"I will find you." A young Loki called through the halls, a smile on his face. He then looked over and saw a tapestry moving on one of the walls. He instantly went towards it. He lifted the tapestry only to find nothing there. "That's not very nice." He called, knowing that he had been tricked.
A giggle sounded from behind him. Loki turned and ran back down the hall. He turned to the right and quickly found an empty flower pot that was large enough for her to hide in. He slowly crept his way to the pot and then looked inside. "Found you, Ava." He said, but she wasn't in there. He heard her giggle once again and looked up the hall.
She stood there smiling at him her green eyes sparkling with mischief that rivaled his own. "You may have found me, but now you have to catch me, Loki!" She then took off to the left.
Loki ran after her. He decided to use his magic and block all of her possible paths. He created three copies of himself. One he had directly in front of her and the other two were on the halls to her left and right. "I believe I have caught you." He said.
Ava came to a stop and turned to face the real Loki. "Only because you cheated."
"You used your powers first." He replied.
She grinned. "I guess fair is fair then." She replied. She then lifted a hand and tossed one of the copies out of her way and ran down that hall.
Loki ran after her, creating more copies to throw block her way. She kept using her own power to toss his copies out of the way. In a last ditch effort to win the game, Loki created twenty copies of himself and used them to surround her. He ran to enter the center of the circle. "Do you surrender yet?" He asked.
"It looks like I have no choice. If I don't, I imagine you will tickle me." Ava replied.
"You are right…I might tickle you anyway." Loki replied, grinning mischievously, as he slowly stalked towards her, hands lifted.
Just then, a great tremor shook the palace. They heard the sound of something crashing and a wall crumbling. The two children looked back to see warriors, not of Asgard, heading down the hall. Loki looked over at Ava, who was frozen in fear, all traces of the playfulness and innocence of their game gone. Loki quickly grabbed her hand and started running in the opposite direction, pulling her along with him.
"What's happening, Loki?" Ava asked, once she had found her voice.
"I'm not sure." He answered. He took her to a place he knew of that would be perfect for hiding the two of them. They slipped into a narrow opening in the wall behind a tapestry and hid there. Ava hugged herself close to her friend, needing the reassurance that he was indeed there. They stayed silent, listening to the sounds of battle that were just outside.
They could see the enemy's feet at the bottom of the tapestry. Then there was something that knocked the enemy back and then Loki heard his father speaking. "It's alright now, Ava." He whispered to her. "Father is here."
Ava watched the bottom of the tapestry and she could see the feet of the King walking by. "You children may come out now." He said. "It is safe for you."
Loki led Ava out of their hiding place. Ava stayed behind Loki, still feeling afraid for some reason. "Are they gone Father?" Loki asked.
"From this part of the palace, they are." Odin answered. "Go. Take Ava to your mother. Stay there until I say otherwise."
Loki nodded and started pulling Ava down the hall. As they ran something crashed into the wall alongside them. Loki pulled Ava quickly away, avoiding being hit. The floor beneath their feet quickly began to crumble and fall away.
Ava looked back behind them. "It's...some kind of...vortex." She said, her eyes wide.
"We have to keep running." Loki said, pulling her faster.
Ava ran, still hanging onto Loki, but it wasn't fast enough. She let out a scream as the ground beneath her feet disappeared and she began to fall.
Loki held onto her hand. "Don't let go of my hand." He told her, bracing himself to the little bit of floor, as best as he could.
"I'm trying." Ava replied, tears stinging her eyes. She looked down and saw the vortex swirling beneath her. She then felt her grip on Loki's hand slipping. Fear instantly filled her heart.
"Look at me, Ava." Loki called to her.
She turned back to him. For the first time that she could ever recall, she saw fear in his eyes.
"You have to hold on." He told her, trying to tighten his grip on her hand.
Ava saw that he was having a hard time hanging onto not only her, but also keeping himself braced. She knew that there were two choices. Either we both fall into this vortex or one of us does. She thought. She then looked up at Loki. "I...I can't." She said and let go.
Loki watched as his friend fell into the swirling vortex and disappeared. "No!" He cried in fear and anguish. "Ava!"
Several years later...
Loki stood out on the terrace staring out over the peaceful night in Asgard. "What are you doing, Brother?" Thor asked, coming up behind him and clapping him on the shoulder.
"Just thinking." Loki replied.
"You still think of her?" he asked, speaking of Ava.
"Yes." Loki answered. "I cannot forget her."
"No one ever said that you should." Thor replied. "But you can't let her loss rule your life."
"I can't help but to think, that perhaps, she's alive somewhere." Loki replied. "I need to search for her, Brother."
"But where would you begin?" Thor asked.
"I can always start in the dungeon." Loki answered.
"Why would you start there?" Thor inquired.
"The creators of that vortex are there." Loki answered. "Perhaps they know where it took her." He then headed towards the prison just below the palace. He soon found himself standing outside of the cell of the man he now hated.
"This must be a special occasion for a Prince of Asgard to be gracing me, a lowly prisoner with his presence." The man replied.
"That vortex you and your warriors created, where did it lead?" Loki asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"That is none of your concern." Loki answered. "Just tell me where it led."
The man laughed. "I would if I could."
"What are you talking about?"
"You see, young Prince, I do not even know. None of us know." He answered. "Whomever you are looking for, could be anywhere in the nine realms