The entire day seemed to disappear beneath Eirlys's responsibilities. What had begun with breakfast and the arrival of her cousins quickly became one obligation after another. There were matters concerning the reception, correspondence from Vanaheim, discussions with Asgardian officials, arrangements for visiting families and endless small decisions that apparently required a princess's personal attention. Her cousins added their own chaos whenever they could, though thankfully, after the previous night's antics, they seemed content to give Loki only enough trouble to keep him suspicious. Somewhere between two meetings, Eirlys realized she had not eaten lunch, she barely had time to think about it before Frigga summoned her.
The queen was waiting in one of the quieter sitting rooms, away from the servants and officials. Eirlys entered expecting another discussion about the reception, but Frigga's expression immediately told her that this was something else. "I wanted to speak with you about Loki."
Eirlys sat beside her as Frigga took her hand gently. "There is something you deserve to know. Your marriage was never arranged simply because Odin and I wanted an alliance between Asgard and Vanaheim."
Eirlys listened quietly as Frigga continued. "We were worried about him. After everything that happened, after the choices he made and the things he was willing to do to achieve what he believed he deserved, we were afraid of what he might become if he continued down that path."
Eirlys's fingers tightened slightly around hers. "So you married him to me because you thought I could stop him?"
Frigga shook her head. "Not stop him. We would never place that responsibility on you. We hoped you could reach the part of him that nobody else seemed able to reach."
She paused before adding, "I have faith in you, Eirlys. More importantly, I have faith in him. He needs someone who can see him clearly without excusing what he does."
Eirlys looked down at their joined hands. She thought of the Loki she had seen over the past few days. The difficult one, the sarcastic one, the wounded one, the man who could still manipulate a room without anyone noticing. But she had also seen him quietly accept her boundaries, sit beside her when she was overwhelmed and give her a bracelet specifically designed to protect her from his own magic.
"I'll take care of him," Eirlys said softly.
Frigga's eyes warmed. "I know you will."
The conversation stayed with Eirlys long after she left. By the time her duties finally ended, it was already late. The palace corridors had become strangely quiet, and the chaos of the morning seemed to have vanished completely. Eirlys slowed as she passed the dining hall, suddenly remembering that she had not seen her cousins since breakfast. She entered and found servants clearing the remaining dishes. "Where is everyone?"
One servant smiled politely. "Your cousins already ate, Your Highness. They left some time ago."
Eirlys sighed. Of course they had. She had been so busy trying to keep up with her responsibilities that she had forgotten to check whether anyone else had eaten, including Loki. She made her way toward their chambers, hoping to find him there but the room was empty. Eirlys changed into her nightclothes, removed her jewelry and finally slipped beneath the covers. She expected Loki to appear eventually, perhaps after dealing with his own duties. Minutes passed into hours, he still did not come.
Eirlys stared toward the door. She tried telling herself that he was probably busy, but something about the silence bothered her. After everything Frigga had told her, after the promise she had just made, she suddenly felt guilty for having spent the entire day running around without even checking on her husband.
Finally, she pushed the blankets aside. "If he's still awake somewhere in this palace," she muttered, reaching for her robe, "I'm going to find him."
She left the room and stepped into the quiet corridor, determined to discover where Loki had disappeared to. She searched the palace first without allowing herself to become too worried. She checked the library, the council rooms and even the smaller sitting chamber where Loki sometimes disappeared when he wanted to be left alone. She asked two servants whether they had seen him, but neither could give her a useful answer. One remembered seeing him earlier in the evening, while the other thought he had gone toward the western corridor. Neither knew where he had gone after that. The longer she searched, the more uneasy she became.
Eventually, she found herself standing outside Thor's chambers. She raised her hand to knock, then stopped when she heard voices from inside. There were noises, followed by the unmistakable sound of Thor and Jane being together. Eirlys immediately lowered her hand. Whatever they were doing, it was clearly private. Private enough to make her cheeks pink as she cursed herself internally. She had no intention of barging into her best friend's chambers simply because she could not find her husband. After everything that had already happened between them, she knew better than to cross that boundary.
"Never mind," she murmured to herself, turning away.
Her next thought was Sif. If anyone knew where Loki might have gone, surely she would. Eirlys walked quickly toward Sif's chambers, only to find those empty as well. She asked a passing servant, but apparently Sif had left some time earlier and had not said where she was going. Eirlys stood alone in the corridor. For the first time, genuine worry settled over her.
Loki had not said he was going anywhere. He had not mentioned any meeting, council matter or journey. He had simply disappeared after she had spent the entire day too busy to even notice that he was gone. Her promise to Frigga came back to her. I'll take care of him.
She exhaled slowly. "Well, this isn't going very well." There was one person who could tell her exactly where Loki was.
Eirlys made her way toward the observatory and eventually reached the Bifrost's watchtower, where Heimdall stood in his usual place. He turned when he heard her approach, his golden eyes settling on her immediately. "Eirlys."
"I'm sorry to bother you this late."
"You do not."
She hesitated before asking, "Have you seen Loki?"
Heimdall's expression changed slightly. "I have."
Relief immediately crossed her face. "Where is he?"
Heimdall looked beyond her, toward the distant darkness surrounding Asgard. "Midgard."
Eirlys blinked. "Earth?"
He nodded. "He crossed the Bifrost some time ago."
She stared at him. "Why?"
"I do not know."
Her relief disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. She folded her arms around herself, trying to think. Loki had not told her anything. He had not even left a message. After an entire day of barely seeing him, he had apparently gone to another realm without saying a word. "Can you see where exactly?"
Heimdall closed his eyes for a moment, searching beyond the boundaries of Asgard. "He is moving."
"Where?"
"Somewhere in Midgard."
Eirlys's stomach tightened. Midgard. She immediately thought of Thor and Jane, and then remembered the sounds she had heard outside their chambers. Her mind began putting together possibilities, none of which made her feel better. "Is he alone?"
Heimdall looked again. "I cannot tell you that with certainty."
Eirlys swallowed, she had spent the entire day worrying about everyone except the one person she had promised herself she would not neglect. Now Loki was somewhere on Earth, without telling her why. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Heimdall inclined his head, Eirlys turned away, her thoughts already racing. She had no idea what Loki was doing in Midgard. But she intended to find out. Eirlys did turn to leave, but stopped after only a few steps. She looked back at Heimdall, her expression suddenly helpless.
She knew what Loki had done to him in the past, knew the pain he had caused, and yet she found herself asking the very man who had every reason to refuse her for help. "Could you bring him back?"
Heimdall studied her for a long moment before releasing a resigned sigh. "You ask much of me, Princess."
"I know. I'm sorry." Perhaps it was her expression, or perhaps it was simply that Heimdall had already decided he would help. Either way, he agreed and raised his sword. The Bifrost opened, Eirlys expected Loki to step through looking irritated, perhaps confused about being dragged back to Asgard. Instead, she stared in complete disbelief. Loki appeared bound tightly, with tape covering his mouth.
Eirlys's eyes widened but Heimdall, remarkably, did not look surprised. He merely looked at Loki, then at Eirlys, as though this was precisely what he had expected to find. Eirlys slowly turned toward him. "What happened to him?"
Heimdall's expression remained perfectly calm. "That," he said, "is a question I suspect your husband will answer rather unwillingly."