"You cannot be serious." Loki jumped to his feet in anger.

"I am, this has to be done Loki," Thor stated in return, far calmer than his brother.

"I refuse to do it."

"Loki…"

"No Thor, you cannot honestly think to make me do such a thing."

"I understand your concerns with regards to Maebh and how ill she has been, but she has mother now." Thor attempted to sound diplomatic.

"She is still ill, you have heard Eir and you have heard from Volstagg and his wife, I have to be close to her, if she were to lose the baby, or…" he could not complete the sentence.

"You are being over worrisome Loki, and in doing so you are not thinking of your role," Thor stated in a dismissive tone.

Loki glared at his brother, coming over and into his face, his index finger pointed directly at the older man. "Do not dare suggest for one moment that I am not loyal to you or dismissive of my position." He hissed. "I nearly died protecting the future king of my land, I nearly left my heavy pregnant wife a widow and my sons fatherless to protect my land, and you dare suggest I do not think of my role." His voice rose to a roar as he spoke. "I am the reason you are alive, why you stand here today to speak this way to me, I could easily have let you be slain in front of me, but I did not, did I? I risked my life for you." Thor looked at him guiltily. "You owe me this brother. I did not get to be there for Maebh when Vali was born, but if I have to fight the Great Odin himself, I will witness the birth of my next child. You will not get to preside over the naming of another of my children." With that, he turned and stormed from the building, ignoring the worried faces of Sif, Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun, as well as others as he grabbed the reins of his horse, mounting it before turning it to head to his home, and kicking it hard with his heels, causing it to rear before galloping out of the village.

"I am going to explode, wait and see, I will rupture before this child is born." Maebh groaned, the baby had moved within her during the night and the new manner in which it rested meant it was high, pressing against her ribs, making her feel far bigger than she physically was.

"You are being oversensitive Maebh, it is just going into position, you heard Eir only a week ago, it was the wrong way around, it will settle head down and you will be far better then." Frigga soothed, knowing the sensation that Maebh was feeling, having experienced it herself with Loki.

"Could you imagine having to birth a child legs first?" Maebh shuddered at the thought. "It cannot be good for you."

"Many a woman has suffered great exhaustion before her child is even half way out. Getting the head out first is most certainly optimal." Frigga agreed. "Wait and see, soon it will be head down, you will be able to breathe and eat again without feeling as though it is in your chest, though it will be kicking you incessantly."

"That is not particularly comforting either it must be said. With Vali I felt as though I had Sleipnir within me, nothing but legs kicking everywhere."

Frigga laughed. "It is good to see you embrace all that is of Asgard so well my dear; I often forget you are not born of here."

Maebh gave a small smile. "I suppose that is good, though some days I wish to remember my roots more too if that makes sense. Not that I am unhappy with how I am here."

"There is no need to try to explain, for there is nothing to explain. You are of Midgard; Vali is half so, as is that little one you carry now. They will be born here, but that does not take what you are from you, or indeed them. The day will come when they will wish to know how their parents came to be wed, meaning how you came to be here will arise, and then too, their curiosity in themselves. Not to mention, your sense of identity is a part of that also."

Maebh felt better knowing Frigga understood her perspective, she rubbed her stomach, which was no longer able to hide her growing child, but showing the world once more, that a child flourished within her. "I'm scared."

"Darling?"

"What if I am not strong enough to carry this child."

"Maebh…"

"I am still ill, longer than is usual, daily, it is not normal." She explained.

"Sweetheart, you are not yet half way. As Eir explained, the child is badly positioned and slightly larger than Vali, so that is the reason for your increased size, and your illness, sadly it lasts a tad longer in cases where women are struck with it, you do not need to fret." She tried to calm her, knowing she was more worried than she should be, something that Eir had warned to prevent.

Maebh inhaled deeply, "You are right, you are right." She stated. "I am sorry, I am just so frustrated. I am not sleeping very well, I feel too uncomfortable, I am trying not to get angry at everything, yet I want to be, and I want eggs, duck eggs, chickens eggs, even a damn goose egg, but I can have none of them because they make me ill, and I can only eat at certain times a day because otherwise I will be ill, and I wish I could be of use."

Frigga raised her hand to silence her. "Sweetheart, you are very much of use, you are carrying a child, the future of our family line, while also feeding one and rearing two others, you have the most essential of roles within this family at present, bar Thor, please do not think otherwise." She stated adamantly. "You deserve more credit than you give yourself. Being tired and being irritable are completely comprehensible, and that is fine, I know not to take offense, I understand." She smiled.

"Thank you," Maebh smiled meekly back.

"Now, why do we not go and take a small walk with Vali, you need to get some fresh air, so nowhere too far."

Rising from her seat, Maebh smiled brightly at the idea, elated at the idea of not being inside, the weather of late having been slightly wetter than usual. "I cannot voice enough my agreement to such an idea." Vali gurgled against her. "Apparently neither can you." She grinned, looking at the baby, who returned her bright smile happily.

"Then I will take this young man, you just look after you, if you feel ill, let me know." Frigga took Vali, who willingly went to his grandmother.

The day was dry but overcast, and there was a chill, so they brought an extra pelt for the baby. "I cannot put into words how grateful I am for everything you have done these past few weeks that you have been here Frigga. I would not have recovered as much as I have but for you."

"I am only too happy to be of assistance. With Thor's rule and Loki's aid, I was beginning to feel useless, but with your family, helping you, I feel as though I have a purpose once more."

"We would never think you useless, you know that."

"No, but I would feel it, besides, I miss having my family around. When it was just Odin and myself, it felt lonely also, but now, seeing my grandchildren every day, knowing soon there will be another one to dote on." She smiled lovingly as she looked to Maebh's stomach.

"You mean another one to wake you at night crying, to not give you any peace. I feel somewhat guilty, you have reared your children, I feel bad for shouldering some of the care of mine on you also."

"On Midgard, did you have any of your family close by?"

Maebh took a moment before answering, not out of hesitation, but to recall, having not thought of her life there for a significant time. "My mother was born to a formidable family in Mumhain, a land far south of where my father was heir to, so we did not see her parents, I do not know if they even live still. My father's father, my grandfather, died when I was young, I think Daire was not a year old at the time, and because my father did not wish for his mother to be alone, he insisted she move to our home."

"So it is similar to what has occurred here so, no wonder you were so at ease with the idea."

"I fear my father's mother was not as good as you, though; crass is the term I would use to describe her. She had not issue with voicing her thoughts, however, good or bad they would be. He was ridiculing of my mother, thinking her nothing near good enough for her son, though her family were of good blood also. I was not too sorry when she died. I recall my mother saying once that she was the reason there was so long between Daire and Síofra." Frigga listened intently. "It was she that promised me to Maedhbh of Connacht's son. She had made that arrangement with her without consulting my father, and when it came to light, my father either had to agree or face a very formidable foe."

"So he was displeased?"

"By then, much to my mother's and grandmother's chagrin, I was already showing signs of being the better-suited heir to my father. Daire, though I loved him greatly, was not as level headed, or battle smart, and my father knew that."

"What do you think would have occurred should your brother have fought you for the stake in the thrown?" Frigga asked.

Maebh knew well she was comparing her and Daire to Loki and Thor, though thankfully, Loki had never tried to overthrow his brother. "I do not know, we would have had to battle, and I know I would have been victorious, so it would have probably have cost me my brother, be it that he would have been alive and defeated, or slain, neither something I would want. I think he too knew I was better suited, he never contested me, not properly, obviously, he would argue with me sometimes, but do not all siblings do such?"

"Oh yes, I had a sister, she died in childbirth many moons ago, but she and I used bicker incessantly. I am surprised my parents did not throw us both to the wolves." Frigga smiled, fondly recalling her childhood.

Maebh was going to reply when she stood open mouthed, listening. She heard it not a moment before she saw the cause of the sound; Loki's horse's hooves pounding the ground before turning the corner far too hurriedly to stop should he come across something. Thinking quickly, she threw Frigga and Vali to the side, herself with them, one hand protecting her growing stomach and the other around Frigga's back, making sure she and Vali did not crash to the ground too heavily. Luckily, the older woman and young child landed in the grassy ditch, which though sodden, cushioned their fall. With both her hands occupied, Maebh landed harshly, but in a manner her unborn child was cushioned, her head colliding painfully with a large uncovered tree root.

Loki had been so consumed by anger at Thor's words; he had not been focusing too greatly on his surrounds. It was only when he saw a flash of colour and heard Vali's cry did he pull on his horse's reins and look around. Immediately he pulled for the horse to turn and rushed back. "Mother, what are you…Maebh!" the sight of his wife, looking at him with her eyes clearly not in focus from the ground and with a hand to her head to stem the flow caused Loki to freeze.