The next few months seemed to fly by and only two months before the date set for them to marry, Loki and Maryn were closer than ever and still learning about each other.
The Sun Celebration was a time of great feasting and merriment for the people of Asgard. Gatherings popped up all over the city and the palace was not to be out done by any. Every courtier and royal was dressed in gold to represent the life giving force of the sun that warmed their planet.
Maryn's dress was a one-shouldered affair made of the finest gold silk that hugged the curves of her body beautifully. Along the neckline and over her right thigh and down to the floor, the skirt of the dress was open to reveal a panel of skin coloured material overlaid with gold tulle which was embroidered with swirls of gold thread. The bodice was ruched and two lengths of gold silk draped from the single strap over Maryn's left shoulder and down to the floor. Her hair was pinned up in a bun made from a spiralling braid, pieces falling on her neck and framing her face. She wore her engagement ring, Loki's pendant tucked under the neckline of the gown, as well as a wide cuff of gold that looked like lace and a ring of gold, white enamel and a diamond made to look like a starburst. As with every Asgardian invited to the celebration, a delicate gold mask, which had also been made to look like lace, covered the upper half of her face and drew attention to her grey irises.
Loki came to her rooms to escort her to the feast but when it came time to start dancing he pulled her aside and kissed her deeply. Pulling away, the upper half of his face also hidden by a more masculine version of her mask, he grinned down at her, "Come away with me, love," he murmured to her his vibrant eyes shining with mischief.
She bit her lip and looked back out at the Aesir milling around, talking, laughing and drinking. Noticing none of them were watching her and Loki she nodded and let him catch her hand and lead her quietly from the Great Hall.
They made their way out of the palace and stole into the ports where the flying skiffs were kept awaiting use.
"What are you doing?" Maryn whispered worried they were about to get caught at any moment. Loki didn't answer her and instead untied a skiff from its mooring and helped her into it before taking hold of the hand control and expertly flying them out of the port.
Maryn relaxed in the wide seat at the front of the skiff and watched the scenery around the small craft slip away around them. Soon they were soaring over tree-tops and she saw a shimmer below them as Loki manoeuvred the skiff down into a clearing before letting it settle in the water of their lagoon.
With a large smile over her shoulder at him, Maryn leaned over the side of the skiff and dipped her fingers into the water below, the ripples moving out from the side of the skiff making the reflection of the bright stars above them waver and fade.
Loki's arms wrapped around her from behind and she sighed at the brush of his lips against the back of her neck. He pulled gently at the black silk ribbons tying her mask on and loosed them before taking the mask from her face and putting it down on the seat beside them. Maryn leaned back into his strong chest and bit her lip as his fingers found the laces at the back of her gown.
"Swim with me," he murmured, the words sounding more like a command than a question.
Maryn smiled and leaned back into him further as her gown loosened and his hand slipped beneath the bodice to settle against her ribs, her skin bare of any shift because of the style of the dress.
Moaning slightly when his lips sucked at her pulse point, Maryn reached up to untie his mask, dropping it on the seat to join hers and then lacing her fingers in his hair at the nape of his neck. "I am not wearing a shift," she murmured, her eyes fluttering closed when his teeth nipped at the spot he was sucking on.
His thumb brushed up her ribs a little higher and she felt him smile against her skin, "Then I will enjoy this swim more than I thought, sweet one."
She turned to look up at him and saw the same darkness in his eyes as had been there that day in his rooms after she had run from the training grounds. Stretching up she pressed her mouth to his, nipping at his bottom lip with her teeth but pulling away again before things became too heated, "I will only swim if you conjure me a chemise to wear in the water," she told him the words putting into place the boundaries she still wanted to keep between them until their wedding night.
Loki's gaze searched hers for a moment and then he nodded his fingertips glowing emerald and his magic materialising a shift of dark green cotton across her lap. She grinned at the colour before blushing at the cut of the neckline and how short it actually was.
"You didn't say what style it had to be in, my love," the dark prince's cool breath brushed across her shoulder and he reached up to pull the pins from the heavy curls of her hair, carding his long fingers through the soft mass to let it fall around her face and shoulders.
Maryn couldn't stifle a smile at his daring and gave in, "Very well. But you must turn your back and promise you will not look while I change."
Loki seemed to think about her terms for a moment before he pressed an open-mouthed kiss just under her jaw, "As you wish, my lady. However, if it is all the same to you, I will take off this uncomfortable costume while you change." He motioned to his gold and black ensemble with its doublet of gold with black embroidery, black shirt with billowing sleeves, gold breeches, and knee high black boots.
With a nod, Maryn rose to her feet and kicked off her golden slippers before turning her back on Loki while he made his way to the other side of the skiff and started to undress, his back to her as well. The princess finished unlacing the back of her gown and then let the material slip from her shoulder and pool at her feet with the near silent whisper of silk. Catching up the shift she pulled it over her body hiding the nakedness of her upper body and her undergarments on the lower half of her body before grimacing, feeling nearly naked when the hem of the shift only reached the middle of her thighs and its thin straps and low cut neckline almost exposing more than they covered. Taking off her jewellery she picked up her gown and draped it over the seat next to the masks glinting in the moonlight and then put her jewellery down on top of the dress.
"You wore my pendant," Loki said as he settled his hands on her hips and he stooped a little to press a kiss to the back of her head.
Maryn turned in his arms glad the darkness of the night hid her blush when she realised he was wearing nothing but his undergarments and his pale chest was bare, "I will wear it always," she spoke her voice sounding breathy even to her own ears.
His chest, though pale, was well muscled, a light dusting of dark hair covered his upper torso, and there was also a thin line of it under her hands were she had rested them on his lower abdomen instinctively when she had turned to face him. Her heart started to pound in her chest and she blushed an even deeper red when he reached up and ran his thumb over her full bottom lip.
"Good girl," he murmured before leaning down and kissing her hungrily.
She moaned leaning into his touch and twisting her fingers roughly in his hair to keep him as close to her body as possible. Heat pooled deep inside her and she had to force herself to step away from him when his hands dropped to her thighs and slid under the hem of the shift.
"Loki," she breathed in warning and he took his hands from her before turning and diving into the cool water of the lagoon without a word. She waited for him to resurface and when he did he smiled at her seeming calm again.
"Come, Maryn, the water is a little cool but very refreshing," he waved her in.
Stepping onto the edge of the skiff, Maryn dove in, swimming under the water to his side. They spent a while in the water splashing each other, laughing together, talking, and kissing, before climbing out into the skiff once more.
With a wave of his hand, Loki dried their clothes, bodies and hair with a spell. He then pulled a thick blanket from the compartment below the seat of the skiff and wrapped them both in it before lazing back against the curved bow, Maryn lying against his chest, listening to his heart beat under her ear.
"How did you first learn magic?" she asked tracing patterns on his skin with her fingertips.
Loki tucked a hand behind his head, the fingers of his free hand running though her dark curls, "Frigga taught me. She told me there was an innate power in all of us but that most don't learn to use it…" he trailed off for a while and Maryn looked up to see his brow pulled together in thought. Not liking the intense emotions she could read in his eyes, she reached up and rubbed her thumb over the puckered skin between his brows, her Dark Prince's body relaxing, and his eyes closing as she massaged his scalp and temples with her fingers. He spoke after a few moments of enjoying her touch, his eyes still closed, "During my adolescence I was ridiculed by the other children because I was smaller than them, paler, and my hair was dark. There are still those who think the same way but their self-preservation keeps them from commenting." He smiled softly down at her, "My mother taught me to use magic as a way of showing me I was more than what others saw." Turning his bright green gaze back up to the stars above them, Loki smirked, "I highly doubt she thought I would use her teachings to cause mayhem."
"You seem proud of that fact," Maryn couldn't help but smile, her chin resting on her hand where it was pressed over his heart, theirs legs tangled together.
She shivered in delight when he dropped his intense gaze to her face, "Should I not be?" he asked looking between her lips and her eyes, marvelling at the moonbeam colour of her grey orbs in the near darkness.
With a small grin, Maryn sat up beside him, "My mother always told me that our gifts are meant to be used to help our people not exact revenge."
Loki's large hand settled on her thigh where the blanket had slipped to pool lower and her shift did not cover her leg, "Your mother was a wise woman, my love," he told her seeing the sadness in Maryn's gaze as she spoke about the woman who had given her life to save her only child's.
"And yours is kind, caring and has the knowledge of a sage." She looked down at him as his cool fingers stroked her silky skin, innocently comforting. "Just promise me one thing, my lord."
"And what would that be, sweet one?" Loki asked pushing up onto his elbow to look at her, his hand never straying from her leg.
"Promise me you won't forget that they love you? Thor, Odin and Frigga love you more than anyone."
"And you, sweet one, do you love me?" Loki asked moving to sit up and catch her chin between his long fingers.
Swallowing hard, Maryn's heart started to pound in her chest. She parted her lips but lost her nerve and instead of telling him that she had fallen in love with him months before, she pushed up onto her knees and kissed him desperately. He seemed surprised at her ardour and froze for a moment in shock. But then his mouth slanted over hers and he returned her kiss with equal fervour. Maryn moaned as his cool tongue invaded her mouth, exploring and dominating while his hand slid from her jaw into her hair and his free arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her into his lap so that her legs were straddling his. She broke the kiss to gasp in some much needed air and Loki's lips continued down her throat, pressing open-mouthed kisses to her quickly heating skin. She arched against him and they shared a groan, the delicious friction of their hips grinding against one another in utter abandon making fissions run up and down her spine.
Leaving her neck, Loki lifted his lips to hers again, breathing in her soft feminine scent before he dove back into their passionate embrace, his lips pressing harder against hers as he drank her in. Maryn sobbed in a breath when his hand shifted from pressing into the small of her back to settle on her thigh and move up under the hem of her chemise. His thumb rubbed against the sensitive skin on the inside of her thigh and she whimpered, her body rocking against his again without thought. Hissing in a pleasurable breath at the contact, Loki groaned long and low in the back of his throat before breaking their kiss and pulling away.
"No," Maryn whined, her thoughts and senses drowning in her need to give herself to him. "Please, Loki," she tried to pull his head down so that she could kiss him again but he caught her wrists as her fingers twisted into his hair and held her still.
"Is this what you want, Maryn?" he asked hoarsely, his darkening gaze colliding with hers, wanting more than anything to let their actions continue but not willing to do so at the expense of her beliefs. "Will you regret this afterward?"
Closing her eyes, the small woman pulled away from him slightly and dropped her forehead to his shoulder. The couple stilled, both breathing deeply until their heartbeats had slowed to their normal paces and they were able to breathe regularly again.
"I'm sorry," Maryn's voice was small, her words slightly muffled by Loki's shoulder.
Letting out a calming sigh, the prince gathered his betrothed gently into his arms and hugged her, "You do not need to apologise, sweet one. I want this as much as you but I won't let you forsake your morals now when we will have the rest of our lives for pleasure."
Lifting her eyes to his, Maryn tucked back a lock of his now dishevelled black hair, "Then I am making you change your ideas for me."
A small curl of his lips made her heart skip a beat, "In this my ideas needed to change," he assured her.
Relaxing at his words, Maryn smiled shyly before leaning in to kiss him softly.
The couple then broke away and dressed in their outer garments once more, the petite princess helping her betrothed retie the laces of his doublet once her gown, slippers and jewellery were back in place. With that finished she stood at his side, his arms around her as he taught her to manoeuvre the skiff off the surface of the lake and back to the palace.