I'll Never Tell

I Hide It Well

The next morning, Loki, Marit and his other counselors Hans, Inga, Gunnar and Lisbeth sat around the table in the Great Hall discussing relations with Nidavellir. The Dwarves had not responded well to the their representative failing to return home.

Loki drummed his fingers on the table. "I know it's a problem, but there's nothing we could have done differently. I'll not sacrifice this realm's future for a dwarf that can't keep his mouth shut."

Marit raised a brow. "If this happens again, be it with Nidavellir or another realm, it will draw undue attention. Bilgesnipe attacks killing envoys on more than one occasion? Highly unlikely. You need to keep her under a watchful eye."

"I know," he snapped. With a sigh, he rubbed his face. "I know. She's not easy to cloister, unfortunately."

"I didn't mean contain her, I meant watch her. Assign her detail."

"I think it would be best if she were confin—," started Gunnar.

"You don't confine a woman," interrupted Marit. "She'll go mad. She'll be resting enough with the pregnancy, spending additional time in that room is going to make her insane.".

The remaining four advisors looked from Marit to Loki. The king steepled his fingers against his lips, studying his lead advisor.

"Marit, you'll watch over her."

Marit sputtered. "I have things to do, I don't have time to take care of a child!"

"She's not a child. She's the mother of the future of our race and you'll do as I command. Am I not your king?"

The woman muttered about helpless children of only a few hundred years that can't do anything themselves. She completely understood Loki's reasoning and didn't disagree, she just didn't want to do it.

"Wouldn't a guard detail be more effective? They'd be better at watching her. I have actual things to do."

"Perhaps, but I trust you more. She stays with you when I don't have her under my watchful eye. This is not an argument, it's a decree."

Marit crossed her arms, fuming.

"Fine," she snapped. "But I'm not postponing my trip to the springs. She'll have to come along and I don't want to hear a word of objection from her. And if she falls off the damn horse, she's walking home."

Hiding a miniscule smile, Loki nodded and rose. "That will be all for today."

His advisors bowed, even a miffed Marit, and he set off to find his skapning.

Petra, to her credit, was thrilled to be leaving the castle. Though still leery of horses, she was able to appreciate that this time her nether regions weren't sore enough to warrant sitting on a cushion.

The group of women filed down the side of the mountain horse by horse, carefully making their way through the rough terrain.

"Keep up, Lady," Marit called over her shoulder.

Stuck at the rear on an old, sluggish horse was Petra. Her bored animal kept stopping to hoof at the snowy ground in search of grass, blatantly ignoring her as she tried to urge him forward.

Fed up with constantly waiting for Petra to catch up, Marit called her to the front. Petra's horse, Skål, neglected to respond to the Dökkálfr's jerky reining and was finally tethered to the advisor's horse.

After an hour of trekking down the steep mountainside with little conversation, Petra spoke.

"Are the springs where you grow food? The onions and herbs?"