Devotion

by Lalaith Quetzalli

-AU to Nightingale.- When Thor goes to assist in the battle against the chitauri, he isn't alone; with him travels a cloaked, slight female, one no could have ever expected: the Goddess of Devotion, the Nightingale, Loki's match and consort. And she will reclaim her beloved from the shadows that dwell in the abyss, no matter the cost. (Warning: Mentions of abortion and miscarriage)

1. Match

As always Loki, the rest of the characters, the movies of Avengers, Thor, and everything else in the Marvel Cinematic Universe belongs not to me, but to its creators. Nightingale is mine (the character, not Emily Browning, whom I've chosen to represent her) as well as any character you do not recognize as belonging to the MCU or Marvel in general. Any changes I've done are part of the Nightingale verse... This has been created as just a means of enjoyment and I'm making no money out of it, so please don't try to sue.

As has become usual, changing POVs, always assume it's Nightingale narrating unless I say otherwise (at least the intro line will always be hers).

---

Devotion

(Alternative Universe to Nightingale)

By: Lalaith Quetzalli

When Thor goes to assist in the battle against the chitauri, he isn't alone; with him travels a cloaked, slight female, one no could have ever expected: the Goddess of Devotion, the Nightingale, Loki's match and consort. And she will reclaim her beloved from the shadows that dwell in the abyss, no matter the cost.

Match

I traveled the shadows, searching for my match, I would not stop until I found him.

xXx 3rd Person POV xXx

As half a dozen soldiers left the room that had become the impromptu cell for the extraterrestrial criminal Loki after checking that all security measures were still in place, a figure stepped forth from the shadows. It was small, the size of a child or a young teen, except for her eyes, which showed someone older, probably even older than her real age. Even out of the shadows, it would be hard for anyone to point her out, not only because of the spell concealing her, but also the dark-plum cloak with lighter lining she was completely covered in. Her steps made no noise as she moved around.

Slowly, silently, she moved through the room, surrounding the cylindrical glass and steel cage-like construction that was being used as a cell. She was careful to stay mostly in the shadows, and continuously made sure her face was completely concealed beneath the hood of her cloak; while at the same time she studied the prisoner.

"What went wrong with you, with us, my love?" She whispered in the lowest whisper.

The green-silk and dark-leather clad sorcerer started abruptly, as if he'd been able to somehow hear the girl's whisper; yet as he looked around, searching, there was nothing to be seen, and not only because of the spell protecting her, as there was a chance he could have seen through that; she'd disappeared into the shadows yet again, right after whispering that question.

xXx

In the bridge of the huge flying fortress of S.H.I.E.L.D. known as the helicarrier, Thor, the tall, broad-shouldered, blonde God of Thunder and Crown Prince of Asgard couldn't help but stiffen briefly as he sensed the figure stepping out of his shadow. She was still concealed magically, which he knew meant no one but he was aware of her in that moment, so he chose not to react to her presence at all. Letting her choose when to reveal herself, if at all. Instead he kept his whole attention on the brown-haired blue-eyed Agent who was speaking to him right then as he brought something up in a nearby screen: the picture of a young woman, mid-twenties, brunette, with chocolate eyes, and astrophysicist and the woman he loved: Dr. Jane Foster.

"As soon as Loki took the doctor we moved Jane Foster." The Agent, Phil Coulson, was saying. "We've got an excellent observatory in Tromsø. She was asked to consult there very suddenly. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe."

The girl snorted quietly, knowing that if Jane Foster was anything like Thor described she would be quite put out when learning she'd been sent away, 'for safety'.

"Thank you." Thor nodded, ignoring the snort. "It's no accident Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread to think what my brother might do to him in his current state of mind."

"Current state of mind?" Phil noticed that.

"I know you haven't had the best of experiences regarding my brother, Son of Coul." Thor stated quietly. "But I beg you to keep an open-mind. Loki is not as you believe him to be..."

"Thor... people change." Somehow, the Agent seemed to want to be careful, to not hurt Thor. "Even those you love..."

"I know you understand not what I speak of." Thor shook his head sadly. "If you had met Loki a few years ago you would know what I mean. My brother, the real Loki, he is nothing like that. He can be cold, and hard, and driven, but he's never cruel. What happened in that other Kingdom, and in your base, all that seems to be going on right now... it's so far from the real him. I fear what might have happened to him to make him act this way..."

"What do you think happened?" Phil was getting progressively interested in the conversation.

By that point, unknown to Thor, Phil wasn't the only one paying attention to him anymore. While they stood need the window-panes showing the dark sky outside the group of would-be heroes the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nicholas Fury, had gathered together had stepped onto the bridge, and they were all attentively listening in to the two.

"Whatever it was, it had to have been terrible." Thor stated grimly.

"Worse..." The girl whispered almost brokenly.

If anyone heard her, no one turned her way, the focus still on the two men.

"Loki... while he's mostly known as the God of Mischief and Lies, there's so much more to him than most realize." The blonde went on, half-lost in the memories. "He's a scholar, a diplomat, a negotiator and a strategist of the highest caliber; not to mention one of the most powerful sorcerers I've seen in my whole life... matter of fact, I know only one who can surpass him for sure, the very person who trained him: our Mother, Queen Frigg."

"I thought Loki was adopted..." Phil commented half-absentmindedly.

"He is, but that matters not, at least not to Mother and I." Thor stated promptly. "His origins, his blood, matter little to either of us. He will always be a Friggason, and my brother. He's saved my life, and that of my friends, and possibly Asgard as a whole, more times than I can count. Even when I was young, and wild, and reckless..."

"And stupid." The girl piped in.

"And stupid..." Thor echoed with a shake of his head. "He always stood by my side. Our whole lives Loki was the one person I never doubted I could count on. And then, the one time he needed me, truly needed me... I wasn't there for him. I let my temper get the best of me, got myself exiled, and I Wasn't There For Him!" He lowered his head, ashamed.

"Neither of us were Thor..." The girl whispered, placing a soft hand on Thor's arm. "But that is a mistake we won't be making twice..."

"I wish you could use your seidhr and get him back..." Thor muttered with a sigh.

"Regretfully, things aren't that simple." She pointed out. "But don't worry, we'll get him back, Loki, and your friend, and the human Agent..."

"That we will sister, that we will..." Thor nodded with renewed conviction.

It seemed to be a gift of hers, to have her optimism rub on him, on anyone around her, really.

"Who are you?" Phil questioned abruptly. "And where did you come from?"

It took the blonde Asgardian a couple of seconds to realize the Son of Coul was talking about the girl by his side and no other. She had dropped her concealing spell at some point, even if she still her her cloak and hood pulled closely around her. Still, she'd been noticed.

More people reacted abruptly as they noticed her, several of the agents reaching for their weapons when seeing an unknown in their midst. Thor himself reacted to that, moving to stand half in front of the small figure.

"It's perfectly alright, brother." She assured him in a soft but strong voice. "No one here is going to do anything rash, right?"

"We won't... though I still want to know where you came from, miss..." A man in jeans and a blue long-sleeved shirt, whom Thor knew to be called Captain America, spoke.

"I came from Asgard with Thor..." The girl told him calmly. "Took a longer route than he did, before getting to this flying fortress of yours, though. Arrived an hour or so ago... you just weren't aware of my presence..."

"Magic?" The redheaded woman seemed half-hesitant half-distrustful.

"Yes." The girl had no hesitation when answering. "A cloaking spell. It allowed me to check on things without being noticed."

"Check on things?" Iron Man, Stark, seemed particularly interested.

"Made a quick trip to Stuttgart to check on matters where Loki was found, make sure everything would be as alright as it could be on that front, especially the doctor who was hurt; then the same for that forest near the border between France and Spain..." She paused, turning to Thor. "I imagine you're the one responsible for that level of destruction?" She shook her head, not waiting to hear a reply. "You need to be more careful, brother mine, if something had happened to you... we have enough trouble as is!"

"I know, sister, I shall be more careful in the future." Thor smiled softly at her. "And I would be grateful if you didn't go around on your own anymore right now. Mother only allowed us to come on our own because I told her I would take care of you..."

"As much as I may love her, this is about Loki Thor, she knows as well as you and I that nothing short of death itself could have stopped me from coming after him the moment I knew, for sure, where he was." Her voice was still soft but lined with steel as she said those words. "And even in death I'm sure I could convince Hel to see things my way..."

"Wait a second, sister?" An Agent with short hair and dressed in black, behind them spoke up. "She's your sister, like Loki is your brother?"

"She's just a child..." Rogers murmured, not liking the idea.

"Well..." Thor seemed not to know how to explain things.

"First of all, I am no child." The young woman spoke strongly.

"My sister is the goddess of devotion!" Thor called with great pride.

The young woman stood to her full height as she pushed back her hood and allowed the cloak to open just enough to show the clothes she wore underneath. Her skin was the lightest rose tone, and she wore a long-bell-sleeved, wide-v-necked, floor-length violet velvet dress with golden embroidery forming a belt and details on the sleeves, golden slippers on her small feet; a silver pendant of a bird in flight hung from her neck on a thin but sturdy chain; her eyes small and hazel colored, her hair long waves of auburn (the length unknown as the hood still half-concealed it); and resting on top of it was an elegant white-gold and cristal tiara.

"My name is Nightingale." She spoke in perfect, unaccented English. "Like Thor said, I am his sister, though not in the way you might believe." She took a deep breath before dropping the bomb. "I am Loki's match and consort."

xXx Nightingale's POV xXx

I was seventeen years old when my life was irrevocably changed. Granted, my life had been changed before, several times even and in different ways. First at five years old, when the doctors had finally realized that my seemingly perpetual weakness and constant sickness was actually leukemia; then at nine when I'd, finally, gone into remission. Another change that had taken place already by then was the necessity for me to be home-schooled. Aunt Kathryn had arranged it, for my father was always working.

Those changes had had nothing to do with Loki; no, those had begun a few months after I turned eleven. I'd met him then, first as a young looking raven-haired jade-eyed boy; later on as his real self. I had done my research, of course; by the second time I saw him I knew exactly who he was. Still, I paid no mind to everything negative that was said about him, focusing on the positive, and on reality, on him. He gave me a black jade dizi flute, one of my most precious possessions ever; and a key piece in who I'd grown to be.

We became friends almost right away, and that friendship only grew in the following years. Enough that when, at age eleven, the cancer returned with a vengeance, so badly I should have lived no more than three months after that day... he prevented death from claiming me. Loki, my dearest friend, created a set of bracelets that before had only existed in fiction (actually a novel I'd been reading at the time); he created them, and through them he saved me. Through those bracelets I got enough energy to fight the effects of the cancer in my blood, even if the sickness itself was never truly gone, I was no longer dying from it.

After surviving my second time I went to college, to Norwich University, earned three degrees: in European Literature, History and Mythology and Folklore. I graduated at sixteen and went on to study for my Masters (in all three subjects). I was halfway through the first two (because school policies didn't allow for me to take subjects for all three at the same time); when things changed all over again. And in a way I could have never expected:

It all began when I noticed the dark-haired woman in odd-clothing spying on me; it wasn't the first time I noticed her either. When I told Loki he set up a spell, and we found out it was Sif, she'd been spying on me, on us, for weeks, possibly even months. It was quite easy to guess what she would be doing with that information. I had actually been in the process of convincing myself that everything would be alright (even when a corner of my mind kept screaming that wasn't true at all), when Loki announced he would not allow it.

From all the things I imagined he might try to protect me, I could have never begun to imagine what he actually ended up doing. That morning, after Aunt Kathryn had left for work, Loki went inside the house to look for me. That wasn't exactly strange, neither was it him wanting me to join him in the garden. What left me absolutely shocked was the woman who was sitting on what was obviously a conjured bench, in front of my beloved roses. She was tall, statuesque, with thick curls of golden hair and eyes the color of the clearest sky, and she was wearing a dress of the palest cream color, with 3/4 sleeves, long to the ground and with a straight neckline that showed a hint of her collarbone and shoulders, golden stitching on the hem. She was absolutely beautiful, and I had no need for either her or Loki to explain just who she was...

"Your Majesty..." I whispered, still half in shock, as I dropped into a clumsy curtsy.

It was awful, really, at least I was wearing a skirt.

"Mother..." Loki went to stand by me instantly, holding me by the shoulders as he helped me straighten up. "This is Nightingale, my dearest friend."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, young one." Queen Frigg nodded with a small smile at me.

Still, I could see the confusion in her eyes; I wasn't sure what was throwing her off most: my being so young, a human, or Loki having brought her to Midgard at all...

"You said you needed my help." The Lady stated, looking at her son.

"We do mother, we need your help, most urgently." Loki nodded.

We revealed everything to her, holding nothing back; from our first meeting six years before, to my sickness, the deamarkonian, my studies... to finding Sif spying on me for the third time in two weeks, and then one thing Loki hadn't told me, which explained why Sif had been spying on me: the Allfather knew about me, and he had decided my knowing all I did, my friendship with Loki, went against the laws... his laws. I was to be taken out of the equation. I suspected that meant I was to lose all memories of Loki; my Maverick thought it could mean something much more sinister... it wasn't like Odin, or anyone in Asgard really, cared much about mortals... And even if the plan only had me losing my memories... Loki had been an important part of my life since I was eleven, especially so in the previous three years; I had no idea what would become of me if I were ever to lose all those memories, though I knew it would be nothing good.

When Loki had told me, full of power and conviction, that he would find a way out, a solution to our problem, I couldn't help but believe him, hard as it might have seemed. After all, hadn't he promised to save me when the cancer was killing me, when it should have been impossible? He'd delivered back then, through the creation of the deamarkonian, when there should have been no possible salvation, he'd found one. And so I couldn't help but believe he would find a way, again. And he did. Though I could have never predicted his actions.

The Asgardian Queen seemed both marveled and dismayed (almost in equal amounts too) by the time we were finished with our story.

"We need you Mother..." Loki finished. "I know not how to protect Nightingale without you..."

"I only wish for Loki to be safe." I pointed out with an almost sad smile. "I am willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to ensure he's alright." I was beginning to feel his denial, but couldn't allow him to stop me. "I hope you will forgive me if I'm too blunt, Your Majesty but, from what I've seen in Norse Mythology, your husband doesn't strike me as the most merciful man, or even the most fair, especially not where it concerns Loki. So, while I wish for nothing more than to be by his side for as long as I can be... I know that may not be in the cards. If you can promise me he will be alright, then you may do with me as you wish."

I finished my statement by kneeling at the Queen's feet, where she was still sitting on the conjured bench. I knew that, to some, my words might have seemed overly dramatic, exaggeration, unnecessary; but considering the kind of people I was dealing with... also, I meant every single word from the bottom of my heart.

In the end, I won the Queen, somehow. Whether it was my words, Loki's expression as I knelt there, our story, her son's regard for me, or a combination of two or more of those; I still won her over. And, yet again, my life was forever changed.

By the time we finished outlaying the plan (at least the basics of the plan), it was late afternoon already. Loki convinced his mother to stay for an early dinner (as we'd forgotten lunch in between all our talking and planning). I ordered in from a nearby place, a favorite of Loki's: grilled beef, melted cheese with mushrooms and some salad. The Lady Frigg seemed to like it; at the very least she enjoyed sharing the meal with us.

The two left after dinner, while I went to bed. Then, according to plan, the next morning I did everything I could to leave my affairs in order. The last part, the hardest part, took place that night, when Aunt Kathryn got back from her job. It was a concession I'd asked from both Loki and Lady Frigg, even though I knew it might end up complicating matters further, I just couldn't help it, I loved Aunt Kathryn like my own mother, too much to leave without giving her at least some kind of explanation.

Loki arrived halfway through the retelling of my story (an abridged version of it). There was so much I couldn't explain to her, could never begin to tell her (not only because of the danger her knowing would put her in, but also because I did not want her to worry too much about me), but I didn't want to just disappear on her either. It didn't seem fair, to either one of us. My father might have had little to do with my life at that point; especially since he'd remarried and gone to live with his new wife in Europe. Aunt Kathryn was another matter entirely.

We told her just enough. Enough for her to understand who Loki was, even if we never actually said the words (plausible deniability and all that, mostly for her but also for us); most important of all, we told her just enough for her to understand why I would be leaving, that very night in fact... it was part of the plan, it was necessary, the only way to protect me from Odin's plans (whatever they might be).

I could tell Aunt Kathryn didn't like it, not at all. Especially when she understood I wouldn't be returning, not for a while at least, and never for more than visits (if that). But she knew it was for my safety, and not just that. It was something I truly wanted... to be by my Maverick's side. Even when we hadn't spoken about it yet, I knew I loved him, with all my heart and soul, and a part of me was beginning to hope he might feel the same...

The next morning I took my place as Nightingale, Queen Frigg's new handmaiden... a whole new world opened before me then.

A year later my service to the Queen ended, and on the very next day I was announced as Prince Loki's betrothed. At some point during my year as handmaiden Loki and I had finally confessed our feelings to each other (there was some mead involved... and there was a reason why I did not like alcohol before and especially after! At least the results weren't anything bad). There had been a little while, after that night of too much mead, when I'd left Loki's chambers the next morning, still too hungover to realize the image I portrayed in that moment... servants had seen me and rumors had run rampant. When the first whisper of whore reached Loki's ears and he realized exactly who they were talking about... he nearly snapped. The only thing that stopped him was his brother promising to help him eliminate those rumors; and the Queen promising that he could marry me after I was done with my service to her.

So our betrothal was announced the day after I ceased being a handmaiden. I was in what people in Midgard would have described as a goddess-style floor-length, sleeveless, lilac-colored dress when the feast to announce the betrothal took place. I was barely eighteen years old, and it showed; yet we did not care. The Aesir, being full of immortals, did not pay much attention to how young I looked; some did comment on how small I was, some ladies, commenting on how my size might affect my child-bearing. It was something I just didn't want to think about... for the longest time I had given up on the idea of having children, given up on ever reaching a point, an age, when I might want to have them... I just didn't know what to think about it anymore.

The betrothal lasted for several months, as it was royal tradition for weddings to take place in the fall, right after the harvest. And so it did. The wedding lasted a week, and some actually seemed to want to keep the party going.

The very first day, during the actual wedding ceremony, Loki and I made a choice and changed our vows from the usual ones to the ceremonial speech that called on a form of marriage that had become almost mythical even by Asgardian Standards. We called on the Ancient Powers, binding us to each other, body, mind, heart and soul, to the end of time. Some of those present were scandalized, thinking us too young to even understand what we were doing; however, when Lady Frigg, with all her power as Goddess of Marriage, gave her blessing, there was nothing else that could be done. We were married, bound... matched, as Aesir said, and would remain so to the end of time and space (regardless of my mortality).

Then, still following the tradition, my match and I left on our honey-moon. Usually tradition would have had us secluding ourselves in some property, far from the palace and his family to live our first month as a married couple, on our own. He chose a different tactic instead and we left to travel through the realms. I got to see so many things, every world... I even got the chance to visit Midgard briefly, drop in on my aunt for a little while. The most memorable moment, however, was when Loki took me to Helheim, when I got to meet my step-daughter, and she accepted me, not just as her father's wife, but also as her mother... I loved her so much, as if she were my own flesh and blood.

Eventually we had to return, I had duties to take on, as a Princess of Asgard. It was also at that point that people began to truly getting to know me, especially as they realized I was all for staying by Loki's side, whether he was in the library, researching something or other; or talking business with important men from within and without the Realm Eternal, and even the few times he chose to train some. Some people did not seem to like it much, I was just too different from what they considered to be the 'ideal lady'; however, with Loki's and even Thor's and Queen Frigg's support, I endured and eventually began earning their respect (when they realized I had studied and did things right).

I even convinced Loki to help me train some, enough to defend myself at the very least. I learnt some hand to hand, as well as fighting with knives (either in my hands or throwing them), Thor and his friends gifted me with a set of beautiful throwing knives as well as a gorgeous crystal dagger that had a triquetra as its handle (they'd noticed the similar design on my earrings, which I'd mentioned once were an heirloom from my mother). It was also around that time that we discovered that if I focused enough I could call on magic, Loki's magic to be precise and, even more surprising, I could also heal... it took a lot of concentration and energy, but I could do something not even most Aesir could, I could heal without any plants, or elixirs, or such, just magic and my will. No one but the Goddess Eir, goddess of healing could boast of such a gift (and the Queen in a lesser degree). It was that that, finally, earned me my place as a goddess (though my actual title would not come until months afterwards).

A few months more passed, until the day came when Odin made an announcement, one my match and I had known was coming: he declared Thor as his heir, and called a start to the preparations for his coronation, a month later. Things just went to hell after that...

Lost in my duties and my grief I couldn't see how far my beloved was falling, until he was already beyond my reach. Thor might blame himself for letting his temper get the best of him, causing the situation that got him exiled, made him not be around when his brother needed him. But I was there! We still slept in the same bed every night... and I was no help anyway... I was his wife, his match, and still too blind to see how much he needed me. It was a sin I wouldn't forgive me for until my beloved was safe, and sane, back in my arms, and maybe not even then.

When he fell off the broken edge of the Rainbow Bridge I knew, I could feel the void growing in the very center of my heart, threatening to tear it apart, to break my soul into pieces, like glass... my handmaidens say I screamed, dropped to my knees and just screamed, until my throat could take it no more and my voice cut off, even then I didn't move an inch until the exhaustion became too much and I simply dropped unconscious... then I didn't wake for weeks, almost a month.

When I opened my eyes again Thor was there, sitting in a chair by my bedside, so tense I knew instantly he couldn't be asleep. It confused me to realize I wasn't at the healers', but instead in my private quarters, my private sleeping chamber, separate from the one I shared with Loki, the one where I'd actually been sleeping every single night since returning from our honeymoon. It was until later that I learnt the healers hadn't been able to find out what was wrong with me, why I wouldn't wake (things like catatonia, coma, weren't known to them, though I imagined I'd been immersed in something like that), Lady Frigg had been the one to decide to send me back to my own rooms, thinking the familiarity of them might bring me some comfort when I finally woke up. For the most part my handmaidens took care of me in my unconsciousness, but Thor still spent hours just sitting by my bed, watching me.

From the very beginning it had been hard for Thor to understand how Loki and I had come to be together, I knew that. My origins were no secret, they couldn't have been, with the way Queen Frigg took me in; and with how little Aesir thought of mortals, he could not understand what his brother saw in me... still, he respected Loki's choice, and not only that but he'd taken an active role in making sure people respected me, first as one of his mother's handmaidens, later on as his brother's betrothed, and eventually wife, as Thor's own sister... Odin was another matter entirely, but there was nothing any of us could do about that, knowing the Allfather couldn't hurt me was enough for us all.

That lack of understanding changed after Thor's exile, after he himself fell deeply in love with a mortal woman... though I did not learn any of that until later on.

That day, when I finally woke up after weeks lost in my own mind, the mix of horror, grief, pain, despair pushing me under, one word left my lips in a broken whisper...

"Loki..."

The word, whispered and broken as it had been, was still enough to wake Thor, who straightened up so fast a corner of my mind knew he would be feeling the whiplash for that move; the rest just didn't care about it, or about much in that moment; nothing but one thing, in fact...

"Sister..." Thor called quietly, carefully.

He stood from the chair, going to sit on the bed, right beside where I laid, taking a too pale hand in between his own sun-kissed ones.

"I am so sorry, sister mine..." He whispered, caressing my hand slowly. "Loki... he's..."

"Alive..." I finished for him in a sigh.

"No... he..." He began, shaking his head, tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes.

"He's alive." I interrupted him.

It took me great effort, which showed just how bad my condition actually was, but I managed to raise a hand enough to place it over his lips, stop him from talking; coincidentally (or not) it was my right hand, and my deamarkonian shone on my wrist, reflecting the few rays of sunlight filtering through the closed drapes on my window.

"Loki is not dead, Thor..." I told him slowly and purposefully. "If he were I wouldn't be breathing still. Your brother, my match, still lives..."

He knew my story, our story, what the bracelet on my wrist meant, and my words... the moment everything fully registered in his mind he pulled me off my pillows, crushing me against his chest in am embrace. I didn't mind, despite the tightness, it was still better than the coldness Loki's absence made me feel.

"He's alive..." Thor breathed, voice full of marvel, of hope...

"He is." I nodded, holding onto him as tightly as my half-atrophied muscles would allow. "And we're getting him back."

"That we will, sister mine, that we will." He agreed wholeheartedly.

And thus, our self-imposed mission began.

At first there was little I could do, little either of us could do. We knew that Loki was alive, that as long as I breathed so did he, but we couldn't find him. Not even Heimdall could see into the abyss, and after an argument Thor had had with Odin shortly after my waking up, neither of us trusted the old man much.

Thor never actually told me what was said, between the two of them, though there was enough gossiping around for me to get an idea: Thor had wanted to go searching for his brother through the Realms, and Odin had refused. The man refused to accept that Loki was alive, and when Thor presented the undeniable proof: me, the truth finally came out: the Allfather simply did not care enough. He wanted Thor to focus on his training, on his preparations to be King, instead of his 'fallen brother'... after a long time trying, and failing, to convince him to change his mind, Thor ended the argument rather abruptly, by swearing an oath not to take the throne, ever, unless it was with his brother by his side. To say Odin was displeased would be the understatement of the millennia, but there was nothing that he could do about it, an oath spoken by an Aesir, especially when calling on Higher Powers, like Thor had done when phrasing his, was unchangeable as well as unbreakable. Thor would only be King of Asgard if Loki was by his side, the specifics after that did not matter, only that he was there, and that was that.

I was left breathless when I found out. My handmaidens knew, better than anyone in Asgard but Frigg and Thor, that Loki was far from the disgrace some council members and nobles insisted on portraying him as. Sigyn, my head handmaiden, had once told me that one needed but to take one look at the two of us together to see the true Loki. A caring, courteous, valiant, amazing man... She, all of them really, were some of my greatest supporters in the following year. Especially as I did everything I could to get back into shape after the month unconscious in bed.

The healers insisting on keeping me in bed rest for a full week even after I woke up, worried as they all were about my health; not only for how long I had slept, but the screaming I'd done before falling unconscious and... other things that had happened before that awful day. Then I spent several weeks doing the Asgardian equivalent of physical therapy before I could stand and walk properly again. It was a long, arduous process. What none but Thor knew was that it wasn't just because of how my body how weakened during those four weeks, but also because of Loki... something terrible was happening to him, bad enough that the deamarkonian was draining me to help him, instead of the other way around; it meant that, in that moment, I was the strongest of the two... it broke me inside to realize that.

Still I pushed, hard, more than most wanted me to; no one but Thor understood my drive, and at times even he thought I was pushing myself too hard. Almost three months after Thor's failed coronation, after everything had gone to hell, I was finally doing well enough to go back into actual fighting training.

Thankfully, all the exercises I had done the previous weeks to get fit again made it relatively easy to get back to my throwing knives; my accuracy was still as good as ever (except when some phantom pain or other assaulted hard and fast enough to distract me). Direct combat, whether in hand-to-hand or with blades was another thing entirely. Thor tried to help me, but there was only so much he could do, he did not know how to fight with short blades, and his size made him too afraid of taking me seriously in full-body combat. His over-protectiveness also meant that the Warriors Three didn't dare try too hard either.

That particular day I was especially frustrated. I wasn't getting any better, and without a proper trainer I did not know what to do. I was in what Thor playfully called my battle attire. After Loki had fallen I'd decided to take over some of his duties, mostly diplomatic ones; deciding I looked too much like a child on my usual dress I had changed styles; the gown was created by the Queen's personal seamstress, from the softest most perfect shade of violet velvet; the top was snug with a v-neckline, wide enough to show my collarbone but without being improper, the sleeves her long, tight to the elbows and then bell-like, and the skirt was loose and comfortable, reaching to the ground and dragging a few inches; my waist was marked by golden stitching forming a sort of sash-like design; the same style that was repeated in the halfway point of my sleeves; golden slippers and my usual jewelry, consisting of my mother's triquetra earrings, the deamarkonian bracelet, the nightingale pendant (Loki's wedding gift to me) and the white-gold and crystal tiara were the finishing touches of my formal ensemble.

My 'battle attire' consisted of a plum colored riding dress that reached a few inches above my knees; the cloth had spells woven in it, to keep me warm or cool as was needed, and to be more durable than normal cloth (as strong as chainmail, but still flexible). I also wore dark leggings, an aketon around my torso, braces on my forearms, dark reinforced leather boots and finger-less gloves to make handling my knives both easier and safer. The final touch consisted of a dozen knives strapped to various parts of my body.

Thor had given up on my training for the day, though I refused to call it quits just yet. So I was standing on the mats, going through katas as fluidly as I could. I had just finished one and was mostly focused on catching my breath when suddenly I heard a noise I knew well, the sound of the wind being cut by a body in motion. I reacted instinctively, dropping to my knees, head down, going into a roll in the next second, before turning around with a knee on the ground and one arm defensively, while with the other I reached a knife in one of my boots. My ears were ringing, my blood pumping with adrenaline, and all my senses seemed to be heightened.

It was until I stopped moving that I realized what had happened exactly. Standing in front of me was none other than Sif, in her own battle attire. My dropping to my knees had allowed me to evade the spinning kick she'd directed at me upon arrival, while my rolling had gotten me out of the way of the rest of her; she was still on one knee, punch buried in the mats where I'd been standing less than a handful of seconds before.

"What's the meaning of this?" Thor reacted immediately. "Sif!"

I needed only to see Sif to understand that the confrontation needed to happen, for both of us.

"Do not get involved in this, Thor." I instructed him as I got on my feet slowly. "I think it's high time Sif and I resolved our differences..."

"Sister..." Thor whispered slowly.

He never called me Nightingale, always sister, he knew that the last time someone had it had caused a flashback... truth be told hardly anyone had ever called me that, except Loki...

"This needs to happen, brother." I told him softly, willing him to understand the need burning inside me. "Do not try to interfere... and the same goes to your friends."

He didn't like it, but he respected me too much to insist. So he just sat back down, the Warriors Three at his sides.

"So you want to fight me then?" Sif inquired, looking at me almost predatory.

"You are the one who tried to attack me when my back was turned." I reminded her blankly. "If anyone is instigating a fight here, that's you."

"Indeed..." He didn't bother trying to deny it. "Think you can take me, do you?"

"I guess we're about to find out." I decided.

Nothing else was decided, there was no further need for words. I stood my ground as Sif came at me, preparing myself mentally for what was coming. It still wasn't enough. I felt my arm rattle as I blocked the first punch; yet before I could finish recovering my breath was stolen with a kick to my stomach and a second later I found myself on the ground, gasping.

"Sister!" Thor cried out in worry.

"Stay... where you are Thor..." I managed to gasp out, waving a hand in his direction.

After a handful of seconds more recovering my breath I pushed myself off the ground and back on my feet. I didn't stay there very long.

After I hit the mats for the third time I had to actually take a few seconds to breathe and think... and then I remembered.

"You need to stop thinking love..." Loki had told me once, a few days into my basic training, when noticing that even when I understood things, I just didn't react fast enough; turned out I was over-thinking things. "It's a problem people like you and I have when training to fight. We just think too much. We're so used to thinking so hard, practically all the time. But fighting is not about thinking, the opposite in fact. Fighting is about instinct. It's true you need to know certain things, it's why we train, why I teach you... but once you have to truly fight, you need to think less and use your instincts more." He smiled. "Everyone has instincts, self-preservation. And if you know what to do, your instincts will push you to do it at the right moment. You just need to make use of those instincts..."

I did not say a word, there was no need. Instead I took a deep, cleansing breath, then forced myself to my feet. I could hear the mumbles of 'princess', from the Warriors Three, and 'sister' from Thor, but I ignored them all. In that moment I needed not to think.

"Are you sure you want to get up?" Sif asked in a half-mocking tone.

I did not answer, doing so required effort, focus, and I had other things I needed to think about, or not think about, as the case might be.

I stood on guard, an arm folded in front of me defensively, the other held half back, ready to counter; one foot was straight on the ground, while the other was only half down, ready to either move forward, spin-around, or any other move I might need to do.

Sif went against me with the same combo she'd been using from the beginning; except instead of trying to block her punch, I twisted slightly and bent just enough to dodge her arm. An instant later I spun around and stepped to a side, finishing the move by dropping to my knees and bowing my head barely managing to clear the two kicks. Sif was so surprised I'd managed to avoid all the attacks she didn't straighten up fast enough; in a moment I raised both arms, taking hold of her ankle, then I forced my legs to move, jumping onto my feet with enough speed and strength I managed to pull Sif's leg. While I might not have been strong or even tall enough to pull such a move effectively most of the time, Sif was caught enough by surprise that she didn't react in time; she just hit the ground hard.

Silence was the only response to my move.

"What in hell was that?!" Sif demanded as she hurried back to her feet.

"Instinct..." I replied almost cheekily. "And some instruction in jujitsu... it's a Midgardian martial art I read about once... Loki learnt enough about it to teach it to me. It's ideal for people small and with less than average physical strength..."

"Do you really think tricks created by some Midgardians will allow you to defeat me?" Sif hissed in a very condescending manner.

"Maybe, maybe not." I shrugged even as I got back into position. "Doesn't mean I'm giving up. So, are we gonna fight, or what?"

I didn't defeat her that day, or week, or month... but I didn't give up either, I never did; and when she defeated me eventually, hard enough I was too tired to continue, I at least was sure I'd made her earn that victory.

At some point the fight from that day became a training session, and it was just the first of many more. I couldn't train ever day, not with all the duties I was taking on; but we took to training together at least twice a week. Training that only got more interesting when we added daggers, and then when I began using magic... We weren't friends, we would never be; but somehow, between fights and some heated arguments we managed to put our differences behind.

Aside from that I still had other duties to attend to; though at least I had Thor's backing for those; he'd begun studying history, diplomacy, and other things, things he'd ignored when his tutors had tried teaching them to him; he chose to learn then, knowing that I truly needed the support. I also made sure not to let anyone forget that, while we may be doing things in that moment, it was still Loki's place, I was still his wife.

Then, what felt almost like a lifetime later, a message came from Heimdall...

"Prince Loki has been found..."

The fact that the message came from him rather than Odin, when there was no doubt he must know as well, was telling. The Allfather didn't plan on telling us. Still, Thor and I didn't say a word, silently beginning our preparations for a trip to Midgard, it's not like we needed anyone's help, I knew enough of Shadow Walking, and Thor trusted me enough to get us both to Midgard safe and sound.

Then, on the fifth day, Odin summoned Thor. I wasn't called, but as we'd been together, making our final preparations, I went anyway. The Allfather wanted to send me away, but Thor insisted that I stay, and I chose to ignore the old man (it wasn't the first time I did so, anyway). I knew Odin did not like me, if it were up to him he would have sent me away the day after Loki's fall from the bridge, most likely without my memories too! Still, I had Thor's protection, and Lady Frigg's; and somehow, in the last year, I had managed to gain the backing of Thor's friends and diplomats from all the realm... I had enough people in my corner that Odin wouldn't risk trying to get rid of me. And once Loki was back I knew that, together, we would be able to deal with everything and anything that came our way.

"Asgard needs you." Odin stated in his usual pompous tone. "The balance has shifted and you will need to go to Midgard to set it right."

"I am always ready to serve Asgard." Thor answered almost automatically.

By the hint of a smile on his face I could guess he was getting his hopes up, that his father might have good intentions regarding Loki, I wasn't thus tricked.

"The mortals have found the Tesseract." Odin's next sentence proved me right, as well as giving us all a reason for his summons. "I know not how long they've had it, or what they might have done thus far, but a relic of such power should not be left in the hands of lesser beings."

I was almost completely sure that was a jibe at me... Odin was petty like that, had been since the day he realized his opinion was being completely ignored and there was nothing he could do to stop Loki marrying me, and me becoming a Princess of Asgard. I was quite sure he would have gone as far as disavowing his youngest son right there and then if he'd only had an excuse... and by the time he had it, Lady Frigg and Thor were refusing to just bow to his decisions anymore. So there was nothing he could do.

"The Tesseract?" Thor blurted out.

He knew of course, we both did. Fact was, I'd spent most of the last five days turning the Royal library upside down reading every and any piece concerning the Tesseract, the Mind Gem and eventually the Infinity Stones, that I could get my hands on. The Royal Librarian had tried to curtail me at first, using as excuse that most of the texts concerning such topics were in ancient languages, I told him that if I needed help I would ask for it... yet I never did.

I'm quite sure he spent at least three days waiting for me to move past my 'pride' and admit I couldn't read a thing. What he did not know was just how many languages I was fluent in... and as it turned out, what Asgard considered Ancient Languages was just Old Norse, Old English, Gaelic, and something close enough to Latin I could make out enough of it to cross-reference with the other texts at least.

The research didn't only allow me to learn a lot about the exceedingly powerful objects known as the Infinity Stones, and Asgard's own Ancient History (a lot of which refuted the theory of Asgardians being immortal, instead putting them as being extremely long lived (like, lives measured in millennia rather than in decades, but still); I also learnt more than I could have ever imagined about the supposedly mythical 'Thanos'. I had a feeling about him, as all but the oldest texts, the ones only the best scholars were supposed to be able to read, marked him as mythical, as not-real, and if I was right... not only in my assumption in that area, but also in the theory that was beginning to form in my mind regarding my beloved's time lost in the abyss and the sudden appearance on Earth carrying a staff holding precisely one of said Infinity Stones... if I was right the shit was going to hit the fan and there was no way anyone, in Asgard or Midgard, would be ready for it in time.

"It is your mission to go to Midgard and recover the artifact." Odin went on. "It will be safe in our Weapon's Vault."

The bastard spoke as if he had everything under control... he had no idea.

"My lord?" No one was expecting it when Sif spoke up. "How did you become aware that the Tesseract was there? Did something happen?"

Thor and I had never meant for anyone to know what we were doing, but it was hard for someone not to find out when we had completely broken routine for the last five days straight! To our surprise, not only had Thor's friends not ratted us out, they'd even helped us, in any way they could (which wasn't much, but the thought at least counted).

"The circumstances are unimportant..." Odin began.

I couldn't help the snort. Did the man really believe it would make a difference if he did not say it? Forgetting for a second the fact that we already knew it; how did he think Loki would react when seeing his brother on Midgard while on the mission? Maybe the fact that he'd never truly been a father made him prone to stupidity when it came to judging the reactions people with normal, good, feelings regarding family had.

Odin turned to look my way at the snort, it looked like he was about to snap at me (like he'd done so many times before, not like it ever meant a thing to me), when suddenly Thor seemed to be unable to hold himself back anymore.

"So my brother is unimportant then?" The blonde snapped. "I am supposed to ignore the fact that it was he who took the Tesseract from the Midgardians' hands and is currently holding onto it? What did you think would happen when I arrived to the realm and found him there? That I would just ignore him in favor of your mission?"

"Yes, because you have a mission!" Odin practically growled.

"And Loki is my brother!" Thor roared back.

"He is not!" Odin denied.

"He may not be your son, you might never have loved him as one, but he is my brother, and will always be." Thor seemed to ponder on something for a second before adding. "And truth be told, if you're not my brother's father, then you're not mine either."

That certainly left Odin in absolute shock.

Thor, in turn, ignored him and went to stand by me.

"Shall we, sister?" He asked me softly.

"We shall, brother." I nodded with a smile, taking his hand.

"She was not included in this!" Odin hissed. "I am in need of someone who will do a service for Asgard, not lose valuable time and resources in a lost cause!"

"The only lost cause here is you, Allfather..." I couldn't help but mutter.

"I remember not asking for permission." Thor added promptly. "Nightingale and I will go, we will save Loki... and maybe get the Tesseract in the process."

"You would refuse a service to Asgard?!" Odin tried to guilt-trip his son.

"Odin, stop it!" Lady Frigg finally demanded. "What you believe is so wrong about Thor and Nightingale wanting to save Loki I will never know, but these are my children we are talking about, and I will not have you treat them like they're any less than the amazing people they are! You might choose not to see them as yours, but they're still mine, and if you insist on pressing and insulting them as you have thus far I will remind you why Loki is only the second best Sorcerer in all the Realms!"

"I will not help you in your foolish quest." Odin sneered at us. "I am in need of someone willing to serve Asgard, not go in a fool's errand."

"Whoever said we needed your help?" I asked him with my most wicked smile (which I'd learnt from my love). "The only reason we are still standing here is because there was no way we were going into the mess that is brewing back there blind! Which, might I add, was pretty much what you were planning on doing to Thor! I've spent the last five days researching, making sure I know what might come, and all the ways things could possibly go wrong."

"That still doesn't explain how you think you can get to another realm, the Bifrost is still broken, and even you, with all your mysteries, cannot bring it back." Odin reminded me petulantly.

"No, though I have a feeling Thor knows someone who just might." I couldn't help the jibe, I knew it was unnecessary, but my nerves were too frazzled to think much about it. "However, that's so not the point right now. For I need not, have never needed really, the Rainbow Bridge to travel through realms. Did you really believe, Allfather, that with everything Loki was already teaching me, he wouldn't make sure I knew how to travel in the same manner he does?" I didn't wait for him to get through the shock. "I can both Shadow Walk and travel the Hidden Roads. So, your oh-so-secret plan to either lock me up or send me away as soon as my protectors got distracted wouldn't work anyway. You will never be able to keep me from where I want to be, and who I want to be with."

That shut Odin thoroughly, he wasn't expecting it. My abilities regarding inter-dimensional travel were something of a hidden-ace I'd been holding for the best occasion; I probably could have kept it to myself longer, but the situation had pushed my hand.

"Lord Heimdall, Lady Sif, Warriors Three..." I called with all the authority I could imbue my voice with, looking at each of them in turn.

"Yes, Princess Nightingale?" They called back, completely respectful.

"Thor and I shall be going to Midgard to recover the two Infinity Stones and save Loki." I informed them seriously.

"Rescue?" Sif inquired, though there was no doubt or contempt in her voice, she'd really changed since a particular conversation of ours, months before.

"The owner of the Chitauri, the monster who wishes to collect the Infinity Stones." I qualified. "He's using my match. I know not if there is magic, or some other kind of persuasion involved, but it cannot be good."

"The moment Loki ceases being of use to him..." Fandral broke off abruptly, understanding the severity of the situation.

On the dais, the Queen let out a broken sob.

"We won't let it come to that." Thor stated with complete confidence. "I promise you Mother, we will get Loki back, safe and sound."

For all answer the Queen rushed to us, kissing our brows and placing a hand on each of us.

"You have my blessing." She told us in a very heart-felt tone. "Go now, may the Higher Powers aid you in your quest, may our family be protected from all evil."

We nodded, were about to leave when Heimdall called to us.

"If I may inquire, Princess." He said. "Have you been able to infer, through your research, who is behind this move?"

Heimdall was a particular character. While we hadn't exactly been friends upon first arrival, and he especially disliked the fact that Loki insisted on keeping me occluded from his sight even after everyone learnt about my existence; the fact that I was, quite possibly, the only person besides the Queen, and more recently Thor, who treated him as a normal man, had helped.

At least once a week I would take my horse (a gorgeous white-silver mare, gift from Thor) all the way through the main part of Asgard and down the Rainbow Bridge, to where Heimdall stood, guarding the Realms day in and day out. There I would step beside him, and look at the stars; for hours on end. Most days we wouldn't speak, just standing there in companionable silence, offering him some of my snacks (usually chocolate covered fruit) when I had them; sometimes we talked of nothing in particular; and on some, special days, I would sit down with my legs off the edge of the bridge, take out my flute and play simple melodies. He seemed to appreciate my company; the fact that I was one of very few people who visited him without any questions or wish for personal gain, I was just there.

"I think you might have an idea already." I told him with a sigh, looking straight at his eyes, so like the stars he guarded over. "After all, you're one of less than a handful of people, in this very room, who know, has always known, that he is real and not some myth..."

"The Mad Titan..." Heimdall breathed, in a tone that made it clear that the very idea was all his fears being made true...

"Thanos..." I confirmed.

Thor and I left the Throne Room before the chaos of the mix of horror, disbelief, and more could fully overcome the shock of the initial revelation. Lady Frigg followed us, she'd already known what we were doing, had been the first one we'd told. She'd gotten me a healer's pack, even though I never finished my training as one and therefore had no actual authority to carry one (they were packs magicked to allow us access to any plant, root, elixir, stone and any other healing supplies). Aside from that I was keeping my 'battle attire' and all the blades except my crystal dagger in a pocket-space (Loki had taught me) so I would be able to change clothes in a second with a simple spell; my main dagger was, as always, in a special sheathe concealed in the folds of my dress. I also decided to wear my cloak, as I didn't want people to truly see me until I was well and ready for it.

Then, with just stepping into the closest shadow, we were off.

We stepped out of the shadows somewhere in Europe, as I decided to use my match as an anchor when deciding where to exit the Shadow Paths. It wasn't easy, we'd actually spent longer in there than I'd originally planned, as I kept having to change our route so as not to be noticed by Thanos (at least I found a relatively easy spell that allowed me to 'sense' where he was looking), because something told me that no occluding spell would be enough to conceal us from the Mad Titan if he managed to find us that soon.

Almost as soon as we were properly in Midgard both Thor and I could sense my love. I could also perceive the trail his magic had left behind, so I told Thor to follow him while I checked what had happened and, if possible, did some damage control. There was also the fact that I didn't want my brother to realize how much our journey through the Shadow Plane had exhausted me. Which is why it had taken me a full twenty-four hours to join him on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying fortress even though, technically, I'd only made two stops along the way.

It was easy, though not without pain, to follow the trail of seidhr that, to someone like I, seemed to spell out my beloved's name in every language I knew. And it was once I got to the first stop, that I realized the situation was a lot more complex than I'd originally imagined, for while there was a man missing an eye... the fatal casualties were less than a handful, and none in the House of Art, where my husband had been.

And it wasn't only that; with some effort I'd managed to find several men who had been admitted into a local hospital with what was enlisted as puncture wounds caused by bolts... yet of those the ones who had died (two, and one was still in very delicate condition and not yet out of danger) had died from broken necks, due to falling from certain heights... No one had been murdered straight out... it took great effort to hold back the hope of the implications of such decisions having been made, such orders being given.

In the end I'd helped the injured where I could without being noticed. Managed to save the man with the broken neck, it was unlikely he would ever fully recover, but he was alive; the doctor's eye was completely lost, but I was able to seal the wound easily enough and aside from the eye he would make a full recovery in relatively short time. The others were even easier.

The moment I arrived to the base the Agents called 'helicarrier' I went straight to where I could sense my love. A sort of pained joy filled me then; pain at seeing him in such condition, not just his incarceration, but also how weary, drained, hurt he looked; yet joy at the mere fact of seeing him standing there, alive... I might have always known beyond a shadow of doubt that he was, in fact, still breathing... but I also had more than just a basic idea of what he'd gone through in the very long, very tiring year we'd spent apart...

Thor reacted minutely, in a way only I actually noticed, the moment I stepped out of his shadow and into the helicarrier's bridge. I knew why too, anyone with even the slightest awareness of magic and the supernatural in general felt sort-of goosebumps when I did something like that (using their shadows to get into or out of the Shadow Paths), it was why I tended to avoid doing so, unless I it was necessary... Still, he said not a word, knowing I would reveal myself when I wanted; instead he kept the majority of his attention on the brown-haired blue-eyed Agent who was speaking to him right then as he brought something up in a nearby screen: the picture of a young woman, probably mid-to-late twenties, brunette, with chocolate eyes... I knew who she was even before seeing the data enlisted beside the picture, Thor had told me enough about her; the woman he'd fallen in love with during his exile in Midgard, the whole reason he finally understood how Loki and I could be so much in love with one another, the woman who had made him grow, become the man Loki and I always knew he could be (even if we would have preferred it happened in different circumstances): Dr. Jane Foster.

"As soon as Loki took the doctor we moved Jane Foster." The Agent, whom I knew to be called Phil Coulson, was saying. "We've got an excellent observatory in Tromsø. She was asked to consult there very suddenly. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe."

I snorted quietly, knowing that if Jane Foster was anything like Thor described her she would be quite put out when learning she'd been sent away, 'for safety'. I knew I would.

"Thank you." Thor nodded, ignoring the snort. "It's no accident Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread to think what my brother might do to him in his current state of mind."

"Current state of mind?" Phil noticed that.

"I know you haven't had the best of experiences regarding my brother, Son of Coul." Thor stated quietly. "But I beg you to keep an open-mind. Loki is not as you believe him to be..."

"Thor... people change." The Agent spoke slowly, carefully, as if not wanting to hurt Thor. "Even those you love..."

"I know you understand not what I speak of." Thor shook his head sadly. "If you had met Loki a few years ago you would know what I mean. My brother, the real Loki, he is nothing like that. He can be cold, and hard, and driven, but he's never cruel. What happened in that other Kingdom, and in your base, all that seems to be going on right now... it's so far from the real him. I fear what might have happened to him to make him act this way..."

"What do you think happened?" Phil was getting progressively interested in the conversation.

By that point everyone on the bridge, Agents and would-be-heroes were eavesdropping on the conversation and not even trying to hide it; Thor might not have noticed it, but I did.

"Whatever it was, it had to have been terrible." Thor stated grimly.

"Worse..." What I had told him was next to nothing compared to what I knew... and I was sure even less compared to reality.

No one could hear me, obviously, but it was also at that point that I decided it was as good a time as any to reveal myself, and began to slowly lower my concealing spell (it would be a short while before anyone actually saw me, but still).

"Loki... while he's mostly known as the God of Mischief and Lies, there's so much more to him than most realize." My brother went on, half-lost in the memories. "He's a scholar, a diplomat, a negotiator and a strategist of the highest caliber; not to mention one of the most powerful sorcerers I've seen in my whole life... matter of fact, I know only one who can surpass him for sure, the very person who trained him: our Mother, Queen Frigg."

"I thought Loki was adopted..." Phil commented half-absentmindedly.

My eyes narrowed at that, it was quite obvious just who had revealed that, and I wasn't sure I liked it, some things were just too personal to be shared with people we didn't even know... on the other hand, I still remembered enough of the studies I'd taken before leaving for Asgard and had to accept that if they'd read enough Norse Mythology Loki's true origins weren't exactly a secret; as much as the Norse might have gotten wrong (and there was so much of that it was baffling), that was something that, somehow, they'd managed to get right...

"He is, but that matters not, at least not to Mother and I." Thor stated promptly. "His origins, his blood, matter little to either of us. He will always be a Friggason, and my brother. He's saved my life, and that of my friends, and possibly Asgard as a whole, more times than I can count. Even when I was young, and wild, and reckless..."

"And stupid." I couldn't help but add my two cents.

"And stupid..." Thor echoed with a shake of his head. "He always stood by my side. Our whole lives Loki was the one person I never doubted I could count on. And then, the one time he needed me, truly needed me... I wasn't there for him. I let my temper get the best of me, got myself exiled, and I Wasn't There For Him!" He lowered his head, ashamed.

"Neither of us were Thor..." I whispered softly, placing a soft hand on Thor's arm. "But that is a mistake we won't be making twice..."

It was something a part of me would always make me hate myself for... but self-loathing wouldn't get us anywhere, either of us, so we had to move on...

"I wish you could use your seidhr and get him back..." Thor muttered with a sigh.

"Regretfully, things aren't that simple." I pointed out. "But don't worry, we'll get him back, Loki, and your friend, and the human Agent..."

"That we will sister, that we will..." Thor nodded with renewed conviction.

He was so positive... granted, so was I usually, but sometimes it was hard; sometimes I had trouble believing my own words. And yet, at the same time, him accepting them so easily, renewing his own determination like that, it helped reinforce my own.

"Who are you?" Phil questioned abruptly. "And where did you come from?"

It was then I realized my spell had finally finished falling, they'd noticed me... though I was still wearing the hooded cloak, so it wasn't like they could actually, fully see me just yet. The Agent's words seemed to be enough to make others react, as several of them reached for their weapons. I didn't worry at all, it's not like I was defenseless... still, Thor's reaction was exactly as I expected, as he went to stand protectively before me.

"It's perfectly alright, brother." I assured him in my most calming voice. "No one here is going to do anything rash, right?"

They better not, we so did not have time for another ridiculous confrontation between ourselves, we were all supposed to be on the same side after all...

"We won't... though I still want to know where you came from, miss..." The Captain, Steve Rogers, Captain America, dressed in civilian clothes, spoke.

If there was a man who baffled me, it was him. I knew about Captain America, probably more than most civilians did, thanks to the fact that my aunt had worked for fifteen years for the government; one of the projects she'd been involved in was the seemingly never-ending search for Captain America. They hadn't found him when she was still there, apparently they had at some point afterwards.

Aunt Kathryn might have never known the man, but she'd worked with people who had, her direct superior in particular was a legend in her own right, with and without the Captain: Special Agent Margaret 'Peggy' Carter... It was shocking to see such a legend standing in front of me. And when one considered I had no trouble standing side by side with gods and being called one myself... maybe I'd gone more than a bit crazy in the last few years...

"I came from Asgard with Thor..." I managed to gather my wits in record time to answer him as calmly as I could. "Took a longer route than he did, before getting to this flying fortress of yours, though. Arrived an hour or so ago... you just weren't aware of my presence..."

"Magic?" The redheaded woman dressed all in black, obviously an Agent (probably assassin), seemed half-hesitant half-distrustful.

"Yes." I nodded, choosing to ignore her threatening stance. "A cloaking spell. It allowed me to check on things without being noticed."

"Check on things?" Iron Man, Stark, seemed particularly interested.

"Made a quick trip to Stuttgart to check on matters where Loki was found, make sure everything would be as alright as it could be on that front, especially the doctor who was hurt; then the same for that forest near the border between France and Spain..." I didn't try to explain what I'd done exactly, knowing it might be too much for them; instead I turned to address Thor. "I imagine you're the one responsible for that level of destruction?" I did not even wait for a reply. "You need to be more careful, brother mine, if something had happened to you... we have enough trouble as is!"

I didn't want to even imagine what Lady Frigg might say!

"I know, sister, I shall be more careful in the future." Thor smiled softly at her. "And I would be grateful if you didn't go around on your own anymore right now. Mother only allowed us to come on our own because I told her I would take care of you..."

"As much as I may love her, this is about Loki Thor, she knows as well as you and I that nothing short of death itself could have stopped me from coming after him the moment I knew, for sure, where he was." I reminded him calmly but strongly. "And even in death I'm sure I could convince Hel to see things my way..."

"Wait a second, sister?" An Agent with short hair and dressed in black behind us spoke up. "She's your sister, like Loki is your brother?"

"She's just a child..." Rogers murmured, not liking the idea.

I bristled inside at the comment, even used as I was to people underestimating me both because of my size and my origins...

"Well..." Thor truly did not seem to know how to explain things.

"First of all, I am no child." I stated directly, wanting to clarify that first of all.

"My sister is the goddess of devotion!" Thor called with great pride.

I half wanted to roll my eyes at the use of my title; however, a part of me liked it, not necessarily because I was being addressed as a goddess in my own right, but because of the implications made by being called goddess of 'devotion' of all things. Still, I needed to give the right image, so I held back the eye rolling and instead stood straight at the same time I pushed back my hood revealing my face, hair, and the tiara sitting upon my head; while at the same time allowing the front of my cloak to open just enough to show my formal dress.

"My name is Nightingale." I introduced myself in my strongest voice. "Like Thor said, I am his sister, though not in the way you might believe." I knew the next part of the declaration would bring chaos, but I did not care (with my husband being who he was, it was probably expected of me!). "I am Loki's match and consort."

As expected, it was absolute chaos the moment I revealed that part; what I could have never imagined was just who broke that chaos, and in what way...

"Silbhé?" A voice called from the upper level of the bridge.

I reacted instantly, turning to find a woman standing right by Fury; she was of average height, with short brunette hair and dark blue eyes; she was dress in a dark skirt-suit with pantyhose and heels. I recognized her instantly.

"Aunt Kathryn!" I called brightly.

In no time she pushed past Fury and down the stairs to the level where Thor and I were, taking a second to push down Phil's hand (where he had his gun); I moved to reach her and we were soon embracing tightly (I hadn't seen her in more than a year!).

"How have you been, darling?" She asked in a soothing voice.

The last time we'd spoken I'd been such a mess, in many ways... with a grief I'd been carrying over beforehand only having multiplied with Loki's loss. Aunt Kathryn had given me the metaphorical kick I needed to force myself to push forward. I might have lost so much in a relatively short time, but most of those didn't need to stay lost, my love certainly did not. I was going to find him, get him back, no matter the cost.

"I am well enough, auntie." I assured her with a kiss on the cheek. "Things will be better once he's back by my side..."

"The moment I saw the agents bringing him in I knew you couldn't be far behind." She stated with an understanding smile.

"You were right, of course." I nodded, finally stepping back. "It's good to see you again, auntie; even if it's under this circumstances."

"Sister!" Thor called approaching us. "You know this lady?"

"I do." I smiled at him. "This is my Aunt Kathryn, and as good as my mother... Auntie, this is Thor, Loki's brother... and mine as well."

"Pleased to meet you, Thor." Kathryn smiled at him immediately.

"The pleasure is all mine, my lady." Thor took her hand, kissing it. "It brings me joy to meet a member of the family of my dear sister, even if the situation is far from positive."

We probably could have gone on with the pleasantries for longer, but Fury, Nicholas Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., just had to interrupt right then:

"I believe you told us your niece had gone to Europe years ago..." He declared in what was obviously a dissatisfied tone.

"I was hardly going to tell you that she'd left for another dimension because she was in love with a god-prince!" My aunt practically snorted. "Besides, her leaving was a personal matter, in no way connected to you Nicholas, or this organization."

"It has everything to do with this organization." Fury retorted. "Your niece married a man from another world. A man who is right now a criminal and our prisoner, I might add! Silbhé Salani left three years ago, according to the records; if you had told us the truth then we would have known about Asgard, about the risks our world was in, we might have been able to prevent the mess that took place in New Mexico!"

"Oh no!" She spun around to glare at the man in the upper level. "You are so not blaming that one on me Nicholas Fury! I remember telling you quite clearly that it was a bad idea to try and take control of the 084 when you sent that scientific team to study it. I also remember telling you it reminded me of Thor's Hammer in Norse Mythology, you downright refused to even consider the possibility, instead wanting to blame it on Stark! Or the X-Men! Or even Reed Richards! Who, might I remind you, has been retired, along with the rest of his team, for years!"

"You still should have told us..." Fury insisted, almost petulantly.

"Please!" I interrupted, unable to handle it anymore. "Stop it already! You're beginning to remind me of Odin and I can hardly stand the guy on the best of days!"

"Isn't he... well, kind of your father-in-law?" Rogers inquired, confused.

"Can hardly be called a father-in-law when he's never been a father." I said quite bluntly. "Any of you ever read Norse Mythology?"

Several of them nodded.

"Either of you noticed the way Odin acts, and more precisely, the way he treats others, especially Loki?" I asked next.

I distinctly heard at least Stark curse. The others nodded slowly.

"The Norse might have gotten a lot of it wrong, taken some incredibly strange liberties when writing some things." I elaborated. "But that, at least, they got right."

"Children?" Stark piped up right then, with a half-mischievous grin.

"Only Hel." I replied, knowing what must be running to his mind. "She is, as myth tells, the Queen of the Dead, ruling Helheim, got to visit shortly and meet her after my wedding to Loki; she's accepted me as her stepmom. Sleipnir, Jörmungandr and Fenrir are creatures of great power and magical origins that my match cares greatly for, however they are in no way related to him. Whoever else you might have read about does not exist."

"Sigyn?" Rogers just couldn't help himself, he was intrigued.

"My head-handmaiden." I answered with a smile, knowing why he was interested. "Also one of the few true friends my love has."

"You can continue your debates about mythology another time, right now I wish to know what you expect to achieve by coming here." He looked directly at me as he asked the question.

I knew why he wondered, Thor was a Warrior, that was easy to understand, and Fury (believed) he could work with that. I, however, was a wild-card, my size made him believe I couldn't be a fighter, my obviously human origins had to confuse him further, but my connection to Loki was enough to set him on edge; also, the fact that no one had been aware of my presence either in their helicarrier or the planet as a whole until I willed it made him realize I had power, and I just might decide to use it in a way that did not benefit him.

"I believe I've said it before, quite possibly more than once." I declared seriously. "I am here to get my match back."

"Your match, as you insist on calling him, is responsible for over eighty deaths in the last six days." Fury retorted harshly.

"The only fatalities in Stuttgart were of those who fell from high heights." I pointed out with the same intensity. "Even the doctor did not die. Which means Loki did not kill, nor ordered anyone killed. You're trying to pin on him the deaths of those who were in your S.H.I.E.L.D. facility when it collapsed, but that wasn't actually his fault; that catastrophe happened because you were messing with forces you cannot begin to comprehend!"

"And you do?" He challenged.

"More than you certainly." I replied promptly "Not only do I have several degrees on such topics, but I also spent five days reading everything Asgard has on the topic. You found the Cube and began playing with it, with not even the slightest idea of the kind of forces you were unleashing. Truth is, the catastrophe of last Wednesday would have happened whether Loki had been here or not; it might have even happened faster, and harsher, as there would have been no one to diffuse energy with the creation of an actual portal, or to take the Tesseract away and therefore take away an energy source that would have made the destruction exponentially worse!"

"What about the alien army Thor has told us is coming?" Phil inquired.

"They're called the chitauri." I began explaining everything I'd found about them, which wasn't that much really. "We believe they were once the inhabitants of a realm that was lost ages ago; somehow they managed to evolve enough to survive in the abyss; however, they are little more than cattle to someone much more powerful: Thanos."

"And that is?" Fury obviously didn't like long speeches.

"Thanos, the Mad Titan, He-Who-Courts-Death." I enlisted his titles.

"He-Who-Is-Fucking-Insane." Stark quipped.

"Indeed." I agreed, going back to the point. "However, that doesn't make him any less dangerous, only more so, in fact. Like I said, he intends to court death, as if she were a living being; and when dealing with death, what greater gift can there be than dead people?"

"Thanos is sending his chitauri to this world to kill as many people as he can, intending for those deaths to be seen as gifts by his intended..." Thor added.

"Is that all?" Stark asked sarcastically.

"That is just the first objective in the list." I answered grimly. "We... I believe he might be after the Infinity Stones. Before you ask, the only records that actual mentioned them says they are six mystical artifacts of great power; more than one person has referred to them as Odin's crown jewels too... though that isn't actually true, seeing as they have existed longer than he has. They are supposed to be a mix of science and magic, and myth states they're connected to the creation of the universe... or something along those lines. Each of the stones represents a power of creation: time, space, power, mind, reality and soul."

"What would happen if this Thanos managed to collect all the Stones?" Aunt Kathryn inquired.

"I don't know." Thor admitted.

"No one does." I added. "I went through everything I could find in the Royal Library, books, archives, even old diaries... there is no record of all six stones ever being held together by one individual. However, there is a reason why they were split, it is believed that the power of all stones together could either change the universe in ways we cannot comprehend... or even completely destroy it."

"Do we have any confirmation to these 'myths'?" The woman all in black on the upper level, Second in Command, Maria Hill, inquired.

"There is one." Thor offered. "In the most guarded part of the Weapon's Vault in the Royal Palace of Asgard there is a gauntlet, I've only seen paintings of it, though I know it does exist. It is called the Infinity Gauntlet and it currently holds two of the Stones."

"So, according to your research, two of these stones are in Asgard, one is somewhere here on Earth, the Tesseract, taken by Reindeer Games..." Stark began enlisting. "And where might the other three be?"

"Two." I corrected. "We believe the Gem in Loki's staff might be one of them." I pondered on it. "Whether it is or not, we need to seal that object in a spelled case, there is a pretty big chance its power could affect those in close contact to it."

"Would a titanium-lined case work?" Banner asked worriedly, probably thinking on what they might have in the lab.

"Lead would be preferable." I qualified. "And it would be even better if I could place some shields on the case to truly block anything."

"And the other two stones?" Stark insisted.

"Myth states that the Power Stone, the Aether, was sealed in a pocket dimension, somewhere, because even on its own, its effect was too great." I told him. "No one knows for sure where this pocket dimension is or how to access it. We know nothing of the last Stone."

"Great... just great..." Hill obviously didn't like the situation any.

Truth be told, neither of us did, but complaining about it was useless, so...

"I want to know one thing." Fury stated, looking at me briefly, but focusing on Thor. "You think you can make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

"I know not." Thor admitted after considering things carefully. "I haven't the slightest idea of what place his mind is in right now. We talked briefly when I got him out of your flying vessel... some of the things he said... he either said things with all the intention to get a raise out of me, which would mean he has some kind of elaborate plan; or he truly remembers things differently, which would mean he..."

"He's been broken." I finished for him, holding back a sob. "Loki was tortured for months... in ways that, even with my connection, I can barely understand." I swallowed hard. "Earlier, when I first arrived to this aircraft, I went to see him, he knew not I was there."

"Wasn't that the intent of your spell?" Banner inquired, confused.

"Yes." I nodded almost hysterically. "But my magic is his magic, in more ways than you know." I began pretty much babbling. "I am not Aesir, you know this. Asgard might call me Goddess of Devotion, but I was born human, in many ways I still am exactly that. My magic... Loki and I are connected in many ways I could never hope to explain, it's how I gained magic, it's his. There should be no way I could come anywhere close to my match without him feeling the magic, his magic, feeling me! And yet... he did not know I was there!"

So great was my pain... in that moment I felt as if I were standing on a ledge, hard, cold stone behind me, and emptiness before me, I had nowhere to go, nothing to do but jump... yet there was no way to know if I could survive the leap...

"We need to get Loki to tell us where the Tesseract is, to give it back." Fury insisted, seemingly ignoring my rant.

"Spirits!" I practically screamed at him. "You sound just like Odin! You care not about people, just about the stupid artifact!"

"That, stupid artifact, could potentially destroy our world..." Fury hissed at me.

"And it's your fault it's out there." Aunt Kathryn reminded him stoically. "You could try and show whatever bit of humanity you have left Nicholas, and respect the fact that my niece is on edge. Her husband is being manipulated by some other-worldly monster, he's been hurt, kept prisoner; and she's hurting for him. While you might always choose duty above anything even remotely human, we're not all machines!"

No one replied to that, though one had to be blind not to notice the tension. It was obvious that usually no one spoke to the Director in such a way, yet the fact that Aunt Kathryn dared, and that Fury hadn't tried to stop her, or reprimand her, was telling. He respected her, at least enough to allow her to chastise him when she saw fit. It made me wonder what kind of past those two shared, there had to be something there... however, that wasn't really my priority. No, my main priority was and would always be Loki.

"So, let me see if I've understood this correctly." Stark called right then. "We have one crazy, evil megalomaniac currently inside a steel and glass cage, who claims to want to rule humanity; a second megalomaniac, this one even more evil, and monstrous, stronger than even the supposed gods, who is controlling the first crazy-one and the army that will be invading our world any day now... and lets not forget he also intends to kill thousands of people as a way to sweep Lady Death off her feet..."

"There is no actual Goddess of Death." Thor pointed out. "My niece Hel is the closest there is to one, being the Queen of the Underworld..."

"And Loki isn't what you claim." I added, put out. "Granted, he might be a bit crazy... and I guess there are those who would call some of his quirks as manifestations of megalomania... but then so would you be, Mr. Stark! And he's not evil!"

The megalomaniac millionaire just laughed, at me; I couldn't help myself, snapping my fingers behind my back, Stark's laughter broke off abruptly, shifting into what almost sounded like a screech. Everyone turned to look at him, immediately noticing that his fancy, expensive suit had suddenly turned bright, blinding yellow. An instant later, as everyone fully processed what had just happened, they burst out laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny..." Stark muttered angrily.

"Not so funny when others laugh at you rather than the other way around, is it?" I asked him cheekily, not even bothering to hide that I was the cause.

Not like there would have been much point to trying to pretend, I was the only one in the room who could use magic...

"Change me back!" He half-snapped, half-whined at me.

With a roll of my eyes, I did.

"If you are finished playing games, children..." Fury muttered angrily. "We still have a threat to neutralize. And I don't care who or what the real threat is supposed to be, it will be neutralized!"

His Agents responded in the positive automatically, going back to their duties.

"Very well then." "Stark said, nodding once at me, respectfully. "Your honey is not evil, message received, loud and clear..."

"And colorfully." Banner quipped.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Stark finished, pretending not having heard Banner.

No one was sure what the answer to that question ought to be.

"So, Thor doesn't think he would be able to get Loki to tell him where the Cube is, what about you, ma'am?" Rogers asked me.

I shook my head almost violently; him not reacting to my proximity had been enough to make me feel almost sick, I didn't even want to imagine what it would feel like if he were to actual stare straight at me and not recognize me.

"Anyone else?" Rogers did not insist.

"He did not recognize me..." Aunt Kathryn breathed suddenly.

"What?" Everyone turned to look at her instantly.

"I was in the room when Nicholas sealed the cage." My aunt elaborated. "He stared at me for a second, then looked away, and didn't look back at me, not even once; it was as if I weren't even in the room, as if he didn't know me..."

"Why should he?" Hill asked, confused.

"Because Loki was there with me the day I said goodbye to Aunt Kathryn." I explained. "We told her as much of the truth as we could without putting her in danger and then left. Loki definitely knows my aunt..."

"His eyes are blue!" Kathryn cried out suddenly.

"What?!" Both Thor and I reacted at that.

"What is so special about his eyes being blue?" Several people asked at the same time.

"My brother's eyes aren't blue." Thor answered.

"They are green, bright green." I added, unconsciously beginning to tremble. "I was right... what he's doing right now, he's not doing it of his own free will..."

The mix of relief, hope and love that filled me right then was so strong my legs folded beneath me and I ended on my knees. I could vaguely hear Thor, Aunt Kathryn, and at least one other calling to me, probably worried, but I couldn't focus on them, I was too lost in the feelings. It had been a year since I'd last seen my beloved, and even longer since I'd felt truly connected to him, since I'd truly believed in... anything. In that moment, for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, I truly believed that the nightmare would end, soon... I would get my love back.

---

As with every story of this verse, I'll be updating every other week. Also, the poster and set of wallpapers can be found in my DeviantArt account, I can be found there as Princess-Lalaith.

Loki-fans, I have another on-going series with him, Agents of SHIELD centric. It's called Menel and you can find it around here as well!

Thank you. See ya around!