The day had dawned gray, heavy with the threat of snow, the drear air seeming a mirror of their mood as they sat side by side on the wagon seat.

From the start, everything that could go wrong had done so. A short time after Eidra had fallen asleep, Cait had awoke, crying piteously, rubbing her gums against her knuckles. Eidra had taken her up and brought her out to the common room, rekindling the coals into a low fire and sitting to nurse her but she had rejected the nipple. Eidra had fetched the wooden rattle, set soft blankets down before the hearth and lay with Cait, letting her teethe until at last she fell asleep again.

No sooner had she drifted off beside her when Loki had knelt down, telling her it was time to rise. She had carried a sleeping Cait gingerly into Sally's room, placing her in Sally's waiting arms. By the time she had returned to the common room, Fen had awakened and was pleading with Loki that he be allowed to go with them on the trip. Whether Cait had kept him awake for a good half the night, or because Fen, when he was determined, could whine and cry as if he were being sent to his execution, she did not know but Loki had become short with him. His resulting wail had awakened Helgi who had come out to lead him back to his bedchamber as Loki stormed outside.

She had packed a satchel with bread, cheese and dried venison jerky for the day, grabbed a heavy robe for her shoulders and headed outside in the early light to join him where the day continued on the same path. He had been hitching Lightning to the wagon and she had protested, taking the horses would be quicker without the wagon which had been put on runners for the winter making it cumbersome to pull. He had argued her condition would make riding dangerous and they had gone round for a good while. She had even considered staying home but in the end had grudgingly agreed to the use of the wagon if only to get them out of the dooryard before half the day had been wasted.

He had set her in the seat, tucking the robe in around her legs and they were finally on their way, headed out of town in stony silence. As the day wore on, however, they fell to chatting amiably and she draped the robe over his legs as well, bracing herself against him for warmth.

When they passed the halfway point to Asgard, leaving it far behind, she wondered how close the manor must be to the city, only realizing the truth of the matter when they crested one hill and through a clearing in the trees to her right, she could see the mist shrouded spires of the palace upon the horizon.

"Loki, how much further is it?"

He pointed with a gloved hand, "Not far now."

And was as good as his word as they rounded a small bend and he turned Lightning into the rutted track among the trees on their right. As they passed beneath the canopy of vines and tree branches, she felt a couple drops upon her face but was unsure if it was snowmelt or rain. "Does this manse have a barn to shelter Lightning ere it rains?

"You felt it too?" Loki nodded, "It does indeed have a barn, a rather large one. I will see to him when we arrive. He will be out of the elements."

The trees began to part then, to rise high until they revealed the mansion and Eidra's mouth dropped open, "Loki, this is a veritable palace."

She looked to the right and then the left, scanning the huge house with wonder and not a small measure of trepidation. The barn behind the left wing could have fit their cottage inside it with room to spare. Another drop of water landed upon her hand. "It is raining."

Loki pulled the wagon to a halt and dropped to the ground, coming around and offering his hand to steady Eidra as she stepped onto the soft snow, wobbling a bit as her boots sank.

"Grab the satchel." she called to him as he started to unhitch Lightning from the wagon whereas he paused to reach underneath the bench seat, pulling it out and swinging it over the yoke to her.

"Get inside, the door is open. I shall find us some dry wood for a fire." she threw the satchel over her shoulder, starting down the path until Loki called to her, "Wait." He trotted up to her and she watched as he withdrew the dagger from his thigh scabbard, "You remember how to hold it?"

She turned the dagger, resting it across her outer forearm and he smiled, "It is always better to be prepared with an abandoned building."

He returned to Lightning who was shaking his massive head with the rain which had started in earnest and she approached the door, dagger at the ready, pushing it open with her free hand. The interior was shadowy, drenched in gloom and she cursed herself for forgetting to tell him to bring the lantern from the wagon bed. If possible, it seemed colder inside the house than outside, as if winter itself had decided to take up residence. She stared about the foyer, her eyes traveling up the massive carved staircase before her to the balcony which was bathed in gray light, to her left, she saw a large room lined with shelves which she could only surmise was meant to be a library though her few tomes at the cottage would barely fill one half a shelf.

To her right was another great room she imagined to be a sitting room. The massive fireplace dominating the far wall calling to mind another fireplace in a time which seemed a thousand years distant now. She inched into the room on her right, the dagger still against her forearm, aware in the extreme, ready for any sudden movement as she scanned the corners, only setting the satchel down beside the hearth when she had turned to face the room, the fireplace behind her back. She knelt down then, leaning into the hearth and looking upwards. Through the chimney hole, she could see the gray sky far overhead. "At the very least, the chimney seems clear." she murmured as she stood up straight, nearly hitting her head on the mantle as she heard the door creak open behind her and she gave a little squeak of surprise. Loki had a small armload of wood, the lantern hung on his belt at his side, knocking upon the door as he shut it with his back.

He dropped the wood beside the flagstones of the hearth and she winced as the clatter echoed in the empty rooms. "I remembered the lantern." He untied his belt and handed the lantern to her, taking the flint out of his pouch and opening the lantern window. Soon the room was bathed in warm light and she could see the walls here had been given a coat of paint the color of soft rose. Loki had built a pile of wood in the fireplace and had started to lean forward to look up the chimney, "I have already done so. It is clear."

Loki glanced over his shoulder at her, "Ah, many thanks."

After a short time, he had a small fire going and motioned her to follow him as he took the lantern in his hand. They stopped at the front door to look outside, "The rain looks to be freezing, we may have to stay here the night."

"Loki, I do not wish to be away from Cait for so long. She dislikes the cow's milk and she is teething. Poor Helgi will be beside herself with her."

"Nevertheless," He gestured out the door, "I will not risk your life by traveling in such weather as this. The children are well cared for, now let me show you about the house."

They spent the better part of the afternoon exploring, the sheer number of rooms overwhelming her. She had laughed at the master bedchamber, thinking of how very small their bed would look until he told her his bed from Asgard would have a place here. The kitchen had been a particular delight, the pantry, the great fireplace, the bread oven at the side. She had opened it, thinking that it needed to be cleaned out before it could be used, then stopped herself. She was already acting as if the house was their own and somehow Loki had sensed it for she caught him smiling at her as she backed away from the hearth.

The rain continued to pelt the roof and she was relieved to see there were no visible leaks in the roof. When they returned to the sitting room, the fire had warmed the air considerably and Eidra suggested they eat their evening meal as the light in the windows began to wane. Loki took their pewter cups to the front door, gathering snow to melt in them as she sliced the wedge of cheese upon its cloth and they sat before the fire side by side.

"This reminds me..." Loki gazed at her face lit by the firelight, "Of our first kiss."

His lips, cooled by the melted snow, pressed to the crook of her neck, "Do you remember?"

"How could I forget?" She put her hand up to his cheek, felt his own hand steal around her stomach.

"I wish we had brought the dice. Would it not be delicious to recall such..." The rattle of the dice on the hearth stone made him set back, staring at her outstretched hand, the smile upon her face. "I brought them should we need amusement along the way."

"Ever the little minx." He took the dice up in his hand, taking hers and curling it atop them as he kissed her.

"Are you convinced of the wisdom of such a move yet?"

She eased from his embrace and stood up, "How would we maintain such a large estate? What about the servants? How would we retain them?"

Loki had joined her on his feet and they faced each other across the mantle, "As prince regent, I am entitled to a stipend from the crown for my livelihood."

"And what of the farm? The animals?"

Loki walked to a window beside the fireplace though it was dark outside, "The manor grounds contain a great deal of farmland which helped to support the household. We would bring our animals here. "

Eidra pulled her cloak from the floor and wrapped it around her, gliding into the foyer, "Then why is the manor abandoned, what was it led them to deed the estate to the king?"

Loki had joined her with the lantern, "They were barren, they had no one to which they could leave it."

She looked up the stairs, watching the eerie shadows that played about with the light of the lantern, "Would you still be a farmer?"

"Of course, between my duties to the crown."

"You see," Eidra cried, her voice ringing loud in the rooms, "It would not be the same as before. You would shirk farming for the palace life. You would turn again..."

Loki held the lantern high to see her face more clearly, "I would turn again to what, pray tell?"

Eidra shook her head, holding her hand to her mouth as if to trap the words upon her tongue, at once looking down at her boots.

"Eidra, as it is evident you have something you needs must say, I implore you to have out with it."

She felt his hand on her arm, "I fear losing you to palace life."

"This you have said to me but I have assured you that you would be by my side, have I not?"
She put her hand atop his, "But I fear losing you.."

"Eidra?" She heard the clank of the lantern as he set it on the floor and took her hands in his, "You shall not lose me, there is nothing to lose me to, nothing that can replace you in my heart. You do not see.."

She squeezed his hands, fear growing in the pit of her stomach, cursing Thor for bringing him here, for promising him the house, making him want to return to Asgard.

"What is it that you would gain by returning to palace life? Your brother's undying affection? His respect, the Aesir's? Would they accept you again?"

Loki hesitated, "I would work to forge a new image, make a difference in the governing of Asgard, Eidra?..."

"Asgard is a dangerous place, do you not see?"

She fought to pull her hands from his grasp but he held firm, "Eidra, the danger in Asgard is long past. We will be accepted together...what danger could there possibly be..."

Her answer was a whisper, so low he could barely hear it, "What of the Tesseract?"

"What?" His voice wavering, strength threatening to drain from his legs, "What?"

"The Tesseract!" She cried.

His mind reeled. She had never seen the cube, he had never talked of it. Only the royal family was allowed access to the Reliquary so great, so powerful were its treasures.

"How do you know of it?" His voice had grown hoarse, a cold sweat sheening his skin.

Her hands slipped from his as she covered her face, her words muffled, "Helgi."

He stared at her, confused, "What did Helgi tell you?"

She shook her head hard as if to deny the answer, "Everything," dropped her hands to her side, "Everything, the attack on New York, the Chitauri, your imprisonment."

Loki stumbled backwards, reaching for the railing, sitting down hard upon the stairs, fear coursing through his body, making him tremble as if a chill had suddenly been visited upon him.

"I begged you to tell me. Gods, I wanted you to let me in."

Eidra was kneeling before him on the steps, her hands on his knees. He had thrown his arms about his stomach, feeling as if he must hold himself together.

"Helgi told me as a warning. She feared for my life, still harbored a great distrust for you and so when you traveled back to Tir Na Nog, she told me what you had done, why you had not been able to come for me, how you had been condemned to the cells below Asgard for your crimes."

"I did not...I thought you beyond saving. Why did you stay? When you learned what I had become, why did you stay?"

She put her head down upon his knees, "I was so close to taking Brenna and fleeing. I was afraid. For myself, for Brenna, but then you returned with Chris and Sally and I could not deny my love for you. It did not matter what you had done, I would have stayed by your side regardless, would have followed you to the ends of the nine realms."

She felt his hand rest atop her head, "I have long feared you would learn of this and I would lose you again. I was driven mad when you were taken from me, the pain so great I was unmade, venting my rage willingly upon Midgard at the hands of the Chitauri." He bent over her, gathering her up to him, "Who else knows of this?"

"No one, save Helgi and I."

"The children then, they do not know?"

Eidra backed from his embrace, "Do you think I would tell them such horrible things? No, the secret will stay with me forever."

"Brenna resides on Midgard, do you not think somehow she will find out?"

Eidra reached up to brush a tear from his cheek, "She loves you, she is your firstborn. She would have told you of it had she known, she would have asked you, would she not?"

Loki nodded, "I pray you speak the truth."

"And now you know what I most fear. I would keep you far from that reliquary, far from the evil embodied therein."

He put his forehead to hers, "There is no longer any danger from the Tesseract, you must believe me."

"Believe you I do, but the fear still remains, as I am your life, so are you mine. I would not forfeit it."

She stood up from the stairs then, offering him her hand and after a moment, he took it, following her silently back into the sitting room where she took the robe, laying it on the floor beside the hearth, taking a blanket from the satchel. She drew him down beside her, curling into his embrace, settling him with reassurances, promising her undying love as he rose above her. Later as she lay there awake listening to his even breathing, her arm covering his over her stomach, staring into the dying fire, she made her decision. If he wished to move here into this house, she would follow him, just as she had promised. She would follow him and trust him and love him, raise his children, keep his house, stand by his side. Wherever he would be, she would be also.

The scritch scratching sound of little feet woke her up before the sunlight had a chance to do so. She opened her eyes and peered about until she spied the source. Upon the flagstones of the hearth, a mouse sat upon its haunches, a crust of bread from their previous evening's meal between its paws. She watched it deftly turn the crumb, nibbling it at the edges, pause, look at her and continue. "Ere I move into this manse, I shall bring with me a cat, so enjoy your last meal to the fullest." She thought to herself.

Loki stirred, pulling her closer to him with a groan.

"We have mice," She whispered, the mouse pausing again at the sound of her voice.

"Mmhmm."

She disentangled herself from his arm and pushed herself up from the robe with a grimace as the mouse scurried away, the crumb in its mouth.

"I have lain too long upon this unforgiving floor."

Loki rose from the robe and stretched, "Agreed." and walked to one of the windows at the far end of the room where he stood silhouetted in the sunlight and she was left to wonder if the events of the previous evening had been but a dream. She struggled to her knees, finding his hands on her arm, lifting her to her feet.

"I will make my way to the barn so that we may start for home." Upon opening the front door, however, he returned to the pile of wood by the fireplace, selected a long log and headed back to the door. Eidra followed him to the doorway. The world had been glazed in ice. The tree branches hung low, the snow glistened like glass. Loki started breaking through the crust with the end of the log, clearing the path to the barn.

"Look at the wagon!" She called to him as he came close to it. He stopped, reaching into the wagon and yanking the reins free, shaking ice off the yoke as he shook his head, "Now are you glad we stayed the night?"

"In more ways than one." His smile warmed her heart.

She closed the door to the chill morning air and returned to the fireplace to gather their things together, leaving one more small crust for the mouse before the fireplace. It was not long before Loki was back inside to fetch her and after making sure the coals from the fire were well dead, grabbed the satchel and they headed outside, "I tried to clear the wagon seat but it is still wet and icy."

She stepped out into the bright sunshine, trying to shield her eyes from the glare of the sunlight. He steadied her as they made their way to the wagon and helped her up the step. She tried to tuck her skirts well beneath her legs but the melted ice still seeped through to sting her skin.

Lightning's sharp hooves broke through the icy crust easily, though he struggled to get the wagon turned with the runners and the hard snow, they were soon on the road, headed for home.

Eidra watched Loki's face, noting his demeanor seemed calmer, lighter than she could recall in recent memory. The weight of his terrible secret, the burden he had been made to bear alone had been lifted, he had come through to find his life still intact. She had captured his heart long ago and now she had freed his soul, she felt complete. She lay her head on his shoulder, "It is a grand house."

Loki gazed down at her, "And it well deserves a grand lady at its heart."

They rode a bit further, "And your brother would welcome me at court?" She was concerned not that she would have a place in Asgard but that Thor had only made promises to lure him back into the fold.

"He has sworn this to me. He says you will be titled. You are already the mother of princes and princesses." He put his hand to her stomach and she held it there.

"Do you truly wish for this? The mansion, the return to Asgard?"

He was weighing his response she saw it in his eyes, "Only if I may have my family at my side."

She squeezed his hand, "Then so be it."

The courier, a young blond haired boy who looked to be barely thirteen seasons, bowed low to the tiled floor as he held up the sealed letter in his gloved hand. Thor took it from him, the boy waiting on bended knee. Thor's roar of laughter so startled the boy that he toppled over to land in a heap, wide eyed.

"Up boy! Away with you to the kitchens. Tell the cook to feed you well. I shall have a response for you to deliver in short time."

As the boy scurried out of the throne room, Thor stared at the red wax seal at the edge of the letter, two snakes intertwined in an oval. He snapped the seal in half, unfolded the letter and began to read.

Sif handed Lóriði the small leather ball, laughing as he tried in vain to throw it to her. She rolled it back to where he sat on a blue satin blanket. When the door to the nursery swung open, she nearly leaped to her feet until she saw Thor striding towards her with a letter in his hand and a grim smile upon his face. She rose slowly and bowed, "Milord."

Thor looked down at Lóriði then again at Sif, "I am removing Magnus as principle adviser to the crown. I am restoring him as Captain of the Guards. There is an upcoming campaign and he will be assigned as its head."

Sif clasped her hands together to hide her tremors, "Milord, has Magnus disappointed you in any way?"

Another downward glance at Lóriði and Thor snorted, "He is better suited to the royal guard."

Sif bent down and picked Lóriði up in her arms, "As you wish but who will now advise you?"

"I have already assigned another adviser to the post." He stroked Lóriði's cheek. "One who knows the kingdom well. A man who will stand by me, a man whom I may trust."

Sif, her eyes narrowed at the barb aimed at Magnus, frowned, "Might I ask the name of this new adviser which so garners the favor of the king?"

Thor had turned with a swirl of his cloak, to head from the nursery but he stopped, wishing to relish the moment, looking over his shoulder at Sif. "It is to be my brother, Loki."

He did not wait for her reaction though her shocked expression lightened his steps as he slammed the nursery door behind him. He was well down the corridor when her roar of anger echoed through the palace and he smiled, tapping the letter in the palm of his hand as he headed for his bedchamber.