"Well, the prices seemed good," Hilda commented, glancing up at Ivan. "What do you think?"

"It was good," Ivan assured her. "This was a very good year for us."

The two Thrym siblings stood at the main grain warehouse in Njordesden, which purchased grain for the national markets. Ivan had managed to sell the majority of their crop for a very good price indeed, and had just made arrangements to transport the wheat to the warehouse over the next couple of days.

Due to the rise in prices, the farmers of Njordesden were able to sell their various crops for better prices than in the years before. Ivan mentally thanked his father for thinking to plant the extra acres of wheat. It might have meant more work for them over the spring and summer, but in the end, it had paid off.

This puts us ahead.

Ivan and Hilda walked away from the warehouse, heading for the tethered Sig and Fjorsen. The horses looked bored; they had been standing at the rail for several hours as Ivan had bartered with one of the buyers before striking their deal. Most every farmer in Njordesden was here today, seeking to sell their grain before prices fell. Everyone wanted to walk away feeling like they were set for the winter.

"I see the Thryms are in town."

Loqé's voice interrupted Ivan's train of thought and he and Hilda turned to see the Valkyrie standing off to the side. She started toward them as Hilda stopped, forcing Ivan to stop as well.

"Hey, Loqé," Hilda greeted, giving the Valkyrie a smile.

"Hilda," Loqé returned, with a slight smile. Her eyes flicked to Ivan. "Ivan."

"What are you doing down here?" Ivan asked.

"There wasn't much to do at the office today," Loqé shrugged. "And I thought there was a chance you two would be down here." She nodded to the warehouse. "Everything go all right?"

Ivan nodded, feeling a pang in his heart. "It was a good year."

"I'm glad," Loqé said, looking at Ivan.

Silence fell between the three of them. Ivan didn't know what to say, and it appeared Loqé didn't know, either. Hilda seemed to pick up on the tension and her frown showed her puzzlement.

"Oh, yes," Loqé said suddenly, turning to look at Hilda. "I wanted to tell you that I got my new orders."

Ivan glanced over at her, his eyes widening. He couldn't have heard her right. "Orders?"

Loqé met his gaze, her eyes serious. "Yes, my new orders. I'm shipping out tomorrow for Domstall."

"But...but I thought you hadn't finished the recovery period for your injury," Ivan protested, feeling the pang in his heart turn into a full blown clawing of pain and emotion. "I-I thought you'd be here...that you'd be here longer." He almost couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, as if just saying it would sign the already finished orders.

You are supposed to give her up, remember?

But not back to war, Ivan told himself. I never said I wouldn't miss her; just that I wouldn't...care for her.

Let her go. It's for the best. It's for her own good. She can't be drawn to you.

"So did I," Loqé said quietly. "But I'm not going back into combat for a while. I'll be working in administration, mainly handling deployments."

Ivan felt a slight sense of relief wash over him at that. Loqé wouldn't be returning to battle yet, not yet. But still. It would be sooner, rather than later.

Stop it. Let her go.

"You should come to dinner tonight," Ivan said, the words coming out before he could approve them. "Before you leave."

Loqé nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

Hilda glanced between Ivan and Loqé. "You can ride with me," she said. "Come on, we brought the horses."

[----]

The three rode home together on Fjorsen ad Sig, Loqé riding behind Hilda. Gunil and Freyja were both happy to see the Valkyrie, and sad to hear she was leaving them again. But even Freyja put on a stoic face for Loqé's last dinner with them for the time being.

Ivan tried not to think about the possibility it might be their last dinner with her, period.

Don't think that. Don't think that.

"Will you be working with Blader and his squad?" Hilda asked as they sat down to supper.

Loqé shook her head. "No. At least, not closely. Mjolnir Squad has its own Valkyrie assigned to it, different from the Valkyrie liaisons for the individual einherjar."

"They should have assigned you," Freyja said.

Loqé gave her a slight smile. "The Valkyrie they did assign is better for the job. Mjolnir's Valkyrie must be one of our best warriors, and they one they chose is. She was a warrior first, whereas I was a recruiter first, and am only a warrior by necessity."

"Still," Freyja insisted.

"What happens when a Valkyrie dies?" Hilda asked abruptly, looking at Loqé. "I mean, to an einherjar. What happens if their liaison dies?"

"They get assigned a new Valkyrie," Loqé told her, her voice quieter than it had been before. "Another recruiter from their district, during peacetime. During wartime, however, it will be to a Valkyrie who has held the title of recruiter before, even if she currently be serving as a drengr, and is from their district."

"Do you know who Karl's Valkyrie is?" Gunil asked her quietly.

Loqé was silent for a moment. "I am."

Ivan, Hilda, Gunil, and Freyja glanced over at her, all noise at the kitchen table ceasing. Loqé flicked her eyes to each in turn, and Ivan could see the musles in her shoulders tense.

"Good," Gunil said after a long moment of silence. "If he has to have a Njordesden Valkyrie, I would rather it be you."

"Master Eirnn assigned him to me," Loqé said, her voice quiet. "Reassignments go through her, and she thought it would make sense for both Thryms to have the same liaison." She gave a slight shrug. "I believe that's why I was given new orders. Both of them are in Domstall. Then again, Domstall is Midgard's military base. They can always use extra Valkyrie and einherjar there."

"I'm just glad it wasn't Eirnn," Gunil said, turning back to her meal. "That would have been the last straw for Karl."

Loqé frowned, and Ivan met her eyes, both of them wondering exactly what had happened during the last war to make Eirnn and Karl so vehemently despise each other. Ivan knew his father had always disliked the head Valkyrie, but had never known why. He had always assumed it had something to do with Thor's Bridge, but perhaps that had only exacerbated an existing dislike, which had seemed pretty mutual on the Transriot platform.

"Why?" Ivan asked, looking to his mother. "What happened during the war between Papa and Master Eirnn?"

Gunil pursed her lips. "They had to work together after the Battle of Sigra, for the entirety of the Wolf Reign. They...butted heads, quite often, on the proper way to carry out their missions, and...." She glanced apprehensively at Loqé, as if hesitating to speak badly of the head Valkyrie in front of her. "And Master Eirnn often was too hasty. I don't know all the details, and I don't wish to delve into this, but your father blamed her for the loss of one of the soldiers under his command."

"Did they work together on Mjolnir?" Freyja asked curiously.

"I believe so, yes," Gunil said quietly.

"So they didn't get along," Hilda said with a frown. "And Papa considers Master Eirnn responsible for an einherjar's death." She looked to Loqé. "Do you know anything else?"

Loqé tensed slightly but still answered. "I know that Eirnn being assigned to Njordesden after the war was no coincidence. But not anything more than that."

[----]

Loqé insisted on helping clean the kitchen after supper, while Ivan and Hilda went outside to do the chores. "I'm going to miss her," Hilda stated as they checked on the animals and refilled water buckets. "First Papa goes back to the war, and then Loqé. It'll just be us and the Racarls."

Ivan nodded, not wanting to dwell on Loqé's departure. On the one hand, it could help him continue pushing his feelings away, but on the other, she would be so much closer to the war. He knew she was trained for combat and had seen her skill when she had fought the wolves that time by the creek, but still. War was not a place he wanted anyone near, and now three of the people he cared about were all going to be very close to its bloodlust.

"What do you think of Loqé leaving?" Hilda asked, turning to look at her oldest brother.

"What do you mean?" Ivan asked her, locking the stall door for the draft horses after checking their water.

"I mean, what is your opinion on it?" Hilda clarified, lifting an eyebrow. "On her leaving and going back to the war?"

Ivan turned, meeting his sister's inquisitive gaze. He took a breath, reeling in his annoyance at her question. "Hilda, Loqé is a Valkyrie. That means it is a part of her job to participate in the war. We all knew she would have to go back."

"Not this soon," Hilda argued. "We thought her medical leave would be longer. And her orders came rather suddenly. Come on, Ivan."

"What do you want me to say?" Ivan demanded, his temper slipping for just a moment. "What do you want me to say, Hilda? That I don't want her to go? That I want her...to stay?" The last two words came out in a strangled voice. He turned away from her, running his fingers through his hair as he took deep breaths, settling himself. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Hilda's voice came wryly, albeit startled. "You answered my question."

The two siblings walked silently back up to the house. The sun was sliding down in the west, the sky without a cloud. Loqé, Freyja, and Gunil were waiting by the door, Gunil holding the stun baton.

"Take this," she told Ivan, handing him the baton. "Just in case."

Ivan nodded, glancing at Loqé. "You ready?"

"Yes," Loqé said, almost reluctantly.

Freyja gave the Valkyrie an impetuous hug, which Loqé returned. Then she embraced Hilda and Gunil before stepping toward Ivan, who was to walk her back into Njordesden.

"Be careful," Gunil told him. "Be quick about it, Ivan. I don't want you out late."

"I'll be home soon," Ivan promised her.

Loqé pursed her lips. "You don't need to walk me back into town, Ivan. I will be perfectly fine by myself."

Ivan glanced at her, feeling that pain in his heart again. Before, he had been able to look at her with at least slim hope. Now, it hurt him, for knowing that Loqé just feeling the same way about him was enough to earn her a death sentence made every glance painful, like it would somehow sign her execution order.

Stop it, Ivan. Loqé knows the risks about emotions. She won't fall for you. It was a slim chance before – why should that be any different, now?

Because before, I couldn't hurt her. Now I can.

"Nonsense," he told her. "It's no trouble at all."

Ivan and Loqé set off down the path toward the road, Gunil, Hilda, and Freyja watching them for a bit before going back inside the house. Neither of them spoke as they reached the road and began the walk through the countryside, heading toward Njordesden. Although it hadn't been that long since Ivan had walked her back into town, it felt like ages ago, in another era, when his feelings hadn't been a death sentence for the girl he cared for and his father hadn't been forced back into the einherjar. Now the weight of the farm cut into Ivan's shoulders, however broad and strong they were, and he didn't know what to say to Loqé.

"Has everything been going all right?" Loqé asked eventually, breaking the silence. She glanced across at Ivan, uncertainty flickering briefly in her eyes.

"Yes," Ivan replied. "We sold all the grain we'd designated for the national markets and got a good price for it all."

"That's good," Loqé said, sighing. There was silence for a moment, then she spoke again. "I'm going to miss Njordesden."

"Do you want to go back to war?" Ivan asked, looking over at her. Loqé met his gaze and he held it for a moment before dropping his eyes to watch the road, his fingers tightening around the stun baton.

"Strangely, yes," Loqé said. "Perhaps it sounds odd, to want to go back to the war, but I'll do more good there. I can make...fix things there. I was trained to fight, to defend. I wasn't trained to sit back and watch, so that's what I'm the worst at. At least, in Domstall, I can aid the effort."

"And you can't do that while recruiting?" Ivan asked.

"Some can," Loqé answered. "But recruiting is not my strong point. And here, since I'm only working as recruiter temporarily, I am not working personally with any recruits. The few we have had were under the authority of the other two recruiters we have now. I just assisted where necessary. The only two active einherjar I have are Blader and your father."

"How do you know recruiting isn't your strong point, then?" Ivan inquired, glancing at her again.

"I prefer the field," Loqé replied, meeting his gaze. "I feel like I'm useful when I'm out in the field."

Ivan remembered Loqé insisting on helping with the harvest, wanting to be actually doing something after sitting behind a desk for so long. He recalled their first meeting, when she had charged in and helped Blader defeat the wolves. The Valkyrie was good at fighting, at helping.

"I hope you're able to get out into the field again soon," he said quietly.

Loqé looked surprised for a moment, but recovered quickly. "Thank you," she said, holding his gaze.

Silence fell as they continued on into Njordesden, the sun sliding down behind them into the west. Ivan saw the town's buildings rising ahead of them and knew they were almost there. He typically walked Loqé to the recruiting office, where she kept Haraun.

A wolf howled in the distance, causing Ivan's blood to run cold. Loqé dropped her hand to the hilt of her sword, glancing around as more howls echoed in the gathering darkness. "Come on," she urged, quickening her pace. Ivan hurried after her, gripping his stun baton as he glanced at the shadows surrounding the buildings, wondering if he would see the glow of wolf eyes.

Loqé broke into a run, Ivan streaking after her. The Valkyrie's sword was drawn and in her hand, and Ivan was ready to power up the stun baton as soon as he saw a wolf. The people who had been out were also racing for cover, keeping deathly quiet. No one wanted to be the first to scream when the wolves were close.

The Valkyrie hissed warnings to all the people they passed, Ivan keeping up with her fast pace. The howling grew nearer to the city, seeming to come from all sides. Ivan felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, goosebumps crawling across his skin. It sounded like there were so many of them.

He could see the Valkyrie recruiting office ahead of them, and both he and Loqé poured on the speed. The streets were emptying quickly – due to the increase in the wolf threat, most didn't risk being outside after dark. Ivan himself would have been close to the house with at least one of the rag shepherds with him if he was home.

They reached the office just as the big, hairy shape of a wolf lurked into sight, fur bristling and eyes gleaming, the white fangs illuminated in the moonlight. Ivan skidded to a halt, lifting the stun baton in front of him as Loqé unlocked the door, wrenching it open. "Get in!" she hissed.

"You first," Ivan insisted, and instead Loqé seized his wrist and yanked him with her through the door so hard that he slammed into her as she pivoted to hit the sensor for the door. For a moment, all he could feel was her body against his and her fingers wrapped around his wrist, and then she stumbled away, releasing his wrist as she twisted to lean against the door, slipping all the locks into place. Fumblingly, Ivan turned to help, for there were quite a few locks. This was not a section of Njordesden one forgot the locks in, even without wolves prowling the area.

"You're not going home tonight," Loqé resolved, her eyes on the door. Taking a breath, she glanced at Ivan. "You won't be able to."

Ivan nodded, his chest heaving. "That's fine," he said, loosening his fingers from around the stun baton.

Loqé straightened, stepping past Ivan and towards the desks. There were three desks in the recruiting office, hers being near the far wall. Picking up a transmitter from her desk, the Valkyrie selected a frequency. "This is Drengr Loqé, calling from the recruiting office," she said into the radio. "Where do you need me tonight?"

"Stay where you are," a female voice ordered over the speaker. "We need someone to monitor communications coming into the Valkyrie offices, in case someone needs immediate assistance. Relay any calls that come in to you on to the main office."

"Copy," Loqé replied, her voice low as she ended the communication. She pursed her lips as she stared at the desk, her eyes fixed and distant.

"What now?" Ivan asked her quietly.

"We stay here," Loqé replied, adjusting a setting on the transmitter as she refused to meet his gaze. "We answer any communications and connect them to the main office."

Ivan glanced around, still standing in the middle of the office. For a long moment, there was silence. "Is this procedure?"

Loqé didn't answer, just continued staring at the desk.

Ivan waited, then cleared his throat. Loqé jumped and turned to face him, still gripping the comm for the transmitter. "No, it's not procedure. At least, it wasn't. Not before."

He nodded, twisting his lips. "May I use the transmitter to contact my mother? I want to let her know not to expect me tonight, and to make sure they are all right."

"Of course," Loqé said, stepping back and offering him the comm. Ivan walked forward and took it, keying in the number for the Thrym farm.

After waiting a couple moments, his mother answered, her voice tense. "Thrym farm."

"Mama, it's Ivan," Ivan said. "Listen, I'm all right. The wolves attacked Njordesden, but Loqé and I are at the Valkyrie recruiting office. I'm staying here tonight. Is everything okay? Have the wolves attacked the farm?"

"Ivan, I'm so glad you're safe!" Gunil exclaimed, the relief evident. "The wolves are here, but we're all inside and safe for the moment. Hilda made sure the barn was secured after you and Loqé left." Howls sounded over the transmitter comm. "We've got the secondary stun baton, and the old sword and shield. Don't worry about us. Stay where you are."

"I will," Ivan nodded, his fingers tightening around the comm. "Loqé needs access to the transmitter, so I have to go, Mama. Call the Valkyrie office if you need anything, all right?"

"All right, Ivan," Gunil said, and the line clicked.

Loqé took the comm back, her face grim as she inputted another number. "This is Drengr Loqé," she said. "Valkyrie assistance is requested at the Thrym farm. There are confirmed wolves there. Over."

"We read you, Drengr," a female voice said over the comm. "A pair of Valkyries will be dispatched to the Thrym farm."

"Thank you," Loqé said, ending the communication. She set the comm down and sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"Everything all right?" Ivan asked quietly.

"Yes," Loqé replied quickly. "Fine. Let me find you some blankets or something, so you can get some rest." With that, she hurried off into the back room, leaving Ivan alone in the office.

The howling outside was incessant as he carefully set his stun baton down on one of the desks, glancing around the recruiting office. This is where Blader came to enlist, he thought, his eyes landing on a portrait across from the desks, depicting the High King, Balder, standing over the Nine Worlds, Yggdrasil looming behind him.

"You can sleep upstairs, in the loft," Loqé said, reentering the office. She held a cluster of blankets in her hands. "That way, the transmitter won't bother you."

"What about you?" Ivan asked, knitting his brows in concern.

"I'll sleep down here," Loqé said briskly, dropping the blankets on her desk. "I need to stay beside the transmitter, anyway."

Ivan was silent for a moment. He didn't want to interfere with Loqé's duties, but he also didn't want to leave her alone, when the wolves were roaming the town. He had never known a wolf to break into a house before, but there were all the old stories about how they entered dwellings to terrorize and kill. Once, he would have dismissed them as stories, but now, when the wolves once again had the courage to stalk through inhabited towns and strike while the sun still touched some part of the sky, the old stories were something to be regarded with caution.

"I'll sleep down here, then," he said quietly. "Just in case."

Loqé pressed her lips together, flicking her eyes over at him. "Ivan."

"I don't want to be asleep in the loft when the other Valkyries come back," Ivan added pointedly. "They will want rest, and it will be easier if I just sleep down here."

"All right," Loqé said. "In the corner. Keep the stun baton close, just in case." She tossed him several of the blankets.

Ivan caught them and retreated into the corner, spreading a blanket out and wrapping himself up in it. Loqé seated herself at the desk, turning down the lights as she turned on a lamp near her desk, darkening the room. Ivan rolled toward the wall, closing his eyes against the lamp's soft glow, but he couldn't tune out Loqé's presence behind him.

Stop it.

He heard some rustling behind him and resisted the urge to glance behind him. He needed to sleep, needed to get some rest while he could.

But sleep was impossible, with the nearness of the wolves' howls and Loqé's breathing. Several times, he heard her voice, answering communications and transferring the calls. He drifted off a couple times, her voice twining through his dreams, her brown braid shining in the light of the setting sun.

Sometime in the night, the door opened and the other Valkyries entered. Ivan turned over, blinking sleepily at them as Loqé rose from behind her desk. They briefly spoke about the wolf attacks, and then Ivan heard his name mentioned, but he was too tired to follow much of it. He rolled over to face the wall again and this time found himself truly falling asleep.

A hand shaking his shoulder woke him, an indeterminable amount of time later. Loqé was kneeling behind him, her face set. "Hey, Ivan," she whispered. "It's morning."

Ivan sat up, meeting her gaze. "Did the wolves leave?"

She nodded. "Yes. You can go home, now."

"Drengr," a crisp, female voice said, and Loqé and Ivan both looked over at another Valkyrie, standing near the door. "The Transriot arrives soon."

Loqé nodded. "Thank you, Krina. I am about to leave for the platform."

The remaining vestiges of sleep fled from Ivan's eyes as he stared at Loqé. "That's right," he said. "You leave today."

"Yes, I do," Loqé said, as she and Ivan both rose. "Your family is fine; the Valkyries chased off the wolves."

"Thank you," Ivan said, folding up the blankets. "Thank you for allowing me to stay, and I hope everything goes all right in Domstall." After a moment, he held out his hand to her.

Loqé shook it, her gaze solemn. Her grip was firm, her skin warm. "I...I'll miss you and your family."

"Write us a letter," Ivan requested.

Loqé squeezed his hand and turned, picking up a pack from beside her desk. Without glancing back at him, she strode through the door. Despite all Ivan's resolve to keep his emotions in check regarding her, he felt worry worming through his guard as he watched her leave him behind.