me.”

This time it was Lauren who reached out to take Sif’s hands. “That can't be true.”

“No one wants a woman who can best them in battle,” Sif sighed sadly.

“Now that’s just foolish talk! Have you tried?”

Sif blushed and shook her head. “I’m… embarrassed to admit I would not know what to do should a man flirt with me, nor could I find the courage to dress as you have tonight.”

“Do you want to?” Lauren asked quietly.

“I… I don’t know,” she said, frowning in confusion. “I’ve sought to be one way for so long…. Fought for equality and the right to stand at Thor’s side, I’m not sure I could change.”

Lauren got to her feet, feeling far steadier than she had, and tugged Sif up with her. “Don’t think of it as changin’. Think of it like… redressin’ a cake. Plain frostin’ tastes just as sweet, but if you add a few sugar roses, it looks all the fancier. You’re a beautiful woman, Sif. If you want to try somethin’ new, take a step out of your comfort zone, I’d be happy to help.”

“I… I’m not sure,” Sif said cautiously.

“Think about it. Maybe all you need is to step out of the warrior role for a night, show the world you’re still a woman and let loose a little. It might be all that’s needed to knock the scales from a few eyes.”

Sif peered at her for a moment more before giving a slow nod.

Lauren smiled brightly. “After all, I really need to do somethin’ to repay you. I would have worried myself in circles if you hadn’t explained this stuff.”

“I could tell you needed more assurance than what Loki was providing, but I wasn’t sure why. I’m glad we had time to talk without overbearing males getting in the way,” Sif snickered and headed for the door.

“Me too. I feel like there’s so much to learn and someone threw me in the deep end of the pool and said swim!” Lauren giggled. “This has been… really helpful.”

Sif paused before opening the door. “No matter what happens in the next days and weeks, remember that fate has chosen you. You are exactly where you need to be, and no one can tell you different. Without even doing anything, you improve the health of all of Asgard. When your power manifests, when your place on Yggdrasil is known, all will make sense and be perfect. For now, to use one of your Midgardian colloquialisms, just enjoy the rise.”

“I think you mean ride,” Lauren said, biting back a giggle.

“Not rise?” Sif frowned.

“Pretty sure it’s ride. You’re just supposed to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.”

“Ah,” Sif nodded and opened the door. “That would make better sense.”

“Unless you were on a boat,” Lauren murmured. “Then you could enjoy the rise and fall.”

“Indeed,” Sif said, her eyes growing round as she led the way back to the feast. “Though one does technically ride a boat, so perhaps you are correct.”

Giggling like mad, Lauren and Sif returned to the hall and resumed their seats. The tables had been cleared of what had been there and refilled with what could only be described as a sea of sugary confections as far as Lauren could see.

“Oh, my stars!” she breathed, taking her seat.

“Darling,” Loki crooned, lifting her hand to his lips.

She looked up, and his eyes were dark and lusty. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Not nearly enough to fill the hole in my soul your leaving left behind,” he pouted and kissed her wrist.

“Poor baby,” she cooed.

“Feeling better, my heart?” he asked softly.

“Much. Sif was very helpful in explainin’ a few things I was mixed up about.”

“Better than me, sweet?”

His pout grew fuller, and Lauren leaned over the arm of her chair to bite it gently. “Only cause she’s a girl and thinks like one.”

“Bah! Sif hasn’t been a girl in years,” Fandral snorted.

Lauren glared him down. “That was incredibly rude. She is still Lady Sif. I think the implication is clear in the meanin’ of the word Lady, Fandral.”

“Careful, scoundrel,” Hogun chuckled. “I think the fair princess can out speak even your charming tongue.”

“It is fine, Lauren,” Sif said, her hand gripping Lauren’s tightly, dark eyes darting to hers beseechingly. “It is only a jest.”

“A poor one,” Lauren huffed, arching a brow at Fandral when he looked to say something further.

“My beautiful tigress,” Loki whispered in her ear, drawing Lauren’s full and instant focus. “Has Sif become another of those you claim as yours?”

She turned to look at him and ended up bumping noses. “She’s my friend. No one gets to talk down to my friends.”

“Brave and beautiful and compassionate,” he crooned, cupping the nape of her neck. “Is it any wonder I adore you?”

“Tom cat's kitten,” she teased a light warmth coating her cheeks. “You gonna kiss me or just woo me all night long?”

“I could do both, sweet, delicious Lauren. Sip from the bounty of your full lips while expressing my how much I treasure you,” he whispered and did just that, taking his time kissing her and nibbling on her lip.

Heat bloomed in her belly as Lauren closed her hand in his clothes and lightly bit his tongue when he begged entrance to her mouth.

“Mm, darling,” he crooned. “So naughty.”

She leaned closer and nipped his earlobe between her teeth, giving it a tug before whispering, “You made me this way.”

A hungry wolf growl came from his chest, but Lauren pulled away with a smirk making him pout again.

“You're so cruel to me,” he whined.

“And you are a little bit soused.” It made her giggle seeing him so. “What's your favourite sweet, Loki?” she asked to distract him from his amorous attentions.

His lips brushed her ear. “The one between your thighs, my darling,” he purred.

Lauren felt her face run scarlet and smacked his arm. “Cad!”

The fingers stroking her arm moved to lightly brush across her belly. “You make me this way,” he teased.

“Peaches,” she whimpered, his tender affection sending shockwaves of desire through her body.

Loki leaned even closer and brushed his nose up her neck. “By the Norns, you smell divine.”

His hand flattened to her stomach, and Lauren nearly moaned when the heat woke more strings of desire in her womb, seeming to tug and pluck with each sharp breath she took. “Loki, please… too many people are watchin’.”

He chuckled, and it was sensual and dark, silk and velvet sliding over her skin. “It is practically expected, my lovely wife. Asgardians have not the reservations to public displays of affection the Midgardians do, but I will relent… for now.”

Dark promise laced the words, and Lauren shivered, knowing she was in for a world of teasing later, and she was already uncomfortably wet. Clearing her throat, she motioned to the table as he sat back. “What’s your favourite of these confections?”

He flicked his fingers, and her plate was covered in a host of delightful looking desserts. “I know your preference for chocolate, darling.” Loki reached out and picked up a small square of nearly black sponge with a layer of white cream and a bright red berry on top. “Taste,” he purred and held it to her lips.

Lauren bit into the cake, trying desperately to keep her composure when he was acting all seductive and attentive. As soon as the flavour began to melt on her tongue, she lost the battle and moaned deeply, her eyes closing in bliss at what was undoubtedly a little piece of heaven in her mouth.

Dark, decadent, rich, and so delicious.

She knew that flavour, had tasted it before, and opened eyes gone glassy with desire. “That’s it,” she sighed.

“What, my love?” he asked quietly, his gaze drifting from hers to her lips and back.

“That’s what you taste like,” she whispered and reached up to tenderly stroke his cheek. “When I take you in my mouth and you-”

She never got to finish, for his mouth was on hers, tongue flowing between her lips as he purred and growled and hummed against her. It swept along the edge of her teeth and teased the tip of her tongue. He coaxed her into a slow dance of twining muscles, his tasting of mead and the sharp, cool mint she loved so much.

“I get your meaning, my heart,” he whispered when he drew away. “This my favourite dessert. Has been since I was a boy.”

“Mine too,” she sighed, playing with the hair lying on his collar.

He snapped his fingers, and a tall flute of crystal appeared in his hand. The liquid in it was a vibrant blue. “This… is what you taste like to me, sweet.”

He held it out like a challenge, one Lauren took with an arched brow and brought the glass to her lips. The wine was sweet, honeyed, but tart like the first cutting bite of a crab apple. Blended together they were addicting, intoxicating, and Lauren drank the glass in one greedy gulp before setting the glass on the table. “That’s… wow…” she sighed. “Really?”

“Strange as it sounds, yes. Exactly like that,” he crooned and skimmed his knuckles up and down her throat.

“I wouldn’t be averse to havin’ more of whatever that was, elskan min,” she smiled coyly and slipped her hand over his chest in a loving caress.

“Would you now?” Dark eyes greener than blue filled with cunning and amusement watched her like a hawk. “What would you do for more?”

She curled his hair around her fingers while slowly letting her opposite hand slide down his chest to rest on his tight abdomen. “What wouldn’t I do,” she whispered and watched his eyes glow green.

“Wicked, naughty girl. I love it,” he chuckled softly and held out her refilled glass.

“Is that Elven wine, Loki?” Thor asked, breaking them out of the moment.

“It might be,” Loki muttered, still looking at Lauren.

“It has been decades since I’ve enjoyed the beverage,” said one of the women from the other end of the table.

“And will likely be decades more,” Loki said, turning to look at her, “seeing as how Alfheim has stopped exporting it.”

There was such a snap in his voice, Lauren froze, unable to understand where the sudden coldness was coming from. “Loki?”

“The Ladies Gerda and Brigatta, and their husbands Lords Maurits and Njord. Commander Ulf, and the Guardian of Asgard, Heimdall, whom you met, albeit you were not at your best at the time,” Loki said, smirking at the very large dark man with the beautiful eyes who smiled at her from beside Odin.

“Highness. It is good to see you well.”

“Heimdall,” she smiled, trying not to blush, knowing he’d been the one watching them on Earth.

“Lady Gerda has an affinity for the finer things in life, Elven wine one of those things,” Loki sniffed indignantly.

“Lady Gerda and her husband, Lord Njord, have been at odds with Loki since the prince accidentally made Njord the second prettiest man on Asgard,” Fandral chuckled, causing the two he teased to clench their jaws.

Lauren blinked twice, trying to comprehend the flying remarks as she took in the others at the table.

Brigatta was a thin woman, pale with swallow skin, though Lauren thought much of that was due to the dark browns and blacks she was wearing. The way she had her hair scraped back into a coronet hair net wasn’t helping to soften the beak-like hook of her nose or the starkness of her hollow cheeks. Rail thin, she wore no jewelry but for the plain gold band on her ring finger, and no makeup to soften the hardness off her features or enhance her brown eyes.

Beside her was the man Loki indicated was her husband. Maurits was small, not thin like his wife, but short and rather weasley looking. His black hair and beard were so bushy, she was sure he smiled at her, but all she could see was the slight lift of his beard and an amused spark when it came to his grey eyes. Looking at him, he was someone Lauren knew would be easily forgettable, but as he was seated at Thor’s table, she knew he served a pretty important function. What? She couldn’t hazard a guess.

Gerda was so much the opposite of Brigatta it was startling. She had skin like rich loam, dark but so soft looking. It was dusted with gold, sparkling in the lamplight no different than Lauren’s. Her hair, however, was a deep russet, dark brown with beautiful red highlights which shot like fire through her braids and curls. Sapphires dripped from her ears, clung to every finger, and hung from her neck like teardrops in a webbing of silver. They complemented the dress she wore, a confection which clung to her curves and bared her arms and a good portion of her cleavage. Evidently, she was a woman who went by the notion, if you’ve got it, flaunt it, but with a husband the likes of the man beside her, Lauren figured she didn’t have much to worry about when it came to inappropriate advances.

Njord was big. Not quite Thor big, but big enough to give Lauren pause. He was what she knew people back home would have called a typical Nordic God with his bright blond hair and hard piercing baby blues. Clean shaven, his square jaw was hard set, his features sharp, and the scar bisecting his left eyebrow and cheek appeared an angry red with how tightly he was clenching his teeth.

Finally, the elder man at the table, one who resembled Odin in age, sat back in quiet amusement, his hands linked over the girth of his belly. His salt and pepper hair and beard were closely trimmed, giving him a rather debonair, slightly professor-ish look Lauren found open and appealing. He had kind brown eyes and smiled at her when her gaze fell upon him. He appeared to have dressed with care, shining armour, and well-oiled leather though he didn’t look like he was trying to be something he wasn’t. It was casual, comfortable.

Lauren liked him on sight.

Unfortunately, the Elven wine had caught up with her tongue, and before she could think about what she was going to say, she blurted out, “I’d say fifth.”

The bickering came to a stop, but she noted Ulf’s smile got a little bigger.

“What was that, darling?” Loki asked.

“He’s the fifth prettiest. Not the second,” Lauren smiled at Loki and sipped more of the Elven wine. She felt languid again, soft and relaxed, and gave a small giggle when she hiccuped.

Thor slowly turned to look at her, then grinned, big and full and far too mischievous to be Thor.

“Don’t do that. Y’all aren’t the God of Mischief. You can’t smile that way,” she pouted.

Thor pressed his lips together, and she wondered if something was wrong, before he cleared his throat and tilted his head regally. “Forgive me, little sister. You are quite right. But I’d very much like to know who this list of five contains.”

“I do not think-” Thor’s hand wrapped around Loki’s mouth cutting off his words.

“Go on, sweet sister,” Thor smiled gently.

Lauren frowned, her mind a little fuzzy as she tried to figure out why it looked like Thor was trying to suffocate her husband. “Well… Loki’s first, of course. There ain’t no one prettier than him.”

“Of course she’d say that,” Fandral snorted.

“Then you, Thor. You’re pretty enough for someone who likes all them muscles.”

Odin snorted into his cup. “Haha! Child, you bring joy to this old man.”

She smiled at him. “I’m glad, All-father.”

Loki pulled a short dagger out of the air and stabbed it into Thor’s thigh. “Let me go, you imbecile!”

“It is only a bit of fun!” Thor huffed and jerked the dagger from his leg. “That hurt, dammit!”

“Be thankful I did not stab you in the heart,” Loki grumbled. “Lauren, love. You do not have to finish. Thor is simply teasing you, and I think the wine has gone to your head as you’ve given that delightful giggle.”

“Oh? Well, that’s just rude,” Lauren huffed. “And after I put him second.”

“I still have not heard my name,” Fandral called, winking at her from his place a few chairs down.

“You’re fourth.”

“Lauren,” Loki sighed.

“What?” she blinked and finished the second glass of wine.

“Who’s third?” Sif asked.

“Lauren, no-”

“Heimdall.”

Someone choked from down the table, and Lauren peered at the big guardian who was cleaning up spilled mead.

“Lauren,” Loki sighed, and it was full of exasperation.

“What? He’s got really pretty eyes!” she huffed.

Loki only shook his head and smirked a little grin. “You are so much trouble.”

“I thought that was how you liked me?” she pouted.

He picked up the other bite of the chocolate cake and held it out for her. “Eat this, my love, and stop talking. Sif, you are absolutely no help.”

“It was highly amusing. I did not know you could turn such a shade of puce, Lord Njord,” Sif said haughtily to the blond with the scar.

“There is no accounting for taste,” Gerda snapped. “Ástvinur to the God of Mischief. I should have expected it.”

“Are you insinuatin’ somethin’?” Lauren asked, glaring at the other woman. “Because if we’re talkin’ poor taste, y’all may want to take a hard glance in the mirror.”

Gerda gasped. “I beg your pardon!”

“It doesn’t feel very good when someone comments nastily to your face, does it?” Lauren quipped.

“You know nothing about me to make such a judgment!”

Lauren huffed and waved a dismissive hand. “And yet you think you know enough about me, about Loki, to insinuate I have poor taste?”

“You’re nothing but a Midgardian peasant trying to rise above the dirt you crawled out of! You don’t belong here, fawning all over the wannabe prince like he deserves the chance at happiness an Ástvinur brings!”

“You bitch!” Lauren snapped, jolting to her feet, nearly the entire table rising with her in anger.

No one had a chance to do or say anything more, for Gerda was sent flying back from the table, chair and all when Geri and Freki slammed into her. Saliva dripped from their snarling mouths, their lips pulled back to reveal dagger sharp white teeth. Blood flew as each latched into the woman.

A hair-raising scream ripped through the air.

Lauren gasped and rushed past them all when no one made a move to stop the two wolves from tearing the woman apart. “Stop! Stop! No!”

Two sets of golden eyes turned to her as they lifted their bloodied muzzles from the sobbing woman’s body.

“Stop! Please stop!” Lauren begged, urging them away with outstretched hands. “Please. She may be mean and narrow-minded but don’t hurt her.”

“Geri, Freki,” Odin snapped. “Come away.”

They stepped back, still growling, but slunk away from Gerda to trot toward Lauren who set a shaking hand on each head.

Njord rushed to his fallen wife, Thor and Heimdall joining him.

“Loki,” Thor called. “I need you.”

“To save the life of the woman who insulted my wife?” He snorted his disgust.

“Elskan min,” Lauren whispered pleadingly. “There’s been enough death in these past few days. Please.”

His eyes softened, and the hardness fell from his features. Loki glided toward her and gently cupped her face. “For you, beloved. Only for you.”

Breathing out a relieved breath, Lauren watched him cross to the fallen woman, shoving Thor from her side as he knelt beyond the splatter of blood. A hand came down on Lauren’s shoulder, and she glanced at Odin, his face stern. He gave her shoulder a squeeze when he noted her attention, and she felt some of the anxiety flood away.

Loki’s face was once again harsh when he grasped Gerda’s chin and forced her to look at him. “You would die here this day if not for the compassionate heart of my Ástvinur. I could not be bothered to help you after what you have said here this night if not for her pity.”

“Prince Loki… please,” Njord said, the sound both pleading and disgusted for having to ask it of someone he hated.

“Know the woman you think so little of, the one your wife insults, saved your wife's life this day!” Loki snapped.

“I won’t forget it,” Njord agreed.

“I know you won’t. For I will leave the scars of what could have been in memory.” Green and gold light pulsed around Gerda.

Lauren watched as the wounds slowly closed, the edges knitting back together until all that was left were the raised marks and rough patterns where once Geri and Freki’s jaws had ripped and torn.

Loki waved his hand, and a portal opened, showing the halls of Asgard. “Take your woman and go. You are no longer welcome at this feast.”

“You will take her and leave the palace,” Thor said, and Lauren shivered.

She’d never heard him angry before, not like this at least. His eyes glowed a bright electric white, full of the lightning he was known for. More of it jumped around him in spikes and arcs, turning him into a living version of one of Tony’s toy Tesla coils.

“My King!” Njord gasped.

“You sit at my table, at the feast to welcome home my brother and his woman and think you can insult them without consequence!” he bellowed.

“I said nothing, my King! It was Gerda…”

Thor held up a hand, then pointed at the portal. “Exactly. You said nothing. The viciousness of your woman is not unknown to me, but you are her husband. You should have shut her stupidity down the moment she began to speak. Now, neither of you are welcome back to my court. Leave.”

“But, my King-”

“Leave!” Thor roared, and the lightning slammed into the roof.

Njord swept Gerda into his arms and left in a rush, one of the guards situated around the room going with them.

Loki waved his hand, closing the portal while removing the blood and all traces of the attack from the hall.

Thor returned to the table, past Lauren with long strides and stood before his people. “I am not deaf to the rumours, nor am I blind to the people spreading them, but make no mistake. The bond between Ástvinur cannot be faked. It cannot be falsified or manipulated. Any more comments to the contrary will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. My brother is home. He is balanced. If you must speak on this incident, then let it be said that Lauren, the first princess of this realm, saved the life of the one who insulted her For we all know Loki would have let her bleed.”

Lauren had begun to shake long before Thor finished his speech and found herself pressed between the two warm bodies of the wolves as they held her up until Loki arrived to gather her into his arms.

“Shh, my love. Everything is fine.”

“Not fine,” Lauren whimpered. “Very not fine.”

“Yes, it is,” Loki whispered and tilted her face away from where Gerda had laid bleeding to look him in the eyes. “There is always a fight or two at an Asgardian feast. In fact, they are considered boring without them. Gerda will live. Njord will leave - can’t stand that man anyway - and people will shut the hell up.”

He said shut the hell up with her own accent and surprised a giggle from her. “You sound super sexy like that.”

“I certainly do not,” he chuckled.

She sobered and clung to his coat. Odin and the wolves had moved away the instant Loki had taken hold of her, but she still felt the need for support. “I should have stopped talkin’. I never should have commented. I really can’t be trusted with alcohol.”

“Lauren,” he chuckled and shook his head. “It was nothing. You spoke your mind and your opinion. Gerda has been looking for an opening since we sat down.”

“How important were they? They were sat at this table. They had to be some kind of important.”

“Njord is the son of one of Odin’s past advisors. He came to the position because of his breeding. He was never any good at it, always a hothead, and Thor knows this. He never took Njord’s opinion into account and has been honestly looking for a way to rid himself of the man’s company for some time. You did him a favour, darling. I promise.”

“Really?”

He smiled and tapped the end of her nose. “Really, really.”

She sighed in relief. “Okay.”

“Come, there are more desserts to try and entertainment to be enjoyed.” Loki led her back to the table where he sat her first before moving back to his seat.

There was still quite a hush over the people, and he hesitated before he sat down. “You know,” he called out, and everyone turned their attention to him. “It really has been too long since anyone has enjoyed Elven wine, hasn’t it?”

“It has, brother,” Thor grinned.

“And it wasn’t expected that we’d get to celebrate my return and a finished binding, so we should really have something special to commemorate the moment,” Loki smirked wickedly when the people began to call out in agreement.

“A good way to show the depth of your power, my son. Seeing how some still question the legitimacy of your bond,” Odin agreed.

“Quite right, Father. Quite right. After all, if I were still but a master of illusion could I do… this?”

He flicked his hand out and bottles of frosted glass, twice as tall as a wine bottle, appeared multiple times on every table. A second flick had crystal flutes the same as the one sitting before Lauren appearing before each dinner.

“Enjoy,” Loki said with a flourish.

At first, no one moved, then at a table a few feet away, one man reached out, picked up the bottle, and poured. He lifted the glass to his lips, drank, closed his eyes, and sighed. “Shades of Valhalla… I have missed this.” Opening his eyes, he lifted his glass to Loki. “May the Norns bless the prince and his lady wife! Skål!”

A cheer went up as everyone began to celebrate anew.

Loki sat with a smile, picked up Lauren’s hand, and kissed her knuckles.

It appeared everything would be alright.

Next Chapter