*

As a princess, Maeve suffered through hours upon hours of lessons on how to be a lady. Sit up straight. Talk softly. No elbows on the table. Never use vulgar language. Dress appropriately for each occasion.

Between guidance for controlling her magic, Lady Hilda managed to impart these manners upon her protege, who was much more interested in learning how to make vines grow than how to fold her hands correctly. Growing up with six older brothers inclined Maeve to care less about frills and fashion than most other princesses, but as with everything she studied, she quickly absorbed all of Hilda's lessons and became a proper lady in the eyes of the court and the kingdom.

Ladies, she remembered, don't eavesdrop.

But it was an accident.

They weren't being quiet! She had just as much right to be in that garden as they did and she was there first!

She only heard bits and pieces of their conversation. The wind wouldn't stop blowing through the leaves and the birds chose that day to sing at the top of their little lungs. Of course. Either way, Maeve heard enough.

After weeks of blindly searching, she had found Asmund's wife.

Maeve pet the petals of an orchid as she thought, letting more blossoms grow. That young woman - Gale? - was the one that made Asmund reckless for the first time in his entire life. To him, she must have been worth the risk. And now, he had a child he didn't even know about. Thinking about Asmund as a father warmed her heart. He'd be so excited... 

Her thoughts strayed as she remembered what it was like falling in love with Loki. That freeing, undeniable euphoria. That mercurial invincibility that came with their union, that rush of strong emotion every time her eyes met his.

She had to help them.

Biting her lower lip, Maeve glanced around at her surroundings as if the flowers would provide answers. Of course, they didn't, but she needed to find someone who could. 

Corey said getting Asmund out of prison would be nearly impossible with her father on the throne. However, she knew he wouldn't step down for quite some time now, considering he'd have to choose a new heir. 

She didn't have that kind of time. Neither did Asmund or Gale.

Maeve placed the flower on the ground before walking back into the palace, a purpose in her mind. She turned a corner and headed in the direction of the palace library, only to bump right into someone. Her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment as she picked herself back up off of the floor and dusted off her simple blue dress.

"I'm terribly sorry-"

"I'm so sorry!"

"Maeve?"

"Loki?"

He's here.

Maeve threw her arms around Loki's neck and he wrapped his around her waist, lifting her off of the ground as they embraced. The biggest smile she'd had in days spread across her heart-shaped face and familiar scent of leather, fresh snow, and books filled her nose.

"I missed you," he murmured into her hair, holding her tightly. After being together for a year, a week apart felt like an eternity.

"I missed you too."

"Your bruises are healed," he said with relief. His fingers caressed her cheek gently.

"Oh, yeah. I got them healed my first day here."

Loki kissed her on the cheek and set her back down. "Mother and Thor send their love, and Father sends his greetings."

Her smile broadened at his words. "I- wow. How are you here?" She asked, still unable to believe it. "Your Father said you had to stay home."

"Well, it turns out that my presence irritates him enough to let me leave after all. Besides, for someone who considers himself to be eternally patient, he's terrible at waiting. He wants answers and he thinks I'm a better diplomat than you because of my infamous silver tongue," Loki said sarcastically, his lips turning upwards into a teasing smile. He offered her an arm and they continued off in the direction she had been running. "I've already seen you family, so all of the silly court presentations are over. Where are we off to, by the way? I'm not overly familiar with your home."

"The library." His emerald eyes lit up and she couldn't help laughing. "It's not as impressive as yours, trust me."

"All the same. Why are we going there, flower?"

"I know something," she said, her voice softening. Loki leaned down a bit, understanding that she didn't want to be heard. "About Asmund."

He stiffened at the name of her brother. "Your letters worried me. What's happening? I know you couldn't tell me everything."

"Papa's thrown him in a cell. He's been tortured, I think," she whispered hurriedly. "He's married and I know to who."

Loki nodded, an edge of panic filling his chest. Before he met Maeve, he had no qualms about keeping secrets from anyone, but hiding things from his wife felt wrong. And if it was wrong, how would he tell her?

"You knew."

He snapped back into the present and glanced at her, shocked. "What?"

"You knew," she repeated. When he continued to stare at her blankly, she rolled her eyes. "Come on. I know you well enough to know when you're lying. You've known about this for a while now, haven't you?"

"How? How do you know that?" He demanded. "When everyone else has known me for so long and you so little, how is it you who discovers my secrets?"

Loki couldn't fathom this. They didn't call him the god of mischief and lies for nothing.

"Because I'm the only one who cared enough to look." Her voice trembled but her blue eyes softened. "When you love someone, you notice the details that no one else does."

Her words struck a chord inside of him. Before Maeve, no one knew his secrets. No one understood how he always felt second-best, how he always felt like he needed to prove that he belonged. But now, he had let someone in. Love made him vulnerable, and for the first time in his life, he didn't mind.

"You're quite astounding."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, the hurt in her voice evident as her eyes filled with tears. "We could have done something before it was too late!"

Loki pulled her close and stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased the beautiful landscapes of Vanaheim. "I swore I wouldn't tell anyone, including you. Your brother wanted to keep his marriage a secret and I respected that. I am sorry, for what it's worth. I've felt terrible about it since you left."

"It's okay," she muttered. "Just... no more secrets, okay? Not between us. Keep them from others all you want, but not from me."

He smiled. "You have my word."

Maeve led him to the library, which was empty and admittedly smaller than the one in Asgard. Even so, Loki found himself transfixed as always by the sheer amount of books. He spun around, trying to take it all in. Even though Maeve found it rather endearing, she still grabbed his hand and yanked him towards the back before he could get too distracted. She knew how easy it was to lose oneself in a good story or a good library.

"What are we looking for?" Loki asked as Maeve began to pull books from the shelves.

"I told you that we only have Vanir literature and academic writing here. For once, that's okay, because that's what we need." Her fingers grazed the colored spines of books as she scanned the titles. "The way I see it, we have two options. Both of them involve getting Asmund out of prison. One of them is legal and the other isn't."

Loki sat down at a nearby table and summoned a silver dagger, which he twirled between his long fingers idly. "We could stab your father."

"How about no? No murder. And please keep your voice down."

"Sorry. What's your illegal idea, my love?" He teased, running a hand through his raven black locks.

"We break Asmund out," Maeve replied, adding another volume to the growing stack of books. "That's the last resort idea, by the way. Personally, I think it would end in us being cell mates. I'd prefer not to break the law at all."

"You're no fun," Loki muttered under his breath.

The princess turned around, a laughing expression on her face, and threatened, "Keep talking about me like that and you'll be sleeping on the sofa tonight."

"Does someone who takes all of the blankets sleep on your sofa? If not, it might be preferable to the bed."

"I get cold easily!" She exclaimed defensively.

"Then just move closer to me! I'll keep you warm, I promise." He winked, sending the faintest blush to her cheeks. 

"No. You have cold feet." She gave him a cheeky smile and directed her attention back to the shelves, where she found another book that had the potential to assist them. Unfortunately, that particular volume called the top shelf its home. "Um, Lo? Can you give me a boost?"

He grinned and stood up, lifting her to the height she needed to snatch the book. "Got it?"

"Yep. Let me down."

He set her back on the ground and the couple retreated to their isolated table. Maeve began to sort through the books herself, and then realized she should probably fill her husband in on her plan so he could be helpful, not ornamental. Although he does look nice just sitting there... Chiding herself internally, she twisted a white-blonde curl on her finger and spoke.

"So, for my legal plan, I was thinking that we dethrone Papa once and for all."

Loki nodded thoughtfully. "Who will take the throne?"

"Asmund, most likely. Either way, if my father no longer rules Vanaheim, then we are under no obligation to obey him. We can just set Asmund free and change the marriage laws," Maeve explained, proud of her idea.

"And what are the books for, then?" Loki asked, his eyebrows drawing close together in confusion.

"We need a valid, legal reason to do this. It's our job to find out what those reasons are. He's ruled for thousands of years and he's not that great of a person, so he's definitely broken a law at some point. We just have to find it."

"All right." They high-fived and opened the books.

Maeve and Loki poured over the books for hours, having servants bring them both lunch and dinner in the library. Corey joined them in late afternoon. Although he wasn't fond of reading, his desire to help Asmund overcame the hatred of books. The pair became a trio.

At midnight, the words started to blur into each other. Maeve closed her eyes for a moment, but opened them seconds later, wary of falling fast asleep while the men continued to work.

"Maeve, maybe we should-" Corey let out a massive yawn and stretched his arms, "-get some rest and start up again tomorrow."

"No!" She said defiantly, shaking her head. "Every day this isn't fixed is one more day Asmund spends in a cell. It's one more day he isn't with the love of his life. It's one more day he doesn't know about his own heir."

"Okay, take it easy, I was only saying - did you say heir?" When she nodded, her brother threw his hands into the air. Loki's green eyes briefly flicked up from his book, interested in the conversation, but then he looked back down, deciding to listen and read at the same exact time. "You're only mentioning this now?"

She tugged on a curl that had fallen out of her ponytail and gave him a sheepish smile. "Apparently?"

"Maevey!"

"I found something," Loki said, though he did smirk at Corey's chosen nickname for her. He turned the book over and pointed to a short paragraph. "Here."

"'In order for the dethroning of a monarch to be lawful, it must be approved by the Royal Court. There must be a major offense committed to even being this situation to the court. These offenses include but are not limited to: putting the people of Vanaheim in mortal danger, using government funds for personal purposes, committing acts of violence without cause, breakjng a treaty, and so on.'" Corey say back in his seat, thinking deeply. "Well, unfortunately for us, Vanaheim is prospering. Minus the fire and the Frost Giants, but we can't blame either of those on Papa."

Maeve's slim fingers ran over a particular sentence a few times. Loki knew which one without asking. Just like her, he didn't need words to understand her emotions. The best way to force her father off the throne would affect her the most. It would bring back many painful memories, memories he wasn't sure even he could handle seeing.

"'Committing acts of violence without cause' is a dethronable offense," she said quietly. "We could work with that."

Loki sensed her hesitation. "Maeve, love, we can find another way. I know this is a delicate topic for you. I promise, you don't have to-"

"Yes, I do. Don't I?"

He sighed. To an extent, she was correct. According to the laws of Vanaheim, Frey's reign was one of near perfection. He kept the realm running smoothly and efficiently. The majority of their harvests were bountiful. He honored existing treaties and brought new ones into existence. To the kingdom, Frey had done no wrong. Only the royal family knew of his real offense. 

What would their subjects do when they learned that their king had been abusing his daughter, their beloved little princess, for so many years?

"It most certainly is the best way to go about this," Loki admitted. He reached his hands across the table and enveloped her small palm in his. "If you testify for the court and they believe you, he'll automatically be removed from the throne. However, if you're not comfortable with it, we can find another way."

After a moment of silence, Maeve nodded, swallowing her fears. "I have to. For Asmund. For Gale. For my niece or nephew. Even if it's hard for me to talk about, it will save their family. That's all that matters."

Corey squeezed her shoulder. "I can have the Royal Court assembled tomorrow, if you wish."

"But what about Papa?" Maeve asked. Her stomach churned at the thought of speaking about her father's abuse with him present. 

"I'll distract him. Maybe I'll take him on a hunt in the countryside. He does love a good hunt."

Maeve smiled weakly at her brother. "Thanks, Corey."

"You're welcome." He stood and brushed a few blonde flyaways out of her face before giving her a brotherly kiss on the forehead. "I need sleep. Ros and Hemming insisted on a training day, so I was outside for hours."

"Sleep well," she said. 

"Night, you two."

When her brother had left, Maeve turned to Loki, a worried expression on her face. "What about you? Where will you be?"

He smiled softly and gripped her hand. "At your side."

hello! i hope you liked this chapter!

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