"What are you doing in here?" Maryn looked up from the spell book she was poring over to see Fandral and Hogun walking between the library shelves toward her.
Closing the tome, she tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear, although the braid that twisted across the top of her head held most of her hair away from her face, small pieces always seemed to escape, "I am studying. What are the two of you doing here? I would have thought that you would be out sparring or hunting." Frustrated that the book was a disappointment, being more about the loopholes of Asgard's legal system than about breaking binding spells, Maryn was about to find another.
Fandral waved a hand at her words, "Sparring and hunting, how tedious. We came to ask if you would accompany us on a tour of Asgard. We have a skiff ready. Thor and Sif are waiting with lunch."
"Volstagg is with them, if we are to have any food, we should hurry," Hogun spoke dryly.
With a small smile that barely showed, Maryn ducked her head to press a hand to her abdomen. "I am not dressed for a day outside," she tried to talk her way out of the excursion, smoothing out the plain dark blue gown she was wearing, it's voluminous chiffon sleeves the only decoration and point of interest. Although Tora had encouraged her to wear eye-catching jewellery; a necklace of gold, diamonds and pearls in the shape of flowers, matching earrings and a ring that looked like the rays of a sun splaying out from the black diamond centre, her hair was plaited and wrapped around the top of her head, small blue flowers braided into the style.
Fandral grinned at her, "You are beautiful as always, Maryn. If you wish to change I believe you have the power to do so with a single thought."
Blushing a little at his knowledge of her powers and his ability to see through the excuse she had made, and the fact that her friends did not know that she was incapable now of using her magic, Maryn nodded. She closed her book, taking it to the shelf behind her and putting it away to give her time to think of another excuse. However, when she turned around again she saw the hopeful looks on both Aesir's faces and knew she could not refuse them. Biting her lip, she nodded, "Lead the way."
Fandral grinned and then offered her his arm. Taking it, Maryn let them lead her to the skiff ports. As they entered the long building, Maryn saw Thor standing with Sif and Volstagg. However, it was the tall blond man standing with them that gave her pause. He was a little shorter than Thor and his hair a little longer, and as they got closer, she saw that his shoulders were neither as wide, nor his body as powerfully made, as the Prince's. However, it was his eyes that gave her pause. They seemed to flash green, and for a single breath, she thought it was Loki in disguise; but, when he turned with the others to greet her, Fandral and Hogun, she saw that his gaze was not the familiar, intense dark emerald she knew, but rather, a murky light green.
"Maryn!" Thor grinned down at her before sweeping her into a tight embrace. "I believed our friends would have no luck in convincing you to come with us," he put her carefully on her feet where she stood with her hand on Fenrir's shoulder, "I am glad they succeeded."
Maryn smiled tightly up at him, the mistake she had made with the unknown lord's eyes unsettling her. Volstagg also hugged her and she shared a small grin with Sif before Thor clapped his hand to the stranger's shoulder.
"This is Lord Eirik. He is an envoy for the world of Corsa, near Vanaheim, and has come to speak with mother and father about political matters. I said we would show him Asgard before he is trapped inside for hours on end talking politics and alliances."
"How thoughtful you are, Thor," Sif spoke dryly.
"My lady," Maryn watched a little uneasily as the blond lord bowed at the waist to her.
Curtsying prettily, Maryn inclined her head modestly, "Lord Eirik, it is a pleasure to meet you."
Looking far too excited, Thor smiled, "Let us depart before we are called away by a servant. Maryn, Lord Eirik, come and share my skiff. The others can take another."
Narrowing her eyes at his unbridled enthusiasm, Maryn turned to Fenrir, "Go and rest, dear one," she murmured lowly to him. The hulking animal huffed out a seemingly annoyed breath before licking her hand and loping away back toward the palace. She then turned to her friends and followed Thor and Lord Eirik to one skiff while Fandral, Sif, Volstagg and Hogun moved to the other.
The flight from the palace to the forest was silent, Maryn taking a seat on the bench at the front of the skiff while Thor taught Eirik to fly the skiff. Then, when they were over the dark green trees of the woods, the new lord came and sat beside Maryn with a small smile, his awkwardness and gentle voice surprising.
"Prince Thor suggested that I come to you for a description of the forest below us. He says that you are very familiar with it. Do you ride and hunt?" Lord Eirik asked.
Sending Thor a sharp look, which only earned her a teasing grin, Maryn settled her hands primly in her lap and smiled coolly at the envoy, his polite words nice enough but her mind still on the way his eyes had looked when she had first seen them. "Thor and the others know this forest better than I. My only knowledge is of a hidden lagoon and a few barely used paths. I am sure Thor could answer any questions you have on the game worth hunting in the area."
The lord smiled, his eyes sweeping over the sky around them before he turned his attention back to Maryn, "I would much prefer to discuss them with you, my lady, you are, after all, prettier than your good-brother."
A very rare blush filled her cheeks at his words and she looked down at her hands, the faint flush of blood making Thor smirk where he stood watching the two from the controls of the skiff. "You are very kind, my lord."
He laughed a little, "You may call me Eirik, my lady; I believe we will come to know each other very well if my purpose for being in Asgard is successful."
Surprised at the complete assurance of his words, Maryn raised her gaze from her wedding ring to his face as her fingers continued to twist the band of gold around her finger. "You are very sure of that, sir."
He seemed to take her refusal to call him by his given name as a challenge. "I am only sure that you intrigue me, Lady Maryn."
"Spend a few days in the palace and my life will be explained to you quickly. There is nothing intriguing about it, I assure you." Maryn sighed, turning to look out over the sea of trees and vegetation still flying past beneath the skiff as Thor steered them toward the mountains, Sif piloting the other vessel behind them.
"How can there not be, Lady? You are, after all, the most beautiful woman I have had the pleasure to speak to in all the courts I have visited."
"You flatter me, Lord Eirik," Maryn spoke icily, his honeyed words making her distrustful, even if his tone was quite genial.
The lord seemed to realise he would get nowhere with shallow comments and changed tactics. "Forgive me, I did not mean to insult you, it is only that I have heard of your late husband, Prince Loki." He saw Maryn go rigid at his words, "I mean no disrespect to his memory, only, I know he was a great scholar and magic wielder and I also understand the loss you feel. I only wanted to be worthy of speaking to you…my late wife would have loved to talk of spells and the power of this world. Alas, I have no such words as I have no knowledge of the sorcery that was part of her very soul."
Looking at him Maryn asked softly, feeling for the man when he spoke of his wife, "Your wife had magic?"
He smiled softly, "Yes, she was a great lady of the court of Vanaheim. Her power was known throughout the land for its purity and strength." His eyes turned a little glassy as he spoke but he held Maryn's gaze, "She tried to use it to protect our people in an attack on the palace of Corsa, she was killed by a spell one of the invaders threw. I could only watch her breathe her last as they were finally defeated and driven out of the palace. We cornered them near the sea but they escaped before we could finish them off."
"I hope you took your revenge," Maryn looked at him, his jaw tight with anger.
With a dark smile, the lord nodded, "I managed to kill one of the traitors who had helped them. Sadly, the leader who had thrown the spell was merely wounded, and managed to escape. I heard later than he had died."
"I am sorry," Maryn reached over and put her hand to his forearm, the sleeve of his tunic rough with embroidery but the coiled strength underneath all too noticeable. This was not an idle man, she thought, her empathy for him sending a flood of memories of Loki to the forefront of her mind.
"Thank you, my lady," Lord Eirik smiled, his hand covering hers.
With a smile that felt a little awkward, Maryn pulled her hand out from under his and clenched her hands together in her lap, the simple touch burning and guilt swirling through her at the way she was acting when she should be thinking of Loki and how she could break the binding spell on her magic.
"…It is not disrespectful to smile and enjoy life after they have left us, my lady," The lord spoke gently, his voice soothing her fears a little. "They would not want us to stop living. I believe they would want us to find something in life that gives us purpose until we feel we are ready to move on from our grief."
Throat clogged with tears, Maryn kept her gaze on her hands too afraid to look at him. "Have you found your purpose then, my lord?"
It was his turn to comfort her with a hand on her arm, "I have, my lady, and it is the only thing that keeps me going at times."
Timidly she raised her gaze to his, "I suppose it is fulfilling to work for the betterment of your world, to have something that will not only benefit you but also the people who rely on you."
"No truer words have ever been said, my lady." He spoke passionately.
Taking a breath Maryn smiled a little at him, "Maryn, you may call me Maryn, Eirik."
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Thor landed the skiff on a flat piece of land near the foot of one of the smaller mountains that bordered the forest near the palace. The meadow was filled with grass and wildflowers and a stream followed the mountain's base disappearing into the trees that enclosed the three other sides of the lea.
Lord Eirik helped Maryn from the vessel and then set about lending a hand to the men who had taken it upon themselves to set up a picnic lunch near the stream. Sif and Maryn walked together through the tall grass picking wildflowers and talking quietly. The lady-warrior was, for once, not dressed in her armour, but rather in a brown dress accented by black leather with long sleeves and a thick leather belt around her waist. In fact, all the men were dressed in breeches and tunics, and not their armour, highlighting the relaxed atmosphere of the outing.
"I'm sorry that Thor thought it a good idea to invite Lord Eirik and then foist him upon you in such a way," Sif smiled guiltily. "If I had known he was going to do it I would have asked you to ride in a skiff with me and left the men to their own devices."
Shaking her head, Maryn linked her arm through Sif's, "It is alright. His heart was in the right place and the lord was a pleasure to talk to."
"What did you speak about?" the taller woman asked, leaning down to pluck a violet wildflower and add it to the small posy already in her hand.
Maryn copied her actions with a creamy flower she recognised as a moonflower. Handing the small number of other blooms she had picked to Sif to add to her bouquet, Maryn gently brushed her fingertips over the soft petals. "We spoke about our shared loss – his wife was killed in an uprising on his home world; and also of our need to have a purpose because of our grief."
"I did not know he too had lost a love." Sif sighed before glancing over at the men where they stood talking, "It makes Thor's plan all the more ridiculous." As soon as she said the words, Maryn saw her eyes widen a little before she turned to her trying to stutter out an explanation.
Maryn turned her gaze back to the flower in her hand, "I had my suspicions what my dear brother was trying to do."
"He only wants you to be happy, Maryn." Sif said truthfully.
Maryn linked their arms once more and began to steer he back toward the others, "I know, but I need time, Sif, and throwing a man at me is not helping."
After a lunch of bread, cheese, cold meet, ale, and apples, the group started to explore the meadow and surrounding area. Volstagg and Hogun went into the forest while Sif and Fandral were blatantly wrangled into a mountain climb by Thor who then insisted that Lord Eirik stay with Maryn at the stream.
"Ignore his pushiness," Maryn spoke to the blond envoy. "He believes he must do everything in his power to make me happy." The couple strolled near the stream as the others dispersed leaving them alone.
"Is that not a good thing?" Eirik asked his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes on the grass under his feet.
Maryn looked away, her arms wrapping around her torso as she thought about his question, "I do not know if I can ever be happy again. Perhaps if certain choices were not made and Loki was still here with me…I do not know, I do not know anything any longer."
"Maryn," Eirik spoke quietly, "Your love and devotion to the prince is admirable, but you must not allow guilt to take over your life. He is gone and you must move on."
"Enough," Maryn snapped stepping away from him, "You have no idea of what you speak."
Catching her arm as she turned to leave him standing alone, Eirik spoke carefully to her, "Is he still alive?"
"I do not know," she closed her eyes.
Eirik turned her toward him, "Yes, Maryn, you do…Does Loki still live?"
"Why does it matter?" she sighed tiredly, "If he is still alive he wishes to stay away. Why does any of this matter?"
The silence between them stretched for what felt to Maryn like an age, before the tall lord spoke again, "No, I suppose it does not matter in the end."
Maryn stilled as he moved to stand closer to her, his bent forefinger lifting her chin so that she had no choice but look up into his sage green eyes. The action was too intimate, too confusing and she tried to take a step back from him, only for his arm to wrap around her, his large hand splayed to the small of her back. Again, the silence between them lingered and Maryn felt her heartbeat start to quicken as Eirik's gaze dropped to her lips, "Maryn…" he breathed, "I know that neither of us are ready to love again, but I would enjoy your company while I am in Asgard. Would you consider perhaps taking a turn with me in the royal gardens tomorrow after we break our fast?"
"I-I don't…" she shook her head, confused by how his words made her feel and the guilt that rose up with those feelings. His thumb pressed lightly to her full bottom lip and she flinched slightly at the contact, her eyes widening.
"You don't have to answer me now, my dear; I only thought I would ask. I will wait at the gate for you and if you do not come, I will know you need more time to grieve your prince." Eirik soothed her.
She nodded hesitantly and he smiled before stepping back and taking her hand, leaning over it to press a kiss to her knuckles. He then turned, offering her his arm.
Taking it, Maryn let him lead her beside the stream, her mind such a whorl of thoughts that neither of them spoke.
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The rest of the afternoon was spent in each other's company and the company of the others. Even though Maryn did not smile or laugh with the group as she used to, Thor agreed with Sif that she was trying to be happier and enjoy life.
When the group returned to the palace, it was already dark and the evening meal had started. Maryn made her excuses at the skiff port and returned to her rooms, only to be met with questions from Kersin and Gaia while Tora stood a little apart from them with a hopeful look on her face.
"Is the envoy as handsome as they say, my lady?" Kersin asked, her hands clasped before her.
Gaia giggled, "I have heard that he is nearly as tall as Prince Thor although not as broad through the shoulders and chest," she added. "And that he has taken a liking to you, Princess."
Maryn turned to Fenrir who had entered the room as Gaia was speaking, his gaze seeming to assess her in a way that told her he was looking for any signs of distress or injury, as she ran her fingers through the silky fur of his shoulder. "Lord Eirik is very kind," was all Maryn was prepared to say on the subject of the blond lord.
"Has he made an offer of marriage?" Tora spoke up quietly, the chatter of the other two lady's-maids dying down at her words as they waited for Maryn's answer.
"No," Maryn turned to look at the redhead. "But you believe I should accept if he does so."
Tora's chin lifted in defiance, "I believe you would be better off with him than grieving for Prince Loki."
The tension in the room thickened and Maryn turned her eyes back to the black fur under her hands, "Leave me. I am tired and wish to sleep."
"But you have not eaten yet, my lady," Kersin spoke worriedly.
Maryn moved toward the doors to her bedchamber, Fenrir following her, "I am not hungry." And with that, she closed the large door behind her.
Breathing deeply and trying to contain her frustration and confusion, Maryn changed into a nightgown of black cotton with thin straps and a band high around the waist. The neckline was uneven and cut low, but the outfit itself was comfortable. Plaiting her hair over one shoulder, she slipped under the bedcovers and lay back, closing her eyes and hoping to sleep quickly. Fenrir climbed onto the bed and settled down at her feet, the warmth of the night meaning she didn't need his body heat.
Sleep came quickly for Maryn and she dreamed of a meadow filled with wildflowers. As she walked through the field picking flowers, the sight of a tall figure striding toward her through the tall grass made her pause. For a moment, it looked like Loki, but as he came closer, his hair lightened to a dark blond, his eyes turning to murky green, and his features morphing into those of Lord Eirik. He stopped before her and bent over her hand pressing a kiss to her knuckles. When he straightened, she was alarmed to see that the hand that still held hers was stained with blood, a knife dripping crimson blood clenched in his other hand.
"Maryn!"
Her name yelled in Loki's voice shocked her awake and she rolled, the knowledge that she was in danger flooding her mind. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of silver as she moved, the sharp pain of a blade nicking her upper arm making her move faster. She dropped to a crouch next to her bed and stepped back as she straightened, the sight of Fenrir laying still and silent in the middle of a pool of blood near the open door of her chambers causing anger to surge through her.
She turned to see a figure kneeling on her bed next to where she had been sleeping, a knife in his hands and a wicked gleaming smile on his lips.
"Who sent you, Lord Eirik?" she snarled, tensed to run if she needed to as she could not rely on her bound magic if she needed to fight.
The tall man moved to stand beside the bed, the blade held loosely in his hand and his face calm and open. "Try and guess, Maryn, I know you are smarter than some give you credit for."
Fingers clenched into the skirt of her nightgown, Maryn glanced at Fenrir before looking at her attacker again, "Mithros."
He smiled in a way that was almost friendly, "I am surprised; did you not know what my chosen alias meant, little witch?"
Heart pounding frantically in her chest, Maryn tried to seem unaffected by him, "King forever, that's what Eirik means if I remember correctly."
With a mocking bow, Eirik looked up at her as he straightened, "A pleasure to meet me I am sure, after all, I am to be the new ruler of Mithros after I return with your head." He shrugged, "Suitable, is it not?"
"Your trip has been wasted. I have given up any right I had to rule Mithros. You may have that world; I have no more wish to rule it than you wish to stroll through the gardens tomorrow morning."
Lord Eirik laughed, "But you see, if you still live my magic is not as powerful as it could be. If I wish to be the true ruler and call on the power that is due the Emperor of Mithros, you must die."
She saw him tense to lunge at her and turned quickly toward the closest exit; the balcony doors behind her. She managed to grip one handle before his body slammed into hers and they both fell through the glass door, the sound of smashing glass and splintering wood drowning out her scream.
They landed hard and Maryn's breath was knocked from her body as the assassin's body pressed down on hers. She tried to push him off her but he grabbed a handful of her hair, his knife having dropped from his hand when they fell, and backhanded her across the face. The slap of his hand against her cheek and jaw seemed to reverberate around them as Maryn froze in shock. She hadn't been hit in such a way since coming to Asgard and the pain was not as debilitating as the memories of Coros it drug up. Not even the shards of glass gouging the flesh of her back, legs and arms was enough to calm her so she could think clearly to fight and get away. Her mind was swallowed by the terror of being trapped under a man's body at his mercy.
Lord Eirik seemed to notice the shallow panting breaths leaving her and the way she flinched at his every move but her eyes had become glassy and she didn't fight him. "Don't worry, girl," he snarled reaching for the blade, which had clattered to the ground nearby when he had dropped it. "I would rather see you bleed than touch you any more than I have to."
Lifting a hand to feebly shield herself when he raised the blade ready for a killing blow, Maryn sobbed out, "Loki," the only person she wanted.
"You will be with him in the Afterlife," Lord Eirik muttered, swinging the dagger down towards her heart.
An enraged, snarling bark accompanied Fenrir's monstrous body hurtling into Eirik's, and the two tumbled to the balcony floor a few feet away from Maryn. In the next instant, the thundering of feet announced the arrival of Thor, Brant, Fandral, and a group of guards who burst out onto the balcony in time to hear a sickening crack as Fenrir's mighty jaws closed around Eirik's neck and snapped the bones as easily as a twig snapped underfoot.
"Maryn!" Frigga and Odin raced out to the balcony a moment later as Fenrir limped to his mistress's side, ignoring the broken glass underfoot.
Shaking violently, Maryn painfully dragged herself closer to the wolf and twisted her fingers into the black fur at the middle of his chest, the quickly healing wound she could see there making her close her eyes and send up a prayer of thanks that Loki had thought to give her protector the ability to heal. Eirik had obviously tried to slaughter him before he went after her, and the only reason she was alive was because of her wolf's loyalty and magical ability.
"Maryn," Frigga's tearful call dragged her gaze from Fenrir to the Allmother, Allfather, and the group of guards and Aesir standing behind them. Brant had moved to check if Eirik was truly dead but every other eye was on her.
Shrinking back against Fenrir's chest, Maryn felt her teeth start to chatter.
Thor stepped forward and quickly gathered her into his arms, Fenrir watching him closely.
The next few minutes were a blur; Thor carried Maryn to the sofa near the end of the bed, laying her down as gently as possible. The guards set to work taking away Eirik's body and a healer was called to help bind Maryn's wounds after Frigga set them to healing more quickly with a spell. The glass that had been broken was cleaned up by Gaia and Kersin, as Tora helped the Allmother and Head Healer. Thor, Brant and Odin stood in one corner of the room speaking lowly while Fenrir curled around the side of the settee, his gaze following every move Maryn made as her wounds were cared for. Once everything was set right once more and Maryn was given a draught that numbed her pain, the guards left with the corpse and Gaia and Kersin curtsied to their princess before leaving the room.
Tora took a seat beside Maryn and clasped her cold hand between her palms, chaffing it slightly to try to warm her icy fingers.
"How did he get in?" Frigga asked the men.
The Allfather shared a look with his son before speaking, "He killed the guard on duty outside Maryn's chambers, and, if the wounds on her wolf are anything to go by, he tried to do away with him as well."
Frigga knelt at Maryn's feet, her hand reaching out to cup her cheek as she took her other hand, "She is not safe here alone," she spoke looking up at him. "I will not lose my daughter, Odin."
"No," he agreed, "We will not." Putting a hand to Frigga's shoulder, he turned his attention to Maryn who sat silent and still, her cheeks pale but her body not trembling as it had been minutes before. "You will have guards with you at all times when you are outside this room. I will not allow what happened tonight to happen again. A guard will also be stationed in your meeting room outside the door to your bedchamber." He turned to Thor, "Maryn will be your responsibility now. Without her magic she needs a protector, I put this honour to you, my son. Watch over her and keep her safe."
"Give me back my magic." The quiet words seemed to hang in the air between the small group and all eyes turned to Maryn. She raised her chin and looked at each one in turn before settling on Frigga's tearstained countenance, "Give me back my magic."
Shaking her head, Frigga let go of her daughter's hand and cradled her bruised and cut face as she would a babe's, "I cannot. I will not lose you to the hurt of it."
Slowly, Maryn reached up and wrapped her hands around Frigga's wrists, pushing them away until she wasn't touching her in any way. Gaze blank, she looked over Frigga's shoulder, "I'm tired."
The silence that followed her words was only broken by her good-mother's soft sobs while Thor stepped gravely forward and helped his mother to her feet, slowly walking with her out of the room, Odin and Brant following after them, their looks of grim sadness.
"My lady…" Tora tried to speak to Maryn but the princess would have none of it.
Getting unsteadily to her feet, Maryn refused to look at her, "Leave, Tora."
"My lady, I-."
Maryn spoke over her, her words soft but her tone severe, "Return my magic or leave."
Tora silently turned and left her alone with Fenrir.
Looking to the wolf that now stood head and neck above her, Maryn pressed her face to his chest, her body trembling in delayed terror, the knowledge that she had come so close to death hitting her like a stab to the chest. "I will break the binding spell," she told her protector. "I will break the spell and I will find Loki."