Loki woke slowly, sleep leaving him reluctantly but his body knew 'twas time to waken, as it always did. He groaned, not wanting to rouse yet, burrowing further into the warmth and softness surrounding him instead. It took his sleepy mind a few seconds to realize he was spooned up alongside another body. Then the memory of last night returned and Loki tightened his arm around Sigyn's waist and nuzzled his nose further into her hair, inhaling her familiar scent even as he reluctantly cast off the last vestiges of sleep. Though he would never admit it to Thor or any of the other warriors, Loki had always enjoyed holding his lovers close and simply basking in the easy intimacy of it.

Much as he wished he could keep doing so now, Loki knew he could not. If he was to have time to wash and do what he must before departing for Niflheimr, he had to rise now.

With great reluctance, Loki untangled himself from around Sigyn, his resolve nearly breaking at the sleepy sound of protest she made. Luckily though, Sigyn did not actually wake, and Loki was able to rise and call forth a robe. He did not actually need it temperature wise, but with servants normally able to wander in now he was awake, 'twas a habit he had long since formed. Though he would dearly have liked to linger in bed, Loki felt far more rested than he had expected to be, and he knew he had slept both deeply and solidly. Sigyn's presence warding off the nightmares.

The thought of last night had Loki detouring to the living chamber to collect both bottles of mage wine so he could return them to their storage place, before he moved to the bathing chamber to take care of his ablutions. He smiled as he looked into the mirror and caught sight of the kiss mark Sigyn had left on his collarbone. He had long ago learned how to use his seiðr to keep those marks from healing too quickly as he liked to savor them. Sigyn had therefore taken to leaving them lower, where they could be easily hidden by his formal attire. Loki liked that his seiðr still automatically acted to keep them even after nearly a century apart from Sigyn. He also could not help but smile at the memory of the first time his mother had seen one.

He had changed out of his formal attire, not knowing she planned to visit, and his new outfit had a wider collar. It had allowed Mother to catch sight of the edge of the bruise, which she had of course immediately felt the need to check. Even now, Loki could still recall the feel of her seiðr brushing along his skin as she sought to heal it, only to find the resistance of his own seiðr.

That, of course, had told her far more than if he had spoken aloud.

"Loki," his mother had breathed, looking at him in shock.

Loki had simply looked back at her with a helpless smile and shrugged.

Frigga's eyes had grown wide and a hand had covered her mouth for a moment before coming to rest on his cheek.

"My baby's in love," she had whispered.

He had not responded as there had been no need to.

The memory made him smile before Loki moved back into his bedchamber once he was ready, heading for his closet. Stepping inside, he was startled to find yet another new outfit prominently displayed. Exactly how much time and effort were the palace tailors going to spend on him? He would need to question Lady Borgunna when he saw her next as he only planned to be regent for a finite amount of time. Not that he disliked the new outfit, indeed this one seemed as stunning as the one had worn yesterday and he was prideful enough to always turn out well dressed, but 'twas still a lot of effort and cost.

This newest outfit consisted mostly of a shimmering dark, dark green base fabric which was almost black in appearance and would seem more green or black depending on the light. As a result, there were more gold and silver highlights, but 'twas still far less than for his coronation outfit, so Loki was quite pleased with the overall result. Next to it, Livunn had also laid out a new... he would have said helmet, only 'twas not. At least not strictly speaking. Loki picked it up to examine more closely. Like his current headgear, it was golden and had his horns, but unlike it there were inlaid green highlights and it did not encompass his head entirely. Instead there was a band around the back of head along with two sides which came down to frame his jaw, but that was it. At first he was confused, but then he realized it had been made to accommodate and show off his new hair style.

He put it on and glanced towards the mirror. As expected, it fit perfectly, molding to the contours of his head and face to a rather pleasing effect. He would have to have Livunn pass on his compliments to the palace tailors. And to Lord Brynjarr for the vambraces. Speaking of which, Loki saw none with the outfit, but that made sense as he had enough pairs not to need a new pair for each outfit. Besides, he knew well how terribly busy Lord Brynjarr already was, not to mention what the black smith charged for such detailed work as his latest pair.

The cape for this outfit was lined in white fur which provided a startling contrast, while the main fabric was an icy blue on the inside and a dark, wine purple on the outside and, together, it reminded Loki of his poor, flayed core and he wondered what had inspired it. The elaborate stitching on the main body of the outfit was done in various hues of fire red and orange, which were far more fluid and whimsical rather than runic or symbolic in nature. He rather liked the effect as it reminded him of the patterns of raw seiðr; more chaotic and wilder rather than the standard and ordered patterns of written language.

Loki would suspect Livunn's influence, except she did not know much of seiðr of this level, so instead he wondered if perhaps there was a member of the palace tailors who had apprenticed in another Realm and was utilizing the opportunity of his regency to experiment with new methods and styles. He rather liked the thought as he had oft feared Ásgarðr was becoming increasingly stagnant in its ways, to the detriment of all who lived there. Besides, he rather liked the look of the stitching, even if 'twas not in his usual colors. He was nearly certain that once he actually wore the outfit and was moving in it, the effect would be fire-like in nature and well, while 'twas not known, he was the God of Fire.

The thought made Loki frown as he wondered how, by the Nines, ajötunncould be a fire god. Surely it should not be possible? Yet he had plenty of experience to tell him otherwise.

'Twas not one of his known kennings, but 'twas one that Loki loved nonetheless. Besides, he did not see it as wholly removed from one of his other ones; namely chaos. For what was fire, if not chaotic? Both vital to modern life and yet destructive by its very nature at the same time. Flames had fascinated him for as long as Loki could remember, and he knew he had terrified one of his nannies once by nearly crawling into a hearth as a small child when she had turned her back on him for a minute. He knew of the incident more through recountings than actual memory, but it still never failed to make him smile.

He could well imagine himself doing exactly that as a toddler if fire had been at all as fascinating for him then as 'twas now.

The sharp contrast of it with his true nature made Loki frown, though for once when he contemplated his jötunn nature, there were no twinges from his core. This was neither negative nor hateful, simply a contemplation of a conundrum which made no sense. 'Twas a mystery and Loki did so enjoy those, even if he had no time to investigate this one properly now. Mother Winter was stirring at the back of his mind, so he suspected there might be some form of explanation for this anomaly, but for now he would simply have to accept it and move on.

Besides, Loki could easily live with it being yet another facet of his chaotic and unpredictable nature. He did so love to confound and frustrate others and their expectations.

With a thought, he had replaced his robe with the outfit, shifting it slightly by hand to make certain everything was positioned correctly. It took very little for it all to sit right and Loki was quite pleased with the effect when he looked back up at the mirror. The horns gave him some additional height which, while not necessary on Ásgarðr, would be appreciated when dealing with the jötnar.

In the closet, the main part of his outfit appeared more black than green, but 'twas still a striking effect and a quickly thrown up weird light showed him how it would look when it took on a more metallic green hue. 'Twas very fine, but, he noted, not one for fighting in as the looser robes could get in the way (though Loki was nearly certain he could compensate for it if necessary), and the lack of leather and armor meant he would have no protection. Well, not of that nature, anyway, as he had sensed the seiðr when dressing himself and a quick check showed some protection runes stitched into the reverse of the fabric with the colored thread.

The discovery delighted Loki as it meant the thread was both wild and fiery on one side, and calm and ordered on the other. Chaotic indeed. He would have to discover which of the tailors was responsible and ensure all of his future outfits were made by them.

Almost instinctively, Loki secreted his knives on his person in the hidden sheaths he discovered within his outfit before he turned and moved back into his bedchamber. The faint clinking of metal and china told Loki Livunn was already next door with everything necessary for him to break his fast, so he moved back towards the bed where Sigyn was curled up on one side.

The sight made him smile as Loki crouched by the bed and reached out to brush back a few strands of hair which had fallen onto her face.

"Morning," Loki said softly when she made a sleepy sound before opening her eyes.

"'Tis too early," Sigyn complained with a yawn.

Loki chuckled. "'Tis at that, alas I need to go soon and I wanted to check whether you wished me to return you to your guest chambers or if you want to stay here and leave later."

"The Einherjar?"

"Will all leave with me. Only Livunn will remain."

Rather than reply, Sigyn snuggled down further, pulling the sheets and furs to her chin and Loki mock scowled, though it faded back to a fond smile as she turned her head to kiss the palm of his hand. Reluctantly, Loki rose to his feet, though he leaned over, intent on a last kiss before he left. He paused as he remembered his new headgear and stopped to pull it off, making Sigyn laugh low, her voice still rough with sleep.

"No one ever said fashion was practical," she said, after he had stolen a few kisses. "But I like it, it goes well with the longer hair."

"I believe 'twas the intent."

"You believe?"

"I have not exactly had time to think of fashion or new clothes," Loki smiled. "They have simply been appearing."

"Well someone has excellent taste, they look good on you."

"Thank you, now sleep some more," Loki urged, kissing her forehead before he straightened and donned his new headpiece once more.

Breakfast was quick but hearty and Loki took the opportunity to question Livunn on the current palace rumors and gossip once more. 'Twas all a lot more positive than what he had been expecting, especially from outside Iðavöllr's walls.

"Loki, is it true you spent some time with a child in the city yesterday?" Livunn asked.

Loki smiled. "Aye, little Gróa. She slipped right past my sentinels, demanding my attention before not knowing what to do with it."

"Well, 'tis being spoken of, a lot. Particularly the fact she turned your hair silver. I understand half the court were quite disappointed not to have had the chance to view it for themselves."

The words startled a laugh out of Loki. When Livunn moved to collect one of the plates with fruit, he reached out to cover her hand with his, careful to angle it right so his actions were out of sight of the two Einherjar who had come in with her. Livunn looked up at him in confusion and Loki gave the most minute shake of his head, he then deliberately looked her in the eyes before flickering his gaze to the bedchamber door which he had closed behind him this morning. An action which had already caught her attention as he normally liked to air out his chambers during the day.

Combined with his actions now, 'twas enough for Livunn to realize what he meant and her lips curled up even as she reached past the fruit dish for his empty plate, the movement only slightly stilted.

"Aye, well, Gróa is young and inexperienced, her seiðr still weak so her spell did not last very long," Loki continued as he rose to his feet. "Anything else of note?"

Livunn hesitated in covering the remains of his breakfast, the kitchens did always send far too much food lately and Loki wondered if 'twas due to his father's habit of occasionally holding meetings while he broke his fast, or simply some desire on their part to build him up. He had long since given up on that, but they might still hope he would gain more áss bulk. His true heritage did make Loki wonder as the jötnar were normally quite bulky themselves. Was it an íviðjur trait, or was it solely him?

"There is some talk surrounding the fact Prince Thor apparently went to visit the traitors in the dungeons," Livunn said, carefully.

Of course there was. It angered Loki, but there truly was no reasoning with his adoptive brother at times.

"Do I want to know what is being said?" Loki inquired warily.

"Oh, 'tis nothing reflecting ill on you," Livunn replied. "If they mention you, 'tis only in reference to how Prince Thor should be standing with you and not them."

"Truly?"

Loki found that hard to believe. Peoplenotsiding with Thor?

"Aye. By standing with them, they whisper, he is betraying his family and Hliðskjálf."

The news made Loki close his eyes in dismay. While he desperately wanted his brother to experience what it felt like to be on the wrong end of public sentiment, betrayal of Hliðskjálf was definitely taking it too far. If nothing else, it might lead to some requesting thathebe made heir instead of Thor after Óðinn awoke, and he would not be saddled with this prison sentence for the rest of his life.

Oh, well, he may simply need to pull a few tricks after handing Gungnir back to his father to remind everyone of who he was.

"Your Majesty," Livunn began, wringing her hands. "Loki... I..."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think it likely the negotiations will succeed? 'Tis simply, I have a younger brother who has been called to stand by and I fear..."

She did not need to finish her sentence for Loki to know what she meant. Noble as 'twas for a warrior to die in battle, that was not necessarily as comforting for the family left behind as most would like to pretend it was.

"I am hopeful," Loki said, touching her shoulder briefly.

"And you have no desire for glory through battle."

'Twas said softly, more like Livunn was trying to reassure herself, but Loki nodded nonetheless.

"Though victory or death in battle may be honorable, war simply for the sake of it is both wasteful and childish. People's lives are worth far more than that."

"Thank you," Livunn smiled at him. "And I believe for all of people's talk of glorious battle, that far fewer actually have an appetite for it now we are officially at war. Especially with an enemy who cost us such great casualties the last time, even if we did emerge victorious."

Now that was interesting. And hopeful.

Loki had assumed most of the warriors would be like his brother and the Idiots Four, but mayhap such a great desire for battle was only found among the younger generation who did not recollect the last war and the æsir cost of it.

Not long after Loki arrived in his study he was joined by Lords Ragnvaldr and Aðalgrímr, but he had enough time to look over the scenarios and strategies Lord Aðalgrímr had detailed. They had a quick discussion about the best ones and settled on a plan for the day.

"Did you manage to have a chance to look over Queen Sága's missive?" Loki asked, shifting the topic slightly.

"Aye," Lord Aðalgrímr replied, sharing a look with Lord Ragnvaldr.

"What?" Loki inquired, looking between the two.

"We are not quite certain what to make of it," Lord Ragnvaldr responded.

"Queen Sága normally does not interfere in foreign affairs thus," Lord Aðalgrímr added. "For her to do so now, is perplexing."

"We are not certain if we should be concerned about it," Lord Ragnvaldr finished.

Huh. Loki leaned back in his chair to look at both of the lords better. That they had discussed this matter together ahead of time was clear. He simply was not certain if 'twas merely due to the nature of their concerns over the missive, or if they feared he would need handling on the matter as well.

"What is it, exactly, you fear?" Loki finally asked, looking at Lord Ragnvaldr.

"I am not certain," the man replied, looking uncomfortable to do so. "Álfheimrisour ally, and they have promised to stand by us should it come to outright war, but..."

"But even then, Queen Sága and her predecessors have both been more difficult to work with historically," Lord Aðalgrímr picked up. "We had always assumed it had something to do with the ljósálfar renowned reticence and distant nature. This sudden, dramatic change in policy concerns us, especially coming now of all times."

Loki hummed to acknowledge Lord Aðalgrímr's concerns even as he thought.

"I suppose," Loki finally said. "That you are wondering whether this change is due to me being on Hliðskjálf, Ásgarðr's weaker position or concern about another war which might cost ljósálfar lives."

"Aye, Your Majesty."

"You said before you had some previous interactions with the queen?" Lord Ragnvaldr prompted.

"Aye," Loki confirmed. "But there is nothing which truly stands out. Perhaps we spoke a bit more at official functions, but I have always ascribed that to my greater interest in Álfheimr than Thor. Their understanding of seiðr is great and they have always been quite willing to share their knowledge."

Lord Aðalgrímr frowned. "You have not found them distant or aloof?"

"Only initially. Once they saw my interest and desire to learn was genuine, they became quite convivial."

Not to mention familiar. Not that he would inform either lord of such. His sex life was his own and he did not need to be judged for it, especially when he had almost always preferred a far more... active and creative one than most æsir. 'Twas actually rather ironic his longest bed partner was an ásynja, but then Sigyn had always been more open minded and adventurous than most æsir.

"Perhaps King Loki has passed some sort of test or standard Óðinn never did," Lord Ragnvaldr offered.

"Perhaps," Lord Aðalgrímr allowed, though his frown indicated he was far from happy with the assumption.

"There is still also Queen Sága's supposed foresight to consider," Loki stated. "While it has never been confirmed, as far as I am aware, rumors of it have persisted and it might offer another explanation for her uncharacteristic behavior."

"You think, with it, she might know how the negotiations will turn out without this offer?"

"Hmm."

"Or she merely wishes to make a good first impression with Laufey-King," Lord Ragnvaldr said. "The ljósálfar were always their biggest trading partners."

"Not to mention Queen Sága may also be hoping Jötunheimr's rejoining the Nine will make the jötnar on Álfheimr consider going home," Loki suggested.

"Jötnar on Álfheimr?" Lord Ragnvaldr asked.

"Aye, Lord Kvasir mentioned those to me," Lord Aðalgrímr replied. "Refugees from Laufey-King's rule before the war."

"Oh, I see. With Laufey still on the throne I would not consider it likely, even if they have been unable to go home for over a thousand years."

"Did you think we should not pass on Queen Sága's offer?" Loki asked.

"We were not certain," Lord Aðalgrímr replied. "It's worth is indisputable; we were merely concerned at why the ljósálfar would suddenly be so cooperative."

"I would hate not to use it if 'twas offered to help ensure a successful treaty," Loki stated.

"There is that risk," Lord Ragnvaldr agreed.

"I suppose if Queen Sága has a greater motivation, then we can deal with it after we have averted the war," Lord Aðalgrímr conceded.

"'Tis good to keep it at the back of our minds though," Loki said, rising to his feet. "Shall we go? General Týr will meet us at Himinbjörg with the Casket of Ancient Winters."

"Thor," Frigga said in surprise as she entered the Óðinnsleep chamber only to find her eldest seated at his father's bedside. He did not look good. "How long have you been here?"

"Oh, I woke early and could not go back to sleep," Thor replied, moving to greet her.

"Was there something specific bothering you?" Frigga asked.

"My friends," her son replied, looking down.

Frigga's first thought was of their argument the day before. She could still not quite believe Thor was having such a hard time standing by Loki after what they had done. Aye, she understood they were his friends and had been for centuries, but they had gone against both Thor's brother and their king. Both alone should have made the choice clear, let alone together.

Still, she had to be patient. Thor both thought and reacted more based on emotions, rather than logic and reason as did Loki.

"How did your visit with them go?" Frigga finally asked.

"Less well than I had hoped," Thor told her.

Frigga briefly looked up at him as she took her seat at Óðinn's side, reaching out to slip her hand into her husband's lax one. A quick sweep of her seiðr showed the situation was still slowly improving, with her husband's own seiðr aligning more and more with how it had been during previous Óðinnsleeps. It made her more hopeful than ever he would pull through and come back to them once more. If so, she was never allowing him to put off an Óðinnsleep as he had now ever again.

"In what way?" Frigga inquired.

"They seem to have no greater reason for what they did other than the fact 'twas Loki on Hliðskjálf," Thor said.

Frigga sighed. "Would there truly have been a good reason for what they did?"

"Nay, I suppose not. I... simply... I do not understand."

"Oh, Thor," Frigga replied, her heart breaking at the lost and broken tone of his voice.

Much as she wished to rise and move over to her eldest to embrace him, she knew the gesture would not be appreciated, not with all of the Einherjar present in the chamber. While Thor would still allow affection in private, it had been a long time since he had accepted them in public, for which she blamed Óðinn and his insistence that a king always appear strong and unassailable. Though he would at times protest them, at least Loki still allowed her affection in public. But then her baby had always been far more affectionate and tactile, and she had wondered more than once if 'twas a jötnar trait of his showing through or - and the reason which never failed to both infuriate and concern her - if 'twas the result of having been abandoned in the cold as an infant. Could there be some part of Loki which still remembered that and therefore sought out reassurance he was wanted and loved now?

Frigga ached at the thought and it made her want to stab Laufey. Repeatedly.

How Loki could calmly sit through talks with the king she did not know, but she knew herself better than to think she could. Not when she could still so easily picture Loki as a tiny, malnourished baby. That anyone could abandon an infant for being too small or a threat to them was beyond her, but she had never had a particularly high opinion of Laufey to begin with, even before the war. She had heard too many despicable things of their rule while growing up on Vanaheimr to do so. 'Twas a wonder her baby had turned out so well given the blood which ran through his veins.

"Oh, Thor," Frigga repeated, focusing back on the son before her. "You have a very good heart, but sometimes I fear it can be a little too good and blind you to the darker side of other people."

"So I am finding."

"Oh, has something else happened?"

"Loki and I attended the feast last night and some of the ladies I had previously... uh..."

"Spent time with?" Frigga offered, trying not to laugh.

Despite all of the millennia she had spent on Ásgarðr, she was not certain she would ever become accustomed to how shy the æsir were when it came to sex. Normally she enjoyed unsettling her eldest in this regard, but it seemed there were more important things to discuss.

"Aye, that," Thor agreed. "They all but ignored me in favor for trying to gain Loki's attention."

"Ah, I see," Frigga replied.

She was aware of some of Loki's muttered complaints that Thor had previously brushed off some of his brother's cautions on this very point, so she did not doubt that her little knife had taken the opportunity to point it out to Thor. Not after all of the things her eldest had put Loki through in the past. Her baby could nurse a grudge longer than anyone else she knew, Óðinn included. While it pleased her in that she would not need to worry about Loki being caught off-guard by an old enemy he had thought dealt with, she was well aware of the fact he could, and often did, take it too far. To the point of pettiness, especially if Loki felt otherwise threatened or ignored. The latter of which seemed to have been increasing as of late given some of his recent behavior.

"How... how am I to tell the difference, Mother?" Thor asked. "Loki has promised to help, but I fear..."

"Fear what, darling?" Frigga questioned.

"Well, Loki does see ill everywhere. Although, as of late, I must wonder if perhaps 'tis I who do not see enough of it."

Frigga sighed, her displeasure growing. "Similarly as I have said you can sometimes have too good of a heart to see what is truly in other people's hearts, so too can Loki be too suspicious of others. At times that can be best, like at present, but it can also mean he does not make friends or allies as quickly and easily as you can."

"But it may be the only reason he is currently alive," Thor replied.

The reminder of Heimdallr and his actions made Frigga clutch Óðinn's hand rather more tightly than intended, but she doubted he would mind given the topic.

"'Tis why I have never been able to do more than warn him of the dangers of taking it too far," Frigga informed him. "The best thing would be a balance of both of you. Which is why I have always been pleased the two of you have traveled together so often."

Now her eldest looked even more uncomfortable and Frigga resisted the impulse to frown. Although not as difficult to draw information from as Loki when her baby chose to be stubborn, Thor could still make her work for it.

"Thor," Frigga said in the tone which had always worked best on him.

Once it had worked on her little imp too, but Loki had long since built up a resistance to it. Besides, gentleness had always worked far better on him, something Óðinn had never learned or been willing to accept.

"'Tis simply I fear I... I have not always treated Loki as well as he deserves," Thor admitted.

"You have not been alone in that," Frigga smiled. "I can immediately think of countless times Loki has treated you ill or made you the target of his tricks."

"'Tis not what I meant," Thor argued. "Loki has always said Lady Sif and the Warriors Three were only my friends and not his."

"Aye, we discussed this. Do you believe he was right now?"

"They admitted it."

Her son was no longer looking at her, but instead gazing off into the distance. Frigga felt torn between remaining where she was and getting up to go comfort him. The mother in her wished to do the latter, not wishing to see either of her sons in pain, but the queen within her knew Thor had to learn this lesson and soon. Perhaps if she had not so oft allowed the mother to win out over the queen, then her eldest would have been far better prepared to become king than he so obviously had not been. 'Twas easy to regret things afterwards, of course, and perhaps if Óðinn had allowed the father in him to at least occasionally win out over the king, then she would not have felt the need to overcompensate so often. Especially with Loki.

"They admitted it," Thor repeated, looking at her. "Lady Sif even went so far as to state that Loki had always been jealous of me in addition to repeatedly implying that simply the fact he was on Hliðskjálf was cause enough for them to do what they did."

The words made Frigga's eyes narrow and she felt herself reevaluating the shield-maiden. She had always had a soft spot for Lady Sif as she could easily understand her desire to become a warrior, as 'twas one she herself had felt as a maiden. Luckily for her, though, she had grown up on Vanaheimr, where 'twas not considered either abnormal or ridiculous.

But this... it negated all of that. Not only was it treason at the highest level, but 'twas slander against her youngest, both of which were wholly unacceptable.

"And the worst thing is, I cannot stop thinking of times when they made jokes or comments at Loki's expense and I laughed with them," Thor continued, eyes going desperate. "Loki's comments and tricks have progressively grown more mean and cruel, and I always wrote it off as him changing and becoming more bitter, but what if 'twas because I always sided against him with them, not seeing how much I was hurting him?"

The thought made Frigga pause. She too had noticed the change in her youngest's actions and intent, but she had been unable to attribute them to a cause and it had worried her greatly. Having an inkling of the reason gave her hope as it meant she might be able to do something to either slow or reverse the changes before they became too great and Loki did something truly unforgivable.

"I was not there, obviously," Frigga began slowly. "So I do not know what transpired, but if you believe you might have acted ill and hurt your brother, then you need to apologize."

Thor snorted. "Mother, you know how well he takes those."

"He may react as if he does not care, but words have power, Thor. You must know that."

As the one who had most frequently been on the sharp end of Loki's oft caustic tongue, Frigga was certain of it.

"However," Frigga continued. "Words without action to back them up would be meaningless."

Her son inclined his head, but Frigga could see he was doing so in contemplation rather than as a thoughtless gesture to indicate he heard her. The hard part would be to actually accomplish it as it would require breaking a routine, but hopefully without his friends around to reinforce the bad habit, Thor would be able to do so. Though Frigga would be certain to have a word with her youngest too, in order to ensure Loki gave his brother a fair chance. Otherwise all of Thor's genuine efforts might be wasted if Loki had already made up his mind and was not truly listening.

While Frigga loved her sons greatly, there were times when she wondered if they would ever grow up. Not that either of them was far past their majority, much as Thor no doubt liked to pretend he was. All things considered, Óðinn had been rather quick to try to pass on his responsibilities to Thor, though she knew how the burden of them and the Óðinnforce weighed on him.

"Speaking of actions," Thor finally said a while later. "Has Loki spoken to you at all of what he plans to do at the trial?"

Frigga bit back her first impulse to ask if this was truly the best thing for him to think of, but then she realized that until 'twas over, the trial would be on Thor's mind, one way or another.

"Nay," Frigga said aloud. "I have not had much time to speak with your brother as of late. Have you not seen more of him? You mentioned attending last night's feast together."

"Aye, but I could hardly speak to him about it there and before we had the High Council meeting," Thor replied. "Besides..."

"Besides what?"

Thor sighed. "Loki looked exhausted, Mother. And stressed."

Frigga closed her eyes at the words, her guilt at not being able to be there for her baby flaring to life once more. 'Twas something she worried about at night, or during the quiet periods when she helped settle and guide Óðinn's seiðr back into alignment. There was only so much she could do and her husband's need for her was far more pressing at the moment, but it mattered little to her heart which knew exactly how stressed and difficult a time Loki was facing at present, and without the support of any of his family members. She could only be grateful for the fact Óðinn had assembled a group of competent and trustworthy advisors and counselors around him and that her baby had the good sense to use them, otherwise the whole situation could so easily have been a complete and utter disaster.

The knowledge of which only made her feel worse, but Frigga knew better than to think there was anything she could do about it.

"I do not think there is much we can do about it other than to support him as and how we can," Frigga said.

"I know, and it makes me feel so helpless!" Thor exclaimed, rising to his feet to begin pacing about the chamber. "This is all my fault and I can do naught to rectify it until I learn whatever lesson 'tis Father feels I need to. If only he hadtoldme what it was!"

Frigga laughed without humor. "Would you have listened, Thor?"

"What? Of course!"

"Truly? After the fight I heard you had in Himinbjörg?"

"I..." Thor hesitated, looking sheepish as he glanced down at his slumbering father before his shoulders slumped. "Nay."

Good, Frigga thought as she nodded in approval. She did not much care for self-deception in anyone.

"A lesson is never learned so well as when 'tis learned the hard way," Frigga stated, repeating her own mother's advice.

"Were that 'twas simply me who suffered for it," Thor lamented.

"You are the son of a king, rarely will anything you do affect only you."

'Twas a difficult aspect of royal life, but one which Frigga had long since thought her eldest knew. Clearly, she too had been wrong about many things.

Instead of replying, Thor heaved a deep sigh before reaching out to take Óðinn's other hand as he sat back down. "Let us hope I can learn Father's lesson on Ásgarðr and I do so soon."

Frigga was not certain hope had much to do with it, but her telling him that would be no more helpful than if Óðinn had told Thor what to do. She could only pray to the Norns he would get there on his own and soon.