Exhausted, Maebh walked back to the trees where she had left Loki; if she ever got a full night's sleep again and cleaned, she would be a happy woman, but as she felt the nausea that accompanied another child beginning to develop in her womb, she doubted sleep would be something she would be overly burdened with in the future, especially as she was not in the safety of her own lands. She ached all over, her shoulder screaming in agony since she was forced to protect herself with her wounded arm. Her legs ached, as did her back and arms, her head pounded almost as though she had been the one that had been struck by the rock, but she continued on, the horse she had mounted into battle had continued to gallop off after she launched herself from its back, slaughtering a man in the process, as well as his hound. She had captured another horse, one of theirs, tame and lumbering, but useful nonetheless, she simply was too tired to mount it the small distance to the trees. As soon as she reached them, she went in search of Loki.

"He is here," She turned to see Hogun on a horse, Loki strapped to him. "I have him."

"Keep hold of him," She smiled. "I need him alive to curse."

"It would not do to have you unable to curse him in person once more, Volstagg chuckled. "So bets in, another girl to give your daughter company, or another brother to plague her with?"

"Healthy is all that matters." Loki groaned drowsily as Hogun got the horse to walk on.

Maebh forced herself onto the animal she had captured. "Indeed."

"Any inclinations?" Fandral asked.

"A child." Chuckles and laughter met her words.

"Always with the jokes," Volstagg commented. "Loki, you must be laughing often."

"Almost as often as your wife does looking at your face." he retorted, his speech slurred slightly.

"You are lucky you are so injured at present." The red-haired warrior growled.

"Yes, I would hate to have to show you up, yet again." Loki grinned, earning a scowl with a hint of a smile on Volstagg's face.

"You cannot be too injured if you are able to joke as much as you are."

"I have been worse."

"Be grateful you do not have anything else to do; it is well known what your wife did in such a state," Hogun stated.

"I think most men fear the process of birthing at the best of times." Maebh scoffed.

"Did I ever mention how grateful I am for everything you do for us and our children?" Loki asked as he thought of his greatest stomach pains and tried to envisage them alongside the pain he was feeling at that time.

"That will give you no grace when I birth this child." Maebh scoffed as they continued on their journey. "What numbers have we?"

"Eighteen in total, all are on horseback." Hogun counted from where he and Loki were. "We can make it there by dawn if we start now."

Seeing that daylight was decreasing fast, Maebh considered Hogun's statement. "We could if we were all healthy, but as it stands, we may not."

"What do you suggest?" Fandral asked, bringing his horse beside hers.

"We ride as far as we can, but at the first sign of one getting too weak, we will have to reconsider."

"There is no guarantee we can reach the boats before the Midgardians then," Volstagg noted.

"That is a risk we will have to take. The wind is exceptionally bitter, I know we are in high lands, but that tells us the wind is coming from the North, meaning it is currently not aiding our enemies, that is at least one thing in our favour." Maebh explained.

"The more time I spend in your company, the more I come to fear your knowledge," Fandral admitted.

"Just think, you thought me interesting the day you met me on Midgard," Maebh reminded him, not realising at the time what he was even saying to her when she had first met the blonde warrior as she was brought to the boats.

"I would never have even have attempted to interact with you, much less bring you back with us," Fandral commented.

"Fandral spends his nights wishing he had the courage to do as I did." Loki smiled as he tried to focus on a point to get his vision less blurred once more.

"Courage or utter stupidity that luckily for you paid off, I still have not decided," Fandral stated.

"Will you cease talking and focus on preventing your head from getting worse." Maebh snapped at her husband before she urged her horse on.

"That's not ours," Volstagg noted as he looked at the horse.

"I do not care, it will not gallop with speed, but it will get me there," Maebh commented. "What news from Asgard?"

"We have been gone not much shorter a time than yourselves, so honestly, we have had little knowledge ourselves." the red haired warrior answered. "We were expecting a response to a message we sent a short time back, but nothing has come."

"Perhaps it will be waiting for us when we return to the village." Maebh smiled.

"I hope you right," Volstagg commented.

"You seem worried," Maebh looked at him worriedly.

"It is most irregular."

"Hopefully it is nothing." Maebh smiled encouragingly. "Come, we have much road to make."

"How is your shoulder?" They had made it late into the night before it became too much for the wounded. Loki sat sitting against a rock beside his wife.

"Aching considerably, your head?"

"The same as you." he pulled her close to him. "I was so scared when I realised what was happening, I was so scared you would be harmed. You are wounded, because of me."

"Because of them, you mean. They hurt me, not you."

"You came back for me, after I told you not to."

"Did you think I would listen?" Maebh scoffed. "We are a team you and I, until the end." Loki kissed her head before placing his hand on her stomach. "I cannot believe you have done this again. I will never cease to carry your children."

"Did I mention you are at your loveliest when you do." He smiled proudly.

"Do you recall, when we were wed, you thought yourself unable to have a child of your own blood?" she smiled.

"How incredibly wrong I was." he kissed her temple. "I am sorry for this."

"The child?"

"You are neither willing nor of the mind for one, especially after Nafi's departure."

"Not willing? Loki, you seem to be under the impression I was forced to lie with you; when the truth is quite to the contrary. I cannot place when exactly I came to carry this one, but it I can assume how far I am based on how I feel and of the times we lay together then, I was often the instigator, and very much a willing participant."

"I do not recall finishing in you."

"Well, you must have, otherwise I am carrying a Godling child with no Earthly sire." She joked before coming serious. "You do know it is…"

Loki kissed her to cease her words, "It is mine, you would never do anything like that." He stated firmly. "I merely stated that because of the now blatant ridiculousness of my previous concerns."

"We will be home soon, then we can laugh at the madness of all of this."

"I cannot express my relief at such words." Loki kissed her head again. "Thank you for coming for me."

"I could never leave you Loki."

"I wish you had not risked our child though, he would not be pleased."

"He?"

"I have dreamt of him, in my mind as I have flickered between being conscious and unconscious, he is my son, in every way, just as Danu is my daughter."

"Oh Norns, another you, surely that is a crime against the Gods." Maebh joked.

"Wait and see, every maiden just born or yet to be born on Asgard will be smitten with him." Loki proclaimed.

Maebh glanced at him from the side of her eye. "I think you are still ill from your head wound."

"You found me irresistible, do not deny it."

"I tried to slit your throat." she reminded him.

"You killed two bigger than me without a second thought, me you hesitated, admit it, you were smitten from the start."

"Do not flatter yourself, I was in mourning and you had weird rich green eyes, they side-tracked me."

"Smitten." he grinned, pulling her in against him, Maebh said no more but smiled in return.