By the time they paused for lunch, Loki was all but ready to give up on the negotiations and simply stab his father to death. It would serve the man right.

It did make Loki suspect Queen Sága had prophetic powers, though, because if Laufey was this difficult with such a solid trade offer on the line, he did not want to consider what his birth father might be like without it.

"Are you certain you do not simply wish to invade Jötunheimr?" General Týr asked when they entered their break chamber. "It would probably be easier."

Loki laughed, eyes flashing to the man and well able to tell 'twas meant in jest. "And make all of this entirely worthless?"

The general groaned at the mere idea. "Point," Týr admitted.

"Nay, I was thinking more of killing Laufey and leaving the decisions up to Helblindi," Loki said.

"Oh, now there is an idea."

"Nay," Lord Ragnvaldr interrupted, though his own voice was rife with amusement. "There will be no killing of foreign dignitaries."

"Not even if your king commands it?" General Týr questioned.

"Can you imagine the chaos it would cause?"

"I like chaos," Loki pouted as General Týr, the pushover, caved.

"Of that I am very well aware," Lord Ragnvaldr retorted, warily.

Aye, the man would as he had no doubt Óðinn had complained to him more than once over the centuries about his youngest's behavior. Loki flashed the man a large smile and was heartened to see Lord Ragnvaldr looking slightly worried, probably wondering if he had utilized the wrong argument to keep Loki's mischief contained.

"He is playing you," Lord Aðalgrímr stated as he walked past them towards the table.

Loki wanted to truly pout at having his fun curtailed, but he resisted, scowling instead at his old mentor's back. True, mayhap 'twas not the most mature or regal way to react, but he neededsomerelief. The constant observation and confinement made him wince, and would it not simply be like the Norns to have him go mad from doing everything he should precisely as he would have if he had not been well behaved.

Hmm, on second thought, maybe 'twas the Norns. He had dared to mess with time and alter not only his life thread, but that of countless others as well. They were probably furious at the interference with their living tapestry.

"Please do not frighten me thus," Lord Ragnvaldr pleaded. "I am not certain my heart can handle the strain."

Loki huffed. "You have been using that excuse for far too long for me to believe it. Besides, according to common knowledge, you are too stubborn to die and will outlive us all."

Both General Týr and Lord Aðalgrímr laughed, and Loki felt rather pleased with himself. All the more so since 'twas his own words which were still commonly being whispered behind the advisor's back in Iðavöllr's gilded corridors.

"The mere thought of that is far more discomforting than any of you younglings can comprehend at present," Lord Ragnvaldr replied, ere his eyes flashed over to meet Loki's. "I would simply be happy to see another royal wedding or two."

Oh, Loki knew exactly what the old man was trying to do there. Unfortunately for Lord Ragnvaldr, he was trying to best the silvertongue at a game of words.

"One of those may not be as far off as you might think," Loki retorted, reveling in the shocked look which flashed over Lord Ragnvaldr's face and the sudden sputtering he heard from behind him, which indicated General Týr had swallowed something wrong.

The rush of chaos in the chamber thrummed pleasantly along his seiðr and Loki took a moment to simply savor it as he would a fine wine. He did so love the feel of chaos, it never failed to thrill him on a deep, instinctive level which made him feel truly alive.

"Your Majesty!" Lord Aðalgrímr finally managed to say. "What are you... I mean, do you mean..."

He had, of course, been thinking of Lady Sigyn and how they were still closer than most people realized, but there was no need to inform them of that.

"Oh, had you not heard?" Loki began, innocently. "Thor met a mortal woman on Miðgarðr whom he is quite taken with."

"A mortal!" Lord Ragnvaldr exclaimed.

"Hmm, aye. Why, just last night at the feast he was telling me how smart she was and that he thought I would truly like her," Loki continued happily, their looks of shock and disbelief egging him on. "Of course, she is already over thirty years old and, while mortals live significantly longer than they used to, that still places her at over a third of her lifespan, so Thor would need to act quickly if he truly wishes to spend any time with her."

"I... my King, please tell me you are jesting," General Týr pleaded, desperately glancing at Lord Aðalgrímr.

It amused Loki the general felt his old mentor might be able to read him better. It said a lot for how confident General Týr felt in his own ability to read all of Loki's tells, which pleased him greatly. He had put a lot of time and effort first into learning to uncover and then control them. This proof he had succeeded so well was heartening.

His delight only increased when Lord Aðalgrímr shrugged helplessly.

"Thor claims he learned a lot from her," Loki continued, blithely. "Some of which I have been attempting to teach him for centuries."

Oops, was that bitterness?

"Plus," Loki added, before he paused significantly. "All of this despite her being a brunette."

Thatdefinitely seemed to shake his companions, as well it should. Loki did not think he had ever seen his brother look twice at such a dark-haired woman before and, with his own sensitivities in that regard to æsir beauty standards, he would definitely have noticed if his brother had done so. Altogether, Loki was not at all certain what to make of Thor's current infatuation with this mortal.

"I think I need a drink," Lord Ragnvaldr finally stated, eyes still wide.

"We have jojo juice," Lord Aðalgrímr replied. "Well, unless you have now decided killing Laufey-King is not such a terrible idea, in which case you can probably steal back their beer."

Loki laughed at the face his father's main advisor pulled at the mere thought of beer, before he moved towards the lunch table himself. As Lord Aðalgrímr had said, there was jojo juice as well as cold meats, vegetables and little parceled finger foods which did not require heating.

"Have they brought any ratan sauce today?" General Týr asked as he moved to stand beside him, looking at the table hopefully, before scowling.

Loki pulled a face, he hated ratan sauce, it burned his tongue quite painfully.

"Loki does not like it," Lord Aðalgrímr said as he poured himself some juice.

"I did not say anything to the kitchen of it," Loki protested.

"As if that matters at present."

"I know," Loki replied, plucking his new headpiece off to put on the table. "My favorites simply seem to appear, just like all of my new clothes and I am certain all manner of other items I have yet to notice."

"There has been a request to alter the mural in Valaskjálf and the tapestries in the main corridor," Lord Ragnvaldr added helpfully.

Loki paused in selecting his food to groan.

"Shall I take that as a nay then?"

"Nay to the mural, definitely," Loki replied. "It would hopefully not even have truly started before this is all over. As for the tapestries..."

Well, he had wanted to change some of them ever since he had overheard a vanir diplomat muttering about how seriously they could take Ásgarðr's words of peace and protection if they so obviously celebrated subjugating other species. He had not thought twice of the depictions of captive jötnar or defeated vanir before, but he could easily understand what the diplomat meant, especially since they were scenes all foreign visitors to the king saw and were forced to walk past.

"Hmm, aye, replace the ones depicting defeated or captured enemies or allies with the tapestries from the southeast corridor leading to the library," Loki decided.

"Here, here," Lord Aðalgrímr agreed, raising his newly filled glass.

"Of course," Lord Ragnvaldr replied.

General Týr's lack of response made Loki think the man might not be aware of which tapestries hung in the southeast corridor, and he wondered if Týr would say something once he saw them outside of Valaskjálf. For all of those tapestries depicted, and celebrated, great feats of seiðr performed in the service or defense of Ásgarðr.

It would probably cause a minor scandal, but Loki was of the firm opinion that court needed a little scandal every now and then to keep it from growing too stagnant. Or even more stagnant as it simply - like all of Ásgarðr - seemed to be allergic to change and progress of any kind. 'Twas enough to drive Loki mad at times. Truly, Óðinn should be glad it had not happened before. Not that his adoptive father would ever learn how close he had come this time.

"Have you truly had no say in your new wardrobe?" Lord Aðalgrímr questioned with a frown. "It suits you well."

Loki hummed in agreement. "I believe 'tis mostly due to my personal servant and Lady Dagmær, both of whom know my tastes very well. Plus I was fitted for Thor's coronation, so they have my current sizes."

They lapsed into silence as they ate and Loki allowed his thoughts to drift to his sibling, Helblindi. He had not been wrong to suggest that if they were facing Helblindi in these negotiations that they would already have reached an agreement. His sibling seemed far more reasonable to accepting restrictions on the Casket of Ancient Winters' power than Laufey was. Whether that was the result of a different temperament or a better understanding of precisely how dire Jötunheimr's situation was, Loki did not know, but, nevertheless, it remained an intriguing fact and one which might be interesting to look into further later if peace was achieved.

As for his birth father, well, Loki was not quite certain what to think, but 'twas becoming increasingly clear to him exactly what General Týr had meant when stating that Laufey would never have accepted the presence of an íviðja. The man seemed to have a near pathological need to be in full control, even if doing so was to their own, or their people's, detriment.

Not that Óðinn was entirely innocent of this trait himself, but his adoptive father did not possess it nearly as badly. Still, there were times when Loki had been unable but to wonder precisely how far Óðinn would go to remain in power, or in the good opinion of the public. The latter in particular had always worried him, even before he had discovered he was not truly Óðinn's son. Surely now he was all the more vulnerable to being cast aside if he did anything his adoptive father considered a step too far.

"What do you think, Lord Aðalgrímr?" Lord Ragnvaldr asked once they had all selected food and seated themselves at the table. "Do you think Laufey-King will agree to a new peace treaty?"

"I am loathe to state anything for certain, but I believe so," Lord Aðalgrímr replied. "Otherwise, why else would they waste so much time trying to tweak all of the details?"

"Thank the Norns!" General Týr exclaimed, before he stopped and frowned. "Unless, of course, he is stalling to gain time for something else?"

"I had considered the same," Lord Ragnvaldr admitted. "But Höðr's reports do not indicate the jötnar forces are doing anything more than we would expect of them given the circumstances. There seems to be no furtive attempts to hide anything from his sight, or unusual activity which cannot be explained by what he can see."

"Would it be like Laufey-King to play such a long game?" Loki asked.

He would like to think his birth father would be clever and patient enough to do so, but 'twas not the impression he had received of them. Nor did it fit with all of the comments he had overheard from Óðinn of Laufey. Not that either of them were exactly unbiased observers in this particular case.

"Nay," Lord Aðalgrímr replied. "But it has been over a millennium since our last significant interactions, and they could have learned more patience and subtlety after how the last war ended."

Thus, probably not, but they could not be certain either.

Which was helpful.

"Let me see if we cannot try to bring it all together by the end of this afternoon's session so we can use tomorrow to write out a draft treaty," Loki decided. "Norns know we will have more of the same at that point."

"I hate politics," General Týr grumbled.

Loki was quite certain Laufey and Gunnlöð-Lairde's strategy was to wear them down through sheer boredom and desperation, as the jötnar diplomat turned the conversation back to the desired restrictions on the Casket of Ancient Winters as soon as one particularly picky detail on trade protections had been negotiated. He, at least, was ready to scream and, he could tell from General Týr's increasingly frequent eyebrow twitches, he was not alone in this.

He would never admit it to Lord Aðalgrímr, but Loki's concentration had actually started to waver during the rapid fire back and forth between the two diplomates, which he knew was dangerous in the circumstances, but 'twas such a tiny little detail and he had felt an ever increasing... pressure from his connection to Mother Winter at the back of his mind.

Due to the fact he was neither on Jötunheimr, nor in direct contact with the Casket, he had needed to concentrate in order to strengthen his connection with her enough in order to attempt to understand what it was she wanted his attention for. 'Twas a nuisance but, without being more closely bonded with her, 'twas the best he could manage to do.

The familiar, icy presence had pulled his attention towards the Casket, her insistence making Loki focus on it enough to be able to see into it and its components. From there, Mother Winter drew his attention to one particular part he had not yet had the time to explore. Looking at it more closely now revealed it to be...

Oh, now thatwasinteresting.

Loki sent his gratitude and delight back at Mother Winter as he fought to keep the grin that wished to escape well contained.

"- that type of limitation on our most precious artefact," Gunnlöð-Lairde was saying when Loki tuned back in.

"And we cannot take the risk of not having it," Lord Aðalgrímr reiterated. "We have given you many concessions on trade and communication to compensate for the loss in your ability to leave Jötunheimr. Not to mention the fact yourequirethe Casket of Ancient Winters for your very survival."

"Am I correct in understanding the Casket is the providence of the íviðjur based on the fact 'tis an artefact created by Mother Winter and they are her chosen shamans?" Loki interrupted before Gunnlöð-Lairde could reply.

"If you believe the myths," Laufey-King intoned, gaze and attention suddenly swinging to Loki.

Oh, and was that not both interesting and telling at the same time.

Could Laufey's resistance to both having an íviðja child and any restrictions on the Casket now not only be because the man craved power, but also because they simply did not believe in Mother Winter at all?

It reminded Loki of what Lady Snotra had said of the jötnar communities on Álfheimr. How they had fled Laufey-King's rule. Could that have been because of differences in how they viewed Mother Winter and all the accompanying customs and rituals?

The slight wince which crossed his sibling's face also did not escape Loki's notice, and he could not help but wonder what that meant. Was there a divide within the royal family regarding whether or not they believed in Mother Winter? Given what he now knew of the magical cores of Realms, he was no longer tempted to call it a religious divide, but in a lot of ways 'twas similar andthosehad the possibility of becoming very nasty and messy indeed. It could definitely create great fissures in the jötnar royal family, fissures which would be open to exploitation.

Normally, Loki would be loath to poke at something so volatile in a new... ally, but Laufeyhadleft him out to die and any revenge he could garner for that would be greatly savored indeed.

"Well, given that, perhaps we should letherdecide who should wield it," Loki offered.

The wide-eyed look he received from Lord Aðalgrímr (likely only when the man had faced away from the jötnar), told Loki how badly he had just startled and worried his own people. What they did not know, though, was the history involved here, or the fact thathewas Mother Winter's chosen and always would be.

Loki may not yet understand all there was to know about his newfound heritage or his special position within jötnar society, but there was no mistaking the way Mother Winter reacted to him. Not to mention the recognition he had felt upon first connecting with her told him that, on some level, they had already bonded when he had been only an infant. He had been left in her temple, after all, and if he was her chosen and she had not wished for him to die, she might have taken steps to prevent it.

"What, exactly, are you suggesting?" Gunnlöð-Lairde inquired when Laufey-King remained silent.

His birth father had narrowed their eyes and was watching him closely, very closely. Was Laufey starting to recognize him on some level, Loki wondered. He had not actually seen himself in his jötunn form, so he did not know how closely his face at the moment mirrored his... true one. A tactical oversight, he now realized, and he hoped it did not cost them dearly. He had assumed the fact Laufey thought him dead would be enough to prevent his discovery, but if he looked similar enough to his birth mother...

"Merely that I have been taking a closer look at the Casket of Ancient Winters and found the original command which set it to the íviðjur," Loki explained, leaning back in his seat. "If you say there is no current íviðja, I could trigger this command and see if it selects a new master."

On some level, offering this alternative was a gamble as the jötnar did not know the Casket would always choose him as hewasthe rightful guardian of it, but 'twas a calculated gamble. He was almost certain Laufey would never allow it as the odds of them not gaining control of the Casket were far too great, but it provided the man with a choice and forced them out of their current stalemate.

"A new guardian might be able to overcome your restrictions," Gunnlöð-Lairde pointed out, confused.

"Perhaps," Loki shrugged, ensuring he appeared to be supremely unconcerned with this possibility. "I am more inclined to believe the Casket or Mother Winter, or whomever you believe is in control, will be more concerned with ensuring Jötunheimr's survival than whether or not you are able to leave your Realm, especially when Jötunheimr's magical core is so damaged."

'Twas a similarity between them which Loki had not yet thought of, but 'twas rather striking now he did. Who knew he would have such a commonality with his home Realm? 'Twas something they both could have done without.

Gunnlöð-Lairde and Laufey-King exchanged a significant glance and leaned closer to momentarily confer with each other.

"New function?" Lord Aðalgrímr questioned softly, leaning towards him.

"Hmm," Loki hummed, not taking his eyes off of the jötnar. "I only just discovered it. The Casket guided me towards it."

"Do you think we can trust that?" Lord Ragnvaldr inquired.

"I sense no malice from it for me. Indeed, the only negativity from it has all been aimed towards Laufey-King," Loki replied.

"Thatis interesting," Lord Aðalgrímr stated. "If mayhap a little worrying. If it should not perform for them when we give it back..."

"They will believe I am responsible for it, aye, I am aware," Loki replied. "However, I do not think it will be a problem if Laufey-King intends to utilize it to restore Jötunheimr."

"I am rather more concerned with how 'tis responding to you, my King," Lord Ragnvaldr declared, worry heavy in his voice.

"Me?" Loki questioned, surprised, turning to look at his advisor.

"Surely even with your heritage and seiðr, it should not be responding to you so strongly. 'Twas intended as a purely jötnar artefact after all. I simply worry at something so closely tied to Jötunheimr's core responding so well to Ásgarðr's king."

"You fear it means to harm me," Loki realized, stunned.

He had not even considered the possibility as Loki knew the real reason why the Casket of Ancient Winters reacted to, and obeyed, him. But, for someone who did not and who was aware of the possibility of some level of sentience, no matter how limited, 'twas a very valid concern. It showed just how close to the situation Loki was that the possibility had not even occurred to him.

Well, that and 'twas proof he was overworked, overtired and severely injured.

"The thought had occurred to me," Lord Ragnvaldr admitted.

Loki was not quite certain what to make of that as he was unused to those outside of his family worrying about his wellbeing on more than a superficial level as a prince of the Realm.

How best to handle this without dismissing the advisor's concern outright?

"Remember what happened in the vault?" Loki asked, making Lord Ragnvaldr's face turn even more grave.

"Aye."

"That was the Óðinnforce getting along better with the Casket than expected. It still is."

"And it would... know?" Lord Aðalgrímr checked.

"They are very similar in many ways."

"'Tis not necessarily as comforting as it might be," Lord Ragnvaldr stated, looking back towards the jötnar briefly.

"I prefer to view it as a sign we could learn to get along as well," Loki replied, unable to believehewas being the optimistic one.

He was generally viewed as the pessimist, though he had always seen it as being realistic. Hopefully he was still being so at present, Ásgarðr definitely believed so, therefore he would keep on his current track.

"Let us hope so," Lord Aðalgrímr said.

"So, restrictions on the ability to travel and utilizing the Casket of Ancient Winters as a weapon," Gunnlöð-Lairde checked once they had returned their attention to the jötnar delegation.

Clearly, Laufey did not wish to take the risk of not being deemed the Casket's rightful guardian so publicly.

"Aye," Lord Aðalgrímr confirmed.

The way it was asked, though, did make Loki wonder if there was some vital function he had overlooked in restricting, but theBook of Silvern Seiðrhad listed all of the Casket's abilities and there was nothing else worrying on the list. Well, unless Laufey was hoping he would miss one of the ways the Casket could be used as a weapon. He had not exactly specified after all, nor had his birth father asked.

"Fine," Gunnlöð-Lairde stated.

"Do we have a treaty then?" Loki asked, not quite daring to hope.

"Pending no problems with the final wording, aye," Laufey-King declared clearly.

Relief and satisfaction rushed through Loki, though he knew this was by no means the end.

"Simply beware that any additional incursions of your people into Jötunheimr until such a time as the treaty is signed will be viewed as an act of war and will be acted upon as such," Thrymr-General warned.

"There will be no such incidents," Loki promised, knowing he could trust Höðr to prevent them if anyone else did take the notion into their heads.

"Shall we draw up the draft treaty and send it to you?" Lord Ragnvaldr asked.

Not only would it give them control over the initial wording and implications, but it would allow Laufey to nitpick, which his birth father seemed to enjoy doing. Loki also wanted to write the first draft as it would allow him to ensure 'twas written on the proper seiðr rich parchment to ensure it could not be altered or tampered with after it was signed and sealed.

"That is acceptable," Gunnlöð-Lairde agreed. "Would you also deliver a response to Queen Sága for us?"

"Of course," Loki replied, pleased they seemed to have decided to accept her offer. Now, for him to extend his own show of good faith. "As soon as you have your reply ready, simply call for Höðr and he will ensure either your missive or envoy is given passage to Álfheimr."

Quite predictably, General Týr's hand twitched slightly, and Loki did not need to ask to know Höðr would have company in Himinbjörg until the jötnar's message had been delivered to Álfheimr and back. He could understand the man's concern as 'twas allowing some jötnar into Ásgarðr, but Höðr would see who and how many ahead of time and such a show of good faith was essential if they were going to get to an actual signed, final treaty. Besides, if this was going to result in anything similar to Ásgarðr's relationship with Vanaheimr today, then theyhadto start opening the relationship more.

"Höðr," Laufey-King repeated, and Loki could feel his old guard's attention focused on them. "Is it the name of your new gatekeeper?"

"Hmm," Loki agreed, suppressing a frown as he caught the look of confusion which crossed his sibling's face while Laufey's eyes narrowed and Gunnlöð-Lairde tilted his head in consideration.

Had he done something wrong?

"Heimdallr was removed from his post in part for allowing Thor and his party to travel to Jötunheimr," Lord Aðalgrímr explained.

Not only would the jötnar learn the full story soon enough, but it helped to prove they took what had happened seriously.

"Interesting you had two people with such a unique and handy talent," Thrymr-General stated.

Loki gave the man a smile which was all teeth, knowing well the general was fishing, but it would only prove his power to give them the truth. "We did not. Until five days ago, Höðr was blind from an injury. I tore his current gift from Heimdallr when the old gatekeeper was sentenced, and I gave it to Höðr."

Besides, hopefully knowing Ásgarðr's king could transfer the All-Sight gift at will might make Höðr less of a target if it did ever come to war with any Realm. Not that his old guard would not still be a target, his position made it impossible, but if 'twas known others could fill it, then 'twas no longer such a big feat for them to kill the gatekeeper.

"We will call for him when we are ready to send Álfheimr a reply," Gunnlöð-Lairde stated.

"And we will send a draft of the treaty as soon as we have it ready," Lord Aðalgrímr promised.

"How soon after the signing of the treaty could we expect the Casket of Ancient Winters to be returned to us?"

"I would be happy to bring it along when we sign the treaty and hand it over as soon as that has been done," Loki declared.

He wanted the damn treaty and a new, better peace between Ásgarðr and Jötunheimr. He saw no need to keep playing pointless games. Not only would they be viewed as nothing but a power play, but it would not help foster better relationships between them.

Not to mention now that Loki was so close to an official resolution to this whole war, he wanted it all sorted as soon as possible lest Óðinn wake up and ruin his glory or be the one to sign the official treaty and then gain the credit for it later. As soon as 'twas signed and finished, his adoptive father could wake up and take back Hliðskjálf, he did not want it, but first he wanted to prove hecoulddo it and that hewasworthy of his own respect and recognition, even if he did not do everything the normal æsir way.

"We look forward to seeing the draft treaty then," Laufey-King intoned.

Oh, Loki was certain his birth father was. Just as he was certain the man would have the Casket of Ancient Winters examined by whatever seiðr experts Laufey had in order to try to undo the restrictions Loki had placed upon it. But that was alright as he knew they would never be able to succeed. TheBook of Silvern Seiðrhad been quite clear on the fact that only Mother Winter superseded an íviðja's claim and power over the Casket, and she was clearly on his side on this.

"Will there be others to witness the treaty signing?" Helblindi-Princex suddenly asked, almost eagerly.

'Twas an interesting question and one Loki had not given much thought to, having been far too focused on making it through the negotiations in the first place. But large treaties of this nature which would affect all of the Nine were oft witnessed by representatives of the other Realms, or those who elected to send them.

Loki shared a quick glance with both Lords Aðalgrímr and Ragnvaldr. The last jötnar-æsir treaty had not had this ritual, but given the nature of the treaty 'twas not terribly surprising. This treaty was different, though, and was meant to reintroduce Jötunheimr to the rest of the Nine.

"I am happy to send out invitations to the other Realms," Loki replied, not wanting to speak for who might or might not respond and send a representative.

"Thank you!" Helblindi-Princex exclaimed, clearly excited.

"You must excuse my child, they has never met any not of jötnar heritage other than yourselves," Laufey-King said.

'Twas far more polite than Loki had expected from his birth father given they were the reason why Helblindi-Princex lacked this experience.

"'Tis fine," Loki replied, before he looked at his sibling. "One piece of advice, if a ljósálfr shows up, do not comment on their ears."

There was a quick bark of laughter from Lord Aðalgrímr before his old mentor caught himself, though 'twas still quite clear the man was amused at the memory.

"They do not like it?" Helblindi-Princex asked, confused.

"Nay, nay, they do not take offense, but it will launch them into a whole, long lecture on all of the differences of ljósálfar society based on the different cultural norms they believe stem from their ears," Loki explained, still well able to recall how he had needed rescuing after he had made that particular mistake.

"But what if I am interested in it?"

"For hours on end?" Gunnlöð-Lairde inquired.

"Oh."

"Exactly," Loki confirmed with a genuine smile.

"You did this?" Helblindi-Princex asked, seemingly surprised.

"King Loki was but a wee, little one at the time," Lord Ragnvaldr told him.

Loki scowled at the advisor. "As I recall, you could have sprung me from that particular conversation far earlier than Lord Aðalgrímr did."

"Ah, but would you have learned from it?"

What Lord Ragnvaldr was quite diplomatically not saying was how he had been warned beforehand to be careful what he said but, in his youthful arrogance, Loki had thought he knew better than his tutors. It had been a painful two hours learning better, though it had given him the first hints of how erogenous ljósálfar ears were, so it had not all been wasted.

"Ah, King Loki learns best like my children do then," Laufey-King commented with humor.

Rage flashed through Loki so hard and fast 'twas only his long experience at diplomacy and tricks which allowed him to mask almost all of it. He was unable to prevent the way he clutched his hand around Gungnir, which he had reached for earlier in preparation to rise.

How dare Laufey make such comments?

Of course, Helblindi, Býleistr and he were similar in certain ways, they were siblings and ones by blood too! Rather than him and Thor who had preciously little in common at times. Instead of allowing himself to dwell on it and do something stupid as Loptr had already proven he was prone to while emotional with a fractured core, Loki focused on his younger sibling and smiled at them.

"It might be painful or tedious at times, but the end result is acceptable," Loki told them, garnering a grin in return he had to fight off a shudder from.

Did he too have fangs like those?

The self-disgust caused a familiar rending pain deep within him and, a moment later, Loki was thankful he was seated as this time as 'twas accompanied by a wave of dizziness and nausea. A quick check showed that aye, over half of his core was now fully shredded and in tatters, mutilated beyond recognition almost. 'Twas actually uncomfortably close to three quarters and Loki knew he would no longer be able to do all that he normally could with his seiðr anymore, so he would need to be careful. Both so as to avoid embarrassing himself, but also to keep from arousing Lieutenant-General Yngvarr's suspicions. The man was eagle eyed and would probably notice and question why feats of seiðr which had appeared so easy as to be thoughtless only a few days ago, now seemed either impossible or very difficult.

While Loki was certain he would be able to come up with some reasonable sounding excuse, he was not entirely certain he would be able to successfully deceive Lieutenant-General Yngvarr for very long. The man had simply spent far too much time with him lately and spent nearly every waking moment observing him and his surroundings.

Besides, the far greater danger lay in how close his core was to snapping entirely. If that occurred, then madness was the best Loki would be able to hope for. An entirely unacceptable outcome, though preferable to death, of course.