Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Vows

Promises form bonds, and sometimes those bonds shape the world.

For a few seconds the war bells drowned all other sound, all thought inside my own head even. Then, in a moment, I was completely focused.

"Eihenjar to your battle stations!" I called loudly with all the authority I was capable of.

In an instant the majority of the soldiers in the room left in a hurry. They each knew where they were supposed to be, so I need not worry about that; two, however, chose to stay behind.

"With all due respect, Lady Whisperer." The one closest to me said. "I believe the Lord Regent would not like it if we were to leave you alone with an unknown..."

A part of me wanted to argue that I was perfectly capable of protecting myself; however, the larger part of me knew he was right, so I nodded, signaling for him and his partner to stand guard by the door while I talked to the 'messenger'.

"It was my belief you were supposed to come in time to warn us of the attack..." I commented off-handedly, though I was still worried by the matter.

"I bring warning of an attack that should worry you far more than the one being attempted right now." Elanor informed me. "Right now a suicide squad is trying to get into Asgard by forcing the Bifrost open. It is a move doomed to failure, of course. However, while all your eyes and forces are focused on your Rainbow Bridge, the true attack will come from a different point..."

"The Hidden Roads." I did not need her to finish the sentence, it was obvious enough, so I turned to the guard. "Inform the Lord Regent of what has been revealed. A squadron is to back the Gatekeeper, just in case; but the brunt of the army needs to focus on what's yet to come."

"Immediately, my lady." One of the guards left right away.

"Is there anything else I should be aware of?" I asked, turning back to Elanor.

"I... Lord Helblindi said there was something else, something they did not inform him of." Elanor told me quietly. "He heard Laufey and his youngest son talking about 'making the bastard a favor he would never be able to pay back', and 'solving the problem of the line of succession'..."

I had to actually stop and ponder that. Making the bastard, they were obviously talking about Loki, a favor he would never be able to pay back? Then, right as I ran the second part of her statement over in my mind again, the part about 'the problem of the line of succession', it hit me. I remembered how Loki had stated he was only Regent, as the Throne was still Odin's, and would one day be Thor's, never his. Laufey had even mocked him by saying his ruling of Asgard was only temporary... If the Jotun King thought that he could put Loki on Asgard's throne, and get my Maverick indebted to him by that, through a 'Favor', a 'Debt of Honor'.. well, it was quite obvious Laufey knew nothing about the son he'd abandoned so long ago. However, that did not erase the risk that meant to a certain people...

"He means to kill the Allfather in his sleep..." I gasped my realization out-loud.

And the very people who were supposed to stand guard on him and the Queen were still in a cell, because they simply couldn't be reasonable!

"You!" I spun straight at the guard. "Find Loki! Tell him to meet me in the Royal Wing as soon as possible! It's an emergency!"

"My lady..." He began.

"I know you think I need a guard, but this is of great urgency." I insisted empathically. "If we do not hurry the King might be killed!"

That, finally, seemed to make the soldier react, as he rushed away.

"You come with me" I told Elanor.

"Where are we going?" She asked me.

As she hefted the baby in his arms I noticed she was wearing a high-necked, long-sleeved tunic, and a veil covered a side of her face, enough to make sure no part of the baby's skin would come in contact with her... to avoid frostbite. I also remembered the baby, who I still had no idea who he might be, though it was obvious enough he must be a runt, which was reason enough to get him out of Jotunheim. I got a crazy notion right then: What if he was Helblindi's son, and the Jotun Prince was trying to protect him by sending him away? By sending him to the one who was the same? After all, much as we may not want to think much about it, Loki was a Jotun runt, and he was fairing just fine in Asgard; maybe that was what Helblindi hoped for the boy... Hákon? Whether the child was his or not, and whatever connection Elanor might have to both, I knew not, and in that moment I had a lot more things to worry about.

"To where you'll be safe until this madness is over." I told her eventually.

In no time at all I reached the handmaiden section of the Royal Wing. The common room was empty, but it did not worry me, as I knew the Queen would have sent them to help the healers. It was part of the plan. All but Rue, and maybe Karin, would have gone there already; those two would probably be staying by the Queen's side.

I guided Elanor straight to my room, where I immediately locked the door; going as far as using a magic lock and telling the woman to place her hand on the door to make sure no one but she would be able to open it.

Then I rushed to my drawers, to retrieve a handful of healing vials, the ones I could carry in another secret pocket my dress had (this one inside my bell-like sleeves).

"You must stay here, until it's all over." I told Elanor as soon as I was ready. "Here you and the baby will be safe."

"How will I know when to come out?" She asked. "And if something happens to you, who will see to the fulfillment of the debt's payment?"

"I will make arrangements for that." I assured her. "Open the door to no one but me, unless..." I had to accept there was a chance I would not be coming back, so I improvised. "If someone tells you the full name Helblindi has for me, and shows you these." I signaled to one of my earrings, the first thing I could think of. "I vow to you, whatever happens to me, and even to the Lord Regent, the favor will be payed. You and the baby will be safe."

"He is the one that matters." Elanor pointed out quietly. "The favor is about Hákon, not about me, my Lady Whisperer..."

"You will both be safe." I emphasized.

She nodded, and I could see the gratefulness in her eyes. She had done a dangerous journey, seeking to do as Helblindi bid, and to get some hope for the baby, while holding no hope for herself. She was a truly selfless person, and I wasn't leaving her alone. Whoever she might be, to Helblindi, to the baby, to Jotunheim as a whole, and in her own right, I would do my best to keep my vow to her as much as the one I'd made to Helblindi before.

With that I nodded one last time at her before leaving the room though the second door. Only stopping long enough to seal it like I'd sealed the first.

From there it took me no time to reach the Queen's chambers. What I found there was enough to make my blood run cold: Karin was on the floor, unconscious and bleeding heavily, while Rue stood beside her, one of her arms falling useless at her side while with the other she held a short sword gingerly, trying to protect herself and Karin, while not knowing how to fight... and the reason for everything: the Jotun standing, hissing straight at her.

I did not stop to consider the consequences of my actions, following my instinct, I called on my magic to create a translucent shield right in front of Rue, and just in time to stop the ice blade the Frost Giant had just swung at her. It, of course, called his attention in my direction in an instant, and while all instincts inside me were screaming at me to run, I stood my ground. I couldn't run, for Karin, and Rue, I couldn't...

"Nightingale!" Rue cried out in a mix of shock and relief. "Beware!"

Half-absently I pulled the healing vials from my sleeve, tossing them to Rue while still keeping both my eyes on the creeping Jotun.

"Healing powder and elixir." I clarified to the head handmaiden. "Use it on you and Karin. What is the situation with the Queen?"

"She's locked herself in with the Allfather." She signaled to the door behind her. "We were not expecting Jotun to get this far."

They shouldn't have, for all intents... they should have never gotten that far. It seemed that, in the end, the suicide team had done their job, calling enough attention upon them before I could send the warning with the Eihenjar that some had managed to slip by and get into the palace. Also, I did not forget that Odin's chambers had another door, one the Jotun might be able to break through... I just hoped Loki would arrive in time... because I had my own opponent to take care of, and as much as I may be worried about Lady Frigg, I needed to focus.

Allowing a corner of my mind to focus on keeping the shield protecting the handmaidens up, the rest of me prepared for battle as I pulled the crystal dagger from the folds of my dress, dropping into a slight crouch, like Sif and Loki had taught me. My enemy might be bigger than either of them, but I was already used to dueling opponents who were bigger than me... I hoped I would be able to handle it.

For a few minutes all I could do was keep moving, evading the Jotun's attacks to the best of my ability; crouching, jumping, dropping to the floor, even dropping to my knees and sliding to a side at some point. No matter how much effort I made, I never got a chance to truly fight back. Even when I managed to hit one of the Jotun's ice-weapons hard enough to smash it, he would just conjure another. At some point I even called on fire, even though I had had no elemental training yet and it was something insane to try without at least knowing my own affinities.

I kept trying, as hard as I could. Until, a moment came when I slipped (over a puddle formed by one of the melted ice weapons), crashing against a nearby wall. I hit my head harshly against it, actually seeing stars.

"Nightingale!" Rue screamed in panic.

I heard her, tried to protect myself, raising an arm protectively in front of my head. My bell sleeve slipped, baring my arm, which the Jotun seized harshly. For a few seconds, neither of us moved, and as the pain in my head numbed enough to allow me to think clearly again I realized what was going on: the Jotun wanted to burn me with his touch, however, it wasn't working. His touch wouldn't burn me, was it because of the 'Winter Touch' Helblindi had mentioned, because of my mating with Loki? Or even more elemental, the link the deamarkonian had created between the two of us five years before? I knew not the answer, all I knew was that it was something I needed to take advantage of.

Right as the Jotun began realizing his plan was not going to work, and a snarl began building from his throat, I moved my seized arm to a side, forcing him to move his own arm in the same direction, thus exposing himself. Then, with all the speed I was capable of, I moved my other arm, driving my crystal dagger straight into his chest.

There was an instant, a moment that seemed to extend into forever, where the Jotun and I just stared at each other, in shock. Then his body seemed to begin drying fast, as if all the water drained from him, along with his life. I barely managed to react in time, freeing my arm and retrieving my dagger.

I was still lost in the shock of having just killed someone, a Jotun, but still; when suddenly I was distracted, by voices I seemed to hear through ears not my own:

"Know that your death came by the Son of Laufey..." A freezing, hard voice hissed.

"And your death came by the Son of Odin..." The second voice I recognized as Loki's!

The last phrase seemed to be punctuated by a loud explosion, which I realized a second later I'd heard with my own ears, and it came from Odin's quarters!

I forced myself to move then. Pushing my tired body off the wall, harshly enough that my head seemed to pulse briefly. For a second I felt like I wanted nothing except to drop to my knees and get lost in the pain; but I could sense strong emotions coming from Loki, emotions that were threatening to take him over... I had to be there.

Somehow I managed to stagger across the room. Rue had finished treating Karin by then and was doing her best to wake the younger handmaiden up. After nodding at her I proceeded to the door, throwing it open the moment I arrived.

The scene that met me was more than I could have ever expected: the main door to the Allfather's chamber had been frozen and smashed open; there was a dead Jotun not far from it, and by the wound on its chest and the sword the Queen still held loosely in her hand, I had an idea of who had slayed him. Then there was Loki, standing on a side of the room, Gungnir held tightly in his hands, pointing at the opposite side of the room, where I could see something akin to ash... I had a very good idea who that had been.

"Loki..." I called quietly.

He turned in my direction immediately. As if my voice called him back some far away place where he'd been lost for a few seconds...

"Are you alright Nightingale?" He asked, looking me up and down right away.

"Fine." I assured him. "There was... it doesn't matter."

As if to prove me wrong, Karin's scream echoed through the chambers right then. Loki and even Lady Frigg reacted instantly. What they found in the other room was Rue kneeling next to a hysterical Karin, who had screamed when seeing the body of the dead Jotun.

"Nightingale...?" Loki called questioningly at me.

"I kind of killed him?" Even to my ears it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"She was amazing!" Rue contributed. "Like a warrior-maiden! Like the Lady Sif!"

I shook my head. I was nothing like Sif, but at least I had known enough to defend myself and them, to take down the threat.

In a second I was in Loki's arms, as he seemed to use our bonds to check on me in a deeper way than his eyes could show him. He had no trouble finding my true feelings on the matter, how unsettled I felt, how shaken...

"I'm sorry you had to do that." He told me quietly.

"I will be alright." At least on that I was being honest.

Lady Frigg went to the balcony that opened from a glass door in her personal sitting room (where I'd fought the Jotun), Loki and I followed. Outside, mostly in the distance, the battle went on.

"It's going well." Loki announced. "The soldiers are well prepared, we have nothing to worry about on that front."

"What should we worry about then?" The Queen asked him.

"That it wasn't Laufey trying to assassinate Father." Loki replied honestly. "That was his son..."

"Byleistr." I finished for him.

I could see the sun rising on the horizon, and the way the gold pillars all around sparkled reminded me suddenly of our unexpected visitor's hair. Elanor would still be in my bedroom, but she couldn't come out yet, it wasn't over...

"It's not over yet..." I muttered, mostly to myself.

"My love...?" Loki called to me, wondering what I was thinking.

"Helblindi sent a messenger, like he promised." I told them quietly. "Her name is Elanor, she is no Jotun, though I have no idea what race she might be. With her she carries a baby, a Jotun runt... I believe that is the innocent Helblindi wants us to protect in payment for his favors..."

"A Jotun runt..." Loki repeated. "Like myself."

"Yes." I nodded softly. "I believe you're the very reason why he sent him. Whether Hákon is, like I suspect, Helblindi's son or not... he's at least trying to give that boy a chance, sending him to us. He knows you turned out pretty well so..."

Loki snorted, and I knew he didn't quite agree with the 'pretty well' part of the comment. But I wasn't about to take it back.

"She told you about this." The Queen signaled to the room we'd come from.

"Yes, she said..." I froze mid speech, as it all suddenly dawned on me. "Oh Spirits!"

"What...?" The Queen too seemed to freeze at my tone.

"Nightingale?" Loki called, holding my face between his hands to try and force me to focus. "What did she say?"

"She said that Laufey had spoken about doing you a favor you would never be able to repay... Laufey means to destroy the line of succession!" I crie out eventually.

"So I will be King." My love finished for me. "He believes he's doing me a favor. That's why he sent Byleistr after Father..."

"He's not the only one who's part of the line of succession." I reminded him grimly.

"Thor!" Lady Frigg cried out in dismay.

"Calm down mother." Loki immediately turned his full attention to her. "Nothing will happen to Thor. I promise to you. I will deal with this, right now."

Without anything else said, he left the room in quick, long strides.

"Go with him..." Lady Frigg prompted.

I nodded, bowing my head at her in respect before leaving the balcony as well. However, before I could just cross the siting room, Rue stopped me.

"Are you alright, Nightingale?" She inquired, worried.

"I'll be fine." I nodded. "I need to join Loki."

She nodded, and right as I was about to leave, I remembered Elanor again. If anything happened (which, spirits willing, wouldn't), I needed to make sure the promise to Elanor was kept. With that in mind I approached Rue again.

"I need your help with something." I told her, and then began to explain as quickly as I could. "There is a woman in my chambers, her name is Elanor, and with her is a little baby boy. I have given my oath to grant them protection, as payment for favors granted to me and to Asgard. If I don't come back in the next few hours and the danger here ends, go there, knock on the door; when she asks you who you are tell her: 'I am sent by Lady Nightingale Whisperer', it's a sort of password, it will convince her I'm the one sending you. Then show her this." I placed one of my earrings in her hands. "Once she trusts you bring them straight here, to the Queen. If, for whatever the reason, we do not return, tell Lady Frigg what I've told you. And remember, the vow must be kept to repay the debt."

"I will remember." Rue nodded seriously, holding the piece of jewelry tightly in her hands. "But I'm sure you will be back soon, along with Lord Loki and Prince Thor."

"Of course I will come back." I smiled at her, a bit fake. "And I will be asking for my earring back, so take good care of it."

Rue just nodded once more and then I left the room.

When I saw the contingent of Eihenjar rushing in our direction I thought of something else.

"One of you." I called.

Instantly one of the soldiers approached me, bowed to me once, before waiting for orders.

"I need you to go to the dungeons, tell the one in charge that Lady Sif and the Warriors Three are to be released and put on royal protection duty." I informed him. "It's very important that this be done as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Lady Whisperer." The man bowed respectfully before leaving with all haste.

Knowing that Loki had likely covered a serious distance by that point, and there was no other way to catch up to him, I focused on his presence, called on my magic, and jumped.

Loki's arms caught me when I stumbled upon landing on rather uneven ground. It took me a handful of seconds to notice where we were exactly: by a side door to the castle, close to the stables, and Loki was about to jump on none other than Sleipnir, the eight-legged powerful steed of the Allfather. Granted, I knew that it had actually been Loki's favorite mare that had birthed Sleipnir, and Loki himself had been there to help deliver the foal; he'd gifted it to his father (one of many things Odin had never been properly grateful for). So maybe it wasn't that much of a surprise that the stallion would allow Loki to ride him.

"You realize that if you had jumped, using nothing but my presence as an anchor, when I was in motion, worse even riding Sleipnir, you could have gotten hurt?" My love asked, even as he offered me a hand to ride with him.

"I trusted you weren't that far ahead of me." I told him with a sigh as I got as comfortable as anyone possibly could on a horse. "And if you were already riding I think you would have been too far for me to be able to jump directly to you."

He silently conceded on that, though I could sense he was still worried.

"I suppose you made some arrangements for our departure." He told me.

"Rue will get Elanor and the baby to the Queen when it's all over here, I trust Lady Frigg will make sure the promise is paid back if we don't get back in time." I told him.

We both knew what I wasn't saying 'if we don't get back' at all... but still, I would rather not jinx us. So it went unsaid anyway.

"Mother will take good care of them both." Loki nodded.

I also noticed that he wasn't carrying Gungnir anymore, he'd left it in his father's chambers, which spoke about his own preparations in a worst-case scenario...

"I know." I nodded. "I also gave instructions to one of the guards to release Sif and the Warriors Three and put them on royal guard duty... just in case."

"Good decision." Loki agreed.

Yes, good decision; except for the fact that, as we found shortly after we reached Heimdall in the Observatory, it did not mean much. Sif, Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun were already there, in full armor and weapons ready. They'd obviously taken a direct route to the Bifrost as soon as they were released and ready. We, on the other hand, had taken a longer route, riding by the edge of where the battle against the Jotuns was taking place, to check for ourselves that things were really going as well as we expected, and inform Tyr, the Commander of the Army, of the latest developments and what he was supposed to do once the battle ended.

"Why am I not surprised to see you're ignoring our orders?" Loki asked rhetorically.

"This is not a matter of ignoring your orders, but of helping you." Sif pointed out.

Loki turned to look at me, silently asking my opinion on the matter.

"I suppose if we can trust something about you all is that you'll always help Thor." I shrugged, it was probably the best we were going to get.

"We would help you..." Volstagg began.

"If you want us to trust you, try not to lie so blatantly Volstagg." I chastised him with a fake smile. "Not, lets get going. Who knows what chaos Laufey is causing already? And the last thing we need is for innocent midgardians to end up hurt as well!"

My heart hurt in silent reminder that my aunt was there. If Laufey followed power he would be drawn to Mjolnir, he would hurt and kill any humans that tried to stop him, and that included Aunt Kathryn and her colleagues... we had to get there before that happened!

xXx

Loki's arms held me around the waist securely when we landed in the desert, courtesy of the Bifrost. I blinked a few times to adjust to the change in light and to try and remember what I could from my previous visit to see Thor. However, before I could focus too much on that, two things distracted me: first there was the cloud of dust being formed by vehicles, military vehicles, approaching from the East and then... there were a number of Frost Giants, as well as two huge Frost Beasts with them!

"Damnú..." I couldn't help the curse that slipped from my lips in Gaelic.

"Nightingale..." Loki began.

A look in his eyes and I knew he wasn't actually chastising me for my vocabulary (though he knew it could have been worse, I was fluent in enough languages...), no, he was worried.

"The Jotun and their beasts need to be stopped before they reach those humans, or worse even, the town where Thor and his friends are." I said out-loud. "If either of those happens it would be catastrophic... tragic."

"Indeed..." Loki nodded serenely. "But this is not your fight. You've done enough fighting for today, my Nightingale..."

"I can help." I insisted, though deep down I knew I did not want to have to fight again.

"Nobody is doubting that..." Loki began.

"I am!" Fandral interrupted. "She was in the palace, who could she have fought?!"

"Either your brain isn't working properly, which would be no news, or you simply did not care for learning the situation before deciding to simply ignore the orders given to you." Loki told him in a most derisive tone.

"I did." Hogun spoke up. "Jotun infiltrated the palace, three according to the guards. Two got as far as the Allfather's chambers, including the leader, one was slayed by the Queen, the other by the Lord Regent." He nodded respectfully at Loki.

"What about the third?" Volstagg asked warily.

"It was found in the Queen's private rooms." Hogun declared. "According to two handmaidens it was the Lady Whisperer who took it down, with nothing but a dagger..."

"A dagger?" Sif cried out in shock, turning to look at me. "A crystal dagger?!"

I did not answer, as I could sense Loki calling my attention, so I focused on him instead. He said not a word, but he need not, as I realized what he wanted.

"Right." I nodded. "Evacuating the innocents and getting Thor. On it."

With a nod at the others I turned my back on them, giving a few steps as I called on my magic to track Thor's muted presence. I could vaguely hear Volstagg and Fandral muttering behind me, apparently in disbelief at how I'd know exactly what Loki wanted without a single word being said. I wondered when they would understand how much in tune we were... and while I knew it was in part due to the deamarkonian, it was also more than just that.

Finally I located Thor, holding onto his aura, I gave two more steps to brace myself, then jumped. I gave two more jumping steps as I came out of the teleportation a few feet from the same old empty shop I'd found him on the roof of, days before... days! It somehow felt like it'd been longer. So much had happened...

I looked around, and when I couldn't see him in a few seconds, I lost all patience, and decided to throw caution to the wind (with the rather delicate and volatile situation we were all in I doubted caution would have held for long anyway).

"Thor!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Thor Odinson!"

I was about to call him for a third time, while wondering if I should begin jumping randomly through the town to search for him (wondering if I'd missed the right place because he spent so much time by that shop he'd left his mark, even while human...) when suddenly I heard a voice:

"Lady Nightingale?!" It was him.

I spun around, the skirts of my dress flying around me made me consider briefly how much trouble the dress could be if I ended in another fight somehow. In any case, I'd already survived and won one while in it, but I didn't want to try my luck, or to have something happen to the dress, it was a gift from Loki!

"Thor... I found you." I couldn't help the relief.

"You have, my lady." The Thunderer nodded.

Behind him I could see the same young woman who'd been sleeping beside him on the roof that night: Jane Foster; as well as a younger woman I imagined must be Darcy Lewis, and an older man: Erik Selvig.

"What has brought you here?" He brought my attention back to him.

"We need to evacuate the town." I informed him grimly.

"Evacuate...?" Jane approached, worried. "Why?"

As if to answer her question he all heard a loud explosion right then, and as we turned we could all see one of the Frost Beasts as it went down.

"What the hell is that?!" Darcy screeched in horror.

"A Frost Beast." I answered blankly. "Laufey brought two of those, as well as over half a dozen Warriors. They're coming after Thor, but make no mistake, they will destroy anything and anyone in their way. They care not for life, for any life, not even that of their own..."

I remembered quite clearly the remains of the suicide squad Heimdall had taken down in the observatory, they'd been nothing more than a distraction...

"Laufey?!" Thor seemed quite alarmed.

"He means to eliminate the line of succession." I informed him grimly. "For whatever the reason, he believes that he's helping Loki become King, and by doing so, would get Loki into his debt."

"My brother would never do something to hurt me, or Father!" Thor stated vehemently.

"Of course not!" I snapped. "I said Laufey believed it, not that he was anywhere near right about it! He's an insane bastard! But an insane, powerful bastard! Loki is with Sif and the Warriors Three, battling them right now. We need to get any innocents in this area as far away as we possibly can though, just in case."

"You mean your friends could lose?" Selvig asked, almost in a panic.

"It's not that simple..." I had no idea how to explain it...

Unlike Thor, I was human, and I'd been raised like Jane, Darcy and the others from there... I knew that what seemed pretty normal to Asgardians, humans would see it as insane; and for the very same reason, I found it hard to say things with the same calm they did sometimes. Even if I knew it was real, I knew the others wouldn't know that, and would have a hard time accepting some things as possible.

As if to answer the question, we could all feel as the temperature began dropping.

"Shouldn't the heat be going up instead of down?" Darcy asked suddenly. "I mean, we are in a desert, and the sun is up..."

"This is Laufey's doing..." Thor muttered.

"It is." I agreed. "Which means the battle is on. We need to really get the humans away before everything begins freezing over..."

"That could happen?!" Jane almost squeaked in fright.

"If they get close enough and call on enough power... yes." I nodded.

"Then lets get everyone out." Jane decided.

We got on our way.

I have no idea how Thor's friends managed to convince the first humans they met to get moving. However, when a stray beam of frost hit an empty van near the edge of town, freezing it instantly, and several feet of the ground around it, everyone began moving in a hurry.

By the time the next frost-beam came, I was ready.

"Algiz!" I called, after tracing a rune in the air with both hands and then thrusting my open palms forward in a stopping motion.

The shield formed just in time. I couldn't help but shudder minutely at the sudden coldness, but had no real problem holding the shield up (something told me that it was, at least in part, thanks to the same thing that protected me from frostbite at touch).

"Lady Nightingale!" Thor called worriedly.

"I'm fine." I called back, still focusing on the shield. "Get the humans out Thor!"

I held the shield up to a few more beams; it kept getting harder, as the attacks got stronger, and then the ice began covering the ground... I realized then the battle was getting closer to town, dangerously close even. The moment I was sure there were no more people left in the town I sagged in relief. I was about to drop to the floor in exhaustion when I felt a couple of arms holding me around my waist, hoisting me up and carrying me away.

"Thor?" I inquired, confused.

"Lets get you out of here." He told me calmly. "Because I have a feeling that if something happens to you, Loki is liable to destroy the world..."

I wanted to snort, to tell him he was being ridiculous and would never do that... but then a corner of my mind reminded me of what I'd read in Norse Mythology when I was researching Loki: about how it was said he would bring forth Ragnarok... Even back then, when I read it, I'd seen it more as a terrible tragedy, than him being evil, thinking that he was just reacting to all the hurt and the grief that had been piled upon him by many others... So many things had turned to be different from hat mythology stated, but could the real Loki, my Loki, possibly ever fall to that? If he was hurt badly enough?

In the end I chose to push the thought away, not wanting to ponder on it anymore. The mere thought of it, of losing him... it hurt too much.

By the time we joined Thor's friends I was able to stand on my feet again. Those three were the only humans who were anywhere close to the town, as most seemed to have decided to go as far as the next one to feel safe. I had a feeling that the only reason those three stayed close was because they, or at least one of them, did not want to leave Thor.

"Are you feeling alright now?" He asked me as he looked me over to make sure.

"Yes." At his look of disbelief I elaborated. "I haven't slept in almost twenty-four hours, and I haven't been getting that much sleep all week either, so..."

Especially the night before last... but I wasn't about to tell him that, or let him make assumptions (especially since they were likely to be right...).

"It's not easy trying to keep up with Loki when he's on a mission." I added then. "Ruling... even as a Regent rather than a King... I am exhausted just as his Advisor, I cannot begin to imagine how he feels..."

"I have always admired that of my brother." Thor nodded. "His will and his mind..."

I did not answer the comment, we both knew that regardless of how much he might admire his brother, he hadn't always shown it; there was no need to mention it.

"Excuse me." Darcy chose that moment to step in. "Who are you exactly?"

"Oh, my friends!" Thor cried out, chagrined. "What rudeness on our part! This is the Lady Nightingale, she's my brother's dearest friend, and his Advisor."

"Advisor?" Selvig seemed confused by that.

"Apparently with my absence, added to Father falling into the Odinsleep, Loki had to step up and take the throne." Thor explained enthusiastically. "He's currently ruling Asgard as Regent, with Lady Nightingale as his main Advisor."

The three humans nodded, though I was quite sure they couldn't fully comprehend everything Thor had said; not because they were in any way dumb, but it simply was too different from anything they considered normal.

"Can you tell me what has happened since we last spoke?" Thor asked me next.

"First of all, the day after I came to see you Loki and I went to Jotunheim to attempt to negotiate a truce with the Frost Giants... it didn't exactly work out, though Laufey tried to pretend he was willing to listen... as if we were that naïve, or foolish..." I snorted. "After that Loki made a series of plans, and backup plans and event contingencies in case Asgard was attacked by Jotuns, either directly through the Bifrost, through the Hidden Roads, or even if they, by some kind of bizarre miracle, managed to create a Chaos Portal." I enlisted blankly. "During that time I slipped into Jotunheim several times in secret, to keep an eye on what Laufey might be planning. I happened to meet Heblindi, one of Laufey's sons and who, whether you believe it or not, is quite a decent guy, that's my opinion in any case."

"A Jotun..." Thor began with his usual prejudice, though it did seem less explosive than usual.

"Thor, in the name of all that is sacred in this universe, shut your mouth." I half-snapped at him. "I know you don't like Jotun in principle, but consider this if you will: who told you, told everyone in Asgard that the Frost Giants were nothing more than bloodthirsty monsters?" I didn't even wait for him to say a word. "Answer: the tutors, the historians, and the books, all written by the victors, by the people who have no reason to see the Jotun as anything but vicious, monstrous creatures. There is a saying I heard a lot when I was younger: history is written by the victor... so what does that tell you?"

"That is the first thing every history teacher says." Darcy offered. "You can never fully trust any 'historic account' because it will always be toned by the hand of the one writing it."

"Also." Jane added. "You said this Jot... Ju..."

"Frost Giants." I told her.

"Yes, these Frost Giants, they are the dominating race of one of the realms you told me about, yes?" Her whole attention was on Thor, and her tone was almost lecturing. "That means they are a society capable of growing, of prospering on their own. If they were nothing but monsters they would have destroyed each other and ultimately pushed themselves to extinction long before they got the chance of becoming the dominant species." Her tone softened then. "Thor... many beings know and even thrive on making war with one another... humans are a clear example of it, what with all the wars we as a race keep getting into. However, that doesn't make us stop being human, it does not make us monsters or any less worthy of respect and value than any other being on the universe. The same holds true for the people on Asgard, and the Giants..."

When Thor nodded and actually seemed to be pondering on what Jane had said I felt like yelling my thanks to the heavens, I actually thought it proper to thank her.

"Thank you!" I told her with a smile. "You've managed to get something through his thick skull, and in record time too! I did not think such a thing was possible!"

"Nightingale..." Thor muttered half in jest, half in warning.

"Oh don't use that tone on me Thor, you know very well I'm immune to it." I told him easily. "Crown Prince or not, you do not scare me, you never have."

Thor shook his head but, wisely, did not insist on the matter.

"So you met a decent Jotun..." The Thunderer reminded me.

"Right, completely different from Laufey, I assure you." I nodded empathically. "He helped me gather information, stopped me from getting too close when I might have been caught, and finally sent a messenger to warn us one last time right before the attack happened."

"So many favors..." The blonde muttered worriedly. "What price is to be paid for that debt?"

"The protection of an innocent." I answered with a nostalgic smile.

"Excuse me?" He didn't seem to be able to understand that.

"The messenger was a woman, of a race other than a Jotun." I explained. "With her she carried an infant, no more than six months old, I think." I took a deep breath before finally dropping the bomb. "It's a jotun baby Thor... a runt. The child will never survive in Jotunheim, and Helblindi knows that, which is why he asked for his protection as payment for the favors granted..."

No words were said, though I could see in Thor's expression the struggle as he fought to readjust his views to everything that was being presented to him in that moment. The idea of a Frost Giant helping Asgard so much, and then, when he could have asked literally for anything in the universe, to request protection for another, for an infant, an innocent...

"I don't know what to say..." Thor admitted quietly.

I just prayed his willingness to see things differently would help when he found out the truth about Loki's ancestry...

"You said there was an attack on Asgard." Thor remembered right then.

"Technically two... or three, depending on how you wish to see it." I commented, trying to make it sound lighter than it had been. "First a suicide squad tried to force their way through the Bifrost and past Heimdall. It failed, obviously. However, they managed to create a big enough ruckus that when the big force came, through the Hidden Roads, there was a brief chaos as the Army rushed into proper formation that three Jotun managed to slip past them and actually into the palace... and as far as the Royal Wing..."

"What?!" Thor was completely livid at that.

"Nothing happened!" I hurried to reassure him. "Elanor, the non-Jotun messenger sent in secret by Helblindi, warned me of the true objective of the attack and I had someone call Loki before going myself to the Royal Wing."

"True objective?" Jane inquired.

Truth is, all three humans seemed completely enthralled by the recount. I hoped it was a good thing rather than give us more trouble later on.

"I mentioned it before, I believe." I was quite sure I had. "Laufey's intent was to destroy the line of succession. He sent three of his best Warriors to assasinate the Allfather in his sleep."

"What happened?" Thor asked, tersely.

"The Queen slayed one herself the moment two of them managed to break into the King's chambers, where she had barricaded herself with him." I told him honestly. "Loki arrived in time to deal with the worst one."

"You've only mentioned two..." Darcy pointed out not-helpfully.

I couldn't help my unconscious reaction as I rubbed at my left arm with the opposite hand.

"Were you burnt?!" Thor cried out in horror, reaching for my arm.

"I'm fine!" I hurried to assure him, as I showed him my unblemished skin. "Though, if you must know; yes, I was the one who fought the third..."

I began to feel extremely self-conscious right then, as I pulled my dagger from the folds of my dress. It was completely pristine thanks to a spell that made sure that nothing could stain it or damage it in any way. Stronger magic could deteriorate it, of course, but I had my doubts of how many, if any, people there might be in the universe stronger in seidhr than Loki...

"I am no Warrior but..." I just shrugged, not even knowing how to finish such a statement.

"Your actions would deny that statement..." Thor commented with a knowing smile.

I just shrugged again. I had a feeling that even if I had slayed a dozen Jotun, I still wouldn't feel like a Warrior; and I didn't want to, just like I didn't want to have to slay a dozen anything... I was a pacifist! Violence went against everything I believed in. And while I also fiercely believed in protecting those you care for with all you are... I still had a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of hurting anyone. In that moment... Karin had been badly hurt, she and Rue in great danger. I didn't have to think, I just reacted to the situation. I could be a Protector, a Shield, but I could never imagine myself as a true Warrior...

I was brought out of my musings when Thor approached me, taking hold of my head with one hand, before pressing my forehead against his chest.

"You bring honor to your name, to Asgard, and to all who have the fortune of knowing you." He whispered solemnly and quietly to me, before placing a kiss on my brow.

When we finally separated I noticed Darcy's and Selvig's confused expression, countered by Jane's intrigued one and then... there were voices, a group of men calling loudly to the humans as they approached. They were all dressed in dark suits... they were the government agents who had been trying (and only trying) to study Mjolnir!

"Dr. Foster!" The man at the head of the group was calling. "Would you and your friend over there like to explain to us what is going on?" He turned to Thor. "Donald, was it? I don't think you've been completely honest with me..."

I peeked around Thor to look properly at him, even as I wondered why exactly he was calling Thor, Donald? Some fake identity he was using? I noticed the way his eyes widened, minutely but the change was there, when he finally noticed me standing there (I imagined my clothes must not have been exactly normal for him and for Midgard as a whole -unless it was a Renaissance Fair, which was not the case-). However, my attention was called instead by the woman walking a couple of feet to his side. It may have been years, but I knew perfectly who that woman was.

"Aunt Kathryn..." I couldn't help but whisper brokenly under my breath.

It looked like one, or both were about to turn the line of questioning in my direction, until suddenly something else demanded my complete attention. My body doubled over and my legs almost folded beneath me before I was completely conscious of what was going on.

"Nightingale!" Thor cried out in worry, holding me up. "What's wrong...?"

"Pain..." I whispered, pressing a hand against my side. "Something's wrong... Loki's in pain..."

"Loki...?" Thor wasn't expecting that. "How do you know that?"

"Bound..." I muttered, not even fully conscious of the things I was saying. "We've been bound for a long time... I can feel him... his pain..."

I made up my mind right then. I cared not about the humans who had just arrived. Even if my Aunt was there... I had moved on, she was my past, and I had a future to protect. With that in mind I spun around, staggering a few steps as I called on my magic, then I jumped. What I never expected was for Thor to reach over and take a hold of me in the very last moment, he ended up tagging along in the teleportation.

I staggered as we both landed in the outskirts of the west side of the small town where Thor's friends lived. Thor actually went on one knee, having completely lost his balance.

"What the hell was that?" Thor demanded between pants.

"Teleportation." I answered him promptly, while also trying to breathe deeply to recover. "I call it jumping, because giving a little jump right as you do it helps lessen the awful feeling of losing the ground beneath your feet, only to have it reappear abruptly moments later."

"A warning would have been mightily appreciated." Thor commented as he got back on his feet.

"I knew not a warning was necessary." I replied calmly. "I never meant to bring you along."

"I knew not you could do this." The Thunderer admitted.

"Loki has been teaching me magic for years." I informed him with a small smile. "Most spells still give me considerable trouble, but things like shields, teleportation and other minor ones I can do decently enough."

"Teleportation cannot be considered a minor thing!" Thor insisted.

"Well, no." I shrugged slightly. "But I have done it often enough."

I chose to walk away before he could continue the conversation; there were more important things for us to focus on, like the throbbing pain on my side, which I knew could only be a resonance from Loki, as I had received no injury.

I reached Sif, Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun in short time. They looked awful. Fandral's dominant arm had a deep slash that made it so he couldn't use it; Sif had a bleeding shoulder and kept an arm around her chest, which told me something was wrong with her ribs; Volstagg was on the sand, with serious ice-burns on his neck and an arm; Hogun was the only one who didn't seem as bad, though he looked as tired as the rest.

"My friends!" Thor called loudly the moment he saw them.

"Thor!" They all cried out in turn.

"You're alright!" Volstagg and Fandral called in unison.

"Of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be?" Thor honestly did not understand.

"What has happened?" I demanded.

I needed to know how bad the situation was. I could sense Loki battling Laufey a distance away from us, but before I tried anything I wanted to know how dire the situation was (and it was dire, at least to a point, if he was hurt badly enough for me to feel it).

"We found Laufey with almost a dozen Warriors and two Frost Beasts." Hogun answered promptly, seeing my worry. "We defeated nine between us all, and together managed to take down one of the Beasts. Loki took down the second beast on his own; he also managed to slay one of the other Warriors before it could do anything. Laufey tried to slip away while he fought the last one, but Loki somehow immobilized the last Jotun Warrior before moving against the King. They've been locked in combat ever since."

"I need to find Loki..." I muttered, mostly to myself.

"Nightingale, you are in no state to help..." Thor began worriedly. "And I would ask you to help my friends, as they're in need of a healer..."

I knew he was right, on both accounts, so I reached automatically into the sleeves, bringing out the vials of healing powder and elixir I had left. I passed them around to the others, as those means of healing were simple enough I knew they could handle it on their own. In the end, I was left with one vial in hand, and it was until then that I noticed it wasn't an elixir: it was a green-blue color, a re-energizing potion I'd been experimenting with, mixing several herbs and solutions. The mix was approved by a professional healer, who declared it safe, and I'd taken small sips before, but I'd never tried when truly needing a full dose. In the end I decided Loki was enough of a reason for me to throw caution to the wind and so I swallowed the full contents of the vial in one go. It had a strong taste, like the strongest tea I'd ever tried, with no milk, sugar or honey. The effect was almost immediate, and I could feel a shudder run through me, along with what might have been adrenalin as my energy was practically forced up.

"Nightingale?" Thor asked, worried.

"I'll be fine Thor." I assured him. "I need to find Loki."

The Thunderer turned to look briefly over his friends, who were already helping pour healing powder over each other's wounds.

"I shall go with you." Thor decided right then.

I didn't try another teleportation: on one side it would have been too dangerous, appearing out of nowhere in the middle of a fight, on the other I wanted to conserve some energy.

Thor asked his friends to lend him a shield, as well as a sword and a couple of knives (one which he handed to me) then we were on our way.

We arrived to the scene just in time. The Jotun Hogun had told us Loki had immobilized to focus on Laufey had just finished freeing himself and he moved against Loki in that very instant. I did not even think about it, simply jumping in Loki's direction at the same time I began drawing a rune in the air:

"Algiz!" I called the moment my feet touched ground again.

The spell had been so sudden and the attack so strong that my shield shattered into pieces like glass, the force of it pushing me on one knee. However, it managed to hold long enough.

"Nightingale!" Both brother's called at the same time.

"So the child isn't so useless, then." Laufey mocked.

I didn't reply, simply returned to my feet, focusing my breath so I could pull in as much oxygen as I could to recover, without making it obvious. I could see in Thor's eyes that he wanted to help, but there was nothing he could do, not as a human...

"Stay where you are Thor!" I ordered.

In that moment I pushed away all the ideas that had run previously through my mind about Warriors, Protectors, Shields, what I might or might not be. I knew, without a doubt, there was one thing that would always push me to fight, against all odds: Loki.

I kept my crystal dagger concealed, a hidden ace, just in case; while I focused on wielding the one Thor had given me with my right hand, while I used the left to draw runes in the air as I called on the spells I felt more confident on. I ended up having to call on fire again, as I realized nothing else truly worked.

During that fight I realized just how lucky I'd been during my fight in the palace. Because no matter how hard I tried, it seemed impossible to defeat this new enemy! There were several complications: like the ice covering the ground, while my boots helped me keep balance for the most part, sometimes I couldn't help but slip. And those slips cost me.

Also, Laufey's icy aura seemed to be reinforcing the other Jotun's own power, aside from pretty much sucking the heat out of the air, making it harder to breathe after a while...

Loki wasn't having an easy time; especially because, as an Aesir, he was at a disadvantage where it came to ice magic. He was refusing to shift, and I knew very well why he was doing it: Thor. I was beginning to wonder if it wouldn't have been better to return Thor to his human friends before going to help Loki... I just hoped we wouldn't end up both dead for my lack of forethought on the matter.

The fight was long, tiring, and halfway through it I realized I wasn't going to win. I had an edge, thanks to the fact that the Frost Gian'ts touch did not burn me, no matter how many times my opponent tried it. But still, short fire spells and a dagger were never going to cut it; and then there was the fact that my opponent was one of the best warriors in Jotunheim, while I had only the most basic training in fighting. Still, I had already made up my mind not to give up, not to run away; I would keep fighting, I would find a way to at least keep the Jotun busy long enough for Loki to defeat Laufey, that was all I needed...

The plan didn't exactly work out; then again, it wasn't much of a plan; bunch of goals but no real idea on how to reach them. It happened in a way that was almost embarrassingly simple: I leaned back to avoid a swing from the Jotun's ice blade, but in the end I inclined my body more than I could balance, which caused me to fall on my back.

The Jotun conjured an almost-spear-length ice weapon on his other arm, moving to run me through with it, I barely managed to roll to a side fast enough. However, I then found out I could no longer move. The skirts of my dress were twisted around my legs, immobilizing the lower half of my body.

The Frost Giant noticed my trouble and I could have almost sworn he smiled malevolently at me as he approached, weapons raised and ready to kill me. Growing desperate in my precarious situation I made a move to try and injure him with the knife; he hit me with the blunt side of his spear, making me drop the small blade and making pain blossom in my wrist. I was sure it was sprained, perhaps even worse, as I could no longer move my hand properly.

"Nothing more than a pathetic child in the end." The Jotun hissed in satisfaction.

In a second, I practically lost myself to panic, though it wasn't exactly my death that worried me (though I did not want to die either). All I could do was stare at the intricate gold cuff-bracelet around my right wrist: the deamarkonian; knowing that, because of it, when I died, Loki would die with me! The mere idea caused me such pain I was sure even true death couldn't be that painful, it just couldn't...

Then a second passed, and another, a third... I finally took a breath, fully processing the fact I was still alive. Belatedly I processed the sound of metal groaning and bending; and then, finally, I raised my head. My mind had trouble processing what I saw: Thor was standing in front of me, his back to me, on his left arm was Sif's shield, and it was that shield which he'd used to block the Frost Giant's attack against me.

The exiled God let out a pained groan and I remember then that, while he might look the same as always, he had none of his usual power. The shield had barely been able to stand against the power of the Jotun's attack, Thor hadn't been so fortunate. Just for his expression and the way he held himself I could guess his arm was broken.

"You wanted to die with her?" The Frost Giant mocked at the blonde. "Should have just said so. I don't mind indulging you!"

"Thor!" I screamed at him urgently. "Move!"

"No" He shouted his refusal back at me, without even moving.

"Thor!" I cried out in absolute panic. "He's going to kill you!"

"He will kill you!" The blonde retorted.

"My life is not worth yours." I yelled back. "Asgard needs you!"

"And Loki needs you." He said with a strange serenity.

And somehow those words coming so quietly from his mouth, they weighed more in my mind and heart than all our previous yelling.

"Nightingale! Brother!" Loki cried out to us.

He could see our situation, but Laufey was giving him no chance to do anything, he was too strong, too fast, too much...

I could practically feel the glee as the Frost Giant before us swiped at Thor's shield. With his arm already badly injured, the Thunderer wasn't able to hold onto it. When the next attack came all Thor could do was raise his other arm, the one holding the short sword he'd borrowed from one of his friends, and brace himself.

I waited for a breath, two... on the third, as if by some higher design, lighting struck right in between Thor and his opponent, or was it on one of them? A cloud of sand rose suddenly enough some of it got inside my mouth and nose and I couldn't hold back my almost violent coughing as I tried to clear up my throat from the sand. When I finally managed to breathe right again I opened eyes I hadn't noticed I'd closed... only to realize everything had changed, in the most unexpected manner, in just an instant.

Thor was still standing right in front of me; except he was no longer the same vulnerable, human he'd been just seconds before. Instead, he was back to being the man I'd known for five years personally, and even before that, through Loki's stories. He was in full armor and red cape, and in his right hand he held Mjolnir.

"Thor..." I whispered, not quite able to believe what I was seeing.

Thor himself seemed quite surprised by the change. It was obvious he hadn't planned, hadn't been expecting it. Even if we'd both known he could get his powers back, none of us had known how exactly he was supposed to do that. And even after it had happened, I hadn't the slightest idea of what the key might have been: was it his willingness to fight even when he was just human and utterly unable to win against such opponents? His sacrifice for my sake? The strength of his mind and will even when his body had failed him? Something else entirely?

Thor was so shocked by the shift, and the fact that it had apparently been enough to heal his broken arm, that for a few seconds he didn't move. He didn't even notice when the Jotun took advantage of his distraction to attack, but I did. Without thinking much about it, I called on my magic; with a wave of my good hand I telekinetically threw my knife at the Frost Giant. It pierced his shoulder, not a very threatening wound, but enough to make it stagger, and return Thor to the present. The blonde then used Mjolnir to call a storm, having lightning hit his opponent (whether the lightning hit the knife on purpose, by coincidence, or divine design, I would never know -nor did I ask-).

My mind was still trying to catch up with everything that had happened rather suddenly when I felt Thor's hands on my torso as he took hold of me, pulling me to my feet in a swift move. I got a rush of vertigo at the sudden motion; and yet I had to admit it was easier than twisting all around to release my legs and then fight to get up again with the slippery ice beneath me.

"Thank you." I told him quietly.

"You were amazing, Lady Nightingale." He told me respectfully. "It was just bad fortune that had you unable to finish him off on your own."

"Fortune or not, you saved my life, thank you." I insisted, smiling at him. "And you have regained your power! Another good thing."

"Indeed." Thor nodded.

We stopped talking then, both turning to where Loki and Laufey were still battling it out, knowing there was one thing that still needed taking care of.

"Give up Laufey!" Thor boomed at him.

"Give up?" Laufey mocked, without stopping the fight for even an instant. "Whyever would I do such a cowardly thing?"

"You've lost already, even you must know that." Thor insisted. "Give up and we will be merciful with you and, and any warriors of yours that might still be alive at this point..."

"I will never give up!" Laufey snarled. "And what would the point of mercy be? Think, you do, that I know not that my traitorous son back in Jotunheim has organized a coupe? All those Frost Giants, so weak, so cowardly, not daring to move against Asgard, to fight for what is rightfully ours! They will all answer to Helblindi now. A coward who should be no son of mine! No, whether I am doomed to fail or not, I shall not give up! Even if I am meant to die, I shall have one final laugh, and take at least one of my traitorous sons with me!"

I realized what he was going to do a fraction of a second before he did it:

"Wha...?" Thor began, having no idea at all...

"No!" I practically screeched, even knowing it was useless.

Laufey ignored the moment his latest ice blade was broken by Loki's knives and kept moving his arm, managing to take hold of Loki's neck. The hold wasn't tight enough to really strangle my love, but still, it caused the same reaction as the last time the Jotun King did such a thing: Loki's skin rippled, fading from the pale, almost ivory that was his natural tone as an Aesir, to the dark cobalt of his Jotun flesh. His bright jade green eyes bleeding red and black.

A pained moan escaped Loki's lips then, though only I knew it wasn't because of any physical pain, no, it was all emotional in that moment.

"Loki...?" Thor was beyond confused by that point. "What...?"

"You knew not, did you?" Laufey asked Thor mockingly, voice biting and cruel. "Your 'beloved' brother, isn't your brother at all! His blood is not Odin's, it's mine! He's my son! My first-born, even if a bastard, born from a woman who had so much power, yet not the right brains to use it properly! And then she gave me a runt for a son! A runt! My first-born! It's no wonder I killed her right after she brought such a disgrace to my name! And since we were already at war it was rather easy to simply abandon the baby on that temple and claim he and his mother had been tragically slayed by the barbarians from Asgard!"

Loki gasped and I even I had a hard time holding back my own cry. Such a cruel creature! Such a... monster! How could Loki be the son of such an abomination?! It just wasn't possible! I'd heard the debate of nature vs. nurture, of course; but this whole situation was beyond ridiculous! Loki's mother must have been an amazing being if nature was in any way responsible for anything Loki was... or maybe it was all simply thanks to Frigg's nurture, her care, her love. Though I still, for the life of me, could not comprehend how anyone could ever love someone like Laufey... or had he been monstrous even in that aspect and taken what wasn't willingly given? It honestly wouldn't surprise me.

"Did you hear me, Prince Thor?" Laufey went on with his poisonous speech. "Loki is mine! He's a Jotun! A monster, just like me!"

Loki's eyes were shut tight and I could suddenly feel coldness creeping in. I couldn't breathe, it was as if all will to live had left me abruptly. I realized then that I was feeling what Loki did. He was beyond panicked, absolutely terrified, to a point where he would rather simply stop living in that very moment than have to face Thor's reaction to the revelation of his ancestry.

I wanted to do something, anything, but I just knew not what... there were no words I could say, nothing I could do to possibly change the situation we were in... and then...

"No." Thor's voice seemed so loud as he abruptly broke the silence, and it had a certain quality to it, strong, hard, almost otherworldly.

"What...?" Laufey seemed as confused as I, perhaps even more.

"No." Thor insisted.

"Denial won't change anything, little prince." Laufey sneered at him. "In the end Loki will still be exactly what he is..."

"I said no!" Thor snapped loudly, furious. "Loki is not your son, and above everything else, he is anything but a monster! You comparing yourself to him is like a bug trying to compare itself to the mightiest eagle: pointless and stupid."

Laufey actually seemed shocked at that.

I had no words. Honestly, none at all, my mind was absolutely blank, and I was almost sure so was Loki's. While I'd had high hopes for Thor after Jane's words, after his admittance that things might be different from what he'd always known and believed in... not even in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined something like what was happening in that very moment before my eyes. I turned to look properly at Loki then, his own eyes wide and bright, I knew (from inside and out) that he felt the same awe and wonder I did.

"He is my..." Laufey began, livid.

"I care not who sired him, or gave birth to him." Thor cut him off almost viciously. "Though it sounds to me that, his birth-mother, at least, deserved much more." He took a deep breath before continuing. "In the end, that matters not. He is Loki Odinson, Friggason, my brother. We were raised together, we've played together, fought together... I care not how he came to exist, he's my brother in every way that matters and you're nothing but a pitiful coward trying to destroy someone who's a thousand times more than you'll ever be... you don't even deserve to try to claim him as yours, not now, not ever!" He raised his hand high, Mjolnir flying to him from where he'd left it on the ice when helping me. "Loki, move!"

My Maverick, as awed and shocked as he seemed to be with every word Thor had pronounced in the last few minutes, still reacted instinctively to Thor's command. Before Laufey fully processed what was going on Loki had seemed to turn into sparks in the Jotun's hold before reappearing by Thor's side. And just in time, as thunder hit Laufey a fraction of a second later.

"You were so sure I would be able to move in time..." Loki commented almost offhandedly.

"I know you better than you might think, brother." Thor told him calmly. "You have much more power than you show most of the time. I had faith you had enough to free yourself."

Loki actually smiled; and deep inside we both knew it wasn't because of Thor's praise, no, it was for something much more simple: Thor had called Loki 'brother'. After everything Laufey had said, after witnessing the change in Loki's own skin, Thor still called Loki his brother, as if it were the most natural thing, as if it couldn't be any other way... and maybe that's how he saw it.

Right then the cloud of sand and steam that had formed with the thunder finally cleared, leaving a completely livid King of the Jotun in its wake.

"Shall we, brother?" Thor inquired, signaling to the fuming Laufey.

"After you, brother." Loki replied with a smirk.

"No, together." Thor insisted in turn.

Loki nodded eagerly.

"Nightingale." My love said, turning to me briefly. "Please stay back and raise one of your shields, I wish not for you to get hurt."

"Laufey won't hurt anyone else." Thor assured us both.

"No, he won't." Loki reaffirmed.

And then the two of them were off.

Watching them do battle together... I'd heard and read of people describing battle as beautiful and I did not understand how they could see violence and believe it to be anything resembling beauty, I couldn't... however, seeing Thor and Loki in that moment, as they fought against Laufey, the way they weaved in an out of each other's paths, never tripping or encroaching on the other, always so perfectly synchronized, as if they were following some kind of choreography they had practiced countless times. Yet I knew it wasn't that, because never before that moment had Loki and Thor fought together; the Thunderer was always one to run straight into a fight, regardless of safety or plans, while my Maverick would stay back and use his magic from a distance to make sure his brother and friends would get themselves killed in their rush for battle and glory...

Numberless times Loki had been called weak, because he was not a warrior in the same manner Thor and his friends were; he'd been called a coward, for choosing words and magic above fists and swords. I wondered silently what all those people would say if they could see him, could see both brothers, as they were in that moment... Such an enthralling sight... I was sure none would ever dare insult Loki again...

In the end, Laufey hadn't a chance. The moment Thor and Loki began fighting together his defeat was imminent. And he knew it. In a last, desperate effort to get some kind of satisfaction even in loss, he shot a torrent of ice blades, almost like a hailstorm, straight at me...

I took a deep breath when I saw the attack coming my way, bracing myself and the shield for it. I knew there was a chance, a big one, that it would break before the attack ran out, but there was simply no time for me to move away, the attack was too wide, and if I tried to teleport I would need to call on the magic holding the shield in place and that was just too big a risk as it would leave me vulnerable for a number of too precious seconds.

So I waited, in a way we all did... except the attack never hit. It felt almost like a repeat of that moment when I'd found myself immobilized by my own dress and the last Jotun Warrior raised his ice-blade to kill me, only to have Thor block him. Except it wasn't Thor who intervened in that moment: but Sif and Hogun. They were the least hurt from Thor's friends, so it was reasonable that they would be able to stop what ice-blades would have hit me, letting the rest of them fly harmlessly around us. What I, what none of us, had been expecting, was for them to have followed Thor and I when we left them to track down Loki.

"Sif...? Hogun...?" We were all truly shocked.

"Seemed appropriate that we would begin to pay back for all the times you've saved our lives." Hogun told me calmly. "Also, if you are a friend, why shouldn't we protect you?"

It was the first time he, any of them really, referred to me as a friend. While it was true that I'd been helping them for years, I'd been little more than Loki's friend, or the Queen's handmaiden. Sif's nod at Hogun's words only pushed my confusion higher. What could have possibly happened in the last few days to make them change so much? It couldn't have been my speeches to them, and much less the fact that I'd sent them to the dungeons for several days; if anything that should have driven a deeper wedge between us, rather than narrowing it.

"Just kill the bastard already so we can all go back home." Sif called to the brothers.

"As the lady commands." Loki bowed his head at her.

He'd made it sound mocking, and yet in his eyes one could see that he was truly thankful, both to Sif and Hogun, for helping me. I wondered if they could see it...

I did not know what pushed me to do it, but I dramatically dusted my dress before giving enough steps to stand in between Sif and Hogun, straightening up to my full (if still small) height. Allowing Laufey to look right at me, while I stared back at him.

"You lose..." I whispered with all the coldness I was capable of.

I'd never been one to hold grudges, not for my own sake in any case; but knowing everything he'd done, to hurt not only Loki but also Helblindi, Jotunheim, and even Asgard... I couldn't help the hint of satisfaction when I was the last thing he saw before a sword went through his heart (if he had one at all) at the same time Mjolnir bashed his head in. There was simply no way he could survive the two things.

xXx

The Warriors Three wanted us all to go back to Asgard as soon as we won the battle, Thor didn't want to leave his new friends so abruptly, Sif held back her own opinion, while Loki and I realized we couldn't just leave; not with all the humans who had already involved themselves, directly or indirectly, in things.

We took a moment to set the corpses of Jotun and beasts alike on fire; the last thing we needed was for someone to find them and experiment on them, and I knew humans were liable to try such a thing, even if they justified it as studying possible threats to world security.

By that point Volstagg and Fandral were as well as they could be expected to be in that time, same with the rest of us, and while Thor offered his friends to stay by the Bifrost site and wait for the rest of us, Sif vehemently refused that, arguing that someone had to be ready to protect him, protect us all, in case something else went wrong (and with our luck, it was possible). In the end we acquiesced and got moving.

Jane seemed to be about to bite her nails off when we finally got close to her and the other humans. The moment she saw us she let out a little cry, enough to call everyone else's attention to her, and then us; and then she ran to us, throwing herself at Thor the moment she reached us. It was until she'd kissed him with a brazenness I honestly wasn't expecting (none of us was), then she smiled and spoke.

"So, is this how you normally look?" She inquired, looking him up and down.

"More or less." Thor smiled at her almost goofishly.

"It's a good look." Jane complimented him, she sounded almost dazed, maybe the kiss?

"Glad you approve." Thor replied, kissing her again.

"Donald..." A voice called.

It was the same Agent as before. Loki had told me he seemed to be in charge of the government agents studying Mjolnir and keeping watch over Thor and his human friends.

"I am Thor Odinson, crown prince of Asgard." The Thundered cut him off respectful and authoritative, before moving to introduce the rest of us. "My brother, Loki Odinson, prince and current Lord Regent; and our Advisor, the Lady Nightingale Whisperer..."

I began to wonder if that was to become my name... it wasn't bad, not at all. Though it was more than a little peculiar than he would choose to combine name and title the same way Helblindi had before (and I didn't remember telling him about that...).

"Next there are our friends." Thor insisted on claiming them as such. "Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three: Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg."

There was no visible reaction from Coulson as Thor introduced all of us, but I had seen that kind of blankness before, in my Aunt Kathryn no less. He was obviously being affected, but was holding back, hoping to learn more before revealing anything about himself.

"Know this, Son of Coul." Thor went on. "You and I, we fight for the same cause, the protection of this world. From this day forward you can count me, count us all, as your allies if..." he took a step back, to be beside Jane. "You return the items you have taken from Jane."

"Stolen." Jane muttered almost petulantly.

"Borrowed." Coulson corrected without missing a beat. "Of course you can have your equipment back. You're going to need it to continue your research."

Thor nodded. It looked like he was about ready to fly off, but Loki stopped him.

"Brother." My Maverick said respectfully. "I know you must be eager to return to Asgard, but it is my belief we all would benefit from a more... in-depth talk with the midgardian agents."

"I would appreciate a debriefing of the events that took place today, that have been taking place for the last week, in fact." Coulson nodded. "All we know from before is that Thor appeared one night, was taken to the hospital, and later on got away without being released by the doctors, he invaded our temporary facilities in a failed attempt to retrieve an object that had appeared as suddenly as him, an object he is now carrying, and then the rest of you arrived... and those creatures, and the fight... you sent us away."

"I sent you away for your own safety." Loki pointed out. "The ones who attacked were Frost Giants, and their most powerful Beasts. You would have been defenseless against them. The mere touch of any of them burns all not of their race, but Nightingale and myself, for reason we need not go into."

"I have seen the kind of burns they cause in Aesir..." I murmured, not being able to hold the comment back. "I cannot even begin to imagine what they could do to humans..."

Several of the humans present actually shivered at the prospect.

"Brother, are you sure it's safe to take this much time to explain things?" Thor inquired.

"More than safe, it's necessary." Loki told him. "Humans both deserve and need to understand as much as they possibly can of what has happened; of the dangers they are open to. Both so they can prepare themselves, and so they might avoid situations that might place the in even more danger in the future."

"Mind explaining that last part?" A female voice asked suddenly.

I froze in place, recognizing it immediately.

"Agent Adler, I trust the perimeter is secured?" Coulson inquired.

"All civilians are safe and ready to return once we confirm it's safe for them to do so." My aunt, the Agent, nodded. "There were no remains from the battles, but then again, we had expected that. What I would like to know is what Lord Loki meant when he spoke about avoiding things that might put us in danger..."

Thor turned to Loki, who in turn looked at me. While Loki was called Silvertongue, he also knew he could be very blunt at times; and the Agents might take offense to his words, so he would rather I spoke, I, who knew more about humans than anyone else, because I was one, even if no one but Loki and myself knew.

"To be honest, at this point, none of the other realms think much about Midgard, or as you call it, Earth." I said seriously. "It's a mix of things, but the most important is how short lived you all are. While, to be perfectly honest, no race is fully immortal, most other races measure their lives in millennia rather than in decades. So you humans are mere infants even at the time of your death. It is generally believed that little can be achieved with such short lives, so most don't expect there to be much here... some, like Loki and myself, know this realm enough to realize things aren't fully as it is widely believed. Midgard isn't as behind as others think... however, it is also true that you aren't as advanced as other realms, especially Asgard."

I made a pause, waiting to see the reactions of everyone around me. As no one seemed to be taking things negatively just yet I felt confident enough to go on.

"A bit over a thousand years ago, in the aftermath of the last battle between Aesir and Jotun, the Allfather decreed that, while Midgard would always be under Asgard's purview and protection, the human race would be allowed to grow and progress as they would, without any outside influence..." I went on. "However, there were no concessions made for how things would proceed if you were ever to find a way to establish contact with the rest of us. Simply put no one, in any realm, imagined such a thing could possibly happen in a very, very long time, if ever. While, technically we were the ones who came here; truth is J... Dr. Foster is very wise, and is very close to understanding things that even the best scholars all over the universe have difficulty with. It is likely that, had we never come, she would have found at least some of the answers on her own, enough to call the attention of others... and that could be dangerous."

"Knowledge is dangerous." Loki went on. "It is the whole point Nightingale is trying to make. You know now that the universe is bigger than you used to think, and that there are other beings living in other worlds throughout it. What you do with that knowledge is up to you of course, but remember always that your actions have consequences. And that some of those actions might end up calling the attention of others... Thor has told you that we want the same things, to consider us allies, and it's true. However, know that that will not always be the case. At some point you might end up calling the attention of those who might wish you and your realm harm; and while we might have every intention of helping you, we can make no guarantees that we will always be here. We have duties to fulfill, the universe is a big place, and some things might happen too suddenly for anyone, even us, to do anything about it."

For a few seconds, not a word was said, eventually it was Au... Agent Adler who spoke.

"We understand." She nodded.

They understood. Whether they would heed the warning or not was anyone's guess, and truly outside of our power.

Coulson asked that we move to a more private location, the very place where Mjolnir had been and the Agency, S.H.I.E.L.D. was its name, had bult temporary HQs. We were about to get on the jeeps when Agent Adler approached me unexpectedly.

"Silbhé...?" She called me, quietly enough so that only I could hear. "Are you alright?"

I was left wordless, not knowing how to reply to that.

"What has happened to you?" She insisted. "Have you been in Asgard all these years? Why did you leave? We thought you were dead! Your father..."

"Stop." I couldn't listen anymore.

It took all my strength of will to interrupt her, and even more than that to force the next words out of my mouth; but I knew it was how things needed to be. It was the choice I'd made, and I needed to abide by it.

"I know not what you speak of, my lady." I forced my expression to go completely blank. "My name is Nightingale Whisperer. Like Crown Prince Thor said, I am Lord Loki's advisor."

"But before..." She insisted.

"Before that I used to be Queen Frigg's handmaiden." I cut her off again. "I am deeply sorry, my lady. It seems you are confusing me with someone else."

I didn't allow her to insist anymore, rushing to join the rest of the Asgardians. Loki turned a piercing look at me; he could sense my turmoil, obviously, but I just shook my head; it was not something I wanted or even could get into in that moment. I just hoped Aunt Kathryn wouldn't insist on it before her colleagues...

It hurt, a lot, but decisions had been made. She had a life, and so did I; we both needed to accept the consequences of those choices. What point was there to revealing to her it was really me? In the end, I wasn't really Silbhé Arianna Salani anymore, hadn't been for five years, not since the day I became the Queen's handmaiden. That day I became Nightingale fully, I became an adult, and my previous life ceased to matter. Silbhé Salani had died, that was the truth, all that was left was Nightingale, and I was alright with that. It was a universal truth that every child must one day leave his parents' home to make a life on their own... my method might not have been the preferred one, but it was a valid one nonetheless. Or so I hoped... I still couldn't erase the guilt and the grief I felt...

As planned we all went to the S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost. There we took turns explaining everything that had happened in the last week. To my surprise, neither Sif nor the Warriors made any mention of my sending them to the dungeons; then again, they didn't mention their treacherous plans either. We didn't mention Loki's involvement in the Jotun's initial infiltration, or his true parentage, or my origins; there were some things we considered either too personal or too controversial, and didn't want to have them tamper our new relationship with Midgard.

Eventually we finished the debriefing. The Supervisory Agents seemed pretty satisfied with the recount, though I was quite sure they'd noticed there were things we weren't saying. Hopefully they accepted they were things that didn't affect them and would leave it at that. Jane would be continuing her reaearch, sponsored by the Agency; and we would make an effort to keep a cordial relationship between the realms. I knew Thor at least would make an effort to visit as frequently as possible; he seemed quite smitten with Jane Foster!

"What guarantee do we have that if we ever need help, especially against other alien beings, you will come and help us?" One of the other Agents in the room asked.

"We have given our word." Thor informed him simply.

"For an Aesir," I elaborated. "Giving one's word, making a vow, is binding. Magic will extract a price if the oath isn't kept and whoever broke their word will be forever known as Forsworn. That is a most terrible dishonor to one's name."

There were nods all around. I was quite sure most of the midgardians still did not understand. For them it was so easy to lie, to make promises and later not keep them. Aesir were different. It was why Loki was such an oddity. God of Lies, they called him. At one point I'd believed it was stupid and impossible, how can anyone be a god of something like lies? Except it wasn't actually that simple. On one hand, because Loki never outright lied, he bent the truth, twisted it, but never broke it (which is why he wasn't Forsworn, despite his title); on the other because the mere fact that Loki was capable of even that much, was enough to be considered the God of Lies anyway. He was the only one who could do such a thing... far as I knew anyway.

It looked like some of the Agents wanted to keep us around longer even after we finished all the retelling. But by then Sif and the Warriors Three were growing antsy, as was Thor; none of us had forgotten the state we'd left Asgard in, though at least Loki and I were completely confident in Asgard's victory, after all, they were warriors, and the plans had been made so they would be prepared for practically anything... and at the time we were leaving victory was pretty much assured already. So there really was no need to worry.

After we'd said our goodbyes to the Agents Thor offered Jane to show her the bridge she'd been studying; she, delighted, said yes. The next second they were gone, flying in the direction where we could sense the Bifrost awaiting.

"Did he really have to do that?" Sif muttered, quietly enough that few of us heard.

Her words triggered a thought in me: was she jealous? I had suspected, more than once, that Sif might be in love with Thor. She'd never said anything, and neither had he. However, if my suspicions were right... Sif had given up on everything that distinguished a lady in Asgard; and, granted, I was quite sure she liked being a warrior. Still, her position made it so it was highly unlikely a man would ever care for her and wish to marry her; most Asgardian men simply had no interest in women who were 'out of the ordinary'. Thor, being pretty much the ultimate warrior, Sif had probably believed he would accept her as both a Warrior and a Woman. And then Thor had met and fallen in love with Jane, who one could almost see as the exact opposite from Sif...

"Thor just couldn't wait to fly again." Loki said flippantly.

The comment seemed to be enough to make Sif relax once again and yet, a quick look into the bond connecting us told me that he thought as I did; he'd just said that for Sif's benefit (and because the last thing we needed was a jealous warrior-maiden losing her temper.

Darcy and Selvig went for the RV they'd driven to the facility, offering Sif, the Warriors Three and even Coulson a ride.

"Nightingale and I shall find our own way there." Loki announced suddenly. "And we could take Agent Adler, if she so wishes."

I had no idea what was going on, but something in the bond was urging me to agree, so I did.

"Of course." I nodded automatically. "Besides, I'm quite sure the RV will be a little tight with so many people inside already... It would be no trouble to bring Agent Adler with us. That is, of course, only if she finds it acceptable."

"More than acceptable." She stated blankly.

And even when her expression was so blank, was the slightest change in his eyes, a change I noticed; and suddenly I had a very good idea of what was coming. I felt terrified.

The moment the RV had vanished in the clouds of sand and dust, and the remaining agents had gone back inside the facility, Agent Adler turned to stare straight at me.

"Regardless of what you might try to say, you lie only to yourself." She told me quietly, with not a hint of hesitation. "I know who you are, Silbhé..."

"If you don't mind, my lady." Loki interrupted her softly but strongly. "I believe this is the kind of conversation we would do better having in private..."

"Of course." She nodded stoically.

With that Loki took hold of both of our arms. I barely had the presence of mind to tell my Aunt to jump at the same time Loki and I did, then we were gone. Thankfully, she'd reacted to my words automatically, without stopping to think about them (and a part of me wondered if it was her Agent training, or she really trusted me that much, despite the time apart and the lies).

"We're several miles west from the Bifrost point." Loki informed us once we were back on the ground. "There's no reason for anyone to come this way, and we should have enough time to get to our destination before the RV gets there. Now..."

"Now." Kathryn righted herself. "You will explain to me what exactly happened five years ago, and why you made us believe you died."

For a few seconds I had no words. In all the years that had passed since that amazing, terrible day, I never imagined being in such a situation: being forced / getting the chance, to see my family again, at least the most important member of it, revealing the truth to her.

"You may think you can lie to me Silbhé." She insisted. "But you lie only to yourself."

"I am not Silbhé..." I muttered, but it sounded weak, even to my own ears.

"I am your Aunt." She insisted strongly. "More than that. I am the woman who raised you, for twelve years! I might not have given birth to you myself, but you're as good as my daughter! Now, tell me the truth!"

She was right, she was as good as my mother. While I would never forget that Aislinn Salani nee Kinross had been the one to carry me and give birth to me, she'd died when I was much too young to truly remember her. I had vague memories of whispered prayers and lullabies, some in English, some in Gaelic; as well as a pair of earrings and a wedding picture. Kathryn, my father's sister, had been the one to raise me (especially with my dad always working); she'd even given up her job to do so! I might have never called her anything but Aunt... but in my heart she'd been as good as my mother. She would always be.

Loki pierced me with a look I understood instantly: I didn't have to do it if I didn't want to. I could walk away, and he would make Kathryn forget she ever knew it was me... it wasn't good, but it would have been justified. However, that wasn't what I wanted, not really. Deep down I'd always wanted, prayed even, for the chance to get at least one person from my old family back. As much as I may love Loki, the Queen, Thor, even Rue, Karin and some of the other girls, they just couldn't compare to Aunt Kathryn...

Even after realizing my own wishes, I had no idea what to say exactly, so I decided to pretty much wing it.

"First of all, I would really like it if you called me Nightingale." I told her softly. "Silbhé... I wasn't lying when I claimed I'm not her. Truth is I have not felt like Silbhé Salani for five years, it is a name I feel I can no longer relate to. Like I am no longer her, even if I used to in the past. So much has changed... I have changed..."

"No matter what may change, you will always be the same, will always be you, Nightingale." Loki assured me quietly.

"He's right, you know?" Kathryn actually sighed at that. "I recognized you, not only for the way you look, as even I realized I might have gotten that wrong. No, it's the way you hold yourself. You're physically so small, yet there is power in you, and you know it, instinctively, and the way you move, speak, even the way you stand, reflects it."

"That's true." Loki agreed. "It's something I've always known, even when you were a child. It's what drew me to you in the first place."

"So, will you tell me now?" My aunt inquired. "Will you explain to me how it is that your father and I came to believe you died in your sleep, and yet you somehow are here right now, walking with gods and dressed as a princess?"

I couldn't help it, her words brought a laugh out of me. She couldn't know how right the last part of her statement was, and it really hadn't occurred to me before but if... when I married Loki, I would be, truly, a princess! It was a dizzying thought.

"I should have died that night." I told her, finally. "I would have, hadn't it been for Loki. He saved my life, with his magic. However, there were consequences none of us could have predicted... while the cancer would no longer kill me, we couldn't be apart. If we separated more than a certain distance we began feeling sick, and it got progressively worse. We had to stay together... and he couldn't stay here. He had a life on Asgard..." I shook my head. "No one even knew he was here, and he couldn't stay."

"I wasn't supposed to be here." Loki clarified. "I especially wasn't supposed to interfere in the lives of mortals. If the Allfather had found out... it wouldn't have been good. At the very least he would have erased from Nightingale's mind all memory of me, and probably locked me up for a few years, maybe even a few decades. And if he'd known what I did to save her..."

"Why would he be angry about you saving someone's life?" Kathryn did not understand.

"We already told you that the Allfather vowed to guard over the realms, but allow them to evolve as they may." Loki reminded her. "We're not supposed to interfere, to help them, you... I saved your niece from something she could have never survived on her own, something no one survives. The Allfather would have seen her continued existence as an imbalance. And then there is the fact of what would have happened if the doctors noticed that she was living on with the cancer... they would want to study her, and that would have been catastrophic."

"I would have never allowed Silbhé to become a science experiment!" Aunt Kathryn was deeply upset by the veiled accusation.

"Maybe not of your own will, but it may not have been up to you in the end." Loki told her grimly. "In any case, there is no need to worry about things that never came to pass." He shook his head. "Nightingale is right that I couldn't stay here. I knew that, but I didn't want to consider what that meant. Except she knew it, and she made the choice I didn't dare to."

"Why not just tell us the truth?" Kathryn inquired.

"I wasn't sure you could take it, pretty sure dad couldn't..." I sighed. "And if you ever made a comment, or anything that called Asgard's attention on you... Loki and I would have had no way of protecting you... So in the end I decided it was better to just let you believe I died."

"The dream..." She seemed to remember that detail suddenly.

"It was no dream." I confirmed what she probably suspected already. "Though we had you believe that so you would have no reason to doubt my death... I just wanted you to move on. Wanted to make sure you wouldn't stagnate once I was gone..."

"And what about you?" My aunt sounded almost challenging as she asked that. "Did you just 'move on' too?"

"In some ways, yes." I admitted. "In others... no, and I probably never will." I let out a breath. "When I told you to call me Nightingale, I wasn't trying to be cruel. For the last five years that's all I've been; that's also who I shall be for the rest of my life..."

We explained it to her then, about the life I lead. How I'd become the Queen's handmaiden and protege upon arrival to Asgard, how I'd been released from that duty when Loki became Lord Regent, so I could be named Lady Whisperer... and what was to come...

"So you're getting married..." She murmured at the end.

"Yes." I smiled brightly.

"I care for Nightingale more deeply than I've ever cared for another in my life." Loki told her serenely. "I want nothing more than to spend the rest of it by her side..."

"What about your immortality?" Aunt Kathryn inquired, worriedly.

"If she is to be my Bride, I can intercede before the Allfather to allow her to partake of Idunn's apples, which would grant her immortality and eternal youth..." Loki answered easily.

What he didn't say, and I could practically hear in the corner of our mind that connected us was that even that might not be necessary. What had begun as a life-force link, formed by the deamarkonian to feed me his energy so my body could fight the cancer and keep it at bay, had been changing in the time since we'd been connected, especially in the last couple of years. The signs were there: the sharing of magic, our empathy, the way we seemed to reflect each other's pain, and how we could almost know what the other was thinking...

"So... you would live forever then?" She asked looking at me. "Can you do that?" She shook her head. "What I mean is, can you handle that?"

She had realized it, my true fear; the real reason why I'd tried so hard to stay away from her... it was about more than just them moving on, or I... I didn't want to have to say goodbye again. Granted, both she and my father were older than I, and once we took the cancer out of the equation, and baring unexpected accidents, they were always going to die before I did. But there was a difference between them dying old and gray, with me following some time later; to losing them, and knowing I would never follow...

Truth is, I was afraid of immortality. More than afraid, I was simply terrified at the idea of living, of my existence continuing, uninterrupted, till the end of time... granted, being technically catholic (even if I hadn't been very active in the religion for many years, more than I'd been in Asgard, even), I knew about the idea of heaven, of the afterlife and such. Being in contact with individuals like the Aesir I had learnt about Helheim, Niflheim, Valhalla... still, there was a huge difference between knowing something as a concept, and knowing it for a fact.

And yet... there was one other thing to take in consideration; the sole reason why there had been no doubt, no hesitation in me when I'd given my answer to Loki's marriage proposal... it was him. I loved him so much. For him I was willing to face anything without regrets: anything, even death... and life... eternity.

xXx

Our conversation ended shortly after that, as Loki informed us the RV would be in view of the Bifrost Site soon, so we had to get going. We made it there just in time and Thor and Jane, as lost as they had been in each other, were none the wiser about our late arrival. Right before the others stepped out of their vehicle Aunt Kathryn spoke one last time, just loud enough for me to hear:

"Have a safe trip, Nightingale..." She smiled at me.

So maybe she still didn't like it, but was willing to accept it. I'd already promised her I would try to visit, but we would have to be careful; for both her safety and mine her bosses couldn't know about my past, couldn't know I was her supposedly-dead niece.

Reiterations were made about Asgard protecting Earth, and us being S.H.I.E.L.D.'s allies, Thor also promised Jane he would return, and then we were on our way.

Our return to Asgard went mostly unnoticed. Heimdall had horses waiting for us; and the Queen had left one of her handmaidens to wait for our arrival by the palace's doors. But almost everyone else was either resting, getting healed or helping with the reconstruction.

The battle was over, had been for a while; probably shortly after we'd left, even. Knowing the Queen would be in the Royal Wing Sif and the Warriors Three were dismissed to finish their healing, while Thor, Loki and I followed Sigyn; one of the Queen's older handmaidens, had been in service for two years and was the one most likely to take over Rue's post as chief handmaiden after Rue herself left service in a few months.

It had seemed almost ironic to me when I'd met Sigyn. The woman who, according to Norse mythology was supposed to be the Goddess of Fidelity, as well as Loki's wife. At one point, when we'd been talking about what the humans had gotten right, and wrong, we'd talked about Sigyn: his friend, probably his only true friend. Maybe that was why humans had made that mistake... still, I couldn't help but find it funny. Sigyn was actually an amazing woman, with strawberry blonde hair and bright eyes; she was quiet, demure, observant, very intelligent... perhaps the perfect Asgardian lady... She also knew I was no Aesir, was one of the few; yet she hadn't said a word, not to anyone else, and not even to me, except to let me know if I ever needed help I could count on her, and her discretion. I hoped she would find someone who truly valued her, got to live a good life (it wouldn't be Loki, of course, for he was all mine! And it still amazed me to realize that).

Sigyn couldn't enter the Queen's private apartments, so she left us at the door. We went through the main sitting room, then the private one, and finally into the King's private bedroom. Where the Queen was once again sitting by her husband's bedside, watching over him. She reacted the moment Thor and Loki crossed the threshold.

"Oh..." She gasped in delight, running to them. "My sons! You're alright!" She embraced Thor tightly. "You're back! My dear boy!" She turned to Loki to embrace him too. "You brought your brother back! I knew you would!" She face both of them. "I knew the two of you would be alright as long as you were together. I always told your father you were meant to be a team..."

"You were right mother, as always." Loki smiled at her.

"But our team wouldn't be complete without the Lady Nightingale!" Thor contributed.

The moment all three of them turned to look at me I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. It didn't help matters any when the Queen rushed to embrace me as well.

"From the moment my son brought you to us I knew you were special Nightingale..." She told me with a smile, kissing my brow. "You're the greatest blessing the Norns have ever given us. Not only to me, but to my sons... especially to Loki..."

Then, as if I weren't in enough of a limelight already, Loki decided that very moment to inform his mother of certain developments...

"Mother, I believe you should know I have proposed to Nightingale, and she has accepted me." My Maverick announced with a bright smile. "We shall be married in a month!"

"Oh..." Frigg's own smile seemed impossibly bright by that point. "How wonderful!"

Thor began teasing us almost right away. Claiming he should have seen it coming; both Loki and I chose to hold our tongues and not say that there was no way he could have noticed when he never paid attention to either of us unless he needed us for something... truth is Thor had changed and was still changing. Apparently exile truly had helped him; or at least meeting Jane had.

In any case, soon Loki and I were returning the teasing, reminding him of Jane, and of their 'deal'. Seeing Thor blush was worth all the embarrassment on our part. Lady Frigg just laughed at the three of us and our exchange.

During a private dinner in the Queen's private sitting room we finally told her everything that had happened, especially the events that had taken place on Midgard. After thinking it for a short while, I eventually explained about the conversation Loki and I'd had with my aunt too. Thor reacted to that, though not exactly as I'd expected:

"You mean you are human?" He didn't sound angry, more like curious.

"I am." I nodded.

"And you both knew." He turned to his mother and brother.

"Do not take it out on them Thor, please." I asked him. "It's not like we were keeping it a secret from you, but from everyone. Loki knows because... well, he's the reason I'm even here. And Lady Frigg found out when Loki brought me, she needed to know why I'd come to Asgard. We kept it from you because we knew not how you would react, and we couldn't risk that reaction being a negative one."

"You must admit brother than until you met the Lady Jane and your other human friends your views on midgardians weren't exactly positive." Loki pointed out.

Thor couldn't deny that, but he still grumbled, annoyed.

"So, if Nightingale can be Loki's Bride, does that mean Jane could be mine someday?" The Thunderer asked unexpectedly.

"I don't know..." His mother admitted.

"It isn't the same case Thor." I told him quietly. "While yes, we both are humans who are loved by Asgardians, that's really where our similarities end. And there is a variable in Loki's and my relationship that does not exist with you and Jane..."

"Which is..." Thor was beginning to sound petulant.

"This..." I placed my right arm on the table, willing my deamarkonian to be seen.

"So that is the deamarkonian..." Lady Frigg murmured. "I'd heard about it from you two, but I'd never actually seen it..."

Loki just placed his own arm on the table and willed his cuff-bracelet to be seen.

"What is that?" Thor inquired, confused.

"Part of our story." I told him calmly.

"The part you and Jane can never hope to replicate." Loki added, before elaborating for his brother's benefit. "You need to understand Thor that it is quite possible, and even likely, that Father will demand Nightingale be subjected to the Trials in order to prove her worth and be allowed to receive Idunn's apples. What we are not sure of, is if she even needs them. There is a chance that the bond that began forming between us the moment we put these on, will be enough to grant her at least an echo of my own immortality."

"I don't understand..." Thor muttered confused.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning." The Queen suggested. "In any case, your full story is one I have never heard, and I would love to."

And so Loki and I told our story for the second time that day. We went more into detail in some things; things Thor and Frigg could understand in ways my Aunt Kathryn never could have, simply because they weren't a part of her life.

In the end Thor, and possibly his mother as well, was focused in one sole thing:

"So... if she dies you will die...?" Thor murmured, shocked.

"Yes." I nodded quietly. "I am sorry about that..."

"I have nothing against you, Nightingale." Thor told me right away. "I love you like a sister already; I'm quite sure I would even if you weren't going to marry my brother. I just... the idea of the two of you placing yourselves in that position... However much I might love Jane, I know not if I could subject her to something like that. As amazing as it would be to know my immortality would sustain her, the idea of her dying if I were to do something stupid and get killed..." He turned to his brother. "Were you not afraid when you put on that bracelet?"

"I was afraid from the moment the idea even entered my head." Loki admitted straight out. "But the idea of losing Nightingale weighed far heavier on my mind that the chance of dying myself. Even if I'd known her only for three years at that time... she understood me, in a way no one else did. I felt that if I lost her I would lose myself..."

"I will never forget the moment Loki woke me up and told me he'd found the way to save me." I told them quietly. "From the moment I told him I was sick, and that I had only three months to live he assured me he would find a solution, a way to save me... I couldn't see how, Cancer is incurable. While there are many doctors and scientists researching and experimenting on things that might help heal sicknesses such as mine... it's unlikely they will get positive results any time soon. So when Loki said he would I didn't see how. It's not like you even have such a thing as leukemia, cancer, or anything of the kind; how then could he find a cure? I never expected for him to create something that could only be found in a science-fiction novel." I shook my head and sighed. "When he told me he'd found the way... I was still half-asleep and what part of my mind was awake couldn't fully process what he was saying. Still, I never doubted. The moment he offered me the bracelet I didn't doubt, not for myself in any case. I was afraid for him, never for me. I never wanted to be the reason he died... the reason you lost him..."

"I think we would have lost him if you had died that day..." Frigg told me compassionately.

"Mother is right." Thor agreed. "And I feel great joy at having both of you here today. My life would be terribly empty without you two in it brother, sister..."

For a long while we said nothing, just sharing tea and some pastries. Until I remembered something, or rather someone.

"How are Elanor and the baby?" I inquired softly.

"Safe." The Queen nodded. "After Commander Tyr came to inform me the battle had been won and there were no more Jotun in Asgard, Rue came to me, told me of the task you'd left her. I talked to the young lady myself. I imagine there's no way you could have known this, but the lady is in fact the daughter of a noble elven line."

"Alfheim...?" Even Loki sounded surprised.

"Indeed, she was the most trusted handmaiden to the late princess Merenwen." Frigg went on. "Who, according to the stories circulating, went missing around a year ago or so, some claim she was pregnant, and the sire was someone her realm did not approve of."

"A Jotun..." I muttered grimly.

"Yes." The Queen nodded. "The story is quite sad indeed. Princess Merenwen left Alfheim to protect her unborn child, and Lady Elanor went with her. The princess died giving birth, and Elanor chose to stay in Jotunheim to take care of the baby. She's served as his nursemaid for the last six months."

"At least the elven mother explains why the baby was a runt..." Loki murmured thoughtfully.

I wondered if he was thinking about his own mother, and who exactly she might have been. There was a chance that she, her own origins, justified his small stature, at least when compared to other Frost Giants; meaning there was nothing wrong with him being the size he was.

"Little Hákon is as perfect as you were when you were a babe." Frigg pointed out with a smile. "Even if he lacks your instinct for shape-shifting."

"Maybe I could help him with that." Loki nodded thoughtfully.

"Shouldn't we allow the boy to grow up being who and what he is?" Thor asked, confused.

"As honored and grateful as I might be for your acceptance of my own heritage, brother, we both know most of Asgard won't share your opinion." Loki pointed out grimly. "If they were to learn of my biological parentage they would be disgusted, horrified and fearful of what I might do, what the monster-blood in my veins might cause... no, even if we accept Hákon with open arms, and tell him from the start who and what he is. He will be far safer if no one outside the family knows such things." He sighed. "You know, that is one thing I have trouble thinking about. For while I understand why Father would keep my origins a secret from a realm who wouldn't be able to understand it... why keep it a secret from me?" He shook his head. "I know mother that you've said it was done so I wouldn't feel different. But I felt that way anyway; at least knowing why I was so different would have helped... at least I would have known the difference was no fault of mine; that it wasn't my fault I couldn't be the son Thor was..."

"You weren't the son Thor was, but we never wanted you to be Thor." Frigg assured him, placing a hand on her son's forearm. "You are perfect just the way you are Loki."

Loki smiled a bit to his mother and that topic of conversation was pushed aside; though I knew a part of Loki would never forget that hurt, at least he could move past it.

"Will Elanor be leaving now that the baby will be safe?" I asked next.

"She has chosen to stay." The Queen told me. "She wishes to continue taking care of the baby, she effectively sees him as a son, I believe. She could have acceptable protection and status if she were to be your handmaiden, Nightingale."

"My... my handmaiden?" I did not see that one coming.

Upon further thought, I should have known something like that could happen. Especially with my change in status.

"You are the Lady Whisperer now..." Lady Frigg reminded me.

"I imagine I won't remain as such much longer." I said with a shrug. "Thor is back, and we know he'd chosen Loki as his Whisperer, which is the right choice. Loki is by far a better politician than I will ever be."

"Perhaps, but you shouldn't underestimate yourself either, my Nightingale." Loki told me. "I know I wouldn't have achieved half of the things I did in the last week, had I not had you by my side through it all."

"And I do believe I will need the both of you, if I am to ever be the King Asgard needs, and deserves." Thor added seriously.

Yet another thing I did not see coming. I'd been so sure Thor's return and ascension to the throne would have Loki taking the post of Whisperer and then that would be the end to my 'political career'. Even if I became princess by my marriage to Loki (and therefore needed handmaidens) the idea of continuing as the Whisperer, or even just an Advisor... I wasn't expecting that. With everything that had already happened I probably should have.

"I believe Sigyn would also make a good chief handmaiden for you." The Queen went on.

"Sigyn?" I was confused. "It thought she was to be your chief handmaiden?"

"She has the training, which is how I know she could serve as yours, and she is agreeable to the idea." Lady Frigg told me. "Rue has accepted to stay another six months to a year in my service, giving time to choose another girl and train her to take the post." She smiled. "As princess and Advisor you would need to have at least six handmaidens; which means that, were you to accept Elanor and Sigyn, you would only need four. You have seen what the process is for choosing handmaidens, so it shouldn't be hard for you to do it."

Yes, I knew the process; except that in the past I'd only helped chose those who would be handmaidens to the Queen; those who fit better with her and the duties that would be required of them. One would think it should be easier to pick handmaidens for myself... but I just couldn't even begin to imagine what I would be looking for...

I was interrupted from my worrying thoughts by my Maverick's rather intensely focused thoughts and his, for lack of a better term, brooding.

"I'm not brooding..." Loki almost hissed right then.

"I did not say that out-loud." I pointed out.

Right when we were beginning to think we knew everything there was to know about our bond, that we understood it... it went and threw us for a loop with a new development. I wondered if we would ever reach a limit in how deep our bond could get, or if it would keep growing forever.

"In any case." I chose to push that matter aside for the time being. "Will you tell me what you were thinking? So focused you were..."

"I was remembering what Laufey said about traitorous sons... and about Helblindi's coupe..." Loki revealed seriously. "I think if there ever was a moment to make an attempt for a permanent peace treaty with Jotunheim... this is it."

It was obvious the Queen wasn't expecting that, judging by the gasp she let out. Thor, as if in honor of all he'd changed, looked straight at Loki before speaking.

"I suppose you have a plan, brother." The Thunderer stated.

"Indeed, I do, brother." Loki agreed, with an almost mischievous smirk.

I knew nothing bad would happen, but it was still likely to cause chaos...

xXx

Indeed, it caused chaos, of epic proportions. The plan was to have a meeting, representatives of Asgard and Jotunheim coming together to talk peace... and the meeting was to take place in the palace, in Asgard. Some of the councilmen thought the plan was insanity. After chastising them for their insulting comments, Thor pointed out that the offering was a show of good faith on Asgard's part; Loki added that if the Jotun attended, it was a show of good faith as well, as they would have to deal with the fact that their armies had been decimated just days earlier. Of course, what none of them knew was that the remaining Jotun wanted nothing to do with Laufey, Byleistr and all the others who had been part of the attacks. That part was left as a surprise for later.

The first court session after Thor's return from Midgard was shocking to a great many people, myself included. Thor refused to sit on the King's throne, even though the first thing Loki did the moment we were all there was to relinquish his powers and surrender his claim on the throne. Instead Thor announced he would be Crown Prince and Acting King, until the day his father believed him truly worthy of the post of King and crowned him as it was meant to be.

In order for things to be, mostly, the way they were supposed to be, Loki and Thor would rule side by side: as Crown Prince and Lord Regent; if the two agreed on a course of action it would be done, if they disagreed nothing could be done until they reached an agreement. And I was to be their Crown Whisperer.

As if the whole announcement hadn't been shocking enough, Thor went as far as having Loki conjure three ornate chairs (though nowhere near as ornate as the throne itself) and place them on equal standing on the wide level that marked the middle of the steps up the dais where the throne sat (the very spot where Loki would stand during important events. We were to be all on the same level (which shocked and embarrassed me more than anything else).

Helblindi agreed with the plan as soon as he heard of it. Yet another surprise came when Sif insisted on acting as my escort when I went personally to deliver the invitation. According to her with my position (as Whisperer, for no one but the family yet knew of the engagement) I ought to be protected. I still carried my crystal dagger with me, always hidden in the folds of my dress. The story of my fight against the Jotun in the Queen's private sitting room had become commonly known, to the point where several people who never looked twice at me, had taken to directing respectful looks at me and bowing their heads whenever I passed.

Finally the day came for the meeting. A new dress had been made for me for the occasion. It was in the same style of the one Loki had given me as a gift, except it was an ivory white color, with embroidery of what people on Earth would call damascus design, in an iridescent thread (made in such a way so the embroidery could only be seen when the light hit it right; the details on the sleeves and the sash were gold, just like they'd been on the other dress, and I was even wearing the same golden slippers. My jewelry consisted of the deamarkonian bracelet, the triquetra earrings (Rue had given it back after embracing me tight and chastising me for worrying her) and a new Royal Seal I wore, which had Loki's symbol instead of the Allfather's (Thor had offered to add his symbol to show he considered me as a Whisperer as well, but I thought something like that ought to be given to his wife, not to me).

As planned I was the one to lead Helblindi and his entourage from the Bifrost to the palace, with Sif and the Warriors Three flanking me; once again, they had insisted. It was strange how ever since the events of that day they had changed; they seemed to be making every effort to help me, and even Loki, as much as they helped Thor. Most of the time Loki turned down their help, arguing that he didn't need it (and he didn't truly trust them) yet he was all for them helping me in any way possible (which meant he trusted them to a point, if he trusted them with me).

We entered the huge throne room as planned. Sif and the Warriors Three took their posts at the foot of the dais, two on each side. I was supposed to climb up to my place in that moment, but then I had an idea...

*Trust me...* I whispered into the newly discovered mental link I had with my Maverick.

I went to stand right in front of Helblindi, where I did an elaborate curtsy at him, before raising my hand, offering it to him, in a move that was enough to make the sleeve fall back, baring most of my arm to him. The new Jotun King seemed to realize, or at least suspect my plan, for he did not hesitate before dropping to one knee in front of me, touching his hand to mine.

There was a loud gasp from all around, as the consequences of such touch were well-known. What only a handful of us knew was that Jotun could choose not to burn with their touch. In my case he wouldn't have burnt me anyway; but my show of trust might help others be more open and trusting at the idea.

"Very bold princess..." Helblindi whispered, quietly enough so only I heard. "I like it..."

"I've learnt from the best." I told him in the same tone.

With the show finished I waited for Helblindi to get back on his feet before nodding respectfully, turning my back to him, and finally climbing the steps to my place. I just smiled at Thor's baffled expression, Loki just grinned at me, he'd enjoyed my little show.

"Next time you're planning on doing something like that, please warn me first?" Thor asked of me, probably of both of us, quietly.

"I make no promises." I replied mischievously.

Thor just shook his head, but did not insist.

When Helblindi took a chance to speak and went on to condemn the actions of the former King and prince of Jotunheim for their attacks on Asgard and its Prince, that won him a lot of favor with the Court (like we'd known it would).

There had been talk before about eventually returning the Casket of Ancient Winters; but it was not something that could be decided just yet; not even by Thor and Loki together. So it was left as a possibility for the future. Still, the mere thought seemed to be enough for Helblindi, who understood that the brothers couldn't do as much as they might want.

The event went pretty well after that. Eventually the Asgardian Court relaxed enough in the presence of the Jotun, some even dared touch Helblindi, and when they weren't burnt that served to promote even more trust. And then... something none of us could have ever expected:

The sound of the main doors opening was loud enough to silence everyone in the Throne Room. Thor, Loki and I'd been quietly conferring about finishing the event, as we'd already done and achieved everything we'd planned, the only thing left was the feast in the Main Hall. And then the doors opened, and we could only turn in that direction in shock, to find none other than the Allfather standing at the entrance, in full regal attire.

I came so very close to letting out a curse in Gaelic. We hadn't expected the Allfather to arrive! How had we missed something as monumental as the King waking up?!

I knew I wasn't the only one shocked, and Thor almost jumped off his seat, except Loki managed to stop him just in time.

"We must always appear to be in control." Loki murmured to his brother under his breath. "Even when that is the farthest from the truth. Appearances must be kept."

Thor nodded minutely, letting his brother know he understood.

The moment the thunderer relaxed, Loki let him go; then, after a beat, all three of us got on our feet in unison, bowing respectfully at the King once he reached the middle of the room.

"Father..." Loki and Thor murmured in tandem.

"Your Majesty." I said in turn.

Odin looked at the three of us, his eyes lingering on me (probably wondering what I was doing sitting there) but no comment was made.

"Father, I'm glad you decided to join us in this joyous occasion!" Thor called brightly.

"And unprecedented brother, forget not that." Loki added.

"A good beginning for lasting peace." I completed.

"Lasting peace." Helblindi echoed in agreement before turning to Odin. "I have to say, Allfather, you have truly remarkable people guarding your throne and your realm. You must be incredibly proud of them."

"Indeed, I am." The Allfather agreed.

I could see the expression in his eyes, and with Loki's help in the back of my mind it was quite easy to read it. I almost chuckled at that. So apparently the Allfather had planned on surprising us, put us off our game so we would make a mistake, make fools of ourselves. Instead, we had managed to turn the tables on him. By acting like we should have been expecting him and us reacting accordingly he had made it so he couldn't complain about anything we did or said because, of course, he already knew!

And I wasn't the only one who saw that...

"Perhaps we could adjourn this to the Main Hall." Loki suggested.

Everyone agreed. Thor offered his father the lead, to which the old man refused, stating that we had prepared the event, therefore it was only right for us to continue leading it. So we lead the way. The Banquet Hall was full of all kinds of foods, as was usual. We'd made sure that they were things the Frost Giants could consume, mostly meats, roots and such. It was a good thing Helblindi had brought with him only those who had enough 'royal blood' in their veins to possess the ability to change their size, otherwise they would have never fit at the table.

For the purpose of that particular feast, the huge chair at the head of the table had been taken away. Instead Thor, Loki and I would be in the first three chairs on one side of the long table, followed by Sif and the Warriors Three; while straight across from us would be Helblindi and his own entourage. That way no one would boast of higher standing.

Once again, when Thor offered his father the first chair, the Allfather refused. I could see he was unsettled by the absence of the ornate chair that would usually be at the head; but he couldn't ask about it either; as he was supposed to know...

"Perhaps we should retire..." Frigg suggested quietly. "Let the young ones handle their event."

"Yes, of course." Odin nodded. "Thor... Loki..."

"Father, before you leave." Thor called to him. "A toast perhaps?"

A servant that was passing by immediately offered the King a goblet full of the finest Asgardian wine. Similar goblets were placed on ever spot at the table.

"Of course." Odin nodded, raising the goblet. "To my sons, who have done justice to their name and mine, in my absence. Same for the Lady Whisperer. And this magnificent event they have managed to bring forth." He turned to Helblindi with a polite nod of the head. "For Asgard and Jotunheim. May this be the beginning of a long, prosperous, peaceful relationship between our two realms."

"For our realms, and the people who inhabit them." Helblindi agreed.

Everyone took a swing of the wine. It was spicy, and chilly; quite different from what I was used to drinking; and yet I knew the mix had been prepared specifically for the occasion. To honor Jotunheim, and the treaty between the two realms. Loki had said it fit, somehow...

Before Odin had the chance to put down the goblet, Thor raised his own again, signaling his wish to make a toast of his own.

"I know we're all ready to share in the wonderful feast that has been prepared to celebrate this occasion." The Thunderer announced. "However, with my brother's permission, I would like to make a formal announcement, and a celebratory toast first."

Suddenly I had a very good idea of what was coming. My anxiety climbed so fast I felt like I was losing my breath. However, the moment my love entwined his fingers with mine, I realized there was nothing to fear, I had him, nothing could go wrong after that... so with that, I stood straight, and waited for what was coming.

"I would like to take this chance to announce the upcoming union between my beloved brother, Loki, and the Lady Whisperer, Nightingale!" He called loudly before turning our way and raising his goblet higher. "May your love shine bright and last forever."

"So mote it be..." Loki and I whispered in unison, raising our own goblets with our free hands.

"Cheers!" Thor called brightly.

"Cheers!" Everyone echoed all around.

I could see, from the corner of my eye, the absolute shock the Allfather was feeling. However, due to the charade he himself had begun, he could do nothing but agree, and he knew it.

"Blessings!" Lady Frigg called with a bright (almost impish) smile as she raised a goblet of her own to add to the toast.

The she turned to look pointedly at Odin, who couldn't help but echo her own wishes and drink to our upcoming nuptials...

Finally, Odin and Frigg left, and we took our seats to begin the feast.

"I hope you realize that Father is going to kill us all after what you just pulled, brother?" Loki said from the corner of his mouth.

"Perhaps, but at the very least you shall have your bride brother." Thor replied with a knowing smile. "After all, Father has already approved of your union, has he not?"

"Sneaky brother..." Loki actually laughed at that. "I like it. You're learning."

"I have to, to keep up with you!" Thor was delighted by the whole thing.

I still thought he was absolutely insane, but he was right in saying that Odin wouldn't be able to do anything against our marriage, not after having given his blessing before so many people of both Asgard and Jotunheim. And that was pretty much what Thor was counting on when he decided to make the announcement of our engagement.

As I took a serving of several dishes, some of which I'd never seen before (despite having been on Asgard for five years, and having helped in choosing the menu for the feast), I couldn't help but wonder how had that ever become my life? A life where I'd served as a Queen's most trusted handmaiden for five years, where I had become the Highest Advisor to a future King and his Regent, where I 'walked with gods and was going to marry a prince' as Aunt Kathryn said... I had no idea how that had ever become my life; though I did know one thing for sure: I wouldn't change it for anything in the universe.