Alone

Months had passed since Loki had fallen from the bridge and the Bifrost was destroyed, and both Thor and Eris were just about coping with it. They had been kept busy, with wars and political debates, however Eris had been told to refrain from her duties for some time now, due to her ever expanding stomach, and since it was the Queen who had ordered it, she complied without much complaint. Whilst she was confined to her rooms, the Queen was a frequent visitor, and at nights she stayed with Eris long after she went to sleep, since she felt responsible for her now that Loki was pronounced dead. Eventually Eris' due date came and went, and by nightfall, Eris, Thor, Frigga and Odin were all standing around Eris' room, with Eris lying in bed and Frigga sitting on the edge holding her hand.

"Eris, you due date has come and gone, you know that your shade will try to kill your children if they stay inside you any longer." Odin told her.

"I know that Odin, but you must understand the agonising pain that I am saving myself from by telling you not to force the birth of my children upon me." Eris told him.

"That sounds mighty selfish of you Eris, after all we are all waiting patiently to see the children, and yet you will just let your shade kill them so that you don't feel pain."

"Thor, shut up." Frigga told him. "I know the pain of which Eris speaks of, I went through it with you and it will be twice as bad for her because she is carrying twins, so please be quiet. And furthermore, no more talk of it, because it hasn't been the whole day yet, we still have a few hours to go, if her labour hasn't started in that time, then we will consider the options, right Eris?"

Eris just looked at her Queen and nodded, resting a hand on her stomach, her shade features coming to light. "Now please, can both of you men leave so that she can get some rest? It's very late as it is." She helped Eris to settle down in bed.

As the men left, Frigga settled back into the chair that she had beside Eris' bed, still holding her hand. "Sleep now child, it will be all over soon." She watched as Eris' eyelids slowly dropped, before she fell into a calming slumber. However Eris wasn't asleep for long, before she suddenly sat up straight, a hand rushing to her stomach as she suddenly felt a gush o water between her legs and a wave of agonising pain follow it.

"Eris, dear are you alright?" Frigga asked through the darkness, and as a candle flickered to light, Frigga recognised what was happening. "Oh my lord, it's alright love, just take deep breaths." She walked to the door and told the Guards to fetch the healers as well as Odin and Thor, and she was waiting outside for the men.

"Frigga, what is the matter?" Odin asked as he and Thor got there, and found Frigga outside waiting for them.

"Eris is in labour, the healers are with her and they won't permit anyone to enter." Frigga told them, and she looked close to tears as she heard Eris' cry of pain, and Odin pulled her into his chest.

"She will be alright, she will be fine after this." Odin told his Queen.

"She needs Loki here, damn him for what he has done." Thor thundered.

"Thor stop it, now is not the time." Frigga scolded him, as she made a chair appear and she sat in it. "She's never been in pain before, it scares me to hear her succumb to it like this."

Odin stood beside her, and he gently soothed her with calming words and actions.

Hours went by and Eris' labour showed no signs of stopping, and by now, Lady Sif had joined the royals outside of Eris' room, when Odin had gone to create order in his kingdom and she looked worried.

"What is taking so long?" Thor wondered as he paced in front of his mother, father and Sif. "I thought that Shade labour didn't take this long." He had obviously been researching Eris' people in order to prepare him for this.

"It could just be because she isn't a full shade and Loki was nowhere near shaded." Sif offered as a conclusion. "Now please Thor, stop pacing, you're making me nervous."

"I pray that you are right Lady Sif, but this has been going on for far too long." Frigga sighed, her voice pained with worry.

Another few hours went by, and Eris' screams of pain had stopped, which obviously made the congregation outside her room feel relieved, but no one had come out and they hadn't heard any other sounds from the bedroom.

"I wonder what is happening." Sif wondered out loud, and now, she had started pacing too though it was in the opposite rhythm to Thor's. However, as she said it, the doors opened and the healers stepped out, all of them leaving with bundles of blood soaked cloths and blankets and one of them stayed behind to speak with everyone who stood outside of the room. When all of the healers had gone, the one who had remained looked at Thor, Sif and Frigga who were all standing, looking at her in anticipation for what she was about to tell them.

"The Lady Eris has delivered a healthy son and daughter, Shaded Frost Giants, they are remarkable. However, the Lady Eris has lost a lot of blood, and so remains very weak, I suggest that if you do go in to see her, you make no sound or other movements." She bowed and then left them to it.

When the woman had gone, Frigga looked at Sif and Thor. "Thor, you and give your father the good news, and then stay with him to make the announcement of the birth of the two new arrivals and I and Sif will sit with her."

"Why mother, why not me and Sif sit with her whilst you and father go and make the announcement?" Thor questioned almost immediately he was obviously excited at the thought of seeing his niece and nephew.

"Because as the lady just said, Eris needs peace, you and your father aren't exactly peaceful." Frigga told him. "And anyway, you are the best person to give this announcement, since your brother can't." She looked sad at the thought that Loki would never be able to enjoy this moment.

Thor sighed at the mention of his brother. "If that is what you wish mother, then fine." He bowed his head to the Queen and walked towards Odin's Hall.

"Father, I bring news!" He told him once he entered the room. "It is glorious news father that will make even you smile and rejoice!" He continued as he knelt at the bottom of the steps that led up to Odin's throne.

"My son, we are bus discussing business." Odin told him pointedly as he nodded to his council beside him.

"Father it is about the Lady Eris." At the mention of Eris, Thor straightened and Odin sat on the edge of his throne. "She has given birth to two children father, a son and a daughter, both of them are healthy and a mixture of her and Loki."

Odin was soon on his feet, and he walked to his son. "Then we must celebrate, but first a visit must be made, to my daughter-in-law and grandchildren." Odin dismissed his council as he picked up his staff and both King and Prince walked towards Eris' room.

Meanwhile in Eris' room, the Queen and Lady Sif were both sat on either side of Eris' bed, occasionally glancing over in the corner where two cradles stood, an Asgardian lullaby playing.

"My Queen, can't I just have a little peak?" Sif whispered so that she didn't disturb a sleeping Eris.

"Alright Lady Sif, we will have just one peak." Frigga whispered back, and both women stood up and walked towards the cradles and they each moved the blanket away from the faces of the babies and both of the women turned to liquid.

"Awe, they are so cute." Lady Sif whispered, before she noticed tears falling down Frigga's cheeks. "My Queen, are you alright?"

"Yes Dear, I'm fine, it just pains me to see someone so small and to know that neither of them will know of their father." She whispered. "Loki was so looking forward to becoming a father, he was getting so prepared, any spare time he had that wasn't being spent with Eris, was spent in the library researching Shades so that he knew what to expect."

"And yet he isn't here to see them."

Both Sif and Frigga jumped and they looked at Eris who was lying awake in bed watching them.

"Eris, we didn't realise that you were awake." Sif told her as they walked over to sit on either side of the bed.

"It's hard to sleep when I can hear your conversation." Eris told them, moving to sit up slightly.

"We are really sorry about that dear, but we did try and be as quiet as possible." Frigga told her.

"I know and I am grateful for that." Eris smiled weakly, looking over at her children as she heard something, but then shrugged it off.

It didn't take long after Eris woke up, before there was a knock on the door, it obviously being Thor, but this time his know wasn't exactly loud, but it wasn't soft either which was expected with how heavy handed the prince was.

"Lady Sif, could you please go and get the door?" Frigga asked, and she watched Sif nod and walk to open the door, Thor peaking his head inside.

"May we come in mother?" Thor asked quietly.

"You'll have to ask Eris." Frigga told him, looking at Eris.

Eris looked at Frigga and then to the door where she could see Thor's head. "Yes Thor, you and Odin can come in, but please try and be quiet."

Thor nodded and he moved back out of the door and Odin walked in first, but Thor followed him, both of them standing at the foot of the bed.

"It's good to see that you're awake Eris." Odin told her.

"I'm just about awake." She told him with a tired sigh, just as one of the twins started to cry, however at hearing her baby cry she was wide awake and she flashed over to the cradles, picking up one of the babies dressed in pink – her little daughter – and she started speaking to her in Tartian to calm her.

"You're a natural Eris." Frigga looked over at Eris when she was standing and she smiled, at seeing one of Loki's shirts covering her like a dress and how comfortable she was with the baby in her arms.

Eris looked back at the Queen and gave a small smile, before she moved one of her hands over to her son who had woken up at his sister's cries, but he didn't start crying like she had.

Eventually, everyone left the room except for Thor, who was sitting on Eris' bed holding his nephew as his niece lay beside him. The little boy had his mother's dark brown hair, and his father's emerald green eyes, which remained even when he was suddenly in his Jotun form, whilst the girl had her father's jet black hair and red eyes which remained in her Jotun form. The only similarity that the twins shared was that when they turned into their Jotun forms, they were both blue, but they had shade veins covering their skin instead of the Jotun runes that Loki had.

"Loki would have been so proud of you Eris." Thor told her, as he gently touched her cheek in comfort.

At his touch, Eris looked up to meet his gaze, hers full of sadness at the mtnion of Loki, since he hadn't come to visit her in weeks and she missed him greatly, and she felt tears fall down her cheeks which confused her.

"It's called sadness Eris, your body makes beads of water – called tears – fall from your eyes when you're upset about something, you're upset about Loki." Thor explained wiping her tears away as he saw her confusion.

"I wish he could be here, he made a vow to be with me for forever and always, to see our children grow up, he broke his vow Thor but he still loved me and I loved him. I still do, and yet people expect me to just forget about him." She told him, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

"Believe me Eris, if I had a way in which I could make your pain go away, then I would, but all I can offer you is my comfort." He told her kissing her forehead to bring comfort. "How about I stay the night with you, t save you being on your own and I can provide help with the twins."

"Thor that would be wonderful." She smiled softly, before she looked at her daughter who had fallen asleep as Thor put her son to bed. "I'm alone now aren't I?"

Thor looked at her. "No Eris, you're never alone." He promised her. "I will be here, so will the warriors, so will my parents, you're my sister trough my marriage now and that won't ever change." He told her as he tucked his nephew up in bed.

Eris let a smile play on her lips and she lay her daughter down in bed, tucking her up. "I and Loki managed to think of names before everything happened."

"What did you come up with?" He asked her as he tucked her up in her own bed.

"Nathaniel for the boy, it means King of Men on Tartarus and for my daughter, we decided on Hellem, it means peace on Tartarus."

"They are both brilliant names Eris." He lay on top of the blanket beside her. "Now sleep, you are going to want to be wide enough awake in order to see the court tomorrow to present your children."

Eris nodded and she settled down under the blanket, soon falling asleep.