A gentle breeze blew through the cedars, shaking remnants of winter's colors from their branches. Songbirds chorused from high in the trees, caroling songs of change. The season was coming to an end and spring was on its way. Though the winter goddess was disappointed to see her season go, she knew that all things must come to an end. It was time to make way for the next goddess and relax knowing that her time would come again.

At least, that was what she would be doing had she remained at home performing her duties. Instead…

"Guwahh!"

Balder crashed to the ground with a mighty thump, shaking the bushes around him and startling resting forest critters from the brush. With an amused sigh, Yuna slowly helped the other god to his feet and brushed the snow from his robes. Over the moons, the goddess had grown accustomed to his clumsy tendencies. While there was a time not long ago when his frequent falls concerned her, now they were little more than routine. Yuna had come to accept that slipping and falling was simply a part of Balder's lifestyle, and all there was to be done was to assist him when he did.

"Thank you, Yuna."

"Not a problem."

Standing firmly on his feet, the god of light smiled down at her. "I'm not sure what I'd do without you."

"What did you do before me?"

"Slip and fall, generally."

"Then, I'm not certain I am much help."

The two laughed, continuing their walk through the forest. After a few moments, Balder shook his head. "You are a great help, Yuna. For one thing, you help me up without a fuss. Loki always makes fun of me when I fall."

"Loki will be Loki, I suppose. I find it's better to just ignore him."

Balder smiled, nodding his head in agreement. Though her words were dismissive, he couldn't help but notice the endearing smile growing on her face. Suspicion had been gnawing at him throughout the winter months regarding the relationship between the two gods.

Despite their frequent spats and disagreements with one another, there seemed to be a fondness there, resting just beneath the surface. And it wasn't just one-sided. It brought Balder great joy to see Loki enjoying himself, but he couldn't help but notice the way that he looked at her. With eyes kinder than he had ever seen toward anyone else, including himself. Just what was she to him? And more importantly, what was Loki to her? Yuna had said that Balder was important to her, but…

"Actually… I was wondering about something."

"Hmm?" Yuna slowed her pace, looking curiously at the taller god.

"What do you think about Loki…?"

"I think he's a pain in the behind and takes far too much pleasure in irritating those around him."

Balder chuckled, taking a bit of pleasure in her blunt response. "Yes, that is very true. But otherwise… what do you think of him?"

At the sound of his serious tone, Yuna came to a pause. She hadn't considered it really in much detail. Loki was simply Loki to her, and that was the best way she would have thought to describe him. However, if she were to truly consider him as an individual…

"I think Loki is an aggravating, childish, vexatious nuisance who could stand to fall down a peg or two." She answered, taking note of Balder's surprised expression. After a brief pause, she continued. "However… he's also very kind… and witty, and funny… He's a good person, in his own, strange way. And I just wish that others could look passed his heritage long enough to see that."

Balder slowed his pace, taken aback by her words. In all of his years, he had never heard anyone speak of Loki in such a manner. It was true that he was a troublesome god that took great joy in harassing those around him. But that was only because he had spent all of his life ostracized and rejected. He knew that Loki tormented others not just for fun but primarily to hide his pain. It was the only way he knew how. Balder knew this about him… but he had never expected another god to notice it.

It was a testament to the pure kindness of the winter goddess and part of the reason why he had come to adore her so much. It seemed that she cared more about Loki than she had originally let on. Did that mean that Loki was precious to her too…?

"You seem to care a great deal about him."

Yuna nodded her head. "Of course, I do. Loki has become a treasured friend to me. You all have…"

"You speak as though you have so few of them." Balder's brow furrowed, a look of concerned curiosity etching his features.

The goddess lowered her eyes nervously to the ground. "I don't really. Before you three, I… well, I mostly spent my time alone. I didn't associate much with the other gods, and I didn't have anyone that I could call friend, let alone family. I had almost resigned myself to eternal solitude."

"I am so sorry, Yuna… I had no idea."

Her silver hair swayed as she shook her head. "Don't worry yourself about it. Thanks to you three, I'm not alone anymore… although, it is still taking some time getting used to it. Eating together, spending time with one another, barbecues, and events. It's all new to me."

"You didn't attend any back home?"

Yuna shook her head. "Not really. Even if anyone actually wanted me there, I doubt there'd have been much for me to do."

"Well… about now? Would you like to participate in one of Asgard's events?"

"I'm not sure… I very much enjoyed the Yuletide festivities but I'm not certain what comes next."

"Hmm… Well, the gathering is coming up."

"The… gathering…?" The goddess blinked. Her head tilted curiously at the mention. If the coming get-together was anything like Yuletide, then surely it must be something enjoyable.

Balder smiled, endearingly. "Mm-hmm. It's a celebration of the coming of spring. I know you were unable to attend the feast, but if you are interested, I would love for you to attend."

The goddess lowered her head in thought. Of course, she should have known. It was only natural that the Norse would celebrate the coming of spring. Everyone celebrated the coming of spring. And had she not spent nearly a couple of weeks celebrating her own season, Yuna would have been a little envious. She pushed the thoughts away, reminding herself that she was in a new world, with new customs, and a new way of life. She didn't need to concern herself with the world she came from… not at the moment anyway. Perhaps it would be nice to participate in an event after all. This time as an actual guest rather than an icy shadow.

"Yes… that would be lovely, I think. I would be happy to."

"Splendid! You're going to love it, I promise."

"Will Loki and Thor be there as well?"

"Thor will certainly attend. As my brother, he is obligated, as am I. Loki, on the other hand…"

Yuna slowly nodded her head in understanding. She understood his reasoning very well. From what she recalled; Loki wasn't doing much mingling during the winter celebration. It wasn't likely that the spring gathering would be much different. A frown formed on her features momentarily as she thought about it. She couldn't deny that she felt a little guilty about going to a celebration and leaving Loki to his own devices, likely to spend the evening alone in his cottage. Hopefully, he wouldn't mind. After all, he had avoided such gatherings long before her arrival. Why should this time be any different? Perhaps she could even convince him to join them. Making up her mind, she smiled up at the other god.

"Well, hopefully, he can find it in himself to attend. Either way, I'm looking forward to it."

Returning the gesture, Balder slowly nodded his head. The two resumed their wandering, emerging from the forest and making their way back into the city.

. . .

"Hmm?" Loki slowly sat up, lifting his head, and looking around his empty bedroom. A strange sense of knowing washed over him as he lay in his bed. Alone in his forest cottage, he couldn't help but get the feeling that someone was talking about him.

Of course, that wasn't exactly a surprise. People always talked about Loki, although the words they said were almost never positive. In any case, it was probably just a disgruntled god caught in one of his most recent pranks. Shrugging his shoulders, he leaned back against the bedframe. A small flame rolled lazily around his palm, the flickering embers an excellent indicator of his current mood.

The past few months had been probably the most confusing of Loki's entire existence. One day, he was drinking with Balder and Thor, waiting for the next unsuspecting god to torment. The next, he was running around in the woods chasing after a forest creature and howling at the moon. Now, he was sitting in bed, bored out of his mind, and growing increasingly frustrated about all of it. As his mind drifted once more to the pale-skinned goddess, a heavy sigh drew from his lips.

Yuna; the goddess of winter. A woman who appeared one day in the forest with no rhyme nor reason as an injured wolf. A woman whose arrival set off a chain of events that turned his life upside down. At first, he wanted nothing to do with her, as he and wild animals in general had terrible rapport. Then, he began spending time with her, originally to gather information. Over time, it became more of a personal desire rather than an obligational one as he found her increasingly more interesting. And when he discovered her by chance at the Yuletide celebration, he was fascinated by her all over again.

He met the goddess face to face as herself in a strange turn of events. Then, as time went on, she became a worthy ally and friend both to himself and the other two gods. She proved herself time and again, from defending him in the city streets to throwing him the best, and only, birthday celebration of his life. Yuna had become a pleasant constant in his life; one that made him look forward to the afternoons and evenings when he knew she was most likely to be around. And now, he was slowly beginning to dread each passing day. For he knew that, eventually, she would have to disappear and return to her own realm.

And the worst part of it all was that the idea upset him. Very, very, greatly.

Loki wanted nothing more than to pretend that this was a passing fancy, and, like most things, it would pass and eventually fade away as he grew bored of her. But it didn't. Instead, he found himself growing more attached to the goddess every day, taking far more pleasure in their time together than he ever ought to. This was especially true when he considered the other part of the equation: Balder. It was clear to him at this point that the other god had some sort of interest in her. And, from the times he had caught them together, she had an interest in him too. The idea confused him, considering her initial aversion to him, but it didn't surprise him. Everyone gravitated toward Balder eventually and Loki had no desire to get in between them, both for fear of awakening Balder's other half and fear of inevitable rejection.

Yet, despite all of that, he couldn't seem to stay away. Even at that very moment, Loki was fighting the urge to go and find her. To see her. To talk to her. He wanted to be around her… and possibly even more than that. Grumbling, Loki extinguished the flame in his hand with a clenched fist. Brooding over the situation wasn't going to get him anywhere fast.

No. What he needed was a distraction. To put his mind to something, anything, other than whatever it was the goddess was doing. Preferably, something involving his hands. With a heavy sigh, Loki lazily lifted his hand to summon another ball of flame. As he lifted, his eyes drifted to the cool silver ring resting on his finger. Yuna's gift to him. A permanent reminder of their very short time together. Inspired, the god of fire practically leaped out of the bed into the main area.

He had an idea.