Loki was very uncomfortable after having spent the night sleeping on the floor of the cell, though not sleeping very well. He still could not see out the barrier. He heard guards coming down the stairs and positioning themselves nearby. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, wondering if the sounds were indicative of his impending death.

The barrier disappeared and he saw Odin, Brynja and Frigga on either side of him. Both were smiling and he figured that probably meant he wasn't going to die yet, "So have you decided my fate yet, Allfather?"

Odin nodded, "Yes, actually, I have...at least for the present. Your freedom will be provisional. So long as you do not begin to act against this realm or any other, you will be allowed to live freely here. Bel's testimonly convinced me that you have been, against all my expectations, an honourable man since you left this city for Jotunheim. As you live here, Brynja will, though, be listening for acts of treason. She has agreed to help intervene if it seems as though you are planning an uprising or takeover. Other than this, however, there are no conditions on your release, though you may find yourself heavily watched. I do not yet trust you. I do not yet know who you have become. Prove you are worthy and I will watch less closely. If there is something in you that makes my only daughter find your life worth saving, I am willing to trust her to find out just what that is."

Loki stood, "This is real, isn't it?" He stepped down in front of Odin and dropped to a knee, "Thank you, Allfather."

Odin extended his hand and helped Loki stand, "I only hope you will give me the chance to get to know the Loki Bel speaks so highly of instead of the Loki who stole my throne."

Loki nodded and shook his hand as Frigga stepped forward and embraced him, "My wayward son."

"Thank you, Mother, for whatever role you have played in this."

Frigga nodded and stepped aside, allowing Brynja to step into his arms, "Loki, my darling..." Her words trailed off.

He sighed, "Bryn, you know I... You're..."

"No, not anymore. Father released Fandral and I from our marriage. I'm free," she said. Loki held her even more tightly, nuzzling his face to her hair, unable to respond in any other way.

Frigga gently interrupted, "Now, let's show you to your chambers, shall we? I've picked a room I think you will both like."

Loki released Brynja as they followed Frigga from the dungeon. Both were smiling as they walked through the halls, stealing glances while holding hands, a vast contrast to the anxiety that had accompanied their previous walk over a decade prior. As before, people stared. Brynja the princess, Loki the traitor, hand in hand, following the queen through the halls.

They turned down one of the outer hallways and Brynja smiled, "I've always loved this side of the palace- the rooms are glorious, the light in them bright every morning, moonrise just outside the windows at night."

Frigga stopped at one of the doors and opened it, "Then you will be quite pleased with the room I have chosen."

They followed her in and Brynja gasped in wonder, the smile never leaving Loki's face. The walls were draped in red and gold silks, brocades, and tapestries just as her illusion had been in Loki's cell. There were two adjoining rooms, one of them a large bathroom, the walls tiled in yellow and orange, fabric draping the walls farthest from water. The second room was draped in greens and blues trimmed in silver, a small bathroom in one corner and its own entryway beside the bathroom. Across from the entrance into the main room was a wall of tall arched windows, steps leading up to them and a large balcony outside. The sun streaming into the rooms made the gold and silver in the fabrics glow and shimmer. Their belongings from Jotunheim had already been stacked along one wall.

Frigga watched in delight as they explored the room and slipped out before they noticed she was missing. She returned to her granddaughters, still asleep, waiting for them to awaken so she could show them their new home.

Loki climbed the stairs to the windows and laid down, basking in the sunlight. Brynja stretched out beside him. He turned to her and placed his hand on her hip. She happily kissed his cheek, giggling. He kissed her lips and slid his hand along her back, pulling her close, both enjoying the warmth of the sun on their skin as they also enjoyed the warmth of one another.

It was not long before a knock came at the door and a voice announced, "Loki Laufeyson, your presence is requested at breakfast with the Allfather."

He kissed Brynja's forehead, "Wish me luck, my love."

Brynja watched him leave with a smile on her face. She stretched out in the sun and began to dream about just where to place the furniture. As she sat up, her very long hair tumbled into her face and she tugged it out of the way in annoyance. Then she realised that she had only kept it long for Fandral. She remembered that Loki had never said he hated her hair one way or another, so she went to her luggage and found her scissors. In a few snips, her hair was short enough that it no longer brushed her chin. She found a hand mirror and smiled, finally able to tame it back with only a few hair pins and happy to once agan to be able to see all the jewels in her ears.

Loki arrived in the throne room to find that Odin was seated at a small breakfast table along the windows, plates of steaming food being placed in front of both his seat and a vacant one.

Odin gestured to the empty seat, "Please, sit, Loki. We have much to discuss." Loki hesitated before stepping forward, "There's no need to be wary; I do not think this discussion will be painful."

Loki did as he was asked, "I cannot envision a situation in which this is not an awkward conversation."

Odin chuckled, "I did not say the conversation would be comfortable, merely that it wouldn't be painful. Please, eat. You must be quite hungry." Loki tucked into the plate in front of him, realising that he had not eaten since the supper before his scheduled execution in Jotunheim. Odin did the same, watching Loki try to be careful to still mind the formality of dining in front of the king while obviously famished.

As they finished eating, Loki spoke, "I have not tasted food like this in many years. I have forgotten so much."

Odin laughed, "Well you have as much time as you allow yourself to get used to it again. Even though you have fallen from grace, your beloved is still my daughter and you will dine with her at our feasts." He paused as Loki looked out over the city, his eyes momentarily closed, "I suppose I should ask the most uncomfortable question first and get it out of our way. You do love my daughter, do you not?"

Loki broke his attention from the morning light, "With my entire soul, yes. Having never been at this place before, I have nothing to compare the feeling to, but I cannot help but believe that this is love."

Odin nodded, "Fair enough. Are your intentions with her honourable? She is not merely a toy or trophy, a ploy to regain entrance to Asgard?"

Loki shook his head, "I promised her no lies, no trickery, no deception. While I have not said the words to her, she knows what I show to her is the truth of my emotions."

"And you have never broken that promise?" Odin asked.

"No, I have not. I have told her everything. Things are very different now than they were years ago. I trusted no one once and expected no one to trust me, nor did I love anyone, including myself. She has gifted me her trust and her friendship. I have held those gifts close to my heart and she has seen through my illusions and embraced me, scars and all- and as you ought to know, I have many scars," Loki replied, his gaze once again distant, his face turned to the sun.

"What is it, Loki, that you find so fascinating that it keeps turning your sight outward?" Odin inquired.

Loki let a small smile creep across his lips, "It is the kiss of the sun, Allfather. I did not feel it for fifteen long years imprisoned, then only for a brief moment before over a decade in Jotunheim where the storms are wild, but the nights once in a while clear. Today is the first day I have felt this warmth for more than a few minutes in over twenty-five years."

Odin sat in silence, Loki's words sinking in, before continuing the conversation, "A mere blink of an eye in the span of our lives, yet far too long if deprived of something so simple. How do those of Jotunheim live without the sun?"

Loki shrugged, "They cannot miss what they have never seen."

"And you? What was it you most missed about this place?"

"The light, though light is not unique to this realm. When Bryn was taken from Jotunheim and returned here, her. Her kindness, her conversation, her warmth. She is a light, Allfather, no matter what realm she is in. She was a light when I was kept in the dungeon, she was a light in the darkness of Jotunheim, and she was a light in my soul when I had lost all other hope. Not hearing from her for a decade was devastating. Even worse was saying goodbye only yesterday morning. I have never felt such loss and yet I have expected death before," Loki answered.

Odin studied Loki's face as he spoke, "Your affection for my daughter is clear. Has she given you assurances that she feels the same way?"

"In her behaviour, yes. In words, not clearly. Her kiss as Freyja brought me through these halls, her offer of self-sacrifice before your throne, her gift of illusion in the cell...and the mere fact that she was willing to die to save my life in Jotunheim...these acts are what I have found my hope in," Loki answered. He then drew the little leather pocket out from under his shirt and unfolded the fragile letter kept within, "And this letter. I found it not long ago, many years after she wrote it, but it is precious to me still." He handed Odin the letter and waited for his reaction.

Odin read and handed the letter back to Loki, "She wrote this when?"

"Only a few days before I accepted the throne," he answered, "She tucked it between her books and once she was gone, I did not enter her room for many years. When I finally did, I read her books, and on the day she first wrote back, I found this letter- right after her other arrived on the wind."

"And since then she has shown her devotion in these other ways you have mentioned."

Loki nodded, "Yes, but I think what she did for me just before she wrote this was when I realised that she was truly someone I could not fathom living without. The second time she held my life in her hands and chose to fight for it at great risk to her own."

Odin urged him to continue, "Freyja mentioned that moment as one of Brynja's finest. Please, tell me your memory of it."

Loki sighed, "I don't like remembering what led up to it. We had an argument- I said some terribly unkind things to her and left to take a walk outside the temple. While walking, I encountered a Jotun who insisted I leave. I offered to return to the temple, but that was not what he meant and he struck quickly, catching me off guard. I fought back, but without my sorcery- I did not want to jeopardise our stay in Jotunheim and I did not know who this Jotun was. I knew that use of magic could destroy the plans Othik had so carefully laid and he had threatened to torture Brynja to death in front of me before killing me were I to do anything that would stop the rebellion. So I did what I could, but my staff was no match for his size and strength and he dealt a blow that ought to have killed me, lifting me skyward on his blade and throwing me aside as I bled heavily. Others nearby began to throw rocks and ice. A force pushed them back and created a barrier around me as I lay on the frozen ground, bleeding, and hoped death would come quickly. I learned later that Bryn kept me alive as Bel sent his men for me. I do not remember anything between the ice and when I awoke the next day. Halifrey had kept watch through the night. He told me that Bryn had performed magic that was likely to kill her and to leave me dead. I bathed on Halifrey's suggestion and then went to her room to find Bel at her bedside. I replaced him keeping vigil. He had to remind me to eat, bringing meals when I had not appeared to dinner for days. I was so worried about Bryn. I straightened her body on the bed, as she had collapsed in a heap after dragging herself to her room. I slept beside her, my hand over her heart every night so I might feel if it stopped. I begged for her to come back. It was Bel who suggested that I ask her to be my mate- I protested saying that I did not know her feelings on the matter, but he simply told me to look at what she had done for me. When she woke up, I felt a relief that I have never felt, even after my own near-death experiences. Bryn, I discovered, meant more than my own life."

Odin nodded, "Loki, I hope you realise how lucky you are to have discovered that. I do not know that I fully appreciated Frigga until she was lost to me."

Loki replied, "I don't think I fully appreciated Mother, either, until she was gone. I still do not fully understand how she came back to us."

"Nor ever will you. The Witch is poweful...and yes, I know who she is. Asgard's sorceresses do not give up their secrets lightly. You will have truly earned her trust to learn what magic was used and where it came from."

Loki smiled a little as he wondered what Odin knew of Frigga's magic and realised that Brynja had always been very open with him about where her spells came from. He felt very lucky to be held in such high confidence by her.

A guard approached and knelt, "A message, sir, from Vanaheim. Hogun seeks information on the situation in Jotunheim."

Odin rose, "It has been good to talk to you, Loki, without it being a confrontation. As we move forward, perhaps we will have more of these conversations."

Loki rose with him and bowed shallowly before he thanked Odin for breakfast and left.

Frigga, meanwhile, had gathered her granddaughters, managed to get them both dressed and fed, and brought them to their new chambers. Frigga sat on the steps in the sunlight as the girls ran from room to room, dragging their mother behind them, exploring the patterns on the tapestries and shouting in excitement about where they wanted to place their bed and how amazing it was to have their own bathroom, no matter which room they were in. It was this chaos that Loki observed when he returned to the room. Soon he was caught up in it, Katja grabbing his hand to show him all the things she had already shown Brynja. Brynja sat down next to Frigga, laughing as Sunny joined the game, chattering over her sister, bounding from room to room, both girls now dragging Loki from drape to drape, often tugging him in different directions. He laughed and let them spin him around, hoping not to become dizzy.

Brynja turned to her mother, "Aren't they delightful to watch? He was like this with them in Jotunheim, too."

Frigga was smiling as she watched Loki and the children, "Oh yes, he needs to play more often. His own childhood had so little of it once Thor was training to be a great warrior and you were hidden away."

Brynja sighed, "I hate to interrupt it, but we really do need to get this furniture in place before we actually need it- I have to have my own clothes, and I am sure that Loki would like to have his at some point as well. And we all need beds for tonight."

Frigga grinned knowingly, "I don't suppose you need another bed, do you?"

Brynja blushed a little, "No, mother, the girls can share the smaller bed and Loki and I will share the larger."

Frigga rose, "I thought so. I should probably tend to my daily queenly duties. Please, ask if you need anything...especially if you want someone to take the girls for a few hours so you both can celebrate your freedoms. A grandmother always enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, no matter the reason."

Not long after Frigga left, Katja dropped down next to her mother, "So...when are you and Loki going to get married?"

The question caused Loki to stumble as Sunny twirled him through the room; Brynja answered, "We haven't even discussed that possibility, Katja. Let us at least settle in before you start matchmaking, love."

Katja winked as she skipped off to rejoin the dance, "Oh, the match has been made already!"

Sunny called from across the room, "And he likes your hair! So do I!"

Brynja blushed and waved as Loki was pushed in her direction, "Oh really?"

Loki stumbled towards her and collapsed on the stairs, breathing heavily, "Oh yes, really. You're beautiful, my dear." He gestured for the girls to go play without him, "Give me some time to breathe, ladies, I'll be back in a little while...perhaps we can convince your mother to join the dance."

The children cheered and Brynja slid her arm around Loki's shoulders, happy as he rested against her.

A few days later, after everyone felt like they had slept enough to make up for the challenges of the long and emotional journey back to Asgard, Frigga insisted on taking the girls for a walk in the gardens and keeping them through the night to allow Brynja and Loki time to themselves. Loki disappeared after lunch and Brynja tossed herself on her bed with a book, her legs crossed one over the other, the skirt of her light green sundress falling down by her hips. She was by herself and valued comfort over propriety.

She hardly heard Loki enter, the door clicking shut softly behind him. He stood with his hands behind his back, but she knew he was casting an illusion, albeit a very very good one. She could not tell what he was hiding. She watched as he stepped into the room and his illusion played itself out. He reached into his chest and pulled out a blackened, barely beating heart and knelt down, holding it up on his palms as he had done with his crown. A figure in a long purple robe approached and took the heart in hands, gently caressing it. His eyes closed. The figure breathed into the heart and it began to change from black to red, the beat strengthening. The figure brought him to standing and carefully placed his heart back where it belonged, the hole sealed with a touch. The figures both faded as they kissed to reveal Loki standing near the door with a large bowl of wildflowers in his hands. He approached Brynja and offered them to her.

She stepped from the bed and took the flowers, "They're beautiful, Loki, just like your enchantment. What is the occasion?"

He followed her to the steps and she set the bowl on the top step, centred, "I spoke to your father this afternoon. I asked him...I asked him a very important question." He paused and she draped her arms around his neck, waiting for him to continue, "I asked Odin to permit me to court you...not that I believe that decision isn't up to you, but you have this brother and I'd like to avoid being beaten to a pulp for not doing things precisely in the right order."

She laughed, "Loki, darling...that's wonderful news. I hardly think we need a long courtship, though- what do you think?"

Loki smiled as he pulled her tight against him, "I think it's all a formality to make sure that your brother doesn't pummel me to death when he finds out we're this close." He brought the little leather pocket out from under his shirt and removed it from around his neck, "Thank you, by the way, for this. You didn't know when you gave it to me, but it kept me strong when I needed it most." She slipped the letter out of the pocket and read it, pressing it to her heart after. She slipped it in the pocket of her sundress and kissed him. When their lips parted, he asked, "Do you remember Katja's question from our first day here?"

Brynja nodded, "Of course. Don't feel pressured by her, though, she's just enthusiastic about the changes in our lives."

Loki nuzzled her nose, "Do you think you might...I mean in a few years...is there a chance...?" he stammered.

Brynja whispered, "Just say the words, Loki. Say the words I've been waiting to hear for so many years."

"I love you, Brynja. With every inch of my being," he replied.

She beamed, "I love you, too, Loki. And yes, when we're ready, the answer is yes."

He kissed her again. She responded in kind. They did not stop until late that night, her sundress discarded on the floor, his clothing beside it, the little leather strap from the letter's pocket peeking out of the pile. She had faded off to sleep before him, though he was not far behind. Fighting sleep for only a few more moments, he stroked her bare shoulder, the glow from the moonlight a halo around her peacefully sleeping body. He had no words to describe his emotions. He had found bliss in her arms and a feeling of contentment he never wanted to lose. He pulled himself as close to her as he could get, their legs tangled under the sheets, and kissed her cheek before drifting into sleep. He felt better than he had even as a king, well knowing that he had finally found the adoration and love he had been longing for in a family, not in ruling a realm, and so long as he loved them well, he would keep it far longer than he could have ever kept any kingdom.