"Do you know why I've summoned you?"

Loki warily glanced around the throne room. It was the middle of the night. And he didn't particularly care for the gleam in his father's eye. "No."

Odin's brows lifted. "You really don't have the slightest clue as to why you're here? There's no confession you would like to make?"

"I don't understand, Father. Have I done something wrong? I'm not sure what I'd need to confess."

"So, you're not affiliated with this slave in any way?"

Two guards roughly pulled in a half-elf maiden and shoved her on the floor.

Loki's eyes widened as she grunted. He looked from her to the Allfather. "What's the meaning of this?"

Odin leaned forward. "I hoped you could tell me."

He hesitated.

"Kill her."

Aura lifted her head, the soldiers raising their weapons. She didn't try defending herself. She curled into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut.

The young mischief god teleported beside her. Shielding her with his own body. "Wait! Please, Father. Please don't kill her."

Odin waved the guards away. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Because," his fists clenched at his sides; he wouldn't hide it anymore, "because I love her."

"She's a slave. It's impossible to love a slave."

His emerald gaze hardened. "Maybe it is for you, but it's not impossible for me."

"Of course, it is. You're a prince, a member of the royal family, an heir to the throne of this great Realm. You cannot love a slave."

Loki rose and helped Aura on her feet. His stare never leaving the man seated on the throne. "I've researched every law, every amendment. There is no rule stating a royal can or can't love certain individuals. I've looked at every decree dating back when Asgard first became a Realm."

Odin straightened. His jaw setting. "I am the ruling king. My word is law. You cannot love a mere slave. You don't even know who she is."

"Yes, I do. She's the kindest being I've ever met, outside of Mother. She sees the real me and accepts me for who I am—"

Cruel laughter bellowed through the throne room. "If someone like her spends any time with you, it's only because she wants something from you. Of course, she know who you are. She knows you're a prince and wants to use your status for her gain."

Loki enveloped Aura in his arms. Protecting her from his father's verbal assault. "She's not like that at all. I've known her since we were small. She's done nothing but support me."

"Yes. So she can leech off it later. All slaves are alike."

"No." Angry tears threatened his control. "You're wrong."

"Am I? You are but a child. You know nothing in the ways of love or manipulation."

"You're wrong. You're the one who knows nothing about me."

"I think you forget who I am, boy. Not only am I your king, I'm your father. You best not pick a fight with me, for you will not win."

"If I must fight you to protect the one I love, then so be it. You can't make me stop loving her."

The Allfather released an exasperated sigh. "Think about your next words very carefully, for I will only allow you one chance to walk away from her."

Loki swallowed back his tears, every muscle in his expression glowering. "No."

Odin rose and deliberately took one step down the dias at a time. "Slave girl. Do you return my son's affection?"

Aura trembled. She managed a glance in the king's direction while not looking directly at him. "I-I do. I...do love him."

"Then I have no choice but take your life. You knew the consequences when you signed your life up for servitude."

Loki moved in front of her. Keeping his stance wide and in between his love and his father. "She didn't 'sign up' for being a servant; you made her one. You can just as easily take the title away from her, if it means that much to you."

Odin squared up to his defiant youngest. "I cannot undo what I have already done. It goes against my duties as king. She must die for her transgressions."

"How can you punish someone for who they love?" It was Frigga's voice.

Both of the gods watched the goddess march toward them.

The king's posture stiffened. "Stay out of this, woman. It doesn't concern you."

The queen paused with her fingertips gracing her chest. "I beg your pardon? I am a goddess of love. You're threatening my son and one of my handmaidens. Every aspect of this concerns me."

"She's not one of your handmaidens."

"According to you, she isn't. But according to me, she is. Are you really going to argue with me? Your wife?"

Odin slammed Gungnir on the floor. "Frigga, you will stay out of this."

Aura startled and pressed against Loki's back, making herself as small as possible.

Loki glanced over his shoulder. Reached behind for one of her hands.

Frigga crossed her arms. "I've already given you three reasons why I can't leave this alone. Give me one good reason I should listen to you."

"Because I am your husband."

"And? We're equals in this relationship. You don't get to hold your position of authority over me. You've never been successful at it before, so I don't know why you think you can now."

Odin yelled incoherent nonsense at her face. Pivoted and paced away from her.

The Alfheim witch never flinched. In fact, she followed him. Placed a hand on his arm. "If you kill her, you don't know the kind of wrath you'll bring upon yourself."

He remained eerily motionless for a long time. "I am the king, and my word is law. From this moment on, it is against the law for any member of the royal family to harbor feelings toward a slave. Do I make myself clear?"

"That seems rather harsh, don't you think?"

Whirling around, he backhanded her away from him. Pointed his spear at his son. "Loki, do you love her?"

Frigga felt her jaw. Her eyes ablaze. "Loki, don't answer that question."

The young prince stood as tall as his slender frame allowed. He didn't break eye contact with his father. "I'm not afraid of you. I do love her."

Odin stormed forward. "Then you've sealed her fate for your disobedience."

He readied himself for an attack. "I won't let you touch her."

"I've warned you. You will not win against me, boy." Holding Gungnir near his son's face, he discharged a blast of energy.

Loki yelped as he flew backwards, skidding across the glossy floor. He released another exclamation. Clutched his head.

"Loki," Frigga cried, scrambling to aid her son.

The Allfather grabbed Aura by her hair. Dragged her out of the throne room while she kicked and screamed.

The mischief god's teeth gritted. He fought his way out of his mother's care. His facial skin charred on one side. "Aura!" He sprinted for the door his father departed through. Yanked it open. Froze. Neither his father nor his love was anywhere in sight. His chest rose and fell with hard, quick breaths. "Where is she?"

"Loki, that will scar if I don't heal you."

His cracking voice echoed in the chamber. A darkness swirled in his eyes. "I don't need healing. I need to save her."

Frigga retracted her waiting hand. The magic around her fingers dissipating. Her eyes closed, and she stretched out with her senses. "There." Her eyes flew open. "He's taken her to the Bifrost."

He didn't wait for anything else, disappearing and reappearing in the royal stables. He couldn't teleport all the way to the Rainbow Bridge, yet. He threw open Sleipnir's stall. Jumped on the eight-legged horse without any tack. He mastered bareback riding long ago. "Bifrost!"

Sleipnir needed no other direction. He tore out of the stables at blistering speeds. His head bobbing in time with the beating of his many legs.

Loki wrapped his fingers in the thick mane, keeping his body low. Sleipnir was the swiftest horse in all of the Nine Realms, thanks to him. He urged the beast faster. They had to make to Aura. They just had to make it.

The citizens of Asgard milling around at this hour all made various shouts, barely dodging out of the way of the speeding pair.

He didn't warn them. Didn't yell at them to move. If they couldn't hear Sleipnir coming, then maybe they deserved being trampled. Besides, his focus remained in front of him, and he held his breath. Which he didn't release until the horse's thundering hooves hit the Rainbow Bridge.

His fingers tightened their hold around strands of Sleipnir's mane. Thankfully, the war horse felt no pain. But even though the beast was enhanced with the aid of magic, it didn't mean he was impervious against it.

Sleipnir shrilly neighed, rearing up on his hind four legs. He landed and tossed his head. Snorted.

"What is it?" Loki's chest rose and fell hard. He searched behind them. Looked in front of them. They were only halfway across the bridge. He nudged him forward.

The horse shook his head once more. Backed a pace.

"I don't have time for this." He slid off. Ran forward and smacked into an invisible barrier. He sucked air in through his teeth as he covered the still-burning half of his face. Cursed under his breath. Shaking the pain off, he planted a hand on the field. "No."

He slammed a fist against it. Both fists against it. Roared with anger he didn't know he could muster as he tried phasing through it. Tried teleporting on the other side of it. "No! Aura!" No trick he thought of granted him passage through his father's barrier. "Aura!"

The Bifrost whirred with life. Spinning and aligning, the beam shot through space.

Loki watched it in horror. No amount of screaming or magic could get him past the magical field blocking him from saving Aura. From saving the one he loved.

The Bifrost ceased and locked in its neutral position.

He braced himself against the barrier. In shock. In disbelief. What had he done? Why didn't he just play along? Because his father would've killed her instantly. Did he kill her now and send her body randomly among the Nine Realms? Was she alive? Could he rescue her?

A figure approached, and the barrier vanished.

Loki stumbled forward. Almost into Asgard's ruler. His frame trembled with restrained emotion as he forced himself to hold his father's gaze. "Where is she?"

"Where is who?"

His volume peaked. "Don't play games with me."

Odin outmatched him in sound and tone. Forced him backwards. "You will not take on that kind of attitude with me, boy. You have lost. Accept your defeat and walk away from this matter forever. It's what's best for you. What's best for our family. I will not have one of my own sons turn into a traitor."

The young god's jaw clamped shut.

The Allfather settled himself. Searched for his wife, who wasn't present. "Even your mother knows her place. At least you've brought Sleipnir for me. This will make my return unto the castle enjoyable. I trust you can find your own way home." He mounted his steed.

Loki staggered a couple steps. He couldn't process what all was going on. It happened so fast, happened without warning. It happened how his father wanted. There was nothing he could do on such an unexpected notice.

"If I were you, I'd hide that unsightly mark on your face. You wouldn't want anyone thinking you're too weak for the throne, would you?"

He fell on his hands and knees. Searching the multitude of colors of the bridge holding him. His hands curled into fists, but his anger had been sucked away with the firing of the Bifrost. He tried speaking, but all that emerged was a strained whine.

Odin walked the horse a few paces. Paused and glared over his shoulder. "The next time you plan on fighting me, you best make sure you're twice as powerful as I am." With a sharp cluck of his tongue, he and Sleipnir galloped down the bridge.

The next time you plan on fighting me, you best make sure you're twice as powerful as I am.

Loki sat on the floor of his cell, huddled tightly in a corner, with his knees covering the lower portion of his face. His vacant, unblinking stare focused on nothing. His hair a matted mess around his head. His mind had long been numb.

Long. He didn't know how long he occupied this cell. It wasn't that he lost track of time; it was that he never counted time in the first place. Not when he focused on surviving. His body learned how to breathe with very little oxygen. Learned how to survive with no physical nourishment. Having his mouth sewn shut caused more than one complication.

Only his mother's magic sustained his life. And she wasn't his mother.

Frigga may be a goddess of mothers and motherhood, but she wasn't his. In fact, he didn't have any mother at all. But if he were the woman who birthed him, he wouldn't claim him, either. The only thing he thrived at was botching anything he involved himself in.

For once in his life, he genuinely considered not surviving. Normally, he prided himself on being a survivor. But this wasn't a normal situation. His spirit was broken. All of his magic had been stripped from him. Which meant the illusions he used on himself no longer existed.

He once saw his reflection on the cell wall. The burned half of his face was available for anyone to see. The myriad of scars covering his body would be on display if it weren't for his long sleeves and pants.

It was when he caught the glimpse of himself that the moment Aura was taken from him played over and over. And over. And over. He cried the first few times. After the tenth running of the event or so, he analyzed what went wrong. Once the memory depicted itself after the fiftieth time, he became an emotionless husk. He no longer cared about his survival.

Sleep hardly came, but when his eyes did close, Aura's banishment turned into his most recent fight in the throne room. And over and over those events unfurled in his dreams. No amount of evaluating helped him figure out how he lost so severely.

The next time you plan on fighting me, you best make sure you're twice as powerful as I am.

Odin wasn't particularly known for studying new arcane arts because he boasted he already knew everything. Yet, he wielded magic he didn't normally use. He possessed runes never seen before. Runes he created. It was a wonder the Allfather wasn't blind. What did he sacrifice for runes capable of binding a god of chaos?

Capable of breaking said god.

His psyche was so shattered, he no longer heard the voices of his delusions. No longer heard the voice of the void within him. Odin's plethora of taunts over the years echoed in the emptiness of his mind. Every once in a while, Heimdall joined in with his statements of Aura not wanting to be found.

And not only did she not want to be found, she didn't want to be found by the trickster.

Tricks. What if the Realms played tricks on his heart? What if he was never meant to be with Aura? Was he so sure they were destined to be together? What if it was nothing more than a cruel trick of fate? What if she was nothing more than a childhood crush that he couldn't let go?

There was logic in the last question. With many examples.

They bonded because they were in the same class together. Odin disbanded Frigga's school. They continued their friendship in secret. Someone reported them, and Odin banished her. They were reunited on Midgard. Her mind was gone, and she wanted nothing to do with him. He confronted Odin on her behalf. Now, he was in prison for what he assumed would be the remainder of his miserable existence.

What if he had been defeated in the throne room because the Realms didn't want them together? And he clearly didn't get the hint the first time. Was this his final warning?

Gods knew he screwed up Aura's poor life with his bad choices. The worst punishment he suffered was knowing just how messed up she became because of his ill decisions. All because he couldn't let her go. Why couldn't he let her go?

Certainly, it couldn't be because he loved her. How could he love her when he only made her life worse? She would've never been sent to Midgard, if it wasn't for him. She wouldn't be fighting her own sanity, if it wasn't for him. She would be safe and happy, if it wasn't for him.

He didn't know if a being like him could experience love. He had overheard Frigga's conversations with other magic users many times. He knew what he was. Even if he didn't fully understand himself or what it meant. Could chaos find love? The more he thought about it, the more he didn't think so.

The technical definition of love meant a strong affection for another being that typically produced a warm attachment or devotion. Love was unselfish and benevolent.

There. Those two words—unselfish and benevolent. Those words proved he didn't love Aura. He kept their relationship going out of selfish needs. And he was not benevolent. Ask anyone around. She didn't want to be found. Heimdall stated it. Yet, he found her. Dragged her back to Asgard, a place she didn't feel safe.

And he thought he loved her.

The Realms were right. He would accept their signs. Love was a luxurious sentiment he couldn't feel.

The definition for chaos was complete disorder, utter confusion. That's what he was. Disorder, confusion, madness. In no way, shape, or form could he coexist with attachments. It went against his nature. Contested his very being. This was why the Realms sought tearing him away from Aura.

Odin was right, then. It was impossible for him to love Aura. Not because she was a different class than him. Because it was literally impossible. All this time, the old fool had been right about them.

"Good morning, my son."

He didn't move. Didn't look at her. He wasn't her son, and she knew it.

"Loki, please." Frigga knelt beside him. Brushed his hair out of his face. "You can't keep doing this to yourself."

Despite himself, his eyes fluttered under her gentle touch. But he refused acknowledging her. She couldn't help him. No one could help him.

"You are not powerless here."

That showed what she knew. The runes etched in the ceiling above them kept his magic at bay. He found it strange that it didn't hinder hers. But then again, he wasn't surprised. Odin made those runes specifically for him.

Her hand rested on the scarred side of his face. Thumb gracing his cheek. "Do you understand what you're doing to me? With all of my magic, I cannot save someone who doesn't want to be saved. You are letting yourself die, and there's nothing I can do about it. Do you know how much that pains me?"

He remained motionless. Did she consider he might want death?

"Will you not greet me? I am your mother. I have raised you from an infant, changed your diapers, healed your injuries, listened to your needs, dried your tears, calmed your nightmares, taught you magic. And you won't even look at me?"

At this point, he wondered if looking at her would help her leave.

"Are you so willing to let yourself die? What of sweet little Aura? Have you considered her? What is she supposed to do after you're gone? You were the only one who kept her alive during her time on Midgard."

He had considered her. The only reason she went to Midgard was because of him. She was better off without him. Given time, she would heal and move on. She wouldn't miss him.

Frigga didn't say anything for some time. She eventually sighed through her nose. "Odin won't let me visit you for much longer. I'm afraid this might be my last. He knows that I've kept you alive and what I've provided you with. I brought a new handmaiden with me. She'll check up on you when I can't. You will be nice and meet her."

Loki never once moved. He cared not for handmaidens.

"I know you feel like you're in a desolate situation. I know you're filled with sorrow and regret. But you are still my son. You've always been my son, no matter how good or bad you've been. I was your mother then, I am your mother now, and I will be your mother when you've pulled yourself out of this." She kissed the top of his head and rose. "No matter what state you're in, I love you."

Aura lifted her head when Queen Frigga exited the prison cell.

The Alfheim goddess placed a hand on the younger's shoulder. Wiped at her eyes and gathered herself. "Good luck, my dear. He won't acknowledge me."

She gave a nod. Bit her bottom lip as the guard allowed her access into the cell. Thanks to the simple furnishings the queen supplied her son, she couldn't see her beloved from her previous vantage point. She swallowed a lump building in her throat. Now that she could see him, she couldn't stop the concern lining her altered voice. He was so pale, his features so haggard. "Loki..."

The mischief god's gaze finally shifted. He scrutinized this being up and down. She spoke as if she knew him, yet he'd never seen her before.

"I-I mean..." Her eyes widened. "Please forgive my ignorance. I meant, mean," she bowed, "forgive me."

He continued looking at nothing.

Her heart ached at his balled-up form in the corner. It wasn't too long ago that their roles were reversed. What did she say? What did she do? She glanced at Queen Frigga, who conversed with the guards. Most likely she kept them distracted. Even more likely, she kept herself distracted.

Aura sat on her knees, so she didn't stand over him. He couldn't recognize her, although she almost gave herself away with her first word. Maybe the disguise wasn't a good idea. She didn't know his condition was this severe. She'd seen him hurt many times before. But nothing like this. He needed her. "Is it okay if I speak, your highness?"

No response.

"I, if you don't mind me saying, I'm friends with Aura. Queen Frigga mentioned you two are close?"

No reaction.

She looked down. Struggled keeping her rising emotions in check. "I'm sorry Aura couldn't be here herself, but she wanted me to bring you something." She held out the purple flower. "Here."

The empty emerald stare found her again. He looked at the plant in her hand.

Aura nodded, holding it closer to him. "I tried telling her it's a weed, not a flower. Still, she insisted I give this to you."

A few moments of stillness passed.

Her brows knitted. "I know it seems stupid, your highness, but please don't make me take this back to her. She keeps asking about you because she's been so upset. I can't disappoint her. Not when she was so happy that I agreed to be her gift deliverer."

Loki searched the flower. He shouldn't accept it. It would only perpetuate Aura's feelings for him. He should let her go. But everything in him screamed for that small purple plant. She remembered. Remembered the weeds. Because they weren't weeds to her. They were just as important as all the other garden flora. She had a way of making the most unwanted feel loved.

He unfurled his lithe frame so he could reach forward. Which consequently revealed what had been done to him. Revealed the stained threads holding his mouth closed. Revealed the dried blood caking his lips and throat.

Gasping, Aura covered her mouth with a hand. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his mouth. This was his punishment? This was what Odin made Thor do to him? Her stomach churned as her vision travelled up his blank face. One side of it was burned, but she could tell it was an old disfigurement. Why had he never shown that before? Never told her? Was it because she couldn't heal scars?

She also saw the permanent wounds on his arm. His sleeve fell back just enough when he reached for the flower. Never before had she seen a scar on him. He always proclaimed he was untouchable. She turned away, so she couldn't tear up at his condition. It wasn't the marks that bothered her; everyone had their blemishes. It was the fact he would keep such a thing from her. She blinked several times. Her voice barely emerged as a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Retreating back into his corner, his vision snapped toward her. Why was she sorry? She had nothing to do with what happened. If only she would leave. He preferred his silence over useless words.

She dared viewing him once again. At an absolute loss. She could introduce herself? "My name is Sigyn. Queen Frigga told me I would be checking on you for her. Is this okay, your highness?"

His eyes fluttered again. This time, with annoyance. Why must she insist on using that title? He was not a member of the royal family; he an heir to no throne. He was a prince of nothing.

The guard rapped on the cell's wall.

The handmaiden glanced over her shoulder. Acknowledged the beckon. She faced Loki with a silent sigh. "It seems I must go. Aura will want an update on you. I'll tell her you're doing fine. I'd hate to see her lose hope after she just found it."

Those late statements gnawed at the already hollow pit in his stomach. He studied the maiden leaving through the corners of his eyes. If Aura saw him like this, would she lose her hope? His gaze transferred to the flower. All the more reason they shouldn't be together. He smelled the sweet fragrance of the weed. It reminded him of her. She smelled of flowers, of nature, a breath of fresh air.

Breath. Breathing. He inhaled too much air at one time. Leaning forward, he erupted into a coughing fit that wasn't actually coughing. He couldn't open his mouth. Couldn't get rid of the sludge in his esophagus. The only thing his body's natural reaction did was strain the threads. Which resulted in further tearing the holes rimming his lips.

Aura was by his side in an instant. Disguise or not, she couldn't not help him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. Watched him convulse with his choking. She glared at the guard entering the cell. One thing she particularly enjoyed about her new form was no one expected her to be a scared little girl all the time. "Can't you do something about this?"

The guard released a long exhale. "No. By the orders of King Odin."

"He'll die if you don't release him. What do you think will happen when Queen Frigga can't visit him anymore? He'll starve to death. Magic can't sustain everything, so he's already starving. Have you seen him? Do you really want a prince's death on your hands? On your conscience?"

"I...there's nothing I can do. It's out of my hands. You must leave. Please."

Her grip tightened on his shoulder as he continued with his fit. "I'm not leaving until—"

"Sigyn," Frigga called. "He's right. For the sake of everyone, it's best if we leave."

"But—"

"Loki will be fine. Come, my dear."

She set her jaw, dark brown eyes swirling with the fire of her true nature. She spoke low, so lonely Loki could hear. Her bias getting the best of her words. "I swear I will find a way to release you from these bonds." She stood. "I'm coming, your highness."

The guard escorted the handmaiden out of the cell and both women away from the hold.

The god of mischief punched the wall, his lungs burning from the relentless hacking. Why couldn't he maintain control? He opened his fist. The flower crushed from its impact with the cell. His heart sank. He shouldn't be affected by such an insignificant token, but it wasn't insignificant, was it?

How many weeds had he sneaked under Aura's personal chamber door during the younger years they spent together? Every time he approached her door, his stomach would alight in a knot of excitement as he stole down the hall. There was just enough of a gap where he could slide a small bloom underneath. And every time, he darted back down the hall, lest she discover him in the act. She considered herself shy, but she didn't realize how bashful she made him.

He released the flower. Watched it fall on the floor beside him. Those were the days of foolish notions. Days smashed, much as the flower. How would Aura react if she saw him now? Would she be ashamed of him? Disgusted by him? There was no way she could still love him. His eyes closed, and he rested his head in the corner. She wouldn't if she saw him like this.

Aura walked alongside Asgard's queen with a quiet determination in her strides.

Frigga inhaled a deep breath, stopping when she found a place away from the citizens. "How are you holding up?"

"Do they really not care if he dies?"

"It's most likely as tactic Odin is utilizing. Let him die 'naturally' in prison. Loki isn't the first he's done that to."

"Isn't there anything we can do?"

"I can try reasoning with Odin. See if he'll let us free Loki's mouth, at the very least."

Aura hugged herself and turned away. "Even that would be a huge help."

Frigga walked around her, searching the other's gaze. "How are you doing, my dear?"

She angrily wiped away oncoming tears. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I was trying really hard not to cry."

"It's okay. I know this is hard. You cry if you need to. There's no shame in tears." The queen pulled her handmaiden close. Hugged her tightly and didn't let go. "I thought you might be able to reason with him."

"He did take the flower I brought for him. If I have more time and can remove the stitches, I think I can help him." She buried her head in the queen's chest. "Did you know he was scarred like that?"

"I had my suspicions, but I never saw them until my first visit after his capture. I was honestly quite shocked. I had no idea he accumulated so many. Where or who they're from, I couldn't tell you."

Aura's brows knitted. "Didn't he let you heal him?"

"To a degree, yes. Once I reached a certain point, he'd declare he was fine and run off on his next adventure. I can remedy scars, but I don't like using spells on unwilling patrons. Which is why you still have yours. Which I'm not happy about."

Her head sunk in between her shoulders. Directed the conversation away from her. "Why do you think he would hide his true self from me?"

Frigga chuckled. "I'm sure it's because of his pride. You know how he gets. He most likely doesn't want you to see him as weak or incapable."

"How do scars make anyone seem weak? I don't understand. You've always told me they're the stories of our lives, how we've lived and survived."

"I know, my dear. But you're his love. He doesn't want you to view him any differently. We both know you don't and love him no matter what, but there's always been a part of him that's self-conscious."

Aura lifted her head, nose scrunching with disbelief. "Loki? Self-conscious?"

The queen laughed again. "Everyone has their own insecurities, my dear. Even I do. Gods know Odin is more than a little insecure. It's one of the reasons he hates Loki so much. Loki challenges him like he's never been challenged before. Odin is actually very scared of Loki."

She slowly nodded. "Hence the extreme punishment?"

"Yes. I'll talk to him. I think I might have a way of manipulating him into getting what we want. I don't always understand his reasoning, but he's quite easy to predict."

"Thank you."

Frigga released her, and they continued on their journey back toward the palace. "It is I who should be thanking you. And I want you to realize that if this becomes too much for you, you can let me know. I don't want you over-working yourself. I can only care for one mentally damaged child at a time."

Aura giggled. "I understand. Do you think he'll be alright?"

"I know it doesn't currently seem like it, but Loki's stubbornness isn't easily subdued."