Anja left Selena later that day, soon after the sisters had finished their tea. Selena had hugged her goodbye, kissing her cheek before whispering in her ear. "I meant what I said, Anja," Selena said quietly. "If you need anyone. I am here."
Anja smiled at Selena's words, pulling away to meet her sister's gaze. "Thank you, Selena," she replied. "I will keep that in mind."
Selena patted Anja on her shoulder before Anja turned away. The morning had turned into a beautiful midday, not too hot, nor too cold. The cold season would be here soon though, and she hoped with it would come a new life for Loki.
By the time she made it back to the palace, she could hear Fandral's voice talking with Prince Thor's in one of the private parlors on the lower levels. She paid it little heed, pushing on through to the upper levels where she and Loki lived.
"Loki?" she said softly, undoing the clasp of her cape and laying it on a small chair by the doorway as she entered. There were no signs of stirring in their chambers, and she pursed her lips as she walked further in. Idly, she walked over to the great stone fireplace, the black of the smooth marble pulling her in. She gazed down at the dying embers, prodding them a bit with her magic as they came back to life.
Perhaps, sometime soon, Loki's relationship with his family would follow the same pattern as these dying embers. She could only hope…
She jumped suddenly as the feel of cool arms wrapped around her from behind moments later, and Loki rested his chin in the crook of her neck. He closed his eyes, inhaling her scent. He had just come through the door from taking Aric down to see Frigga when he had seen his wife standing by the fire.
"How is my wife this morning?" he murmured against her skin as he kissed her neck.
Anja smiled softly, looking over her shoulder at him. Under the material of his usual wear, she could feel the long, lean contour of his arms as her hands came down to rest on them. "Quite well," she said. "Selena was most gracious about the child."
Loki smiled at that, kissing her nose. "I am glad to hear it."
"But Andrew was rather… upset."
"I suppose we cannot expect everyone to be pleased…" he said after a while, rubbing circles on the small bump of her belly.
Anja bit her lower lip, nodding, leaning against him as he wrapped his arms fully around her waist. She smiled as she felt the hardness in his pants brush up against her back. "Is it not rather early in the day for that?" she murmured, letting a hand trail behind her back, down his abdomen, and brushing the area she was indicating.
Loki chuckled, sitting down on the couch with her in his lap. "It is never too early… or too late for that matter…" he gasped as she shifted in his lap, straddling him despite the obvious bulge in her lower abdomen. "… to have you."
Anja smiled, bringing her lips down to his as he wrapped his arms around her. Their tongues danced for a while, hers fighting with his in an attempt at dominance. Loki broke away first, coming up for breath as Anja's lips went down to his throat. She grinded into him as best she could in her condition, and his eyes went wide as he felt her tongue trail up the side of his neck.
"My Prince?"
Loki closed his eyes at the sound of a male's voice in the doorway. His back was to the door and he could feel Anja freeze for the briefest of moments, obviously having heard the man. Without hesitating, she kissed Loki's throat one last time before standing up and righting herself.
When she rose from their place at the couch, she could see one of the royal messengers standing in the doorway to Loki's chambers. His pale skin was flushed bright red, no doubt a tribute to his embarrassment at walking in on such a scene. Anja had learned long ago not to give what anyone else thought of her a second thought, and she took Loki's hand as he stood next to her.
"There is a thing called knocking," Loki said smoothly, shooting a condescending eye towards the messenger. Anja squeezed his hand.
"Be nice," she whispered to him before turning to the messenger. "What is it?"
The messenger was still looking down, and he licked his lips before speaking again. "The King demands both of your presences in the Great Hall. An emergency session of The Court has been called."
Anja chewed down on her lower lip, thinking. "What sort of emergency?" she asked after a moment.
The messenger shook his head. "I know not, My Lady. But the elves of Svartalfheim have returned."
Anja looked to Loki, a bit of worry creasing her brow. "Thank you," Anja said to the messenger. "We will be down as soon as possible."
As soon as the messenger had left, Loki had his hands on Anja's hips and was pulling her towards him once more. She let out a huff of an exhale as he pinned his hips to hers. "We need to go," Anja said quietly. "Not now."
Loki let out a huff, letting his lips trail lightly just under her jaw. "Why not now?"
Anja placed her hands on his shoulders, holding him at bay. "Because you have princely duties to uphold. That is why. Now we need to go."
Loki smirked down at her, brushing some hair out of her eyes. "Fine," he murmured. "But, as the Midgardians call it, I'll take a rain check for tonight."
Anja smiled at that, taking his arm as he led her out of his quarters.
*o*O*o*
The court was very crowded by the time Loki and Anja made it down there. She held her head high as he took his place on the steps to the left of Odin's throne with her, and she did not shake his hand off when it came to rest at the small of her back. In truth, her back had been hurting for a week now, the strain of carrying the child already taking a toll on her body. The cold of his flesh through the thin material of her dress was not entirely unwelcome.
She looked to him nervously. Prince Thor was at The Allfather's right hand, the Warrior's Three just below him at the same level she and Loki were at. Aric was with the queen, and upon seeing his parents, he toddled over to them. Anja took his hand, letting him stand in front of her and stroking his soft black curls with her other hand.
"What is going on?" she asked Loki. Upon seeing him, she realized that he had paled even more than was usual, and he had gone stock still. "Loki?"
Aric looked back at his father at that, brow furrowing. "Father?"
Loki shook his head, nodding towards the doors as three hooded figures came through. Anja pulled Aric a little closer at the sight of them, her gut clenching as she realized who they were…
The Elvish ambassadors did not bow as they made it to the foot of Odin's throne. The one in the middle merely swept his hood back, revealing an elf with a complexion similar to Anja's. She could feel Loki's hand at her back pull her a bit closer to him as he stood there.
"Speak," Odin said firmly, looking back at the elf's yellowish eyes.
The lead ambassador snarled a bit, and Anja could make out the sharpened rows of teeth in his mouth.
"We come here once more to speak with you, Allfather. But we do not come on peaceful terms this time." As the elf spoke, Aric had gone stock still, watching with fear in his green eyes. Loki bent forward to pick him up, bouncing him up and down on his hip.
"And why is that?" Odin said calmly, sitting coolly on his throne.
The elf with the olive complexion furrowed his brow, pointed ears standing out in the light of the midday. "The King of The Elves has declared war on Asgard for the lack of justice in The Enchantress's murder."
Odin pressed his lips together in a fine line. "Amora was a traitor. Nothing more. She tried to kill Princess-"
"The laws of our kingdom do not cater to those of your kind, Allfather," The elf said, actually cutting the king off. "She was killed by a Prince of Asgard. She was an ambassador and a favorite of the King."
Anja swallowed, looking over at Thor. The eldest son, despite his once well-known reputation for boisterous and warlike tendencies, was studying the elves with a furrowed brow. Anja's mouth was suddenly very, very dry. War… what would that mean for this realm?
"Her death shall be avenged," one of the elves behind the main one spoke up. He had darker skin, much more like Heimdall's. "In following the tradition of war, come here to warn Asgard. Be prepared."
The hall had gone deathly silent, like a tomb. "I implore…." Odin trailed off, collecting himself. "I implore to seek council with your king," Odin said after a moment. "I do not believe there is enough reason to expose two thriving realms to the desolation of war."
The leader of the group shook his head. "His mind has been made, Allfather. He has told me to tell you that in three months' time, his army will be ready."
Thor looked to Odin for the briefest of moments, taking the hint from the Allfather to speak. "Is there no way to compromise?" Thor said calmly, holding his hands out in an imploring gesture.
The lead elf looked to Thor, golden eyes flashing before a small smile broke across his face. Loki's blood turned to ice as the elf looked to him and his family.
"A life for a life," the elf said simply. "Justice dealt in the proper way to murderers."
Thor stepped forward at that, standing in between Loki and the elf. "That will never happen," Thor said quietly, lethally.
The elf smiled again, looking back to Odin. "Then war," the elf said before slipping into mist and leaving the golden hall vacant of any but the Aesir.
*o*O*o*
Loki ushered Anja quickly from the Golden Hall, keeping Aric on his hip as they walked.
"Loki," she said, trying to catch her breath. "Loki!"
"I am not going to stop until we are safe in my quarters," Loki said over his shoulder. "Not yet."
They burst through the doors, and Loki shut them swiftly. Aric had tears in his eyes, afraid from Loki's behavior. "Loki," Anja said quietly. "Why are you behaving so strangely?"
He looked right in Anja's eyes at that, blinking once. Hard.
"The elves want me dead, Anja. There is no telling what may happen to you. I will not allow you to come to harm."
Anja pressed her lips together, forcing him to look at her. She kissed his cheek before whispering in his ear. "We will be fine."
"You cannot know that." Loki shook his head, but she pulled his forehead down to her shoulder to comfort him.
"I do," she murmured. "Because I am going to have your child and we are going to protect one another."
*o*O*o*
Time passed. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and before Anja knew it, she could feel Loki's child moving and kicking around within her. In fact, that was what woke her up one morning during the final month of her pregnancy. Her eyes shot open at the feel of a little foot running across the top of her womb. She let out a little laugh, remembering that Aric had been just as bad about that during her pregnancy with him.
The war had started with Svartalheim, and Odin and Thor were gone weeks at a time. Loki had remained at her side because of her pregnancy. The war was very, very distant. Reports on casualties were a rarity and Anja often forgot about it. After all, there was no danger in the realm of Asgard. Not yet.
With a little sigh, she rose from the bed. It was growing later in the day anyway, and she wanted to get an early start. She had taken to simply slipping a loose-fitting gown over her nightgown, the large swell of her belly making it far too uncomfortable to deal with her usual styles.
Loki had risen early that morning, and now she could see him standing out on the veranda of his quarters. She ran a brush through her hair, tucking it back in her typical braid before she went out to see him.
"Good morning," she said softly, a hand coming to rest on her stomach. He didn't turn at the sound of her voice, so she made her way up to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist behind him and resting her head between his shoulder blades. "It is a beautiful day, is it not?" she asked, inhaling his scent with the morning air.
Loki nodded absently.
"What's wrong, My Prince?" she whispered. Her swollen belly made it rather hard to get as close to him as she would have liked, but it caught his attention all the same.
He turned around, lifting an arm up so he could still keep her against him. He wrapped an arm around her. "Nothing," he said quietly. "I just…"
She looked up at him, resting her chin on his chest and pressing her body against his. "Yes?" she said softly.
He shook his head. "I am worried."
"About what?"
He licked his lips nervously, looking slightly past her head at the tile of the balcony floor. "Nothing," he said after a moment.
"It does not sound like nothing," she whispered. "What is it? Something I did? Something about the baby?"
"No, My Darling," he said quickly. "I just… I…" He brought a hand down to her belly, not even the little nudge that came from within making him smile like it usually did.
She brought a hand to the side of his face, forcing him to meet her gaze. "Tell me," she said quietly.
His vision seemed to clear before he spoke again. "I've never… never gone through this before," he said quietly. Anja tilted her head to the side, understanding shining in her eyes as she looked back at him. "The child. I was not ever with you for Aric… and I see how strong you are with this one… and I cannot help but think it is force of habit, that it is the only way you know how to cope with a pregnancy… and it burns me."
"Loki-"
"I wasn't here for you. I let you go through this alone your very first time…" He brought both hands to rest on her belly then and the child within started its dance once more. "I was not a good husband to you."
"You did not know," she whispered, bringing his forehead down to hers. "I did not for a time either. I had my suspicions… but I never went to Elena. Aric is not your fault. I told you I regretted nothing that came from our relationship back on Midgard."
"And yet I still find myself hating the fact that you were forced to give birth alone. That in itself frightens me, Anja. Child birth is dangerous… and then this realm is at stake with the war. I fear for you should Asgard fall." What he said was true. There had been a time during his darker days when he would have given his eye teeth to see Asgard burn. Not now. No, it was not because of his loyalty to the throne. It was because of his wife and the unborn child in her belly. Not to mention the one that was already in the world.
Anja pressed her lips together in a fine line, looking back at him. "But it is not something we can't handle," she said steadily. "And this time I will have you with me, Loki." He inhaled at that, and when she pulled away she realized that there was a tear on his cheek. She wiped it away quickly with her hand. It was so very obvious that he was still broken. Even after all this time and all the love she had given him, he was still shattered. One wrong move or event could send him over the edge, and the possibility of danger to his family only intensified that possibility.
"Mother? Father?" Aric's voice reached the pair of them from the doorway, and Anja turned to her son as Loki looked off to compose himself.
"Good morning, My Love," Anja said, waddling over to Aric. The child gave her a smile, wrapping his arms around her belly as he planted a kiss on it.
"My baby sister is not here yet?" he said with a goofy grin, hand resting on her belly. He had grown quite a bit in the last months, now able to form full sentences and walk on steady feet. His third birthday had come all too quickly to Anja.
"No, Aric," Anja said with a smile. "But it may be any day now."
Aric beamed up at her, clapping lightly as Loki came up behind her and put an arm around her waist. "Good morning, Father," Aric said with a little bow.
Loki smiled, bending down to meet the boy's gaze. It was uncanny how green his son's eyes were… green like his. "How are you today?" Loki said with a smile.
"Wonderful!" Aric said. "Uncle Fandral shall be letting me shoot a bow before he goes back to fighting for the kingdom."
Loki raised an eyebrow, looking to Anja. She smiled. "I think Uncle Fandral was just going to show you how to use a bow," she said. "You are still quite young for a full-fledged one, darling."
Aric stuck his lower lip out, pouting a bit. "Yes mother," he said quietly, stifling the whine that was building as he locked eyes with his father. Then he turned his gaze fully to Loki. "But could you show me your magic again, Father?" he said with a smile. It was Anja's turn to look to Loki.
Loki cut his eyes at her. "Of course, Aric," he said with a smile. "And perhaps once your sister is here Mother can show you some of hers." Anja had been refraining from using her abilities in the months leading up to her due date. She had claimed to Loki that she was simply too tired, but in truth she had not wanted to risk the darkness retaking her while she was with child.
Aric smiled again, clapping. "That would be amazing!" he said with a mischievous grin to rival his father's. Loki smiled back at his son, patting the child on the head before rising to his full height.
"Run along and go find Grandmother," Anja said sweetly. "The Queen would love to see you this morning." Aric nodded, bowing to his parents as a nursemaid entered to take him to the queen.
"He's grown so much," Loki said absently. "He'll be tall."
Anja looked back at him from her place beside him. "Aye. But that is always an advantage in the field of battle, yes?...Oooh" Anja's hand flew to her stomach as she let out a deep breath.
Loki furrowed his brow in concern, turning to face her fully once more. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.
Anja looked down at the large bump in her belly. She had felt this pain before… and she knew what it meant. "I think… I think we will be meeting our daughter very soon, My Love," she whispered with a smile. Loki's green eyes went wide as he looked back down at her belly. "Loki," she said quietly, waiting on him to meet her gaze once more. "It is alright. I will be fine."
Loki licked his lips, nodding before a smile stretched across his face. "Our little girl," he murmured, kissing Anja's forehead. Anja smiled, looking down at him as he went down on his knees and kissed her belly as Andrew had done. "Shall I send for Elena?" he said softly.
Anja looked down at her stomach, shaking her head. "It is still early. I will go down to court with you. They say walking is the best thing to do in early labor." Loki smiled, rising to meet her gaze once more, but the smile soon melted as she let out a cry. Another contraction rocketed through her and he had to catch her to support her. "But maybe," she said with a little gasp. "Maybe you should call for her."
Loki nodded, helping her into bed before he summoned a messenger to get Elena.
*o*O*o*
Loki cringed at the sound of Anja's cries from his bedchamber. He was pacing back and forth in front of the great fireplace in his sitting area. He had been planning on staying in the room with his wife throughout the delivery, but Elena had sent him from the room when the time came for the actual birth. Apparently it was not a man's place to be present for. He rubbed his forehead, letting out a deep breath. At least Selena was in there with her…
"Loki, please sit down," his mother said from her place on his couch. "You worry too much."
Loki snapped his head up from where he had been looking on the ground to meet his mother's gaze. "How can I not?" he practically hissed.
Frigga shrugged, looking down at her hands. "What will be, will be," she said quietly.
Loki let out a huff, turning away from her once more. Anja let out another cry from within his chambers and he cringed. It was taking all of his considerably lacking restraint to go straight in there at that very moment.
By the time Selena had opened the door of the chambers, it was well into the night. His head shot up to see her smiling at the queen, but the smile left her face when her eyes lighted on Loki. "She wants to see you," Selena said quietly, holding the door open for him.
"Is she alright? Is the child-"
"Everything is fine, Loki," Selena said quietly, walking up to him. "Go meet your daughter." She didn't spare him a second glance as she turned to the queen, bowing as she went to speak with Frigga.
*o*O*o*
Anja was lying in the bed, sweat clinging to her brow as she looked down at the child in her arms. She was smiling down at it, one of her hands stroking the sleeping baby's cheek. Loki walked up to the bed slowly, slinking in from the shadows as he knelt down next to her. Anja met his gaze, smiling before she went back to look at the child in her arms.
"What's her name?" he said quietly, slightly afraid to reach out to touch her. She was so tiny, so fragile… But from this distance, he could tell that she had her mother's darker complexion and a dark wisp of hair on her head. Elena was cleaning up still, but he kept his voice low so she wouldn't overhear their conversation.
"I like Leena," Anja said softly, her gaze roaming back to the child. "I think it suits her. I wanted a name that started with 'L'," she said after another moment. She looked back to Loki to see what his reaction was, and smiled when his emerald gaze widened.
"Leena," he said softly, getting a feel for it. "Gods, Anja…" She looked back to him at that statement, blinking once as she waited for him to take the child's actual presence in. "She is so beautiful."
"She has my eyes," Anja said quietly. "When they are open, anyway."
Loki chuckled, leaning over to kiss Anja's forehead. "At least I did one thing right for you," he whispered. "My wife."
Anja furrowed her brow, but remained silent. "Would you like to hold her?" she said softly. Loki blinked once before nodding. He reached out, taking the child in his arms. "Watch her head," Anja said quietly. Leena looked as though she might stir for the briefest of moments as Loki settled her little body into his arms. He smiled once more, kissing the child's forehead.
"Little Leena." It was almost a coo as it fell from his lips, and it surprised even himself.
In that moment, looking down at his daughter, Loki felt true hope for the first time since the war had started.