You knew the palace quite well after exploring it with Loki like playful children for the past three weeks. Well, playful children who liked to hide in alcoves making out, so maybe playful teenagers. You'd been discovered more than once by maids, but they just politely pretended not to notice the usually stoic prince making out with his lady, while they gave you smirks and giggles of approval when you saw them again. Loki flushed when you were caught, but that didn't stop him from initiating the hunt for the next make out alcove.

Since you knew the palace so well, you knew that the fastest way to Loki's favorite garden was through one of the hallways on one of the lower floors, so that's where you went first. It was admittedly not one of your brightest plans.

"Look, it's Loki's little pet human," a thuggish looking man who obviously had no real reason for being in the palace said as he stepped out in front of you.

"And she's alone without her powers. The prince isn't doing a very good job protecting his little mortal," came another voice from behind you.

"If we control the girl, we control the throne," the other commented. That was a stupid-ass jump of logic.

You rolled your eyes and stepped so the wall was at your back and you could see both men clearly. Obviously neither belonged here. "I'm Asgardian, dumbasses, just leave now before I have to beat the shit out of you for being where you don't belong," you told them firmly. They ignored your sage advice and lunged for you. You had your dagger unsheathed in an instant. You shrieked for help from the guards, but defended yourself well with hard earned skills of hand-to-hand and dagger combat, plus a couple of nasty tricks you had learned from Nat.

Both men were bleeding on the floor by the time the guards arrived. You had a few small wounds, a black eye, a split lip, and a nasty cut on your arm from the battle, but nothing terrible and you had taken care of yourself without your powers. The story of Loki's little healer darling taking care of two hulking men without her powers would spread throughout the palace like wildfire. You cleaned your dagger on the shirt of one of the bleeding men before you would resheath it. You briefly explained what happened to the guards. They took the men away to the dungeons, promising to question them and find out where they had come from and why they had dared to attack you. You nodded regally, and continued on your quest to find Loki.

You ducked into the hidden alcove of Loki's favorite garden to find him sitting on the bench there. "If this is another illusion, I am going to kick your ass when I find you," you told him firmly, grumpy that you had been attacked while looking for him. You just wanted to lie down and put some ice on your face.

"That is what Thor said when he came to the library," he said softly without looking up from where he was picking nervously at his palms. "And then informed me in no uncertain terms that you were wandering the palace on your own determined to find me, so I had better show up where you would find me quickly, or he would chain me to Mjolnir for you,"

You went to stand next to him and wrapped your arms around him. He was real this time, so you settled yourself on the bench next to him and undid his cloak from around your neck so you could wrap it over the two of you. "I may have get my own Mjolnir, since no one but Thor can lift his," you teased. He looked over at you, shocked that you would threaten to chain him to a Mjolnir. His face fell when he saw yours and he was suddenly angry again.

"What happened?" he demanded, turning your face toward him so he could see the damage.

"A couple of thugs snuck into the palace and attacked me on my way down here. They've been dealt with and they're in the dungeons being questioned on how they got in and why. I'm fine," you tried to reassure him, but he growled something about his own uselessness and how he should have been there. Pain and his mood scraped on your temper. "No. You should not have been there, neither of us should have been. We should have been cuddling with healing tea and books in one of our rooms. I'm sorry about whatever your father did to put you in this mood, but no, love, you should not have taken it out on me. You should have confided in me. I'm here for you no matter what mood you're in, no matter what emotions and old soul wounds are riding you," you told him firmly.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to spare you from this mood, from seeing me like this. I didn't take into account your feelings," his voice was soft and you could see that he truly felt bad. He knew he'd made a mistake.

"I love you, Loki, so does Thor, so does you mother. Trust in us, confide in us, at least in me if you won't trust them. I'm not going to judge you or hurt you. You know that. We're in this together," you reminded him again. You saw him thinking over your words, and it hurt you to do it, but you had to throw one more barb at him, add one more bruise so he would finally realize what he was doing when he did this. "We're in this together, so please stop attacking our relationship. Stop attacking me and my feelings just to prove to yourself that I'll leave you. I'm not leaving you unless you tell me to go, but I am tired of you hurting me to try to see if I'll leave, just because you've been hurt before." He looked shocked, hurt by his own actions when he realized what he had done, what he kept doing.

You stood from the bench and fastened the cloak back in place. "Now that I know you're ok, I'm going up to my room. I know you and know you need time to yourself, too, especially in this mood. You're welcome to brood down here until you're ready to join me," you told him. You kissed his forehead.

"I should-" he started. You smiled at him and cut him off.

"I'll be perfectly safe walking to my room. It's a direct path through the family wing from here. There's no safer place in the palace than the family wing, as you know," you reminded him. You kissed him. "Cool off your temper and this mood. Feel better, love. I'll be waiting for you when you're ready." You kissed him again before you ducked back through the bushes to the main path in the garden.

You ran into Thor on the garden path. "You have not found him yet?" he asked, sounding disappointed before he got a clear look at you. "What happened?" he demanded, rushing toward you when he saw your face.

"I'm fine, Thor," you took his arm and started walking back to the palace with him. "I met up with a couple of thugs on my search. They've been thoroughly beaten up by me and are now being questioned in the dungeons," you told him. "I just want to go back to my suite," you added.

"Healer first," he told you firmly. You rolled your eyes, but didn't protest and let him walk you to the healers first. "You did not find Loki?" he asked again as you walked.

"I found him. He's ok, but need more time to cool his temper and this mood. We talked things over. He'll come in when he's ready," you told Thor. "He's ok, Thor, we both are. You don't have to chain him to Mjolnir," you added with a grin.

"I should..." Thor grumbled. "He has hurt your heart and gotten you hurt physically,"

"Yes, but if you chain him to Mjolnir, then I can't move him either," you reminded him patiently, which made him laugh.

"We will have to find out one day if you are worthy, little sister," he commented jovially.

The trip to the healers was quick, they healed the cut on your arm, but insisted there was no need with the bruise on your face, it would fade by the morning anyway. You didn't blame them for conserving their powers. You knew that your powers were freakishly strong. That was why the betrothal was set up in the first place.

Thor stayed with you the entire time and walked you back to your suite after, despite your protests that you didn't need an escort. He reminded you that you had gotten attacked in the palace and he wasn't risking your safety. He claimed that he didn't want to get stabbed by Loki if something happened to you, but you knew it was because he cared. He kissed your forehead when you reached your suite. "Stay inside tonight?" he asked.

"I will, or at least find an escort if I have to go out," you promised. He accepted that and left for his own plans for the evening. You opened your suite's door and were surprised when you were instantly pulled into a near desperate hug by a very worried looking Loki. "Loki?" you asked him softly, trying to breath.

"You weren't here!" he told you as he held you even tighter. "You said you'd be here. I thought something happened."

"I ran into Thor on the way back into the palace. He insisted I needed to see the healers before he'd let me come back here," you explained quickly. Loki's grip on you didn't loosen.

"I was so worried," he replied. "I'm so sorry. You were right; I took you and our relationship for granted. I swear, I'll never do it again,"

"I accept your apology," you replied with a smile. "Now can we get to our evening of books and tea?" He chuckled and kissed your forehead.

"Of course, witchling,"

He brewed the healing tea too strong. He claimed it was to heal the black eye faster. You had a feeling he just wanted to tuck you safely into bed where he could curl around you and feel like he was properly taking care of you after his mood earlier. You fell asleep to his whispers that he loved you and was sorry he had hurt you again and he would not let it happen a third time.