*

Sunlight streamed in through the windows of the bedroom in the early hours of morning. While the seasons were milder in Vanaheim, winter still had swept over the realm. A chilly breeze rustled the trees outside of the balcony's French doors, shaking the last few leaves off of the otherwise bare branches.

Loki yawned silently and moved closer to Maeve. She still hadn't woken and her barely gotten any sleep, but he relished in how wonderful it felt to do something as simple as hold her. Right now, he knew she was safe. That was enough for him.

His mind flitted to his meeting with Laufey and a sick feeling filled his stomach. No one knew what the king of the Jotunheim offered except for him, and he hated himself in new ways for it.

He felt her shift in his arms, her body tense. Frowning, he watched her carefully. After a minute or two, her face screwed up in what looked like pain. She began to whimper softly and rolled closer to him. On the bedside table, a potted orchid began to wilt.

"Maeve," he whispered, shaking her shoulder gently. When that did nothing, he tried again. "Maeve. Maeve, love, open your eyes for me. Please."

She came to with an anguished gasp, breathing heavily. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she buried her face in his chest.

"L-L-Loki," she sobbed. Her voice sounded wrong, all hoarse and raspy from the Frost Giant's chokehold from the day before, and her tears broke his heart. "Make it stop, please just make it stop."

"What is it?" It was Loki's first instinct to protect her, but he had no idea where to begin. He just cradled her to his chest and whispered comforting nothings. "Maeve, just take deep breaths. This isn't good for you. It was just a dream. Just a terrible, terrible dream..."

"No, it's not! It hurts, my head hurts so much-"

"Darling, you're all right. You're all right. You're safe. I'm here. Just tell me what's going on so I can help you."

Maeve stared up at him, still breathing heavily, and Loki's stomach dropped.

Her eyes were a cloudy white.

"What did you see?" He asked urgently, suddenly understanding what had happened. Once again, his readings about other realms served him well as he remembered a specific fact about how the Vanir were prone to premonitions. He cupped her face in his hands. "You're right. It wasn't a nightmare, it was a vision. What did you see?"

"I- just flashes of things. A broken crown. An arrow shooting across the throne room. Manacles. These scary blue eyes and this deep, ominous voice. And everything was so cold. S-so, so cold."

Loki pulled her onto his lap. She was small enough for him to do this quite easily. Gently stroking her curls, he asked, "what did the voice say?"

"Your name. Over and over, like a threat." She stared up at him, her eyes still that odd white instead of their usual cornflower blue. Perhaps that should have unsettled him, but it didn't. It was still her, Maeve, his flower, his wife. "You don't think that-?"

"No," he whispered soothingly into her hair. "I don't. I'm not going anywhere, love."

"Good, because I need you here." She took a deep, shuddering breath, then frowned. "My voice sounds terrible."

"That would be from the bandit attack in the Jotunheim," he explained. "From when that frozen oaf attempted to choke you. Asmund healed you, but it appears that your voice is still recovering. I would think that it won't take long to be back to normal. Maybe a few hours or so."

"Can we go home?" She asked softly. "I want to go home."

Home. Not the palace of Vanaheim, but the one of Asgard. With Thor and Sif and Frigga and even Odin.

"Not yet. I thought it would be safer to be somewhere else until we decide how we are going to spin the whole Jotunheim situation. I thought that should be a group decision, and you were unable to share your opinions."

"Everything's okay? I mean, am I... the twins, are they...?" She couldn't finish her sentence.

"Everyone's fine. Trust me." When the space between her eyebrows creased, like she didn't believe him, he added reassuringly, "Asmund told me himself. There's nothing to worry your pretty little mind about." He left out his brother-in-law's strange and startling departure last night, not wanting to concern her further.

Still a little uncertain, Maeve breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her head on his shoulder. "What did Laufey want?"

"Ah. He..." Loki cleared his throat, debating. Already, she could see a change in him with just a single question. It bothered her. "He wants to overthrow my father."

"What? What did you say?"

"Of course I said no. That would be treason. He said that he knew the Allfather would send me as a delegate. He said that if I told the Frost Giants how to get into Asgard without Heimdall seeing them, they would kill him, leaving the throne vacant for the taking. Laufey supports me over Thor as my father's heir, and I can't figure out why."

She heard the vulnerability in his voice as the old insecurities crept into his mind.

"Because you'd make a better king than Thor," she whispered, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck. She felt his fingers running through her hair and spoke softly, keeping her husband calm in a way only she could. "Everyone can see that, even him."

Loki shook his head. "While I appreciate your support, I believe that you are forgetting the one person who actually makes this decision."

Of course. Odin. Maeve had never particularly liked her father-in-law, but it was moments like these that made her despise him. His mental abuse was what destroyed her husband's confidence in himself. Even now, he couldn't see the right answer.

Thor, while brave and strong, was too proud and arrogant to rule. If he had gone to the Jotunheim in his brother's stead, the meeting would have been far from peaceful. He would create more wars than he would end, and he would be better suited to lead Asgard's army than to sit on the throne.

Loki, on the other hand, knew how to handle foreign affairs. His words were what set him apart from his older brother, and unlike him, he understood duty. Sorcerers commanded a different kind of respect than warriors. To him, the good of Asgard came second only to one thing, and that was Maeve, but she recognized this as his best qualities surfacing from the ever-tranquil mask.

And yet, Odin was too stubbornly blind to see this.

Overall, their fathers had not been good to the pair.

These experiences were what made her so sure that Loki would make an excellent one himself.

"Just you wait. There will be a chance for you to prove yourself, I'm sure of it. You just have to be patient enough to wait for it."

He chuckled under his breath and kissed her forehead. "You are hopelessly naive, my dear, and I love you for it."

"Stop being self-deprecating and shut up."

Loki laughed, but his happiness soon faded, leaving a rueful ghost of a smile behind. "I think you overestimate me, Maeve. I'm not sure that I deserve the throne. Not after the last few days."

"Why not?" She asked, confused. "You were fantastic in these last few days. You turned Laufey down."

He sighed, then admitted his flaw. "But I hesitated."

"Hey." After kneeling on the mattress, the princess took his face in her hands and forced him to look into her eyes. "That doesn't mean that you're terrible. It means that you were strong enough to resist something wrong that tempted you."

"But Maeve-"

"No. My turn to talk." She covered his mouth, preventing him from interrupting again. "Listen to me. You, Loki Odinson, are a good man. Okay? And if your father can't see that, too bad, because I see it, and I love you."

Loki looked at her for a moment. Taking her hands off of his face, he kissed both palms, then leaned in so that their foreheads were touching.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" He whispered. "You're really the most enchanting woman I've ever met."

"You don't need to use your charm this early in the morning, Silvertongue. You've got bedhead and I love you anyway."

"I'm not. I am being completely honest with you, Maeve. You're the only person I can do that around. You're so beautiful, but it's more than just your appearance. You have a beautiful mind and nature, my love, and I have absolutely no idea what I did to deserve a woman like you. And now, you're carrying my children, and I wonder how I could possibly love you more."

Maeve blinked back tears. Before meeting Loki, no one ever made her feel so appreciated, not even her brothers or her mother. To most, she was seen as nothing more than a princess, someone who was meant to be seen and not heard. She silently withstood years of abuse under this rule and never knew who she wanted to be.

But around Loki, she knew exactly who she was.

"I love you so, so much," she mumbled, impatiently brushing a few tears off of her cheeks. "Damn hormones."

As always, the sound of his wife cursing made Loki smile. She wasn't as prim and proper as she led everyone to believe. "I'm sorry that I broke my promise in the Jotunheim. I swore that I would protect you."

"That wasn't your fault. You did everything you could." Maeve took a deep breath. "Lo, I think... I think someone is after me."

That got his attention. He glanced at her sharply, a worried look in his jade eyes. "What?"

"When that Jotun tried to choke me, he said that someone hired him to kill me." She involuntarily closed her eyes as she remembered how his fingers closed around her throat, how close to death she was in that very moment. "He never said who."

"We will have to make sure that security at home is increased," Loki replied after a minute. He looked paler than he did seconds before. "I doubt anyone could break into the palace as it is, but I have no desire to take chances. Not with you. If any Jotuns-"

"I doubt whoever's trying to kill me is a Frost Giant," she reasoned. "It's one thing to attack a foreign princess, but it's treason to attack your own sovereign, and Bjarke almost died trying to save me."

"It seemed that he took a liking to you." There was a slight growl to his words, a darker tone. Maeve immediately recognized his possessiveness and successfully fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Did he-?"

"No. Nonono. Actually, he was a perfect gentleman. It felt like he was the only one there to recognize me as person."

He was nice, she thought. Bjarke didn't look down on her in the slightest, apologized when necessary, and put himself in harm's way to keep her safe. And she couldn't figure out why.

"Good," Loki said grouchily. "Because if he did-"

"You would stab him, I'm sure." Grinning, she gave him a light kiss on the forehead before popping out of bed for the day. The balcony was practically beckoning her, so she pushed open the white French doors and stepped out into the sunlight, breathing in the cool air and soaking in the sunshine. Her nightgown fluttered around her ankles and she rubbed her bare shoulders, slightly chilly but not cold enough to go back in.

The bare trees and dying plants always depressed Maeve, especially now. Her eyes fell on a brave rose on the trellis she used to climb down and escape, and a small smile spread across her lips. She brushed her fingers against the vines, hoping to coax the blossom up through growth, but the rose only made it about halfway before shirking back down. Irritated, Maeve sighed and  leaned on the railing.

"Annoyed, love?" A blanket settled around her shoulders as Loki leaned on the railing next to her. She noticed that he'd already fixed his hair, although he had started wearing his black locks loose and messy around his face, just like she liked it.

"The cold weather's throwing me off," she complained, shaking her head. "And I'm sure being pregnant doesn't help, either. Soon enough, I'm going to be useless. Useless and fat."

"It's only natural that your magic would change at a time like this," Loki reasoned. He rested a hand on hers. "You're not useless. As for your appearance, nothing is more attractive to me than the thought of you bearing my children. You will always be beautiful to me."

"I appreciate that, I really do, but I'm not a warrior. I'm a sorceress. If I don't have my magic, what am I?"

"A powerful princess. A future mother. My lovely wife. The most intelligent and incredible woman in the nine realms." He winked. "Don't tell my Mother."

"I won't," she giggled, nudging him playful. "I miss her. And Thor and Sif."

"What of my father?"

"Sure, let's throw him in there, too."

At this, Loki laughed. Not just a smirk, not just a chuckle. Nothing hidden, nothing held back. Maeve loved this side of him the most, and she felt privileged that he trusted her enough to see it.

"What do you say we get dressed and go home?" He asked. "Asmund invited us to his council meeting, but I think I'd rather just slip out quietly."

Recognizing Loki's desire to be back in Asgard, safe and antisocial, she nodded. "I'm fine with that. We'll be back in a few months for Asmund's coronation, anyway."

"That's right. Another Vanaheim celebration." He chuckled as Maeve practically lit up, thinking of the dances and music of her homeland. "Let's go back inside."

After getting ready for the day, the pair walked through the halls and into the council room. Maeve stiffened at the door, remembering the last time she had entered it, but Loki's hand on the small of her back was enough to keep her moving. Inside, it was a much different scene than when her father ruled.

"-and they will most certainly come after us if we don't strengthen our borders," Corey was saying as they entered. He motioned to a scroll on the tabletop. "We need to be prepared."

"But that requires money!" Hemming insisted. The door creaked as it opened, announcing their presence to all that gathered. "Maeve!"

Gale immediately engulfed her in a tight embrace. "Good to see you up," she said happily, before leaning close to her ear and whispering, "Congratulations."

A faint blush rose on Maeve's cheeks, but she barely had time to react before Corey and Hemming had swept their little sister up in hugs of their own. Luckily, no one commented on her eyes. Visions were commonplace in Vanaheim.

Loki leaned against the wall, content to watch the excited greetings and shake a few hands, but his eyes fell on the one person who had not risen from the table.

Asmund remained in his seat. It appeared that he had given up on using illusions to hide his exhaustion, or perhaps the combined effects of magic and healing from the day before took too much out of him. Dark bags hung under his eyes and his curls were unruly. He kept scanning pieces of parchment as if he thought he missed something, but it was clear that his mind was elsewhere. Loki wondered if that elsewhere was the same place that his mind had wandered last night.

"Are you here to join us?" Corey asked Maeve, grinning brightly at her. "You've got to admit, this is far better than anything Papa ever did."

"It is," she agreed, smiling. "We're here to say our goodbyes, though."

Gale's face fell. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and asked, "So soon?"

"We need to speak with the Allfather about foreign affairs moving forward," Loki said, giving her an understanding smile. Ever since they met, the two had shared an almost-friendship built on their marrying into a very interesting family. "Our realm will be affected just as much as yours."

"I suppose." Asmund stood up from his chair, his blue eyes sincere as he offered the prince a hand to shake. "I wish you safe travels. Keep an eye on my sister, she's quite a handful."

"Hey!" Maeve exclaimed while Loki smirked. Wrapping her brother in a hug, she said, "I'll miss you."

"Visit at any time. We're always more than happy to have you."

Once their goodbyes were finished, Loki and Maeve rode horses out into an open field. Because they didn't have a golden dome or Rainbow Bridge, Vanaheim designated an empty space for travel.

Maeve turned to Loki, who had been silent the entire ride. "What's the matter? You've been eerily quiet. It's not like you."

"I'm... I just have a lot on my mind," he replied. It wasn't technically a lie, although he was mainly focused on Asmund's odd behavior. That's a problem for another day. "Are you ready?" When she nodded, he wrapped his arms around her small body.

Maeve looked up at the sky. "Heimdall, bring us home. Please."

Rainbow light surrounded them and Maeve braced herself, burying her head in Loki's chest as the roar filled her ears and the wind whipped around them. She stayed there a few seconds after she felt solid ground underneath her feet again.

"Your Highnesses, welcome home," Heimdall greeted in his deep, ominous voice. "It's good to see the two of you well. The events of the last few days have troubled me."

"We're alright, Heimdall, thank you," Maeve said with a bright smile. His lips twitched upward.

"The Allmother will be glad to see you." Heimdall turned to look at the golden city, a solemn look on his face. "I suggest that you hasten to the palace."

"Why? What's happened?" Loki asked automatically, his eyebrows drawing closer together. I didn't do anything. I didn't tell him how to get in. "We haven't been attacked, have we?"

"No, nothing of that kind has occurred, but there has been a... complication." The gatekeeper motioned to the bridge, where their horses stood waiting. "You should go. She and your brother are in the throne room. Go present yourselves to them as quickly as possible."

Loki opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Maeve cut over him. "Thank you, Heimdall. We'll go at once."

Heimdall nodded. "Take care of your lady, my prince. She has a beautiful soul."

"Indeed. Thank you, good Heimdall." Once they were outside, Loki dropped the formalities and turned to Maeve, a question in his worried eyes. "For my sanity, do you mind riding with me instead of by yourself?"

Maeve saw the fear hidden carefully behind his calm mask. She knew that he was scared that something happened to Frigga, but she suspected that the problem had to do with Odin. As usual. Either way, she wanted to make him feel at ease.

"Okay."

They rode Twilight in silence across the Rainbow Road and slipped into the palace without being hailed by servants or guards. Maeve kept her hand clutched in Loki's, giving and receiving comfort simultaneously.

When they entered the throne room, Thor and Frigga turned to look at them, surprised yet relieved. They both rushed down the steps.

"Welcome home," Thor greeted, embracing Maeve gently. His voice lacked its usual boisterousness. "I trust that you journey went well?"

"Well... more or less," Loki muttered, shooting Maeve a secret smile.

"I'm eager to hear all about it, dears," Frigga said. She smiled warmly as she released Maeve from a motherly hug, but her eyes narrowed. "Your eyes, daughter. You've had a vision. When?"

"Earlier today," she admitted. "I don't know how long they'll be like this."

"What happened to your voice?" Thor asked loudly, regaining his volume as his worry increased.

"I, um... I may or may not have been choked."

"Choked?" Thor shoved Loki backward, catching his younger brother off-guard. "You were supposed to keep her safe! She was under your protection!"

"You stupid oaf, it wasn't my fault!" Loki snarled.

"You never should have let her out of your sight!"

"We had to play the game, Thor! If we protested, they would have known that we didn't trust them!"

"She's carrying your heirs, Loki!"

"I am aware, Thor!"

"That's enough!" Maeve yelled hoarsely. Both of the men blanched and looked at her blankly, lowering daggers and a hammer. "It happened! It's over! Put the weapons away and stop bickering like children about it!"

Silence fell over the room for a moment. Both Thor and Loki looked properly ashamed, and Frigga hid a proud smirk behind her hand.

"What's happened?" Maeve asked the queen, whose smile vanished instantly. "Heimdall told us to come here as quickly as we could."

"Yes. Late last night, your father fell into the Odinsleep." She took a deep breath. "Until he wakes, and we are unsure of when that will occur, it is my wish that the three of you work in tandem to rule Asgard."

Sorry that I took so long to update! I hope that this chapter makes up for that delay ;)

Thoughts? Predictions?