"No, you don't need to be concerned," Loki told her firmly before she could keep investigating too closely at your condition. She kept staring at you, though, unconvinced. You tried to ignore her and focus on the beauty around you, especially the rainbow bridge just outside of the chamber you were in, the horses, and the palace in the distance in the golden city. You were in awe of its beauty and very nearly stepped out from the shade of the chamber into the sunlight; it was only Loki's arm around your shoulders that kept you in place.

"Not even a little? Because I'm definitely concerned," Sif replied, still staring at you, as if trying to figure out what was wrong with you. Oh, if only she knew...

"There's nothing to worry about, Sif," Loki reassured her, even as you summoned your parasol and thick black sunglasses. You could tell from here that the sun here was extra bright, and just glittered even worse form the gold of the city.

Sif just glared at him, eyeing the objects in your hands. "Seriously? An umbrella though it's not raining? Dark glasses? A cloak in late spring? And her heart isn't beating? She is not a normal mortal, Loki. What's going on?" Sif demanded in Asgardian, trying to spare you from her demands. You couldn't help stiffening a little in reaction to it, though Sif didn't seem to notice.

Loki glared at her, knowing perfectly well that you could understand what she was saying. "Sif, enough. You don't need to know," he told her firmly, a hint of a growl in his words.

Sif looked like she was going to argue more, but both boys were glaring at her. "Fine. You two aren't dumb enough to try to hide whatever this is from the Allfather, are you? I mean you've had some stupid plans in the past, but you know he hates deceptions..." she added defensively when the boys continued to glare.

"This is not something that concerns the Allfather," Loki growled in reply, glaring at her. "If I feel he needs to know, he will..." You got tired of them grumbling and bickering, especially when Sif already knew that something was up, so you vanished your cloak and stepped out into the sun when Loki was busy grumbling at Sif, so you could show her exactly what was wrong with you and the sun. You didn't like causing the strife between the boys and one of their friends.

"Y/N!" Loki exclaimed when he saw you step into the sun. You just stared up at it, confused. It didn't hurt. It wasn't blinding you. You grinned in shocked disbelief of feeling the sun on your skin and not pain. Loki grabbed you and hauled you back into the shade. "What in Valahala do you think you're doing?" he demanded worriedly, looking you over for any sign of sun damage.

"I was going to show your friend what the hell is wrong with me in the sun so you three could stop bickering over it. But it appears that the sun here doesn't affect me," you replied, grumpy at being stopped until your words registered to your own ears. You broke from his grip and darted back out into the sun, vanishing your parasol and glasses as you couldn't help giggling in delight and spreading your arms wide, spinning on the rainbow bridge in delight in much the same manner as Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music.

You stopped and looked back at Loki, who was smiling a bit shyly, especially, it seemed, to be showing so much care for you in front of Sif. "At least that's something we don't have to worry about hiding from Father," he said, reassured by that fact and joyed that you didn't have to hide from the sun here. It was still draining, though it didn't hurt, didn't burn, didn't have any ill effects except making you a little sleepy. Your excitement over seeing the sun properly for the first time in years greatly outweighed any tiredness you felt.

"He's still going to notice her heart doesn't beat," Sif grumbled, though even she couldn't help smiling at your joy at the sun.

"We can hide that with magic...hopefully," Loki replied as you walked over to the horses to coo at them. He watched you coo and talk nonsense to the war horses, who usually hated everyone, but seemed to like you. There were three men standing over by the horses, you noted, they watched you confused, but didn't do anything to stop you from talking nonsense to the horsies.

"Any you the quiet reserved magician, ended up with that ball of sunshine how exactly?" one of the men demanded as they watched you.

Loki chuckled. "I got lucky," he replied warmly.

You turned back to the three of them "Noodle, which one's yours?" you asked, indicating the horses. Tony's silly nickname had stuck. Especially when he still kept calling you 'kitten'.

"Noodle?" Sif laughed, the men by the horses did too. She looked at Loki, saw his expression, and laughed harder.

"Sorry, Danger Noodle," you corrected with a smirk.

"Darling, must you tease me here?" Loki asked with a scowl, his voice exasperated.

You went back over to him, leaving the horses behind and kissed him, both in reassurance and apology in cased you and really annoyed him. He usually didn't get too grumpy when you used silly nicknames for him. It was when Stark did it that he got upset. "If I didn't tease you'd think I don't love you," you informed him quite logically.

He sighed into the kiss. "I know you love me, kitten," he replied warmly. Then added with a smirk "What's not to love?"

"You could stand to lose the massive ego, noodle," you teased him in reply.

"You love my ego." His smirk just got more pronounced.

You laughed in reply. "Whatever you say, noodle," you added with an eyeroll. You then decided to get him back on track. "So are we going to stand on the pretty rainbow bridge all day, or are you going to show me the realm whose beauty you've been bragging about for months?" you asked with a hint of teasing. He really had been talking about the wonders of Asgard for months. Poor boy was homesick, though he'd never admit it.

He grinned in reply. "Alright. Come along, kitten. We have much to see a very little time to do it. Plus, I have someone I would like you to meet," he told you with a fond smile and you couldn't help lighting up at excitement to meet someone who could put that expression on his face

Loki led you over to one of the horses a gorgeous sleek black one that you'd had the idea was his. He made introductions of you to the three men who he introduced as 'Thor's idiot friends' and gave their names, but you couldn't remember them or tell which one belonged to which name. Sif and Thor came over and spoke with the three men and the warriors started commenting about how strange 'Loki's little mortal' was. You rolled your eyes and told them "I can't possibly be that strange!" Your words were also in Asgardian, a little slow still, but clear enough.

They all gave Loki an incredulous disbelieving look and demanded: "You taught her our language?" loudly and disbelieving.

Loki just smiled proudly at her and hugged you around the shoulders."My beloved has many skills. Including the ability to learn nearly anything you put in front of her. She taught herself our language. From books," he added when his first revelation shut Sif up to where her mouth was opening and closing in disbelief with no sound coming out.

He swung up gracefully into the saddle of his horse and offered you a hand. You took it and he easily swung you up onto the horse behind him. "Also I'm not mortal," you added to Thor's friends with an innocent grin.

Loki smirked at their reactions and clicked at his horse. It sped off while Thor and his friends were left behind in stunned silence. You laughed at the sun on your skin and wind in your hair as your arms wrapped around Loki's waist and he rode straight to the palace. He dismounted when hostlers came to take his horse around to the stables and helped you down. You could have done it yourself, had you not been wearing a floor-length dress. You thanked him for helping you and straightened out your dress again.

Loki offered you his arm and you placed your hand on it lightly, staring around in awe as he led you through the halls of the palace. He explained interesting sights along the way and nodded a polite greeting to people who bowed or curtsied to him as he walked. He clearly had a destination.

"Loki! I wasn't expecting you home!" A woman exclaimed as you enter what Loki called the healing wing. She jumped up to and ran over to the doorway, which you barely made it through, to hug him. You stayed back a couple steps, feeling like an intruder on their private moment.

"It is wonderful to see you again, Mother." Loki returned her hug with a warm smile and kissed her cheek. So this was his beloved mama. He released Frigga and turns to introduce you. "Mother, I wanted you to meet my beloved, Y/N of Midgard. Darling, this is my mother, Frigga, queen of Asgard," that part was unnecessary of course. You knew who she was as soon as he said 'mother'. However, you dipped a curtsy and gave her a polite greeting, though you were awkward and shy around the queen of an entire realm.

After the pleasantries were exchanged, she turned back to Loki suspiciously "You're home suddenly, darling, did you upset your father again?" she asked him firmly, but with such a polite gentle caringness that even Loki couldn't be upset.

"Mother," he replied with an exasperated sigh and an eyeroll, though not as dramatic of one as usual in front of his mother. "We... recently discovered something interesting about myself that I thought would never happen..." he trailed off, trying to find the proper words.

"Besides that you finally found a lady worthy of your attention?" Frigga teased him with a mischievous smirk. You could clearly see where he got his mischief from.

He chuckled in reply. "Besides that I finally found someone who loves me for who I am. It's slightly more important..." he trailed off again.

"I highly doubt there's anything more important than that, darling, but what is this interesting discovery?" she prompted gently, with the tone of a mother urging the truth out of her son.

Loki sighed and tried again "It turns out... I might actually... be worthy... for once in my life..." He tried as if that would clearly explain the concept he was trying to get across to her.

You sighed in exasperation and decided to jump in and help him out, but first "Stubborn noodle," you grumbled under your breath. You raised your voice to address Frigga, keeping your tone carefully polite "He lifted Mjolnir," you explained in blunt terms, since Loki seemed incapable of doing it himself.

Loki turned to you with a look that was a mix of actual gratitude covered in sarcasm and snark. "Thanks, kitten. I was getting to that," he grumped, though he was pleased that you thought enough about him to help him out.

Frigga reached up and cupped Loki's cheek, smiling warmly. "I have always known you were worthy, my darling, you just had to convince yourself," her voice is so warm and caring that Loki smiles fondly at her, relaxing at her acceptance of his news. Frigga leaned up once he was relaxed whisper in his ear in Asgardian. You moved away to investigate the soulforge, accepting the whisper and change in language for the request for privacy that it was and pretended that you couldn't hear her words or understand them. "Darling, did you bring your lady to me for healing?" Frigga asked Loki, her voice full of concern. She didn't know you spoke their language either.

"The offer is appreciated, Mother," he replied in the same language, his voice soft, since he knew you could hear and understand. "She was captured and tortured and you are a far stronger mind healer than I am. I would appreciate your assistance," he glanced over at where you were investigating the soulforge and other healing technology, for all the world the polite tourist.

Frigga tried extremely hard not to roll her eyes. She failed, miserably. Her next words were extremely dry and you knew exactly where Loki gained his sense of humor and dry sarcasm. "Darling, have you failed to notice that her heart does not beat? That tends to be quite the fatal condition for Midgardians if left untreated..."