Ariella waited for her carriage, Odin had made sure a less ornate and highly comfortable carriage was arranged for her to go along the road not far from the royal procession. She saw Loki and his family getting into their carriage and waited for her own, not engaging too much with anyone around her. It was then she sensed someone looking at her, she glanced around to see no one close to her paying much heed to her, but when she focused more, she realised a man walking towards her and looked at him worriedly for a moment before schooling her face to one of indifference.

'I do not know you, do I?' The man grinned at her as he came up to her. 'I am a counsellor in these parts.'

'Yes, Counsellor Edvin, I am very much aware as to who you are,' she smiled politely, disarming him somewhat.

'Yes, that...do I know you?'

'I know you.' Ariella smiled. 'I worked in an establishment you used to hold meetings in.'

'A girl your age from these parts is not usually of the education to refer to a place as an establishment.' He eyed her more carefully.

'Not usually, no, sadly, but some are, I was lucky to have distant family that wanted to right that wrong.' She almost sighed in relief as the carriage came. 'It is a pleasure to meet you Counsellor and I thank you for your being here today for those of us who lost family.' She stated as she waited for the coachman to open the door for her.

'That is a nice carriage.'

'It is, my family were again the ones to provide it for me, I live so far away from here now, I could not have made it back without their assistance, I only wish others were as lucky. Goodbye Sir.' She turned to get into the carriage.

'Is that what manner you wish to address it, "distant family" I suppose the Prince's Whore

does not have the same respectable air to it.'

She paused for a moment, realising his words, even the coachman seemed to want to usher her into the carriage away from the man but she turned. 'Funny, how a girl assumed to be laying with a singular man is a "whore" but a man that is known the have lain with many is not called anything disrespectful himself.' She stated factually. 'I have never lain with another, I am very much of the belief that my purity should remain intact for marriage but should I ever choose to alter that, I cannot see that altering today to tomorrow, so to hear someone attempt to use such a jeer at me does not bother me too greatly. But for a man that has no legitimate heirs and four illegitimate ones, two of which he only sired in the past decade with the women he smears as whores when he was the one dip his wick in multiple waxes is too rich for me to remain silent on. Perhaps rather than attempting to hurt a person who has never done you wrong and who is here to mourn a loved one with hurtful comments you should consider remaining silent when you are not one of tremendous virtue and since someone had to work in the establishments you liaised with your female friends…' She stood stoic and glared him into forfeiting. 'I am only too aware of the validity of my comments. Goodbye Counsellor, I am sure your wife is wondering where you are.' She turned and entered the carriage, leaving the Lord silent and staring after her.

Inside the carriage and with the door closed, Ariella smirked before a green hue surrounded her and Loki became his true form again. In the royal carriage, Odin and Frigga smiled as "Loki" once more became Ariella. When they got into a more secluded area of the woods, the two carriages met and the royal carriage door was opened for Ariella to leave it before going to the other carriage, where Loki was still smirking. 'Darling,' He beamed as she entered.

'We should not have…' She shook slightly at the thoughts of what ramifications there would be from such an act.

'Ari, he is a counselor in the forests; you are a young, educated professional in the palace, I do not wish to give you a big head, but you very much are higher in the world than him and you just so happen to have the entire Aesir royal family adore you, so even if he decided to kick up a storm in his measly little teacup, you are well protected, what can he do?'

'Reveal who I am.'

'So people will actually be shocked to hear that the person who did the statue is actually someone of the area, oh, the horror.' Loki stated dramatically.

Ariella gave him a bemused look before conceding that there was indeed nothing that the Counsellor could do to make her life difficult, what she had told Loki and what she had seen through Frigga's magic that he had used to silence the other man would make his own life far more so, so she sat beside him and allowed him to put his arm around her. 'I am glad you dealt with him, I do not know if I could have.'

'He had no right to call you a whore, you are anything but.'

'A prude?'

'Well, okay, anything but a whore or a prude, I know you are not prudish.' He grinned thinking of her willingness to have fun with him.

'I cannot believe he called me that, and on the day of remembrance.'

'That is the difference between a counsellor in a small woodland area and a Lord in court, the latter usually know to hold their tongue at certain events.' Loki stated.

'But one is as slimy as the other.'

'I think the counsellor to be less so, at least he is honest as to his feelings.'

'True.'

'Now, we have a long journey back.' Loki magicked up a book that they had been reading together. 'Let us start Chapter Four, shall we?'

'Which of us will read?' Ariella looked at him excitedly.

'You sound like you wish to.' He gave her the book. 'There is a word on the fourth page that is difficult, let us see if you can manage it alone.' He pulled her in such a way that she was laying on his lap. The carriage was not overly big, but with some aid from his seidr, he made it as comfortable as possible as she began to read.

'You look somewhat upset, is everything alright, dear?' Frigga looked at Odin in concern.

'The way that man spoke to "Ariella", the nerve.' he growled indignantly on her behalf.

'Men with delusions of grandeur often feel they have right to say what they want to women, I am surprised he did not proposition her.' Frigga responded. 'But you were looking at her oddly before the fool said that, so what is it?'

'There was another counsellor...'

'And?'

'He seemed to recognise her some bit, he got her name wrong, but he knew of her.'

'Again, I see no reason for concern there.'

'He implied something, something more sinister and foul.'

'Yes?' Frigga leant forward, curious as to what her husband had heard.

'He implied her father hurt her, in ways a man should not hurt his daughter.' Odin almost coughed the words out.

Frigga's eyes widened for a minute as she processed his words. 'I see, do you think…'

'I do not know, do you think she would tell anyone, would Loki even know?'

'Perhaps this conversation is best left to when he is present or with her.' Frigga recommended though she was uncertain as to how Loki would react to such information.

'I just cannot imagine that girl being harmed in such a manner by those who are meant to protect her.' Odin shook his head solemnly. 'She is such a good creature, she does not deserve it, no child does.'

'You are too much of a softie behind it all, do you know that?' Frigga smiled fondly.

'In war, you have to be cold, when there is an army attacking realms and killing innocent people, you have to protect them, you have to be willing to kill young men to protect the innocent, I never liked taking life, but I knew I had to when they were so adamant to take mine and innocents with me.' Odin stated.

Frigga smiled fondly at her husband. Her husband was a man so many thought to be cold and uncaring, but since the day she had been introduced to him, as a trade for service, he treated her with the utmost respect and kindness. 'You are a good being, Odin Allfather, do you know that?'

'I endeavour to be, but I do not always think it.' She took his hand and squeezed it. 'I look at our boys, Thor and Sif in their carriage, talking about the next palace games and Loki with Ariella, and they no doubt talking about some random issue that we could never think to think of and I wish I had not been thrown at you, an ageing fart to a young healer, I should not have allowed it. You deserved some young strapping soldier or courtier, not me.'

Frigga looked at him in shock. 'No, I am glad it is you, do you know that you ageing fart, as you seem to want to call yourself.'

'You wanted to be a healer, I took that from you.'

'You made it so I could heal so many more than if I were one. All the wealth I effectively stole from your family.'

'That wealth was accumulated from the people of Asgard, it is only right it is used for them also.' Odin pointed out before chuckling. 'Although, I cannot wait until I get to Valhalla to hear my grandmother rant about you giving over her favourite palace that she badgered my grandfather into having built for her and given it to "mere peasants".'

'She was always a wagon.' Frigga growled.

'I probably should defend her.' Odin scoffed. 'But I fear I cannot, it is an accurate analysis.'

Loki watched as Ariella slept, he knew she was tired from preparing mentally for what the day would entail as well as being meticulous of her work and going over everything a hundred times and still not being convinced it was good enough. They would have to stop to eat soon again, as they had done on their journey, him slipping into her carriage as soon as it was possible outside the city and changing his appearance to allow them privacy. When the carriage stopped, he paused and waited for a moment. The coachman opened the door and acted as though Loki was not a royal, as he was instructed to do. 'Excuse me Sir, but there is an inn ahead that is said to be the best around, I was wondering if that would be where you would wish to eat this evening?'

'Yes, thank you, Broderick, I will wake Lady Ariella while you get us the rest of the way.'

'As you wish, Sir.' It took a moment of fighting instinct for the man to not bow, but he nodded and closed the door again.

'Ari, Darling, you have to get ready.' Loki shook her gently.

'For what?' She asked groggily.

'We are going to get something to eat, the coachman says there is a place to eat near here.'

'Okay,' She pulled herself up and stretched. 'Was I asleep long?'

'Not overly.' He kissed the side of her head before using his magic to assist her to look as though she had not been asleep. 'Are you hungry?' She nodded. 'Good.'

'What about you?'

'What about me?'

'You cannot go out looking like you.'

'Norns, you are right.' A wave of his hand made him look like he had before under disguise from when they were younger, though aged slightly, something that had caused Ariella to look at him oddly during their time on the way to the mines, having long gotten used to the true Loki. The carriage was only moving a few more minutes, barely enough for Ariella to become more awake before they came to a halt and the coachman knocked lightly on the door before opening it. Loki got out first before helping Ariella down. 'Ari…' His smile to her fell when he realised the look of horror on her face. Turning, he realised the reason for her change in demeanour. 'Oh…'

'Is there an issue, Sir?' The coachman asked, looking to the prince.

Loki looked to Ariella. 'I think we should eat here.'

'I…'

'We should eat here Ari, you need to show them how far you have come, how strong you are.'

'I am not strong…'

'You are the strongest woman I have ever met.' He put his arm around her. 'You need to show them what you have become.' He insisted.

Ariella looked at the dwelling, to the freezing stables she had called her home and to the inn that her aunt and uncle had allowed her to get to near death in. 'I am going in first.'