Maryn hadn't seen Loki for nearly ten days. It was the week before the wedding and she assumed that the comments she had made to Sigyn that night in the Dark Prince's room meant that the jealous woman had either gone to the Allmother with 'concerns' about propriety, or she had started rumours of seeing the two of them together in his chambers and what they must have been doing there. Either way, Frigga had been working hard to keep Maryn and Loki separate the closer the wedding date became.
"Please, mother," Maryn begged the older woman aching for at least a quick kiss from her betrothed if Frigga would just allow it. "We have not seen each other in days. Can we not go on a ride out in the orchards or even sit in your private gardens?"
Frigga's heart went out to the young woman she loved as her own blood but she knew what would happen if she gave in. Already, an attempt on the princess' life had been, thankfully, stopped but there was no way the Allmother could allow her to be in any more danger. Wanting to cave to her request, but knowing she could not for fear of palace gossip reaching the ears of her people and prompting another assassin, the queen, king and their sons had agreed this was the best course of action.
Having heard that the attempted murderer had been foiled not a corridor from Maryn's rooms, Loki had vowed to protect her any way he could. He had told his parents and brother that they were to keep Maryn busy with preparations for the wedding while he personally extracted information from the assassin.
It had been a long and arduous process which Loki revelled in, he was able to vent his rage at having Maryn threatened on the body and mind of the would-be killer and the knowledge that the man had been sent by her own people only fuelled his wrath. Odin and Thor then discussed with him what would be the next logical step once they had all the information while Frigga made sure Maryn's days were filled with wedding preparations.
The women chose furniture and décor for the palace wing Maryn and Loki would inhabit once they were married as well as organising all the details of the ceremony and feast to be held after. If Frigga was busy Tora made sure that her mistress was inundated with questions from seamstresses and interviews for the three lady's-maids that would become a part of Maryn's retinue once she was crowned a princess of Asgard. Maryn chose three girls with good family backgrounds; Gaia Gertasdotter, Bjorna Senorsdotter, and Kersin Freyasdotter. But now she had had enough.
Biting her lip, the beautiful Mithrosian looked imploringly up at the Allmother with her large grey eyes, "Please, mother, I need to see him."
Wringing her hands a little at the sight of Maryn so distressed, Frigga sighed and then nodded, "Dress and I will find my son and bring him to you in my private gardens. Take Tora and a guard with you there so that I can be sure you are safe and cover your face with a veil."
"Why would I not be safe?" Maryn stilled looking confused.
With a tight smile Frigga shook her head, "You are safe in this palace but I worry, dear one," she murmured tucking a lock of Maryn's loose dark hair behind her ear. "Please, just do as I ask?"
Unconvinced that Frigga was telling her the whole truth, Maryn nodded and kissed her soon-to-be good-mother's cheek before moving to choose her gown, excitement at seeing Loki after so long banishing all other thought from her mind.
She chose a gown of dark blue chiffon and an over-skirt of light blue silk with a modest rounded neckline. It had full chiffon sleeves in the dark blue and bands around the upper arms and waist of the light blue while the over-skirt was open at the front to show the chiffon underneath. With a veil of the same dark blue over her hair and face, Maryn knew not many people who saw her would recognise her. Clasping a silver brooch set with moonstones in the middle of the high band around her waist, the princess then tucked her pendant beneath the neck of the gown, slid on her engagement ring and put in silver drop earrings set with small moonstones, sapphires and light purple quartz. Pulling the veil up over her head and face she took Tora's hand and left her chambers with a glamour cast over them both, two guards falling into step behind the veiled women.
Eagerly, Maryn led the way to Frigga's gardens excitement bubbling in her veins the closer she got to her destination. The small group walked through the golden archway that led into Frigga's garden and Maryn sensed the magic there. The Allmother used spells to keep the blooms growing all year round.
Tora followed Maryn into the garden but the two guards stayed stationed outside the entrance to make sure only the prince or another member of the royal family was allowed into the small oasis. Turning to her handmaiden, Maryn dropped the glamour and smiled joyfully only to catch sight of her betrothed striding in through the archway, his eyes scanning the area for her.
Unable to resist she ran to him and threw herself into his arms. Loki tugged the transparent veil gently from her face and leaned down to kiss her breathless.
Sighing, the tension she didn't even know she was carrying melting away at his touch, Maryn curled into his strong chest and wound her fingers into his hair keeping his lips against hers for as long as possible.
Loki was the first to break the kiss but kept his forehead against hers and his eyes closed, "I have missed you, sweet one," he groaned one hand lifting to her face to brush over the smooth skin of her jaw and neck.
With a quiet whine, Maryn pressed as close to his body as she could, the days apart making her wish for the privacy of his chambers so that he could unlace her gown and press kisses to her shoulders, "Don't leave me again," she pleaded.
Pulling back so that he could look into her eyes, Loki's thumb slid over her full lower lip, "I would only do so to keep you safe, Maryn."
His words confused her but he turned to lead them deeper into the garden and away from the entrance to sit on the soft grass under a blossom tree without explanation.
Tora had disappeared and left the two alone and so they had privacy enough that Maryn turned in Loki's arms to press her mouth to his pulse point, her need to be as close to him as possible overriding her sense of propriety.
Loki groaned roughly at the feel of her lips on his skin and pulled her into his lap so that she was straddling him. His hand then slid under her skirt to brush teasingly over her knee while his free hand pulled her veil from her hair and twisted into the loose strands where the braid across the back wasn't holding the dark waves away from her face.
Maryn arched against him, her own arousal making her heart pound and her skin heat with every stroke of his fingers over her knee and up to her lower thigh. She lifted her mouth to his and parted her lips eagerly so that Loki's tongue could explore, tasting her and stoking the aching heat in them both. She kept one hand twisted in his silky hair and then reached down to unlace his tunic at the neckline, revealing his pale skin beneath the black cotton. But there was wetness on his collar that made her pull back only to see red staining her fingers. "You're bleeding!" she gasped leaning back to get a better look at his collarbone.
Loki tensed and flicked his fingers, a spell cleaning the blood from his tunic and her skin. He caught her hands which were shaking nervously against his cheek and chest and looked into her eyes, "I am fine, love," he soothed wincing at the tears he could see gathering in her eyes.
She shook her head, "You were bleeding."
Sighing regretfully, Loki pulled her down to curl against his chest, "It was not my blood," he spoke carefully.
Heartbeat quickening for a completely different reason that arousal, Maryn started to tremble, "I do not understand," she whispered squeezing her eyes closed.
Jaw tensing in remembered anger, the Dark Prince took a calming breath and then leaned back against the trunk of the fruit tree they were seated under, Maryn clasped to his chest, "There was a threat on your life, sweet one. The assassin was caught near your chambers and I asked to be allowed to interrogate him."
The shaking in Maryn's body grew with every word he spoke and a small sob slipped from between her lips at his terrifying words. "Who sent him?" she asked already knowing the truth but needing to hear it for herself.
"It does not matter, sweet one. He is dead and you are safe," Loki tried to assure her but he could feel her magic starting to swell as panic took over.
"I need to know; who sent him?" Maryn murmured stiffening in his hold, her control over the power in her body wavering with every word.
Loki tensed feeling her start to lose command of her magic, "Maryn!" he growled as the plants nearest them shivered in an unnatural breeze, "Control your power."
She grit her teeth and turned her gaze to his, her eyes shining with a peculiar light, "Tell me!" she sobbed, her tears like molten silver as they streaked down her cheeks.
"Mithros," Loki snarled the word and everything around them stilled the moment Maryn's power snapped back to hide under her skin once more.
Stumbling to her feet, Maryn shivered in fear, "They will send others. I cannot be rid of them. Their hatred puts everyone I love at risk."
Loki stood and pulled her into a tight hug, his cheek pressed to the top of her head as she broke down in his arms, "You are safe here, my love. I swear I will keep you safe."
Clinging to him, Maryn didn't notice he had transported them to her rooms until he sat down with her on a small yellow and white chaise lounge, his arms never loosening their hold.
"My lady, what has happened?" Tora asked when she saw them from across the room where she had been cleaning a few pieces of Maryn's jewellery.
The princess didn't answer and Loki lifted his worried green eyes to her maid, "Fetch my mother."
Bobbing a curtsy, Tora rushed out of the room to do as he asked as Loki held Maryn tighter to him, his chest feeling constricted when he realised she had slipped into a stupor, her gaze vacant as silver tears continued to slide down her cheeks unnoticed.
Frigga was standing at their side before long and pressed a soft hand to the younger woman's forehead. "She has no fever and her colour is starting to return. I believe she merely feinted from the strength of the loss of control of her magic. What happened, love?" she turned her gentle gaze onto her youngest son, seeing the fear reflected in his vibrant green eyes.
"She saw blood on my tunic and panicked. I had to tell her that there had been an attempt on her life and the blood was not mine. She almost lost control of her magic in fear and when she started to cry I pulled her into my arms. I transported us here only to find she had slipped into a daze." He brushed his fingers over Maryn's cheek, his eyes dropping from his mother's face to hers, "Will she recover?" he asked his voice gruff with worry.
The Allmother felt her heart ache at the anxiety she could see in him, "She will awaken. Stay here with her, make her comfortable and keep her calm when she rouses. Reassure her that she is safe."
Loki nodded, his gaze never leaving Maryn's still form. Frigga leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead and then motioned for Tora to follow her out of the room.
After a few moments of silence Maryn shifted in Loki's arms, whimpering slightly before her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, "What happened?" she murmured feeling his fingers brush tenderly through her sable curls.
Loki's eyes were a shade darker with worry as he looked down at her, "You collapsed after I told you of the attempt on your life."
Flinching at his words and her remembered fear, Maryn turned her face to his chest, "I cannot lose you, Loki," she spoke, her voice muffled.
Leaning back a little, Loki caught her chin tilting her face up so that she was looking at him, "I won't leave you, my love. I swear it."
She nodded gratefully and allowed him to help her to her bed still feeling a little weak and shaky from shock. Because she wasn't at full strength, Loki waved his hand changing her gown into a soft, white shift for her to sleep in, before he helped her into the bed. But when he turned to leave her side and sit in the chair nearby, Maryn caught his hand and tugged gently on it, moving over on the large mattress to silently ask him to join her. Without a word, Loki transformed his own shirt, tunic, breeches and boots into the soft pants and shirt he slept in and then settled down at his her side, pulling her into his protective embrace so she would no longer feel scared and alone.