She no longer needed an escort to get to work each time. Public transport was almost easy now. Trains, auburn wig, sunglasses. It seemed to work well enough. No one approached her, no one whispered insults, no one tried to start a fight. Not that she let herself be baited. An ever so brief stint as a king's 'whore' had taught her that much.

This morning, however?

As she turned the corner into Gordon Square, her heart stuttered, and then fell to her stomach. She had half a mind to turn and run, but she had to get into work, and there was only one way in. Except the only way was barred by shouting crowds – and four very obvious aliens.

"Oh, fuck, fuck – "

"I know, right?" a stranger commented as he stood beside her, staring at the Asgardians. "They've got a nerve showing up after the last catastrophe."

"Er, yeah – 'scuse me – " Eva walked away from the man as casually as she could, her eyes on the four visitors. They could have been so inconspicuous were it not for the golden armour and the spears three of them bore. Einherjar. What the hell were the Einherjar doing here?

There was no way she could cut through the swathe of onlookers, or the police. Any minute now and the army would show up, and then the fun would truly begin. The Einherjar were not violent unless provoked, but as for their leader?

Sif was fucking terrifying in battle, and her current expression was so tense Eva was surprised she hadn't snapped. In fact, not one of them had, at all. It looked as though Sif was trying to negotiate with a police chief, in vain. It was clear whom they were here for, and Eva felt her stomach crawl. Not that she had anything against Asgard, but she'd spent the past year keeping her head down, securing a job, ignoring the jeers and protests and occasional violence that was sent her way. Now she was at a point in her life where everything was just starting to settle down.

And now this.

There was nothing for it. Sif and the guards wouldn't leave without what they came for, and though they had nothing against Earth, Eva knew damn well they'd defend themselves against an attack in a heartbeat. It was with the greatest reluctance that she removed the glasses and wig, shoving them in her satchel, and she began to weave her way through the crowds. No one noticed her at first, but the moment she locked eyes with Sif, the warrior instantly knelt, followed by the Einherjar. The crowd fell deathly silent, and slowly heads turned. Swallowing the terror that gripped her, Eva continued to walk, and surprisingly a path was soundlessly made. Even the police stared wordlessly, and as she reached Sif, she smiled grimly.

"I thought I told your king I wanted nothing more from your realm. And for god's sake, get up. I'm not a princess anymore."

Sif's eyebrows quirked, but she and the Einherjar rose to their feet, fisted hands dropping from their chests. Eva sighed, and Sif made to speak.

"My lady – Eva – His Majesty desires nothing. This is a personal call." It was only then that Eva saw the dread in Sif's eyes, causing her to frown and step forward.

"Sif, what –"

"Loki is dead," she murmured, and Eva felt ice wash over her in waves. Dead? How could he – he –

"How?" she whispered, for the jeering had started up again. "How did he die?"

"It was a sacrifice," came the soft answer, and Eva thought she heard more than just a note of remorse. "He saved his brother's life. I misjudged him. We all did. Eva, I – I'm so sorry. I know this was not ideal, but this was the closest Heimdall could get us, and I did not think – "

"It's alright," Eva heard herself say dimly, waving her apologies away. "It's alright."

It wasn't; it was cold and shattering and everything seemed to blur yet stay focused all at once. The shouting was a muffled din, Sif's next words unintelligible. He's dead, he's dead, he's dead –

Eva turned away, pushing through the crowds to reach her work's door, ignoring everything but her desperate need to reach somewhere away from all of this. Her fingers fumbled, pale and slipping and trembling, and then she was inside, the door pressed shut behind her. And still she heard nothing, nothing at all, not even the co-workers asking if she was okay, that she looked pale, and did she need to sit down?

A click of a lock, and she gripped the sides of a porcelain sink, staring into the water-stained mirror. Even with makeup, she looked as if she'd seen death – and how ironic that was. She could almost laugh were it not for the fact that it was the last thing she wanted to do. Even for him, that would be cruel beyond measure. Not even he deserved such disrespect in death – especially if his death had been all for Asgard's sake. Sacrifice. Even Loki, with his blackened heart, hadn't been able to resist a bit of redemption. Typical.

A spark caught her eye, and she stared at the ring adorning her left hand, the diamond peeking in the sunlight that streamed through a window. A ring that she'd wanted at the time – god, she'd been ecstatic when Zach asked – but at this moment, this awful, empty moment… it only reminded her of him. The smile, the laugh, the fear, the twisted, twisted games they'd played. Cat and mouse, over and over and over again. The same game with the same winner, yet they'd never been able to stop it until it had boiled over and flooded everything they knew.

And now he was gone.

She was leaning over the toilet and emptying her stomach before she could even register it, and she closed her eyes, resting her head on the cold, soothing porcelain rim.

"Fuck you, Loki Laufeyson," she whispered. "Fuck you."

And she had no idea whether she spoke out of grief or relief.

A/N: I'm back! Missed you all, I really did. Hopefully chapters will be semi regular, but you all know I'm a busy student, so we'll see. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little teaser. Eheheheheh. Let me know your thoughts!

Lightning x

P.S. If any of you are medieval history buffs, or just want to say hello, I'd love to chat!