It was sunset. At least that was what Maeve assumed, but it was impossible for her to tell. In the Jotunheim, gray clouds covered most of the sun, letting very little light for anyone who dared to venture through it. She grew wary, for in the dark, nothing was as it seemed.

The Vanir princess felt especially vulnerable without her magic. Everything she knew had been twisted. Trees no longer represented an ally. Flowers no longer remained in her company. The very life that once protected her had faded into nothing but threats.

Loki noticed his betrothed's stiffness as he walked beside her but chose not to say anything. Other matters pressed on his mind. Like Maeve, he didn't enjoy being without his magic, not being able to protect her or himself half as well as before. Deep down, he also hated the lies he had to tell his companions to ward off suspicion.

He had no idea where he recognized that ancient text. It didn't come from reading. He had absolutely no recollection of learning it, but it definitely didn't come from a book. His father had banned most of the library's collection on the Jotunheim when he was very young. All the information he possessed of the Frost Giant realm came from books the prince stole or right from the king himself.

Even without his magic, Loki could sense secrets among the group. They hung off of Corey's slumped shoulders, lessened Thor's strong stance, and even pulsated in Maeve's fingertips as he covered her hand with his. More than the rest, he noticed them in the eldest Freyson brother. Secrets flickered in Asmund's dark blue eyes like a deep pool of water, hiding mysteries under an undetermined depth. Loki knew the soon-to-be king clutched the biggest secret of all to his chest, masking it from everyone, including his own family. He couldn't imagine whatever it was to keep it from his closest siblings, but for now, he would let it lie dormant. There was no reason to force exposure.

They came across a massive frozen-over lake sometime after dusk and all stared at it with apprehension. Asmund gently put his foot on the edge of the ice, testing its strength, but he couldn't decide on its reliability.

"What do we do? Go around?" Corey suggested half-heartedly.

Maeve shook her head. "That'll add days to our journey. We don't have that kind of time."

"Right," Thor said, tightening his grasp on and then spinning Mjilonir, "right, I'll fly us all over."

"With what?" Loki said skeptically. "Your hammer is magic, Thor. Right now it's nothing but a common hammer."

"Oh." The god of thunder glanced at his feet, sheepish. "Anyone have a new plan?"

Asmund contemplated the problem with the patience he was regarded for. "We need some way to test how thick the ice is. Going around will add days to our journey, and we don't have that kind of time."

"I'll try it," Maeve suggested. Eight startled eyes darted to hers, which she rolled sarcastically. "Come on. I'm a foot smaller than all of you. I'm the safest bet."

They never received the chance to test this, however, because of a howling noise that filled their ears and sent shivers down their spines.

"Wolves," Corey muttered, drawing his sword. "Run. Only attack if you need to. Run!"

Maeve grabbed the dagger from her belt and took off after her Thor onto the ice-covered lake. His head whipped back to make sure she was still there before running faster. She tried to ignore the sound of cracking glass as they trampled the lake, focused only on getting to the other side as quickly as possible. The ice broke and split the group in half and if Thor hadn't grabbed her arm, she would have fallen into the freezing water. Asmund, Corey, and Loki all watched in horror as the wolves neared Maeve and Thor. She nearly dropped her blade out of fear but willed herself to be strong.

"Maeve!" Corey screeched. "Jump!"

Thor hit the first wolf back with Mjilonir. "Go! I'll hold them off for you!"

Maeve hesitated as the wolves drew nearer. Scanning quickly, she counted at least seven of the beasts drawing closer with fangs bared.

"I'm not leaving you alone!" A wolf lunged, knocking her to the ground, but she stabbed it before worse could occur. The wolf gave a limp whine and fell over. She pushed it off of herself and rose as quickly as possible, knowing that any second down was another second vulnerable. Another jumped at the princess, sinking its teeth into her left shoulder. She screamed in agony before Thor threw it off of the ice and into the water. Hot blood rushed down her arm, but she ignored it, too overcome with the fight.

"Jump, Maeve!" Asmund yelled, almost begging. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

She knew he was right. She had little to no experience in combat without her magic, and now was not the time to experiment.

Starting a few feet back, Maeve ran and jumped at the edge of the ice. On the landing, her foot slipped and felt herself falling backward to the water, but a strong hand grabbed hers and pulled her safely to the other side. Loki held the trembling princess close, but his attention remained on his brother. Only once Thor had successfully taken down all of the wolves and leaped to the other side did he release the breath he'd been holding.

"Are you okay?" Loki knelt to the ground next to Maeve, whose blue eyes stared up at him in fear. "That was close."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she whispered. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep tears from falling and ignored the throbbing pain from the wound. Her light blonde hair hid the wound on her shoulder well, but blood had seeped through the fabric and onto the ends of her curls.

He almost smiled. "Lying to the god of lies, darling?"

"Apparently. Did it work?"

"Absolutely not."

Asmund bent to examine his younger sister's wound, concern all over his face. "You'll be okay. It's a shallow bite. It'll just hurt."

"Really? I thought it was going to feel like soft pillows," she muttered. This time, Loki did grin, and Asmund wrapped her shoulder with practiced hands. Maeve knew her brother wanted to be a healer more than anything in all the nine realms, and as she watched him help her without magic, she wished he could have that dream.

"We're close," Asmund said once everyone had recovered from the wolf attack. "We can either find a place to camp out or keep going."

"I say we find a place to rest," Thor said. "It has been a long day for all of us. We need our strength."

"I disagree," said Corey. Thor gave him a puzzled, almost offended look, so he continued. "If our brother is close by, we need to find him as soon as possible. It doesn't matter if you're tired."

"I apologize for being weary, then," Thor retorted. "I suppose I'm just exhausted from saving your sister's life while you stood and screamed like a scared child."

"Thor-" Loki began, but Corey cut over him. His hand hovered over the scabbard where his sword hung.

"Are you calling me a coward?"

"Maybe I am." Thor's expression was murderous and his grip on Mjilonir tightened. "Problem?"

"If you had just looked where you were going, then the ice wouldn't have cracked, you idiot!"

"Corey!" yelled Maeve. "That's enough!" She went to pull him back, but he pushed her aside, accidentally making contact with her shoulder. She cried out and Asmund immediately pulled her away from the trouble, checking her wound over.

As soon as Loki saw Corey shove her, he growled and drew his own dagger. "Don't touch her, you oaf!"

"She's not yours to protect!" Corey argued, anger in his every word. "She's not yours!"

"She is my betrothed!" Loki yelled. " We're bound! She is under my protection now! And she belongs to no one! She is her own person now that she's away from your father, and I intend to keep it that way!"

Corey laughed coldly. "She wrote to me for months. She hated you!"

"Corey!" Maeve exclaimed. "That's not true at all!"

"Don't protest and don't lie! I have the letters at home to prove it! You were miserable! You wanted to come home."

Maeve's eyes widened. She didn't understand why her brother had just shared one of her deepest secrets, one she was ashamed of at that. When they were first introduced, she judged the prince unfairly and despised him, but that disappeared as she came to know him.

Loki lowered his knife and stared at Maeve. In that moment, she saw a crack in his mask, saw a terrified boy instead of an indifferent sorcerer. "Is- is that true?"

"No!"

Betrayal swept over him as she told the falsehood. "Don't lie to me!"

"I- it was true at first, but Loki, it's different now!" Her eyes filled with tears because he was barely listening. "I love you!"

"Everyone, be quiet!" Asmund snapped. "You're all behaving like children. Turning against family? It's the magic of the island. It's tearing us apart, can't you see? Act civilized for another twenty-four hours and then resolve your petty problems, but my brother's life hangs in the balance right now, and I'm not going to listen to it!" A silence swept over the princess and princes, and Asmund knew he had ended the fight at least temporarily. He had felt that nagging presence to enter the argument, too, but he just kept repeating her name to keep himself safe from its negative clutches. "I'm going to get firewood. Make yourselves comfortable. I'll take first watch."

Maeve watched her eldest brother stomp off into the woods before turning back to the group, all of which seemed bent on ignoring each other. Her anger was mostly directed at Corey, so she sat between the Odinsons, but Loki acted as if she wasn't even there. Heartbreak washed over her like a bucket of cold water as she pulled the cloak around herself and fell asleep.

Emotionally-charged chapter, haha, it's probably because the only emotion I'm feeling is boredom.