The atmosphere of the throne room was intense, holding within the air a thick tension that made Loki's palms sweat and Ullr to shift his weight from foot to foot. They had come to the throne immediately following Skadi's disappearance at the ceremony. No one dare spoke, simply waiting for their king to do that first.

Odin sat on his throne and the Horae stood idly by, grouped together and sharing occasional glances as if they were having a telepathic conversation with each other. It wouldn't surprise any of them if they happened to actually be doing that given how connected the Horae are with each other.

From where he stood, Loki spared a glance toward his mother. Frigga stood near the Horae with her hands folded delicately against the fabric of her sapphire blue gown, and although she kept a cool expression on her face, he could see the worry in her eyes. Perhaps not just for Skadi's wellbeing, but for what Odin was going to do about the unintentional disaster that she has caused.

He glanced toward his brother next: Thor was drumming his fingers against his hammer from where he stood leaning against a column with his foot leisurely crossed over the other without a care in the world. He looked impatient, like a man who wanted to speak his mind, but even with his raging arrogance, Thor kept his mouth shut.

Through the silence, the doors suddenly opened up and the commander of the Asgardian army stepped inside, walking at a fast pace up the aisle and toward the throne, where he knelt down and bowed his head slightly before respectfully rising up and removing his helmet. Loki's breath became trapped in his throat as he waited for the news.

Had the scouts found her? Is she okay? That is all he wanted to know but the questions remained stuck on his tongue.

"Has she been found?" Odin queried, getting straight to point. The sooner they found her the better things would be.

"No, my lord," Evon, the commander of Asgard's army, responded. "She was last seen heading east but she left behind no trail to follow."

"Ullr," Odin called the man forward, his sharp eyes falling upon his best archer as the brunette-haired man stepped forward. "Where is she?"

Ullr cleared his throat. "I don't know."

"'You don't know,'" Odin repeated. He breathed sharply through his nostrils, his grip tightening around his scepter. "This is your blood, surely must have some idea where she has gone."

"If I had any reconciliation of where she would be going do you not think I would already be heading there to speak with Skadi myself?" Ullr seethed in high volume. Odin leaned forward on his throne with irritation twisting onto his every feature. It was then, when he spotted the gleam within Odin's eyes, that Ullr realized he shouldn't have raised his voice toward his king. But he couldn't help it. His wife is dead and now his daughter was out there somewhere, alone and scared.

"I am your king!" Odin slammed his scepter down onto the ground, causing Loki to flinch. He always did hate to hear his father speak so harshly.

"Forgive me," Ullr uttered with a bow of his head.

Odin remained silent, staring towards him with flared nostrils before he looked upon the commander of his army and guards. "I want her found immediately," he told the armored man that wielded a tall spear. "Not tomorrow, not the day after ─ today. And when you find her, bring her to me. There is much we have to discuss."

"Your Grace," Ostara spoke up. She bunched up her skirt into her fists and stepped forward to catch Odin's eye. "Forgive me for saying this, but what you have ordered to be done is not a wise decision."

Before Odin could reply, Idunna had stepped forward with a nod of agreement. "Ostara is correct. If you send a thousand men out there to search for Skadi, it will only cause further damage toward Asgard. We need the men here, standing and ready to fight should an enemy learn of what has happened to our realm."

"Skadi needs to be approached with caution and by someone that she loves," Ostara continued. Meanwhile, Emblr and Idunna stayed silent but agreed wholeheartedly with their fellow Horae. "Sending men that she does not know of ─ armed with horses and spears, no doubt ─ will only frighten her. She'll think that we want her dead for what she's done."

Loki's eyes widened slightly and his lips parted in shock at her words. Someone that she loves. Ostara was right. He knew Skadi better than she knew herself at times and if she saw Asgard's army coming toward her with horses and spears, she would surely run in the opposite direction. But if he went─

Loki quickly approached his father, coming up to stand beside Ostara, who spared him a quick glance. "I will go, Father. Allow me to bring Skadi home."

Odin pursed his lips in thought as he leaned back against his chair, tapping his finger against the armrest. He met Loki's pleading stare, pondering his answer for a few moments. Loki was desperate, he could see it swimming in the pools of his cerulean blue eyes, but what would this desperation lead to? Would Loki truly bring her back to Asgard like he was ordering? Or would he help her escape because he was fond of the goddess?

"Father, please." Loki would get on his hands and knees if he had to. Anything to get his father to say yes. "I know Skadi better than anyone, her thoughts, her motives. I'm your best chance of finding her."

"Your Grace." Ullr stepped forward. "Loki is right. I'm ashamed to admit that even I do not know my daughter's motives. I have always been consumed by my duties to Asgard that I never spent time with her as a father should with their children. But your son . . ." Ullr glanced toward Loki and squeezed the raven-haired man's shoulder gently, smiling gratefully toward him. "He is a good man that has been there for my daughter when I was not. If anyone can find Skadi, it is Prince Loki."

Loki stared at the side of Ullr's face in genuine surprise. For so long, he has had to listen to Skadi pour out her heart to him about how she thought her father has never loved her enough to spend time with her. There was a sort of hatred that began to grow in Loki's heart for the man because of it. But now, as he looked at Ullr, he didn't see the dutiful leader of the Asgardian archers, he saw a broken man that just wanted his family back. A man that truly loved his daughter and was ashamed of not spending enough time with her. That was enough to distinguish that flame of hatred within Loki's heart.

Odin nodded. "So be it. Loki, my son, bring her home."

"Thank you, Father," Loki smiled. He bowed his head before turning on his heel and leaving the throne room as fast as he possibly could. The sooner he left, the better chance he had of catching up to her before nightfall.

As he began to make his way toward his bedchambers to gather what he would need for a journey into the woods, he could hear footsteps following after him. Loki glanced over his shoulder and sighed when he caught sight of his brother. "Thor," he greeted tersely.

"Good news, brother, Father says that I am to join you on your quest," Thor said enthusiastically, causing the raven-haired man to frown. Loki had wanted to find her, but he wanted to do it alone.

"Well don't think you're going without me," spoke a new voice. They look ahead and found Sif walking towards them with a smirk plastered on her face.

Loki sighed, "You too, Sif? Does Father not think I can find her on my own?"

"Of course not!" Sif gave him an incredulous look. "But would it really hurt to have help? The more people searching, the better the odds we'll have at finding her. Besides, she is my friend, Loki. So whether you like it or not, I am coming."

Loki stared her down for a few moments, hoping that maybe she would see in his eyes how much he wanted to find Skadi alone, that maybe she would even tell Thor not to come, but she didn't. She stood her ground. Loki knew there was no arguing with Sif when she had her sights set on something. She was incredibly stubborn that way.

He sighed in reluctance. "If you insist."

"Good," Sif smirked, "because I wasn't taking no for answer."

"Splendid!" Thor grinned as he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Sif's shoulder. "We'll meet you outside, brother."