Loki landed with a loud and painful thunk on what once had been a lake, but what was now a frozen vast of ice. Loki groaned and pulled himself up.

"What was that?" he demanded of no one in particular as he pushed his long black hair out of his face. He then surveyed the land he had just arrived in via the bifrost with cold, green eyes.

"What is this place?" he wondered.

Things had been getting hot between him and Odin again, so he decided to go terrorize some civilians in a small kingdom called Arendelle. But there was no sign of any people at the moment.

The terrain was cold, snowy, and bleak. Loki saw a mountain, and on the side of the aforementioned mountain was a castle that appeared to be made completely out of ice.

Interesting.

Most interesting.

Loki decided to go find whoever had built it and kick the lot of them out. He walked confidently towards the palace when he spotted something purple sprawled out on the snow. He picked it up and found it was a woman's cloak. People were nearby. He decided to take it with him. It didn't take the Asgardian prince long to find the slippery ice steps leading to the palace, which he quickly scaled. He considered blowing up the doors, but changed his mind when he laid a slim finger on the handle and the door swung open.

"Surrender while you still can!" Loki shouted at the inhabitants of the ice palace.

But no one was there.

Loki casually tossed the purple cloak aside and gaped at the wonder in front of him. The ice palace was cut perfectly. It was unbelievably smooth. Loki hadn't seen ice this flawless since…since…

But no. It couldn't be. He was certainly the only Frost Giant ever to come here.

Suddenly, Loki heard footsteps and a gasp. He looked up in time to see a hunk of ice come flying at him, and the next thing he knew was blackness.

Elsa's heart was pounding. She rushed down the stairs and knelt by the man she had just hefted a brick of solid ice at, which had knocked him cold. Elsa smirked guiltily at the pun. She looked down at the intruder.

He had black hair that reached past his shoulders, and he was wearing a strange black costume with green fabric and gold plating. Definitely not from around here. He also wore a long, green cape that spread out under him. She reached down and pushed some stray locks out of his thin face, which held equally thin lips and a pointy nose. His lips had a strange blue tinge to them, just as hers had. He was very pale. In fact, he had the same exact skin tone as she did.

Interesting.

Most interesting.

The stranger opened his eyes, which were a stunning green.

"Wha—I—who are you?" The stranger asked.

"I'm Queen Elsa, of Arendelle."

Two Seconds Earlier

Loki opened his eyes. Looming over him was a beautiful young woman, with a heart shaped-face, delicate features, and large blue eyes. Her hair, so pale it was almost white, hung in a braid over her left shoulder. She was wearing a blue dress, that, on closer observation, was made out of ice. There was something strangely familiar about her, but it took Loki a minute to place it. Her skin color was the same ivory white that his was. And her full lips had a blue tint to them that would make most look unhealthy, but not her. She really was lovely.

Stunned, Loki said, "Wha—I—who are you?"

The girl smiled. "I'm Queen Elsa, of Arendelle."

Arendelle. Finally.

"Who dared to knock me out?" Loki demanded harshly.

Queen Elsa blushed. "That was me. I'm so sorry. I thought you were…" she petered off.

"Were…?" Loki probed, indignant with the entire situation. He should be back in Asgard. Probably ruling.

"An intruder," Elsa said. "And you still might be. The real question is, who are you?"

Loki sat up and rubbed his forehead. "You have a good arm. For a woman, that is."

Elsa scowled. "Answer the question."

Loki decided to answer the question. "I am Prince Loki Lau—Odinson—of Asgard."

He had almost given away his true identity.

"I must admit, I've never heard of you," Elsa told him.

Ah, well.

Loki stood up and brushed himself off, offering a hand to the queen. She accepted it, and Loki helped her stand. "I've never heard of you, either. I suppose you can't be that important," Loki retorted, and immediately felt guilty. Him! Feeling guilty!

Elsa glared at him, and her next sentence was hostile. "Loki, what do you want? Or have you just come to torment me?"

"I want a short vacation," Loki said, and, before he could think twice, added, "I apologize for that last remark. It was uncalled for. It's…been a bad day."

"Tell me about it," Elsa's warmth came back to her features. "All's forgiven. Though I doubt this is much of a vacation spot. Though I suppose, if you want—"

Suddenly her eyes widened. "What am I saying? You have to leave. It isn't safe here."

Loki was still marveling at the fact that he had apologized for one of his notorious witty remarks, and this, along with the sudden turn of events, was making his head spin.

"Why isn't it safe?" Loki demanded.

"I can't tell you," Elsa said, looking down at her hands.

Loki was puzzled. "Why not?"

Elsa looked terrified. "Look. You can spend the night here, but in the morning, you have to leave."

"But—"

"Please. It's for your own safety," Elsa begged

"As you wish, m'lady," Loki said softly. Though I'm afraid I can't promise anything.

Elsa cursed herself fiercely. Fool. What were you thinking? He can't stay here.

Though she had to admit, the prince made her feel more at ease with herself and her powers than anyone else ever had. Even her father. Why was this? Elsa couldn't be sure. But there was something about him, a certain charm, that made Elsa want him to stay. Unfortunately, it was too dangerous.

Elsa had shown Loki to a room of his own, and was now back in the main hall. She spotted something she hadn't seen before. It was her own purple cloak. He had found it and brought it back. She picked it up, buried her face in the familiar fabric, and began to cry softly.

Loki curled up as well as he could in a small room with his cloak about him, trying to sleep. It was cold, but not that cold. It wasn't the cold that was bothering him anyway. It was the queen. Elsa. There was something very mysterious going on here. What was she doing in this place all by herself? Where were her subjects? Who made it? And why? How did she survive without freezing to death? Loki couldn't sleep with all these mysteries and decided to go explore. He got up, opened the door and closed it behind him. That was when he remembered: He had apologized to Elsa. She had made him feel guilty. She was the only one who had done that to him since his mother died.

Loki's throat tightened at the thought of Frigga. She had been the only one who still believed in him, still believed that there was some good in him. Loki could use a friend like that.

He wandered about for a while, and soon found Elsa looking at the scenery from her porch.

"I thought you were asleep," Elsa said without turning.

Loki grinned and laughed softly. "Your hearing is just as good as your aim."

Elsa turned to him, smiling mischieviously. "Good."

Loki turned serious. "Can I ask you some questions?"

"Ask all you like," Elsa said, her smile vanishing.

"You look nicer when you smile," Loki said.

Elsa laughed, and her face lit up again. "Most of us do."

"Not me," Loki admitted grudgingly.

"I doubt that is true," Elsa said.

Loki wished he could believe it. "Will you answer the questions that you are so graciously letting me ask?" He asked, changing the subject again.

"It depends on the questions," Elsa answered.

Smart girl.

"Thank you, by the way, for bringing me back my cloak," Elsa said.

Loki shrugged. "I didn't know it was yours." Loki could see she was trying to work out if that was a compliment or an insult.

"So," Loki began. "Where are all your subjects?"

"In Arendelle," Elsa answered.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "I see. So...where are we now?"

"The outskirts of my kingdom," Elsa said promptly.

"Why are you here all by yourself? And who built this place?"

Elsa bit her lip. "Well…nobody is safe here with me. You're not safe either. You probably shouldn't even be here. And as for the palace, well, I buil—I mean, I don't—"

Loki cut her off. "You built this place?" Loki was surprised to find he wasn't…well…surprised. "Why am I not safe?"

Elsa was clearly panicking. "I've said too much already! Leave me! Please! Leave this place and tell no one of it!"

She rushed past him, but Loki shot an arm out in time to catch her by the wrist.

"Elsa—"

"Let me go!" she cried.

Loki tightened his grip. "Not until you tell me what is so dangerous about this place!" he shouted.

Then something strange happened. In his sudden outburst of rage, Loki's hands started to turn into their natural blue color, and the blue crept up Elsa's hand and wrist. Before Loki could do more than gasp, something cold exploded from Elsa's hand that knocked the unsuspecting Loki off his feet. Elsa was thrown in the opposite direction.

Something didn't feel right. Loki looked and found his hand, now an ivory white once again, encrusted in ice. Elsa looked at the damage she had done from where she was sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily.

Loki looked her in the eye. "You made the castle. This is why you're here by yourself."

"Your hand," Elsa said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Loki stood and studied his hand. It wasn't hurt. Just trapped. The ice would melt soon enough.

But obviously, Elsa didn't know this. She backed away slowly. "What have I done?" she whispered. Then she sobbed, "I'm a monster!" She scrambled to her feet and ran away.

This time, Loki didn't go after her, but called, "You're not a monster."

Either she didn't hear him, or she ignored him, but either way, she left Loki alone to sort out his thoughts.

She didn't see her hand turn blue. She doesn't know she's a Frost Giant like me.

Elsa was alone in her room, crying. How could she have been so foolish? She had blinded herself to the eminent danger, and now the prince was injured. He would probably never regain the full use of his right hand again, and it was all her fault. But she had wanted him to stay so much. She still did. But it was too dangerous.

After the ice had melted, Loki wiggled and flexed his fingers, trying to get the circulation going. It didn't take too long. He decided that he had to leave. For Elsa's good, and his own. She couldn't know what she was. What they were. He stormed out of the castle, wondering why he was so angry. Wondering why he hadn't disposed of her after she had knocked him out. Was he going soft? Heaven forbid. Was he losing his touch? Even worse. Or maybe it was because, deep inside, their similar souls had connected.

Do I love her? Is it possible? Is there really such thing as love at first sight? Does she, perhaps, love me?

Loki's face hardened. No. There isn't anyone on any planet who would love a monster like me.

Then the last sentence she had spoken hit him like the ice Elsa had thrown at him not even 24 hours ago. 'I'm a monster.' He couldn't leave Elsa like this, thinking she had permanently harmed him, whether she loved him or not.

Loki turned and ran into the palace. He was going to tell her everything.

You're mad. You've only just met the girl.

He pushed this thought out of his mind and burst into the palace.

"Elsa!" Loki cried. "Elsa! Where are you?"

She came running, blue eyes shining with tears. "There's nothing you can do! Nothing I can do!" she sobbed, and she collapsed in a heap at his feet.

Loki's heart melted at the sight. She was the last person he wanted to be in this position in front of him. So he sank to his knees and tentatively reached out his fingers to stroke her hair.

She tensed. But in one fluid movement, she had thrown herself into Loki's arms. He was shocked. It took him a few seconds to command his arms to tighten their hold on Elsa.

"Oh, Elsa, don't cry," Loki comforted, though he was a bit annoyed. With himself or Elsa, he couldn't be sure. "My hand is fine, sweet." What was he saying?

The one in his arms was thinking the same thing. "Sweet?" she asked. Then, "How can it be fine?"

Loki held up his right hand for her to see. She touched it and then began to laugh, tears still pouring down her cheeks.

"How?" Elsa asked again, once she had calmed down sufficiently to put a sentence together.

"It's a long story," Loki said gently. "But I'll summarize. Let's see. For most of my life, I thought I was an Asgardian, the son of Odin and Frigga. But a few years ago, I found out I was adopted. That wouldn't have been so bad, except for the minor detail that I was the son of Odin's arch enemy, Laufey. It was like all I had believed to be true was a lie. I was the nightmare people feared, and I never knew. Laufey was a Frost Giant, as am I."

Elsa involuntarily backed away. "What?"

"My heart was hardened. I've done terrible things, Elsa. I've betrayed my family, my brother, my friends. I've lied and deceived. I've killed so many people," Loki admitted. "I was going to kill you too, but something stopped me. I didn't know what it was before, but now…" he trailed off. "So you see, Elsa. I am the monster. Not you."

Elsa stared at him, not saying a word.

That's it, you fool. It's over, and it's barely even begun, Loki thought with a surge of remorse.

"You…" Elsa began. "You're not."

Loki wished with all his heart that he could believe that. "I wish it were true. But don't think for a second that you are a monster either." He paused. "Elsa…I think you are a Frost Giant as well. Or at least, you have Jotun blood in you. We can control ice. Make snow. We are unaffected by it. Which explains why my hand didn't freeze, and why you have these powers."

"Me?" Elsa scoffed. "That would explain a lot," she said coldly.

Loki knew it sounded crazy, and he knew what she was thinking. "You're not a freak of nature, or a mutant, or a monster. You just belong to a different species. Like an elf. Or…"

"…a troll?"

"Trolls exist?"

"They do here."

"Then yes," Loki agreed. "Anyway…a lot of Frost Giants were monsters in what they did. But so were a lot of Asgardians. After all…history is written by the victors."

Elsa nodded. "True enough." She looked a bit more calm, which was surprising, under the circumstances. "But how can you be sure I'm a Frost Giant? And why didn't I know about this before?"

"I doubt your parents wanted you to know," Loki answered.

"They're not my real parents," Elsa sighed, tears coming to her eyes again.

Loki shook his head. "I think they were. I'm almost positive that one of them at least was a full blooded Frost Giant."

Elsa looked skeptical. "Then what about my sister? She has no signs of being Jotun."

"That doesn't matter. There are so many reasons that you have the ice powers and she doesn't. Something to do with recessive genes once entwined with human DNA," Loki speculated. "As for how I know you're a Frost Giant…well. I can only show you. Give me your hands."

Elsa put her hands in his, and Loki peeled away the mask that covered their true selves. When the queen looked at her hands, she giggled. "I'm blue. Thank you for showing me. Everything makes sense now." She looked up at his eyes, which were now crimson.

"You're thanking me. Hm. Not the response I would have expected," Loki smirked. "But you're welcome, I suppose. Now that you know my pathetic story, and what we are, I want to know about you."

Elsa was surprised with her own calm. It was almost as if she had known all along. But Elsa knew that if it hadn't been Loki revealing these things to her, she would have panicked, as she had just the night before, and run away.

Loki had asked about her back story. So she took a deep breath and began.

"I always knew about my powers," she began. "So did my parents, and little sister, Anna. At first I could control them very well. But when I was seven, I accidentally struck Anna with my powers. A warlock—a troll, actually—saved her that time. He wiped my sister's memory of my powers. Since then, I've been terrified of hurting her again. But yesterday night, she wanted to marry a man she had only met that day. She pushed me too far. I accidentally unleashed my power in front of everyone after she took my glove."

"So you ran away," Loki concluded.

Elsa nodded. "They accused me of sorcery. They were ready to kill me. So I ran away, and built this palace for myself. To be alone. So I can be myself without hurting anyone."

Loki cocked his head and looked at her with real warmth in his eyes. Elsa could feel herself blushing, and she wondered what color Jotuns blushed. "You can be yourself without hurting me." He smiled a smile that completely transformed his features. It wasn't the smile of a person who would kill you without a second thought and then enjoy doing it.

Elsa smiled back. "That's true." She stood up. "And now we really should be going to sleep."

"Of course, m'lady," Loki said, standing up and then taking her hand, turning them both to a pale skin tone.

Loki woke up to the sound of music. A violin, to be exact. And the tune was very familiar. "I believe our love can see us through this mess…" he sang softly to the music.

He got up and looked for Elsa. He found her in the entry hall, playing a violin made out of ice. "You can do that?"

Elsa turned around, and stopped playing. "Yes."

"Can you make me one? I don't know how," Loki said.

Elsa complied. Pretty soon there was another stringed instrument in her hand. It wasn't as delicate as the one she had just been playing, and Loki knew it would produce and deeper sound.

Loki took it. "Keep playing," he commanded.

He sang the lyrics in his head.

You're not alone.

No matter what they told you, you're not alone.

I'll be right beside you forevermore.

I long to be with you, love.

Find comfort in each other's arms at last.

Every one ought to be two,

And I don't miss anymore.

He joined her, the deep sound of the violin complimenting Elsa's beautifully.

And as we stand in total bliss

I know that you love me.

I long to be with you.

Find comfort in each other's arms.

Every one ought to be two,

And I don't miss you because

I'm coming for you.

The song finished. Elsa looked delighted. "You know it."

"Of course. It's a love song sung in most funerals at Asgard," Loki answered. "It's about two people who are in love—"

"—And are separated," Elsa whispered, dissolving her violin into snow. Loki did the same with his instrument. Elsa continued. "But even though they're not together, they still love each other."

"More than life," Loki added. He took a step closer to the queen.

"Yes," Elsa agreed, looking at her feet.

Loki reached out a finger and touched her cheek. He moved his hand to her chin and lifted her face. He couldn't resist. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. She didn't push him away. She kissed him back, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

They parted, and Elsa buried her face in his shoulder.

"Oh, Elsa…I love you. I'm sorry…" Loki said quietly.

Elsa pulled away to look him in the eye. She put a delicate hand on his face. "Why are you sorry?"

"I—"

"Elsa!" a new voice called.

They froze.

"Anna?" Elsa asked. She turned to Loki. "Stay here." she hurried away.

Loki looked after the one he had just kissed, still in shock. He hadn't kissed anyone before, not that he hadn't tried to kiss Sif on a dare once when they were in their early teens. She had pulverized him.

Loki considered going after Elsa, but she had told him to stay there. He decided to obey her. Suddenly someone (not Elsa) said, "You don't have to protect me. I'm not afraid! Please don't shut me out again. Please don't slam the door. You don't have to keep your distance anymore."

Soon Loki heard Elsa speak. "Anna. Please go back home. Your life awaits. Go enjoy the sun and open up the gates."

"Yeah, but—"

"I know you mean well. But leave me be. Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free. Just stay away and you'll be safe from me."

Elsa.

"Actually we're not."

Ouch.

"What do you mean you're not?"

"I get the feeling you don't know."

"What do I not know?" Elsa demanded fiercely.

Anna hesitated for a brief moment. "Arendelle's in deep, deep, deep, deep snow."

"What?" Elsa gasped.

"What?" Loki gasped. It's not supposed to be…oh, no.

"You kinda set off an eternal winter everywhere."

"Everywhere?"

"But...it's okay. You can just unfreeze it!" Anna said cheerfully.

Elsa answered shakily, "N-n-no I cant! I-I don't know how!"

"Sure you can!" Anna encouraged. "I know you can!"

She kept speaking, but all Loki could hear was Elsa's anguished speech. "Oh, I'm such a fool! I can't be free! There's no escape from the storm inside of me. I can't control the curse!"

Anna interrupted, "We'll reverse the storm you've made."

Foolish girl.

"Oh, Anna, please, you'll only make it worse!" Elsa begged.

"Don't panic!" Anna commanded.

"There's so much fear!" Elsa cried. Then to her sister, "You're not safe here!"

Anna rambled on for a while, talking about fixing everything together.

Elsa screamed over her, "No! I CAN'T!"

Then came a horrifying thunk.

Loki winced. That could only mean one thing. There was a bit of commotion, and Loki was tempted to go and help. But in under five minutes, Elsa came in, shaking. Loki rushed to her side.

"Why didn't you tell me Arendelle was frozen over?" Elsa asked wearily.

Loki answered, "I thought you knew. I thought it was winter."

Elsa shook her head no. "It's summer."

She passed out, and Loki only just managed to catch her in his arms.

He vaguely remembered when Jane Foster had fainted in the dark elves' spacecraft when they, along with his brother Thor, were escaping Asgard. He had said in a mildly surprised and blunt tone, "Oh dear. Is she dead?"

Loki couldn't help smiling at the memory.