"My lady, may I have a private word?" Oda all but whispered the request just before they were dismissed for the night. The girl looked terrified for some reason.

Erna watched as her handmaidens gave each other a significant look and Bera bustled off to their rooms. "Oda, what is it? You look as if something terrible has happened."

"Oh no, my lady." The girl finally looked at her, hope shining on her pale countenance. "It's a good thing. At least I think it is, I'm worried about your reaction though."

"If it's good for you then I'm sure it will be fine. Please explain." She wanted to speak to Loki about the rapidly approaching ceremony and was worried Oda would take all night if she didn't prod her along a bit.

"You know Sigvard and I were engaged before we left Alfheim."

"Yes." Gods this was like pulling teeth.

"Well he wanted to wait until his apprenticeship was completed before we set up our own home."

"Yes, I remember something about that."

"Well we didn't think we'd be staying in Asgard so long and then you got engaged, but now he's graduated to journeyman and…" The girl trailed off, agony now writ across her face.

"Oh Oda, are you asking to leave my employ and return to Alfheim to marry your betrothed?"

"Yes, my lady!" She looked so relieved that Erna had understood the gist of the situation.

"I don't know why you would be afraid of my reaction. Go be with the man you love, get married, live your life. I have no right to hold you here if you want to be elsewhere."

"I plan to stay until my replacement arrives."

"Replacement?" Erna had just assumed she'd take someone from the palace's seemingly endless staff.

"Your father has already sent for another handmaiden. He said you'd rather have someone from the household than an Asgardian." Something in Erna's expression must have shown disapproval, because Oda's explanation had an edge of desperate pleading to it.

She kept her tone neutral, not wishing to show her anger. Oda had surely done what she thought best by bringing the matter up with Reynard first. "That was considerate of you to see to your replacement before leaving. Thank you."

Oda curtsied in response. "My lady, I wanted you to know that the only reason I'm leaving your service is that you're staying here. You've been very kind to us over the years."

"I appreciate that, Oda. Now unless there's anything else…"

"No, my lady. Thank you." The girl curtsied again and hurried out of the room. She was normally a timid one and the potential confrontation with Erna had probably been weighing upon her. At least she could rest easy now.

Erna tried to occupy herself with a book while she waited for Loki to appear, but gave up after half an hour. She was both tired and antsy, which never boded well for her concentration. Something about the business with the new handmaiden left her uneasy. But then again, anything involving her father of late left her edgy and or angry.

She did her best to put it out of her mind, but soon realized any attempts at distracting herself would be fruitless. Instead, she extinguished the lamp and climbed into bed.

Loki, she decided, must not have needed to speak to her. She'd barely been able to talk to him since their encounter the other night, and then only in public. She worried that he either regretted his actions or somehow thought less of her because of what they'd done. Based on all their conversations she didn't think that was the case, but his suddenly busy schedule was starting to give her doubts. Her mind saw fit to remind her that things that seemed too good to be true usually were.

Somehow she drifted into an uneasy sleep, but awoke immediately as a hand stole around her waist. She had no idea how early or late it was and she felt a momentary stab of panic before he spoke softly. "I didn't want to wake you, little one. I'm sorry."

"Is everything all right?" She started to rise, but he gently pushed her back onto the bed.

"Shhhhh. All is well. I was delayed this evening and I probably shouldn't have come, but I haven't seen you much these past few days."

"Oh." She tried to relax and calm her now racing heart. Why had she been so worried about his reply?

Something in that one syllable must have signaled him, because she knew he couldn't see her face in the dark. Unless he had magic for that as well. "Tell me what troubles you."

"I'm fine, Loki. I was just startled."

"I think not. Tell me."

"Fine." She flopped over onto her stomach and found his outline in the dark. It was easier to admit when she couldn't see him properly. "I just… I thought that maybe you were reconsidering our agreement."

"What ever gave you that impression?" He pulled the covers down and ran a hand up and down her back. She could tell he was already trying to soothe her.

"I thought after that night you… that you might not… I don't know." Hearing the words articulated made it sound even more foolish than it had in her head, but she hadn't been able to quell the nagging thought.

"So you assumed that when I didn't come to see you for a few nights that I was suddenly ashamed of you?"

"I never said it was a rational thought!" She rolled over onto her side, leaving her back to him. She felt silly and embarrassed that she'd even admitted as much to him.

Instead of laughing as she'd expected, Loki moved in behind her and brushed his lips across the back of her neck. "I had no idea you'd jump to such a conclusion. If I'm ever over-scheduled like that again, I promise to let you know so that your mind doesn't start coming up with negative reasons for my behavior."

"Thank you. I'm sorry I assumed something like that." Pulling his arm tighter around her, she felt calmer. He hadn't ridiculed her or made her feel worse.

"You couldn't help it, little one. Sometimes our brains are our own worst enemies, intent on making us feel worse for no reason. I'm no stranger to that feeling. And you've had a rough enough time lately to add my silence to your list of problems."

"Speaking of problems, there's a bit of a snag now that my sister and brother aren't coming. Apparently it's traditional for one of the bride's brothers to present her husband with a ceremonial sword and I find myself brotherless. And I'll be damned if I ask my father to do it in Eryk's stead."

"You can borrow mine if you like. Thor would jump at the chance to be a part of the ceremony."

"Is he coming for the wedding?" She hadn't been sure if Thor would rather stay on Midgard and attend to his new life instead of watching his semi-estranged brother get married.

"Yes, but that's what I've been tied up for days negotiating. He's bringing Jane for the first time since Odin died and the Midgardians want me to guarantee her safety."

"Does Thor mistrust you?"

"No, the great oaf has an apparent endless reserve of trust, but it's her employer, SHIELD, that is making all the demands. At first they insisted a team of agents travel with them, but Thor and I talked them away from that idea."

"Loki, you have to understand why they're leery of you."

"I've had the bifrost at my disposal ever since I took the throne and haven't returned to their precious realm to wreak havoc. It took them hours to concede that point."

"Well I'm glad you were able to resolve the matter."

"I had to swear not to use magic on Jane, but that was the worst of it. It was just utterly tedious to hear them drone on and on about precautions they were taking. As if my magic couldn't wipe out their locators and transponders and ICER guns in a heartbeat."

She could blame it on her fuzzy semi-conscious state, but she just blurted out the first question that came to mind. And it had nothing to do with visiting relatives or their overbearing employers. "I've always wondered, how does your magic work? Is it normal for a magic user to be as powerful as you are?"

"I was lucky enough to have both the natural ability and the education offered to me. Magic is a rare skill, but rarer still when it's born to someone that has the resources to train and mature their talent."

"So it doesn't all just come naturally?"

"I'm naturally adept at illusions, but I had to hone that skill and I worked hard to learn conjuration and the science of potion making and a host of other skills."

"So while Thor trained his body, you studied magic?"

"I studied as a warrior just as he did," he snapped. "I just chose to incorporate my additional abilities into my fighting style. It's much more nuanced than just swinging a lump of metal at the nearest foe."

"But doesn't Thor have magic of his own? I've heard stories of lightning and flying."

"His hammer, Mjolnir, possesses those powers, not Thor himself. He simply wields the weapon. Why all these questions of my brother?"

"I'm just curious. He's going to be my family soon. And I'm always curious to learn more about you. I didn't mean to unduly pry."

He sighed heavily and kissed her shoulder. "You have a right to ask questions, Erna. I'm afraid I'm just not in the proper mood for it tonight."

"You're weary after a long day. We should probably both sleep."

"I'm sure rest will set me to rights. If you're still interested in how my magic works, I have some books in my personal library that I could give you."

"I'd love that, Loki!"

"But only if you promise to rest now. It's terribly late and we wouldn't want you to fall asleep over breakfast."

"Nor you, sire."

The settled into silence, Erna doing her best to court sleep despite all the questions now crowding around in her head. She supposed that meeting Thor had always been a possibility, but now it was a reality, and one that made her distinctly nervous. This was the last of Loki's family and she desperately wanted to make a good impression.

And now there was Jane to contend with as well. To hear Loki tell it, she was an unpleasant shrew, but she knew that description was likely tempered with his own ill will towards the woman. Even if she was a complete bore, Erna would do her best to entertain her would-be sister and hopefully leave the woman and her employer with a more favorable view of Loki.

The prospect of gaining a better insight into Loki's magic excited her. He'd seemed initially eager to discuss it with her, but closed off once she made any comparison between the two brothers. He clearly assumed such comparisons left him in a less enviable position than his brother. She'd have to keep that in mind in future discussions.

When she finally drifted off, it was with thoughts of magic swirling around in her head.