Author's Note: First I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed. I've forgotten who I've already thanked and who I haven't but each reply is special to me. I'm sorry I haven't updated in such a long time. The story is finished but all of ffnet's character rules have really made it difficult for me to post the story. Gomen nasai minna.

Chapter 46: Riddles in the Snow

The wind blew unmercifully at the two adventurers. They weren't even in Jotunheim, or so Jymir had told her, and the wind was already bitter cold. It had just started snowing two hours ago, and Mayura could see that that was a common weather condition if the mile tall snow drifts were any indication. Neither Mayura nor Jymir knew how deep the snow was beneath their feet, and neither was going to find out if they could help it. Jymir galloped through the snow storm, moving so quickly and lightly that his hoofs barely touched the surface of the snow.

"Who would need to worry about hypothermia in a place like this? You'd drown first!" complained Mayura shivering. Jymir silently agreed, there was way too much snow. "Now I know why only giants live here! You'd need to be as tall as a skyscraper to waddle through all of this!" she exclaimed as they passed an exceptionally large snow drift.

Nevertheless, Jymir and Mayura traveled onward towards the mountains—or at least what they hoped was mountains—through the relentless storm as the sky got darker and darker. Mayura knew they would have to stop soon. Jymir couldn't see in the dark and he was probably getting tired, but sleeping in such a harsh environment would have been equivalent of digging their own graves. She didn't know what to do. The storm stopped when they passed through the tunnel of a snowy capped rock ridge.

"Jymir?" she asked tentatively, "do you know what happened? Where did the storm go?" Jymir flopped his head from side to side, a movement that Mayura had come to interpret as 'I don't know.' Mayura slid off Jymir's back. In the weeks it took to get to their current location, the second degree burn on Mayura left foot had time to heal, although it still was a little tender. "Oh look! A cave! We can sleep there tonight. In that cave we should be relatively safe from the snow and wind if the storm comes this way right?" She turned to look back at Jymir who nodded his head vigorously.

«Sleep… must sleep. Be warm… no wind… no snow… Sleep, sleep good.»

The cave's enterance was wide as it opened up into a large cavern before it split into five different passages spread out like the sun's rays. Mayura explored the cave thoroughly, not wanting to sleep in some wild animal's home, but found it to be empty. She found it slightly odd that the fifth and last short passage was larger than the other four and was twice as far from its closet neighbor than the other four as well. Mayura shrugged, how was she to know about the cave formations of this god forsaken place.

Lying down next to each other for warmth at the end of the center passage, Jymir fell right asleep while Mayura stayed awake for a good part of the night. There was something in the aura she felt that didn't… feel right, or safe. But exhaustion overcame her uneasiness and she eventually drifted off into a deep sleep.

The ground shifting to vertical awoke Mayura and Jymir with a large thump as they fell less than gracefully onto the compacted snow below them. "What do I have here? Trespassers…" The ground trembled, and trembled again. "A female mortal and… oh look what I have here, a descendant of that flea bitten shrimp." A large finger came down to prod the shaken Jymir. "Protvil will be so happy to break you into shape after what your great grand sire did to his father." Jymir bit the giant, his eyes burning like hot embers. "A spirit eh? Protvil will just have to beat that out of you. It seems that the little mortal is waking up… this will be quite enjoyable, and I am in the mood for a morning snack."

Mayura groaned sitting up. «I need to stop doing this. It's becoming a bad habbit.» She looked around in confusion. "Where did the cave go!"

"You mean my glove mortal?" asked the giant leaning over the small figure in front of him.

Mayura gulped. Loki had told her about how tall the frost giants got but… thinking about abstract numbers and looking at moving skyscraper were two completely different things. «He's enormous! And I thought the Fire Giants were tall! Kyaaa! »

"Now what shall I do?" The giant leaned in closer; Mayura could feel his breath like it was the wind.

"I'm… I'm really very sorry. We were just passing through and, and the snow storm was very strong, and, and…" rambled Mayura as the bad aura she had been feeling last night intensified.

"You were just passing through on Jotun land mortal. The plenty for that is death." The giant reached out and grabbed Mayura around the waist. Mayura closed her eyes and cringed. The littlest of pressure on the giant's part would squeeze her into oblivion. "However," continued the giant releasing Mayura, "I'm a sporting sort. Answer three of my riddles and I will let you pass unharmed through Jotunheim. However, for each wrong answer there will be a… penalty," the giant finished smiling sadistically.

Mayura's face didn't lighten. Her expression turned from one of fear to despair. The giant's evil smile widened at his good fortune. «This quest is taking forever! I, I can't do this! I can't do riddles! That's what Loki is good at.» Mayura wallowed in her misery.

"Tell me foolish traveler, what is your name?"

"Fa… Mayura. I'm called Mayura."

"And I am Skroki, now let's begin," he commanded sitting down into the snow with a rather loud rumble. "Give me food, and I will live; give me water and I will die. What am I?"

Mayura's face paled. «I've never heard that riddle before! Why couldn't he have given me 'You can have me but cannot hold me; gain me and quickly lose me. If treated with care I can be great, and if betrayed I will break. What am I?' I know that one… after Loki tormented me with it for a week! And he was laughing the whole time too! He never told me the answer either! Mou!» Mayura huffed and planted herself onto the snow. She didn't want to admit it, but that wasn't the truth—by any means of the word. Unfortunately for her, her conscience wasn't on vacation.

Ж

Ж

Ж

"What does this have to do with learning about my new abilities!" Mayura whined. "I hate riddles!"

Loki rubbed his left ear; it was starting to hurt after listening to Mayura complain for at least a good half hour about her newest 'assignment.' "It's not just you're abilities that need to be honed, but your brain as well. Not only do you have to be able to think on your toes, but you'll be required to solve seemingly impossible problems during your quest for Odin," he explained as evenly as possible with his temper ready to boil over.

"Why waste the time?" she whined again. "I couldn't do school. There's no way I can ever figure out things like that."

"Well you got to learn how to!" snapped Loki losing his cool. "Even if you survive Odin's quest you're still going to have to sharpen your mind if you don't want someone to kill you or get killed by your own powers for that matter!"

"I can't!"

"You have to!" he retorted staring at her intently.

Mayura stood up and wiped the back of her skirt. Turning to look down at Loki she yelled, "Why are you trying to change me! I know I'm not as smart as you. You don't need to rub it in my face! If you thought I was so stupid that I would embarrass you like I see it does, then you shouldn't have married me in the first place!" Impulsively she reached towards her wedding ring.

With a speed that she never knew Loki processed, he had grasped her left within his right and brought it up to his chest, squeezing her fingers tightly. Mayura never even saw him rise to his feet. "I am not trying to change you! I am changing you. Everyday just a little bit more. And you've decided to accept those changes." Loki paused taking a deep breath, his eyes randomly switching between green and red. "But my powers aren't like Thor's were he can just go around smashing things. They're just not powerful like that! Nor are they harmless such that you can walk around like the idiot Freyr!"

"What does Freyr-sama have to do with this!" she yelled back.

"It's an example of a mental state that you don't have the luxury to have! He's a clueless harebrained nitwit that has absolutely no clue of the world around him. He probably couldn't think his way out of a paper bag!" Loki replied angrily, his voice rising in pitch and volume.

"Well I hate to inform you all smart one—I'm not!" finished Mayura, planning to storm off, but Loki was still holding onto her hand securely, and if anything, his hold was tightening.

"Yes you are! You're learning, but more importantly understanding things that normally take people their whole life to master. Even if we put that aside due to abnormal circumstances, you were reading at four years old!" Loki's eyes flared red. "Look at me when I'm talking to you Mayura!" Mayura did as she was told. Only once before had she heard his voice like this—the time she had insulted his children. Usually his anger was cold and almost distant, but she swore that she felt the heat radiating from his being. "Don't you realize how intelligent you are?" Loki paused again gazed at her seriously. "No you don't do you? No one pushed you. No one expected anything from you because you were just some silly mystery crazed ditzy girl whose job in life would be to get married and take care of house and shrine. And you let them!"

"You treated me like that too!" Mayura huffed.

"I didn't know any better! Mayu-chan, you were in your second year of high school when I met you. But now I know better and I won't let you sell yourself short!"

"You're not my father!"

"I never claimed I was!"

"Then don't act like it!"

"Then perhaps you shouldn't behave like a child!"

"Loki… you're hurting me," she whispered.

Ж

Ж

Ж

"Don't take too long mortal, I want there to be meat on your bones for my snack—as meager as it will be anyway," interrupted Skroki amiably.

Mayura ignored him however, still lost in her guilt driven berating. «I was acting like a child, having a temper tantrum when told to do something not fun. » Mayura sighed. «And his eyes when I told him he was hurting my hand… They were burning so fiercely one minute and suddenly a sick shade of green the next as if a bucket of cold water dowsed out the fire… of his anger.»

"Time is a wasting little tidbit."

"I… I have my first answer," stated Mayura standing up. She sounded more confident than she felt.

"Well, what is it? I can't wait to show you your punishment. You're going to love it SO much," Skroki sung sweetly.

"A fire"

Skroki raised his eyebrow before straightening up and laughing in a bellowing fashion. "It seems that I have underestimated you, adventurous mortal. But don't be too overjoyed. That was an easy one."

Mayura stood in place dumbfounded with her mouth agape. «I, I answered it correctly? But… but I'm bad at riddles! I'm not smart like…» her thoughts were cut short. 'Don't you realize how intelligent you are? ... If I thought you couldn't do it, I wouldn't have asked you to solve it. ... No, I won't tell you the answer. Figuring it out on your own is vastly more enjoyable, and even if you know the answer, you won't feel the pride of accomplishment,' rang Loki's voice in her head. A sudden elation swept though Mayura's body. "I did it! I did it, I did it, I solved a riddle," she sung dancing around in the snow. Jymir snorted in relief.

"Did you hear me mortal?" questioned Skroki.

"Hear what?" asked Mayura cutely, having just finished her 'victory' dance.

"The next riddle," he stated gruffly.

Mayura dug her toe into the compacted snow. "No"

"Pay attention mortal. Next time I won't repeat myself." Mayura nodded, afraid that if she spoke she would miss part of her next riddle. "What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?" Mayura sat back down in contemplation. "You have two minutes."

"What! The first riddle didn't have a time limit!"

"No it didn't. But you took so long with the first one that a time limit is necessary or I won't get my morning snack in the morning. But I wouldn't be using my time complaining, you only have a minute thirty left."

Mayura racked her brain desperate to come up with an answer—any answer. «What can run but never walks? What kind of a thing does that? Definitely not Loki… Has a bed but never sleeps? Has a mouth but never talks? There's nothing like that!»

"One minute"

"Think Mayura, think!" Closing her eyes, Mayura took a deep long breath. Loki had always told her that you can't think if you're not calm. 'A cluttered head only spins things around in circles and gets you nowhere Mayu-chan.'

"Thirty seconds"

Mayura took another even breath.

"Ten seconds… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two…"

Mayura's eyes flew open. "A river!"

Skroki's eyes narrowed. "It looks like I underestimated you again mortal. You're not by some chance a worshiper of Loki are you?"

Mayura sweat-dropped at his comment, "No, I'm not." «...technically, I'm just married to him. Never actually worshipped him, and he stopped me from calling him Loki-sama.»

His eyes narrowed some more. «Only that shrimp of a frost giant has managed to solve all six of my riddles. Well, no matter. She wouldn't get the next one.» he thought, a feral smile appearing on his face once again. "Here's the next one. I'm light as a feather, yet the strongest man can't hold me for much more than a minute. What am I?"

The two minutes passed but Mayura couldn't think of a thing. "Time up! That means I win. And I think I'll take the nice cute blue ribbon on your wrist." Mayura tried to struggle, but Skroki was just too strong. "Oh my, look what I've found here. A Freya's ribbon, and not just any ribbon but one Freya's. I'd recognize that beautiful fragrance anywhere."

Mayura's eyes clouded over with tears. «Loki…» She sniffled once before a determined look invaded her eyes. "I'll win this game Skroki! I've got to!"

"My my my, what a feisty mortal. Very well, I was going to let you have a little break before the inevitable, but if you wish for your end to come so quick, so be it." Skroki laughed, feeling much more confident. "All about, but cannot be seen, can be captured, cannot be held, no throat, but can be heard. What is it?"

Mayura didn't even take a second to think about that one. "Wind!" she exclaimed excitedly. She noticed the look of disgust on the giant's face. "I was right! It is wind!" Unable to contain her excitement, Mayura giggled uncontrollably and jumped up and down like a young elementary school girl.

"Get out of here," growled Skroki. "I don't want to see your ugly face!"

"Give me my ribbon back," yelled Mayura.

"No, I won this and I'm not going to let you have it. Be glad that luck was on your side or your hide would be mine as well."

'Fine then!" she retorted, puffing her cheeks and spinning around. "Keep the ribbon. Come on Jymir, let's go."

"Wait wait wait"

"What is it now!" demanded Mayura. Skroki was really starting to get on her nerves.

"The deal was that you were free to go. Not the animal. He's the descendant of a traitor to my people and must be dealt with accordingly." Skroki smiled evilly at Jymir. "Come, Protvil awaits."

Mayura spun around and stared into the giant's eyes. Skroki was surprised and reluctantly impressed with the mortal. "Another riddle. If I get it right, Jymir comes with me… as well as my ribbon."

"And if you should lose?" Skroki asked intrigued.

"All or nothing."

Skroki raised his eyebrow at this extremely intrigued. "All or nothing. Here's the last riddle: You can have me but cannot hold me; gain me and quickly lose me. If treated with care I can be great, and if betrayed I will break. What am I?"

Mayura gasped. «It's the same one that Loki gave me! How, how did he know?» Mayura smiled. "That's easy, it's l…" «Wait, no it's not. Love isn't gained, it's given. But I know I'm close. Friendship? ... No, again it's not earned. ...»

"Thirty more seconds. It looks like I'm going to be the happy winner after all. Fifteen… ten… "

«Love, friendship ... what else!» Mayura began to panic.

"Five, four, three, two, one…"

"Trust!" cried out Mayura at the last possible second.

Skroki tossed the small blue ribbon at Mayura's feet. "I couldn't use it anyway. It has too much of your nasty stench on it. As well as the male's who tied it upon you. Now take your beast and be gone."

Mayura smiled and picked up the dark blue ribbon that Loki had tied around her wrist. Gathering up some of her hair, she tied the ribbon into a bow since she couldn't tie it around her wrist again by herself. Proudly she walked up to Jymir and mounted. "Let's go Jymir," Mayura said quietly, "to the mines of the dwarves." Jymir followed her command without complaint, picking a steady canter.

Skroki watched the traveler and her stead continue on what he only could assume was a quest—a quest for the gods. He watched her leave with respect. After all, she was the only other being besides Loki to best him at his own game. As her figure became smaller and smaller, the last thing he saw was the fluttering of her ribbon's twin tails.

Author's Note: I hate the way ffnet has the ... become …. That's alright in Japanese, but I'm writing in English dang it! The riddles came from:

http:wwwЖrinkworksЖcom/brainfood/riddlesЖshtml

Ж means 'dot' of course.