The next morning, Loki got himself ready for the day. As he was getting dressed, he smiled at the love mark on his neck. Last night wasn't a dream, which meant Astrid truly cared for him and had kissed him. What he wouldn't give to profess it was Astrid that gave him this but he knew Egil would kill them both if word got to him. He could cover it up with magic but he decided to leave it and just have his clothing cover it. There was nothing wrong if it was discovered and Thor was too dense to link the mark to Astrid. He heard loud banging on his door and sure enough it was his brother. Thor stormed in as Loki finished putting on his shirt.

"Good morning Loki. Join me for breakfast. We are meeting with Fandral and Hogun for our meal and some sparring today. You need to double your training efforts." Thor expressed.

Loki chuckled softly and he nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough brother. I haven't sparred properly in a while and I do want to see how Hogun's style is."

Thor grinned since his brother seemed to be in high spirits and was going to spar. It made Thor smile that his brother wasn't going to hide out today and instead join him and his friends in playful spars. Both men made their way to the dining hall, and were soon joined by Hogun and Fandral. Hogun stared down Loki a bit and he gave a slight nod. Fandral chuckled as he acknowledged Loki with a smile.

"You're joining us today Loki. What a rare treat this is and a pleasure. " Fandral said with a light smile.

Loki scoffed playfully and managed to chuckle at his words.

"Need I remind Fandral you can charm me like one of your women you ravish. Still, it is nice to see you, Fandral."

Thor smiled lightly as he piled on food on his plate.

"Lady Astrid and Sif are spending the day together?" Hogun asked.

Thor nodded.

"Sif is a warrior like us, but she's still a lady who wants female time. Her and Astrid are alike despite their different ways of life and combat." Thor expressed.

Fandral sighed dreamily and he commented,

"Ah yes Lady Astrid...such a very demure rose she is. It's hard to believe she has so much magic in a delicate package. It's too bad she's turned down my advances since we would make such beautiful children."

Loki forced a smile but he really wanted to stab Fandral. There was more to Astrid than her looks and no one truly knew Astrid. He had that pleasure as he recalled their passionate kiss where she was far from the demure, weak, and delicate woman Fandral thinks she is.

"Get your mind off Astrid. If she's not willing to move on to me you have no shot Fandral." Thor teased lightly.

Hogun shook his head.

"Be respectful. Astrid is a lady and a woman of magic. She has standards that differ from Asgardian women." Hogun expressed.

Loki smiled lightly since he knew that was very true. He'd met Astrid's standards in a man and she was his and he was hers. He subtly stroked his neck as he ate and Fandral raised a curious eyebrow. When Loki removed his hand, Fandral managed to see a faint purple mark peeking out from Loki's shirt. Fandral's eyes widened and chuckled as he finished his meal. Loki raised an eyebrow back but he knew what Fandral saw and sure enough, Fandral approached him and moved his shirt down a bit to reveal his love bite. Fandral smirked at the mark since he knew what caused it and Loki was a sly dog for hiding this.

"Look at this mark fellas, Loki has a secret lover and a feisty one too based on this mark!" Fandral said rather loudly.

Loki grinned as he playfully shoved Fandral off him. Thor looked at the mark on his brother and he patted his back firmly. He was proud Loki had himself a girl; one that clearly loved him tenderly and physically.

"Well done Loki! I was worried you wouldn't snag yourself a woman. What's she like?" Thor questioned.

Loki scoffed playfully and shook his head. He wouldn't give much but enough to hopefully calm them down.

"Unlike you brother, I respect the woman I keep in my company. She wants us to be private in our courting for now and I'm going to respect her request. After all, she's a special young woman and I want to honor her."

Hogun wondered what woman would go with Loki. He did think maybe Astrid but Loki seemed to lack a bit of the warmness he thought Astrid would go for. He was getting to know Astrid and she seemed to enjoy life in everything and Loki was a bit cold in that regard.

"Either way, hopefully someday you will introduce the woman who captured your heart, Loki. I do care about you brother and seeing how warm your smile is...I'm glad you are in better spirits."

Loki cracked a tiny smile but he knew Thor wouldn't say that if he knew the woman was Astrid. He did wonder if Thor truly loved her romantically or if Egil's seeds he planted sprouted in Thor's head that Astrid and him were a perfect romantic match. No matter, he would be kind to his brother but he better not go after Astrid, his Astrid.

Once they had their meals, the four men went to the training grounds. Loki wanted to get his training over with so he got up and summoned his daggers. Hogun raised an eyebrow as he got out his mace.

"Astrid told me you use magic to fight?" Hogun questioned.

Loki smirked a bit.

"I do, but I also love using daggers. You can use them up close or far away if you're trained...for example."

Loki skillfully aimed the dagger at Hogun's shoulder. He flinched slightly but he pulled it out without much fuss. Hogun nodded as they sparred. Loki used his magic to make copies in order to avoid being pelted by Hogun's mace. Hogun was a bit overwhelmed by Loki's magic and it was clear that Loki was deceptively strong. Hogun got some punches and kicks in, but his damage output didn't match Loki's. He had heard from Astrid that Loki was good with magic, but she was probably being modest since Loki was very capable with it, almost an expert in it. Loki blasted Hogun away with ease and his back hit the wall hard. Hogun hadn't a spar like this and he was actually tired, however this didn't make him want to give up. He switched his mace for a sword and he blocked Loki's dagger slashes with it. Hogun thought he had an upper hand when he got Loki to his knees, but it was a ploy for Loki to use magic to cover the grounds with smoke to hide. Hogun coughed and couldn't breathe until he felt a painful jab to his back. When the smoke cleared, he saw his body, legs, and arms wrapped in rope and Loki placed a foot on Hogun's chest.

"Do you yield Hogun?" Loki asked.

Hogun nodded and Loki used his daggers to cut the rope. He helped Hogun up and Hogun looked carefully at Loki. He was truly skilled with magic and this was the reason Astrid valued him, Hogun thought.

"Wish I could have been there when those hooligans were harassing Astrid. You did good against me, but if I was there….those low lives would think twice about ever approaching her." Loki expressed.

Hogun saw a protectivness in Loki and he could understand why. From his and Astrid's talks, they had learned magic together and she cared for his abilities unlike most in Asgard. He could see why Loki would do anything for her.

"You treasure Astrid." Hogun asked.

Loki nodded.

"She's my dearest friend, my closest friend. The only other person who's closer would be Thor but unlike him, Astrid and I connect on a magical level."

Hogun nodded. He hasn't seen Astrid a lot since he came to Asgard and he's rarely seen her without Thor or Loki or both brothers.

"She's lucky to be in your presence. However, I know people whisper about her connections with Thor."

Loki gritted his teeth since that wasn't new to him. He didn't let that get to him since he knew Astrid better than anyone.

"People must also say that she enjoys my company."

"They do, but I do see what Astrid sees in regards to you and your brother's strength. Different, but strong."

Loki nodded as he sat on the sidelines to read a book while Thor and Fandral trained and Hogun rested. Thor hardly broke a sweat when he was able to quickly disarm Fandral. Hogun thought he and Fandral needed to up their training if they were going to fight alongside Thor and Loki someday. Hogun used his magic to tend to his light scrapes and wounds before engaging with Fandral in sparring. Thor sat beside his brother and he chuckled lightly.

"You had such a fire in you today brother. I'm very pleased that you wanted to spar with us today."

Loki cracked a light, smiled and looked at his brother. He did feel a renewed fire and he knew it was because of Astrid. She always believed in him and knowing he truly had someone to call his own, just made him feel more alive.

"Just because I prefer not to spar, it doesn't mean I can't. I just chose when to do it since you don't want to exhaust your body. Besides, we are both princes of Asgard, which means we both are sworn to protect it. Now I do prefer my magic but I can get up close and personal when needed. Make no mistake brother, I can and will fight when the time shows itself."

Thor patted his brother's back and cracked a light smile.

"You think Astrid and Sif are training together? I wouldn't put it past Sif to push Astrid into training. In some ways, Sif and Astrid are like you and I."

"If that's the case, I really hope you'd compare Astrid to myself. She can't compare to your brute strength but she's clever in her magic like I am."

"Yes, we'll get rid of her magic and Sif can probably beat her handily. Least you can put up a good fight without your tricks."

"Ah I know I can, but my tricks give me the upper hand and you can't help but agree that they are effective."

Both brothers chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"I might need to be careful someday; father might find you more worthy than I as king if I don't take things up a notch." Thor humored.

Loki chuckled lightly and shook his head. He was a bit honored Thor was starting to see him like an equal but he still shouldn't shake Thor's shadow off him. At least Loki had a light in the shadow and he will refuse to let Thor keep him in the dark.

"I'm going to work and train hard brother, but I do have my sights set on another plan if perhaps father picks you."

Thor raised an eyebrow and looked very confused.

"Are you being serious?" he asked.

Loki sighed.

"Thor, you heard what our father said, 'Only one of us can ascend to the throne'. Now don't get me wrong brother, I would like to be king perhaps but it pays to think about another future as well. It's a lot of weight and responsibility to be king, and while I think I can be up for the challenge, I do have other ideas. Perhaps I will take a diplomacy route to help relations with the Nine Realms for Asgard. Maybe I'll be a teacher to train others in magic since a lot of the other realms look down on how Asgard devalues magic in some ways. One thing is certain, so long as my path connects with Astrid, my life's path would be a worthy one with her in it."

Thor agreed since she was close to them both. He couldn't ignore her beauty but also her strength.

"Well of course it would. Astrid will be in my life too. She's too good a sorceress to ignore and she's still very young. Imagine her in a millennia...why she would be a great one and perhaps a future All-Mother and Queen."

Loki shook his head. Of course he was still lingering on that thought like a moron. He had gotten Astrid's trust back and she's forgiven him, but yet he's back to trying to take her. Never mind the fact that Loki had her heart, but Thor was continuing to gamble his friendship with Astrid for something she doesn't want of him. His arrogance was going to get him in trouble and make him unhappy if he indulged in what he wanted and ignored others.

"Thor you were warned by Astrid not to pursue that route with her again. You really upset her by doing that and she would like you to be her best friend like she wants with me."

Loki was lying about the latter part since Astrid wanted more than to be just friends. Her time in Vanaheim made her long for him, which truly made him seen as something other than Thor's brother.

"Yes but...maybe she's just concerned about how her life will change if she does want more from me. I mean we might lose a friendship but she will gain a lover and…"

"A true relationship Thor means not giving up anything, but gaining. This is exactly what Astrid doesn't want in a romantic relationship." Loki stressed to his brother.

Thor was dumbfounded since from his brother's words, she had mentioned romance with Loki but not him.

"Wait, you and Astrid talk about romance? Did she say anything about what she would like in a man, what she would want a lover to do? Tell me Loki!"

Loki shook his head. He wasn't getting it but he didn't want to crush his brother either. He was an oaf, but a lovable oaf at times and he really needed to let his desire of wanting Astrid to be his go.

"If you'd just ask Astrid calmly and not be all over her like an animal, she might share what she would like in a man. It wouldn't kill you to talk more about her than just training and her looks to try and swoon her. You were doing good by asking about her trip to Vanaheim but look where your hormones got you. Just continue to be her friend, her dear friend and if the moment strikes...then see if you will both take that leap."

He cared but not enough to spare his feelings, let alone share that Astrid was spoken for. No matter what Loki told Thor, Astrid was never going to see him that way. He hated not telling his brother this and who knows, Thor might even be supportive of them both. But, Thor would tell Egil and Odin and Loki just had this gut-wretched feeling they wouldn't approve. In all honesty, he didn't think Tove would approve of him courting Astrid and Loki knew her mother's opinion mattered more than Egil's. Thor smiled a bit and patted his brother's back with such force.

"Loki, thank you for the advice...why are you giving me that advice?" he asked.

Loki shrugged.

"Just like only one of us will be king, maybe one of us will be with Astrid. No matter what happens, we would want her happy and I am just looking out for you so you don't ruin what you have with Astrid. It would hurt me to be caught in the middle of you two arguing... again." Loki expressed somewhat warmly.

Thor nodded as they saw Hogun bring Fandral to his knees. They both were impressed with how Hogun fought and Thor whistled lightly.

"We are lucky Astrid met him in Vanaheim and their encounter led him here. Hogun's going to be a fine warrior for us." Thor expressed.

Loki nodded and again Hogun gave him a somewhat stern stare. It didn't surprise Loki that Hogun was staring him down, after all he did have a reputation in Asgard he couldn't shake. He usually took pride in his cleverness and tricks, but it always seemed to colored people's perception of him. Thankfully there were still some people that would never hurt him or see him in a bad light.

Loki decided to retire to his chambers for a shower while Thor trained with Hogun and Fandral some more. After his hot and steamy shower, he went to the library to read but his thoughts linger on the prior night's events. Loki's heart raced as he recalled his lips on Astrid's and enjoying the quiet night together. He longed for her and he knew she longed for him too. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a woman's voice calling his name. Placing his book down, he saw that it was his mother. A soft smile graced her face and she looked over her son. She had heard talk from Thor about a mark and she inspected Loki, much to his embarrassment.

"Mother, I am fine. You don't need to look me over." Loki protested.

Frigga found what she was looking for on her son's neck and it confirmed what she had heard. She motioned her son to follow her since there was a talk they needed to have in private. Loki gulped a bit since he worried what his mother had to say. He was told by his mother to try to court Astrid and now he was getting a feeling that this wasn't good after all.

"Your night seemed to be enjoyable son." Frigga mused lightly as they walked together.

Loki remained silent since he didn't know how to answer. While yes it was very enjoyable, he didn't know where the talk was going. His mother was one of the few people that made him nervous. Frigga looked back to her son and gave him a light smile as they approached her study. She motioned him to sit while she got one of her concoctions off her shelf.

"I'm going to have to start giving you lessons on how to hide yourself from Heimdall's eyes. He does see all son, and I do mean all." Frigga expressed with a soft smile.

Loki's eyes widened as his mother put the concoction on Loki's neck to soothe and heal the mark. He turned a bit red and tugged a bit on his collar.

"What did he tell you he saw?"

Frigga laughed softly and hugged Loki.

"He told me that you and Astrid were kissing in the library last night. And from that mark on your neck, she's devoted to you Loki. Never thought she would be that type of woman to mark a man with her teeth but you two must bring out another side of each other. Makes me wonder how you'll be in the future and when you'll go beyond kissing."

Loki got even redder since he really wanted his mother to stop talking about how they loved each other and what they might do. That surprised him too but in the best way. He wondered though if he and Astrid progressed if they would only grow to love each other's touches and want to experiment more. He wouldn't lie, Astrid was beautiful and her features were truly breathtaking as he was to her.

"I know I will be happier at least, maybe a bit more confident and stronger...It just hurt me that she had to be sent away for five years since maybe we could have been something soon."

Frigga nodded and watched as the bruise on Loki's neck completely healed. She didn't want Egil to get the right idea if by chance he saw that. While she would love Loki to have that mark on his neck, Egil's temper and paranoia would interfere greatly in her son and Astrid's romance.

"Tove had sent Astrid so it would clear her mind, make her stronger, and awaken her desires."

"So Astrid's mother planned to send her away?" Loki questioned.

Frigga nodded.

"I know it sounds cruel and it was severe and drastic for Astrid, but she's grown into a woman who is starting to stand on her own. She's not afraid to go off to Vanaheim if she wishes now and she was confident enough to share her feelings with you. That might not have been the case if she never went to Vanaheim in the first place."

Loki smiled lightly and he hugged his mother tighter.

"She truly cares about me...she might even love me. It feels amazing to be loved by another person in a romantic sense. Is this how you feel with Odin?"

Frigga nodded as she pulled away to look at her son. She stroked his cheek in comfort.

"It's not always going to be easy or sweet. There might be fights, disagreements, and perhaps there will be days you would want time apart. But with all those times; there will always be the sweet, the good, and the loving moments that make being in love the best thing in the world son."

Loki sighed.

"Yet I need to keep this from father and Thor. I understand why it's just...it's Egil that's the problem. He just hates me because I remind him of his brother and he thinks I'm enchanting Astrid."

Frigga grew a bit quiet and pulled away. Loki knew she thought and she wondered if Tove intended Astrid to know. Astrid's aunt had to have told her since Frode was a very prominent Vanir in Vanaheim and her looks were exactly like his. Loki noticed his mother was quiet and he asked,

"You know, don't you?"

Frigga nodded and she let out a small sigh.

"That Egil isn't Astrid's biological father...yes. It's clear since I had met Frode in my own youth and her features remind me so much of Frode. Odin doesn't know but he will probably see Egil as her father regardless, however how the world would be different if Frode raised Astrid. He was very bright, had such magical capabilities, and a very skilled diplomat. He wanted peace between realms and wanted to see the good in all races, including the Jotuns. Back when we were young however, he was a bit cold towards others and he loved to show off which bordered a bit on arrogance. He grew out of that and it became more like he had a vision for how things should be, right down to love. He believed in soulmates and he wouldn't pursue anything less than an intense first sight connection. Clearly he had that with Tove and Tove lost her chance at true love with his death. I've seen what happens when love can't be accepted and just know Tove and I accept what you and Astrid are in love."

That really made Loki happy and it would make Astrid happy that her mother at least supported her...Well Egil would never support them but they both had a parent that supported what they were doing.

"Yet for Astrid's protection, we need to be careful and date in secret. Egil's close to father and he would perhaps forbid me to see Astrid if told by Egil to have us be apart." Loki said with a slight frown.

Frigga kissed her son's head and shook her head.

"That won't happen. You're too good at mischief and I know if it's something you really want, you're not going to give it up. But like I said, I will have to teach you magic to help you and Astrid sneak around, starting with a warding charm to make sure Heimdall won't see what you do with Astrid. Something tells me there will be more than just love nips on the neck and I don't want him to spy on your acts."

Loki groaned and got all red with embarrassment since he didn't want to discuss acts of love with his mother...though he perhaps should start reading up on that just in case. He was however a bit amused his mother was teaching him magic to sneak around and he chuckled lightly.

"I'd never thought you would teach me magic to help me with that. Father values Hiemdall's sight and you want me to learn something to hinder that?"

Frigga chuckled.

"Admit it, you were going to learn it on your own and teach Astrid. Just like you did with your illusions even though I had planned to teach you that as well when you got a bit older. You must admit, you got better at illusion casting and illusion copy projections with my teachings."

Loki nodded and adored his mother's support and teachings. He had become a strong magic user thanks to her and it was his connection to magic that connected him to Astrid.

"Then you have a lot to learn Loki. Come my son, we shall have a magic lesson before dinner. I'm sure you'll be thankful for this in time."

As Loki learned the basics of warding spells from his mother, he felt a renewed lease on his life. He and Astrid might have had to hide their romances to most people, but at least their mothers knew. Most of all, they loved each other even if those words hadn't escaped their lips just yet. They were each other's special person and they loved that they could share more intimate moments in their lives together.