*

Maeve stared at Loki, unable to take in his words. "What?"

Loki shifted on his feet. For the first time in a long time, he seemed nervous, though he was careful to hide his emotions around his brother. "We may or may not have lost the alliance," he repeated.

"But... how?"

"We'll spare you the details, they're unnecessary," Thor said. He began to pace again. "Everything was going well until lunch. We had straightened everything out with their problems. Then, one of the Elves made a comment. It was very sly, but it was obvious that he aimed his comment towards you. And it was offensive."

"Me?" Maeve asked, confused. "Who?"

Loki gave her a dry look. "I'll give you one guess."

"Loki, you shouldn't stoop to Garmath's level. He doesn't like me just because I was the first female he'd met who didn't find him irresistible-"

"He does like you. That's precisely the problem!" Loki raked a hand through his raven-black locks in agitation. "You don't understand."

"You should have been better than him. You are better than him."

To the surprise of the couple, Thor came to Loki's defense. "You did not hear him," he said reasonably. "If you were there and he said such things about Loki, you wouldn't have stood for it, either. I know you."

"So what happened after?" Maeve pressed, deciding to ask the specifics of Garmath's insults later on. At the moment, it didn't matter to her.

Loki sighed heavily. "It is all quite straightforward. I said something very passive aggressive in return, and then Thor said something very aggressive aggressive. Neither was overlooked, and they stormed out. I believe they plan to leave within the hour."

"Loki, you've got to apologize," Maeve said urgently. She took his hands and gripped them tightly. "You know Garmath isn't angry with Thor: he's angry with you. He's influential. If you sway him, perhaps they'll stay."

Almost immediately, Loki shook his head. "I will not," he growled. "He has been a thorn in my side for some time now, and I will not oblige his childish tantrums with an apology."

Maeve felt her own temper flare up. "No, you're the one being childish. You're not taking the obvious solution! You do realize that if the Light Elves leave, we have no chance of saving this alliance?"

"I realize that he wants you, Maeve. He's tried to lay his hands on you before: who's to say he won't do it again? To even suggest that a disgusting thing like that deserves an apology? I will not stand for it."

"I don't care what you'll stand for!" Maeve cried. "I'm not letting Asgard fall to ruin because of your stupid pride! Where will that leave us?"

A wave of lightheadedness washed over her and she stumbled backward, right into Thor. He steadied her as Loki rushed forward.

"Maeve!"

"Maeve!"

"I'm fine," she mumbled faintly, keeping her eyes closed. She felt herself being transferred from Thor to her husband and decided not to protest anything. Loki's arms always felt safer, anyway, even when they were fighting. "Just listen to me, I'm all right-"

"No, you listen to me. Both of you." Thor waited until both Loki and Maeve were paying attention to him before speaking again. "I am going to Mother. I'm going to explain everything that happened, and then I will go apologize to the Light Elves on all of our behalfs. After that, I have to oversee the final preparations for tonight's celebration, so the two of you will be on your own this afternoon. I want a few things to happen once I leave."

"Since when were you one for taking charge, brother?" Loki snarled. Thor only fixed him with a stern glare.

"I want a few things to happen once I leave. Maeve, I want you to do yourself a favor and sit down, because you need it and you know it. Loki, I want you to be a decent husband and take care of your wife, who, let me remind you, is not only carrying out the stressful responsibilities of the throne, but also the tiring one of carrying your children. Then, I want you two to have a calm discussion about everything that has gone down in the last five minutes and come to a solution. After that, you're in charge. I believe there may be some guests to welcome from other realms and such. Good? Good."

He stormed out of the room without another word, leaving the couple in silence for a few moments.

Loki's face broke into a grin as a chuckle escaped his lips. "You know, he isn't always the galaxy's stupidest idiot."

"Look at you being nice about your big brother." Maeve smiled faintly, then untangled herself from her husband's loose embrace and sat down on her throne. Loki's eyes sparkled.

"Oh no, I think my queen deserves a better seat than that." Without warning, he scooped her up bridal style, causing her to shriek, both of them laughing seconds later. He sat down on Odin's golden throne and situated her in his lap, that mischievous smirk she loved so much teasing her. "Comfortable?"

She snuggled closer to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck. "Very, my king."

"Good. I know you don't like to slow down, love, but you must take care of yourself. Otherwise I shall be forced to do it for you.

"I know." She yawned widely, trying to hide it with her hand. He only looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I didn't sleep well last night."

"I'll walk you back to our room," he offered. "You could sleep and be well-rested for later on."

Although a nap sounded perfect, Maeve shook her head. "I don't want to do that. Your mother thinks that sooner or later, I'm going to end up on bed rest just because I'm so small, and I have no desire to start that prematurely. It's too boring."

"Hm. Well, I have no desire to start that yet, either. I think I'd miss you too much." Loki brushed her hair so delicately to the side and gave her the gentlest kiss behind her ear. It felt like a snowflake melting on her skin. "I quite like having you close by."

"I like being close by," Maeve mumbled. She spoke only when they parted for breaths, her words hurried and fragmented. "What... what are you doing?"

Loki smiled against her lips, loving the affect he had on her. "You've been taking my breath away for quite some time now, love. I'd like it back."

"Not that this isn't... very nice... but don't... don't we need... a few solutions... to problems?"

"Ah, those. Let's just forget about those, shall we?" Loki whispered before his lips met hers again. She felt her resolve weaken with every passing second.

"What about Asgard?"

"What about Asgard? Let the kingdom fall to pieces, so long as I have you in my arms."

"I don't think... this is exactly what Thor... had in mind..."

"My dear, I could not care less."

"No... no. We've got to... figure this out." Regretfully, Maeve pulled away, although she did giggle when Loki pretended to pout.

"You're no fun-"

"I'll kiss you again once we solve some problems. Deal?"

He tilted his head to the side in faux consideration, drumming his fingers on the arm of the throne. "You drive a hard bargain, Maeve, but I accept. Do you have any ideas?"

She smiled, then started to smooth his hair down. Looking out it now, she blushed, embarrassed at how quickly she'd lost control of herself. It was everywhere.

"Well, assuming the Light Elves accept Thor's apology and stay, I think we should officially announce my pregnancy then. It'll be a good time because all of the nobles will be there. Plus, it's a distraction. By the end of the night, everyone will forget that they were mad in the first place."

"You've got a devious mind for politics," Loki said with a wink, running his fingers through her hair as he spoke. A small frown tugged the corners of his lips downward. "I don't like the idea of using our unborn children as a political move, though. It's as if they're pawns in a chess game."

"Lo, politics is a chess game. Life is a chess game. And this?" She motioned to the limited space between them, then to her stomach. "This would be the result of a political move."

He chuckled. "I suppose you're right. Have we solved enough for you?" Maeve nodded, then yawned again. He drew her close to him once again and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "You look exhausted. Just rest your eyes for a minute, all right? For my sake."

Nodding, Maeve snuggled into him and closed her eyes. She breathed in that comforting scent that always lingered around him, leather and cologne and books. With his arm draped protectively around her, she finally let herself drift off.

After a few minutes, Loki heard a knock on the doors. He glanced down at Maeve, who was sleeping soundly on top of him, and he sighed. The fact that she felt comfortable enough to let her guard down, that she trusted him enough to keep her safe, made him feel incredibly important. Not many people trusted him, let alone relied on him.

A small smile settled on his face as he kissed the top of her head. The doors opened and he carried on with his duties all afternoon, never moving his sleeping wife from the safety of his embrace.

*

Torches lit the ballroom of the Asgardian palace. A spell had been cast, creating an illusion on the ceiling that showcased the starry sky. Underneath, guests danced and laughed the night away, celebrating the shortest day of the year.

Maeve sat at the head table, nibbling on a mixed berry salad as she watched the dancing. There were two pairs that caught her interest. Thor and Sif always commanded attention anywhere they went, and their laughter rang out above the music. However, when she noticed Corey talking with one of Frigga's ladies-in-waiting, she found it hard to focus on anything else.

Frigga made the announcement at the beginning of the celebration. According to her, that job traditionally belonged to the queen. No one questioned it, because she just seemed so excited about it.

The young couple had been swamped for over an hour as they thanked well-wishers for their congratulations. While neither of them liked so much attention, it did make Maeve beam with excitement, and when Maeve smiled, so did Loki. She received big hugs from all six of her brothers, which only improved her mood further. Finally, they'd escaped to the table to get drinks and to enjoy the peace.

Maeve nudged Loki, who still seemed lost in his own world. "You doing okay?"

"Yes," he replied, but his eyes were far away as he reached for her hand. Their fingers locked.

"Nothing bad is going to happen," she said soothingly. "Not everyone is out to get you, believe it or not."

Loki sighed heavily, choosing to focus on the warmth of her small hand in his instead of his anxieties. "I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am." She winked at him as Asmund took the seat to her left. She leaned her head on his shoulder for a minute. "Thank you for being here."

"I'm here out of royal obligation, not for you," he teased. "I wish I could stay longer, but I don't like being away from Gale that long. The boys will probably be here for a few days, but I'll go home tonight."

"I miss her."

"She misses you. She said to send her love." Asmund took a sip of his drink, then glanced at his soul mark, happy that he could finally display it in public. That was all he ever wanted. "I suppose you two should make a visit to us before the Bifrost becomes off-limits to you, too."

"We can try," Loki replied. "But I must say, I do worry about leaving Asgard alone with Thor for a prolonged period of time."

"Loki!" Maeve slapped his shoulder playfully. "Behave."

Asmund smiled at the pair of them and nodded to Corey, who was still out dancing. "He guessed it, Maeve, did you know that? He asked me if I knew anything at the beginning of the ball. I lied, of course, but he still knew."

"What?" Loki asked, shocked. "How?"

"I'm not surprised." Before Maeve could stop it, soft laughter erupted from her lips. At Loki's questioning look, she explained. "It's funny. You wouldn't get it. Back home, we didn't have special announcements like this. Usually, the fact that a woman isn't drinking at a party is enough of an indication."

The prince also chuckled. "Is that so?"

"Yes. At Vanaheim celebrations, everyone drinks."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

Loki raised his mead in toast to her and winked. "I must say, I miss the feasts of your homeland."

"I must say, I think you drank enough last night."

A servant girl appeared in front of them, bearing three goblets. She smiled, but looked almost nervous - jittery. When she spoke, it was accented and shaky. "The head chef offers his congratulations, Your Highnesses. He sends drinks just for you. Drinks of celebration from his homeland. No alcohol. Just berries."

"Thank you," Asmund said, ever polite. "You can just set them here. Give him our gratitude, please."

The servant girl placed each of the goblets on the banquet table in front of the royals with extreme care and curtseyed deeply before skittering off.

"She's a nervous little thing," Loki commented, watching her go with an amused expression. "I wonder if she's new. Thor mentioned new hires the other day."

"I don't know. I've never seen her before, but she seems sweet." Maeve peered into her goblet. The liquid was dark red, darker than wine, and smelled delicious. "What are we toasting to?"

Asmund picked up his drink. "To the future," he said simply.

Maeve clinked goblets with them and took a sip. The taste reminded her of wine, in a way, but terrible. Momentarily sweet with a bitter aftertaste. She grimaced, but the other two actually seemed to enjoy the beverage.

"That's quite good," Asmund was saying to Loki, who nodded along while Maeve fought the urge to throw up. Although every fiber in her screamed against it, she finished the drink, knowing that it was proper courtesy to do so. "I find myself without a partner tonight, little sister. Care for a dance?"

She nodded, waving to Loki before joining the crowd with Asmund. They picked a place suspiciously close to Corey and the girl he'd been talking to all night, and then made idle conversation while trying to eavesdrop. Maeve caught Loki laughing at them out of the corner of her eye.

After a while, Maeve looked up at the night sky illusion. "Are you leaving soon?"

"In an hour or so, perhaps. I'm not fond of parties enough to stay longer, and this one has been going on for quite a while, anyway."

"Honestly, I'm surprised Loki hasn't tried to sneak us out of here yet." She glanced around, trying to find her husband over the crowd of heads. He was on the other side of the hall, talking with some of the guests. Charming them. She nearly rolled her eyes. "Do you think that-?"

Her sentence was cut off, however, when all of the torches in the room blew out simultaneously.

Nervous murmuring ensued in the pitch-black darkness. Maeve could barely see Asmund, let alone anyone or anything else.

"What's going on?" She whispered worriedly.

Asmund's head whipped back and forth. "I don't know."

An unnatural chill swept through the hall. Maeve rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself up again. When she exhaled shakily, she could see her own breath.

It was impossible to tell who yelled it, but mayhem broke out at two words.

"FROST GIANTS!"

Screams pierced the frigid air, and the crowd moved at once, running in all different directions.

'Loki!' Maeve thought frantically, but there was no response. It felt like her thoughts had fallen off of a cliff, caught by no one. When she realized that a reply wasn't coming, she started to run in the direction she last saw him, but a hand caught her wrist.

"Where are you going?" Asmund demanded. "You can't just run back into the thick of the action!"

"Let go of me, I need to find Loki!" She struggled in his grasp, but he held on.

"Loki can take care of himself. You know that. He wouldn't want you putting yourself in danger for his sake. Come on!"

"Where are we going?"

Asmund pulled her through the throng of terrified nobles. It was difficult to keep up with his long legs, but the desperation of the situation kept her running.

"I don't know! I don't live here!"

"Right, right!" She muttered distractedly as they emerged in the hallway. "Do you have any weapons?"

"No! I'm not Loki!" He exclaimed, exasperated. "I don't carry daggers in my pocket!"

"Okay. This way!"

She moved faster than she'd ever moved in her life, ignoring the exhaustion, ignoring the fear. The only thing that mattered was safety.

Maeve pushed open the doors and ran into the garden, breathing in the cold, crisp night air. Loki swore by his knives, but her true deadliness lay in nature. As much as she loved Asmund, she understood that he was no more of a fighter than she was. She knew more ways to kill a man with a plant than she did with a blade, although she'd never actually killed anyone. The idea scared her.

Hopefully, that wouldn't change in the near future.

"Will you be okay for a minute? I saw a sword out on display in the hall. It's old, but better than nothing." Asmund's clear blue eyes met hers. "Maeve?"

"I'll be okay," she reassured him. "Just don't be long."

He still looked uncertain. He didn't want to leave her, but without a weapon, he'd have no way to protect her, either. "Two minutes," he promised.

Maeve watched her brother retreat back inside, then ducked behind a bush, trying to control her breathing. She ran one hand down the bark of a tree and hugged her stomach as she thought, sifting through all of the information she'd ever read about plants, trying to decide which would be best to use for defense. Settling on thick vines, she closed her eyes and waited for the plant to obey her.

Nothing happened.

Maeve's eyes opened wide and she looked at the vines in horror. Never, never, had they refused her. Since she was a little girl, plant manipulation had been her gift. It was her magic. With a shaking hand, she pulled a tuft of grass from the ground and willed for it to come back, but nothing grew.

'Loki?' She thought, trembling in fear. She needed that gentle, reassuring voice of his to tell her that everything was going to be okay, but no such response came. A disconcerting feeling of disconnect swept over her.

An anguished yell pierced the silence, and she abandoned all ideas of staying hidden.

"Asmund!" She screamed. She knew it exposed her, but she didn't care. A large spear of ice had pierced his stomach, and in her opinion, that mattered more.

Right before she could reach him, another spear flew through the air. She dropped to the ground, and it missed her by inches.

"Stop! Don't! It's her!" an unfamiliar male yelled.

To Maeve's dismay, two Frost Giants stepped out of the shadows. She tripped trying to run backwards. The taller one shoved her against the wall, and she groaned as aching pain shot through her.

"Scream for your prince and I'll crush your skull," he threatened through gritted teeth. She hated how close he was to her. "I could do it with my bare hands. Got that? Don't even think his name!"

Tears streamed down Maeve's cheeks as she nodded. Her eyes fell on Asmund's limp body and she hoped that he'd only fallen unconscious, but a pool of blood surrounded him. He hadn't moved an inch.

"It doesn't matter what she thinks," the other Jotun said roughly. "He can't hear her. We saw to that."

How? Maeve struggled against her captor harder than ever. He pressed a blade to her throat. She tried to calm down, but hyperventilation had set in and her entire body was wracking with sobs. She could feel hot blood dripping down her neck, which only terrified her further.

Even though she knew in her heart that it wouldn't work, she was beyond desperate. 'Loki! Loki! Loki!'

"Are we sure it's her? That's the last thing we need, to kidnap the wrong one!"

"Of course it's her. Frey's girl. Loki's little pet." The shorter one ripped her sleeve up, revealing her soul mark. His touch burned her skin, and she let out a pained whimper, asking the plants for assistance in vain. Her greatest asset had been stolen from her. "Let's get out before someone catches us."

He'd covered her mouth and nose, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't take in the air she needed. Black crept into the edges of her vision before taking over suddenly and plunging her world into unconsciousness.