Thor nudged Loki. ”Go on," he said. ”Make her laugh. This is all your fault anyway."
Loki sighed. ”Really?"
Thor nodded, and he tapped the handle of his hammer meaningfully.
Loki shook his head. Then he went outside, to pens where the animals were kept, and he came back into the wedding feast leading a large, extremely irritated billy goat. Loki irritated the goat even more by tying a strong rope tightly around its beard.
Then Loki tied the other end of the rope around his own private parts.
He tugged on the rope with his hand. The goat screamed, feeling its beard tugged painfully, and it jerked back. The rope pulled hard on Loki's private parts. Loki screamed and grabbed for the rope again, yanking it back.
The gods laughed. It did not take a lot to make the gods laugh, but this was the best thing they had seen in a long time. They placed bets on what would be torn off first, the goat's beard or Loki's private parts. They mocked Loki for screaming. ”Like a fox wailing in the nighttime!" exclaimed Balder, stifling his laughter. ”Loki sounds like a weeping baby!" giggled Balder's brother Hod, who was blind but still laughed every time Loki screeched.
Skadi did not laugh, although the ghost of a smile began to haunt the corners of her lips. Every time the goat screamed or Loki wailed like a child in pain, her smile became a little wider.
Loki pulled. The goat pulled. Loki screamed and yanked the rope. The goat yelped and pulled back even harder.
The rope snapped.
Loki shot through the air, clutching at his groin, and landed smack in Skadi's lap, whimpering and broken.
