"Your spine is a disgrace to Asgard," Lady Fulla hit the middle of Linn's back with a wooden stick that seemed to have been made specifically for abusing young ladies. Little bruises speckled across Linn's back, mostly clustered around the spot where her shoulders curved inward.

"Just cuz I ain't got good posture don't mean I'm goin' round disgracing the whole realm," Linn forced her shoulders back and scowled.

"Linnea," Fulla directed the whacking stick under Linn's chin and lifted it, "I want you to rethink what you just said and then say it again correctly."

With no small amount of difficulty, Linn bit back her angry response about how her way of speaking was correct for her and Fulla should shove her fancy words up her… posterior. Instead she closed her eyes and thought over what she'd said and how she could make it sound more Fulla-approved.

"Just because I do not have-"

"Incorrect!" Fulla thwacked Linn's shoulder lightly, "Someone of your social standing would never, under any circumstances, correct someone who is her superior. Not myself, not the princess, not anyone above your station. Understand?"

"I was just sayin-"

"Do you understand, girl?"

"Yes, Lady Fulla," Linn rolled her eyes when the old bat wasn't looking.

They'd been at this nonsense "lady practice" for three hours and she was starting to worry that she would be so busy learning how to be a lady-in-waiting that she wouldn't actually have time to help Maisy out. Fulla certainly liked to blab a lot.

"Since your posture is so poor today - not to mention your attitude - you will take two laps around the garden with three books balanced on your head. If you drop one you start again."

"Yes, Lady Fulla," Linn nodded, intending to pick the three lightest books she could find. But, the lady must have read her mind because she pulled three ancient tomes off of a nearby shelf in her chambers and handed them to Linn. The girl nearly fell over with the weight of them in her hands, she wondered if her neck would break when she put them on her head.

"These are my favorite books pertaining to the code of etiquette that a young lady ought to follow. Perhaps some of the information will seep in through your skull while you walk."

They walked to the nearest garden and then Fulla loaded the books onto Linn's head and instructed her to do a lap around the edge of the garden, loop around the fountain, and then do it all over again. Linn, muttering all of the swear words she knew under her breath, did as she was told and thought she was doing a decent job until her foot caught on an uneven tile on the path. She went sprawling and the books flew away from her.

"Start again," Fulla snapped.

Determined to navigate the ground better this time, Linn began again, her cursing growing more and more vulgar. This time she avoided the uneven tile, but a strong breeze disoriented her and she wobbled enough that one of the books slipped off.

"Again."

"Only one fell off! Can't I just-"

"Again."

"Yes ma'am," Linn did as she was told, but she noticed that two guards had stationed themselves at the entrance to the garden. One was the possessor of Linn's favorite face in the all the realms, Bjorn, and the other was his slightly crazy friend, Ralph. Neither looked particularly interested in what was going on in the garden and they didn't look like they were on edge or worried about any possible threats. They must just be in the garden for some guard business that Linn didn't understand.

With her boyfriend there, watching her, Linn became determined to show off what a fine lady she could be. In fact, she felt like putting on a bit of a show now that she had an audience. Her steps became exaggeratedly graceful and she strutted with the books on her head. Obstacles could not hinder her and she made sure to bat her eyelashes when she spotted Bjorn looking at her. He grinned, his cheeks reddening.

She completed her first lap easily, but noticed that Fulla's sourpuss face had turned even more sour. Even though Linn was doing exactly what she wanted, the hag was still unhappy.

"Shoulders back further, chest out," the old fart ordered.

"Like dis?" Linn asked, pushing her chest out much farther than was necessary. She felt like a proud chicken fluffing its feathers.

"Better."

As Linn walked, she winked at Bjorn from across the yard and put her fists on her hips and began flapping her arms like wings with every step she took. Once she'd found her balance with the books, she even began to bob her head like a chicken. Fulla could not see any of this because Linn was behind the fountain and out of her eyesight. So, when the girl walked back into view, doing a decent impersonation of a chicken, the lady squawked in alarm.

"What in the Norn's names are you doing?!"

"Ain't my posture perfect?" Linn grinned, "Bock, bock, bock!"

"You crude child, stop that this instant!" Full picked up her skirts and stomped over to Linn, "You make a mockery of every lesson I teach you!"

Linn, who'd pretty much mastered the art of walking with books on her head, continued to strut like a chicken away from Fulla. She lifted her legs in a comical manner that she imagined was like how a chicken walked. As Fulla chased her Linn resolved to keep up her fowl act and still not let the books drop.

"Stop disobeying me!"

"What? You just said I had to make two laps! You never said I couldn't act like a bird if I wanna!"

She did another lap around the fountain and Fulla chased after, holding her skirts up to her knees as she ran. Linn increased the volume of her "bocks" and rushed past Bjorn and Ralph, winking as she waddled. Bjorn was trying his hardest to suppress a grin and Ralph looked like he wanted to join in the shenanigans.

Eventually, Linn tripped over the uneven tile again and fell to her hands and knees, breathless with laughter.

"You brutish girl," Fulla brought out the stick and smacked each of Linn's hands with it, much harder than she'd hit her before. Next she hit her inner elbows so that Linn could no longer support her weight and she fell forward. She rolled over angrily and glared at Fulla.

"Ow!" Linn shrieked, "Hey! Dat was too hard!"

"Talk back again and I'll make you regret it," Fulla warned.

"You hit me again and I'll throw you in dat fountain, lady!"

"If you do that I shall tell Odin that you are unfit for your duties and best suited to whatever menial task is the worst of all the menial tasks in the palace!"

"I ain't paid by Odin, dummy, Loki pays me," Linn smirked and received a thwack to her shins.

"Dummy?!" Fulla raised the stick again, but a hand caught it before she could hit Linn.

Both women looked to see Bjorn. He wrenched the stick out of Fulla's hand and flung it across the yard.

"Idiot boy," Fulla clenched her fists, "I'll have you fired!"

"I was just doing my job, milady," Bjorn bowed his head humbly, but from her position on the ground Linn could see that he was still furious, "Protecting the residents of the palace."

"Such cheek!"

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Lady Linn has been summoned," Bjorn helped Linn to her feet and they walked off together, Linn sticking out her tongue at Fulla as they went. They left the gardens and Ralph joined them as they walked through the halls of the palace.

"I'm gonna have some bruises tomorrow," Linn grumbled, rubbing her arms and hands, "Fanks for rescuing me."

"You are okay?" Bjorn asked worriedly, "That woman is horrendous!"

"She's a… a word I can't say in front of Ralph."

"Huh?" Ralph looked at her, "You do know I live in the guardhouse, right? I hear worse words than a sweet little maid like you would hear!"

Linn said the word she'd been thinking of and grinned when Ralph paled.

"Ain't I just the sweetest?"

"Hey, Ralph?" Bjorn asked, "Can you give us some privacy?"

"Yeah. I need to go have a chat with Lars anyway. He's talking trash about my sheep balancing skills again…" Ralph muttered and wandered off, leaving Linn and Bjorn somewhat confused but glad of the time alone.

"In all seriousness, Linn," Bjorn took her hands in his and looked at them intently, "Are you in pain? Or upset?"

"I'm pissed, but I'm fine," Linn smiled at her guardsman and squeezed his fingers, "You're the best knight in shining armor ever, ever, ever."

"I wasn't, um, actually that worried about you," Bjorn laughed awkwardly, "I was more worried that you might toss Lady Fulla into the fountain and then she'd go screaming to the Allfather."

Linn snorted.

"Seriously!" Bjorn insisted, "I knew you could handle yourself."

"Well, I'm glad you got rid of her stick anyway," Linn kissed his cheek, "So, who summoned me?"

"Oh, right! It was Prince Loki. He awaits you in the library."

The young couple made their way to the library and found Loki browsing through a section of books. He was so focused on perusing the the titles that he didn't greet them when they approached.

"What's up?" Linn asked.

"Hmm?" Loki turned to look at her and blinked, "Ah. Linn, good."

"Bjorn says you want somefing?"

"Yes," he looked at her more carefully and frowned, "What have you been up to? Your hair…"

Linn touched her short locks and remembered that earlier Fulla had roughly slicked her hair back with some sort of gel, claiming it made her look more Asgardian. Linn thought her new do looked more like Loki when he was feeling extra posh and slicked his own hair back.

"Oh. I had properness practice wif my least favorite person in the palace," she wrinkled her nose, "I hate dat woman."

"She can't be that bad-"

"She was beating Linn with a stick!" Bjorn piped up and then bowed his head, "Uh, not to interrupt you or anything, sir, but I thought you should know."

"Fulla hit you?" Loki asked Linn, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Yeah, she does dat all the time," Linn gingerly touched her now bruised hand, "Today she was in a 'specially bad mood, she was. Kept smacking me."

"Norns!" Loki exclaimed, "Wait until Maisy hears about this. She'll be out for blood."

"Which is why you can't tell Maisy," Linn said, "Enough peoples are mad at her already. We don't want Fulla riling up more of dem."

"Fine," Loki grumbled, disappointed he wouldn't get to unleash Maisy's somewhat motherly protection and let Fulla experience her wrath, "But I hope you realize that I will be turning Fulla's food at dinner into snakes tonight."

"Aw! Dat's so sweet of ya! Now what was it that you wanted?"

"Well, if you are feeling up to it after your bout with the wretched hag, would you mind packing a small bag for me?"

"Course. How long you gonna be gone?"

"I do not intend to be gone long," he went back to looking at the books, "I need to speak to an old mage who lives in the woods. I hope to be back by at least the day after tomorrow, but I want you to pack a few things for me in case I need to be away longer."

"You leaving soon?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Whatcha need to talk to a mage about?"

"Dreams," Loki said absently, "Maisy's dreams, specifically. Don't tell her where I've gone, please."

"Why not?"

"I don't want her to think I've found a solution if the mage turns out not to be helpful. Besides, you owe me since I'm not telling her about Fulla." Loki grabbed a book off the shelf and handed it to her. "Pack this with my things."

"You got it, boss man."

"Thank you, Linn," he turned his full attention back to the books and waved her off. She and Bjorn left the library. After Linn packed a bag for Loki and hid it under the bed for him so that Maisy wouldn't see it, the guard and the lady-in-waiting wandered the halls of the palace, chatting about nothings. Well, Linn went on and on about almost everything and Bjorn was the one who said practically nothing. It was probably a good thing, Linn thought, that she hadn't fallen in love with someone as talkative as herself or else they would never have heard each other over their words. Bjorn didn't say much with his mouth, but his expressions told Linn that he cared about every silly thing she said.

"Babe," she said after a moment's thought, "I talk too much."

"Not at all," Bjorn smiled and drummed his fingers on the hilt of his sword, "In fact, your voice is rather soothing."

"Still, I talk too much," she stepped in front of him and fluttered her eyelashes up at him, "Don't you think?"

"I just said that I don't think so…" his fingers drumming the sword hilt became faster, "I like it when you talk."

"But don't you just," she winked, "Wanna make me stop talking?"

"That would be so disrespectful of me to tell you to stop talking," Bjorn said, ever the gentleman, "Is there something I am missing?"

Linn puckered her lips a little to see if that would get the message across. His expression was still blank.

"Sweet Andromeda," she laughed, "Just kiss me, yeah?"

"Oh! Yes, of course!"

And so, they found a nice secluded alcove where… Bjorn continued to be a gentleman and gave Linn a simple kiss and a hug. And Linn, who always thought she'd want a passionate, exciting romance, found that she was perfectly happy with a peck and an embrace. They stayed in the alcove until Bjorn needed to get back to work, simply talking and laughing (with an occasional quick kiss) and enjoying each other's company.

A note from the author: This chapter is fresh out of the brain folks, I wrote it last night. I realized that the last chapter and the next one don't flow very well without something in between so I thought it might be fun to add some fluff between Bjorn and Linn. And, of course, it gave me an opportunity to have Ralph (Ninja Squirrel's creation) make a cameo. :) I hope you enjoyed it!

Thank you so much to everyone for reading... you might want to, uh, get the Pillow Fort of Denial ready. Like, soon. The next few chapters aren't angsty per se, but they aren't exactly pleasant either. Just a heads up! ;)

Special thanks to my reviewers (aka the best people ever):

CheetahLover: To be fair, when is Loki not planning something? Lol, we shall see if it turns out to be drastic or not!

SilverStorm5: And I'm glad you reviewed! Thank you! :D

ferbette: Imagine Linn if Maisy became a queen... the squeals of excitement would be deafening. "Sweet Andromeda! My Maisy is da queen of all Asgard, everyone! My bestest friend in the whole universe is the queen! And you know what dat makes me? BEST FRIEND TO THE QUEEN!"

Ninja Squirrel: Caxton was really fun to write so I'm glad you like him. He makes a comeback soon. No worries, Loki won't go completely mad with power. Maybe just a little bit, but that won't stop him from loving Maisy! :) Also, I hope you liked Ralph's little appearance! Thanks for letting me use him!

nina del carmen: Loki as a king will be really fun to write. If that happens. ;)

xlokiswolfx: Don't worry, Loki won't be doing anything too stupid for a little while. Other people might do stupid things that may not be in Maisy's best interest, but for the time being Loki will behave himself. No worries about reviewing! I have some friends who own a goat farm and they are always telling me how exhausting it is! But baby goats sound adorable (and if my friends are right, very messy lol)! Say hello to them for me!

Guest: Aw, that warms my heart to hear! I'm sorry I'm not more consistentin when I post. :P I'm trying to get better at that now that I have a set work schedule. We'll see how it goes!

You guys are all wonderful and you really encourage me to keep writing! Thank you!