She appeared to be having a good time. He hoped so at least. She had a smile on her face as she watched the play about the time he and Thor had infiltrated a giant's wedding dressed as women. It was one of his favorites (Thor hated it) and he was glad to see Maisy was laughing at all of the exaggerated antics of the actor portraying him.

Theater had always been one of his favorite things about the seedier parts of the city. Odin thought it was a waste of time and so it was rare that a play be performed anywhere near the palace, but Loki remembered quiet evenings when he'd sneak out of the palace to come see a play. When he'd been a boy they were all about his father, his uncle, his grandfather, and many other valiant ancestors. Nowadays the actors had their fun acting out the adventures the two princes had been on, or the Warriors Three and other heroes of the present.

The actors never made much in the way of money, as they had their plays out in the open and only made a coin by putting out hats for people to toss money into, but they deserved to be treated as the players on Midgard were treated. Respected, adored, enjoyed. If Loki were ever king he would fund the arts more, unlike Odin. People deserved the entertainment.

"My goodness, brother, though your hair is soft as any woman's," the actor playing Loki tutted, "Your beard might give you away. Even the giant, Thrym, will know that his blushing bride should not have whiskers!"

Maisy laughed and Loki wrapped his arm around her.

"I will not shave for this ridiculous ruse of yours, Loki!" The Thor actor bellowed in a very good impression of the crown prince, "Surely we can think of another plan than dressing as women to trick Thrym into giving Mjolnir back!"

"No, I assure you, this is the only way. You must wear a veil!"

Maisy leaned over and whispered to the real Loki.

"Is this for real? Did Thor really impersonate the Freya lady and pretend to be a bride to get his hammer back?"

"There probably were many other and easier solutions," Loki whispered, "But he did look quite fetching in that gown."

Maisy was giggling again and the players on stage approached another, on stilts, who was meant to be Thrym, the hammer thief.

"Have you done as I told that trickster Loki?" Thrym said, "Did you bring me the goddess, Freya? I will not return Mjolnir for anyone less beautiful than she!"

"I have brought the beautiful Freya," the Loki actor made his voice high, as he was pretending to be the bridesmaid, "She has a bit of a sore throat today, unfortunately."

"Yeah."

The crowd burst into laughter at the deep, gravelly voice of the actor behind the wedding veil. The man on stilts raised a brow and shrugged.

"Oh well, she is still beautiful! Let us go feast before the ceremony!"

As the story went, Thrym became suspicious when "Freya" ate a whole ox, several salmon, all of the women's food, and many barrels of mead. Thrym was suspicious but Loki simply lied and told the giant that Freya hadn't eaten in a very long time because she'd been pining over her husband to be. When Thrym tried to kiss "Freya" Thor glared at him angrily and the giant was suspicious again. Loki told him that Freya's eyes simply looked intense because she hadn't been sleeping at all because she was so enamored by the thought of Thrym. Then, as was custom, a hammer was to be laid in the bride's lap (Maisy gaped in surprise at this part because she'd assumed at her own wedding that Thor had made this up), but since the giants actually had Mjolnir they placed that in Thor's lap instead and he used it to fight them off and get himself and Loki back home.

The crowd went wild with applause and the players bowed. Loki made sure to drop a heavy purse in their cap before he and Maisy began walking in the cold evening air. The snow was mostly gone, but the chill remained and it was probably about time they went inside.

"Okay, that was literally the best play I've ever seen in my life," she said, linking her arm with his as they strolled, "But one question."

"Yes?"

"Nobody can lift the hammer except Thor, right? So how did the giants steal it in the first place?"

"That was before it became so stubborn, I suppose. The hammer is fickle. Some years it will not let anyone but those who are worthy lift it, and some years it has a sense of humor. Though, ever since Thor spent that time with Dr. Foster on earth and the Avengers, the hammer has decided to stay true to only letting the worthy pick it up."

"So what does the hammer define as being 'worthy'?"

"How should I know?" Loki shrugged, "It won't let me pick it up, so it obviously has incredibly high standards."

"But it lets Thor pick it up."

"Yes, well, he's learned his lesson about humility and not murdering masses of people. 'Reformed' as I may be, I don't think Mjolnir has forgiven me."

"I've never murdered masses of people," Maisy pointed out, "And I tried to pick it up one time and it didn't let me. It must be looking for someone pure of heart too."

"Or perhaps it's worthiness detector is malfunctioning."

"Haha."

"Are you thirsty?" Loki pointed at the tavern ahead of them, "This place is definitely not a respectable establishment, but it is more fun than the places where Thor and I usually drink."

"I'm not sure I can handle Asgardian alcohol. I got drunk off of one glass of wine, remember?"

"Don't tell any authority figures, but the owner of this bar has a portal out of Asgard in his basement. He smuggles in booze from all across the realms. I'm sure we'll find something suitable."

They went inside and Loki immediately regretted it. He'd forgotten how hungry the stares of the men here could be when they were faced with a woman. It didn't matter that they weren't looking at Maisy's real face and body due to the illusion, they were staring at her in a way that made Loki wish he'd given her disguise a few warts. He sent a warning glare to anyone who was looking a little too intently and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

They approached the bar and the owner smiled toothily at them and winked.

"You know I can see through your magic, Loki," he said tapping his glowing purple, right eye. The other eye was a normal shade of brown and was nothing special, but this man had traded his right eye in for a newer model that allowed him to see past illusions. It could be quite annoying at times, but it helped the barkeep spot when someone was trying to pay him with glamoured napkins so Loki ignored it.

"I know you can, Caxton, but I'm keeping it on so they can't," Loki gestured behind him.

"What, don't think my esteemed customers will like having a prince in their midsts?"

"I have my doubts about them."

"And who's this?" Caxton gestured to Maisy, "I heard you got married, but that she isn't your usual type. Odin made you do it or something. Sick of the missus already? Got a side girl under her nose? Or does she know and doesn't care? Have a side man of her own?"

"Hey!" Maisy crossed her arms, "I'll have you know that I am the missus."

"You?" Caxton shook his head, "Nah."

"Yeah!"

"You're too pretty to be stuck with a creep like this prince."

"He's not a creep!"

"Calm down, Maisy, Caxton just wants to get you riled up. He thinks it's fun to make nice people squirm. It makes him feel better about his own sorry existence."

"It's true," Caxton winked again, "So what can I get the happy couple?"

"I will have my usual," Loki said.

"Um, do you have anything from Midgard?" Maisy asked, "Anything that won't floor me in one sip?"

"You know I'm fresh out of soda pop, and anything else will be too strong…"

"Caxton, stop being an ass and get her an earthen beer."

"Coming right up, Yer Royal Prick-ness."

Caxton turned away from them and went into the back room behind the bar. Loki rolled his eyes at his friend's antics and turned to see how Maisy was fairing. She was smiling good naturedly.

"He seems nice."

"He's one of the worst scumbags I know," Loki picked some lint off his shirt, "And one of my only friends on Asgard. It probably doesn't say much for my social life that I can't stand him for more than an hour."

"Can he really see through your illusions?"

"Yes, much to my annoyance. He does it just to spite me."

"Oh don't worry, Lokes, I don't do anything just for you," Caxton returned and slammed down a mug for Loki and a bottle of Guinness beer for Maisy.

"Thanks."

"So how has business been?" Loki asked, taking a sip.

"Small talk? Really?"

"Indulge me."

"It's fine. Nice of you to have that wife finding contest and bringing lots of foreigners my way. I may not be operating completely legally, but word gets around that I have drink from everywhere and even those high and mighty Light Elf ambassadors found themselves on my doorstep."

"I didn't realize the Light Elves drank the cheap swill you stole from their lands."

"Aw, Loki, you know I don't serve anything that could be considered swill, piss, cheap, or pondscum. Only the finest drinks at the Valkyrie's Wings!"

"Oh you changed it to 'Wings' now, have you?"

"Too many passing mothers complained about the sign with the old name," Caxton grinned, "It's been nice catching up, my prince, but it looks like one of my other customers is about to start a fight and I just bought new chairs that I don't want him breaking."

Caxton slid off gracefully and Loki downed the rest of his drink. He looked at Maisy and she was sipping hers lightly with a smile on her face.

"This is really fun. I haven't been to a questionable bar in ages and the last one I went to my friend got drunk and threw up all over the guy she was flirting with."

"Midgardians can't hold their drink," Loki rolled his eyes, but over her shoulder he saw an Asgardian vomiting, "And I assume you didn't need to flirt at that establishment because all of the men came to you?"

"As if Egil would have let them anywhere close."

"Speaking of our recently deceased prophetic slime, have you had anymore nightmares since we've returned?"

"No," Maisy winced, "Not since the one with the lindworms."

"You're sure?"

"I wouldn't lie to you about it!" She snapped and Loki knew she was lying. He narrowed his eyes and gently took her hand.

"Remember how I said earlier that I'd always be able to see through your lies?"

"I'm not lying, so you must be confused," she pulled her hand away and took another sip from her beer, "We're having a nice time, let it go."

"Alright," he replied, intent on pursuing the matter when they were home, "How is your drink?"

"It's fine."

"And how are you liking your time away from the palace? You seem less tired."

"I am," she replied and then smiled a little, her anger fading, "It's really nice to be able to do whatever I want without guards following my every move and the nobles whispering about it."

"Don't worry, they will grow bored of you in time. Then you'll only have to keep your head down and the gossip will stop."

"That will be wonderful," she rested her head on the upper part of his arm, "Who knew being a princess would be so tough?"

"Think of how hard being queen will be," Loki commented absently, his fingers finding her hair and running through it.

"Yeah, at least I'll never have to have that job."

"Never say never," he hadn't meant it to sound as cryptic as it did, but she tensed all the same and looked at him.

"Why? Are you planning something?"

"I'm always planning something."

"You can't seriously be thinking of trying to take over earth again!" She yelped, pulling away from him.

"No, of course not."

"Good. Because there is no way I'd let you do that."

"It has never been Midgard that I've wanted to rule anyway."

"Loki!"

"Don't worry, I've nothing planned for the time being."

Now he was the one lying. Of course he had something planned, he was just waiting for the perfect moment to execute said plan. Just because he now had someone he cared for and who cared for him, that did not mean his ambition had been satiated. Odin had told him all his life he was born to rule and he intended to rule someday. Someday soon if the occasion arose. And he had the feeling it might.

He'd just have to find a way to make Maisy understand. To make her see that it was for the best. Because he wasn't sure he could bring himself to do what he needed to if she wouldn't support him in it. If she didn't support him in it… then she might leave him forever and he wasn't sure he could handle that any better than Egil had.

When they finally got home Maisy collapsed tiredly on the sofa as Loki dispelled their disguises. She looked over at him and smiled and felt her heart beat faster at the sight of that little grin just waiting to burst onto his face.

"That was so much fun," she said hugging a pillow to her chest, "Thank you for getting me out of this palace for a bit."

"My pleasure," he sat down next to her and kissed her forehead, "Now, tell me about that nightmare."

"I don't know what in the nine realms you're talking about," she said firmly, "I haven't had any nightmares since the lindworms."

"Let's skip this dance of deception and go right to the part where you give in and tell me so that I can help you."

"We can't do that because I haven't had any nightmares," she felt a twinge of guilt at lying to him, but she could not tell him what her dream was about. He'd probably get defensive about it.

"Maisy."

"Loki."

"Stop lying to me. I won't let it drop until you either become a better liar and convince me or until you tell me the truth."

"I am telling you the truth," she crossed her arms, "You would know if I'd had any, right? We share a bed and I get violent when I'm having a nightmare."

"Oh, so it's of the variety where you are awake while you have it, hmm?"

"N-no," she shook her head, "No. I haven't had any nightmares."

"Don't make me use a spell to make you tell the truth."

"You can do that?!"

"You wouldn't be so worried if I could or not if you weren't hiding something."

She leaned her head back against the couch and looked at the ceiling. Closing her eyes she sighed.

"It was two days after we got home from earth."

"And it was while you were awake?"

"Yes."

"Where? What happened?"

"You were gone. I was here with Linn and we were playing a card game," Maisy clenched her fists, "But then suddenly I wasn't in our room anymore."

"You were in Muspelheim."

"No. I was in the dungeon, here. There were golden forcefields on the cells and lots of other scared looking prisoners all around. Sif was in a cell. So was Heimdall."

"You've never been to the dungeons."

"Right."

"So how did you know about the golden energy walls?"

"I don't know," Maisy looked at him, "I thought my mind had just made that part up."

"Continue with the dream."

"I… was sitting in my cell. It was much nicer than everyone else's, but I was really scared. Then you walked in."

"Into the cell?"

"In the corridor between the cells," her voice went quiet, "You were dressed up with your helmet and a cape and everything and you were just walking through the dungeon looking at everyone."

"What else?"

"Then you walked right up to my cage and stared at me and didn't say anything," Maisy whispered, "So I asked you what was going on and you said that it was for my own good. You said that I had to stay in the cell because," she grit her teeth, "Because it was what was best for me."

"That sounds an awful lot like something Egil would say," Loki replied calmly, "You're sure it wasn't him?"

"I think I know the difference."

"Yes, and I suppose the helmet was a dead giveaway," he took her hand, "You think this is something I would do to you?"

"No!"

"Maisy," he prodded, "Tell me the truth."

"Alright fine," she looked at him, "I'm scared that you would. At first I was scared that it would be because you'd want to protect me from something, but…"

"What?"

"After we were talking tonight, I'm afraid that you would to keep me out of the way of your schemes and plans and whatever," she searched his eyes to see how he would react and she felt great relief that he looked appalled at the idea.

"No," he said it so assuringly that Maisy couldn't argue, "I would never do that to you. I know you won't believe me if I swear I will never plan to take the throne for myself, I won't promise that. But I swear on my life that I would never force you into a cell."

"What if," Maisy bit her lip, "What if you took over and I decided to leave you because of it?"

He stared at her quietly for a moment, but shook his head.

"You know I couldn't make you stay with me," he grinned a little, "Linn would berate me for the rest of my life."

"Would you be upset if that happened?"

"If I became king of Asgard and my wife left me? Yes, I would be a mess," he brushed her hair back, "But I hope that you would give me a chance to be both king and husband for a little while before you decided that I am a lost cause and an evil abomination."

"Alright," she held his hand to her cheek, "If you ever do something as stupid as try to overthrow Odin, I promise that I will give you three months to prove yourself before I leave you."

"And I promise that I will not do anything too drastic anytime soon."

"Good."

"Good," he said, "See, you feel better now that you've told me. Don't keep your nightmares from me. I want to help."

"I know."

"Now kiss me so I know you aren't silently fuming at me."

Maisy waited for a while, giving him a disapproving look that caused his eyes to widen. Right as he was about to ask if she was silently fuming she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, her hands on his shoulders, his hands on her hips. She giggled as he pushed her back on the couch and hoped that they'd remembered to lock the door.

A note from the author: Greetings to my particularly patient and practically perfect people who read this story! It's been a while, I know, but I have a perfectly good excuse: I am lazy. Well, that and I've been mulling over how to write the ending of the story. I'm almost finished writing it (though not nearly finished posting it so you don't have to worry about this being anywhere close to the end) and I'm just trying to figure out how best to put all of my plans into words. Hopefully I'll finish it soon and then I can post more frequently. At least, that's what happened last time.

A minor disclaimer: I swear I'm not stealing chapter ideas from the fabulous author, Oraeliaa. I wrote this chapter with the play based off of the myth a long, long time ago (like this past summer or something) and a couple of months ago I read Oraeliaa's story Collided and there is a chapter very similar to this one in which Loki and the OC go to a play about this same myth with Thrym stealing the hammer and everything. I swear I wasn't trying to copy Oraeliaa, I'm pretty sure her chapter was posted long before mine, but I didn't read it until after I'd written this one. If you really like LokixOC fics you should totally check out her story Collided, it's written super well!

Anyway... thank you to everyone who has been reading this! You are the best!

Special thanks to those who have reviewed:

ferbette: Maaaaaaybe Odin was that nice, but c'mon, it's Odin we're talking about. I wouldn't bet on it. :P

Guest: I hope you enjoyed the date night fluff! :D And to answer your question: maaaaaaaaybe... *looks around shiftily* possibly... *whispers* probably.

nina del carmen: No worries! I don't even speak a second language so you are doing amazing in my opinion! :) And, yes, royal life is very difficult for Maisy!

Ninja Squirrel: First of all, I love that your cat's name is Charlie. Say hi to Charlie for me! Secondly, I totally agree that looking at a bunch of dude's legs to choose a husband is way weird. XD I honestly don't know what the creator of that myth was thinking, but I think whoever made up those myths would be a fun person to be writing buddies with lol. Also, "an old man who just had nice legs" reminds me of this picture of Albert Einstein at the beach. He had very nice legs. XD

CheetahLover: Awww, you're so sweet! I'm glad my stories help you relax! :D I love your new profile picture, btw!

You guys are all fantastic, thank you so, so, so much!