Yay! This one is on time! I told you I wouldn't let you guys down. :)

Chapter Ten: Ten Gallons Full of Crazy in a Five Gallon Bucket

Yevanna regarded her cousin sitting quietly, head down and hands tied behind his back. After his apparent psychotic episode at the banquet, her father had thought it best to restrain the elf and currently they were in one of the upper cells of the usually empty dungeons. Yevanna didn't much like to think about what went on in these dark chambers, but her father hadn't needed to use them since the last vestiges of the civil war, well before her time. Usually if people needed to be punished it was dealt with publicly whether it be through duel, fine, or a stint in the stocks.

She circled him slowly, taking note that he was developing a large bump on his head where she had hit him. Across from her, her father, Thor, Loki and Theo stood, watching quietly, waiting for their prisoner to wake up. After she had knocked him out, the guards had quickly hauled him away to the palace dungeons and Theoderic had spends a few minutes reassuring the rest of the court that everything was okay. Yevanna had quietly stood next to Loki until her father had motioned them to follow him to the dungeons.

"What did he say to you, Yeva?" Theo asked quietly.

"He said 'everything is for you: this, Lord Ibelin, everything.' If he killed Lord Ibelin because of me…that doesn't make any sense. I mean, I quarreled with the man, but that doesn't mean I wanted him dead. What kind of person would come to that sort of conclusion?"

No one answered her question, but all eyes turned to Beowulf as he groaned a little and sat up. The king stepped forward.

"Beowulf, can you hear me?"

Another groan and Yevanna circled around to stand between Theo and Loki. Slowly, Beowulf raised his head and his soft chuckles filled the room. "I see Yevanna must have snuck up on me. She's the only one who can stop a man dead in his tracks like that."

"I hit you with a silver serving platter."

"And that would explain my pounding headache." He joked weakly.

Theoderic cleared his throat. "Beowulf, what were you thinking?"

He looked at his uncle and grinned. "I was thinking, dear uncle, that if I could just kill the Liesmith, Yevanna and throne would be mine."

Her father paused a moment, letting Beowulf's words settle and everyone in the room seemed a little surprised at Beowulf's frankness. When he spoke it was as if to a small child. "Have you ever considered, nephew, that that line of thinking is rather unsound? As we have discussed earlier, Yevanna does not want to wed you and I doubt killing her future husband will change her mind for the better."

"Why not? I am perfect for her in every way," Beowulf raised his head, and looked straight at her. "Yeva, surely you know that? I am your other half in life. Where you are lacking—in, in judgment, and sense—I make up for it."

She just stared at him for a moment, afraid any response would provoke him, but finally she could take his words no longer. "Do you really think insulting my judgment and intelligence is going to endear you to me?"

"Aw, don't be like that, sweetheart. I know deep under all that anger and hard exterior you ache for me."

"Do not presume to speak of me that way!"

She slapped him, hard, snapping his head to the side and raised her hand to hit him on the other cheek, only Loki's cool hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Yevanna, it's not helping."

Loki was right, Beowulf seemed to enjoy her strikes; he was smiling for Valhalla's sake.

"There's my Iron-Maiden." His voice made her skin crawl.

Theoderic continued his questioning, with each answer more surreal than the next. Yevanna could not believe some of the vile, treacherous things her cousin was saying: his blindness to the way his actions affected the kingdom and the people around him. She had always known that he was a bit jealous of her, a bit covetous, but tonight it seemed that he was truly insane. The only small comfort she could glean out of the situation was that he seemed to be just as lustful for the throne as he was for her, as if she was just the most convenient way to power. It made her feel slightly less responsible for his current state, because she did feel responsible. Maybe, just maybe if she had been kinder to him, and not shut him out completely all those years ago, he would be a better man today.

"Now, Beowulf, you said something to Lady Yevanna about Lord Ibelin. What was it?"

"What, that fool? Why would you want to know about him?"

"Did you have anything to do with his death?" Theoderic ask, his tone was stern, but he spoke calmly in order not to alarm the clearly unstable man in front of him.

Beowulf chuckled again. "Death, death, death. All anyone wants to hear about is that fool's death. What about his filthy life? What about what he was doing before he died? His scheming and provocation of you, my dear. I merely talked some sense into him, smoothed things over. Made him understand you, and made him sorry that he ever insulted you in front of the council! And do you know what? He thanked me for released at the end. And you should thank me too, do you know he insinuated that you would rather share him with Melisende than wed me? DID YOU? I should have known to cut the head off of the serpent, but regardless, you should thank me, Yeva, for ending that miserable man before he could get his claws into you."

It was all too much, and she lost control with that last remark.

"Thank you!?" Yevanna practically shrieked. "It is your actions that lead to me having to marry, you stupid fool! You brought this on yourself!"

She hit him, again and again letting all her frustration with him from the past out on his conveniently tied up body. All the snide remarks, suggestive and controlling behaviors, every time he had made her feel uncomfortable, or embarrassed her, she let it all out on him. And all he did was laugh at her, as if he wanted her to keep hitting him. She knew her father was saying something to her, yelling probably, but she couldn't hear him over sound of her fist repeatedly hitting Beowulf. She felt strong arms lock around her waist and suddenly she was yanked backwards. There was a disorienting, vomit inducing, sucking feeling and suddenly she was back in her bower. Loki released her from his arms and she stumbled forward a little, before righting herself and turning to face him.

"What the Hel did you just do?" She asked, her voice about an octave higher than usual.

"I teleported us back to your chambers. You were going to kill him if you didn't stop." He spoke softly in a matter of fact tone and she couldn't read his emotions.

"So what if I did? This is all his doing! If it weren't for his insanity, I wouldn't be in this mess with the Eastern Shore and I wouldn't have to marry you." As often with words spoken in anger, she regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, but even more so when she saw the expression drop from his face.

"If that is the way you truly feel, I won't bother you any more tonight." His face was calm, but blank; the sort of face he would present to someone who wasn't worthy of knowing how he felt.

He turned to leave, but she reached out, touching his arm. "Wait. Loki, please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

He looked down at her pale fingers gripping his arm, then up at her. His emerald eyes were full of ice. The look was enough to make her let go of him. "Pray tell how you meant it then."

"I…look, this isn't easy for me. I have spent my entire life thinking I would live one way, only to have you show up and turn my world upside down in a matter of a few short months. I'm trying to accept that, but I don't cope well with change! I don't even know if you like me. For all I know you are using that silver tongue of yours to make me think you like me because your father told you to make me marry you. And to top it off, I find out my cousin, the boy I grew up with and thought I loved for the first hundred years of my life, turns out to be ten gallons full of crazy in a five gallon bucket? My deepest apologies if I hurt your vanity, but I am under quite a lot of stress at this moment."

She paused, letting her outburst sink into the night air, not sure if she clarified or just made the entire situation worse. All she could do was wait to see his response. Instead of witty retort, more shouting, or Allfather, anything expected, Loki burst out laughing. "Ten gallons full of crazy in a five gallon bucket? Ehehehe. By Valhalla, Yevanna, you do have a way with words."

She crossed her arms over her chest and stamped her foot in irritation. "Stop laughing at me!"

"Did you just stamp your foot at me?" His voice still dripped with amusement.

His emotions were changing so rapidly it was making Yevanna dizzy. She sniffled a little, slightly embarrassed that she had done something so childish in the heat of the moment.

"No," She murmured petulantly. "And stop laughing, my emotional distress isn't funny!"

He dutifully stopped laughing and put a mock serious look on his face. Touching his hand to his heart, he smiled at her. "Forgive me, I should not laugh at you."

She sighed. "Of course. Please, also forgive me my rash words. I do not mean to imply that I don't like you, or…or anything."

His smiled widened. "So you do like me."

She poked his chest lightly. "Stop playing mind games with me, Loki Odinson, I do not like it."

He chuckled. "Just admit it. It will make you feel better, I promise."

She could almost hear the mischief in his voice. "Alright, fine. You make me want to kill you sometimes, but yes, I like you. But I don't know if you like me, and that makes me feel…vulnerable. I do not like that either."

She felt stupid again, talking about whether or not he liked her. What was she? Some lovesick mortal girl moon-maddened by the first immortal she ran across? But it was really bothering her. The way he could change his emotions and moods at the drop of a hat made her question how genuine he was around her. It was a real possibility that the God of Lies was making her feel something for him because his father told him to. By Valhalla, he had tricked her into accepting a marriage proposal! It wasn't as if he had demonstrated his trustworthiness in terms of relationships lately.

Loki took a step towards her and captured her face gently between his large hands. There was a soft look in his eyes as he spoke, carefully emphasizing each word. "Yevanna, of course I like you. You are the most infuriating, impassioned, interesting, intelligent woman I have ever met. And you're very beautiful. I would be as a fool not to like you."

He kissed her forehead before releasing her. "Now go to bed, you look exhausted."

"Yes well, saving your life tonight took a lot out of me," she quipped.

He just smiled and disappeared in a blind of the eye. Yevanna sighed and took off her long dress, noticing the bottom hem of filthy from being in the dungeons. If she had any girly inclinations she would care, but mostly she just felt bad for whatever servant would have to clean it. Lying in bed, she willed herself to relax. There was always tomorrow for dealing with Beowulf, and Loki, and Melisende…and the Frost Giants. By the Allfather's golden eye-patch her list of troubles certainly was growing. As she drifted into sleep, her sleep-addled brain kept bringing her pictures of Loki's mischievous, emerald eyes glittering at her and that wolf like grin. She didn't mind.

Hours later, after a long conversation with King Theoderic, Loki and Thor stumbled into their chambers in hopes of catching a few hours of sleep before they were off again. Loki sighed as he peeled off his green tunic and the black silk undershirt. Tonight had certainly proven interesting, to say the least. It seemed quite the day for having serious conversations with Yevanna, for one, and of course there was that awkward episode with Beowulf. He had assumed the elf would just drunkenly stumble off once he had refused him the challenge. If it hadn't been for Yevanna, Loki might not be alive right now. That thought sobered him more than anything, because really, if his life hadn't been on the line, the image of short fiery Yevanna knocking her hulking drunk cousin out cold with a serving tray would have made him laugh hysterically.

The way she had reacted to Beowulf's mentally unstable words was a little troubling. Her anger at him for causing her to have to marry…well, Loki wasn't sure how to feel about that. One the one hand, he could empathize with her frustration. He had turned her world upside down, just as she said, but as the person she was supposed to be marrying, it hurt. Only a little bit—he only let it get to him a little bit—but it still got under his skin. He longed to tell her how she had come to be chosen for him, but it was not the time for that. She had certainly caught him off guard with that question about liking her, and he had almost explained everything. Instead he had been as honest as possible; his response hadn't been premeditated, he simply spoke what he was feeling at the moment. It seemed to have been enough to put her mind at ease, for the moment anyway. It seemed Yevanna was likely to have anxiety or panic attacks about their relationship every so often. Honestly, he didn't blame her, by Valhalla, marriage was likely to kill her after all. Well, if she wasn't marrying him, it would be likely to kill her. He was confident in his magical ability to be able to perform the necessary healing magic should she bare him a child, which was highly likely considering the explanation she had given Thor earlier that week about elves and sexual practices.

Tearing his mind away from that particular train of thought, Loki eased himself into bed, letting the soft linens envelope his body. His mind was exhausted from all the ideas and emotions racing through it. He needed sleep; he could deal with the complications that Beowulf brought tomorrow. Practically speaking, given Beowulf's state of mind, and his insistence that he had murdered Lord Ibelin for Yevanna, she was still in danger of Melisedne's wrath. It wasn't probable that Beowulf would clarify that he acted on his own. In fact, Loki wouldn't be surprised if the elf's delusional mind thought Yevanna had wanted him to do the deed. He knew when he and Thor reached the Eastern Shore, the topic would come up and he would need every trick and skill his silver tongue could muster to keep Yevanna out of the line of fire, and he would, because it was his duty now. And maybe, just maybe, because of something else. His mind sputtered with half formed thoughts and raw emotions as he tumbled into sleep; the only clear image to him was of Yevanna's lovely light eyes and how they had glimmered in the moonlight.

Yevanna pulled her cloak closer around her shoulders in the cold pre-dawn air. Though Thor and Loki had officially said their goodbyes last night, she still wanted to see them off properly. She stood opposite them in the courtyard and smiled slightly. Thor looked exhausted as she felt; no doubt he had been up late the night before talking with Theoderic about how best to handle the situation with Beowulf to Melisende. She wondered if Loki had gone back to the dungeons after he had left her chambers, but she would have to save her curiosity for later. She listened half-heartedly as her father wished the princes a fair journey.

"Know that you will always be welcome in my hall."

The brothers thanked the king for his hospitality, all of them thinking that their next destination would not so welcoming. Yevanna half wished she could go with them, but that would be dangerous given the current situation. Anyway, she had a lot of preparation to do before she could leave for Asgard.

The king took his leave and Yevanna smiled at the brothers. She inclined her head in Thor's direction. "Fair thee well, Prince Thor. I truly enjoyed making your acquaintance over these weeks and I look forward to meeting you again in Asgard."

Thor smiled and kissed the back of her hand, as usual tickling her skin with his whiskers.

"I look forward to seeing you in Asgard soon. I shall have to take you up on that drinking challenge you issued to me earlier."

That caused Yevanna to laugh. "I don't know about that, I'm sure you'd have me under the table before you felt anything."

Thor nodded amiably with a small chuckle and wandered off towards his horse, leaving her alone with Loki. She smiled up at him, at a loss of how to begin saying goodbye and still feeling sheepish about her behavior from the night before.

"You probably shouldn't let Thor talk you into a drinking contest. He takes them very seriously and his tolerance is truly breathtaking," Loki joked.

"Yes, I wasn't really planning on it. I know my own limitations." An awkward pause. "Oh, I have something for you."

She dug around in the folds of her cloak for a moment, before pulling out a thin, curved piece of golden armor that had some writing engraved on it. "I noticed that the armor you wear on your chest is missing a decorative piece, so I had this made for you. Don't worry, it's not like I'm trying to trick you into marrying me or anything, it's completely safe to take."

Loki chuckled and took it from her. "Now who would do something like that?"

"An untrustworthy, unsavory cad, I suppose," She teased him lightly.

He gave her a look of mock-hurt but smiled after a moment.

"In all seriousness, though, thank you. I broke the last piece adventuring with Thor a while ago and never got around to replacing it." He paused a moment, running his fingers over the writing. "What does this say?"

For some reason she blushed. "It is the motto of my company. Amin khiluva lle a' gurtha ar' thar. In the old language it means: 'I will follow you to death and beyond.' A little sentimental, perhaps, but it was my mother's personal motto, so I adopted it."

"And was your mother a fierce warrior like you?"

Yevanna laughed. "No, she was a proper lady; she embroidered tapestries and everything from what I hear."

It was strange, she rarely talked about her mother, Queen Isolde, but she found that she did not mind doing so with Loki. They drifted over to his horse as he affixed the golden plate to the front of his armor. She absently stroked the animal's neck as he swung up into the saddle. Loki smiled down at her, his emerald eyes brimming with mirth; leaning down, over the horse's body, he tilted her chin up with a gentle hand.

"I will see you again soon, in Asgard, but until then, try not to get into too much trouble, darling."

She wrinkled her nose at him and opened her mouth to protest. Not waiting to hear what she had to say in her own defense, he pressed his lips to hers, taking her a bit by surprise. After her initial shock, however, she surrendered herself to the feeling, taking in his strange but pleasant scent. She was beginning to get used to his surprisingly timed kisses. He pulled away from her slowly, a faint smirk on his lips.

"Goodbye, Loki," she whispered.

Yevanna stood next to Theo as they watched the Asgardian party gallop away from them, becoming progressively smaller black dots on the horizon with each second.

"Soon enough I will be watching your gallop off into the sun on your own adventures," Theo mused rather morosely.

"What on Alfheimr do you mean?" She questioned good naturedly.

"Well, you'll be going to Asgard soon to fight the Jotuns."

"Theo, you are coming with me, are you not?"

He looked genuinely surprised by her assumption. "I did not think you would find a one-armed knight useful to you."

"Don't be ridiculous, Theo. You are improving every day. Besides, there are not many I trust as well as I trust you. Do not think yourself so easily replaceable." She smiled at him. "Now come on, we're due in the practice yard. I'm still waiting for you to get more hits on me than I on you."

Loki frowned and shifted restlessly in the saddle. They had been on the road for nearly a week and he thoroughly disliked every minute of it. Thor's incessant chatter wasn't helping either. As they traveled the landscape became progressively less woodsy and more of rolling pastures, though now that was giving way to marshy areas. They must be close to their destination; Yevanna had mentioned that Melisende ruled over both beaches and marshes, after all.

They reached the crest of a hill and paused, taking in the sight before them. Over a wide tract of marshland, a wide expanse of beach that curved into a natural harbor shielded by cliffs greeted them. Dwellings were carved into the cliff face, but in the middle of the harbor, jutting out from the water was an elegant castle created out of what seemed to be sand. Elves certainly seemed to be a lot more attuned to their natural surroundings than the aesir were, Loki would concede them that. In the distance a riding party was coming out to greet them.

By the time that they had rode across the long sandstone bridge to the inner keep, it was nearly nightfall. Currently they were being led down a brightly torchlight hallway on the way to Melisende's reception hall. Rounding a corner the page opened a pale wooden door and ushered the Asgardians in. Melisende sat on a large beach wood throne at the opposite end of the large, airy hall. The hall, like the rest of the castle, was fashioned out of hard packed and probably magically reinforced sand. The long, slender columns supporting the roof were draped with soft yards of silk, some black some light blue. Loki assumed the black was in mourning for Lord Ibelin. Melisende was also clothed in a black dress and her inky locks were carefully bound behind her head. Loki couldn't help recall what Beowulf had insinuated about the Eastern Shore's ruler and her brother and wondered if there was any truth to it; it would certainly explain some of the madness to her grief. Although siblings could be close, so there was no reason to assume a sexual element to their relationship.

"Greetings, Odinsons! I hope your journey was a pleasant one." Melisende intoned from her throne.

Though her greeting kind, there was no warmth in her voice. Thor and Loki approached the throne slowly, bowing to show respect.

"Princess Melisende, the Allfather sends his greetings," Thor answered her.

She stood and motioned for them to follow her through a nearby doorway. "Come, it will be better to conduct business in private."

Yevanna kept busy over the next month, preoccupied with selecting and organizing her troops and provisions for the journey to the Central Plains and then Asgard. She wasn't entirely sure how the logistics of transporting her army from one realm to the other would work, but she trusted the Allfather had it figured out, or he would not have asked for their aid. She had had no word from Loki besides a short message sent to her father from Thor that the Asgardian princes had returned to their own realm. She would never admit it, but she was slightly disappointed to not have heard from him again. There was no indication of how well the negotiations with Melisende had gone or whether she would be sending troops. There had been no word from the Eastern Shore regarding Lord Ibelin's death or the investigation Melisende had previously requested, but there was no way to know if this was due to Thor and Loki's negotiations or just waiting on Melisende's part. She supposed she would find out when she reached the Citadel. She would leave tomorrow morning at dawn, thankfully, so she wouldn't have to wait too long to find out. Theo was already sleeping, but Yevanna couldn't will herself to slumber. She was far too excited and anticipation coiled in her stomach leaving her limbs feeling raw and strung out. She couldn't tell if it was anticipation for her first being adventure, as Theo had put it earlier, or something else.

At the moment she was considering which gifts to bring the Allfather and Queen Frigga. Diplomatically it was a nice gesture, but as their future daughter-in-law, she felt extra pressure to select something worthy for each of them. Her father had given her leave to take whatever she deemed necessary, though she was fairly certain she'd have to defend 'necessary' if it came down to some of the more important or powerful relics. The treasure vault was eerily quiet as Yevanna had sent the guards to mind the outside passage when she entered. Her mind was further set at ill ease as the dungeons were nearby. Beowulf still remained chained up and it seemed that for the time being he would stay there. It seemed Theoderic was wary to send his nephew, deranged though he be, to Melisende for punishment; if he could, he would punish the elf himself. She had not questioned her father too closely on the matter, because truly she did not want to know. She'd had enough of her cousin's madness for the time being.

The soft click of the door opening alerted her to her father's presence, for it was unlikely that anyone else would be admitted to the treasure vault. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him.

"Good evening, father."

"I see you couldn't sleep? You will regret it in the morning, I think," he said not unkindly.

"I'm trying to decide what gifts to bring with me. Father…" She paused, unsure of how to continue.

"Yes, dear?"

"Will you be fine while I'm gone? I don't mean to imply anything, it's just with Beowulf's betrayal and…"

He held up a hand to silence her, a soft smile still on his face. "I will be fine, Yevanna. I have governed for many millennia, I can do so for a few more years, I should think. Although when you do return, I believe it would be a good time to have a conversation about the necessary steps for my abdication and you coronation. I find myself weary of the throne, you see."

"Yes, I…I have noticed."

They stood together for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. "Yevanna, is something else troubling you?"

She paused, feeling as if she were a small child again, caught in the act of doing something she oughtn't. "It's just, sometimes I feel so unprepared for everything: ruling, marriage, this war. Sometimes I wish I could just run away and hide and that makes me feel incredibly guilty."

"Yevanna I would not force you to do something you were not ready for. You were born to rule, and you will do it well, I have always believed that. As for marriage and the war with Jotunheim, perhaps you would wish for neither to happen, but fate has intervened and I am one to believe that what will not kill you will make you stronger and better for enduring. It is not the future that you fear, but the uncertainty that it holds."

She nodded feeling slightly better, though it was difficult to stifle all the anxiety that was welling up inside her heart. It was just all so much, and soon she would be far from home, far from her father, and far from anything she had ever known. Still, he was right: she was born to do this. She just needed to take comfort and strength from that thought.

"You leave at dawn, correct?" Her father questioned, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Yes, my company and I will travel in front of the bulk of the army. Fulk requested that they travel to Asgard separately, so as not to put strain on the Bifrost. They should arrive about one week after I have."

He kissed her forehead in a rare moment of affection, causing Yevanna to smile broadly. "That is good, my dear. Now, hurry to make your selection and get you to bed. You will thank me when you've been in the saddle for three nights straight."

Sorry this chapter is a bit of filler after the first half and that there's a lot of angsty thought montages going on; Loki and Yevanna just needed to hash out their emotions in this one, I guess. The next one takes place in Asgard, though. Yay!

Also, that thing Yeva give Loki is the blingy gold bit he wears on his chest, you know, the thing that looks like a statement necklace? I don't know the technical name for it and I couldn't find any good descriptions of Loki's armor, so I hope it was fairly clear what it was. Also, I recently watched my friend's blu-ray copies of Thor and The Avengers and I must say, Loki's armor is super intricate and, well, pretty. There's all these cool details I couldn't see on my lame tiny TV before. I really need to invest in a nice TV so I can experience Loki in HD lol. Sorry, I'm finished fan-girling. :)

A special thanks to MaeveMonster for your lovely review! I couldn't send you a PM because I guess you weren't signed in when you made the review, but thank you for your kind words! It really made my day. A further thanks to anyone who added this story to their alerts / favorite list!

Comments, Questions, Constructive Criticism? Please Review or PM.