*

Nausea overcame Maeve the moment the Bifrost released them. Bile rose in her throat and the only reason she didn't sway was Loki's arms around her.

"Easy, love," he murmured into her hair. "We're here now. You're all right."

"I hate the Bifrost."

"I know you do."

"I hate the Bifrost even more now."

He chuckled. "I'm sure you do." She stayed there in his arms until the world stopped spinning.

"Maeve!"

The Asgardian couple turned to see Asmund and Gale walking through the chilling wind to meet them. Unlike the dome in Asgard, there was no particular place the Bifrost opened in the Jotunheim. They were to await transportation to the palace. Those were their final instructions.

"Asmund!" She threw her arms around her eldest brother, who hugged her back tightly. His blond curls had grown out and he needed a shave, but he appeared healthier than she'd seen him in years. His embrace felt familiar, like home. "You look so much better."

He smiled. "Trust me, I am."

Loki gave Gale a kiss on the cheek and shook hands with Asmund. "It's good to see the two of you."

"It really is," Asmund agreed, nodding as he squinted up at the cloudy sky. Snow flurries fell around them. "Although it might have been better under different conditions."

"Well, I'm glad we didn't have to wait a few months until your coronation." Maeve hugged Gale, her smile not at all forced. "You look wonderful! Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes," Gale replied, her dark eyes shining. "It's been wonderful so far. I haven't felt unpleasant at all."

Lucky.

At that moment, Maeve wanted to tell her everything. She had never had a sister, after all, and the fact that they were both on the same journey at the same time seemed special.

Soon, she vowed internally. I'll tell them soon.

While the women were catching up, Loki pulled Asmund aside. "You have no idea what this is about?" He asked under his breath. 

"Not a single one."

"Does that bother you?"

"Absolutely," Asmund responded, his blue eyes wary as they swept the desolate landscape. "But I've decided to let things play out for now. We might as well learn what we can from this little adventure."

Loki nodded approvingly. "That would be wise... brother."

Gale pulled her hood down and glanced around. "We've been waiting for a few minutes now. I'm not quite sure what we're waiting for."

There was so much Maeve wanted to say and ask, but she refrained. Even now, surrounded by nothing but an empty frozen wasteland, it felt like there were listening ears. Instead, she just pulled her coat more tightly around herself and kept her thoughts to herself.

"Look!" Asmund said sharply, pointing to a shape in the distance. It drew closer, and the shape became multiple shapes, and those multiple shapes became the silhouettes of horseback riders. The four visitors formed a line without realizing it, hiding their apprehension behind masks of calm.

Frost Giants approached them, their horse hooves cracking the icy ground. It seemed an obvious thing, but Maeve couldn't get over how big the Jotuns were. Some were at least twice her height. The horses were bigger as well, to compensate. And she counted eight of them. Two to one. One glance at Loki let her know that he realized this, too, although there was no crack in his indifferent facade.

The Jotun leading the group dismounted smoothly from his steed and took a step towards them.

"Greetings, sons and daughters of Odin and Frey," he said in a deep, rumbling voice. "I am Aegir, a cousin of King Laufey."

He offered no hand to any of them, and while Maeve thought this odd, she didn't mind.

"A pleasure to meet you," Asmund said formally. As he was the eldest delegate present and of a higher status than Loki, he spoke first. Both of the princesses knew to keep quiet, as the Jotunheim was less accommodating of females in power in comparison to other realms. "I am Asmund Freyson of Vanaheim, and this is my wife, Gale."

"Likewise," he replied. "We have heard rumors of the events that have transpired in your realm during these past few months. It appears that the House of Frey always hid more than meets the eye. The king is eager to hear of these stories himself, and to acquaint himself with Vanaheim's future king."

"I look forward to it," Asmund said, lying through his teeth.

"The Jotunheim is very isolated thanks to Odin Allfather, Your Highness, so forgive me if these rumors were incorrect. Am I correct when I say that you will have an heir in the coming months?"

Asmund nodded, taking Gale's hand in his. It's not like they could hide her pregnancy, anyway, not with her stomach showing. "You are."

"I offer my sincerest congratulations, then. To both of you."

"Thank you."

"I am Loki Odinson of Asgard." Loki's voice did not waver as he introduced himself. "This is my wife, Maeve."

Aegir looked them both over carefully. "We have heard some very interesting things about the two of you, Your Highness. About how you behave as husband and wife."

"Quite a lot of rumors you hear," Loki commented, tilting his head to the side. "I suppose you shall have to discover the truth for yourself."

"Coming from a known liar, that means nothing to me." Aegir's scarlet eyes flitted over to Maeve. "Your woman shivers, Loki Odinson."

"Well, your welcoming party was late, leaving us to freeze in the bitter weather," Loki said coldly. Already Maeve saw him working his mad-prince image to his advantage, speaking with authority even though he had none there. She nearly smiled. It was a bold move, not one that Asmund would have tried, but Loki was a master of manipulation. For him, it worked every time. "Unlike you, we can not withstand such temperatures forever."

Aegir sank into a bow. "Forgive us, Your Highness. We did not expect you until later. Thrym, bring the horses forward. Come, and we will lead you to the palace."

The giant called Thrym led two horses forward. They were slightly bigger than normal horses, but still small compared to their own steeds. Maeve couldn't tell if this was for convenience or intimidation.

She moved to her on the horse, but a gentle hand clasped around her wrist stopped her.

"Please," Loki said softly. "Allow me."

"All right." Maeve nodded, letting him put his hands around her waist. He easily lifted her before mounting smoothly behind her. She didn't like riding sidesaddle, but there weren't any other options.

"Relax," he murmured in her ear. "I will let no harm come to you, I swear."

"I believe you," She whispered, turning her head to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Loki wrapped a arm securely around Maeve and held the horse's reins with the other.

The Frost Giants watched this exchange even though they couldn't hear the words shared. Instead of trying to hide it, Loki tilted her chin sideways and drew her in for a long, lingering kiss that he knew would make everyone so uncomfortable that they would be unable to look away.

'Not that I mind, but what are you doing?'

'They know Asmund loves Gale because of their story, but our marriage was arranged. I'm simply showing them how much I love you, darling.'

'And that is helpful how?'

'Now they are imagining the terrible fury of Loki Odinson if something should happen to his beloved wife.'

'Ah.'

When Loki finally drew away from Maeve, he shot a smug look to the Frost Giants before raising his eyebrows, like he was not at all sorry to delay them. Once again, she nearly laughed.

The horses moved slowly through the icy valley. Snow-capped mountaintops  surrounded them, only adding to the darkness. The whipped around them so violently that Maeve wondered if it was possible for a nose to freeze off. It felt like hers was going to, but she reasoned that was better than not being able to feel it at all.

Loki felt her trembling in his arms and wrapped his own cloak around her without a second thought.

"Take your cloak back," she whispered. "It's cold out."

"I know it's cold, but I'm fine," he replied honestly, making sure to keep his voice down. The howling wind drowned it out, anyway. "I'm fine, Maeve, but you're shivering again."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault." He moved forward on the horse so that she could lean on his chest, once again hiding none of the affection he showed her. It felt odd, as he usually wouldn't act like this around her in public, but he wanted everyone in the Jotunheim to know that she was his. Putting himself a bit out of his comfort zone was worth the safety of his love and his unborn children. 

Next to them, Asmund and Gale rode along silently. He had his arms around his wife's stomach protectively, but he put on no other acts. It wasn't his style. Massive waves of anxiety continued to rush over him, but most of those emotions didn't belong to him. They were Gale's fears and worries, traded with his empathetic abilities for a feeling of safety. Based on the look she gave him, she knew he was doing this, but she couldn't stop him. She just covered his hands with hers.

All of these overprotective males, Maeve thought to herself, a slight smile on her face. Secretly, she felt lucky to have them around. She knew that multiple of the Frost Giants had been looking at her while Loki talked to Aegir and it made her skin crawl. For now, though, she focused on conserving warmth, which wasn't easy, considering there was practically no warmth to conserve. The wind had picked up and snow fell heavily. She just leaned into Loki, who was more than happy to keep her as close to him as possible.

"Your Highnesses," Aegir said loudly so that his voice carried over the wind. It had been hours of riding the horses with little to no communication, so even this voice was a welcome sound. "The palace of Utgard lies ahead."

As Maeve squinted, she could begin to make out a stone building on the horizon. Aegir called it a palace, but it looked more like a stronghold built for war. Icicles hung from dark windows and a few evergreen trees sparsely dotted the open expanse of space in front it.

When they arrived at the front doors, Loki helped Maeve off of the horse and silently offered her his arm.

"This way," Aegir commanded, leading the group through the carved wooden doors. Inside, it wasn't much warmer, but it was out of the chilling wind. "It is too late for a banquet. You will not meet the king today. I will lead you to your places of lodging and send food to your rooms. I am sure you are all weary after travel."

As they walked, Maeve looked around at her surroundings as best she could. Intricately woven tapestries occasionally spruced up the stone walls. Candles were only lit when necessary. The atmosphere of the palace of the Jotunheim was unfriendly and cold.

"Your tapestries are exquisite, my lord," Maeve said quietly, keeping her head down in case the Frost Giant disapproved of her speaking.

"Thank you,  Princess," Aegir responded. "Each of them tell a story of our tribes. Many are legends, old wives-tales, you might say. Come look."

With a sudden surge of bravery, Maeve left Loki's side and followed him across the hall to the tapestry hanging above a statue of some sort. She felt the eyes of everyone in their little party staring at the mismatched pair. Aegir pointed to the stitching, which depicted a Frost Giantess in a forest with a wolf.

"This is Hyrrokkin," he explained. "She lived in the darkest forests of our realm. It was said that her horse could transform into a wolf and she reined it with poisonous snakes. Interesting, is it not?"

"Interesting indeed, my lord," Maeve murmured, sinking into a low curtsey. "Thank you for showing me."

He laughed. "Would it be too much for you to address me face-to-face, Your Highness? I've heard stories of your bravery, and as of now, I am disappointed."

Her eyes flicked up to his. Even though she knew it wasn't her place, not there, she couldn't resist what she said next. "A lady's strength doesn't lie in her ability to make brash comments, and her worth is not derived from the opinions of insignificant men."

"You're quite intelligent, Your Highness. Perhaps I misjudged you. Perhaps you are more than just a pretty face that Loki Odinson parades around for all to admire."

Maeve took a deep breath, willed herself to stay calm, and willed Loki to stay calmer.

"Our rooms, Aegir," Asmund interrupted politely, effectively stamping out a problem before it rose. "Please."

"Of course. You and your wife will be in this room, Your Highness, and Prince Loki and his wife shall stay in this one. I will send someone for you tomorrow morning when breakfast is ready."

Maeve couldn't get into the room soon enough. She just wanted to be alone with Loki. Luckily, an empty fireplace was buried in the stone wall. Wondering why a Frost Giant would need a fire in a bedroom, Loki lit it with magic and both crouched down in front of the flickering flames to get warm.

"Are you alright?" He asked quickly, looking her up and down a few times to be sure. "You're not ill? You're not-"

"I'm fine," Maeve cut over him, a warm smile on her face. "Just a little chilly, and that's nothing the fire can't solve. I thought you were going to lose it out there."

"I almost did," he admitted, "but then you took care of it just fine on your own, my dear. It was quite fantastic."

"Aegir keeps talking of me as if I'm your property," she whispered. Holding her hands close to the flames to bring feeling back into them, she sighed deeply. "It's humiliating."

"It's unfortunately how Jotuns view their wives," Loki said, disgusted. "Once the women marry, they sign away their freedoms."

"That's barbaric."

He smiled thinly. "That's the Jotunheim."

A knock on the door interrupted them both. Maeve hugged her knees to her chest and watched interestedly as Loki rose to open it. A Jotun boy stood in the doorway, bearing a tray heavily laden with food.

"For you, Your Highnesses." He bowed as soon as the tray left his hands, and then he was gone. Loki chuckled as he carried the tray inside.

"Nervous thing. Not even a man yet and he's already taller than you."

"Everyone's taller than me," Maeve replied grouchily. She picked a roll up from the basket and began to eat as she spoke. "It's not exactly surprising anymore. I'm tiny."

"I like you small, flower," Loki replied. "It's easier to hold you that way."

"Well, you'd better start lifting weights, then, because I'm not going to be this small for long."

He laughed and raised a goblet in the air jokingly. "I'm stronger than you think."

They finished the meal in silence and used magic to change into nightclothes. The bed was smaller than theirs back in Asgard and covered in furs instead of blankets.

"Do you find it odd that Laufey didn't meet us when we first arrived?" Maeve asked, remembering all of the silly ceremonies they had to suffer through during their tour of the realms just to announce their presence.

"Yes and no." Loki stretched out on his back and stared up at the top of the wooden canopy bed. "It's different from our traditions, but they are not us."

"I think he's waiting us out."

He flipped over to face her, a faint crease between his eyebrows. "How do you mean?"

"I think he's showing off his power. It's all an act, Lo. Everyone's acting right now."

"You may be right," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Sleep, my love. Who in the world knows how tomorrow will go, after all."

"Only if you sleep too."

"Fine."

Neither slept much that night.

new chapter! let me know what you thought :)