First chaper of the sequel! So excited right now. I have so many ideas in my head - i can't think! Enjoy guys!

Chapter 1: Gone

Loki ran a hand through his beloved's hair, smiling at her sleeping form. A cold wind blew through the clearing, and he felt Lira involuntarily shiver in her sleep. It is becoming cold. I must take her inside. He slowly got up, clothing them both with a charm and lifting her into his arms. She mumbled incoherently and scrunched up his shirt with a hand. He smiled to himself and headed to her quarters, stopping only to ensure no one saw them.

He closed his eyes and searched the room with his mind. Nora was absent, probably gone to her mother for consolation…this was no easy thing on her. He hoped his existence hadn't ruined Lira's relationship with her friend. He remembered Lira explaining her friend's family to him one evening. The thought made him smile as he pushed open the door and gently placed Lira on the bed, tucking the sheet around her and brushing hair from her face. So beautiful…

"Goodnight my Lira. Sweet dreams."

Lira blinked slowly and lifted her head from the floor. The first thing she noticed was the pain in her right leg. Flames seared up her thigh as she stirred it, trying to manoeuvre herself into a sitting position. The hard oak wall dug into her back as she pressed against it, attempting to make herself as small as possible so as not to alert anyone that she was awake. Wide hazel eyes took in her surroundings – the dark oak walls and the elegant door seemingly carved into the wood, emblazoned with golden letters in a strange language. The clink of chains roused her senses and she looked down, perplexed at finding heavy chains circling her legs and securing her lower body to the floor. There was an equally disturbing pair attached to her wrists. Her heart began to throb unevenly as the realization that she was definitely not on Asgard entered her mind. Her gaze returned to the golden words on the door and although she knew she was in a state of trouble, the librarian side of her couldn't ignore the prospect of learning.

Aegir….something about earth princess….Lira found herself understanding the foreign letters, and a few minutes of contemplation after she realised that the language almost looked…familiar. As if she'd learnt it before…

Where am I? Lira swivelled her head around the small room, taking in the bare walls and the tangle of wood over her. The thick brown branches seemed to knit together to make some sort of roof, on top of which was a coat of leaves possibly meant to keep out the rain. The whole room looked rather like it was made out of a tree, so peculiar were its features.

Lira breathed deeply in, trying to calm her frantic mind. She was most definitely not in her quarters, nor in Asgard – unless of course this was some unknown region of the realm she was ignorant of, and her surroundings were very… earthy.

Oh bother…what have I gotten myself into? She clenched her hands together and pressed them into her eyes, trying to think back to the last conscious moment she remembered. All she found was her memories of the time with Loki and Nora, the most recent ones being her comforting Loki, and then a feeling of cold followed by the comfortable murmur of her beloved before she drifted off into a dreamless sleep. There was absolutely nothing that lead to this place – wherever it was.

Loki…her thoughts turned to her beloved. She hoped he was alright, but she didn't know what to hope for anymore. Everything was becoming so confusing.

Why am I even here? Where is here? She growled irritably at herself and turned to gazing at the prison wall. Because that's so clearly what it was – some sort of wooden prison. No windows, no books – nothing she could relate to, and the chains were beginning to hurt. I have to find a way to get them off. The chains rattled as she placed her wrists on her lap, taking to examining the crude iron. Now that she had noticed them, the pain they were inflicting just by being in contact with her skin was disconcerting. Why was she feeling so very weak?

Concentrate Lira…think about it. Her self induced order was hard to obey, but she forced herself to consider the reasons. She was Mercy, some Earth Goddess sent from who knew where to protect the balance of life on Asgard. So why was she here, chained in a strange room? I don't know enough about myself… the epiphany only proved to her how ignorant she was of her situation. She should know more should she not? It would definitely make things easier.

She sat unmoving for five minutes, merely staring at the crude chains attached to her body before her mind came up with an idea. Was she not a shape - shifter? The solution was simple: shift into a large animal, storm the place, then figure out a way to get the hell out of here.

The idea had seemed so simple, but after ten unsuccessful minutes of agonizing mental pain, Lira was forced to admit that the chains were not going to come off. Her activities had only succeeded in making her even wearier the more she tried to shift. It was not that she was incapable, but every time she breached the part of her mind that controlled her magic, she was met with an arduous mental struggle just to access a flicker or magic. It seemed to her that something in this room was rendering her powerless and the most likely option were the chains.

Oh damn you! She cursed, hitting the chains into the floor and emitting a dull thud as iron connected with compacted earth. What was wrong with her? Her head lolled to rest against the wall, the cool oak helping to calm her frazzled nerves.

Loki I need you… a sudden thought made her bolt upright. Shifting took her magic, so did healing and almost everything else; but telepathy took only intense concentration, and no amount of seals could arrest raw mental power. Loki would surely hear her, would he not? They had a connection that most would think impossible, it had to account for something. Even if she was realms away it was possible to at least send a single thought to him. If she tried hard enough, Lira knew she could contact her beloved, but she knew not what time it was – or where he'd be. Only one of those two were vital to her success. Maybe I don't need to know where he is - after all, our relationship is stronger than most so I should be able to connect to him, wherever he is.

Lira smiled with relief – maybe this could work, but she needed to rest now for she'd lost far too much energy already. As soon as she'd had a few minutes of sleep she would contact him. And with that one thought in her mind, Lira relaxed against the cool wall and tried to court sleep.

Loki tried to kick start his heart again, feeling the darkness of madness begin to engulf him. This cannot be happening... Trembling hands smoothed over the crumpled sheets of his beloved's bed, trying in vain to act as if she'd merely left for an early walk. But Loki knew that this was not a usual thing for Lira. She slept in after nights like yesterday; she would not be up running around at this hour.

He opened his eyes, willing himself to see her lying there, but all he saw was an empty bed, neat and almost untouched except for the creases in the sheets. Loki moved to sit on the mattress, trying to slow his heartbeat after it had reluctantly started beating again. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to stay right here – until he came for her in the morning. He swallowed dryly, clasping his hands together to stop their erratic shaking. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe and worst of all – he couldn't feel her presence anywhere in Asgard. The moment he'd awoken he'd known something was utterly wrong. Magic supported magic, and their relationship was abnormal at the least and unbelievable at the most. Loki always knew where she was – he could easily listen in to the thread in his chest that had connected her to him and see her location.

What worried him the most was that he could barely feel the thread anymore. It just wasn't there...and it made him panic. A reaction such as this could mean only one thing – she had been taken from him by someone. His mind thought back to last night's activities, trying to sift through the haze he'd been in when she'd pressed herself to him. All he remembered was the feel of her body, and the magical atmosphere that had surrounded them again.

Someone was watching. His eyes flashed open as the cruel mistake he'd made appeared behind his lids. Head in his hands, he growled at himself for being so irresponsible – how could he have not noticed that he'd forgotten to cast a blanketing spell on them? Now she was missing, and half of him was gone with her.

He jolted up, frantically searching the room for evidence that someone had taken her. All he found was a stray piece of fabric underneath the bed and a single strand of chocolate coloured hair. Both these findings he pocketed and made his way to his quarters. He needed to find her, before whoever had taken her did something he feared would harm his love.

He berated himself harshly, feeling a deep terror lurking beneath the calm demeanour he wore everywhere. It was not long before he would fall apart, but at this moment he needed to maintain his cool, or else he feared he may succumb to the madness threatening to engulf his senses. He would be alright as soon as he figured out her location. Then he could work on contacting her.