"Norn's what is with you and banging your head?" Eir sighed in exasperation as she checked over Maebh. "I have spent more time tending to you in the last year than I have tended to other women older than you in their entire lives." She scolded.

"I had to protect my children," Maebh argued, looking over at Vali, who had long settled and was sitting on the floor by his grandmothers feet as though nothing had ever happened, sticking one chubby little fist into his mouth as he drooled, an emerging tooth causing him to do so; her hand on her stomach also, referring to the baby growing within. "I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"I know you would, I fear that is half the issue," Eir grumbled as she tried to get Maebh to focus on her. "You are slightly concussed, though that comes as no surprise. You need to rest, but not fall asleep for the rest of the afternoon, and tonight, you are to be woken a few times to ensure you are alright, am I understood?" the healer looked at Frigga, receiving a nod of confirmation from the other woman and then to Loki, who could barely look her in the eye. "Any more concerns and you are aware of my location." She stated before taking her leave again.

"You heard her, rest," Frigga instructed, pointing to the bedroom. "Loki, assist your wife to your room."

Loki looked at his wife, his face marred with his guilt. Since the incident, he had not uttered a word to her, feeling too culpable for everything that had transpired as a result of his actions. "Right." His voice was small as he made his way to Maebh, who was just watching him, her face expressionless. Without waiting for her to get to her feet, Loki placed his arms under her, and carried her, not stopping until he placed her on their bed, and slowly shying away from her after that.

"That wasn't necessary." There was no anger in her voice, she was just stating fact.

"It was safer." He turned to leave.

"Loki…"

"It was entirely my fault."

"Loki…"

He turned to face her again, angry at himself. "You cannot argue such Maebh; if I had not ridden as I had; if you had not been as fast to react as you did…" he shuddered at the thought.

She placed her hand on his cheek, silencing him, noting the tears in his eyes. "Do not speak one more word on the matter. What concerns me is what has you in such a manner, what was said to make you so frantic?"

Loki looked at her in awe. "You are so astute." He gave a weak smile. "It does not matter."

"Let me be the judge of that, for I fear you are not thinking as you usually do."

"Thor wants me to go to Vanaheim, for near a season in the near future." Maebh's eyes widened. "I told him no, I could not leave you again, not with another child so close, not after…" He still found it difficult to reference their near death experiences.

"And?"

"He questioned my loyalty." Loki thought he knew anger when Thor had spoken those words to him, but he saw there and then, nothing he said or felt was in anyway a match for his wife. "Maebh?"

"Send for him."

"Maebh."

"Send for him now or so help me, as true as your child is growing in me, I will get out of this bed and walk to him, and I cannot promise to allow his head remain on his shoulders." She growled through gritted teeth. He decided it best not to argue, and called for one of the stablehands, informing him that his brother was required at his home at the earliest convenience. Until such time as Thor could arrive, Maebh was left to stew in her new found anger.

Thor came as soon as he could, not sure what to expect, his brother's stablehand had mentioned that Princess Maebh had been injured, and that Eir had been sent for, so, worried, he cut short the days work and may his way to the homestead that lay nestled in the trees by the town. When he arrived, there did not seem to be a sense of distress to the yard, and making his way to the door, he walked in, only to sense that the calm outside of the house was not present within. Nafi, who had returned from his training, glared at him from the table, and with him, Vali sitting on Frigga's lap, her own face seemed somewhat cold and angry, he was about to ask her what was afoot when Loki walked intro the room from his bedroom, his demeanour similar to that he had left Thor's home with earlier that day, only he seemed more angered, something Thor had not thought possible.

Loki was about to open his mouth when Maebh exited the room, her stomach a slight bit rounder than when Thor had last seen her two weeks previous, having heard from Loki that the baby had turned, causing her to bear a rapidly growing stomach. He was somewhat shocked to see there was a bandage on her head, same as when she had birthed Vali. "Frigga." She did not even look at her mother-in-law as she said her name. Immediately; Nafi rose and left the table, not taking his eye off his uncle as he passed him, his lips slightly tilted up, knowing that out of the people Thor should fear, his mother was top of that list, because she was indeed livid with the king, and the boy knew she would not be a moment letting him know what was on her mind. Frigga followed suit very quickly, Vali in her arms, not looking at her older son as she passed him.

"What is at play here?" Thor asked, eyeing his brother and his wife cautiously.

"I think it is you that should answer that question." Maebh snarled furiously.

Thor looked at her in confusion for a moment. "I know that the journey to Vanaheim is not ideal at this time, but…"

"Oh that will be discussed at length very soon, I can assure you, but that is not the reason I asked for you to come here." Maebh looked more like a feral animal that a human as she spoke to Thor, and it terrified him. He had no idea what it was she was referencing. "You dare suggest for one second that Loki does not know his place, that he is not loyal to you." She shook with anger.

Thor's eyes widened and he raised his hands as though surrendering. "I know I should not have said that, and I cannot apologise enough for it. I know my brother is loyal, I could not ask for one as devoted as him by my side."

"You are damn right." She snarled. "He nearly gave his life for you and you have the audacity to utter those words." Thor looked down in shame. "You should get down on bended knees and thank the Norn's, the Gods and the world itself you have the brother you have; and for your son to be half as lucky. Look around you Thor, how many have one of their kin by their side that they can depend on so greatly when the other has so much to gain from their loss, and what do you do? You spit on him, because he actually is scared for his family. It says a lot of you when you cannot empathise."

"Now, I do…"

"How can you, if instead you question his loyalty rather than try to think as he was thinking?" she challenged. Again he could not answer. "You are too used to being the centre of the realm Thor, and in doing so, you cannot see the forests, for you are focusing too greatly on one tree."

Thor listened, knowing better than to argue, in truth, he had been somewhat selfish, his not wanting to be away from his own family had caused him to only consider the options that meant he did not have to. "You are right, I concede, I have been somewhat self-centred."

Loki stood, somewhat startled as his admission. "Obviously, but the thing about being a king Thor, is learning to recognise this by yourself, not having your brother and his wife tell you, how can you figure out your path as a king if you are still busy suckling like a calf on a teat. It is our duty to assist you, and we gladly do so, without question but you have to figure it out by yourself too." Maebh stated sharply, feeling exhausted from her day.

"You need to rest." Loki went straight over to her, just as she began to stumble. "I have you." He held her against him.

Thor took a few steps forward. "What happened her?"

"I galloped home, she, Vali and mother were on the road, and to protect them, she allowed herself get injured." Loki explained, using his body to shield Thor from coming too close. "I would not suggest you come much further, she has had to be talked out of castrating you once already today, and to be honest, and I am not in the mood to talk her out of it again should she reconsider her position." Thor took another step back at that, watching helplessly as Loki carried his wife to the room to rest. When he emerged, he looked exhausted, taking a moment to locate his brother. "So say to me now, look me right in the eye and tell me she is fine." He dared.

"Loki…"

"She could die, can you not fathom that? Not because of the usual risks a woman carries, but because her body is not strong enough, she is still ill, still!" Loki shouted angrily. "And all you are concerned about is a trip to Vanaheim you and I both know can either be done without me, or at a later date."

"I apologise for wishing you there," Thor growled.

"You want me to hold your hand for you Thor, you are too scared to face a decision by yourself, you always have been, that is why I have been by your side since the day you could have me by it, everything from wooing Sif, to our raids, to even our hunting trips, I make the decisions under your name, it needs to stop Thor, grow up, be a man."

"I went to Midgard without you."

"You had sweet little choice, and it is clear that you did nothing of note there. Where are the bounties of raid from your last visit pray tell? For I have yet to encounter them." Thor squared up to him. "You see this is your issue, you cannot counter my logical argument, so you resort to being a burly brute, use words for a change Thor."

"You want to punch me, though, don't you?" Thor challenged, wanting to vent his anger.

"Yes I do, but I am also a grown man with children, so I will not resort to juvenile behaviour, what manner is that to rear my sons?" Angry, Thor turned and stormed out the door. "When you are truly remorseful and wish to discuss Vanaheim properly, then I am here, but until then, stew on the truths given to you this day brother," Loki stated, going to his room to check on his wife.

Thor did not turn to face him again as he left. When he went outside, he was met by his mother who was holding Vali in her arms as his brother told him the different animals in their yard, pausing when he noticed Thor, which in turn caused Frigga and Vali to look around.

"Take Vali to the stables for a minute Nafi," Frigga stated, handing the small child to his brother, who was burly enough to carry him with ease, doing as he was told.

"I have had enough of a dressing down for one afternoon mother." Thor sighed.

"She cannot be without him, this time, Thor. Whatever it is that needs doing there, either send him immediately or wait until the child is born."

"Is it really that bad?" Thor asked, his mother nodded. "How?"

"The child keeps moving in and out of position, it has altered again so that it is head down, but it is not going where it needs to for some reason, Eir thinks it is going to be too big for her to birth, and it may very well turn again, meaning it will breech, it very well can kill her." She explained in a low voice, not wanting Nafi to hear them.

"Sif never stated."

"She does not know, Loki does not even know."

"What?"

"She does not want to concern him, she does not wish to concern anyone, I only know because Eir told me behind her back, something she should not do, but Maebh seems resigned that she may not survive this birth, and that is concerning. If Loki is not here, she will not even fight, I know it, or worse, she will go too soon, and that way, we could lose both of them." Frigga informed him.

"I…Loki is suspicious."

"Of course, he is, he is no fool, your brother; I have never met one as observant as him."

"Why do you think I have come to depend on him too much?" Thor sighed. "Norn's, there is no end to it all. Are we cursed?"

"I often ask myself that too. Did that foul beast of an ex-wife of his sell what little soul she possesses to cause him to suffer, for this is more agony for him than if he himself were to suffer personally."

"I need to go back and tell him…" Thor turned to go into the house.

"He is tired, and he has a long night of caring for her to deal with, let him rest, when he wakes, I will tell him that you will see him tomorrow to speak with regards everything."

"Tell him I await his forgiveness," Thor stated.

Frigga gave a small smile. "You need not ask for such, he will give it regardless."

"Maebh is right, I do not know my luck at the brother I have, I do not appreciate my good fortune"

"Acknowledging that alone tells us all what we need to know. As long as you know that, then everything will right itself again soon." Frigga smiled, taking his face in her hands and kissing her taller son's forehead, with a small smile, he turned and left. Frigga walked into the stables to hear Nafi speaking to his brother, silently, she stood out of sight and listened.

"We won't be like father and Thor, we will not argue. I know I will never abuse my place as older brother against you, and I know that with our mother and father, you will be the same." Her heart swelled and broke slightly with that comment. "And I know that we are to have another brother or sister, but we will look after them, or with how close you are, I find myself envious, if it is a boy, you will probably want to play with him, not with me." There was no doubting the sadness in Nafi's voice. "But I will look after you both regardless, it is my duty, and I want to make sure you are both safe." He swore.

"You will," Frigga smiled proudly. Nafi gave her a scathing look. "What is it my darling?"

"Why did you forgive Thor for what he said?"

"Your father forgave him, to say he lives means your mother did also; and other than that, he is my son, I will always love him, and even when he does something foolish, I will continue to assist him as best I can, the same as your parents will do for you and Vali."

"I would never question Vali like that," Nafi stated ardently.

"I hope you never have to be in the position to think otherwise." She smiled sadly, knowing the day could very well come that her younger son would have to shatter Nafi's idea of his family, and prayed to herself it never came to pass. "Now, let us get something to eat, your mother will need to rest and relax to allow her recovery once more." On hearing of how to assist him mother, Nafi handed his brother to his grandmother and walked toward the house.