When Maeve woke early the next morning, yawning widely, she rolled over to the other side of the bed, only to find it cold and empty. Her eyes fluttered open, and she sighed. This was becoming more of a common occurrence. He hardly ever slept anymore.

Still, excitement fluttered in her stomach. She'd been looking forward to this day for weeks.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, as did warm air. Each season in Asgard was picturesque, and she loved summer most of all, perhaps even more than she did in Vanaheim. The flowers exploded into full bloom, spilling out of the gardens and accenting the golden palace beautifully.

It had been nearly a year since she'd seen her family. She missed them more than ever these days. As the years had gone on, everyone seemed to get busier. Marriages were celebrated, families grew, and life flew right by their eyes. But tonight, she would see them.

As much as she loved the hustle and bustle of the palace, Maeve treasured these quiet moments. They reminded her of the many blessings in her life.

A loud knock startled her out of her thoughts. Maeve glanced backward at the mirror for a final time, ensuring that she looked presentable enough for a princess, and hurried over to open the door. As soon as she did, her face broke into a smile.

"Good morning!" She greeted brightly. "Have you seen my husband?"

"It's funny you should mention him. I was about to ask if you have seen my brother!" Thor laughed and offered her an arm, which she gladly took, and the two began to walk down the golden halls. As they passed, servants bowed and curtsied. "Mother sends her best. She told me to tell you that she will watch the twins this morning. She wants all of your efforts focused on tonight."

"That's kind of her. The two of them are so excited to see their cousins. I'm sure they'll be even more of a handful today because of it."

Thor nudged her with his shoulder. "And are you excited, my dear sister?"

"Oh, I could bust! This will be the biggest celebration Asgard has seen in over a century, or so I'm told. And everyone will be here." Maeve bit her lip, her eagerness momentarily faltering. "I wonder if your mother has too much faith in me."

"Nonsense! You're an incredibly capable lady, and you've proven yourself time and time again. Maeve, you've negotiated treaties and mended alliances. Mother trusted you to plan her anniversary ball, and I would bet Mjilonir that it will be the most marvelous night any of us have had in hundreds of years. And, if it would ease your mind, I offer any assistance you may require."

A smile spread across Maeve's face, and her cheeks flushed pink from Thor's many compliments. The years had only strengthened their relationship, and she truly thought of him as one of her brothers. Before her betrothal to Loki, she had six brothers. Now, she had eight. In her opinion, there was no such thing as too many, and there was something special about being the youngest of all her siblings.

"You're sweet," she said, her cornflower eyes shining. "And I'm glad you offered to help. I'm going to need someone with your skillset."

"Ah, I see! Do you need someone who can command a room, summon lightning, or lift an entire banquet table? Well then, sister, I will most certainly lend a hand."

"Not... not exactly." Maeve smirked mischievously. "I just need someone tall."

Thor raised his eyebrows.

About an hour later, they found themselves in the ballroom, Maeve perched on Thor's shoulders so that she could hang live vines on the walls. As her fingers ran over the tightly-closed buds, white and blush-colored wild roses burst forth.

"Are you finished yet?" Thor asked annoyingly, but he wasn't irritated at all. Maeve flicked him in the head.

"No. Go that way. No, that way. Left, Thor, left!" She couldn't stop giggling. He comically chose different directions to wander, causing her to cling to his shoulders for dear life. A half-laugh half-gasp escaped her lips as he spun so dramatically that they both swayed. "Thor Odinson!"

"All right! All right." He walked over to the correct location and held still as Maeve hung another vine. "For the record, it does look nice in here. I'm sure that Mother and Father will be extremely pleased."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't we have servants that could be doing that?"

Thor spun around again, nearly tipping Maeve off of his shoulders, and grinned. "Ah, but that would take all the fun out of it, brother!"

"I suppose." Loki leaned against the gilded archway, smiling slightly. "Are you enjoying being tall, my love?"

"I would be enjoying it more if your idiot brother would listen," she joked. "You can actually put me down now, Thor. That was the last vine."

Once Maeve was safely on the floor again, she walked over to Loki and gave him a peck on the cheek. He looked tired, but then again, he always looked tired anymore. Nevertheless, he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her hair. His troubles had never lessened his affections.

"Thank you for helping me out, Thor," she said, her voice sweet like honey.

"It was fun. You are most welcome." He ruffled her hair before leaving the couple alone.

The early afternoon light streamed through the windows, bathing the ballroom in a golden glow. Flowers bloomed from every corner, and twinkling lights cascaded from the ceiling. Tonight, guests and musicians would fill the hall. Colorful gowns would twirl and glasses would clink.

Now, though, Maeve only saw Loki, and he was all she needed.

"You slept later than usual," he noted. The couple started to walk out of the room, and she cast a final look over her shoulder before they left, hoping that everything was perfect enough for such an occasion. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Other than the crippling nerves? I'm fine," she teased. "You simply rose early."

"No, you slept in late," he contradicted, a smirk playing on his lips. 

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe I'm coming down with something."

"Perhaps your beloved family exhausts you. We are difficult," Loki joked, although there was a sadness deep in his jade eyes, a pang of guilt. He chose to dismiss this, though, and shook his head. "Odin is on edge."

Maeve looked at him, a crease between her eyebrows. "How do you mean?"

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that relations between her husband and the Allfather had been... tense. The last few years had only separated them further. After discovering his true heritage, Loki had never re-established the trust once between them. 

"I went to see him earlier today. He looked at me for a few seconds, then dismissed me. Mother said he behaved similarly with Thor, and he never dismisses Thor. It's strange." He shook his head. "I don't know what he's planning, but Mother said he's been mulling over a decision for days now."

Maeve couldn't help feeling uneasy at Loki's words. Tonight was supposed to be a fabulous night, in more ways than one. What if her father-in-law ruined everything? Nevertheless, she wanted him to worry as little as possible. 

"Maybe he's picking out a new eyepatch for tonight. He probably wants to match the decorations. It would be pretty embarrassing for the king of Asgard to not match his anniversary ball's decorations."

Loki grinned. "Perhaps, flower."

*

Loki stared at his reflection in the mirror, his green eyes duller than usual. Try as he may, he simply couldn't shake the ever-present exhaustion that resulted from sleepless nights. Illusions covered the dark bags under his eyes, but they weren't just for the ball: they were for Maeve. She fretted enough over him as it was. The last thing she needed was more pain, more concern, more fear. These days, it felt like she was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.

Her fidelity may be what saves you one day.

Heimdall told him that once, right before they left for the Jotunheim a few years ago. The time before the twins felt like a different life entirely. Recently, he'd begun to mull those words over in his heart, pondering their meaning. He supposed that he could ask the guardian of the Bifrost, but he knew that Heimdall held little, if any, respect for him. The same could be said for most of the household, he supposed. Maeve was the only thing keeping him in the favor of the royal court. 

There were so many things to worry about. His disturbing dreams plagued him in the day as well: Maeve didn't even know half of them. He worried that his night terrors were negatively affecting her, as she always seemed tired nowadays, and he hated that he was the reason. The twins were also growing up too quickly for his taste, and he constantly dealt with the fear that he wasn't a good enough father to them. 

And now, there was Odin's unsettling behavior to top it off.

Out of nowhere, searing pain shot through Loki's head, and his eyes fluttered shut as he leaned against the wall. As he massaged his forehead with two fingers, another yawn escaped his lips. He was a man deteriorating from the inside, and he was determined that no one should see his destruction.

"Papa?"

Loki snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention to Cypress, who had just wandered into his parents' suite. He smiled a bit at the formal clothes Maeve must have somehow forced him into. The boy's stubbornness was a trait passed down from both of his parents.

"You look very handsome," Loki complimented, running a hand through his son's blond curls. Odin had rarely shown either of his sons much affection, something he was determined to change in his own family. Early on, he and Maeve agreed that they had many wrongs to right. "Where's your sister? And your mother, for that matter?"

"They're in our room. Mama's helping Wynnie with hair ribbons." Cypress shuddered at the very memory, and Loki suppressed an amused smirk. "I had to escape."

"Ah. That's quite understandable, and I do not blame you in the slightest." Loki stooped to straighten his son's collar, which always seemed lopsided. "Well, young man, you look like a proper prince. Do you know what the most important part of being a prince is?"

Cypress' brow furrowed in thought. "Becoming king?"

"No. No, that's not it, although it would be a nice bonus," he said, chuckling as he knelt down. "We have a very special job, Cypress, you and I. We are protectors. It's our responsibility to take care of our family."

"You mean Mama and Eowyn?"

"Yes. You're getting older, you know. Whenever I'm not around, it's your job to keep them safe. It's not that they cannot protect themselves, either, for they are strong as well: it's that we care enough to look out for them, and as a young man, you must learn to treat the women in your life with respect."

The little boy nodded wisely, obviously committing his father's words to memory. Loki smiled and rose, patting his son's cheek with fondness.

The door swung open again and Eowyn came barreling in, nearly tripping in her new purple gown. She immediately ran over to Loki and twirled, her emerald eyes shining.

"Look at my new dress, Papa! Grandmother helped me pick it out! Isn't it pretty? Isn't it? Isn't it?"

His smile only widened. "Indeed it is, but not even half as pretty as you. Give me a curtsy, darling." She obliged, slightly unsteady in her excitement. "Oh, yes. Very regal."

"Are we all ready, then?"

Loki hadn't noticed Maeve walk in, but as soon as his gaze fell on her, he couldn't help staring. After six years of marriage and seven years of knowing each other, he'd still never gotten used to her astounding beauty, and he doubted that he ever would.

Maeve's gown was a deep green, made of a floaty chiffon. Gold jewelry accented her wrists and neck, and her curls were pulled into an elegant high ponytail. She tilted her head at him, giggling at his expression.

"Hi, Lo."

He finally snapped out of it and laughed, blushing slightly. "Hello, my dear. You look radiant."

"And you're the most handsome man in the nine realms." Getting on her tiptoes, Maeve kissed her husband on the cheek, grinning as the twins took turns pretending to vomit. "Let's go. I want to get a few good dances in before these shoes start to kill my feet."

I FINALLY POSTED A CHAPTER! I'm hoping to get back into this book. I love this little family :)

Please leave lots of comments :) I love hearing your thoughts!

What do you think is going to happen?

Which Avenger are you most excited for Maeve to meet?