Doctor Banner arrived on a chilly afternoon, bringing along a small bag of medicinal herbs for the expectant Princess.
Natalia was happy to greet Bruce in the main hall, accompanied by her husband and the Queen. As of recent, she noticed a subtle swell in her middle and she knew that her baby was in there happily growing.
"Your wedding was two months ago, is that correct?" Bruce asked.
"Nine weeks ago," Frigga corrected, guiding the small group towards the dining hall for tea.
"Any sickness at all, my Lady?" the Doctor asked Natalia.
The princess let her hands trace against her stomach. It was a relief to no longer have her insides being crushed by a corset. "Not much as of late," Natalia began. "A few weeks ago there were at least three days where I could hardly keep anything down."
"The medicine I brought should help settle your stomach if it starts to bother you again," Bruce reassured her with a smile. "You're remembering to eat at every meal, yes?" he asked, taking a seat at a wooden table.
"Of course." Natalia sat, shooting Loki a secretive smile. "I can already tell it's growing. Loki's even noticed a change in my body."
"It seems a bit early for you to be showing," Bruce noted.
"I've already noticed the slightest hint of our little one's growth," Loki proudly informed the Doctor as a servant set a cup of tea down before him.
Bruce wasn't going to argue with the Prince's statement. "We will have to keep an eye on Lady Natalia, then. There's always the possibility that the baby is large, or perhaps multiples…"
Natalia turned to Loki, eyes wide with shock.
"Twins?" Loki excitedly asked, sounding pleased by the idea. "That sounds exciting."
Natalia discreetly elbowed Loki in the ribs. One baby was more than enough to start with. Having had no experience with babies, Natalia didn't want to have her hands full. "We will just have to wait and see…"
Clint immediately recognized the fair-skinned woman with long black hair perusing a fabric stand as Natalia's handmaiden. Ever since Natalia asked him to stay away, he hadn't heard from her. He saw her servant as an opportunity to reunite with her and learn how she was doing. "Excuse me, ma'am," he asked, tapping the woman on the shoulder.
Sif slightly turned her head to acknowledge him. She knew that without a layer of dirt and grime covering her face, she wasn't as easy to recognise by a comrade, but she could never be too careful.
"I…um," Clint rubbed the back of his neck. "You still serve Lady Natalia, correct?"
"That is correct," Sif answered, rubbing a sample of blue satin between her fingers.
"I heard that she is with child," he continued. This was old news for Clint. He assumed Natalia was in her fourth month by now. "How has she been?" Every night he went to bed thinking about her and the baby, praying that no one had discovered the truth.
"She never mentions you, if that is your concern…"
"Never?" Clint stared at Sif with saddened eyes. Had she really forgotten about him? Or maybe Loki had done something… Clint couldn't trust that man one bit. Still, he needed to let it go. Natalia was a married woman, and a princess, no less. She didn't deserve someone like him. "I'm sorry to bother you," he mumbled to the woman before trudging away.
"And no peeking until I say so," Frigga told her daughter-in-law with a smile. "This needs to be a surprise.
"You will enjoy this, Natalia," Loki whispered, softly squeezing her small hand.
"Are you sure you are alright with this?" Frigga asked her son, concerned. She had already previously informed her son of the surprise to make sure he wouldn't be upset.
"Perfectly fine, Mother," Loki grinned.
Natalia kept her eyes closed shut. She heard footsteps rustling through the grass. First, she thought it was Ivan stopping by to visit, but a whinnying sound proved her wrong.
"Open your eyes now," Loki told her.
Standing before the princess were two horses, one with shining chestnut fur and the other a snowy white. The animals obediently stayed as a servant handed their reins off to Loki.
"This is a wedding gift from my husband and I," Frigga announced to Natalia. "We wanted for you to have a horse of your own, granted, I wouldn't advise you ride in your condition."
"They're beautiful," the princess whispered.
"Pick which one you like," Loki told her. "The other will be for myself."
Frigga's questioning Loki about being okay suddenly made sense to Natalia. She turned to her husband with saddened eyes.
"No," Loki said before she could speak out. "I won't have you looking sad-these two are a gift to us!" he smiled. She looked so heartbroken and he knew exactly why. "Yes, I miss Sleipnir, but this is a fresh start," he assured her. "I've begun to miss riding through the forest," he added. "Take your pick. They're both lovely horses." He reached out to stroke the white horse's neck.
Natalia stepped forward towards the chestnut horse. "I'll take this one."
"The stallion," Loki smirked. "Leaving me with this lovely lady. I think I will call you Blossom," he told the mare. The shimmering white coat reminded him of the blossoms that grew on the apple tree.
Natalia smiled softly at her husband. They were perfectly happy in this moment, just as things should be.
Days passed and Natalia noticed that her husband spent his afternoons taking his horse for a ride through the woods for hours on end. She began to envy him for that, seeing that the Queen didn't want Natalia riding her horse. Natalia often found herself sitting in the library, staring down into the newly built pen and watching her own horse prance about in his confined space. He seemed restless, and Natalia's heart went out to him. She, too, was starting to feel caged. Natalia worried that her pregnancy was seeming more like an illness, rather a joyful event. Sif had even forewarned her that when she began to show more, she would be kept within castle walls at all times for safety. A loud whinny from her horse distracted the princess from her thoughts. Natalia figured that it was time she brought him a treat. She began calling him Prancer and she was sure to always give him an apple whenever she visited him to atone for not being able to ride him.
After finishing up dinner one evening, Loki still had yet to return from wherever he had gone riding. Natalia waited out by the stables, staring off into the woods as the sun sank lower, painting the sky with shades of pinks and oranges. She began to worry, her stomach in knots as she prayed for her husband's safety. As if by instinct, Prancer drew closer to his master, allowing for her to run her fingers through his silky mane. "Five minutes," Natalia told the animal. "He has five minutes until I take you out for a ride." She found a row of saddles and reins resting along the fence's edge. Natalia was prepared to go on a search, preferably alone. There was no way in hell the servants would accompany her on a search for her husband-she wasn't even supposed to be out here with night drawing near. But if Loki was missing, Natalia needed to be the one to go after him.
The sky was slowly becoming darker and a chill lingered in the air. Natalia spotted Heimdall guarding the main gate and hoped that he wouldn't see what she was about to do. Just as she went to fetch a saddle, she heard the trampling of hooves drawing nearer. Natalia turned to spot Loki riding towards her, letting Blossom slow down to trot towards the stable.
"Natalia?" Loki jumped from the horse and guided her safely into the wooden pen. "You should be in the bedroom."
"Where the hell have you been?" she snapped at him. "You were gone all afternoon, Loki! I've been worried!"
"You must forgive me, then." Loki yanked on his mare's reins to bring her close so he could remove the riding gear. "I met with Jane today," he began. "I've thought of a plan to help form an alliance with the witches."
"An alliance?" Natalia questioned. "Loki, even if it works out, you know that we can't trust them…What if they betray us?"
"The son of Laufey will not be betrayed," Loki firmly stated, locking the wooden gate. "Laufey was their King. That makes me their new King by default."
Natalia folded her arms across her chest. "You're King Odin's son now," she reminded him. "By betraying your true namesake, you're now a traitor to them!" she warned him. "That isn't something the witches will take lightly!"
"If anyone dare defy Laufey's name, there will be consequences." Loki took Natalia by the hand and led her towards the gardens. "Odin told me that by giving me the throne and marrying me off to you, we will be uniting two races. Yes, there will be difficulties at first, but a formal peace treaty will bind us."
"I still wouldn't trust the witches," Natalia bitterly remarked.
"Yet you trust me…" Loki slipped an arm around his wife's waist.
"You're different, though," she hesitated, "you lack the magic they have…"
The prince leaned in close to his wife. "Do you trust me with your life, Natalia?" he whispered into her ear.
"Of course I do," she shakily answered.
"And you promise to love me no matter what the cost?"
The princess had a bad feeling for what was about to come. "Why would you ask me that?"
Loki pulled away from her to have a clearer view of her face. He brought a closed fist in between their bodies. "I know that I am far stronger than them. It is in my blood…" He opened his palm and revealed to her a bright red apple.
Natalia stared at the piece of fruit, bewildered. It had appeared out of thin air and Natalia could tell by the smirk across Loki's lips that this was of his own power.
"This is only one trick out of many. Would you like to see another one?" he offered.
Natalia's horrified eyes stared into his. "How long have you known magic?"
"I began learning some time after you arrived. At first, it was a tad difficult, but I've always been a fast learner," he chuckled.
"You've been hiding this from me…"
"Only for good reason." Loki didn't like the cold stare she was giving him. "And this is exactly why…Do you detest me?"
Natalia snatched the apple from his hand and chucked it at his forehead. It smacked Loki just above the eye, making him softly whimper in pain. "Yes! You lied to me!" she growled.
Loki groaned at how unreasonable she was being. "This is why I hesitated to tell you! Please, Natalia, I love you-this is why I've shown you what I am capable of."
"You've known how magic works!" she shouted. "You've kept this a secret from me and I don't like that! Loki, I can't trust you when you do this to me!" She stomped her foot like a frustrated child.
Loki reached out to grab his wife by the shoulders. "Yes. Alright, I am a fool for doing this," he freely admitted. "Please calm down-this can't be good for the baby," he warned her.
"Then why would you even bring this up?!" Natalia let her hands caress her middle. As furious and overwhelmed as she was, she knew that calming herself down was necessary for the baby's health.
"Please, please understand that I am doing this for our child." He wrapped his arms around her and felt her body gradually ease into his embrace. "I can't stand the thought of bringing a baby into this cruel world being the way it is… Imagine not having to fret over witch attacks," he gently whispered. "No attacks, no bloodshed… just imagine it, Natalia. A perfect world, all created because of us…" His fingers carefully combed through her hair.
"You know I want that more than anything." Natalia's voice was quiet as she buried her face into his chest. "But I don't want you making deals with any witches. You and Jane are good-you're not like them at all." She stared up into his saddened eyes. "I understand who you really are, just… please don't do anything reckless."
He let his lips press against hers in a gentle kiss. "No harm will come to my home, that much I swear to you."
Natalia shook her head. "Swear to me that you'll always return to me." Her hand reached up to cup his cheek.
Loki briefly nodded before kissing her again. "I swear."