Maebh sighed as she fixed more grain, blood and scrap meats to create the blood sausage. It was met with concerned looks on her first presenting it, but hunger won out, especially when the other men saw Loki eat it willingly. She looked at the old people in the corner, still terrified that the brutish foreigners that had taken their home would decide that they were of more use dead, but she had no intentions of harming them. Her original hunger, fatigue and fear had made her think it a good idea, but with food in her belly and warmth slowly creeping back into her, she thought better of it. It was bright outside the dwelling still but tired from all they had endured, she decided she would rest as soon as she had cooked some bread and blood sausage. She gave the first cooked meat to the old woman, who seemed wary of her but still ate it, then to the man. He studied her closely, as though seeing she was not like the men that surrounded her. She wondered if he realised she was Midgardian and not Aesir.
"Maebh?" she turned to look at her husband. "You need some rest."
"I will in a minute." She smiled tiredly.
Loki's attention fell to the elderly couple. "This place is in terrible condition, it has not been viable for a few years."
"At least a decade," Maebh agreed. "They seem to have chickens, a cow and some very basic vegetables. How they are alive, I do not know." she looked at them again. "They will not make it through the winter."
"So why did you spare them?"
Maebh shrugged, "It did not seem right."
"It could cost us."
"Because they are such a threat," Maebh scoffed. "They cannot get up unaided and I used my clothing to knot their wrists as well as the rope, as soon as they would unknot that, the rope will cut them, at their age, the blood will be easily spotted. Look at them Loki, they are older than Frigga, could you harm her?"
"She is my mother!" Loki stated in shock.
"They are someone's mother and father."
"You do not know that."
"They have a small box in the corner, she nearly wept when I noticed it, in it is an amber bracelet, like is used on a small baby to stop teething, it is as old as me a least. It belongs to someone of their kin."
"You are certain?"
"A mother senses these things, even if a father does not." Maebh smiled. "Watch that food, I need to go outside for a moment."
Loki nodded and went over to inspect the food she had been cooking, his tongue gliding over his lips as he thought of the bread and sausage again before they got some rest.
Having relieved herself, Maebh took a moment to look around and stretch her limbs. The dwelling was cramped and full because of their presence, so she cherished a few moments outside. She eyed the landscape carefully to ensure there were no signs of danger before heading back inside. To her surprise, she heard some commotion from the poultry that dwelled in one of the decrepit outhouses and moved forward slowly, trying to see what was causing the ruckus. Inside, she noticed a rabbit that had decided to try and steal some vegetable scraps that had been left out. Thinking fast, Maebh took her knife from her leg and stooped low, waiting to see what she could do. Immediately sensing danger, the rabbit froze, eyeing around it and finding the danger. With a kick of her leg, Maebh shut the door and leapt forward. Though the rabbit was swift; hunger and desperation, though they usually lead to sloth and fatigue, made Maebh the more determined party.
With the food cooked, Loki looked around for his wife, startled to see she had not returned to them. He got to his feet and walked outside, looking around worriedly. When he realised there was no other person around the dwelling, he called her name. "Maebh?" A moment later, his wife came into view with a small spray of blood on her cheek. "What happened?"
"I have good news," Loki stared at her in wonder, not knowing how blood could equate to good news. "How do you feel about a broth?" she held up the skinned rabbit.
"That sounds incredible," He smiled, relieved she was unharmed. "You are a little stained," he smiled, taking his own sleeve and cleaning the blood from her face.
"I have to slit an artery to get him quickly, he was fast."
"You are so cunning," Loki smiled proudly, his fingers touching her face softly.
"Loki?"
"Hmm?"
"Remind me the next time we are not fleeing for our lives to take care of you."
Loki's brows rose and looking around for a moment, he led her back into the outhouse she had caught the rabbit in. "Well with an offer like that, I have to insist upon it now."
"Now is not a good time."
"For a while yet to come that is going to be the case." Loki pointed out before hoisting her against the wall and moving their clothes out of the way before entering her. "I cannot wait that long." He groaned before his hands went to her ass and he began to move, Maebh biting her lips together to stop herself from moaning wantonly as he filled her.
Rested and fed, the group stretched as night began to fall. Maebh looked to the terrified couple who eyed them all as they readied themselves.
"How close are the closest neighbours?" Loki asked as he watched them.
"From the direction we travelled, an hour walk for one such as us, longer for them, but in the other directions, I cannot say," Maebh answered. "Why?"
"They could send for help."
"Even if they do, we will be long gone."
"That sort of talk can get a man, or indeed a woman, killed." Bjorn stated.
"Well then, be a man and do the job, but I will not, I do not concern myself with what they do after we leave, we will be gone. They have no horses, so they will have to trek far to tell someone in which time, we will have covered greater distances. Or we will if we ever leave. I do not kill the weak for sport, any who do is not a true warrior," Maebh walked over and took out a knife, cutting the ropes from them and watching as they rubbed their wrists. "We are losing precious darkness here."
"Saddle up." Loki ordered, "And leave them alone. The man looks like his heart is about to fail."
They left the homestead and headed in the direction of the stars Ivan had instructed them to. The night was cold and though they were fed and rested again, the chill still seeped into them through what pelts and they were wearing. The night was not overly clear, making their journey safer, though nothing was safe about their path. To get to where the Aesir had a stronghold, they had to pass through farmland that was highly populated, to go around it would cost them another day at least, and then, had the Midgardians been quick to see the smoke and flames, they would be already to their stronghold before they arrived. They needed to get there as fast as was possible forcing them to go through the most dangerous of the Vanir land.
Maebh and Loki paid attention to everything that surrounded them. They could hear cattle and sheep moving in the darkness, they avoided them as best they could and continued on. There were several homesteads, but again, the avoided them. The horses seemed to sense the need for silence and walked on quietly. Dawn was quick approaching, the roadway in front of them becoming more noticeable as they moved. Tired, Maebh focused on the path ahead of her as others looked for their shelter. Finally, they found more wooded area, but to get to it would require a canter, if not a full-on gallop before the sun would make them visible, the issue there being that there were homesteads not too far away, and thundering horses hooves would be heard, but they had little choice. The horses did as ordered and make their way swiftly through the last of the clearing.
Maebh hoped against hope that none of those in the houses heard them, the tree line felt like it was a hundred miles away. Finally, they made it in, covering their tracks as best they could before settling the horses and themselves. She stared out of the trees, using the shade as a cover, eyeing the farmsteads as they rose for the day. They did not seem to realise what was so close to them. She walked back to the horses and sat against a tree trunk to get some rest, yawning before she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
Maebh woke to a shout, which obviously made her realise there was something wrong, dragging herself to her feet, she looked around, the whir of something passing her caught her attention. A moment later, there was a thud which caused her to look around and see an arrow sticking out from a tree.
"We need to go," Ivan grabbed her shoulder.
Maebh was about to turn and run when she looked around, "Where is Loki?"
Ivan did not wait to speak. "He was on watch."
Maebh's heart felt like it was going to stop in her chest, she turned and ran towards where the watch would have been, another arrow barely missing her as she did so, but it did not stop her. She got to the tree line and saw not only farmers but what appeared to be hunters, at least twenty of them, making their way quickly to the trees. Looking around, her eyes scanned the shrubbery until they focused on a boot, she had cleaned her husband's boots enough times to know it was his, rushing over, she stayed in a crouched position and found Loki, face down in mud, blood on the side of his face and a Thor's fist sized rock next to him, obviously what they had catapulted at him, rendering him unconscious. Knowing that if she did not hurry, they would both be caught and killed, Maebh inhaled deeply and pulled her husband across her shoulders and turned to get to the horses. She walked as fast as she could, considering she was carrying a man far heavier than herself on her shoulders and did not focus on anything but getting there. On more than one occasion, she almost fell and her shoulders felt as though they were on fire, but finally, she made it to the horse she had been using; not even putting on its saddle, she threw Loki across the horse's withers, his upper torso on one side, his lower half on the other, and jumped up herself, before grabbing its reins and that of Loki's horse and turning them in the direction of travel. Just as she was about to kick, she felt herself being pulled from the horse and thrown to the ground, looking up, she saw a man eyeing her hatefully, a dagger in his hand, thinking fast, she used both her feet and aimed them both at one kneecap, leading to a sickening noise as she sent the joint into the other direction and the man to the ground, screaming in agony, grabbing the knife, she rose to her feet and jumped back on the horse, holding the reins in her hands and as well as trying to make sure Loki did not fall off, she got the horses to move.
She rode for a time until she saw the other Aesir in the distance, on their horses close on a rock face. "Where is Bjorn?" she asked when she finally made her way to them.
"An arrow through the heart," Ivan informed her. "He was on watch with Loki."
"We will rest here for half an hour."
"What of them?"
"I sent Loki's horse off on a muddy track, they took the bait and followed," Maebh stated, before dismounting. "He has not wakened but is breathing. Help me with him, I got pulled off the horse by some idiot, he did a number on my shoulder."
"I can imagine that it is more to do with the arrow lodged in it, your highness." Maebh looked at Ivan in confusion. "You have an arrow on your shoulder." He informed her.
Looking behind her, sure enough, there was the shaft and fletching of an arrow behind her. "Is it deep?" She asked, wondering how she never noticed it.
Ivan studied it. "Yes, I am surprised it did not break the bone and gone out the other side."
"What sort of head has it?" She asked fearfully, knowing that if it had a broadhead, she was in for incredible pain upon its removal.
"I cannot tell yet." Ivan went to inspect the wound.
"Leave it until we get Loki lying down, he needs to regain consciousness." She rushed to her husband, the men helping her get him and lay him on the ground. She inspected the wound, which was not very big, the bump on his head, however, was. She looked guiltily at Loki as he remained unconscious, cursing the Gods of his realm for harming him so.
"Your Highness, your shoulder…" Ivan began.
"Inspect it."
He pulled the clothing from around the shoulder and inspected it. "It is a broadhead." He confirmed.
"Well, then we know what to do." She stated plainly as she looked at Loki, knowing the pain she was about to suffer.
"Your Highness," She looked at Ivan, "You do know that considering what happened, and the journey that he had to endure there, the prince…he may not…"
Maebh looked at her husband, her own mind having come to that conclusion already. If the hit to the head was substantial enough, it could cause permanent issues. Inhaling deeply, she gave a nod and Ivan came over her shoulder with a knife, her gaze on her husband as she did swore to remain silent through the pain.
