"We've begun the necessary preparations for your birthday, my dear. It's only a few weeks away," Frigga said brightly. Maeve glanced up from a pot of flowers she had been tending. Pink coated her cheeks, enhanced by the simple dress she wore.

"Oh, there's no need, Allmother. I don't need anything big."

The Queen shook her head at the girl. "Nonsense! It's not every day a young woman turns one thousand, is it?"

"No, I suppose it isn't. Please, though, nothing overboard. I assume the ceremony will be more than enough."

"Ah." Frigga sat down on the window bench and drew Maeve's attention away from the now-blooming daffodils. "Are you excited, my dear?"

"I'm excited to see my brothers again, more than anything else," she admitted. "But I will certainly be honored to become a Vanir goddess officially." She wondered what her title would be.

"I'm not surprised. Each encounter you had with them brought a smile to my face. You are all close, are you not?"

Maeve nodded. "Very. My father was always busy, and my mother was always with the army. We were all we had most of the time. I just got a letter from Corey yesterday, actually."

Frigga contemplated this. While she knew Odin had no opinion, she liked Loki's fiancé very much. When she broke out of her formal mannerisms, she was sweet yet witty, a perfect match for her son's silver tongue. She also possessed a calming presence, a quality the queen believed would serve the girl well next to Loki's temper. "May I ask you a question? You don't have to answer it if you don't like, but I'd like you to be honest." Hesitantly, the princess nodded again, and Frigga asked, "do you like it here?"

Maeve took a moment to reflect on the last two months she had spent in Asgard. There were certainly lonely moments, nights where she cried herself to sleep and days she spent completely by herself. But there were other moments where she smiled.

"Yes. I do. It's beautiful here, and I've met some wonderful people."

"Is it wrong of me to ask what you think of my son?"

Maeve giggled, trying to fight the red creeping up her neck. "No, I don't think it is. We enjoy each other's company. I like him. He's funny, and he's smart, but he's not loud like... well, he's not loud like Thor."

The Allmother joined in the girl's laughter. "If you could find a man in all of the nine realms as loud as Thor, you could just knock me over with a feather."

"I think my brothers could give him a run for his money."

Loki hesitated outside of her door, fist held inches away from knocking. Odin had granted him a day to do with whatever he pleased, and he immediately swept out of the room, halfway there before he realized that he was on his way to Maeve's room, not the library. It was purely instinctual, not thought out at all.

What was it about her? He puzzled this as he leaned on the door. He originally had less than no interest in even knowing her, and now she was the person he wanted to spend his time with?

Deep down, Loki knew that there was something different about Maeve. The Vanir princess didn't treat him like he was inferior to anyone. She saw him as his own person, not Odin's son, not Thor's brother. As Loki. And she wasn't perturbed by his pranks. In fact, she enjoyed them.

The prince's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden opening of the door he was leaning on. He tumbled to the floor, landing on a very surprised Maeve's feet.

"Hi there."

"Hello," he said, blushing as he rose to his feet. His embarrassment grew further when his mother approached from behind Maeve, a knowing smile on her lips. "Hello, Mother."

"Are you all right, Loki?" Frigga asked teasingly.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry, if I'm interrupting something, I can come back-" He started to leave, but Maeve grabbed his arm.

"No!" She cleared her throat as the prince turned around, surprised by her eagerness. "No, we were just finishing."

"Then come with me. I have something to show you."

"Now?" Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement when he nodded. "Okay."

"Have a good afternoon," Frigga said, winking at the pair before leaving for her chambers.

Maeve accepted his outstretched arm, and the two walked down the golden hallways together. "Where are we going?" The princess asked.

"The library."

Maeve laughed a little. "That's not a surprise. You've shown me the library before."

"I did. I showed you the palace library." He hesitated. "Today, I wanted to show you mine."

"You have a library?"

"Yes. Not many know where it is, only Thor and Mother. It's a secret. But it's my favorite place in the entire palace. I go there to escape sometimes."

"Then why are you showing me?"

Loki shrugged, avoiding her gaze at all costs. "I thought you would enjoy it."

Loki led her down a hallway she had never been to before, one that normally brought her to the kitchen. However, instead of going straight, he detoured down a small corridor with a locked door. "Most people think this is a broom closet," he explained, flicking his fingers. The door unlocked at the motions. "But it's not."

He stepped inside, and Maeve followed. It wasn't a large room by any means, maybe a bit smaller than her bedroom, but the entire back wall was lined with books. A small fireplace inhabited the corner, as well as a long, comfortable-looking green couch.

"Wow," Maeve whispered. "This is so cool. I wish I had a place like this growing up."

"It was a closet originally," Loki said, running his fingers down the spine of a novel before shelving it carefully. "When I was young, some of Thor's friends were chasing me. I took a wrong turn and ended up in this hallway. I hid in here for hours." He looked around, the memories flooding back for the first time in years. He generally wasn't this open, but once again, the princess seemed to be an exception to his usual rules. "When I finally thought it would be safe to come out, everyone was looking for me. I realized it was the best hiding place I knew, so I slowly started converting it into a library of my very own. All of the books are mine."

"All of them?" Maeve found herself drawn to the many titles. "What's your favorite? Do you have any recommendations?"

"Well, what do you like to read?"

"Adventures and fantasies," she answered. Loki thought for a moment, then retrieved a small green book. She took it in her hands. "The Magician's Nephew?"

"It's one of seven books," he explained. "The Chronicles of Narnia are very popular on Midgard right now."

"Midgard? This is from Midgard?" 

Loki grew confused at her questions. "Yes. Why?"

"We weren't allowed to read anything other than histories from other realms growing up in Vanaheim. It was forbidden," she said, flipping through the book with interest. "This is incredible. Thank you!"

He smiled warmly. "You're welcome."

The two spent the entire afternoon pouring over books. Maeve didn't put the novel down at all, making it very easy for Loki to steal glances at her. He admired her focus, how engrossed she seemed in the story. The warm feeling in his chest grew as he watched her. Despite their odd situation and obvious differences, he knew he wanted to know her better. 

"Maeve?" He asked. She carefully marked the page before looking up at him with a smile. "I've been thinking. I'd like to ask you something."

"Ask away," she dared. Mischief glinted in her blue eyes. 

"Will you be my kaerasta?"

"Loki, you do know that we're already engaged," she pointed out. He nodded, having expected that.

"I know. But that wasn't my choice, and it wasn't yours. I thought we could take this into our own hands, make a few choices of our own that have nothing to do with our fathers. I want to do this the right way. So, may I court you?"

"I'll be your kaerasta." Maeve took his hand and squeezed it. "Will you read to me?" 

"Of course," he purred, taking the book from her hands and finding the page. Tucking her feet underneath her, she laid her head on his shoulder as he began to read. 

Hey you guys! It's been a few days, I hope you enjoyed this. 

Translation: kaerasta = girlfriend in Icelandic ;)