Loki and Thor arrived at the stables after taking the more scenic walk. "I really need to go riding more now that I'll be able to." He said, still trying to accept his new freedom.
Thor grinned. "I am glad you have gotten your freedom Loki. You deserve it," he said happily. In the distance a couple of stable hands could be seen with a horse in a small paddock. The gray mare reared and tried to strike at them with her hooves, feeling trapped and stressed from travel.
Loki started to reply to Thor, but stopped and hurried over to the paddock when he saw how stressed the horse was. "You are all dismissed, leave immediately!" He ordered, walking right up to the gate and into the paddock.
The frightened stable hands turned and jogged off, leaving the mare standing in the back of the paddock, breathing heavily with her ears pinned back. Thor caught up to Loki and stood by the fence. "Be careful brother."
"I know how to handle a horse, I will be fine." Loki assured Thor. "It's alright girl, remember me?" He asked the horse softly. The mare flared her nose and snorted before she tossed her head. Her eyes stayed glued to Loki, wondering what her reaction should be to him. Meanwhile Loki stayed still to not appear threatening, and very calm. Moving slowly, he conjured an apple for her, then held it out to her. "Do you want a snack?" He watched as her ears flicked forward as she eyed the food in his hand, then looked at his face. She nickered and pawed at the ground, but took a step towards him. "That's it, I won't hurt you girl. If you remember me, I was nice to you before and so was Laney." He said, keeping his voice calm. The mare took another few steps toward him and reached out with her neck to sniff him and the food he held out. Once she recognized the scent the mare nickered and walked up to him to eagerly take the apple from his hand. Loki smiled as he let her take the apple. He reached up and stroked what he could reach of her neck. "That's a good girl." The mare gently nudged his hand as if she were looking for more to snack on.
Meanwhile Thor grinned as he leaned on the fence. "She trusts you."
Loki conjured another apple and handed it to her. "I have met her before." He explained.
"I assumed so. Did you purchase her for Laney?" Thor asked. "She is very spirited."
"Yes, she is for Laney. They had a connection." Loki said as Desi walked up with Laney and hugged Thor from behind.
Laney smiled as she saw Loki with the gray mare. "She's just as beautiful as she was in Yamir."
Loki turned and looked when he heard Laney. "You can come in, she's fine now." He assured her. "She was just spooked."
"I still need to name her," Laney replied as she opened the gate, walked through, then shut it behind her. "She's such a sweet girl."
"She is. I'm considering taking her for a quick ride, just to see what work she needs." Loki told Laney.
"You need to see if she'll let you on her first," Laney commented as she walked up to them both. The mare snorted at Laney and bumped her nose into her hand.
"She will let me on her, whether she will keep me on her is a different story." Loki chuckled and watched how they interacted.
Laney smiled as she scratched the mare's head, then giggled when the mare gently bumped her belly. "She's intuitive."
"I'm not sure how comfortable I am with you riding while pregnant, but she will be great to take little star for rides with you." Loki said happily.
A bright smile lit up Laney's face at the mention of the baby, while she let the horse continue to nuzzle her. "Maybe we can ride double with her before I get too large," Laney suggested.
"Possibly, I will have to make sure it's safe for you." Loki said truthfully. "I think I will take her on a quick ride."
Laney nodded and stepped away from the mare, though when she did, the mare followed, making her chuckle. "Are you going to try with or without tack?"
"I never ride with tack, I haven't in years." Loki replied, then put his hands on the mare's back and easily hopped up onto her back. "Can you jump?" He asked the horse as he patted her neck.
The mare snorted and took a couple of steps back, while her ears went slightly back on her head. "She seems nervous," Laney said.
"I know, she's alright though." Loki said softly and continued to stroke her neck to ease her. "Can you open the gate for us?" He asked Laney. She nodded, then walked to the gate and opened it before she moved to stand beside Desi and Thor.
Thor grinned at Laney while he caressed Desi's hands that were wrapped around his waist. "Good luck brother."
"We won't be gone long." Loki promised as he gently nudged the horse to encourage her to walk. "You can do it girl." He told her softly.
The mare tossed her head and walked out of the small paddock. "Be careful!" Laney called after them.
"We will darling, I love you." Loki called back, then nudged the mare into a run.
Laney watched as they galloped off. "Looks like she's going to be a good horse."
"She's super pretty!" Desi said, peeking around Thor's side.
"We saw her at the market for sale on the day we had to ourselves," Laney replied.
"I can see why you picked her, she's lovely." Desi agreed. Only a few minutes later, Loki rode her back into the paddock.
"How was she?" Laney asked as she shut the gate behind them.
"Not bad at all. I think she will ride perfectly fine with tack. Other than that, she just needs some trail time to build her confidence. She doesn't spook easily though." Loki explained as he climbed off the horse and conjured another apple for her.
The mare eagerly took the apple with a happy nicker. "We just need to name her," Laney commented.
"She is yours darling, that is up to you." Loki said, giving Laney a loving smile.
Laney shrugged. "I don't know her well enough yet."
"Take your time. Do you want to spend some more time with her here in the paddock?"
"I'd love to, if that's okay." Laney turned to Thor and Desi. "Do you guys mind?"
"We don't mind at all." Desi said, enjoying watching the horse. She stepped around to the front of Thor to snuggle up to him.
Thor grinned and wrapped his arms around her before he placed a kiss to her hair. "Go ahead Laney."
Laney smiled at them, then turned back to Loki and the mare. "She really likes apples."
"It's a trick with horses. I have approached some of the worst with an apple." Loki chuckled, then conjured an apple and handed it to Laney. "Go on, she takes them very gently."
Holding the apple in her hand, Laney held it out for the horse to take. The mare tossed her head up and down playfully before she took it from her. "We're going to make her spoiled."
"It's good to spoil them just a little after such a stressful trip. Just not so much that it makes them ornery." Loki explained.
"Such a good girl," Laney cooed as she reached up and pet her neck. "She is the color of the moon when it's full," she commented.
"With some work, you could ride her under a full moon." Loki promised Laney. "Riding the beach is also very nice."
"Do you think moon is a good name?" She asked. "Or should I keep thinking?"
"Naming a horse is part of the bonding, you and her need to decide on the name." Loki said, encouraging her.
Laney sighed to herself as she continued to stroke her neck. What do I name you? It has to be something special. She looked into the mare's eyes as she looked down at her. "Dreamer?" She asked softly.
Loki watched how the horse leaned down and nuzzled her head against Laney again. "I think she likes it."
"Dreamer it is," she said with a soft smile as she wrapped her arms around the horse's neck.
"When she's ready, we will have custom tack made for her." Loki promised.
"I think she should wear white. I know it would be tedious to take care of, but it would look beautiful," she replied.
"Alright. We can try some different tack styles. Once you are certain of what you like best, I will put the orders in." Loki said happily.
Laney grinned, then turned to embrace Loki. "Thank you for Dreamer love," she said softly.
"Anything for you darling." Loki said sweetly and pulled Laney into a soft kiss.
She eagerly kissed him back, then pulled away when she recalled that they had company. "What shall we do the rest of the day?"
"I think we should do something kind of relaxing, so you don't overwork yourself. Do you think it's warm enough for the lake?" Loki asked curiously.
Laney's eyes lit up. "A swim does sound nice. Or just relaxing on the beach."
"We can relax by the water and swim as we feel like it." Loki suggested. "We could even take some snacks."
"That does sound like a nice afternoon," Thor commented.
"Let's go then! Do we need to go get swim clothes?" Desi asked curiously.
"Do you want to?" Laney asked. "We could always swim in our under things."
"What if not all of us are wearing anything underneath?" Desi asked with a blush.
"I can conjure anything needed." Loki said with a smirk.
Laney chuckled and shook her head. "Let's head towards the lake then."
Loki took Laney's hand and led the way with her. "Do you want to go to the same spot?" He asked her curiously.
"That'd be fine. I like the beach," Laney answered.
"That is what we will do then." Loki smiled and started walking, leading them to the same spot they had gone swimming before.
"The water looks so peaceful," Laney commented as they finally made it to the lake. She slipped off her flats so she could feel the soft sand on her bare feet.
"It is almost always peaceful at this place." Loki remarked, then slipped off his boots as well. With a silent shrug, he shifted into only shorts.
Laney looked at him with narrowed eyes. "One of the things I never taught myself with magic."
Thor chuckled and pulled his shirt over his head. "I wish I could say the same."
"Darling, would you like for me to help you?" Loki asked Laney with a little grin, then turned to his brother. "Careful with the pants brother, we all saw that you have nothing underneath."
Laney ran on hand up Loki's chest. "If you'd like. Just nothing too revealing."
Meanwhile Thor rolled his eyes. "Like it's something you've never seen," he retorted.
Loki nodded and shifted Laney into a cute but conservative two piece swimming suit, before turning back to his brother. "That is true, but how would feel if I stripped bare in front of your lady?"
Thor narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Fair point. But how will I swim?"
"You simply ask me to conjure you undergarments." Loki smirked.
"Could you?" Thor asked, with a smirk.
"At the risk of seeing you without them, yes." Loki chuckled and shifted his brother into a pair of shorts.
Thor chuckled then sat in the warm sand, though smiled when Desi sat next to him and curled into his side. "Thank you brother."
"No problem." Loki grinned. He helped Laney sit first, then he joined her, but laid back to stretch out. "This is nice." He agreed.
Laney smiled as she leaned against Loki's side. "It's really a nice day today," she said as she absently rubbed her belly.
"If he truly grants my freedom, I don't even know what to do... I never thought I would be free again." Loki admitted.
"You could do anything," Laney replied. "Within reason I assume."
Loki quietly thought about it for a minute. "All I can think about right now is marrying you." He told Laney.
She smiled at him before she leaned over and gave him a soft kiss. "Then marry me you will."
"Tomorrow? After the tracers are removed?" He asked her and shifted so she could fully lay on him.
"I don't know if your mother would like that," she replied softly.
"Why wouldn't she? She is in agreement with our marriage." Loki replied.
"I would think she would want to plan and make something big and elaborate."
"I know, but I don't want to wait." Loki sighed. "I will talk to her though and see when she could plan it for." He agreed.
Laney chuckled and captured his lips once more. "If you want something small, I'm sure she'd let you."
Loki smiled into the kiss. "I want it to be everything you want as well darling."
"I would want to do something before I'm too big, I know that much," she said with a giggle.
"We will talk to her at the evening meal then, and get her thoughts as well." Loki agreed, then pulled her into another soft kiss.
She kissed back softly, only to hear the sound of someone clearing their throat, which made her giggle. "We're not alone out here mister," she murmured.
Loki chuckled. "Alright, I will ease up. At least I know how to keep my pants on." He joked, saying it loud enough for his brother to hear. "Shall we get in the water for a bit?"
Thor rolled his eyes while Laney chuckled, then stood. "Yes, we can swim."
Loki stretched, then got to his feet as well. "You can swim, but don't jump in." Desi told Laney.
"Alright," Laney replied, then eased into the water. "It's nice and warm," she commented.
Loki followed Laney into the water, then tried to float on his back. "It is warmer than I expected."
"I think it feels nice," Laney commented as she walked in the water until she was almost waist deep. "It's not too hot is it Desi?"
Desi got up and walked over to get into the water. "It isn't too warm for you, but if you start to have an upset stomach, it is the baby getting too warm." She explained.
Laney nodded, then crouched down into the water to test things out. "Seems okay so far."
"It should be fine at first, but if it gets too much for baby, I'm sure Loki can cast a cooling spell for you." Desi told her.
The longer Laney stayed crouched in the water, the more she felt a coolness around her belly. "Loki, come here," she said with a smile.
"Are you alright darling?" Loki asked and quickly came over to her.
"I'm okay," she said with a smile, but grasped his hand and placed it on her belly. "Do you feel that?"
Loki rested his hand on her stomach. "It doesn't feel as warm?" He asked, confused.
"I think the baby is keeping itself cool," she said softly. "Maybe our little star has seidr like daddy..."
Loki took a deep breath to stop himself from panicking. "If so, mother and I will have to teach him how to use the abilities." He told her with a little smile.
"Loki, you can teach the little one too, I'm sure," she said with a smile as she caressed his hand, which still rested on her belly.
"I know darling, I said mother and I. I am looking forward to teaching him all that I can." He said truthfully, almost sounding excited.
Laney grinned. "You think it's a boy?" She asked excitedly.
"I don't really know. If I had to guess, I kind of want to say girl as well." Loki shrugged, but kept his hand on her belly. After another minute of the closer contact, the baby triggered him to shift.
Her eyes widened slightly but Laney made no sound. "I think the baby is going to be very talented."
"I may not be able to keep my normal form once he gets bigger... I... we can't be married like that." Loki said softly, not wanting to be seen by such a huge gathering while in his Jotun form.
"Loki, our baby will learn to change as well, I am certain," Laney said softly as she reached up and caressed his cheek. "I will marry you no matter how you look. I love you."
"He won't know how to change for a while... wait... you would marry me, even when I look like this?" Loki asked, now fully in his Jotun form.
"Of course I would Loki," Laney said honestly. "I love either form, Æsir or Jotun."
"What if others disapprove? They might have negative things to say about us being together." He asked, worried it would change her opinion.
Laney reached up and put her arms around his neck. "Let them talk. It wouldn't matter what they said, you're my one and only."
"You are so good to me, better than I deserve." Loki replied softly, then gave her a loving kiss. "I love you so much."
"I love you too my prince," she murmured.
"Are you two ready to swim now?" Desi asked, lightly teasing them.
Laney felt herself blush as she hid her face in Loki's chest. "I'm sorry Desi. We get wrapped up in one another pretty easily."
Desi giggled and nodded. "Trust me, I know exactly how that is." She said truthfully. "And you have all the time in the world for that later." She said, but ended up looking at Loki with a furrowed brow.
At Desi's sudden silence, Laney looked up. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing... it's just his markings... I treated Gall a few times, and there are some similarities between their markings." Desi explained.
"Similar how?" Laney asked curiously.
"I would need to see them side by side, but generally, similar markings indicate some form of relation. I can't remember Gall's well enough to know if they are similar enough for that though." Desi replied, then finally looked away.
Laney looked back at Loki. "Would that bother you?"
"Gall is nice and has been helpful... it's hard to say how I would feel about being related to him though." Loki said truthfully, feeling slightly shocked.
Laney gently pulled him further into the water so she could wrap her legs around his waist. "I don't think you'd mind. He's been a wonderful friend."
Loki wrapped his arms around Laney and held her close. "I guess we will just have to see for sure when he comes here to visit." Loki replied, unsure of what else to say. Having more questions, he turned to Desi. "Can you tell how we are related?"
"I would definitely have to see you side by side for that. There are certain things to look for in the markings that can suggest the strength of the relation... so yes. When he visits, I should be able to at least give you a rough idea." Desi explained to Loki, wishing she had more answers for him.
Laney ran her fingers along the back of Loki's neck. "It'll be alright," she comforted. "Gaining new family should be a good thing."
"I know it can be a good thing, this is just a lot to take in. I never really thought about the fact that I might have Jotun family." Loki sighed.
She smiled up at him as Thor swam up beside him. "It's okay brother, any new family should be cherished if possible. I know it's a lot. It's been a lot for me to know there's Jotun in my own blood, even if it isn't much. But knowing doesn't change how I feel."
"I honestly don't know how you've handled it so well, but I suppose Odin didn't work so hard to instill that hate in you." Loki said softly. "I... I don't want to lose the family I have here though. I want to know why I was abandoned, but I don't want to move to Jotunheim or anything."
"I'm not telling you to move to Jotunheim. Asgard is your home, for you and your family. It always will be," Thor replied.
Loki only nodded at first before deciding to speak. "It has just been a worry of mine... that Odin will make me leave." Loki said truthfully, opening up about some of the things that had been worrying him.
"Father would never make you leave Loki," Thor assured. "This is your home."
"I still have very mixed feelings where he's concerned and still have doubts about his sincerity." Loki admitted, resting his chin on the top of Laney's head.
Laney kissed Loki's shoulder gently while Thor reached out and patted his back. "Try not to fret brother. Things will work out."
"I'm trying not to, truly. It's just I get one question answered but it opens up so many more." Loki sighed and shook his head. "We are supposed to have a nice, relaxing afternoon though and that's what I want to do for now."
Thor smiled, then swam to Desi before he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her cheek. "Then let us relax."
Desi snuggled up to Thor and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "I would love to hear some stories of all of you as children." She told all three of them.
"What would you like to know?" Thor asked. "There were times all of us got into some wild things which got us into trouble."
"Wild things like what?" Desi asked curiously. "Laney told me how the three of you were raised together, so I'm just curious as to what that was like."
Laney chuckled. "Thor talked Loki into searching for dragons one time. They ended up getting lost in the woods."
"Thor is the one who got us lost!" Loki chuckled, thinking back.
"I did not!" Thor retorted. "You wanted to go into the East Wood and the signs just disappeared."
"You told me you had a map to the dragons! That's the only reason I agreed to go into the East Wood." Loki laughed and shook his head.
Thor rolled his eyes. "I found the map in one of dad's counsel rooms and I got excited. You wanted to find one too."
"Of course I wanted to find one. I was ready to bring the dragon home as my new pet." Loki chuckled, but meant it. "No one would have picked on me anymore if I had a dragon."
"Except the both of you got lost and it got late when I realized something was wrong then went and got Frigga," Laney said with a smirk.
"She was so mad at us when we finally found our way home. She sent us to bed without dinner... but I remember the cookies she sent for breakfast." Loki recounted.
"Your mother wasn't the only one that was mad either," Laney retorted.
"I do remember how you were mad at me for nearly two days, because I scared you so badly." Loki nodded.
Laney nodded. "You bet I was mad. At both of you."
Thor chuckled. "Loki tried everything he could to get your mood to change."
"It wasn't until your warriors started bullying me that her mood changed." Loki remembered.
Laney felt herself blush as she hid in Loki's neck. "I couldn't let them hurt you."
"I know you couldn't. Even now, you still protect me every day." Loki said sweetly. She smiled against his skin, then placed a lingering kiss to the base of his neck.
"Always," Laney murmured.
Loki tightened his arms around Laney and kept her close. "You two are so sweet together." Desi said truthfully. "Has it always been like this?"
"It only became romantic recently, but otherwise, yes. It has always been Laney and I." Loki replied happily as he caressed her back.
Laney grinned and looked over at her best friend. "But we each had feelings for each other before I had to move. You know that story."
"I think it's really sweet that you two started off as best friends and found your way back to each other. It's like a perfect love story." Desi giggled.
"We had our setbacks, but I'm not ever letting him go now," Laney said proudly.
"I'm not ever letting you go either. Not now that we finally have each other, and our little star." Loki said with a loving smile.
Laney leaned up to steal a soft kiss. "You're stuck with me."
"I can't imagine being stuck with anyone else." Loki replied, then kissed her again.
"Alright. We all get it." Desi chuckled, not wanting them to get too carried away.
"Sorry Desi," Laney said with a laugh, though she made sure to give Loki a smoldering look, wanting to let him know they could amp things up later.
"No you aren't." Desi teased. "I'm going to go lay on the sand and see if I can work on a tan." She told them. Loki gave Laney's rear a light squeeze under the water to say he understood her message, then smirked at her slight gasp that he'd caused.
Thor chuckled and shook his head. "You two are just as insatiable as we are. I would get as much in as you can before the little one gets here," he teased playfully, then followed Desi onto the beach.
"Brother, I always get everything in." Loki grinned smugly. "You know we already have a babysitter, right? It's your sex life that will be impacted by a baby, not ours." He chuckled.
"You are such an ass," Thor said playfully as he sat beside Desi on the sand.
"Yes, I know." Loki chuckled. "Darling, do you want to swim or lay out and relax for a while?" He asked Laney.
Laney dared to nip his collarbone since she had the chance while he was partially distracted. "I'm okay with either, but I'm feeling a little warm."
Loki groaned as softly as he could in response to the nip to his skin. "Do you need me to do a cooling spell for you?" He offered.
"Maybe a small one... although I'm feeling rather... frisky at the moment. I can't help it," Laney murmured.
"Should we excuse ourselves until the evening meal?" Loki asked, giving her a little smirk as he wordlessly cast the spell for her.
Laney exhaled and was briefly able to see her breath, although it made her skin tingle. "If you keep that up, you just might."
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you the spell can tingle." Loki chuckled. "Come on, the spell will help more out of the water." He said before he turned and carried her onto the shore.
"I like how it feels though," Laney replied as she stayed wrapped around him until they reached the sandy shore, in which she slid from his waist.
"I can find other ways to make you feel tingly, when it's too cold for the spell." Loki whispered as Laney moved to stand on her own feet.
"You are not helping my need for you," she whispered back, as she dared to pinch his ass playfully.
Loki gave a soft gasp. "Just go get a room." Desi teased. "Pregnancy hormones are having a horny effect." She told them.
Laney blushed a bright red. "You won't mind if we leave you two alone?" She asked.
"I'm sure we can find a way to entertain ourselves." Desi smirked. "But only if you promise you will still join everyone for the evening meal."
"Of course we will. Just us four tonight or are we dining with Frigga and Odin as well?"
"I think it is all of us. I have a feeling Frigga will know Loki wants to ask her about the wedding." Desi shrugged.
"That makes sense. We will be there then, I promise," Laney assured.
"Alright, see you soon!" Desi said happily, and waved as Loki and Laney turned walked back down the beach towards the path.
