For a week, Loki hid in his rooms after the dance. He had become almost obsessive with thinking of the few minutes he had spent dancing with Cara. How they had maintained eye contact throughout. He had adored every moment of it. He thought of their conversations, of their simple moments of talking and realised he loved them, he loved spending time around Cara.

Cara though, had her days keep her busy, spending long portions of them wondering what it was that Loki had been trying to ask before he ceased thinking it a good idea and fleeing the room rather than stay and continue talking. Part of her was wondering if it was her that had been the problem. If he felt that, after everything, it was not the best idea to associate with her. As much as it hurt her, she knew that if that were to be his choice, she could only accept it. But she hoped not as she found herself loving the conversations they had and she found herself hoping to continue having.

It was still something they had not discussed a month later when Thor was rushed into the healing wounds after he and his friends went on a ride and had somehow had ended up in the middle of a Bilgesnipe fight with Thor having one of their large antlers gore his side.

Loki had not been with them but as he had been in the city when they rode through it with the injured older prince all but slumped over his horse, so he joined them in hopes of getting his brother seen to as quickly as possible.

As Eir, Amie and two other healers worked on cleaning and healing the wound, Cara went to speak with her sister. 'Sif, what happened?' Sif remained silent. 'You have to tell me.'

'You'll just tell everyone.'

Cara's jaw clenched. 'I am not allowed tell people, Sif, just tell me how he ended up speared by a Bilgesnipe antler.' Sif bit the inside of her cheeks. 'Yes, I know what their antlers look like, we're not stupid in these healing rooms. I have spent the last two centuries studying these things. Just tell me what happened.' She said nothing. Cara looked to the Warrior's Three next but none of them would meet her gaze. She shook her head and looked at Loki. 'There is no point to even asking you.'

'Can you blame him?' Sif asked. 'Of all of us, he is top of the list as to who cannot trust you.'

'Actually, I was referring to the fact that he clearly was not with you.' Cara explained.

'How do you ascertain that?' Volstagg asked.

'He is not dressed in armour, like you lot, he is in a tunic.' She pointed out.

'They went baiting Bilgesnipe.' Loki explained. 'They do it every so often, they lure them out with ammonia.'

'That explained the smell.' Cara nodded. 'Thank you.' She looked around at the others again, who were all glaring at Loki, clear looks of betrayal on their face. 'Was it male or female?' They looked at her confused. 'Was the Bilgesnipe male or female?'

'Does it matter?' Sif asked.

'Female ones secrete a toxin onto their antlers that does not allow wounds to heal, so yes, it matters considerably. If we don't give him the antidote, he will not heal, if we give it to him and he does not need it, that causes severe issues also.'

The warriors all looked at one another for a moment. 'We honestly don't know.'

'Bright green or a forest colour green?' Loki questioned. They gave him the same baffled look they had given Cara a moment before. 'Was it a lighter or darker green?'

'Darker.' Hogun stated firmly, the others nodded in agreement.

'Male, fine. I better tell Eir. Why not just tell me from the start and stop wasting my time.' She stated in exasperation before going back inside to relay the information.

'Why did you not just tell her?' Loki growled.

'You of all Aesir should know why.' Sif retorted.

'That was different.' Loki dismissed. 'And she only told Eir then too. You are foolish if you think her telling people is more harmful than helping Thor.'

'Just because you are trying to lift her dress skirt does not mean you should betray us to her.'

'There is no betrayal. Having Thor healed is the only thing that should matter. You cannot be busy fumbling around with whatever pathetic attempt of intimacy you two have if he is not alive to do it with.'

'So you do want to lift her skirts?'

'What would even give you such an idea?' Loki scoffed.

'We saw you two dance at the ball, the whole of Asgard saw it.'

'It was a room full of people and the ballroom floor was in the middle of it. We were not exactly hiding in some corner.' Loki pointed out. 'I have even been forced to dance with you on occasion, it is somewhat expected of people in our position.'

'Yet you do not deny Sif's statement.' Fandral pointed out.

'I would not dignify such a statement with a response.'

'Stay away from my sister.' Sif threatened, going into Loki's face.

'I do not have any plans to bother her in such a manner, but even if I did, I would expect the same courtesy shown to me as you have been given, which is minding my own business and acknowledging that my sibling is a full grown adult who, should they wish to get involved in relationships, not chase away their chases to be happy with whomever they see fit to do so with.' He looked her in the eye as he spoke the next sentence. 'Even when you find their choice in partner to be severely lacking.'

Sif's nostrils flared. 'No wonder Lucia…'

'Don't you dare finish that sentence.' The group turned to see Cara behind them, standing behind them, her face one of utter disbelief and irate anger at what she had just heard her sister say.

'Cara..'

'How could you ever say such a thing?'

'I...He….'

'What, the two of you have been exchanging insults for over half a millennium on your opinions of one another, but you never let it get too personal, then after everything, which I know you know the details of, you choose to say such a thing, what the hell is wrong with you? How would you like it if you had been assaulted in such a manner only for people to say your assailant was right to do so?' She shook her head. 'I dare you to go in there and tell Thor what you just said and see what he thinks.'

'And you will tell him if I don't?'

'If it prevents you from ever saying such things again, I would.' She shook her head again. 'I...there are no words, Sif. You have no right.' She looked at Loki. 'He is asleep at present, via a potion. He will wake in about an hour or so. Because the wound is not life-threatening, there is no need to alert the Allfather and Allmother as to the actual cause, but I would suggest a solid story as to why he is wounded as he is. I would personally go with a drunken challenge to a duel. His armour, I can dispose of because it bears too many claw, scale and tooth marks, so he will need a tunic and a pair of pants.'

'Thank you.' Loki gave a slight nod.

'Now, I better go and send out some messenger pigeons to tell people everywhere about this, would Heimdall leave them through the Bifrost? I have a few people on other realms to tell as well.'

To their own dismay, the warriors could not prevent themselves laughing slightly as Sif clenched her jaw.

'You may have to wait for another to be in need of using it first, I'm afraid.' Loki chuckled.

'How am I supposed to gossip under such conditions?' Cara scoffed. 'Well, that's my plans for the evening gone.' She looked at her sister with anger once more before walking off.

'I bet you loved that.' Sif growled at Loki.

'After everything she has done for me, no, not in the slightest.' Loki confessed. 'Now we, and I mean we, were in the city. I was in the market square, you all were simply toying around. There is a tavern just outside the city walls, the Iron Gates, we went there, the barkeep owes me a favour, he will collaborate our story. Thor declared himself to be the best because let's face it, he is prone to such. You,' He pointed to Sif. 'Playfully challenged him to put his money where his mouth is, shenanigans ensued and as they say, it was all fun and games until he got hurt. Thor will agree and no one will ever see fit to think you would ever hurt you beloved Thor maliciously and we don't all suffer as a result of this.'

'Why include yourself in this though?' Fandral asked. 'You are risking a reprimanding for nothing.'

'You lot never just toy around the city, that is something I am prone to doing and I was seen coming through it with you.'

'But you could get blamed if this goes awry.' Volstagg stated.

'My brother has just been impaled on a Bilgesnipe antler. How does that not constitute awry to you?' Loki questioned. 'Right, I will go and tell Cara the story so she can have Thor know the version of events we are going with on his waking up. Sif, stop scowling and get Thor's clothes, something smart or as smart as a full grown man baiting and getting in the way of a Bilgesnipe can be, anyway and something similar for yourself, and get them back here and I can make it look like he was wearing them instead. You three….' The warriors looked at him astutely. 'Have new armour made for him immediately. It will take some time to do and for the love of the Norns, make sure this armour is designed to actually protect him. I don't want to be the Allfather at all but if I have to become such, I do not want it to be because my moronic brother got struck in the midsection baiting wild animals, it is embarrassing for both him and I.'

'Good to see you have your priorities straight.' Volstagg laughed before he and the other warriors did as requested.

Loki looked around at Sif who was still standing there, looking at him. 'Yes?'

'You don't want the throne?'

'Do you honestly believe everyone wants the same things in life?' Loki scoffed. 'I don't want the throne, I want to have my own life.'

'But you…'

'You have no idea about anything to do with me, so don't speak about any of it.' Loki warned. 'I had a bad time, I have come out of that stronger and better. Cara taught me to think about what I want and how to achieve what I want.'

'That was how our father raised us.' Sif acknowledged. 'I...I'm sorry. You're right, I don't know anything about...what happened. And Cara was right, as much as you and I do not like each other, our comments have never been so….'

'Malicious.'

'I was going to say personal.'

'Malicious is more accurate.'

'I am sorry.'

'I notice you waited until we are alone to say that.'

'Why Cara?'

'You are reading too much into this.'

'You cannot look anyone in the eye and say nothing happened between you at that ball.'

Loki looked her directly in the eye as he spoke. 'Nothing happened between us at the ball.'

'You are a natural born liar. I know what I saw.'

'Like how you saw Lucia to be too good for me and how I was a miserable git?' Sif could not look him in the eye. 'And on that statement, just know that I am not going to risk my being hurt like that again.'

Sif gave him an insulted look. 'Cara would never…'

'You are a very conflicting individual Sif, one minute you are saying to not go near your sister, the next you are trying to imply that she is a better prospective partner than others.'

'I don't want anyone, much less you, anywhere near my sister, but to dare suggest she could ever….'

'Cara would slit her own throat before intentionally hurting another.'

Yes.' Sif acknowledged. 'I just….I am still trying to understand this.'

'There is nothing to understand. There is nothing between Cara and I. She is merely someone who have immense gratitude to for the obvious reasons.'

'Fine, but if you hurt her…'

'Just get the clothes.' Loki growled.