Hello again, and thank you all so much for the reviews, I love reading them. I have taken a few creative liberties with this chapter a bit in regards to the backstory/history of Asgard, particularly Frigga's childhood, but it is only to paint a picture, nothing more. It comes from nothing of my (sometimes limited) knowledge of comic-verse or mythology, only from the strange tardis I call my mind.

Also, due to it coming up to Christmas, I have a little more time on my hands and I'm thinking of updating this 3 times a week from now on, probably Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Saturday, what do you guys think?

As normal, no beta so all mistakes my own and all rights to Marvel, no copyright intended.


The walk to the cell seemed much shorter when she returned. The vile was in one hand and a bowl of fresh fruit was in the other. Her smile lit up her face, making it brighter than it had been since before Loki's fall. The guards stood before her as she descended into the underground corridor. She stopped in front of them and handed the eldest a scroll of parchment.

"Order from Odin AllFather. My son, Thor, and I will be escorting the prisoner to my walled gardens, along with one guard who will keep his distance but watch over us all the same. We will be out there until we are ready to return, but the first traces of depleting light will be a sign our day is truly over." She watched as the guard read the AllFather's wishes even as she spoke them, of course they would not, could not, object, but she expected some form of displeasure. When none came she carried on back to the cell. As she entered, she saw her sons talking like they once used to as children, sat upon the bed, cross legged. Loki looked much better, even in the short time she had been away, and Thor had a smile on his face she had not seen in a long while.

"And what are you talking about?" She smiled and perched herself beside Loki, reaching up to gently smooth some of his uneven hair.

"I was just telling Loki of Fandral's little accident last week. You know, where he got a little nervous when an old 'acquaintance' of his revealed she was with child?" She nodded in remembrance of the tale, she had, in fact, been with Thor when his loyal friend burst in in a fit of anxiety that he would be a father.

"Yes, he was a little worried to say the least, I believe he drank us out of a whole month's worth of ale and then preceded to stumble around the palace until he fell into a broom cupboard and got himself locked in. We found him a day later, completely sorry for himself and promising he would get us new brooms that were not covered in his stomach contents." She finished with a laugh. Over the years, she had become fond of all of Thor's friends, treating some of them like her own children.

"So Fandral will be a father then shall he?" Loki asked, a little of the mocking tone she knew so well coming back.

"No. It seems she was an escort, a mistress, and she was playing Fandral. Apparently the man who had impregnated her did not know her true lifestyle, and would be very angry had he known. So she sought protection from a high ranking warrior, passing off the child as Fandral's." She could tell Thor tried to put on a serious tone, but the giggling broke through. Frigga saw Loki's face, a genuine smile where there had only been fake ones before.

"Well, I could listen to these tales all day but I need some fresh air in my garden." She got up but paused at the door and as she turned she saw a horrified gaze coming from Thor along with a disappointed one from Loki. "Who would care to join me?" She smiled but noticed both looks turn to confusion. "Well...?"

"Mother?" Thor stood up and walked over to her. "Even I did not expect such cruel jokes from you."

"Jokes? Cruel? Me?" She walked back over to Loki and held out her hand. "I just wondered if my youngest would like to see my new flowers and water feature. The garden has changed a lot since he last saw it."

"You did not? How?" She did not have to see Thor's face to imagine the look he was giving, one that spoke of the confusion and doubt but also smiling because there was no way his mother would be lying.

"I can be very persuasive when I want to be. Plus, your father wishes to apologize, they say that actions speak louder than words and you know he is not always good with words."

Loki flew into her arms just as he had as a child and clung to her with such force her breath was taken away slightly. She returned the embrace and kissed his head as he softly let out a shaky breath full to the brim of relief.

"You have to promise me something though." She broke away and retrieved the bowl of fruit and medicine. Dripping two small drops of the liquid into the bowl, she held it in front of her. "This, must be at least half empty by the time we return."

"I will try."

"Good." After handing the bowl to Thor, she linked both arms to her sons, her in the middle, and sighed. "Shall we?"

The walk through the halls was a steady one, especially as she knew Loki was not fit enough to go at full pace. It was also uneasy, as any servants they passed looked upon the wayward prince with shock, leaving Loki red faced and ashamed. A number of times during the walk she whispered to him, "if you need a rest just say so sweetheart", but he never mentioned stopping and so they carried on. The guard did as asked, he kept his distance but continued to remind them- Loki especially- that he was there, by coughing or clanging his sword several times.

As the garden came into view, she felt Loki relax but also breath in a sharp breath, afterall, this was where many happy memories lied, but memories that only reminded him of the past, of the happy lie he played a part in. "Come on darling." She gave him a slight nudge and walked through the enchanted silver doors into the gardens. It truly was a beautiful place, the sort of walled garden most people could only dream about. Flowers of every kind stood tall in their respective plots, with creatures making a home within; butterflies being her personal favourites. The walls were laced with ivy, honeysuckle and wisteria, along with numerous archways that were entwined by roses and clematis. Water features trickled slowly all around, with statues of long past but never forgotten rulers standing firm. Handcrafted iron lampposts stood around the area, waiting to be lit by the fireflies when their time came, they were not tacky or distasteful, but vintage and carved with care and attention. An old ruined prayer room stood proudly in the sun in one corner, a reminder of what Asgard had been through. When Frigga had been just a baby herself, Asgard had gone to war with numerous other realms and a large part of the original castle had been destroyed. This was long before the wealth it basked in now, as the main city was built with old rocks and bricks from the forest beyond. This was where the small building came from, and had mainly been brought down except for a few walls. Luckily, and by some miracle even Frigga could not imagine other than them being blessed, the wall that held the majestic stained glass window had been left intact, along with the glass itself. And so, when the sun was behind it, the colours shone through beautifully onto the grass, creating the most peaceful spot in the garden. This is where she seated herself, her dress fanning out around her, being painted with a thousand colours and shapes. Loki followed and soon so did Thor, who was keeping a very watchful eye on the guard as he stalked the threesome. Frigga knew he would not relax with the man standing so close, which would no doubt also set off Loki, so she turned, her kindest smile in place and said, "May we have a little space? The bench over there should be efficient, you can still see us and hear if we shout, but also give us a little room." She nodded to a bench near the one and only entrance. "Thank you my dear."

"It truly is an amazing place mother, and just like you it grows more beautiful with age." Loki was now relaxed, his back against a majestic oak. The sun and light from the window had already replaced his snow white face with a more healthy glow.

"Are you calling me old?" She jested.

"Not as old as..." Father, he was about to say, she could see it beginning to form on his lips but he stopped, shrinking slightly at the realisation of what he had been about to say. Before, he would have joked all day long, bantering with her and Thor about themselves and Odin, but those days were over, and even the smallest wrong joke towards the AllFather could be taken the wrong way. An awkward silence washed over them, and as much as she wanted to break it she could not, for she realised that it would be damn hard to start a conversation that did not bring about old memories. Loki slightly picked at the fruit in front of him, she had made sure it was soft fruits so he would not struggle so much, and it proved to have worked, as he ate nearly 5 whole mouthfuls of watermelon and around 3 grapes. As he ate he looked around the garden and she saw him freeze when his eyes landed on a new feature of hers, a very recent one. "Is that...is that...me?"

"The one and only." Thor replied for her.

"Why?"

"The statues in my garden all hold a significant place in my heart, that one is my mother, that, my father, those over there are the King and Queen when I was growing up, and so on and so forth. So when I lost you, there was no way to hold in my grief, I wanted to look upon your face one more time, to tell you I was sorry and that I loved you, but I could not, I felt helpless. This was once our place, Loki and Frigga's walled gardens you used to call it, and I planned on keeping it that way."

The statue stood proudly next to a tall apple tree, basking in the warmth of the sun and the edges of the window's colours. The tree had been Loki's tree, planted the day he arrived on Asgard, growing as he did, each time he had been in the gardens he had made sure to water and care for it. Thor also had a tree, a pear one, but he had taken no notice of it and it had died before his tenth birthday; the stump still stood where it was though, as she would never be rid of it. The light caught a tear as it tracked its way down Loki's face and Frigga did not think twice to reach over and hug him. Thor, thankfully, broke the awkwardness by asking, in a playful way, "And where exactly is my statue?"

Loki turned, face now full of mischief. "The head was so big it did not fit through the door." And he laughed, and so did she, and then Thor followed and just as it had been before they all sat there smiling and giggling without a care in the world. For now, all was well again.

They completely lost track of the time they had been out in the garden and before long, dusk was approaching and the fireflies were beginning to take up their place in the lampposts, they did not do it by command, it was a sort of thank you for allowing them to stay within the garden. Hundreds of the creatures were needed to light up the large space, but they did not seem to mind. A cough echoed around them and she turned to meet the gaze of the guard, she felt bad for not checking up on him, but it had all been a blur and had gotten away from her. "I am sorry M'Lady, but the rules clearly stated that as soon as dusk approached, you would return inside."

"Yes, it did. Thank you, we will be with you shortly." As the guard took his place by the side of the door, she turned to Loki and Thor. "I am afraid that is it for today."

"Thank you. I will cherish this for years. As soon as I am free again I will return with you and we can attempt to maneuver Thor's big head through the door." He gestured to the statue of himself stating what he meant, and they once again laughed.

"Well I am not sure I can get a statue carved before tomorrow." Frigga smiled.

"What?" Both of her boys replied.

"Well, you are joining me tomorrow are you not?"

"Mother?" Loki asked, his brow furrowed.

"Oh, did I leave that part out? How silly of me. You have the right to 3 hours outside everyday from now on, as long as it is with either me or Thor and one guard." She was tackled again but did not mind one bit, especially when she noticed it was by both of her sons this time, Loki on top of her and Thor on top of his brother, scrubbing his young brother's hair and laughing.

"Get off you oaf, you are crushing mother." Loki's voice was full of joy, she just hoped it lasted.

They all stood up and scrubbed themselves down before taking their leave and walking back the way they had come. This time it was faster due to the strength Loki had built up and there were less shocked looks as most maids were either in their rooms or were attending their charges. Half way there she remembered she had left her shawl in the garden, so she bid goodnight to Loki and promised she would visit him in the morning. Kissing both her sons goodbye she thanked the guard and walked back to her gardens.

Bending down to retrieve her shawl she noticed the bowl of fruit beside it, she smiled as she picked both up, noticing that the bowl, once overflowing with fruit she expected to throw away, was completely empty.