The Mysterious Spell

"Loki, could I have some rock salt, please?" Natasha held out her hand.

"What do you need it for?" He gave her a small bag with the crystals, wondering what his wife was up to now.

"And some ice?" Her eyes danced with her own mischief.

"Hmmmm. Are you working some magic?"

"Perhaps I am. Also I need a mechanism with a crankshaft to turn an amount of fluid within a large container."

Loki's curiosity was thoroughly peaked. "Darling, what are you up to? And I'll need a sketch for that last request."

She quickly drew what she needed and handed him the parchment. "You'll find out, but don't you dare try to follow and spy on me in the meantime."

"Of course not!" he replied in his most shocked, virtuous voice.

After counting to tuttugo ok ein, Loki slipped out of the castle to go after her. Natasha went to a small farm nearby and paid for a pre-arranged sale; he could see the woman grin with pleasure at the amount of gold his wife handed over. Quickly he hid behind a tree as Natasha remounted her saddle.

"I see you there," she called out. "You're pathetic, by the way."

"I merely went for a walk," Loki declared with as much dignity as he could muster, coming round from behind the tree. "But will you not tell me what this mysterious spell is? You have captured my interest, love."

"Nope. And you can just make your way home by yourself." With a swirl of her cape, Natasha's mare reared and they galloped off. He couldn't help admiring her slim, upright form.

Over drinks, dinner, and a long story about some battle called The Second World War from the Steve fellow, Loki kept wondering about his wife's behaviour. Not one to be patient, he was just about to demand she come to a nearby room so he could kiss the secret out of her, when dessert was brought in.

"Is that ice cream?" Steve asked. "I haven't had it since I arrived here." He turned to Sif at his side and added, "Give this a try – it's classic American vanilla."

"Ice cream." Loki looked at his dish suspiciously. "Is this what you were so busy doing today, Natasha?"

"I wanted to be certain it would work before I told you," she smiled.

"Humph, Midgard food." Sif took a tiny taste; her face filled with amazement and she began to shovel it in. "Baldur's Balls! This is the tastiest dish I have ever eaten in my nine hundred years as a warrior!"

Loki sniffed. After Natasha's deception, he wanted to not like the dessert. However, it smelled rather good – one sample told him Sif was right, and he followed her example, spooning the stuff into his mouth as quickly as he could.

"More," their daughter demanded, holding out her hands like little starfish. "Dada, want more."