At Thor's inauguration, Eir watched Loki, puzzled. This god, back from prison, back from punishment, shunned by all and just now beginning to be accepted into the fold. Loki's face was contorted. Angry, narrowed eyes, scowled mean-looking mouth. Even his fists were clenched.
Loki wasn't at all happy for his brother, or even happy to be here.
At the inaugural banquet, Eir kept her eyes on Loki while she herself sat at the handmaiden's table with her sisters. She kept twisting around to see him.
"Eir," said Saga over the top of her beer stein, noticing that the little maiden kept turning around, "what has got you so entranced?"
Saga turned to look, but as Loki was not fascinating to anybody, least of all Saga, she could not understand what Eir was distracted by.
Eir kept watching as Loki sulked through his dinner. Suddenly, he looked up, and his green eyes locked on hers.
Eir gasped and spun around.
Loki wondered why his mother's little handmaiden had been staring at him. He was under enough scrutiny; why did she have to glare at him as well? This little blonde being sitting at the long bench table with the deplorable Saga (who was busy drinking Odin under the table). Why, this child had barely reached womanhood! Her long blonde hair hung down her back in an almost sloppy way, and there were wildflowers strewn through it.
Wildflowers? Now, in the dead of winter?
As Loki was scrutinizing her, the young maiden turned her head again. She startled when she saw he was still watching her. That made Loki smile. He enjoyed having power over anyone.
But just then, she returned the smile, a small bashful grin that tilted up at the corners and made her eyes sparkle.
Loki's neck began to feel warm, and he quickly looked away. He got up to fetch another jug of water from the cook, who was being far too slow at bringing it round.
When Loki returned to the table, the maiden was gone.
That evening, after the festivities had died down, Thor received news that the Frost Giants were advancing and were now posing a serious threat to Asgard.
"We will have to prepare ourselves for battle," Thor told the court. "Send word to assemble all our men. We leave tonight for the border in the mountains, and we attack at dawn."
The kingdom became a flurry of activity as all worthy warriors assembled their gear and supplies.
"Brother," Thor said to Loki as he approached him. "You know what this means. You've been unresponsive and ill-tempered since you've returned, and now we face real danger." He leaned in close and hissed in Loki's ear. "Make sure you remember whose side you're on in this battle."
With a swish of his cape, Thor hurried up the steps to inform his mother.
Loki glowered at Thor, hating him with every breath. Impudent, arrogant oaf! He was no more fit to be king than a water rat. Loki knew he had no choice but to head into battle, but surely there was some way to sway one of the Frost Giants to kill his brother. Then Loki would be king. Rightfully so.
Adopted or not.
Thor surveyed his troops and declared them fit for battle. As he performed a head count and roll call, he told Loki to check if Frigga and Odin were ready to join them.
As he headed past the barn toward the palace, Loki noticed Eir stroking the nose of the giant Clydesdale and feeding it carrots. Her white blonde hair was shrouded under her cloak, but a few strands managed to escape and wisp around her face. Loki heard her laugh gently as the giant horse crunched and snorted.
He was still transfixed when Thor came up to him.
"Brother," shouted Thor, startling Loki, "it is time. We go at once."
Loki looked hard at Eir. "Bring the girl child," he said to Thor.
Thor coughed in disbelief. "Loki, you can't-"
"Bring her!" Loki shouted. "You cannot win this battle without a healer."
"A healer? She's a child, and Mother's mere handmaiden! She'll be killed instantly!"
Loki grabbed Thor by the collar of his armor. "I will not let that happen. Now, bring the girl."
Thor backed away, hands up. "Alright, brother. As you wish." He turned to call the maiden. "Eir! Come here at once!"
Eir looked up from the horse and came running to Thor. "Yes, my Lord."
"Bring your potions and your balms, your herbs and your stones. You are needed on the battle's fray."
Eir gasped. "My Lord?"
Thor smiled. "Not to worry, little one. Mother will be there, as will Syn and Var. You shall be well sheltered and out of harm's way."
She looked down at the ground. Loki wondered if perhaps he'd made a mistake in insisting that she be brought along. She raised her eyes and slid them toward Loki. He gave her a small, encouraging smile.
"Yes, my Lord, if it be thy will."
"Good. Go and assemble your necessities. We leave in five minutes' time."
Eir curtseyed and flew off into the palace.
The large group of warriors, gods and goddesses alike, made their way up the steep incline of the mountainside. Loki, fresh out of prison, was not in top form and he felt tired on the first leg of the journey. The snow fell steadily, and the higher up the mountain they went, the more raw the wind became. Cold seeped into Loki's bones. By the time the group reached the shelter point, Loki could barely stand.
As the lesser warriors began to erect tents and shelters, Frigga and Odin began to unpack the wagons full of sleeping mats, robes, food and supplies for their cavern shelter right in the mountain's face.
Loki could do little but watch the busy group. As he stood there, nearly useless, he heard Odin come up behind him.
"I'm watching you, boy," Odin muttered threateningly. "Don't think that everything is forgiven just because you've done your time. You are linked to these foes, and I've never forgotten how easily you defected to the other side last time."
Loki blinked and stepped back. Odin leered at him with his one good eye, and then slowly walked away.
Loki looked over the valley of Asgard. It became clear to him now that this was really happening. The Frost Giants of Jotunheim were nearly upon them, and he would have to choose which family to fight against. He drew in a shuddery breath, feeling more weak than ever.
He surveyed the landscape again. Presently, he spotted the handmaiden Eir crouching in the snow. She hovered her hands over the frozen ground. Light came from her fingers and melted the snow. Grass came up, along with a score of wildflowers. Eir gently picked them and then waved her hand back over the earth. The light disappeared, and the snow rapidly covered the patch of grass. She stood up, cupping the wildflowers in her small hands, touching the petals gently. As she walked along, staring at her wildflowers, she bumped into Loki.
"Ooh!" she cried, and then did a little curtsey. "I'm sorry, my Lord." Then she looked up him.
"What have you got there?" Loki asked her.
"Pulsatilla vernalis, and Dactylorhiza Sambucina," she replied. "They help to clot blot and mend broken bones." She put her flowers in her leather pouch.
Blood. Broken bones. Loki shuddered, feeling sick to his stomach.
Eir saw his face change. "My Lord? Is something wrong?"
Loki covered his face with his hands and cried.
Eir dropped her jaw in shock.
What was she supposed to do here, with this giant sobbing deity?
She looked around for help in the snow-covered mountains, but everyone was busy. The wind suddenly came up and blew her hair around. The wind pushed at her back, forcing her forward step by step. As if it were pushing her toward him.
Go to him. Comfort him.
A gust of wind thrust her ahead with such force that she fell into Loki. He gasped. Eir looked up into his watery green eyes.
Touch him. Heal him.
She lifted her hands up to his face and gently touched his tear-stained cheeks. Light came from her fingers. She hovered her right hand over Loki's heart and stroked it gently. His heart glowed green, and he breathed deeply.
The light faded away, but Eir still kept her fingers on Loki's chest. She looked up at him. There were still tears in the corners of his eyes, and his breath still came in little sobbing shudders. Something stirred in Eir's own heart. Loki would not heal in a few seconds. This wound was too deep, and too old. She turned her head and gently pressed it against Loki's chest so she could listen to the sadness. She felt his loneliness, rejection, and so much pain.
Loki closed his eyes and leaned his cheek on the young girl's head. Warmth seeped through his clothing where she'd pressed her head against him, and he longed for more of it.
Night was coming fast, and the snow swirled around their feet in a frozen cloud. Soon they would have to head to their shelters for the night. But still, Loki and Eir leaned together, Eir's warm little body heating them both.
Frigga and the rest of the handmaidens were busying themselves setting up camp in the largest shelter against the mountain. Thor was gathering his warriors when he caught a glimpse of his brother, a circle of melted snow around his feet. Upon closer inspection, Thor noticed two sets of feet; Loki's black boots, and the bundled cloth shoes of a young girl. Around their feet in the melted snow, green grass was starting to come up, and purple crocuses were poking out between the blades.
Thor was confused. He came around to face Loki, and then he understood.
Wrapped in Loki's cloaked arms was one of his mother's handmaidens, the healer, Eir. Her blonde hair wisped in the wind, and her face glowed against Loki's chest. Loki's eyes, though closed, leaked tears onto her hair.
Thor gently clamped a hand on Loki's shoulder and was surprised to find it warm to the touch. Loki lifted his head and looked at him, blinking as though waking from a long sleep.
"Brother," Thor said gently. "Night falls quickly. You must get to your shelter now, and her to Mother's."
Eir opened her eyes and lifted her head off Loki's chest. The glow stopped, and the cold rushed between them. The ground at their feet became covered instantly in snow, and the crocuses shriveled and died.
Loki felt the cold seep into his bones. The ache in his heart returned. He watched Eir curtsey a little at Thor and him, and then slowly turn and head for Frigga's cavern on the mountainside. Her footsteps melted the snow and then got covered quickly.
Loki felt empty. He allowed Thor to lead him to the warriors' shelter, all the while looking back at the mouth of the cavern that held his Eir.
The warriors' tent was full of men and their weapons. Noisy, drunk, and prone to loud violent arguments. Loki could never understand how these men, who carried on well into the night, could be fit for battle the next day. Loki shrunk down on his mat with his back to the rest of the men and pulled the rough wool blanket up to his shoulders.
"Trickster!" jeered the war god Freyr, poking Loki in the back. "Are you ready for battle, or should we throw you over to the other side now?"
Everyone roared with laughter.
"Enough!" shouted Thor. "Leave him be. He has enough to think about."
Loki shrunk down under the blanket and shivered. There was no warmth now.
Thor had lit a fire in the middle of the warrior's shelter, and it crackled and hissed as it struggled to bring heat to the men. Loki could see the light of his mother's fire glowing through the burlap and canvas walls of the tent.
That fire was surely warmer.
Warmer, because a little girl was there, making it that way.
Loki closed his eyes.
In the middle of the night, as wolves howled through the Scandinavian woods, Loki had a vicious nightmare. They'd lost the battle. Thor was dead, the rest of the crew wounded and dying, Loki's own body was bashed and bleeding on the ground. He'd been unable to move, and yet he saw Odin running towards the Frost Giants. Loki couldn't get up. He tried to shout to his father that he was in grave danger, but his throat filled with blood...
Loki suddenly woke up, gasping and thrashing. He coughed vomit onto the frozen ground beside his mat. He looked up, wondering if anyone else had heard him, but all the solid black shapes were snoring and grumbling in their sleep. He shivered, feeling frightened and sick, and so very, very cold.
Without thinking, he got up, burst out of the flaps of the tent, and stumbled blindly in the gray night through the snow towards the cavern.
The fire was still glowing.
Eir met him right at the entrance, startling him.
"I felt something was wrong," she whispered, holding her arms out. "You are hurting. I could sense it. I was coming to find you."
Loki fell into Eir, doubling over and leaning against her body. She wrapped her arm around his back and helped him inside.
Frigga awoke, hearing Loki's groans. "Loki? What is it, child?"
"Loki is ill, Mistress," Eir explained, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't wake the other handmaidens, nor Odin, who was sleeping with Frigga. "I believe I can heal him, but he will have to stay in our shelter for the night."
"Very well," said Frigga. "Eir, keep him close to the fire. There is room on the north side."
Eir pulled her sleeping robes and mat over to the north side of the fire, which had a little nook made by rocks and some soft moss. She sat Loki down and covered him with her blanket. She rolled up her spare tunic and set it behind his head. Loki leaned into its fragrant softness.
Eir wrapped a cloth around her hand dipped a ladle into the large iron kettle hanging over the fire. Sitting down on the blanket beside Loki, she poured the hot water carefully into a small clay cup. Then, she pulled two vials out of her leather hip pouch and uncorked them. Two pinches from each vile went into the cup. Purple steam puffed and wisped around her head like a halo.
Eir turned and brought the cup to Loki's lips. "Lavender tea," she explained. "Perfect for excising the worst of dreams."
Loki went to sip it, and then looked up at her. "How did you know?"
"People behave a certain way in the night when they wake from bad dreams. I can always tell. Odin has them too, and this is the tea that helps him."
Loki brought the tea to his lips and drank it in. The small perfumed flowers soothed his throat. He looked up at the young girl in the white robe. She was sitting close to him, and heat radiated from her body.
"Please," he whispered. "I'm so cold."
Eir leaned against Loki and slid her arm around his back. His head sank into her chest. She stroked his hair and touched her cheek to his forehead. She unlaced the front of his tunic and slid her hand inside the folds of his clothes to the smooth skin on his bare chest.
At once the light began to glow under his clothes. Loki began to feel warm all over his body. He listened to Eir's steady heartbeat against his ear. The nightmare melted away. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, safe in Eir's arms.
Before dawn, Thor leaned into the entrance of the mountain cavern and spotted Loki's long bony frame curled up with the young maiden Eir. He smiled at the calmness on his brother's face, something he had never seen in their turbulent childhood together. He almost hated to break Loki's sweet slumber, but morning was approaching; there was a battle to prepare for.
"Brother," Thor whispered, gently shaking Loki's foot.
Loki blinked awake and slowly sat up, trying to sift out of his long deep sleep. He turned to look at Eir, and rested his fingers on her sleeping face. There was peace in his heart this morning. He turned and smiled at Thor.
"Brother, are you ready?" asked Thor.
Loki thought about it, then nodded. "I am."
Thor smiled and clamped his shoulder. "It's time."
Loki got up off the floor and turned to look at Eir one last time. Kneeling down, he took the woven cotton blanket that had covered them both and lifted it to smooth over Eir's slumbering form.
She awoke, and saw him.
"Loki," she murmured.
"Yes, little flower," he said tenderly.
"You're well."
He nodded and smiled. "I am. Thanks to you."
"Is it time for battle?"
"It is." He brought the blanket up to her shoulders. "I must away now to prepare. You stay here where it's safe, and I'll come back to you."
Sadness creased Eir's blue eyes. "I fear it. All warriors come to me during battle, and they are not always in good condition when they do."
Loki drew her up to him and touched his forehead to hers. "I swear it that I will come back to you unharmed and will spend the night with you again."
Eir smiled. "Then you will need this." She reached behind her head and undid the knotted wax string around her neck. She held it up. "This is amethyst. It will protect you in battle so that you can be sure to keep your promise."
Eir slipped her hand behind Loki's neck under his long dark hair, and knotted the twine tightly. The little amulet hung on Loki's chest, right beside his heart. At once, it began to glow.
Loki looked up at Eir and smiled. He planted a tender kiss on her lips. "I will return to you, my love."