Preparations for the wedding commenced immediately. Eyra found herself being whisked this way and that for gown fittings, flower selections, food tastings, and more. For the moment, Inghard and the Allfather's plan to distract her from her grief was working quite well, seeing as she scarcely had a second to sit down. She voiced these complaints to Loki one evening as he rubbed out her feet in front of the fire in his chambers.
"And my mother! She's the worst of it! Following me about and weeping all the while and spouting some nonsense about how proud she is of me and what a blessing it was that she met Inghard all those years ago!" She huffed and threw her hands in the air. "I mean, she's always been of the opinion that a woman is only as good as the man she marries, but really! This is ridiculous! She's an absolute nightmare!"
Loki chuckled and shook his head. "Yes, I know, Darling. I've been there this entire time."
"Right," she sighed. "It's strange, having you tailing me everywhere all invisible."
"It is a bit odd," he agreed. "Especially when you look directly at the spot where I'm standing, but you just see right through me. A tad disconcerting, if I'm honest."
Eyra giggled. "Does that happen often?"
Loki nodded with wide eyes. "I don't know how you do it. I guess you're just even more drawn to me than I previously thought!" He gave her a cocky smirk and puffed his chest out. She laughed at him and rolled her eyes.
"Then I suppose I must be drawn to vanity, my lord, for you seem to have that in abundance!"
"'Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously,'" he quoted smugly. "'A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.'"
Eyra gaped at him for a moment before chortling delightedly. "You just quoted Pride and Prejudice! Remember when I practically had to beat you over the head to get you to even pick it up?"
"Aye," Loki grimaced. "Though there is no need to bring that up at every opportunity."
"Oh?" Eyra's eyes sparkled with mischief. "And would you rather I reminded you of the spectacular mental image of you hanging buck naked by your ankle from a vine?"
He groaned. "Away with you! I fear I shall never have a moment's peace with you around! You and Mother are to be the death of me!"
She laughed and crawled onto his lap, feeling his arms wrap instinctively around her small frame. "But would you change a bit of it?" She asked with a smile.
"No, Darling, not for the world," he vowed before pulling her lips down to his.
That night, Eyra lay in Loki's arms, unable to join the prince in sleep. They had yet to come up with a solution to their dilemma, and the wedding was now a mere two days away. To make matters worse, Frigga had thus far been unable to uncover anything that could possibly relate to what Asmund had been talking about before his death. Eyra was growing more and more restless by the day, fearing that all of their determination to work things out had been for naught.
Quickly tiring of her mind refusing to shut down for the night, Eyra slid out of bed, careful not to wake Loki. She padded softly out onto the balcony and curled up comfortably on one of the chairs, gazing silently over the realm of Asgard. It truly was a beautiful sight, and Eyra had to smile at the thought of how many other people might be staring out at the night sky, just as she was.
Her musings were interrupted by the faint sound of voices coming from below her. They were speaking in hushed tones, but it seemed that they came to a stop right beneath her balcony, and Eyra was able to catch most of what they were saying at that point.
"...would be disastrous for all of us! You know that as well as I do! With all due respect, Allfather, I'm a bit surprised at you, given the circumstances in which you find yourself."
"Inghard, you are forgetting your place," the voice of Odin growled. Inghard gave a short laugh.
"Am I? On the contrary, I think I am quite clear on both of our positions here, Allfather. Are you? Or must I remind you again?" There was a moment of tense silence after that until Odin spoke in a defeated sort of voice.
"No. I am well aware of the snare you've caught me in." His tone changed then, taking on a more menacing nature. "But be warned, Inghard. You may have my hands tied this time, but Asgard will not stand for this kind of treachery."
Inghard gave a dark chuckle. "Are you threatening me, Odin? You think that wise? Come, allow me to show you something."
With that, their footsteps carried them out of Eyra's earshot, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her heart hammered against her rib cage as she hurried back into the room and to the bed, pressing herself as close to Loki's side as she could manage. He awoke at the feeling of her body trembling against his and turned to her with a look of sort of groggy concern.
"What's wrong, Darling? Are you alright?"
Eyra was silent for a moment before swallowing hard. "Just a nightmare," she whispered. Loki frowned and enveloped her in his arms, kissing her forehead tenderly.
"Care to talk about it?"
"N-no...I should just try to get back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you."
He nodded in understanding and kissed her once more, quickly falling back into a peaceful slumber. Eyra, on the other hand, did not sleep one wink the rest of the night.
"I cannot decide whether to tell Loki any of this," Eyra sighed after recounting everything she had overheard the night before to Bryn. "I fear it will only cause him even more worry."
"Is he not here now?" Bryn asked with raised eyebrows. "I thought he was following you around everywhere to make sure nothing happens to you."
She shook her head. "I'm with you, so he does not worry. I told him to take a break and go read a book. I know he misses it."
Brynjar stared ahead thoughtfully. "I wonder what Inghard could possibly have over Odin. It simply doesn't make sense! I mean, it's the Allfather!"
"I'm as lost as you are, Bryn," Eyra frowned. "But the wedding is the day after tomorrow, and suddenly I just don't think that we are going to be able to get out of it! At least not...well...civilly. Inghard seems incredibly determined to make this happen."
"But there has to be something we can do!" Bryn protested. "I couldn't bear to see this all go down the drain! Not like this!"
Eyra chewed on her lower lip. "There is one thing...we've only spoken of it once because it is not something either of us would prefer to do, but...I think it may be our only option."
"What is it?" he questioned uncertainly.
"I think...we must run away to Midgard. Tomorrow night. I don't know for how long. Just until this mess blows over."
Bryn was silent for several moments, contemplating this new revelation. "I hate to say this, but...I think you may be right. Any other course of action would make me fear for your safety. Loki's as well."
Eyra felt her eyes water, and she suddenly turned and threw her arms around her brother. "I'll miss you," she mumbled. "You could come with us..."
He let out a choked laugh. "I'm not sure you would really want me there after a while. You'll be too busy with each other, if you know what I mean." He winked at her, and she blushed deeply at his implication. "But I will visit you. I promise you that. After all, how would I ever live without ever seeing my Eyra-Bear?"
"But what if they figure out that you were involved?" she fretted tearfully. "You could be killed!"
Bryn shook his head at her with a gentle smile. "I can take care of myself. Nothing will happen to me. I promise. Now, you had better go find your prince and tell him what you've decided. There are preparations to be made after all!"
Eyra gave her brother one last look, an adventurous spark igniting in her eyes. He laughed delightedly as she scampered off, eager to finally have a chance at a life with the man she loved with all her heart.
A/N: Well...I don't really have much to say about this chapter...it kind of speaks for itself...soooo...thanks again to everyone who has shown so much incredible support for this story! Y'all are seriously amazing!
chyanne200: And even more suspicious with this one, right?! Haha I love it, you smart cookie, you! Thanks for your reviews!
TheBattyWhiteCrow: Hey, sure thing, Pal! Haha fabulous! Unfortunately, I think such a plan would ultimately destroy the plot I'm...well...plotting, so...darn. Haha thanks again for your support!
Deductions-of-Sherlolly: Right?! He's just a bad egg all around! And sweet mother of Loki?! Ahaha I love it! Absolutely fabulous!
LilweenGalatrass: WHAT?! How?! Doesn't it come out May 1st?! You lucky duck, but if ever there was an excuse for not reviewing, that is it! Haha! How was it? :) Anyway, I don't think Thor will be too upset, considering he doesn't want this marriage any more than Eyra does. We'll have to see about Odin though. He's kind of a jerk face.
Traveler of the Universe: Wow, thank you so much! I'm so glad that you are enjoying it! That it was makes it worth writing, after all! Haha nobody seems to care much for Inghard! I wonder why that could be... ;)