Loki rises early, despite the late night. There is something about leaving the palace that has him excited, even though he is incredibly nervous. There is a chill on the air and he dresses and drapes a light cloak over his shoulders. He has left his hair down so that it might sometimes obscure his face and he puts his deep hood up. It will be hard to recognise him.
There will be tempting things sold from the carts in the square, scents both familiar and foreign on the air. Sweet things, salted meats, roasted nuts, and fresh bread. He meets Thor at his room, dressed similarly, Jenna also in her own deep-hooded cloak. There will be guards, of course, but they will let the royal family travel in obscurity as much as possible. They ride out when the sun is barely over the horizon.
The square is already teeming with people. Mulled ciders and wines steam from heavy mugs held by shoppers as they ward off the damp of the turning seasons. Flower girls offer posies for just a few coins and boys twist little sculptures out of wire to sell on the corners. There is a woman dancing with fans of fire on a stage set up in the middle of the square. A fiddler accompanies her and a crowd of children gasps in delight at her performance.
Loki has always felt slightly awkward moving among the people of the city. But he has been trying so hard in the palace to be kind to his servants, to treat them as equal beings, that he wishes he did not need to keep the hood up here. It would not be safe, though, with the guard so spread among the crowd, to reveal himself.
Jenna takes his hand and moves him through the sea of colour after her father. He is seeking food and there are so many carts selling so many things to eat that she does not know how she will ever decide.
When they catch up, her father hands them steaming wooden plates and they sit down at the long plank tables in front of the carts. Fried eggs on toast, beans in sauce, sausages, and pan fried summer squash. It is so much different than their elegant breakfasts on fine china in the palace dining halls, but there is also a greater sense of community out here. People talk across the tables, pass baskets of bread between them, and get one another more to drink without hesitation. Breakfast is a social event. In the palace, it is often treated as the time to start the day's business, with messengers and advisors coming in to sit a while, deliver news, and leave after having had a cup of tea.
They return their plates and then wander the stalls. Jenna tries to forget that they are surrounded by hidden guards. She does not like being watched. While Thor stops to talk to a fish merchant about the year's catch, she takes Loki to a stall selling painted silk scarves.
She hears a booming voice, "Ah, fancy seeing you here!" One of her father's advisors has greeted him and is talking to him animatedly. She returns to the scarves, trying to hide in plain sight. They have been identified. Soon there will be a crowd, or they will have to leave before one gathers.
A short distance away, Sif cautiously watches the exchange. There is something wrong and she cannot place her finger on it. This is one of the advisors that said nothing when Loki revealed himself. She looks around to see what he might be up to. She signals to Fandral and keeps watch.
The man strides to Loki and greets him as well, "And how are you on this fine day?"
"Well. Yourself?"
"Could be better, but there is not much that a celebration in the square cannot fix."
He says nothing to Jenna and Loki returns to perusing the scarves. Sif thinks his next action is odd- he brushes back his hair over the top of his head when none of it is out of place. He is looking in the distance. She scans the windows and balconies on the other side of the square.
Fandral intercepts the advisor not long after he has turned away from Loki and Jenna. He appears anxious. Fandral delays, stepping him back towards the stall. And then he hears it, the whizzing of an arrow. He shoves the man back towards Loki and hears a thud as it hits flesh. Chaos erupts.
Sif sees the glint of metal on an upper balcony. She calls to Hogun and his bow is ready in a heartbeat. He fires, but not before she sees a second arrow fired. She runs toward Thor, fearing it is meant for the king.
Loki is frozen for only a moment. There is a man on the ground not far from his feet with an arrow in his chest. He knows it was meant for him. He turns and shoves Jenna back and feels something strike the back of his shoulder, tearing through muscle, lodging in bone. She stumbles to the ground. He drops beside her and yells for her to move. She scrambles under a table.
Hogun's arrow finds it's mark and a body crumples on the balcony. Sif dispatches the guards.
Fandral has a knife to the throat of the man on the ground, "You had best start talking quickly."
"No."
Fandral slaps the arrow and the man yells in pain, "Speak, damn it, or I will do far worse. How many are there? And if you lie to me, you die in the most painful way I can imagine. I am very creative, so you may wish to speak truth and do so quickly."
"Just the two of us."
"Were the others part of planning this?"
"Yes."
He calls for guards, "Take him to the dungeons and interrogate him without mercy. Gather the other advisors. Search their homes. Interview their families."
There is fear in the square and every soldier is working to keep some semblance of order. Volstagg is in one corner of the stall with the shopkeeper, who stares, panic stricken, as guards work to keep people away from the king. Everything has happened so quickly that he has little in the way of assurances to give. He hardly knows what has happened himself. He sees a flurry of activity on the balcony as Hogun and the guards reach the man trying to pull himself up on the railing.
Sif tries to report what she observed to Thor, but Fandral interrupts, "Sif, stop. Where are Jenna and Loki?" She pales and turns toward the shop. There is a little blood on the ground, but she does not see them. All three of them run into the stall.
Under the table, Loki is trying to stay calm, but Jenna's breathing is quick, her eyes darting from his face to the world outside their little shelter, hidden from view by a tablecloth, "Jenna, Jenna...I need you to focus. Are you alright?" She nods, "Good. Stay quiet."
"They tried to kill us!"
"Technically just me, but please, breathe. You are safe."
"No, no, no.... What if they come for you? Will they kill me, too?"
He places a hand on her shoulder close to her neck so he can keep her still, "Jenna. Please. Focus on my voice. You need to calm. To breathe. You are alive. I am alive. We need to take time to think." She dissolves into tears, shaking. He is reminded just how young she is. Despite all her wisdom, all her kindness, she is still a child, and she is terrified. He cannot move to hold her, there is no room, so he places his other hand on her other shoulder and softly sings the pieces he can remember of one of Jane's songs.
She manages a few deep breaths and steadies herself a little. Then she notices the blood trickling down Loki's arm, dripping from his elbow onto his trousers.
"You're bleeding. And rather a lot."
"Yes. But it is not a mortal wound."
She pales, "An arrow."
"Yes, and it is burrowed deep in my shoulder."
"Doesn't it hurt?"
"Excruciatingly. But I have felt worse."
"You are pale. Should I do something about it?"
"No. Do not touch it. I can stave off the worst of it with enchantments."
"You should put your arm down." She removes his hand from her shoulder and folds his arm across his chest, "There. Keep still."
"Dear girl...."
The table cloth jerks up and there crouches SIf, "I found them! They're alive!"
Thor and Fandrall rush over. Thor eases Jenna out from under the table.
"Loki is hurt."
"Are you?" Thor asks, picking her up and holding her close.
"No, Father. I am not."
Fandral eases Loki from under the table and Sif inspects the wound, "It is deep. This will require skilled hands."
Fandral excuses himself, "I have royal advisors to interrogate. Get him to the infirmary quickly. He is bleeding more than I like."
"I am bleeding more than I like as well."
Sif calls for their horses and they are off. As he rides, Loki tries to fight back the thoughts that spring to mind. The outside world is too dangerous. He cannot ever reveal his race to the realm. Doing so would put Jenna in harm's way and he has sworn to protect her. So he must stay hidden for her safety. It is the only logical conclusion.