There would be no refuge in the gardens anymore. Nor could she hide in her office. Even if either hiding place worked she could not simply abandon this party, it would reflect poorly on her. The people would think she was not invested in the treaty, which she wasn't, but they needed to believe she was so Loki wouldn't poison more crops.

Unable to flee from the ballroom, Lusca tried to join a group and get involved in a conversation. If she was occupied then perhaps she wouldn't have to dance any more. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy dancing, normally she loved it - particularly when Azacca was her partner - but tonight was possibly the worst night in the history of Lyron and she didn't much feel like celebrating. She certainly didn't feel like spending the evening with her future husband. Even now she felt him watching her from across the room and shuddered. She didn't think she could make through the rest of her life like this.

"Aunt Lusca!" Raeni exclaimed from nearby. The queen looked around and spotted her niece near a table of refreshments.

"Yes dear?"

"I spoke with the conductor and he's about to play the song I put on specially for you! Will you dance with me?" The girl had such happiness, such naivety in her eyes that Lusca could not refuse. So the monarch smiled and took the princess' hand. They stepped out onto the dance floor as the conductor quieted the musicians and clicked on a radio and speaker system.

"What song?" Lusca asked as she heard a funky beat start up. A small, genuine, smile crept onto her lips as she recognized it. Raeni swayed and moved her arms around her gracefully.

"Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody!" The radio crooned. Lusca gave in, beginning to dance the ridiculous disco moves she knew. For a moment, with one of her favorite songs playing and with her family so close by, she forgot about her international and matrimonial worries. She and Raeni giggled together while the princess' boyfriend watched in irritation. Lusca wasn't sure if he was annoyed because Raeni wasn't dancing with him or if it was because the queen was behaving ridiculously.

"I found the CD in my dad's old stuff and knew you'd love it!" Raeni grinned, grabbing her aunt's arm and spinning her, Lusca returned the twirl and laughed.

"You were right. Thank you for cheering me up." A hand gripped her shoulder as soon as the song ended and she sucked in a breath, fear and anger filling her once more. Turning to see the face she knew would be waiting for her, she pasted on her most diplomatic smile. It's not as if he could harm her here in front of everyone.

"Majesty, I grow tired of these festivities. The treaty is signed, let us end this." Loki said calmly, though his eyes were alight.

"Such a shame, it is quite the party."

"And here I thought you didn't like the dancing." He sneered.

"Oh no, I love to dance! Perhaps it was the company that was less than desirable," She smirked right back and stepped up to the podium, smiling at her people, "Thank you everyone who has come this evening to celebrate the signing of the treaty, which will surely save Lyron. I could not be more grateful for your company," That was certainly true, she liked having people there who supported her, "But I'm afraid our new king grows weary and requests that you all return to your homes. We will be sure to keep you posted about our engagement and future political developments between Lyron and the rest of the world," She smiled brightly at them, "Goodnight everyone. Sleep well."

Some echoed the statement as they began to exit the ballroom. A few people lingered around, but they were mostly people who lived in the palace anyway. Lusca stepped down from the platform and approached her niece, though she knew Loki would want to speak with her. Raeni was conversing happily with her boyfriend, who looked less than excited to be in the present company.

"You were wonderful tonight, Aunt Lusca." The princess beamed, throwing her arms around her guardian and hugging her tightly. Lusca took in the wonderful scent that followed the girl everywhere. If Lyron had only one scent it would be that of Raeni; a mix of ocean, tropical flowers, and sweet fruits.

"Thank you, my dear. And thank you again for the lovely song. It truly brightened up my day."

"C'mon, Raeni, you said you'd come to the fishing village with us tonight so we can take out a boat." The boyfriend complained.

Lusca felt a panic clutch at her gut. "Oh, dear, must you do that tonight?"

Raeni was about to say some angry retort about being grown up enough to do what she wanted, but when she saw the true fear in her aunt's eyes she couldn't bring herself to do so. Instead she nodded, not knowing why the queen needed extra support tonight, but sensing she'd regret not staying if she went fishing.

"Okay. Sorry babe, you're just gonna have to go without me. Maybe some other night."

The boyfriend frowned and clutched her wrist. Lusca pursed her lips and glared.

"You don't have to stay with her if you don't want to," He snapped, "She should be spending time with her new fiance anyways, she doesn't need you to keep her company."

"It's okay, I want to stay," Raeni yawned, "I'm tired from all the dancing we did last night. Have fun fishing."

The boyfriend dropped her hand and stormed off, blue hair bobbing as he left. Lusca breathed a sigh of relief as Loki approached. She wouldn't be alone with the monster and that was the most comforting thought she'd had all day. Raeni could stay with her and maybe that would keep Loki away.

"Majesty, might I escort you back to your room?" He asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not yet ready to retire for the evening. A tradition that Raeni's father started for the royal family will probably keep me up for a few more hours."

"Tradition?"

"After official events the entire royal family meets in the monarch's office and enjoys a few snacks and normal conversation," Lusca explained. It truly was a tradition in their family, though she and Raeni hadn't practiced it for some time due to the girl always being out and about, "I shall see you in the morning."

Loki grabbed her arm and wrapped it around his and smiled at her and the princess. "Considering I'm nearly part of the family, you won't mind if I join you."

"Actually-"

He pressed a finger to her lips. "Sounds like fun."

Later

Even with just the three of them in the office, it felt overcrowded and stuffy. The princess and queen were huddled together at one end and Loki sat behind the desk, going through all of the files laid out there. He'd come to the conclusion that Lusca prefered physical copies of her files, rather than relying on the computers, just as he did. However, unlike him, her paperwork was scattered in apparently random piles with no order to them whatsoever. Whoever he sent to guard over the island would have a difficult time rearranging the mess.

Of course, he knew that whatever dignitary or advisor he put in charge of Lyron would probably be protested by the people and councilors, but it wasn't as if he was going to allow Lusca to stay here. He wanted her where he could keep an eye on her, which was part of the reason he'd invented the marital agreement. As they said, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. How much closer could one get than marriage? It was a good solution to many of his current problems.

The board of semi-trustworthy advisors he'd developed would be pleased that he'd secured a politically advantageous engagement. He'd have an even greater claim to this little magical nook of the world, and the people would not protest him because he'd be wed to their monarch. Lusca would be under the most careful surveillance - his own - and would not be able to attempt any sort of rebellion. Since she'd be in New York with him she would also have limited access to see how her people were getting on under his rule. The only loose end he had now was an heir, but he'd rather not think of that at the moment.

"Aunt Lusca! You can't say that!" The young princess shrieked, pulling away from her guardian and glaring. Loki quirked a brow. The women had been relatively quiet until now and both had avoided him.

"Raeni, calm down. I know you think that he's wonderful, but he's really not!" Lusca argued. It couldn't have been him that they were speaking of, the queen would not be so informal or undiplomatic about it. Loki quickly deduced that it must be some other man on the island who they were bickering about.

"He is! You just don't like him because he speaks his mind about the way you run Lyron," Raeni pouted, crossing her arms, "You can't make me break up with him - I just got him back!"

Ah, the boyfriend. Loki had seen the young man at the festivities a few hours earlier. He'd noted that the fellow hadn't seemed interested in the princess at all and appeared to only want to be there to view the signing of the treaty. Obviously the boyfriend was not returning Raeni's affections.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Lusca's voice dropped a little lower, "He doesn't love you like you love him."

"He does."

"I'd have to agree with Her Majesty on this one," Loki piped up, rising from the chair and stretching, "He stays with you because you have connections with the government. I'm surprised at how blind you are to his indifference toward you. I've only been here two days and it is obvious to me."

Raeni's bottom lip trembled slightly and her eyes became wet. She shook her head, blue hair coming free from her tightly woven up-do. "You're just siding with her because you two are engaged. Bastian loves me."

"Don't be a fool." Loki rolled his eyes and caught a glimpse of confusion on Lusca's face. She was wondering why he was agreeing with her, probably. It wasn't that he was particularly fond of her ideas, but even a blind man could see the power hungry boy wasn't interested in the little island princess with no claim to the throne.

"Shut up!" Raeni yelled, forgetting whose company she was in. There was a build up of energy in the room, "Shut up both of you!" The bulb on a desk lamp exploded into shards of glass. The wallpaper seemed to be changing from a beige tone to brighter hues. Lusca put her hands above her head protectively as the lights on the ceiling popped and poured down on them.

Raeni stomped her foot, forcing the alternating wallpaper to settle on bright red, and then blew off the doorknob with a bolt of energy. The door swung open lazily and the girl rushed out, lights flickering as she went.

The office had been left with two working bulbs, but besides that the two rulers were in darkness. Loki snickered at the outburst and Lusca brushed the glass from her hair while tutting worriedly.

"By the volcanoes!" She muttered, "What just happened?"

"I believe her emotions triggered her magical abilities and, since she has a tentative control over them - at best - chaos ensued," Loki shook his head to get the glass out of his hair and then brushed off his shoulders.

"I know that," Lusca shot him a glare saying she wasn't an idiot, "It's just that her powers have always been… smaller. Her father didn't have any and her mother's were limited. This was far more than I've ever seen Raeni do before."

"Hormonal imbalance?"

"Could be."

"And I suppose the past two days have been an exciting ride for everyone on the island. She may just be confused at the moment."

"Plus, she's tired. Apparently she spent all last night dancing!" She shook her head tiredly, "I just don't know what to do with her."

"I'm hardly one to recommend parenting advice." Loki scoffed. His own experience with parents was not a good one.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to aggravate her - especially not in your presence - but she mentioned that boy and…" She sighed, looked his way, and put on her false smile again, "I shall just have to deal with it at a later date. Thank you for joining us for our little 'after party'. I will see you in the morning." The young woman turned to go.

"Lusca," Loki called her back, "You realize you don't have to be so tactful around me, don't you? I know that you loathe me and what I've done here."

"Yet, if I act out of turn or disagree with one of your decisions you threaten my people."

"That is a conundrum," He smirked and stepped closer to her, "Perhaps I simply want you to act how you normally do. We are going to be married, let me get to know Lusca rather than the Queen of Lyron." He touched her cheek gently, though she pulled away as she always did.

"You are mistaken. Those two people are one and the same."

"You can't be prim and proper all the time," He snatched her wrist to prevent her from exiting the room, though at his touch her eyes filled with fire, "I want to see you furious. Joyous. Excited. Laughing. I want to see beneath the perfect mask."

"You are edging dangerously close to 'furious'. Let go of me."

"If we are to project the image of a happy couple you're going to have to get used to being touched," He pulled her closer still, wanting only to intimidate her, but finding the proximity quite comfortable. She didn't appear to feel the same, "Understand?"

"Even if I do get used to it that doesn't mean I will enjoy it. Let go."

Loki dropped her arm as if it were something utterly repulsive and wiped his hand off on his trousers. Lusca began to leave again.

"What do you think of Yeboah?"

"Your advisor? He is a decent person from what I've seen," She had her back turned to him but he could practically feel her rolling her eyes, "Though why he'd choose to work for you, I've no idea."

"Ah sarcasm! It's a chip in the mask, I suppose," He sat at the desk once more, "What would you say to Mr. Yeboah being your replacement?"

"Replacement? What do you mean?" She slowly turned to face him.

"Well someone has to be here in Lyron to take care of it and attend to the immediate needs of your people." He knew she was about to protest and flicked his gaze up to watch her expression. Admittedly, she controlled her anger well.

"I will be here." She said through grit teeth. He was astonished at the rare showcase of emotion.

"Hadn't I told you? Perhaps I neglected to let you in on the detail that we will be married," He sneered, "And while Lyron is a charming place, I'd prefer not to live here."

"So you stay in New York and I'll stay here." Lusca shrugged.

"Recall that we must convince the world that we are a blissful couple. Living thousands of miles apart doesn't exactly speak of happiness, now does it?"

"I am not going to America!"

"It isn't as if you cannot run Lyron from afar, I assume Midgardian technology has advanced at least that much," He looked her up and down, taking in the slight trembling of her form, "Besides, you have no choice in the matter."

"You can't just expect me to-"

"Can and do, Majesty, though you still have a fair amount of time until we leave. I'm thinking Tuesday."

"Today is Friday, you think I'll be ready to leave in four days? I have far too much work to do and I must find someone to take my place while I am away. I cannot possibly do so many things in such a little time."

"I suggested Yeboah as a fill in. No? I suppose he isn't an islander. Very well, who would you like to leave in charge?"

"Myself! I am not leaving!"

"Now you are just being contrary. Haven't we discussed this before? When I tell you to do something you obey or Lyron suffers," He smiled slightly, "And you wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"

Her face froze and she took a deep breath. "Very well," She clenched her fists, "I select Councilman Agwe, he is by far the most qualified."

"And probably the most enlightened about our arrangement, hmm?"

"You asked me who I would leave in charge and I've told you." She spun to leave and this time made it out the door. He watched her go and when the knobless door swung shut behind her he chuckled and went to sit back at the desk.

"At least you are making it challenging for me." He shook his head as he smirked and then continued to look through the files.