When his internal sense told him 'twas time to rise, Loki felt like he had hardly slept at all. No matter how much he tried, either his mind or his core kept waking him.

He grumbled as he rose and utilized seiðr as well as cold water to rouse himself sufficiently for breaking his fast. He elected to go back to his first outfit as king today, since he found it fitting to wear the same when carrying out the former Warriors Four's punishment as when they had betrayed him. 'Twas symbolic and he liked reminding them of their mistakes. Besides, the fact the cape was not of æsir origin would anger Volstagg's sensibilities as his wife's family were tailors.

His morning meal was quick but hearty, and Loki tried not to think of his brother as he made his way to Glaðsheimr. Some of his restlessness last night had been about what exactly Thor would do next. He was truly beginning to doubt Loptr was right about their potential reconciliation. Though Loki was beginning to wonder ifhewanted to. The last few days had been nothing but harsh reminders of all the reasons why he had originally withdrawn from his brother to begin with.

They arrived in Glaðsheimr far too soon for Loki's liking, but luckily there did not yet appear to be any signs of Thor. Mayhap his brother would throw one of his tantrums and not attend.

'Twas a very pleasant thought.

"Good morning, Loki," Uncle Vili greeted, peering at him in concern. "How are you today?"

"Fine," Loki lied. "And yourself?"

"Recollecting why I was pleased when your brother underwent his minor majority and commenced his official duties."

"Ah, the Princes' Court wearing on you?"

"Nothing which is not manageable or unusual, but..." Uncle Vili trailed off.

He did not need to say more, Loki knew well how wearying the cases could be. They were probably all the more so after Uncle Vili had thought the responsibility done forever.

"I find it rather refreshing," Uncle Vé said as he joined them. "It takes me back to when we were young."

"I am certain if you ask, Óðinn will be happy to allow you your own sessions," Uncle Vili replied. "But do not go giving him ideas for me!"

Loki chuckled. "Father may actually be grateful if you offer to assist in supervising Thor's sessions."

"Thor's?" Uncle Vé questioned before his eyes widened. "Oh, of course, people would not have avoided his without a reason."

"Hmm."

A soft coughing sound had Loki looking at his eldest uncle, who glanced pointedly over Loki's shoulder. So, no tantrum today then. Or at least not of that variety. He acknowledged his uncle's warning, but did not turn around. He was through making things easier for his brother as Thor did not deserve it.

"Are those the copies of the treaty?" Loki asked Lord Aðalgrímr instead, when he approached the table and found it had rolled up parchments at most seats.

"Aye," Lord Aðalgrímr replied, easily taking his lead from Loki. "With all of the changes we discussed."

"Good."

The others were approaching the table now, but Thor did not come to him directly and Loki was beginning to wonder if his brother meant to apologize at all. It would not be the first time Thor had completely ignored an argument or fight between them and utilized some meeting or appointment to force interactions between them once more.

It made Loki half tempted to have Thor thrown out of Glaðsheimr. His brother was not a full Council member at present anyway.

"Lo- ah, Your Majesty, may I please have a moment to address the Council?" Thor inquired.

His brother's voice had the formal tone Mother had taught them to use during official business, and Loki had to admit to being intrigued. The nervous undertone he detected made him even more tempted, but he was still uncertain if he should, so he flicked his eyes to Lord Ragnvaldr and raised an eyebrow. The advisor glanced over at Thor for a moment, appraising him, before he looked back to Loki and nodded.

"Very well," Loki said as he took his seat.

A quick glance at Lord Óðr was all he needed to tell the man was curious. Uncles Vili and Vé, however, looked more worried and Loki could not fault them for it. The tension between himself and Thor would be more than obvious to them in particular, though he was certain the rest of the Council could feel it too. As everyone settled, Thor finally approached the table, looking more nervous than Loki could recollect his brother being in a very long time. 'Twas on the tip of his tongue to ask if Thor felt it now, but he resisted.

Barely.

He did not need even more trouble right now. His core could not take it. Nor could his sanity. And would it not be ironic if doing everything right made him lose it nonetheless?

"Thank you, Brother," Thor said, looking at him before glancing at the others. "Yesterday morn I behaved rather abysmally and for that I owe Loki and General Týr in particular an apology, but Lords Aðalgrímr and Ragnvaldr as well for needing to witness it."

With a clearing of his throat, Loki glanced pointedly over at Lieutenant-General Yngvarr and the rest of his guard.

"Aye, of course, Lieutenant-General Yngvarr and his men as well," Thor agreed. "I was wholly out of line and should not have acted as I did, nor said what I did. For that, I heartily apologize and swear it will not happen again."

Well, they would need to see about that, though Loki had to admit he was impressed. That his mother had a hand in this was blatantly obvious, but Loki did not mind as he knew well the dressing down she would have given Thor upon hearing what had transpired.

"Loki, Lieutenant-General, I further realize I owe both of you an additional apology for what I said yesterday evening," Thor continued, meeting his eyes head on. "I spoke without thinking, Brother, as I am wont to do. Not only was it wrong of me to say those words, but I know I hurt you, which was not my intention. I would never do that on purpose."

Mayhap his brother thought he truly meant the latter, but Loki knew 'twas not true. If Thor believed Loki had broken some sacred æsir norm, then Loki knew his brother had never felt bad in informing him of it, even though they both knew it would hurt him.

"For my part, I accept your apology," Lord Ragnvaldr began after a moment of silence. "But I hope you appreciate the ramifications of your actions."

"Aye," Thor replied, immediately. "Mother ensured to inform me of all of those I had not realized on my own."

Of that, at least, Loki had absolutely no doubt. Rather than replying himself, he looked to Lord Aðalgrímr and General Týr, not wanting for his decision to influence them. Well, and to allow his brother to stew in uncertainty for a while longer. Though he dearly wished to be able to refuse this apology, Loki knew he could not for a variety of reasons, so this was the next best thing, even if 'twas petty. Not that Loki cared. He would take what he could.

One by one the others accepted, though General Týr gazed at Thor long and hard first.

"You will come for the remedial training?" the man checked, and Loki wanted to smile at him.

What better way to obtain his brother's word than demanding it now?

"I will," Thor promised, with only the briefest hesitation.

"Good," General Týr stated, before he inclined his head.

"Brother?" Thor asked.

Loki pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes. "Fine," he declared after a moment. "But there will be no more warnings."

"I understand."

They would see about that. Thor's greatest weakness was that he reacted without thinking. Thus, by the time his brother remembered this promise, it would already be too late.

"Sit," Loki bid and caught the relief which crossed his brother's face before he looked further down the table. "Lord Aðalgrímr?"

"The parchments you find before you are a draft copy of the peace treaty with Jötunheimr," his old mentor began. "King Loki and Lord Ragnvaldr have already looked it over, so 'tis now ready for the rest of you to have a look before we send a copy to Laufey-King for them and their court to examine."

"Hopefully I need not remind anyone the details of this are confidential until we have a final treaty," Loki stated, glancing at Lord Óðr before he allowed his eyes to flicker around to the others.

"When would you like our feedback?" Uncle Vili inquired.

"By this evening if possible, so we can send it to Jötunheimr tomorrow," Lord Aðalgrímr replied.

"Speaking of Jötunheimr," General Týr began. "Höðr has informed me the jötnar have taken up your offer, my Liege, and sent a party to Álfheimr to speak with Queen Sága regarding the trade offer."

"How many?" Loki asked.

"Only Gunnlöð-Lairde and three others."

"Any of them Helblindi-Princex?" Lord Aðalgrímr asked.

"Nay."

"Laufey-King probably does not trust us enough to allow their child and heir to pass through Ásgarðr without themself and a full complement of guards present."

"Much as the young princex may wish to," Lord Ragnvaldr added with a small smile.

"Hmm," Loki agreed.

"We are allowing the jötnar to travel off Jötunheimr ahead of the treaty?" Lord Óðr questioned.

"Only this particular party," Lord Aðalgrímr explained. "Queen Sága has extended an offer of trade which we passed on to prove there would be interest in their goods and King Loki offered them Bifröst passage to reply, as a gesture of good faith to further entice them."

"Höðr is monitoring the group closely," General Týr reassured. "He reported the ljósálfar are not being lax with security either, ensuring none can utilize the opportunity to escape."

"It would be poor strategy," Thor added when it looked Lord Óðr might protest. "Four men, even if all warriors, would be ill equipped to deal with the full might of Ásgarðr."

"The full details are in the treaty notes," Lord Aðalgrímr added.

"I will be certain to check them," Lord Óðr finally said.

"Good," Loki stated before turning to General Týr. "How come the preparations of the army?"

"Our first and second tiers would be able to respond should they be needed," General Týr replied. "I would prefer they had more time to train, but they could fight. The third tier is not as prepared, though they could be utilized in specific situations. I would, however, prefer even more time with them than the others."

"Norns willing, they will not be necessary," Uncle Vé said.

"Norns willing," Lord Ragnvaldr agreed. "But 'tis good to know we could respond nonetheless."

"Aye," Loki said, glancing towards Lord Óðr. "How fare the-"

Loud cawing cut him off and Loki looked towards the balcony to see both Huginn and Muninn soar in, the former with slightly singed and smoldering feathers.

"What happened?" Loki demanded in concern.

"He miscalculated," Muninn replied, smugly. "I warned him not to."

"Múspellsheimr sends a representative," Huginn stated with a huff as he landed on the table.

Loki reached out and ran his fingers through the raven's feathers, making certain all of the flames and embers were fully extinguished. He also took a moment tothinkof healing, knowing for Huginn it would be better than attempting the limited healing seiðr he was capable of.

"Thank you, Loki," Huginn sighed in relief.

"What representative?" Loki asked.

"One to 'finalize' the new trade agreement for zisa," Muninn explained.

"Oh."

"Aye," Huginn confirmed. "We could not hear all, but Queen Sinmara believes you ripe for manipulation, due to Ásgarðr's need and that you require some good news as regent."

"Then let us teach her a lesson," Loki replied with a sharp smile.

"Uh oh," Thor said. "I know that look."

Loki ignored his brother in favor of turning to look at Óðinn's advisor. "Múspellsheimr is making their move."

General Týr immediately stiffened. "Are they preparing an attack force?"

"Nay, they are sending a trade representative to attempt to take advantage of the situation," Loki explained.

"A trade representative?" Lord Óðr asked.

"The zisa negotiations," Lord Aðalgrímr realized. "Majesty, Múspellsheimr has been attempting to extort us on the price recently."

"I am aware," Loki replied, glancing back at Huginn. "Do they come even now?"

"Aye."

"We shall have to conclude this session later," Loki said, rising to his feet even as Muninn jumped from her perch on his chair to his shoulder.

The best thing would be to ask them to utilize the time to look over the draft treaty, but Loki knew better than to think they would be anywhere other than close by with Múspellsheimr circling.

"My King," Lord Óðr protested when the others all also rose to their feet. "With the length of time the current trade agreement has already taken to negotiate, our supply of zisa has run critically low. If there were another delay, well..."

"I am well aware of our current situation," Loki replied, eyes flashing to the man before he looked at General Týr. "Please have the representative brought to Valaskjálf. If Queen Sinmara wants to play games, then let us give her an audience for it."

There was more than one worried glance around the table, but Loki ignored them as he turned to leave Glaðsheimr. He had been in a foul mood since rising and this was precisely what he needed; a chance to be as vicious and deceptive as he liked. He smiled to himself as Huginn settled on his other shoulder. This might actually be rather entertaining.

"What is zisa?" Thor asked, as his brother sailed out of Glaðsheimr.

"What is zisa?" Lord Ragnvaldr repeated in surprise, pausing in the act of gathering his things.

"Aye," Thor confirmed, with a frown.

Was this something he should be aware of? It did sound vaguely familiar, but he could not place it.

"Zisa is a substance we require in order to renitrate our soil," Lord Óðr explained. "As we do not possess enough farmland to allow some of it to lay fallow and renitrate itself, we must add this to it every few years in order to ensure the soil remains fertile and arable enough to sustain the food crops we require. Without it, we would be forced to purchase food from another Realm."

Oh, right, that did sound familiar, but Thor could easily see why he had forgotten all about it. 'Twas not terribly exciting, yet he could understand why it could be a problem now if Múspellsheimr wished to be difficult.

"Is King Loki familiar with the current state of the negotiations?" Lord Ragnvaldr asked, looking to Lord Aðalgrímr.

"Not so far as I am aware."

The answer made Thor uneasy, but Loki had not seemed hesitant or even nervous. Indeed, his brother had immediately known what was being discussed and he doubted the knowledge came from either Huginn or Muninn. 'Twas yet another sharp reminder of all the ways Loki seemed far more prepared for Hliðskjálf than him.

After his utterly disastrous visit to the king's study yesterday evening, Thor had been up half the night thinking long and hard about everything which had transpired as of late and all that his mother had said to him during all of their conversations since his return. It had not been a pleasant experience, however he had come to a few unpleasant but rather important realizations, and while Thor would not pretend to understand how or why it had all come to pass, he could no longer ignore he had been woefully unprepared to be either king or a military leader. The latter grated even more than the former - he had long since seen himself as an excellent leader - but after what his friends had said when he had visited them yesterday, he could no longer deny he had failed them terribly if 'twas truly how they viewed their current situation.

There was still a part of him which sought to blame it on other factors, but how could he fault them for their views and disrespect for General Týr if he sought to dismiss the man's words and concerns himself? And 'twas not simply the head of the army who felt he required additional training. He wished for them to all be wrong, but what if they were not? What if he had truly helped to undermine his brother's authority? The mere thought made Thor feel vaguely ill, particularly if Loki had realized the implications of his actions and thought he had either not cared, or done it on purpose.

'Twas that which in the end had persuaded him to accept the remedial training. How could he not if he had potentially helped to sow the seeds of the doubt which had led to Heimdallr's actions? He would sacrifice his life for Loki, so this was but a pittance in comparison.

Contemplating all of that had led to other thoughts, and 'twas then he had commenced counting all of the ways his brother had seemed more prepared than he for Hliðskjálf. He had not even been aware of this vital need for zisa, much less the fact they were currently locked in a dispute with Múspellsheimr over its acquisition.

"You said they were attempting to extort us?" Thor checked as he caught up with Lords Aðalgrímr and Óðr, who seemed to be heading for Valaskjálf.

"Aye," Lord Aðalgrímr replied.

"They are no longer pleased with what they receive in return," Lord Óðr added. "They claim Vanaheimr is charging more for the crops they wish to purchase."

"Are they?" Thor asked, already able to tell this would turn into a complicated mess of who purchased what from which Realm and at what price.

"That we do not know for certain," Lord Aðalgrímr said.

"But Uncle Freyr-"

"Will not wish to share the details of his trade agreements with Múspellsheimr with us."

"Why not?"

"For they may have made a better or worse deal with us or another Realm," Lord Aðalgrímr explained. "Any particular trade agreement between two Realms comes down to the skills of the negotiators who made the deal, therefore none wish to share the details thereof, ourselves included."

Thor groaned. This was part of why he hated all things diplomatic. 'Twas all so underhanded and dishonorable. He much preferred true battle on the fields which resolved disputes based on skill and honor alone.

"Thus, they wish to push Loki into finalizing the deal with them?" Thor concluded.

"Aye, to their advantage," Lord Óðr stated.

Thor's eyes narrowed at the man's tone as he recalled what Uncle Vé had said Lord Óðr had attempted. Though he would have preferred the way the man would have allocated the King's Funds, Lord Óðr's actions were wholly unacceptable. Knowing his brother as he did, Thor knew Loki would have called the man on it, so he could not help but wonder if the disapproval and concern he detected now were a result of that.

"I would not be so quick to dismiss King Loki," Lord Aðalgrímr retorted, throwing Lord Óðr a stern look. "He is well aware Múspellsheimr will attempt to take advantage of him."

"Aye, but he was not involved in the negotiations to date," Lord Óðr argued. "So how is he to know their current state?"

Thor hated to admit it, but 'twas a valid question and Lord Aðalgrímr must have thought so too for the diplomat made no reply. Still, his brother had not demanded a copy of the trade agreement as it currently stood, nor did Loki seem worried. Nay, instead Thor could say rather the opposite. His brother had seemed almostpleasedto receive the news and Thor had been around for, or on the opposite end of, that particular smile oft enough to know what it meant.

"Loki is no fool," Thor finally stated as they reached Valaskjálf. "He would have asked for aid should he have felt he needed it."

Lord Óðr did not reply as they entered the surprisingly full hall for the time of day, but Thor had always found the court could almost smell when there was something interesting to witness, as they never failed to show up at precisely the right moment. And so they were here now, abuzz with word of Múspellsheimr's representative. How they always knew, Thor did not know, but he was certain word of this would spread so he hoped his brother was as confident as he pretended to be.

And appeared.

Thor had to smile as he caught sight of his brother at the front of Valaskjálf. Loki was not so much sitting on Hliðskjálf as lounging upon it, leaning back with his long legs kicked out, Gungnir held loosely in one hand while Muninn stood beside his other hand. Huginn was perched on the back of Hliðskjálf.

Father, Thor knew, would have a fit if he could see Loki at present. He knew his brother too well to be fooled by the deception, though he knew someone as unfamiliar with Loki as this representative would probably read his brother's posture as either arrogance, or a childish sense of invulnerability. Mother said 'twas Loki's way of allowing people to ensnare themselves, and Thor could see what she meant based on all he had said and done when his brother had baited him thus in the past.

"Majesty!" a familiar voice called out, and Thor looked over to see Lady Hnoss and some of the additional ladies from the other evening standing at the base of Hliðskjálf.

He could not hear what else they said, but he did not have to, he could recognize Lady Hnoss' come-hither mannerisms from when she had used them on him. With a small gesture, Loki invited them forward and they immediately complied, ascending towards Hliðskjálf with enthusiasm.

"What is he doing?" Lord Óðr demanded, aghast. "The representative will be here soon!"

"Creating a first impression," Thor explained as he took in the tableau his brother had set-up.

"Not a good one!"

"Exactly," Lord Aðalgrímr stated with a smile, before he continued upon Lord Óðr's confused look. "The less the representative thinks of King Loki, the more off-guard he will be, and the easier the king's task."

And Loki was so easily underestimated.

'Twas a fact Thor could not yet claim himself free of. How impressed and awed he was at his brother's performance as king so far proved that. Not that Loki made it easy for people to truly know him either, what with his Norns be damned penchant for keeping secrets all the time!

A quick glance around to help him maintain his temper, showed Thor that while there were more people in Valaskjálf than usual for this time of day, 'twas still below a full session of court, so it should appear as if the representative had caught Loki at an opportune time. A handful of minutes later, there was a chime from the entrance to Valaskjálf and one of the seneschals stepped forward when Loki glanced over.

"Lord Hrym from Múspellsheimr, my Liege," the man announced. "Representative of Queen Sinmara."

With that introduction, a well-built eldþursar swept into the hall, his body alight with flame rather than dressed in clothes. For one of the giant population of Múspellsheimr, Lord Hrym was not as tall as some Thor had seen, but within Valaskjálf he was tall enough, even if the grandeur of the hall allowed him to comfortably stand tall.

"Ah, Lord Hrym," Loki said, looking over. "We have been expecting you."

As he said it, his brother stroked Muninn's feathers with his free hand and Thor frowned.

"Why is he giving away that knowledge?" Thor asked, leaning toward Lord Aðalgrímr so he could whisper.

Loki had always spoken of keeping sources of information secret.

"It proves Huginn and Muninn communicate with him," Lord Aðalgrímr explained. "As they are known to be your father's, it helps to dispel any lingering perceptions there may be about the illegitimacy of your brother's reign."

"Illegitimacy?" Thor repeated, shocked.

"The other Realms knew of your coronation, and many had representatives here," Lord Aðalgrímr replied. "Given how quickly things changed and all of the challenges to your brother's rule, there will be those who wonder if King Loki did not usurp Hliðskjálf."

"Or who are happy to utilize it as an excuse to meddle," Lord Óðr muttered.

"Thank you for receiving me so quickly, Your Majesty," Lord Hrym replied, bowing. "Queen Sinmara sends her warmest congratulations on your ascension to the throne."

"Somehow I doubt their definition of warm and ours match," Lord Óðr commented, and Thor had to bite back a laugh.

"Thank you," Loki replied.

"In honor of this, I have been tasked with seeing if we cannot finalize the outstanding trade agreement between our Realms, as a show of good faith and so your majesty has some good news to give his people," Lord Hrym continued.

The way Loki's attention seemed to sharpen, and his brother rose to sit more properly on Hliðskjálf while flicking a dismissive hand at the ladies standing near him, confirmed to Thor the manipulation behind the words. He only hoped he would have been able to see it had they been directed at him instead. He worried, though, that, only a week and a half ago, he would have taken them as his due and not looked any further. 'Twas one of the reasons why he needed people like Loki around him.

Lord Óðr's displeased face caught Thor off-guard as he thought Lord Aðalgrímr had explained his brother's motivations sufficiently, but then he noticed the man's eyes were on the group of ladies moving away from Hliðskjálf. 'Twas with a start, Thor recalled Lady Hnoss was Óðrdóttir. Given the man's earlier behavior, he could well understand why his daughter's attention toward Loki might displease him.

"Oh," Loki said. "I was not aware we were so close to a final agreement."

"There were but two small disputes left, Your Majesty," Lord Hrym replied.

A snort. "I would hardly call the cost per barrel small," a voice from the left said, and Thor looked over to find two men and a woman standing next to Lord Aðalgrímr. Both lords looked nervous and nearly ill with worry. The lady, however, seemed rather delighted with the current situation.

"What was the status of the agreement the last time you saw it?" Lord Aðalgrímr asked.

"We had it down to an acceptable range from our perspective, but they kept attempting to alter the price every time they drew up a new draft," one of the lords explained. "Lord Hrym is honorless and not to be trusted."

"Ah, I understand," Loki replied. "You have a final version with you then?"

"Of course."

Thor did not see from where the black parchment came, but it did make sense for Lord Hrym to be wearing some form of clothing under his flames after all, probably something made from the same form of fire-resistant hide as the black parchment his brother had been so fascinated with when they were both far younger.

A servant stepped forward to take the parchment from the eldþursar and walked up the stairs to hand it to Loki. His brother unrolled it, revealing the white runes and Thor blinked at the large writing before reminding himself it had been written by a giant.

"Should we?" the other lord asked, making a small gesture towards Loki.

"Nay," Lord Aðalgrímr's voice was sharp and firm, if not very loud.

"But-"

"If he requires aid, King Loki will ask for it."

Thor frowned at the man who would so easily doubt his brother. The lord shrank under his gaze.

"He means no disrespect," the first lord tried. "Merely that King Loki is unfamiliar with the treaty as it was at-"

"He knows."

This was said by the lady who had turned her back to Hliðskjálf and had a large smile on her face.

"You spoke with his majesty of it?" Lord Aðalgrímr asked.

"Aye, I have previously worked with him during the negotiation of a trade agreement with Vanaheimr, so when I encountered him two weeks ago, he inquired what I was working on," she explained. "I even asked for his opinion on the matter."

"There, see," Lord Aðalgrímr said, glancing at the other two before turning his attention back to Loki. "All is well."

The words merely made Thor even more impatient to see what came next but, as usual, his brother would not be hurried when reading an official document. It felt like a very long time had passed before Loki looked up again.

"Queen Sinmara has approved this?" Loki checked.

"She has given me full authority to sign the final agreement," Lord Hrym replied.

"Clever," Lord Aðalgrímr muttered.

"Oh?" Thor asked.

"That way 'tis not her signature on the document if they were to succeed in manipulating Loki and King Óðinn were to question it later."

Ah, of course. She would be able to blame her diplomat and Loki for signing it. Thor never had liked the múspellsmegir much and this merely confirmed his opinion of them. He hoped Loki would make a show of this. His brother did so love to put one on and there was a perfect audience for it already assembled in Valaskjálf.

"I see," Loki said, calmly, before his face hardened. "So, she is aware of the fact you are attempting to deceive me thus?"

Ah, excellent.