Maryn sighed softly to herself and slumped back into her chair. She had been sitting at Loki's side throughout the mind-numbingly boring diplomatic dinner Odin was holding for other regents in their alliance.
She had been happy to see the Dwarf queen once more but would have left the feast if she could.
All the stuffiest delegates seemed to be seated around her and her husband. When she glanced around once more, her hand reaching up to adjust the thin, gold, serpent-shaped arm band around her upper arm, as the men discussed certain worlds' differing civil liberties, she saw that Thor was sitting listening to another conversation, his head dipping every once in a while as he fought off sleep. Smiling to herself, she smoothed imaginary wrinkles from the forest green gown she was wearing, playing into the ideas most of the envoys and kings seated near her had of a woman's place, while she listened intently to every word spoken so that she and Loki could discuss them later. She had ordered the gown made especially for this night. It was a delicate, one-shouldered affair made of forest green silk overlaid by a darker green chiffon. Silver, scale-like beads covered the strap and bust to the empire waistline.
Hearing one of the delegates speaking about the need for some sort of a registration for those who could travel between worlds, Maryn spoke up, "Would those registrations apply to your own people, or only to those that enter your world?"
The man turned to her and she could see the derision in his bright blue eyes. "It is nothing you need concern yourself with, my lady," he spoke with a sickly-sweet smile on his face.
Maryn felt a spark of irritation flare through her and knew some of it was coming from the Dark Prince seated to her left. "Am I not an occupant of this world, sir?" she asked her tone as saccharine as his. He started to stutter a reply realising she was aware enough to be insulted, but she cut him off looking at the other envoys around her. "If a registration is to be set in place then it needs to be all-encompassing. Anyone who can travel between worlds must be on the list, whether they belong to the world," she looked to the delegate that was turning purple with embarrassment and annoyance, "Or not. Do you not agree, councillor?"
He stared at her for a moment in shock before sputtering out an agreement. Nodding with an innocent smile, Maryn leaned back in her chair once more. Feeling eyes on her she turned to see Loki watching her and blushed a little at the heat in his gaze. She had noticed that he had become both more protective and a little distracted in the weeks since their talk on the night of her birthday feast. He had not shared his true thoughts on their situation but she intuitively knew he was struggling to come to terms with perhaps never becoming a father.
A nudge to her hand brought her out of her thoughts and caused her to look down to see Fenrir staring up at her with his grey-green gaze, begging for a treat or a morsel from her plate. Patting his head affectionately, she marvelled at how large he had grown in such a short time. His paws were still too big for his body and his legs a little too long, however, his head reached nearly to her hip already, and she knew the adolescent wolf was still going to grow for quite a while.
Frigga had expressed concern that he was too wild and intimidating an animal to keep inside and that some of the women at court were scared of him. Loki had scoffed and told her that the beast stayed because he loved Maryn and protected her. When Thor had agreed that the animal be allowed to stay, the Allmother had given her consent to leave Fenrir where he was. Although, Maryn had her suspicions that Loki had had a word with his mother on the matter, Frigga was not as easily swayed by her older son as she was by her younger.
Taking a small sliver of meat from her plate, she slipped it to her faithful companion and smiled as he nipped it delicately from her hand, swallowed it, and then nudged her fingers for more. She glanced around covertly to make sure she wasn't noticed by any of the straitlaced men around her before she took another piece of meat from her plate and fed it to the wolf.
Movement beside her made a soft blush spread across her cheeks as Loki leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Your wolf will continue to beg for food if you continue to feed him from your plate, sweet one," he reached over and laced his fingers with hers, pulling her hand to settle, palm-up on his thigh. Maryn bit her lip, keeping her head down as he started to run his fingertips over her palm from wrist to fingers and back again, the simple touch carnal in a way she knew it should not be.
"And if you continue to distract me with your touch, my lord, I will not be held accountable for my actions," she murmured back, her free hand reaching out to rub Fenrir's ears as she knew he enjoyed, the movement meant to calm her unladylike thoughts for her husband while they were sitting at a feast surrounded by disapproving lords. It didn't work.
Loki laughed quietly, his cool breath washing over her neck sending delicious shivers down her spine and his hand never pausing in its languid movement over her own, "Have you ever thought that this is a cunning ploy to make you agreeable to my next suggestion?"
Her gaze flew to his sharply and she narrowed her eyes knowing he was about to cause some sort of mischief. "Loki! Don't you dare!" his sudden grin had her mouth falling open slightly in shock, not that his impish behaviour was anything new; but she had never seen him act out at an important gathering like this one. She gripped his hand, warning him with a look not to do whatever it was that he had planned however, he ignored her glare and leaned in, kissing her soundly on the lips and earning a few cleared throats and uncomfortable shifting from the guests around them. Blushing even more Maryn broke the kiss and lowered her gaze to her plate, but Loki didn't allow her to feel embarrassed.
He gripped her chin gently between his crooked finger and thumb and lifted her gaze to his. "You have nothing to feel ashamed by, Maryn," he told her softly before raising his voice so that everyone at the feast could hear, "The touch of your husband is not a disgraceful thing."
Thor snorted into his tankard of beer and Maryn felt Frigga and Odin's eyes on her and her husband. Her blush was now blooming over her chest and neck and she shot Loki an incredulous look only to receive a grin from him. She felt his hand leave hers under the table and glanced down to see a flash of green and feel a small wave of his power through their link before some sort of furry creature shot out from under the table.
Fenrir, having caught sight of the animal, growled low in his throat before taking off after the poor creature with an excited yip. There were cries further along the table as the wolf raced between guests' legs in hot pursuit of his prey.
Maryn gasped in surprise and shot to her feet, as did others at the table. Loki, however, sat back in his chair with a half-smirk on his face and sipped calmly from his goblet of fine Asgardian wine. Fenrir continued his chase as his quarry scrambled under the table and then suddenly split into two smaller creatures, one zipping across the golden flagstones toward the balcony, and the other continued in its rush under the table. The wolf chose to follow the closer of the two and soon other guests were pushed off their chairs while Fenrir's barks echoed through the hall mixing with the screams of court women and shouts of the menfolk. The three small hounds that the envoy of Vanaheim had brought with him joined in the chase and, with a soft popping sound, the two animals multiplied again, this time into twenty.
"Loki, what have you done?" Maryn gasped seeing Odin's face darken with anger as more of his guests started to panic and chaos erupted. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and was suddenly pulled down into his lap, her gaze flying to his face to see he was clearly enjoying the bedlam he had caused.
"I am bored by the feast, my love. Come entertain me elsewhere," he murmured to her, his gaze darkening with lust as she watched.
Knowing Odin was about to explode and that his younger son would face his wrath sooner rather than later, Maryn pushed away her confusion at Loki's strange mood and behaviour and nodded, stood from his lap, and then caught his hand in hers, leading him from the feast as stealthily as possible.
"Where are you taking me?" the Trickster laughed, trying to pull his little wife in for a kiss.
Maryn sidestepped his advance and instead concentrated on where she wished to go, "Somewhere your father will not think to find you until his anger has cooled."
They turned down a hallway and she transported them to another part of the palace. Recognising where she was headed, Loki laughed again, "The library, sweet one? He will search here for me before any other place."
Shooting him a secretive look over her shoulder, Maryn continued to the large, gilded double doors at the end of the hallway, "Call off your wolf and send him to our rooms before anyone comes to the conclusion that they need to stop him by force. And end your spell so that the chaos in the hall will stop." She felt him do as she said, his power washing over her before ebbing away in the next breath.
"I believe I quite enjoy when you order me around, my love," he teased huskily from behind her as they stepped through the library doors and into the cool, dimly lit interior.
Rolling her eyes Maryn didn't deign to answer his comment, choosing to believe he was merely teasing her and nothing more, although the deepness of his voice told her otherwise and sent delicious shivers up her spine. She continued to lead him between the many tall shelves of books toward the back of the large room, before stopping at the foot of one of the numerous curved flights of stairs that led to the upper four mezzanine levels of the library. Lifting her skirts in one hand she started up the steps, glancing back to see Loki watching her intently while he followed, as if she were a puzzle to solve. With a self-satisfied smile, she turned back knowing he was trying to figure out what could be so interesting at the top of the dark-wood steps.
Once they reached the first mezzanine, she turned left and led him between two rows of bookshelves, the fingers of her free hand sliding along the spines of the books on a low shelf. Finally, they made it where she hoped they would have some privacy, at least for a little while.
Loki looked around, his brow furrowed as he saw nothing special about the place. They were enclosed on three sides by bookcases and as soon as someone reached the first level of the steps where they had stood moments before, they would be seen. "If this is your idea of hiding away, my love, I believe I must teach you the art of stealth."
Turning to look up at him, Maryn narrowed her eyes and pulled him around until he had his back pressed to the small bookshelf that closed off the end of the shelves to either side of them. Leaning into his chest, she pushed up onto tiptoe until their lips were a breath away from touching, her hand sliding up over his chest and neck to cup his cheek, "After the trouble you caused at the feast this night, I believe my ideas of discretion are far more advanced than yours, my lord." The smirk that curled the Trickster's lips sent her heart to beating like a drum and heat spiralling through her.
"We are free of the feast's dreariness, are we not, little wife?" he asked, his velvet voice washing over her as he reached up to tangle his hand in her hair, ignoring that it was still pinned into a low bun. "And we are now alone. Should you not thank me for my fun?"
Maryn leaned closer, pressing her lips to his in a rough kiss. Taking her hand from his cheek she reached out, feeling the Dark Prince deepen their kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth to clash with hers. She wasn't about to give him dominance just yet, however. Once she was sure he was solely focused on kissing her, she took hold of the spine of a book on her right, pulling it off the shelf. There was a soft click and she opened her eyes to see Loki's fly open in surprise as the bookshelf behind him gave way, swinging back. Splaying her left hand in the centre of his chest she pushed him, watching with an impish grin as he lost his balance and fell backward, a stunned look crossing his usually composed features. He landed on a large, incredibly soft floor-pillow, big enough to hold three people comfortable, other smaller pillows scattered around him.
Tilting her head to the side flirtatiously, Maryn gathered her skirts, stepped into the hidden alcove, and closed the secret door behind her.
Loki glanced around the tiny room. It was filled with books on shelves on three walls, while the fourth wall was an expanse of glass, the window looking out over the forest that backed the palace. "What is this place?" he asked lifting his gaze to his clever wife who stood looking down at him with that delightful smirk on her lips.
"A secret hide-away," Maryn murmured lifting her skirts and stepping delicately to either side of his hips before sinking down, straddling his thighs. "One that I trust we can enjoy until your father summons you for your chastisement."
The room was lit by a single conjured lantern and she saw Loki's roguish grin, "It seems my bad influence has swayed you to my thoughts on cunning."
"And it seems that you are too full of your own importance this night, love," Maryn spoke teasingly. "Why is that?"
There was something closed-off in Loki's eyes and Maryn felt a spike of worry go through her at the knowledge. "I told you, Maryn, I was bored."
She searched his face before catching his hands as he reached out to touch her cheek and grab her waist. She pushed his hands down, so they were against the cushion at either side of his head, "No," she spoke softly. "You will listen, Loki, not touch; and we will use no magic in this place."
His eyes flashed with surprise and then narrowed, the green darkening with anger tinged with lust, "You are telling me what I will and will not do?" his jaw worked and she saw him prepare to move.
Leaning forward she pressed her mouth to his, staying his movements. He tensed and she was afraid he would fight what she had said and leave. When he growled low in his throat and finally deepened the kiss she felt relief roll through her.
She broke the kiss a few moments later, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she stared down at him. Slowly she released her grip on his wrists and watched as he smirked, tucking his hands beneath his head and looking up at her expectantly.
"As my wife wishes," he spoke lowly and shifted a little as though he was getting comfortable under her.
Maryn took a moment to study him again and then slid her hands down over his chest to the ties of his doublet. He had foregone his usual dress armour, and was instead dressed in dark green leather pants, a black doublet with black-green accents and black boots.
Deftly she untied each leather strap and pushed the heavy garment open revealing the black cotton shirt he wore underneath. She pulled the laces that closed it at his throat and opened the deep 'v' of the neckline to reveal the upper half of his pale chest. The burn from the spell cast on Mithros had left a silver mark cutting across his torso, her chest marred by an exact replica. The muscles beneath his skin were tensed as if he was ready to move away from her at a moment's notice.
Raising her grey gaze to his face, Maryn let her fingers run over his collarbones as she asked, "Do you not trust me, Loki?"
"Should I trust my kidnapper?" he teased but she could tell there was an element of suspicion behind his words. "You have lured me into a hidden alcove and are holding me hostage."
"How large a ransom do you believe I would receive for a prince of Asgard?" Maryn covered her hurt with jesting.
His gaze softened and she knew he sensed she had been saddened, "After tonight I believe the ransom will be greatly diminished. It seems I have caused some upset and am not in the Allfather's good graces."
Maryn couldn't help but laugh at his serious expression. "Ah, but I may have the future ruler of Asgard in my clutches, surely that counts for something?"
Sighing as if it was a great disappointment, Loki shook his head, "Unfortunately not, my lady."
She leaned down and kissed him again, her fingers running through his dark locks wishing they were a little longer. "You, my love, are incorrigible."
"And you, sweet one," Loki murmured lifting his head and locking eyes with her, "Are a tease. Do you know how difficult it is for me not to touch you?"
She smirked, her grey gaze turning warm and velvety as she looked at him mock-coyly, "I would think it is as difficult for you as it is for me not to allow you to touch me."
Loki growled low in his throat and in the blink of an eye, he had switched their positions, rolled her beneath his body, and pressed his mouth to hers. Melting into the caress, Maryn moaned and let him deepen the kiss, his tongue exploring and her heart pounding erratically in her chest. She spoke when he began lavishing small kisses down her neck and over her exposed shoulders, "I thought I told you that you were not to move."
He huffed a gravelled laugh over her collarbone making her shiver, "You told me to listen and not touch, little girl. I have simply chosen to ignore your orders."
Turning his words on him, Maryn fought to control her thoughts and body, "Then perhaps I can be the one to listen. Tell me why you acted in such a way at the feast." He pulled back and looked down at her but she continued, "There is something wrong," she lifted a hand to cup his cheek, "Tell me what it is."
He hesitated, his bright gaze searching hers, but she saw when he shuttered his emotions and then leaned in, kissing her breathless. She tried to push away her body's response but he knew her every weakness and made use of every one of them. Soon they were too entangled in one another to think of anything else.
They lay entwined afterward, Maryn's head on Loki's chest as her fingers drew swirling patterns over his torso, "You won't tell me why." She didn't need to elaborate, he understood her question perfectly.
Laying a soft kiss to the top of her head, the Dark Prince breathed in the delicate floral scent of her skin, revelling in the feel of her soft curves against his body. "I will not bring you into this, my love, not this time. Let me have my secrets and I will give you yours."
Hurt by his words, Maryn sat up and pulled her chemise over her head, her hands shimmering with her silver magic as her gown appeared on body, and her hair and jewellery righted themselves. Standing she looked down at her husband, "I have no secrets from you, Loki. I never have and I never will." Turning, she opened the secret door and left the prince lying silent behind her.