Frigga wandered through the forest, trying to stop herself from crying, and telling herself over and over again that the child born of Odin and Jord's union would always have her full love. She would not make the child suffer just because she made a mistake, and thought she could handle something that she could not. She didn't think about Odin – she couldn't think about him.

The snow got thicker as it fell, and by the time Frigga had decided to turn back, it was dark and the path she had taken was completely covered. She tried to retrace her steps, but soon realised she was lost.

"Terrific," she muttered, kicking a tree.

Well, she wasn't going to find her way back in these conditions. She settled down between the roots of some large spruces. She cast a magical barrier around herself to keep the cold out, and laid her head on her arms.

Tomorrow, I will talk to Odin. We'll work this out. Frigga wiped her eyes with her sopping, frozen sleeves, and pulled her hair over her face to try to keep some warmth in. I was the one to push this. I will not stay angry with him. He did what was necessary, just as I did. He loves me, and I love him. I will not let this come between us.

An owl hooted somewhere in the forest, and Frigga peered through her hair and the darkness. She sat up, and grabbed a few stones. Setting them in her palms, she held them close to her face and whispered a few magical words. Her fingers warmed as the stones began to glow. She tossed them through her air barrier, lighting the area around herself. A warm, yellow light shone four feet in every direction.

"That's better." Frigga nodded.

While the mortal animals on Midgard couldn't harm her, she still didn't want to encounter them in the darkness. After all, her clothing was not indestructible, and this was her favourite dress. Better to be able to frighten off any wild animals before they attacked than after.

How was she supposed to tell her mother? Her father? They had not been partial to her marriage to Odin in the first place. When they learned of this, there would be nothing she could say to convince them it was her idea. They'd blame Odin.

"I just won't tell them." She plucked a few ferns to lay on the ground under her head, and pulled her skirt over her toes for extra warmth.

How will Freyja react? Frigga winced as she thought of her friend learning that Odin, her brother-in-law, had slept with her mother to produce a child. She could almost imagine Freyja, asking her how she could have been so submissive. The thought made bile and anger well in her chest and she shook her head. Freyja would not find out, either, unless Jord told her. And then there'd be a whole other argument.

"It will all work out" she told herself. "As soon as Odin and I have a talk, it will all be good."

#

Sometime during the night, Frigga woke briefly to a gentle cawing in her ear, and two large ravens settling down against her. She welcomed their warmth, and slept more soundly. In the morning, Huginn and Muninn plucked at her sleeves and woke her while the sky was still grey. Odin's ravens rubbed their heads against her cheeks, and she smiled.

"Huginn, go tell Odin I am on my way back." He must have sent the ravens to find her."Muninn, I trust you can show me the way?"

Both ravens called, and Huginn took wing. Muninn jumped onto Frigga's shoulder, close to her ear. The warmth of his body was welcome against the chilly day. She headed back, guided by the raven. A few hours later, she heard Huginn's call again. Moments later, Odin came into view. His cheeks were flushed from running, and he carried her cloak and muff with him.

Relief broke over Odin's face, and Frigga felt an echoing relief – until he got closer, and the image of him and Jord flashed through her mind. When he reached to embrace her, she drew back.

"Frigga, I've been so worried." He wrapped his arms around her, apparently unaware that she didn't want him to touch her. "When I went back to the cave, you weren't there. I looked all night."

"Huginn and Muninn found me," she told him, squirming out of his embrace, despite how warm he was. "I was alright."

"And why did you run off like that? It's freezing out there, and you didn't even have your cloak!" Odin's eyes narrowed, but he swung the cloak around her shoulders. "You're shivering."

Frigga snatched the muff from him and shoved her hands into it. "You know exactly why I ran, Odin."

His brows furrowed, and his lips pressed tight. He tugged on his left ear – a sure sign that he was confused, but didn't want to admit it. Frigga's hands pressed together, and she rubbed them against one another, trying to get them warm. Did he really not know? She thought back. He hadn't seen her. Only Jord. She'd assumed the elder goddess has told Odin she had seen them, but what if she had not? Frigga swallowed and opened her mouth. She wasn't sure how to say it, and closed her mouth again.

That seemed to be enough for Odin, though. He made a choked, gasping noise and stepped back. His face paled.

"You saw us."

Reluctantly, Frigga nodded. "I saw you. I was going to tell you I changed my mind, but it was too late."

Odin's voice sounded hollow. "You changed your mind?"

Frigga nodded, her neck feeling stiff. "It was too late, and it's too late now. I assume Jord has conceived?"

Odin nodded. His gaze dropped to the ground. "It didn't take long," he mumbled.

A pang hit Frigga in the stomach. It didn't take long. It had taken her decades, and she still hadn't conceived, but Jord, in one night. Not very long. "I see."

"Frigga, if I had known you changed your mind—"

"You couldn't have known." Frigga looked past him. "Let's get back to the cave. I'm freezing out here."

Odin nodded. With the ravens circling them and occasionally flying a head, they returned to the cave where Jord had first brought them. She was there, dressed in a modest gown, white and draping, that was so matronly as to make her look like a Vestal Virgin from Olympia. How she managed to hide her figure at all beggared belief, but she did.

"You found her." Jord stepped forward, worry lines creasing her otherwise youthful face. "Frigga—"

"You didn't tell him that I saw you two."

Jord winced. She withdrew a step. "No. I didn't. You said that the child needed to be conceived. And I knew he would not have continued had he known."

"You should have told me." Odin's voice was a low growl.

Jord turned her gaze to him and her eyes narrowed. She didn't reply to him, however, but continued to address Frigga. "I have conceived now, and there will be no more between Odin and me, ever again. This I swear."

"Of course there will be no more between us," Odin broke in. "I only agreed to this bec—"

"Enough!" Frigga's voice was sharp. "Enough. I don't want to sit here and have to mediate you two bickering when the truth of the matter is that you're both feeling guilty about what happened." She hoped her words were true, and the tension was because of guilt, and not because they both wanted each other again. "So let's just not fight. I'm too tired for this, and quite frankly I wouldn't know whose side I was on."

Odin put an arm around her. "Of course."

Jord nodded as well. "I apologise for suggesting that you may want more than just a child, Odin. I've just had… experiences in the past… but I trust that I have read your character better than that."

Frigga wanted to lean into Odin's embrace, but couldn't make herself. What does that mean? If she thought she wanted more than a child, then he must have really enjoyed himself last night. Her stomach twisted. They could well have continued to lie together, even after Jord had conceived. She only had their word on the matter. What if they were lying to her?

"And I apologise for snapping," Odin said civilly to Jord. "I assumed you were assuming the worst of me. It's what…"

"Freyja would do?" Jord shrewdly guessed.

"Freyja deliberately antagonises Odin," Frigga interrupted. "But this isn't about her. Not right now, at least."

Jord nodded. "I've made hot porridge. You must be starving."

Frigga nodded. She sat on a bench in the cave, next to the fire. She held her stiff fingers out to the flame and sighed in relief as they started to warm again. Odin sat next to her, but with a space between them. The queen was glad for the distance, not wanting to imagine smelling Jord on him. She accepted the bowl of porridge from the elder goddess, and the three lapsed into silence as they ate.

Huginn flew into the cave and perched on Odin's knee. The raven cawed, then tilted his head to one side. Odin set his porridge aside and frowned. Huginn's eyes turned an iridescent blue, the signal that he was communicating with the Allfather. After only a moment, Odin swore under his breath.

"What's wrong?" Frigga asked as Odin stood.

"The Jotunns have attacked Vanaheim," Odin replied, snatching his cloak off the floor. "I have to return to Asgard."

"But—" Frigga swallowed her protest. The Nine Realms came first. We haven't been able to talk. Things are not fine between us. She tried to reassure herself that it would be. Odin had a duty to the realms, and besides that, Vanaheim was threatened. It was the place of her birth, her family still lived there! "Go," she said. "Hurry."

She chewed on her thumb as Odin nodded. He bent and kissed her briefly before dashing from the cave. Frigga jumped to her feet and ran after him.

"Send word about my family," she called.

Odin nodded as the bifrost descended.

Frigga's next words were lost in the rush of sounds that accompanied the rainbow bridge. "And I love you!"

She stood in the doorway, staring at the intricate pattern in the ground where Odin had been standing moments ago. Her hands clenched in her skirt. He knows I love him.

If he went into battle, she might never see him again. Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away and turned back to Jord. Normally in such a circumstance, she would busy herself, helping Eir and the healers in their own efforts to help Asgard in this war. It was impossible right now, but that didn't mean that she had to mope around doing nothing.

"Well, there must be something around here for me to do," she said, her voice steely. "What is it?"

"The mortals are always in need of a little help," Jord said. "But that can wait. You're still frozen to the bone."

"I can handle a little cold."

Jord nodded. "I'm sure you can. But I do want to talk a little as well."

Frigga returned to her seat and picked up her porridge. "Talk about what?"

"First, I need to know if you think you can love this baby, after what you witnessed."

"Yes," Frigga said without hesitation. "That's why I changed my mind. Because I wasn't sure if I would be able to… but in the end, I will love that baby with all my heart. I know that now, more than anything else." She looked at her hands. "That may be the only thing I know right now."

Jord sat beside her. "Odin will not die in this war. I see it clearly. He will rule Asgard for many, many years to come. You need not fear for his life."

"Many things can happen to a man besides death," Frigga replied, but her heart eased at Jord's words. "Can you see if my family on Vanaheim…"

"My vision does not extend that far."

"I understand." She managed a smile, though her stomach twisted again. "Can you tell if the baby is a boy or a girl?"

"Not yet. It will take some time for the baby to decide that one." She pressed a hand to her stomach. "I do feel this pregnancy will progress quickly, though, and the child will be powerful. More so than my Vanir children, I think, but not as much as my eldest sons. Well. Atum at least. It's debateable whether Thoth has any powers besides his ability to keep his library organised." Jord laughed.

"Tell me about him," Frigga found herself saying. Jord nodded, and happily talked about her son, fondly outlying his flaws as though they were his weapons. Frigga listened, trying not to imagine her mother run through by a Jotunn spear, or her father being clubbed to death, or her sister being taken back to Jotunehim as one of their slaves.

Please be safe, she prayed. Please be safe.