A/N: Hi there! I know I haven't uploaded in a long time (I've finally graduated from school and have much more time left now) and that I owe you a long and exciting chapter for that, but I fear you'll have to bear with me a while longer. This one's more of a filler rather than an actual chapter but it didn't feel right not to incorporate it into the story. On the other hand there was no point in stretching it out just to reach my 2000 words minimum.

There will be more updates in the near future, meaning I'll try to update every one to two weeks.

Sorry guys, but hopefully you'll still like this one.

Oh, and thank you so much for the new followers/favourites! I love you all, my wonderful readers, even if I don't show it as much as I should.

Fara's head felt as if a horse had fallen on it. The strong throbbing pierced her cloudy mind and made her slowly open her eyes. At first she was blinded by a strong light and she had to blink several times until her vision had adjusted. Where was she? She was lying on something soft, but she could not remember how she had gotten there.

She became aware of a second person being in the room, the soft fluttering of a skirt reaching her ears. Who was there? It was still all too blurry to discern anything. She closed her eyes again and let a low groan escape her lips as she stretched her limbs.

"Don't try to get up yet."

What? At once Fara's eyes were wide open and she was sitting up straight looking for the voice's source. Sigyn was sitting not too far away, her sleeves rolled up and one hand clutching a wet towel. She was watching Fara with an unreadable expression.

"Here, take that. It will help with that bump." She held out the towel and Fara, at first unsure, then reached out to take it. The coldness immediately numbed her fingers and she understood that there were ice cubes wrapped inside the linen.

A bump? "How...?" Fara could not finish her question. As soon as the icy fabric touched her head at the centre of the dull pain she winced.

"Fara, I beseech you to stop collaborating with the traitor Loki." Sigyn rose to her feet and clutched Fara's free hand in hers. Her grip was hurting her and she stared at her elder sister in disbelief. "Don't you understand that you are inviting misfortune? You are courting death."

Fara now remembered what had happened the night before. But how did Sigyn learn of Loki's return? How did she know she had helped him get inside the palace, not as undetected as she had hoped?

"Did you watch us? Did Freyja send you to spy on us?" It all became clear to Fara. But where was Loki now?

Sigyn gave her all the answer that she needed. "You know I'd have to tell her."

"I know no such thing." She had barely regained consciousness and already Fara was faced with her sister's betrayal. Since their meeting on the eve of her return Fara had abandoned all hopes of regaining her sister from the clutches of that wretched woman. Her slight dizziness added to the anger she felt boiling inside her. She tried to get up, but collapsed under her trembling knees.

"Why, Sigyn? Why?" she asked. "Why can't you see that woman is pure poison?"

"Hush, or she might hear us!" The healer let her eyes drift to the direction of the door, obviously anxious that the great Vanir lady should be listening. Then she turned around and sank to her knees before her sister. "I will not discuss this with you now."

"Where is Loki?" Fara, affected by the elder woman's paranoia, spoke in a lowered voice. 'Had they taken him back to the dungeons? He did deserve no better for thanking her by throwing her to the ground, but right then she just needed to hear what had happened to him.

Sigyn shook her head. "I don't know. Freyja went to inform the crown prince of his return after I told her but I haven't heard of any arrest or the likes. "

So there was still hope that they did not know. Fara let herself slump back into the covers of what she now knew was her bed. The towel lay abandoned at the floor, dropped during her tempt to rise to her feet. Great! How long had she lain unconscious thanks to him? She hoped that his ungrateful backside would rot in Hel.

"What time is it?"

"There are just a couple of minutes left until dawn. You'd better rest a while." Sigyn picked up the dripping linen from the floor and without another word left Fara's room.

The younger Vanir tried to resist sleep at first, her mind buzzing with anger and anxiety and the strange fear that she might have led him to his certain death. But Sigyn had told her there had been no news of an arrest. She sat up straighter, drawing her knees close to her body. She only wore her nightshift. Sigyn must have removed her clothes to allow her more comfort.

Oh, Sigyn! Why? How could her sister still cling unto Freyja for lead? Her little toy. Her spy.

Fara looked at the window. The sky was still a deep black, the billions of stars almost consumed by the darkness that always reached its climax before dawn, but already there was beginning to form a thing silver line along the horizon. She stared at that line. She stared until her eyelids became heavy.

And then she did finally drift into a dreamless sleep.

Loki was pleased with himself as he walked back to his chambers. For one there were no body guards following him, ready to report to Odin should he as much as breathe strangely. And of course he had his voice back. He could think of some people who would not be all too pleased with that and the thought made him grin.

As he opened the door his eyes automatically flickered to the floor. There was nothing. He frowned at the part of him who had expected her to still be lying there, just like he had left her. Good, for he was in much need of rest and having to get rid of her lay beyond his current patience.

Within seconds he collapsed on the bed, not bothering to even undress. Thankfully there was no one there to witness that. He could imagine what Thor or Odin should think, should they ever see him so weak.

He let sweet sleep envelop him.