The argument and subsequent conversation had left Yngvarr feeling unsettled and highly uncomfortable. That this sort of exchange was not uncommon had been more than clear, and he wondered how he had not heard of them transpiring before. The possibilities which occurred to him did little to settle how he felt, and he knew he could not simply leave the situation as 'twas. While he could do little if King Loki wished to brood or spend time in his chambers, he would do what he could.

"Find King Loki's servant and inform her the king has retired for the evening," Yngvarr ordered one of his men.

"Lieutenant-General," the man replied before heading off.

He had watched Livunn closely since the young prince had become king. At first, 'twas because she was an unknown, but later 'twas because their interactions fascinated Yngvarr, and he was impressed with what he had witnessed. That she had been with King Loki for a significant length of time was more than clear, as was the fact he both trusted her and felt comfortable in her presence. She, meanwhile, clearly knew the young king well enough to be able to handle his temper and moods skillfully. Short of requesting Queen Frigga's presence, Yngvarr knew Livunn was best placed to ensure King Loki was suitably looked after this evening.

"I must see General Týr," Yngvarr told the rest of his men. "One of you is to come find me immediately should the king change his mind and emerge from his chambers again tonight."

"Of course, Lieutenant-General."

Reassured he would be summoned, Yngvarr turned and headed towards General Týr's study, hoping to find his mentor and friend there, working on the ever-present parchmentwork the man was always grumbling about. Thankfully, most seemed to be at the evening feast, and he saw only a few servants on his way.

"Enter," Týr called out when he knocked.

Yngvarr rather hoped his worry and grim mood had not been obvious to all the servants he had passed, but that 'twas to his superior was immediately clear.

"Mead?" Týr offered after merely one look at him, already turning towards where he kept his supply.

"Aye," Yngvarr accepted, taking the goblet as soon as 'twas offered and draining it in one go, savoring the slight burn which indicated 'twas the stronger mead his superior preferred.

Týr eyed him warily before taking the goblet back and filling it up once more.

"Thor came by the king's study again this evening," Yngvarr finally began.

"What did he do?" Týr asked, already closing his eyes.

Yngvarr shrugged. "He heard of the sparring match I had with King Loki this afternoon. He seemed to be attempting to condole me on having lost, before continuing on to state it would not have happened had his brother fought honorably."

Týr's eyes snapped open and Yngvarr could already read the disbelief and dismay there. "King Loki?" was all he asked, but 'twas more than enough.

"He was out on the balcony, but 'twas clear he overheard the comment."

His friend and superior cursed and drained his own goblet. "What is wrong with him? Was he injured while on Miðgarðr?"

"Nay, much as I wish it were so," Yngvarr replied, ere he hesitated. If he were wrong about this the consequences could be severe, but if he were right and did nothing... "I believe it may be more systemic than that."

"Systemic?"

"Aye. When I spoke with King Loki of it afterwards, he thought I meant to placate him. The contempt in his voice when he spoke of being well aware of how others thought of him was more than clear," Yngvarr explained. "And when he spoke of others, I am quite certain he meant warriors."

Týr cursed once more, rising to his feet in order to be able to pace. Yngvarr watched him, knowing only all too well what his friend was feeling right now. He had felt it all himself earlier, both while watching the original argument unfold between the two brothers and afterwards, listening to his young king's frank and unguarded words. Though he had not known Prince Loki nearly as well as Prince Thor, he had interacted with the young prince often enough to know firsthand that his reputation for being both a wordsmith and silvertongued were well earned. From what had been said, he could safely assume the rumors of the second prince's ability to appear from nowhere were equally accurate.

He could only imagine what King Loki might have heard at those times, given all the ugly truths which had been surfacing recently. He felt both anger and disgust at the knowledge a member of the royal family had been treated so contemptuously, let alone that it had clearly become frequent enough for said prince to seemingly consider it normal.

"Do you think it all true?" Týr finally asked.

Yngvarr snorted. "Given what we saw this morning?" he questioned. "Besides, if they have been undermining King Loki's position and authority for years, then 'tis quite possible they are no longer the only ones either thinking or saying such things."

"A lie told and heard often enough," Týr muttered, jaw clenching.

"Aye, and wounded pride may have played its own role," Yngvarr added. "For those insecure enough, to be taken down by someone like Prince Loki who is not as built as Prince Thor, nor whom spends all of his time training..."

"Aye," Týr agreed, frowning before turning to face him directly. "I cannot help but wonder if I am partially to blame, however inadvertently, by having disallowed the use of seiðr on the training fields. It left most woefully unprepared to face a seiðmadr in battle, giving them another reason to feel threatened, which could lead them to viewing seiðr use in battle negatively."

"It would fit with Thor's words and attitude," Yngvarr said reluctantly, hesitating before continuing. Týr needed to know. "And King Loki called himself níðingr during the argument, when Thor attempted to distract him with an invitation to the evening's feast."

Týr's fist clenched and, for a moment, Yngvarr thought his superior might lash out at the items decorating the nearby bookshelf, most of which were not tomes. Then he frowned as he realized the other implications of what his superior had said.

"The training today did not look as dire as you imply," Yngvarr said.

The word 'woefully' was rather dramatic for Týr, and 'twas not one his friend would use lightly.

"You saw the best group, and only after quite some additional training," Týr responded. "I truly hope the peace holds as I have discovered I have much to do with the army beyond merely overseeing the recovery from a war and organizing an occupation."

Though somewhat surprised, Yngvarr was not as astonished as he could have been. He had watched Týr come down progressively from his staunchly pro-war stance over the course of the peace negotiations. Add to that the fact Týr now had several issues to deal with, and Yngvarr knew his superior would choose to focus on those rather than on taking his men into battle if Týr did not feel fully confident in their abilities. Even if he knew they could still win.

"We have a lot of work to do," Týr stated, before he frowned and looked Yngvarr dead in the eye. "Though it may all become yours."

"What?" Yngvarr questioned, startled and caught off-guard.

Týr scoffed. "Come, Yngvarr, you must realize there is a good chance King Óðinn will replace me, in which case the army will be yours."

"King Loki did not-"

"King Loki is hardly more than a child!" Týr snapped, cutting him off and making Yngvarr raise his eyebrows. "Oh, believe me, I will follow him to the ends of the Nine if I must, but he is barely more than a child nonetheless. Besides, King Loki is smart enough to know replacing a military leader for something like this now would be ill advised, but after..." Týr trailed off and sighed. "But I would not blame King Óðinn as even I am ashamed of myself and how much control I have lost."

Though he was tempted to interject with his own views and comments, Yngvarr did not, realizing his commander needed time. Besides, Týr could not vent thus to anyone else as he needed to appear as calm and stoic as King Loki to most. 'Twas actually one of the most unique aspects of his position, Yngvarr mused; the fact that it placed him precisely in this position to witness both the public and private faces of two such highly placed men. It also served to prove exactly how similar both Týr and King Loki were, despite all of their differences. In some ways, he knew such venting was healthy, but Yngvarr was still concerned for his young king. He knew how much the role could wear on King Óðinn at times, and the elder king had a wife and two sons to aide him. King Loki had no such support at present, far from it, in fact.

With a aggravated sound, Týr dropped back down into his seat. "And now I wonder if 'tis merely good sense which keeps King Loki from replacing me, or whether he fears he could not, even if he wished to."

"King Loki has made more than one comment to the effect of being aware of his lack of popularity among the warriors," Yngvarr admitted, reluctantly.

Týr cursed. "The traitors could have been undermining his authority for years, decades or even centuries for all I know. A member of the royal family should never have to worry about the obedience of their own men based on anything so frivolous as popularity!"

"What will you do?" Yngvarr asked.

"Start with Thor," Týr replied. "As all of our best efforts and work will be for naught if he cannot cease undermining his own brother."

While once Yngvarr may have argued, after all he had witnessed today, he could not help but agree with that particular assessment of the situation. If it were only private doubt of his brother, it would be one thing. Still not desirable by any means, but entirely manageable. The flagrant and public arguments and challenges, however, were another thing altogether and normally would reflect quite poorly on their king and his ability to lead. Yet nothing about their current circumstances were normal, and 'twas hardly King Loki's fault if he came to Hliðskjálf with a heavily undermined power base when he had not been in a position to defend it before without challenging his brother's own authority in turn.

'Twas a mess no matter how Yngvarr looked at it and he was rather impressed nothing had gone catastrophically wrong yet. That was a testament to King Loki's leadership and the efforts of those immediately around him, all of whom were determined to ensure Ásgarðr came through this whole ordeal as unscratched as possible.

"How is he? Truly?" Týr asked, softly.

"Exhausted, overworked, irritable," Yngvarr rattled off. "Isolated."

In truth, the king needed his brother more than ever and Thor was an idiot if he could not see it. Despite himself, Yngvarr could not help but wonder if that was a trait they could afford in their future king.

Týr snorted. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Be a united front," Yngvarr answered. "King Loki needs to know whom he can rely on, and those who would dissent need to see it too."

"That I can promise," Týr replied. "We may have had our differences, but I will stand by my king for as long as either Loki or Óðinn allow it."

"For what 'tis worth, I can say King Loki neither tenses nor puts on a mask when dealing with you," Yngvarr said. "Thus, I am fairly certain he is aware of your loyalty despite your past... ah, disagreements."

Týr smiled at the euphemism and Yngvarr was glad. They were all stretched thin lately and 'twas important to take enjoyment in the simple things.

"Dare I enquire about King Óðinn?" Týr questioned.

"When was the last time he refrained from informing you precisely of how displeased he might be?"

"True."

They simply sat in silence for a few moments, Týr refilling his goblet and sipping from it, much as Yngvarr did.

"I almost dread to ask, but are there any other issues I should be aware of?" Týr inquired.

"There is one thing which may or may not be of import," Yngvarr replied. "King Loki has requested I look into our newest tailor."

"Tailor?" Týr questioned, startled.

"Aye. It would seem we have a new one from Álfheimr."

"Ah, I see."

"Someone has spoken to you of this?"

"Not of the tailor, but Lord Ragnvaldr did mention he was concerned with the level of attention Queen Sága has been paying both Ásgarðr in general, and King Loki in particular," Týr explained.

"That seemed to be King Loki's concern as well," Yngvarr informed him.

"Disturbing as her sudden interest may be, I am not certain 'tis negative."

"Oh?" Yngvarr questioned.

For his superior not to immediately think the worst was rather unusual. Týr's job largely consisted of being prepared for the most violent or damaging possibility.

"Her aid and willingness to establish a trade agreement with Jötunheimr have been infinitely valuable during the peace negotiations," Týr admitted. "And their connection with Ásgarðr is simply too great for them to risk anything so foolish as allying themselves with Jötunheimr against us."

"True," Yngvarr agreed, but he could sense there was something more. "But?"

"But I cannot determine what Queen Sága's interest may be, and that concerns me."

"I may have an answer there," Yngvarr replied. "Or at least an option to consider."

"Oh?"

"Think of what we know, or at least the instances which have been reported to us. The previous high regard for King Loki while still a prince."

"Including viewing this... Yggdrasilli model," Týr said.

"Aye, that and increased attention from Queen Sága herself when compared to Thor."

"Lord Ragnvaldr also spoke of the ljósálfar being more open and approachable to King Loki than they were to others, including Lord Aðalgrímr who has had far longer dealings with them."

"I was also told Queen Sága asked specifically about how King Loki fared during the ignition of the Yggdrasill, as if she expected he might have withstood it when no one else seems to have done so," Yngvarr added. "And then, of course, there is the aid she has been providing us since the peace negotiations commenced."

"At first, I was tempted to view that as simply one ally aiding another," Týr admitted. "But I have been reliably informed this is not how the ljósálfar act towards other races during normal interactions."

"Aye, 'tis what Lord Aðalgrímr has informed me of as well," Yngvarr agreed.

"So, it would seem King Loki is the focal point of all of their uncharacteristic behavior. You said you had a potential theory on this?"

"Aye," Yngvarr confirmed. "'Tis something King Loki said to Thor a few evenings ago. 'Twas meant in jest and to rile his brother, I believe, but it did remind me of the possibility."

"Oh?"

"Arranged marriage."

Týr stared at him in shock for a moment or two. "Arranged marriage? What, for Queen Sága and King Loki?"

"Nay, she is already married," Yngvarr nearly laughed. "I did not mean the queen, but rather her daughter. Queen Sága's eldest and heir is a daughter only slightly older than both Thor and King Loki."

"And you believe she may be looking for a match with Ásgarðr?"

"It would strengthen the existing ties between our Realms and every ruler needs a partner to produce heirs," Yngvarr explained. "Remember, their interest in King Loki commenced long before he ascended to Hliðskjálf, back when 'twas assumed he would never be king."

"Of course," Týr replied, catching on. "We had all assumed Prince Loki would be his brother's advisor and thus remain on Ásgarðr, but another Realm may not be aware of that."

"Precisely, they would view Óðinn's youngest as free from the ties binding Prince Thor to Ásgarðr and thus an excellent way to increase the ties to our Realm."

"And King Loki is very much a match with their ideals," Týr mused. "A powerful seiðmadr and accomplished scholar, not to mention he had already expressed an interest in their seiðr and seemed quite willing to visit Álfheimr, far more regularly so than his brother."

"'Tis but a theory," Yngvarr cautioned. "But it would seem to match what we know and, as King Loki said, arranged marriages are far from uncommon among the royal families."

"King Óðinn and Queen Frigga."

"Aye. King Loki also mentioned something recently of Queen Bestla being jötunn?"

Týr pulled a face even as he gave a quick nod of his head. "She was, but I do not believe hers was an arranged marriage."

"'Twas a love match?" Yngvarr questioned, somewhat startled.

It took him a moment to realize he could not quite imagine anyone wishing to marry a jötunn, but then he had only ever known the jötnar during the times of friction leading up to the last war and all the consequences thereof. As the recent discussions in Glaðsheimr had proven, even the vanir had once been Ásgarðr's enemies and he found it difficult to view them as thus, especially knowing Queen Frigga as well as he did. And, as King Loki had pointed out, both he and Thor were more vanir than they were æsir. It had been a startling realization but made sense once considered in context of how royal marriages were often as political as anything else, if not more so, as had happened between King Óðinn and Queen Frigga.

Yngvarr shuddered at the thought of not being able to choose his own partner. Not that it appeared to have adversely affected King Óðinn and Queen Frigga's marriage, but he knew that could easily have been entirely different. Thor's reaction the other evening proved he was not alone in his slightly negative view of the situation. King Loki's seeming resignation to the possibility of it bothered him as well. No one should have to feel so powerless in such an important decision in their life. 'Twas but one of many reasons he had always been glad not to be a member of the royal family.

"I believe so," Týr answered, sounding thoughtful. "The recent talk of íviðjur has made me wonder."

"You think Queen Bestla may have been an íviðja?" Yngvarr asked, startled.

"Nay, given what King Loki mentioned of them, I do not believe Jötunheimr would easily allow one to leave their Realm. Or at least not prior to Laufey becoming king, but perhaps she was descended from one? She was not as tall as most jötnar, and her features were smoother than those I saw during the war."

"I suppose the íviðjur are as likely to have children as any other jötunn, if there are no religious restrictions on it."

Týr suddenly huffed. "How did we come to discuss jötnar mating practices?"

The question made Yngvarr laugh and he shook his head before finishing off his mead, which his friend immediately topped up once more. "I brought up the possibility of Álfheimr seeking to poach King Loki."

"Aye. I suppose if that was their original intent then his regency will not have lessened their interest," Týr replied, darkly. "If anything, it may have increased it as he will have proven himself eminently capable of ruling a Realm through difficult circumstances."

"You do not care for the idea."

"Nay. Prince Loki was always meant to be Prince Thor's advisor, and recent events have proven how much our crown prince could use such advice."

Yngvarr winced at the words. They were worryingly true as the entire situation with Jötunheimr was Prince Thor's fault. Well, perhaps not the entire situation, the jötnar had attacked first during the coronation ceremony, but from what he had heard while at his post, that could have been the end of it had Prince Thor not taken an armed party to Jötunheimr and ignored Laufey-King's offer to let them go without commencing hostilities. So, 'twas mostly Prince Thor's fault and the elder Óðinnson's subsequent behavior had not improved his opinion any either. He did wonder how much of the latter would be apparent to anyone not in his position, as he had noticed the efforts King Loki had gone towards protecting his brother's reputation as much as possible considering the circumstances.

The thought generated mixed emotions in Yngvarr. Though he did not believe anyone should have every action of theirs scrutinized forever by everyone, being in such a vital position did mean certain crucial elements of their personalities were of vital importance to the lives of all æsir, and Thor was no longer a child. Still, Yngvarr was comforted by the fact he was certain King Óðinn would not allow what had transpired to pass without consequences. Not after how much it had imperiled not only Ásgarðr, but all of the Nine as well.

"While that may be," Yngvarr said, turning his thoughts back to their conversation. "I believe the question will be whether King Loki will wish to be his brother's advisor after all of what has transpired. It may well be he will seek to distance himself from Thor, and he has stated more than once he has never had a desire for Hliðskjálf or to be king."

"'Tis something which could work to our advantage given Álfheimr's seeming intentions," Týr argued.

"Not necessarily. Remember, on Álfheimr they do not assign right to rule based on gender as we do," Yngvarr countered. "Queen Sága's daughter would be the next ruler and her husband would be more like Queen Frigga, able to select areas of interest to focus his attention on, allowing him far more freedom than the main ruler while still being highly placed. Therefore, it would almost afford King Loki the best of both worlds, should he so desire."

His words did not comfort his superior, Yngvarr could tell, but they were no less true for it. 'Twas all theoretical and based on the assumption either Queen Sága or her daughter were looking at King Loki as a potential match, but it did fit with the information they had available to them and he felt they should at least consider the possibility seriously, so they were not caught off-guard should an offer for a political marriage be made to them.

"I do not like it, but I shall inform Lord Ragnvaldr of your thoughts so he may consider them," Týr finally stated. "Let us hope 'tis not Álfheimr's intention to try to claim King Loki once his regency ends, but it will be his and King Óðinn's decision should such an offer be made."

"You do not wish to inform King Loki?"

"It does not seem like Queen Sága intends to approach us now, and the king already has much on his mind."

All very true.

"Queen Sága is also unlikely to make an offer so long as King Loki is regent as it makes him incompatible with the position they may be seeking him to take. Meanwhile, I shall continue to look into the tailor and see if they are anyone we should be concerned about," Yngvarr replied. "In case I am wrong and Álfheimr's interest in King Loki is more sinister."

"Aye, do so and let me know of anything you should find. I shall alert Höðr to our concerns and request he keep an eye on Álfheimr whenever possible and to ensure that should a ljósálfar delegation or representative come that we are alerted immediately. We should be able to write off any additional security precautions as necessary given the circumstances and Heimdallr's actions."

The reminder of what had so nearly happened made Yngvarr shudder. It had always been his greatest fear as head of the king's guards; that a threat would come from an unexpected source and potentially circumnavigate all of their security precautions. Short of isolating the king in a chamber and not allowing anyone to interact with him, there was no way of fully guaranteeing his charge's safety, but even then most of their defenses were designed around the assumption those close to the king were safe. 'Twas a concern he had raised more than once, but as King Óðinn had repeatedly pointed out, he had work to do. Still, given recent events, he would raise the issue once more when Óðinn awoke. At least at present King Loki was allowing the additional security features a war required, so the issue had not yet been raised, much as he could see the constant surveillance chafed on the young king.

"The question will be what King Loki will do if the peace treaty succeeds," Yngvarr stated.

Týr scowled. "I shall endeavor to uncover the extent of the damage inflicted within the Einherjar by the traitors before that point, so we can perform a proper threat assessment."

"We will need to take King Loki's unique abilities into account in any such assessment."

"Which would require knowing all of his abilities," Týr muttered, making Yngvarr laugh.

"'Tis the price we have paid for writing off his interest in seiðr."

"Do you believe we have seen the true extent of them now?"

"On the training fields today?" Yngvarr checked. "Given what I have witnessed of King Loki's personality as of late, and taking into account his renown penchant for secrecy and stealth, nay, I would say he has most likely kept some abilities back or downplayed the true extent of his current power."

"'Twas my thought as well. At least, if he is so reluctant to inform us, then 'tis even more unlikely he has revealed the true extent of them to another whom is not æsir."

"Not to mention they would most likely be wrong now even if he had," Yngvarr stated. "As it would have been prior to his gaining the Óðinnforce upon ascending to Hliðskjálf."

"Thank the Norns for small mercies."

They lapsed into silence for a while as they sipped their mead.

"I hate to add more to our concerns," Yngvarr finally said. "But I believe we need to discuss Lord Óðr."

"Aye," Týr confirmed. "I did not find King Loki's reference to him earlier comforting either. You were not aware of the situation?"

"Not fully. I knew there has been some tension between them as King Loki demanded we wait outside while he spoke with the man shortly after his collapse in the vault, and Lord Óðr appeared grim when he emerged from the king's study."

"But you do not know more?"

"Not at the time," Yngvarr replied. "I sent one of my men to see if the nightshift guards had learned of anything, and he returned with news from Thor's guards."

"Oh?"

"It seems when Thor met with Prince Vé, they discussed the need to check Lord Óðr's work as far as the King's Funds applications were concerned, since it would appear Lord Óðr attempted to assign the funds himself."

Týr cursed and finished the remainder of his mead. "As if we do not currently possess enough worries."

The words themselves did not require a response from him, but they did remind Yngvarr of something else.

"Speaking of the funds," Yngvarr began.

"If you wish to warn me of how they may be assigned, do not bother," Týr waved him off. "I could have guessed as Prince Loki never failed to make his displeasure on the point clear."

"Aye, but what we have learned since..."

"It has given us a rather different perspective, has it not?" Týr admitted. "I still cannot believe any part of Ásgarðr has suffered so badly and we were not aware of it."

"In regard to that, when King Loki was questioning one of my men on what they knew of that part of the city, 'twas revealed the inhabitants believed they were being neglected as no warriors lived there," Yngvarr informed his superior.

"Norns," Týr rubbed his face. "As if we did not have enough to worry about. At least this is not an area we need to investigate."

"Nay, but we may need to consider how much of the King's Funds we attempt to apply for in the future."

"King Loki will love that, but you may have a point."

"Loki? Your Majesty?"

Livunn's voice drifted into Loki's awareness along with a soft touch to his left shoulder. He grumbled something unintelligible as he tried to gather his wits, which was more difficult than it should be. That sent a small jolt of panic through him before he recalled his core injury. Clearly, 'twas sapping his strength.

With an effort, Loki rolled his head where it was nestled on his arms as he recalled what had transpired. He had sat down at the table and put his head down for merely a moment. Obviously, he had fallen asleep. Not a good sign.

When Loki opened his eyes, he found Livunn crouched beside his chair, looking up at him in concern.

"Are you alright, Loki?" she asked, worriedly.

"Aye," Loki lied, forcing himself to sit upright and rub his face. "Simply tired."

"Hmm," Livunn replied, clearly not quite convinced, but not seeking to call him out on it now. "Would you prefer to go straight to bed?"

Straight to bed? Loki was about to ask when his nose caught the smell of the covered dishes further down the table and his stomach immediately growled as hunger came alive within him.

Hár fish stew!

"I will take that as a nay," Livunn laughed.

Loki sent her a mock scowl, but his heart was not in it. Between the trial, his meeting with Lords Aðalgrímr and Ragnvaldr, the first very public argument with Thor and the second, more private one, he was completely and utterly drained. Loki knew he could not go on like this, not with his increasingly festering core, but Óðinn was still firmly in the grip of the Óðinnsleep and he was loathe to pester Lady Eir too much on his adoptive father's condition, least he arose suspicions of his own condition. He could simply not afford to do so as he knew he would slip in other areas and so needed his cover to remain as intact as he could possibly keep it elsewhere.

"Did you request this?" Loki asked as Livunn moved to prepare his dinner.

"Nay," she replied. "I believe this is as much a statement of approval of the treaty with Jötunheimr as 'tis because the kitchens are aware 'tis a favorite of yours."

Treaty? In his exhausted state it took Loki a moment to remember hár fish stew was a specialty of Jötunheimr. He had not known that when he had first come to love it, and he had been rather surprised 'twas served semi-regularly on Ásgarðr when he had learned of it. However, it had apparently been a favorite of his gr- of Bestla's, which made more sense now than it had done at the time. It had persisted after her death as Óðinn and his uncles had a certain fondness for it, though whether 'twas due to their own mixed heritage or because of the association with their mother, Loki did not know.

His own love of it made far more sense now he was aware his taste buds and digestive system were still jötunn. It also explained why he had always preferred the cold version of the stew rather than the piping hot version normally served in the Great Hall.

Loki was not quite certain how to feel about all of it now, but he was too tired to deal with it, so he pushed the feelings aside and instead started eating as soon as Livunn placed his filled bowl before him. He was already halfway through it before he became aware of the pleasure and joy radiating from Mother Winter. 'Twas like a warm ball of approval at the back of his mind and served to lull him into a sleepy, contented state despite his earlier foul mood and the ever-present agony radiating from his core.

At any other time, he might have resisted it, but as all he wished to do after dinner was relax before attempting to sleep, he allowed it for now, knowing none could harm him here within his chambers with the Einherjar standing guard immediately outside his wards, and Höðr beyond that.