A Bang and a Whimper

18

It is late- so late that Loki thinks it might actually be very early. He is tired, he is slightly drunk, and he is quite happy. The fire is dying down and someone is circulating with mugs of something hot and strong. It is not for sale, rather freely given. Sif is snuggled against him as they sit on the ground, propped up against the log. Thor and Jenna are nearby, laying back on the grass, counting stars. They laugh each time they lose count and start again. Volstagg has left early with the children, bundling them back into the carriage, a few of them already asleep. Hogun and the lady sun vanished hours earlier. Loki has the feeling that they will not be returning until the sun rises. Fandral is in the pile of people on the far side of the fire near the trees. They are blissfully unaware of what is happening around them and everyone seems to be ignoring the giggling tangle of bodies. This appears to be a normal Midsummer's Eve occurrence.

The night has been far better than he thought it could be. He had been prepared for some country celebration with a poorer version of what he was used to at feasts. The truth is so different that he wonders why his father never taught them about it. These people are Aesir, too, and these celebrations so deeply intertwined with their lives that it would be unfair to say that they were not truly Aesir traditions. But then again, he realizes that this is how Odin has always operated- the things that are his, that are noble, that are of his father's class of warriors, they are the traditions of Asgard. No others count, even though there were surely country men in the armies that fought the Dark Elves with Bor, country men who would have celebrated Midsummer's Eve with bonfires, songs, dancing, and good- oh so very good- ale.

He starts to nod off when Sif speaks, "You must stay awake all the short night. It is tradition."

"You have dozed a bit yourself."

"Yes, but I am now awake, so I am fine."

"This has been wonderful. They do this every year?"

"Every year. There are other celebrations here, too, that we do not have in the city. Festivals for other seasons. Midwinter is particularly fun."

"Do you come to those as well?"

"I have. When Jane was living and Thor brought them here from the cabin."

"What about Volstagg?"

"He brings his family every year. They go part way down the hill to stay with his wife's family. He will join us at the palace after they have rested."

"And the woman Hogun has disappeared with?"

"They meet this way every year. I do not know who she is."

"Fandral seems happy."

"He is. Once a year, things are different. For all of us."

"And the Lady wears her dress."

"Yes. I do."

"And are you happy with things this way?"

"It is good for a holiday, yes. But I would not be a warrior here. And that I like as well. I could not be a village housewife."

"Why do we not honour the passing of time this way in the city?"

"You ponder aloud. You know I cannot answer that question, and you are the scholar amongst us."

"I will have to take to the library, then, when we return."

"Take Jenna with you. Perhaps she will be interested by this."

"I do not know if she will go with me to the library after what happened the last time we were there."

Sif shifts, perplexed, "What could have gone wrong in the library?"