Keeper of Memories

by Lalaith Quetzalli

-AU to Nightingale.- There was Death, and Grief and then everyone forgot, everyone but her. She chose to keep her memories, the good and the bad; she chose to keep her friend, to be by his side even when he no longer remembered their friendship; chose to stand by him, guide him, lead him, protect him… until the day She returned. (Can be Read mostly as a Stand Alone).

2. For Blood and Soul

Almost forgot I was updating this today. Sorry about that.

Also this is the last AU of this set, and I'm taking a six week break (rather than the usual three week one) before starting the last one. I think I mentioned this before, but this is the last fic where I'll keep to things as I have until now, meaning with Nightingale as she's been thus far. I'll be changing up things for the last set, but more on that in six weeks.

The songs in this chapter are: "Dreams" as sung by the Cranberries, "Listen to the Wind" as sung by Hayley Westenra and "A Thousand Years", the original being by Sting, I highly recommend the one sung by Harmonize Projekt 2.

That's that for now so... enjoy!

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For Blood and Soul

Some bonds may be strong enough to last a lifetime… only one can last longer.

It was around a century into our 'new friendship' that Loki took me to Midgard with him for the first time. He showed me many of its places, breaking once and for all the Aesir-held belief that midgardians (humans, as they call themselves) were less, simply because their lives were so much shorter than ours. They were a fragile race, certainly, prone to sickness and injury and so easy to die, even from nothing more than life and time themselves… and yet, the things they were capable of… it was remarkable. It seemed to me that, motivated by how limited their time was, humans had found a way to make each day in their short lives count as much as a year of our own. It was a shock to my system, certainly.

I also couldn't help but notice how much Loki loved the Realm. I'd known that beforehand, of course. And yet he'd stayed away for more than a century. I couldn't help but wonder if it was the loss of Tinúviel (even if he couldn't remember it, just like he stayed away from Alfheim, and most of the time from his own private gardens too), or perhaps the loss of their old friends, the ones who'd died in battle some time before Helena's birth. I didn't know much about them, except that they'd been important among their people, royalty of some kind and when war came to their land they chose to fight with their people and by each other's side, to eventually die, rather than flee and save themselves.

I knew that was one of the reasons most Aesir didn't understand Loki's fascination with Midgard and its inhabitants. They were mortal, their lives were so short, even if they never did anything more risky than live peaceful lives, they'd eventually die, and it'd be such a short time compared to one of our lives, not even a fiftieth of ours.

Ylva became closer too. It was easy enough, explaining that she'd become my sparring partner during Loki's time in Nidavellir, and then she expressed a desire to spar with Loki, and no, she didn't mind if he used magic, in fact, she encouraged it; after all, a good Valkyrie should be capable of fighting opponents with and without magic. Others took to following her example, both Valkyries and other warriors, though only Ylva became truly close to us. At some point, I was never sure how exactly, Loki appeared to remember she was as good as his wedded-daughter, married to one of the 'sons of his heart'. Though I was quite sure he still didn't remember having been there for the actual wedding.

I also took to visiting Fenrir in his clearing every so often, especially when I knew Ylva to be busy too many days in a row. We became good friends, it was nice having someone else I could talk about things about, the things so few of us remembered anymore. It was one thing I hadn't considered, when first asking Thenidiel for the means to not forget. How alone I'd be. Helena might know, but she wasn't around, she couldn't exactly leave Helheim, she had responsibilities there, with the dead. And Ylva, while in the same realm, had his own duties as well, both as a Valkyrie and as a married woman. I too had responsibilities, as a warrior-lady, and as one of Loki's few friends (though at least it wasn't just me anymore), but there were some times when I just needed to let things out. Fenrir was a good listener, he didn't mind if sometimes I began ranting at just about everything and everyone. And he definitely had some words of wisdom:

"You're their Guardian, Sif." He told me one day. "You stand guard over the most precious thing my father will ever have: his love. It may not be easy, it may be the hardest thing you, or anyone else, has ever done. But it is worth it. Because the day will come when She will come back, and when he doubts, when his lack of memories make him hesitate, you will be able to reassure him. Then you will guard them both. Even if Father never remembers, if the Songbird's reincarnation never knows the truth, you always will. You will keep all those memories alive for them, stand guard over them. You will be the Keeper of those memories, of that love."

"Yes, I will." I agreed wholeheartedly.

I had no way of knowing just how long it would take for Tinúviel to find Loki (or for him to find her) again. It's not like there was any kind of manual to follow. I'd made my research, far as all sources told, such a thing wasn't possible at all! One half of a match couldn't move on, either to the Other Side, or back to the living, without its other half. At the same time, it was said that a True Match could never be apart for long, their bond wouldn't allow it. It was why Loki had become so self-destructive in the months following Tinúviel's death, he truly wanted to die so he might follow her. And it couldn't be by his own hand, because suicide would have left a stain on his soul, and on Hers, and he'd have never allowed that. And while grief might have done the job the first few days, he'd spent those busy, saving the life of their daughter. In the end the Allfather refused to allow him the mercy of death.

It's not like I didn't understand it. I loved Loki dearly as well. It was clear to me that the King loved him very much as well; he'd already lost a daughter, couldn't fathom losing a son. He thought erasing memories would be enough… he'd no idea. And he probably never would, because he'd forgotten as well, and thus he'd never know just how different Loki was from how he used to be, from how he would have been, had his love lived. And most importantly, he'd never know why his youngest son was little more than a shell of the man he'd once been.

It wasn't even just Loki, everyone around us had changed. It served to show (at least to me) just how many lives Tinúviel had touched, how many things she'd changed, made better. Most hadn't survived her absence… regardless of how hard I might try, it was too much. I could only hope that when She finally did come back, she'd somehow find the way to make things right.

I knew it wasn't fair, to put that kind of responsibility on her. Not just Loki, but everyone else, yet I couldn't help but think that just her mere presence might somehow be enough to spark that change, to make things right… I could hope.

Through the years and the travels I got to meet a great many people. Few we saw more than once, and even less we befriended, all too aware of the shortness of their lives when compared to ours. Though sometimes the people we met were so remarkable we just couldn't help ourselves. Like William, an actor and play-writer… I knew about acting, of course, it was the favored method of entertainment in Asgard, and never could I have imagined someone doing it better than those who'd been doing it for over a thousand years… until I met Will. He was such a talented man, both with the written word, and with his acting. I know he was one person neither Loki nor I regretted befriending; we spent a few years almost constantly on Earth, even joining his troupe for some of their plays. Then, of course, things happened in Asgard, duty called us, and by the time we had enough free time to make the trip back to Midgard, Will was gone.

The other amazing person, one who became very dear to me, I met until centuries later. In the mid 1930s (according to the human's count), was Eve. Her full name was Evelyn O'Connell (nee Carnahan). A former librarian; former archaeologist and curator for the British Museum. Loki and I had been walking around London when I saw there was a presentation from Scarlet O'Keefe, a famous author of adventure novels, she was close to publishing her second book. I loved the first one; it had been a gift from Loki. So I wouldn't 'grow bored' at the lack of adventures. The story was nothing like any kind of adventure I could have ever imagined: things like mummies didn't exist in any of the other realms. Even if the dwarves did entomb their dead, it was nothing like what was showed in the book. And while I'd certainly seen curses, still nothing like what the main characters of the book went through. In the end, odd as it might have been, it had been a thrilling tale, and I awaited eagerly the promised sequel. Learning that the authoress would be speaking before an audience. I immediately took Loki and pulled him toward the library where the event was taking place. I would never know how exactly it was that we managed to become friends; perhaps the fact that while most immediately dismissed the heroics from the female protagonist (even the women in the audience), I liked that in particular. I liked the idea that even if the male lead was a hero, the woman too was a warrior in her own right. It was also why I so came to love the second book, when she was revealed as a warrior-lady in her own right. And the reincarnation of an Egyptian Queen!

It was completely by accident that I happened to be there when those men tried to take her, in 1938. I was back in Midgard, on my own that time, as Loki had duties, but I so wanted to get the new book the moment it came out. I even managed to get her to sign my book! I was so eager to show Loki that it took me a few seconds to process what I was hearing as I left the cafe. And then I saw them, in a back alley… a group of men were trying to force the woman I until then knew as Scarlet O'Keefe, into a car. 'Trying' being the operative word, as she wasn't making it easy, fighting back tooth and nail. And the moment she managed to get her hands on one of their knives… it was amazing. Never had I imagined seeing a human woman fight like that, with such skill. Almost comparable to the valkyries themselves (who knew? Perhaps she would be joining their ranks one day).

I intervened that day, though she didn't really need me. Capable of defending herself just fine. She was the one who insisted on buying me a cup of coffee, and then on explaining what had just happened. Apparently her books were more than just books, and there were those who sought to destroy her for what she represented: both for her actions against Imhotep, and her being the reincarnation of Nefertiti. We became friends, and in the following months and years we would meet every so often.

Her eventual death pained me. Though thankfully it did not happen until she was old and gray. Well in her eighties (I was quite sure she only passed away when she did because Rick was gone and she refused to go on without him, she had been so healthy, until she unexpectedly died in her sleep one night). James, Alex's only son was there, along with his newborn daughter Jenny, and I felt bittersweet happiness, that Eve got to meet her great-granddaughter before passing away. I also felt terrible because Alex wasn't there, he was dead, had died years before either of his parents, a victim of one of many terrorist attacks during a dig in Irak.

It was then that I finally understood how hard it must have been for Loki and Tinúviel all those years earlier. The friends they'd lost… Will, Alex and some others might have been friends, but Eve… she was a kindred spirit. And were I to live to be six-thousand, I will never fully stop missing her, I'm sure of that.

xXx

Around Imbolc, in 1992 (by the count of the humans) I felt something almost… shift. It was a feeling I'd have never been able to explain right, were anyone to ask me. And one I could not have fathomed the significance of until much, much later.

Things began changing after that. At first it was small things: Loki would become distracted, lost in his thoughts, for no particular reason. I asked him a number of times if he was alright, and each one he appeared to have no idea what I was even talking about. Things escalated in early 2003, and then he became taking trips off-realm on his own again. He'd hardly done that at all since his return from Nidavellir with my dragon-armor. And then he began doing it again with no word, no explanation whatsoever. It wasn't like he owed me any explanations at all, I wasn't his minder or his mom, but I was his blood-sister, and I worried about him. Three years later he was away for so long even his family noticed! I managed to create a believable alibi, and met him in time to inform him of it, but I knew that if things kept going down the same path, sooner or later I wouldn't be able to help him. The worst part? I hadn't the slightest idea if he really needed any help at all, and he wasn't trusting me enough to tell me what was going on! It pained me, the thought that after so long he might still not trust me…

It all came to a head in the summer of 2008. Things with Loki's absences had gotten to the point where Thor had noticed, and he no longer bought my excuses. When Volstagg actually went and suggested following Loki to find out what he was doing… that was when I knew things had reached a breaking point. With some help from Ylva and several servants who liked me I started a rumor about a creature in one of the smaller realms (the ones that weren't considered part of the Nine, technically), so beautiful and deadly. Of course Fandral was immediately all for meeting this gorgeous female, while Thor was eager for the glory of destroying another 'monster'. Of course, the creature did not exist; but the realm was gloomy and half empty, so it'd keep them busy for a while. Long enough, I hoped, for me to handle things with Loki.

I followed him (that I didn't want the others to do it didn't mean I wasn't willing to do it myself). I found him in Midgard, which surprised me not at all. The surprise was that I didn't find him alone. I tracked him down to a house somewhere in the American Continent (I still wasn't clear in all the countries and their different borders were so much more complicated than those in other realms, like Alfheim and Vanaheim). The house had a garden on the back of the property, a big, beautiful garden that reminded me of Loki's in its better days. And there I found Loki, sitting at the foot of a huge tree with purple blossoms, eyes fixed straight on the small girl playing a flute of some kind as small birds flew all around her.

I waited until the girl-child left to go back inside as the hour grew late. Then waited some more to make sure she wasn't coming back. Then, right as it seemed like Loki would be taking his leave at any moment, I finally made my presence known.

Just a couple of steps I managed to give from behind the tree, when suddenly there was a blade dangerously close to my neck.

"Peace, brother-mine." I called, seeking to remind him of our friendship. "I give you my word I bear no ill-will towards you, or your young friend."

"How did you find me here?" He demanded, pulling the blade away instantly.

"I followed you." I answered, perfectly honest. "Which is what Thor and the Three had every intention of doing, until I distracted them with rumors of a great, but pointless, quest."

Loki actually smirked at that. Obviously able to deduce what I'd done.

"You have my gratitude, sister mine." He nodded at me. "As well as my apologies for the blade to your neck."

"Forgiven and forgotten." I assured him.

For a minute or so neither of us said anything. In the end I broke the silence, I just… I had to know. I needed to understand what was going on.

"Who is she?" I asked, very softly.

"My friend." He answered, just as soft. "Almost as dear as you, if not quite in the same way." His face took on an expression I couldn't really understand. "She… she knows me, understands me, in ways most people never have, never will. And most of the time I don't need to tell her hardly anything! It's like… like she can just look at me, and see into my soul, and she accepts what she sees. The good, the bad, and everything in between. She's willing to take it all, to take all of me, without hesitation."

"She sounds like a most remarkable person." I admitted, unable to stop myself from smiling. "Tell me, what's her name?"

I really needed to get to know that girl better. Just the way Loki was acting… he was more himself, his old self, in that moment than at any other in the past nine hundred years!

"I… Nightingale, her name is Nightingale."

That was when I knew. Tinúviel had finally returned…

xXx

"Did you know?"

Those were the first words to come from my mouth the moment I was in Hel's Halls.

"What?" She asked, she played the role of the innocent almost as well as her father did… until she allowed the hint of a smile to add a curve to her delicate mouth. "That my Father has a new friend, and one who's a Songbird too? Yes, I knew."

"Two years." She revealed calmly. "Though he first met her three years before that. According to what he's told me, he stepped out of the Shadow Paths into what was supposed to be an empty backyard; which, as he found out, wasn't empty at all. A child was there. She saw through the illusion he tried to pull up to excuse his presence, and then somehow managed to deduce the truth about him, even against all logic. I'm not entirely clear on how they became friends in the first place, but perhaps its their bond pulling them together, much like it did in the past."

"But she must be so young…"

"And last time around she was a Queen who wasn't supposed to marry in the first place. Age is an easier obstacle to surpass, you just need time. You must also remember that, being human, she will age faster than any other race. She's probably close to fully grown by now."

"How did you find out?"

"Father came to me, two years ago. She had some kind of sickness, terrible, the mortal healers did not think she would live more than a few months. Father wanted a boon from me, a way to keep her among the living."

"Did you…?" The mere idea was so staggering…

"Such a thing wasn't in my power to give. Still isn't. You must remember Sif, I may rule over the dead, but I have no power over them being dead, or alive."

No, she didn't, such powers were not meant for any living being, only for the Creator. Something else occurred to me then:

"But she's still alive." I was puzzled by that.

"That was not on me." Her tone turned a tad mischievous as she added. "Lets just say my Father is capable of incredible feats when properly motivated."

I was so very curious… yet I couldn't exactly ask Loki about it, not without revealing that I'd talked with Helena… and then I'd have to explain why I'd done that, how we even knew each other at all. No, I'd have to continue wondering.

"Do you think they'll ever remember?" I asked eventually.

I had been so busy marveling with the fact that Tinúviel was truly (finally) back; they'd found each other, they were friends… and I'd no doubt they'd be more, when the time was right. It was until that moment that I thought to wonder if they'd ever remember, either of them, both of them.

"Do they need to?" Helena questioned me in turn.

"I..." The questioned had actually come to my head, right as I'd asked the other hand, and I had found an answer for myself. "Perhaps not. If the bond is already pulling them together. They may well fall in love on their own all over again."

"It's the way it must be." Helena agreed. "Father will not love her because of who she once was, but because of who she is now, and the same will be true for her."

"But if they remembered, they'd finally be whole." I almost thought I saw her flinch, just slightly, and then I knew why: "And if they remembered, you could go to them. They'd know you, you would have your parents again."

Helena said nothing, but I didn't need her to, the answer was obvious enough.

How hard it must be, I could not imagine. It had been so long since my family had disavowed me, and then when Loki had claimed me as blood-sister. And the friendship with Ylva, Fenrir, Sigyn and the others… I did not need my father, my brothers and sisters, hadn't needed them for a very long time. But her… Helena hadn't had her family leave her, they'd been ripped for her, and the chance of getting them back must have been so much… of everything really.

"I would be delighted." She finally admitted. "If I could wake up tomorrow, or in a year, or in a decade, and know that Ada and Nana know me. That I can go see them, talk to them; that we can be a family again. But even if that day never comes, if they just get a chance to be together… that will be enough for me. And well, if she ever marries Father she will be family anyway, and that will make me happy enough."

It would be good enough, but not perfect. In that moment I could only pray that somehow the stars would allow things to turn out perfect.

xXx

Ylva hadn't known of course, though she and Fenrir had indeed suspected something was going on, having been able to see the change in Loki. Made me wonder if their Majesties were that blind, or if perhaps they had other reasons not to do anything about the changes in their youngest son. It was all so very odd. But as I'd discovered in the past nine centuries, a lot had happened as a consequence of that old enchantment, and most couldn't have possibly been planned.

Loki took me along with him on his next trip to Earth, and I got to meet Nightingale then. Her birth-name was actually Silbhé Salani, and she was a human scholar, specializing in topics like History, Literature and Mythology. Nightingale was the name Loki had given her. That nugget of information served to reinforce my belief of who she truly was; as I remembered Tinúviel, born Lalaith Mirloth… and then I heard her sing, and I knew I'd never doubt her, them, ever again:

"All my life

Is changing every day

In every possible way

In all my dreams

It's never quite as it seems

Never quite as it seems…"

"I know I've felt like this before

But now I'm feeling it even more

Because it came from you

Then I open up and see

The person falling here is me

A different way to be…"

"I want more

Impossible to ignore

Impossible to ignore

They'll come true

Impossible not to do

Impossible not to do…"

"Now I tell you openly

You have my heart so don't hurt me

You're what I couldn't find

Totally amazing mind

So understanding and so kind

You're everything to me…"

"All my life

Is changing every day

In every possible way

And oh my dreams

It's never quite as it seems

Cause you're a dream to me

Dream to me…"

When Odin Allfather announced Thor would take over as King one day. I took Loki's hand and, the moment we could slip away before calling attention upon ourselves I got us through the closest Hidden Roads and straight to Midgard, to Nightingale. There, the two of us together set him to rights. Made him see it wasn't his fault, if others couldn't see his worth, we could, we always had and always would. He'd never be alone.

Thor wasn't as bad as he could have been, as I imagined he'd have been, without people like Loki and myself to keep him straight (because the Three were certainly no help on that front). As it happened, apparently the 'failure' with that quest in the small realm had made them realize it was not the best idea to throw themselves into things, head first, not knowing what they might find. A lesson they'd taken way too long to learn, in my opinion, but at least they did learn it. It had kept them from trying to follow Loki again (it also helped that Loki was more careful, not wanting to risk Nightingale for any reason).

I knew his fears, though I couldn't fathom anyone ever being capable of hurting such a bright soul as Nightingale. We certainly wouldn't allow it. Still, we did our best to keep her existence a secret from all, not wanting to ever give anyone, especially the Allfather, the smallest of reasons to turn against her (or against us).

Only once did I visit Alfheim. I believed Thenidiel deserved to know the truth, and I trusted her not to use that information against any of us.

When I arrived to Alfheim through the Hidden Road yet again I found her waiting for me just outside Tinúviel's secret garden. I wasn't surprised at all to discover she knew what I was there to tell her, had known from the very day her old princess was reborn. And yet when she gave me the date: Imbolc on the year 1992, by the count of the midgardians; it was then I understood I too had felt the shift her return had caused, I just hadn't known what it was.

"A storm is coming." She informed me in a very somber tone. "It will be bad… the prince will need you before the end… and he will need Her."

I felt a huge deja-vú as she proceeded to pull a small crystal phial from the inside of her wide sleeve and handed it to me. Then she turned and began walking away.

"Wait!" I called, completely confused. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You'll know when the time comes." She answered simply before pretty much disappearing behind one of the huge trees all around us.

The phial looked so much like the one that had held the elixir she'd given that day, so long ago by then, when I wanted to not-forget Tinúviel. I wondered if it was similar enough. Perhaps it was meant for Loki, so he might remember, finally. Though I could not imagine why Lady Thenidiel could not have just said that. And why would I need to wait? So many questions and not a single answer, and no one I could get those answers from either. So in the end all I could do was pocket the phial and wait.

xXx

When Loki expressed to me his doubts about Thor's readiness for the throne, I was there to give him the push he needed to take the matter to the King and Queen; and I stood by him as he did. That was when everything went out of control.

"Do you want the throne for yourself?" Thor demanded. "Is that it?!"

"What…?!" I didn't understand where in the abyss that had come from!

"You are envious, brother." Thor went on. "You may hide the truth no longer. You desire my place! My birthright!"

"That's insane Thor!" I cried out, not knowing how to stop him.

It was ridiculous! How could he believe something like that?!

"I've never wanted the throne!" Loki finally found his voice to retort, though through the steel and the cold I could still pick up on the undercurrent of hurt… I feared no one else could. "Whyever would I want something I've always known would never be mine! No, brother..." the word sounded like poison coming from his lips in that moment. "I've never wanted the throne, I only ever wanted to be your equal! But that's never to be either, is it?" His eyes turned towards the Allfather. "You'll never see me as worthy. Not of the throne, not even of being a prince of Asgard. You've never treated me the same way as Thor, and I've been wondering for so long… whatever did I do wrong? What did I ever do that has earned me nothing but your dismissal at best and your scorn at worst? And from you, everyone else in Asgard! I might as well be a mere peasant, or not even that, for the way everyone in this realm treats me! And yet you won't let me go either. Do you need someone to put down so you might feel better about yourselves, is that it? Is that the purpose of my existence? Am I just someone for you to put down so you might feel good about yourselves, about your own place in the universe?"

"Son?!" Frigg was practically crying, horrified by such words.

It looked like Loki was about to say something to her, his eyes turning apologetic as they lay on the one he'd never stop seeing as his mother; but Thor interrupted.

"How dare you insult Father like that?" He demanded.

"But that's the crux of the matter, is it not?" Loki spat, turning to Thor. "He's not my father. He hasn't been in as long as I can remember. Your father he may be, but truth is I cannot remember a kind word from him, no pride, not even acceptance from him in almost a millennia! And you! You call yourself my brother, yet for you not to have noticed even that! You call yourself my brother, but you only ever remember me when you need something from me, when you want me along in one of your pathetic quests!"

"If they're so pathetic why come at all?!" The blonde snapped.

"So you may have a chance at returning alive!" I couldn't help myself I have to step in. "Please Thor, you cannot be that blind? Remember the dragon? If Loki and I hadn't been there that day you'd all be dead for sure!"

"Everyone knows…" Fandral began.

"I care little for what everyone knows!" I snarled. "No one but us know what really happened in Nidavellir that day. Because none of you ever cared for telling the true story. I have to wonder now if you haven't told the same lie so many times you might have begun believing it yourselves. I will tell you one thing, none of you were great heroes that day. You were fools, careless, naïve fools who believed you could truly slay the last true dragon."

"But the dragon was slayed!" Volstagg insisted.

"Because Loki slayed it!" I spat at him. "After I almost died saving him; and he almost got killed himself because he was so busy keeping you all alive he wasn't guarding his own back!"

"Sif…" The Queen's quiet, fragile voice broke the argument. "Did… was it really that bad?"

"So much worse, my queen..." I whispered quietly. "So much worse…"

"Why not say something before today?" The Allfather demanded.

"What for?" Loki asked in a drawl, sarcasm covering the well of hurt in his eyes. "Who would ever believe the God of Lies…?"

"I've always believed in my son." The Allfather stated.

"Then I suppose that must mean I'm not your son at all, since I know for a fact you've never believed in me." Loki retorted, quietly but so powerfully…

"Loki…" Lady Frigg gasped. "Why would you say that?"

"Because if he truly believed in me, if any of you did, your first thought when I said Thor wasn't ready to be King would never have been that I wanted the crown for myself, but to wonder what he might be doing wrong in my eyes for me to think that." He explained quietly, almost tiredly. "But it wasn't, because as always, you'd rather believe me to be the worst, than for your precious son to be at fault at all."

No one knew quite what to say to that. Not their Majesties, and not me. Loki said nothing else, he just directed a look at me, one that left me breathless and almost made my heart skip a beat, even though I hadn't the slightest idea why, and in the next second he was gone.

xXx

It took three days for the 'other shoe to drop', as the humans would say. Three days where no one saw Loki at all. When Lady Frigg came to me, worried because he hadn't left his quarters and wasn't allowing anyone in, he apparently hadn't eaten at all! I tried to get him out, or to at least get in, only to discover I couldn't. He'd revoked my welcome. I knew it wasn't meant as an insult towards me. He was hurting, which was exactly why I wanted to help, but I simply didn't know what to do!

And then the call came. I was outside the door leading into Loki's private set of apartments. Thor and Lady Frigg with me, as she'd been trying to call to her son, and when that failed Thor had tried to force the door open with Mjolnir.

"Really." I couldn't help but snap at one point. "Haven't you gotten it through your head already Thor? If Loki doesn't want us in we won't be getting in, and Mjolnir won't change anything. Loki is much, much stronger than you give him credit for, much more than you know."

"He's my brother, I'd know…" He began.

"No, you wouldn't!" I cut him off. "You wouldn't because you don't know Loki. Because you're too busy showing off, doing crazy stunts that you don't know your brother anymore!" I made a pause, taking a breath before adding. "You know you didn't kill the dragon, neither did any of your friends. Which means either Loki or I did it. I'm humble enough to admit it wasn't me, to know there's no way I could have ever done it. Then why did you claim the deed for yourself? Why did you allow the story to become what it has, when you knew you didn't deserve it?"

"I… he never claimed the deed! We came back and the people wanted to hear the story of our great quest, and he wouldn't say anything! Neither of us fully remember what happened. Too much did, at the same time, and the fumes… And Loki never gave his version of the story!"

"And that gave you the right to claim accolades for something you never did?" I scoffed. "And you wonder why we don't believe you to be ready for the throne!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" The blonde's eyes narrowed.

"That you care too much about yourself, your pride, your so-called honor, and too little about other people, people like your friends, like the man you insist on calling brother, yet don't care for as you should."

Thor never got the chance to reply, as a bell-like noise interrupted us. It actually took me a few seconds, and two repetitions of the sound for me to remember the pocket mirror I kept inside my clothes. Especially enchanted by Loki to serve as means of communication with one single person, in case of an emergency. If I'd been thinking clearly I probably would have never pulled the mirror out in the current company, but I was so worried over Loki… I wasn't thinking clearly, so I pulled it out, flipped it open and answered:

"Nightingale?" I called.

Thor and Lady Frigg immediately focused all their attention on me, and on the mirror I held before myself. They'd both heard the name of Nightingale mentioned more than a few times, though they'd never met her (for obvious reasons).

"Sif?" The moment I heard her voice I knew something was very wrong. "Sif, is something wrong with Maverick?"

I couldn't help the half-smile at her chosen nickname for Loki. Though I knew it didn't reach my eyes. She knew the answer without me having to say anything at all.

"Sif, I know something is wrong with him." She said instead.

"How?" That one did take me surprise.

"I can feel it, in here." She pulled her own mirror far away enough for me to see her other hand pressing against her chest in demonstration. "Something is very wrong. What's happened Sif? Last thing I knew you were going to talk to his parents, regarding your worries about Thor."

I could hears the prince in question shuffling behind me and could only hope that Nightingale either hadn't, was too focused on Loki to pick up on it, or would ignore it.

"Things went very wrong Nightingale." I admitted quietly. "Even I don't know how wrong."

"They didn't believe him, did they?" She asked, so much sadness in her voice it broke my heart. "It was like he said. They think so highly of Thor they wouldn't believe Maverick's warnings."

"It's not just that." I admitted grimly.

"No." Her expression turned to horror. "Tell me they didn't. Tell me they didn't actually believe he was speaking out of envy! Out of desire to take the throne for himself!"

I could only exhale, closing my eyes briefly; which, as it happened, was apparently all the answer she needed at the time.

"That's… that's stupid!" She snapped. "Maverick… he would hate being King! He loves working on the background, twisting things to make them work, walking the shadows. He would never want the throne to himself! It would bore him to death!"

I snorted, unable to help myself. How well she knew Loki, better than I did, better than his so-called family did.

"Oh Nightingale… if only you were here." I sighed with a shake of my head.

"I can." She announced.

That, took me completely off-guard.

"What…?" I had no idea what else to say.

"I know a couple of the Hidden Roads Maverick has used in the past." She informed me. "There is one not far from where I am right now. I can get there and to Asgard… probably by tomorrow."

"Won't you be missed?" The last thing I needed was to cause trouble for her, regardless of how much I was beginning to believe her presence might help us.

"I'm on school-break right now." She told me. "Will be for the rest of the week. I can pack a bag and make my way there right away."

How much I wanted her to… yet I couldn't forget how hard Loki had worked to protect her, and me as well. He wouldn't want her to put herself on the spotlight like that; which would inevitably happen if she made the trip.

"Nightingale..." I began, not quite knowing how to say it.

"Don't." She cut me off. "I know what you will say."

"You know he wouldn't want this." I said it anyway.

I could sense both Thor and Lady Frigg behind me still, though thankfully they didn't interrupt.

"Yeah, well I don't want to feel like my very soul is being torn into pieces, yet that's exactly what I'm feeling right now, and I know it's but an echo of what he himself is feeling." She retorted. "So I guess we can't all get what we want. Unless you tell me going will only make things worse for him somehow I am going, and that's final."

I couldn't, and she knew it. And not just because she was incredibly stubborn, but after what she'd just said I'd remembered why the look in Loki's eyes that day in the Throne Room had seemed so painfully familiar. I'd seen it before, many days, the last one being the day before the enchantment was cast…

"I'll be there tomorrow." Nightingale repeated, then cut the call.

The moment the call ended, of course, there were at least half a dozen questions being 'asked' (Thor was demanding, more than asking, but at least his mother's presence kept him from making too much of a scene) at me.

"Nightingale is Loki's dearest friend, she may be able to reach him, where the rest of us have failed." I half answered most of their questions with a single sentence. "You've never seen her before because she's not from this Realm, but she knows how to get here. And if she says she can make it to Asgard tomorrow, then she'll be here tomorrow."

"I thought you were his dearest friend." Thor muttered, and I wasn't sure if he was mocking me, or just honestly curious.

"No," I began, then, because I just couldn't help myself I showed him my left palm as I added. "I'm his blood-sister."

We'd kept it a secret for so long… because a royal claiming a blood-sibling should have been such a big thing. With him being the second-born (more like adopted, even if even he didn't remember that), it wasn't too serious, but still. If the King would acknowledge it I would become royal myself, a princess in my own right (never part of the line of succession, but still).

That was enough to cut off the argument, at least for the time being. So, deciding that I was gaining nothing by standing outside Loki's apartments, I decided to be proactive instead and went looking for Ylva. If Nightingale was coming then I might need help in making sure no one would catch her before she made it to Loki (things would not go well if they did).

xXx

It was early evening when I got the message from Ylva that Nightingale had arrived, and being lead to one of the servant entrances on the East Wing of the palace. I hurried there. Sigyn was already there, having lead the two inside. She'd no idea who Nightingale was, other than Loki's friend, but she cared enough about the prince to want to help.

When I finally laid eyes on Nightingale I did a double-take, not having expected to see her as she was right then, covered head-to-toe in Ylva's red cloak, hood up. She was smaller than Ylva even, enough that the cloak trailed more than usual behind her, and covered even her feet. It was only after the fact that I realized it must have been purposefully done, to make sure no one would so much as think about stopping the two of them on their trek from the edge of the woods to the palace (we didn't have the time to deal with Aesir who wouldn't want her around).

I wasn't surprised at all when I found Thor and Lady Frigg once again waiting just outside Loki's apartments when we arrived.

"So this is the Lady Nightingale?" Thor asked, brow arched.

"And you are Prince Thor." Nightingale retorted evenly, before turning towards the Queen and doing as much of a curtsy as she could, without letting the cloak open. "Greetings, Your Majesty. You have my sincerest apologies for dropping in on your Realm and your palace without being invited first. But I'm sure you understand I wasn't too keen on waiting with the current situation being what it is."

"That is true enough, Lady Nightingale." Frigg nodded with a gentle smile. "And what would you say the current situation is?"

"Something is very wrong with Maverick." Nightingale stated simply, once again a hand pressing to her chest. "I'm going to find what it is, and solve it."

"Believe you can solve it, you do?" Thor didn't sound too convinced himself.

"I believe I will try." She answered simply, serenely. "And if I fail the first time I will try again, and again… I will never stop trying until I succeed."

"I don't know how you even expect to be able to get past the door." Thor scoffed.

He was trying so hard to sound tough… too hard, I could tell. Truth was he was very worried about his brother, he just didn't know how to show it. Loki was so strong… never before had Thor had reason to worry about him, not since they were children (not since the loss of Tinúviel but then again, no one but I remembered that one), and he just didn't know what to do. And thus, hearing someone speak about the matter with such apparent ease, it unsettled him.

I swayed a bit from one side to the other, waiting expectantly for Nightingale to decide how she wanted to proceed. Then one of those motions caused something to press into my side. It was until I pulled it out of a small hidden pocket on my hip that I remembered what it was that I kept there: the phial… the one Thenidiel had given during our most recent conversation. The one I'd believed then was meant for Loki. I never stopped believing that, even when I hadn't the slightest idea why I couldn't just give it to him right away. And then, as I held it in my hand, I suddenly knew it was never meant for him, it was for Her all along.

"Here." I said, offering her the phial.

"What is this?" She inquired, curious, turning the phial around in her hand.

It was made purely of crystal, the stopper carved like a flower, a rose (and that probably should have been a sign… Tinúviel always did love her roses).

"A gift." I answered, seeing how I didn't actually know what was inside. "From a… friend." One she didn't remember, but the point remained. "I was told Loki would need me, and you. I was also given that," I signaled to the phial. "It's meant for you."

"What?" Her smile (barely noticeable with the hood still up) turned just a bit mischievous. "Some Felix Felicis for good luck?"

I couldn't help myself, I snorted. Thor and the Queen just looked at both of us puzzled. Of course I'd read the Harry Potter books. Nightingale had a beautiful personal library and had given me leave to borrow any book I wanted, something I took great advantage of. She liked her stories more… fairy-tale-like than I did, but we both liked adventure, so that was good enough. I'd even shared my Scarlet O'Keefe books with her, she'd totally loved them.

Nightingale just shook her head before opening the phial and downing the contents in one go. She didn't even seem to stop to consider the possibility that it might not be good for her. And I wasn't sure if that spoke more of her trust of me, of her bravery, her commitment to Loki, or maybe of my being deserving of that trust. Perhaps it was a little of everything.

A whimper abandoned her lips, very small and strangled, like it had been torn from her against her will and she curled upon herself with a gasp, like for a moment she had to fight just to keep breathing, and then she began whispering something, quiet, it sounded like a prayer. It took me several seconds to realize she was talking in elvish, and not any tongue, but Quenya, the tongue of the royal elves.

She straightened up then, straighter than she'd been before, the cloak falling half open, big as it was for her body, hood falling down, revealing her dark auburn hair. Her eyes were still tightly closed, but when she finally opened them, I could see the light of the stars shining in them. She took a deep, shuddering breath, then took a look at herself.

"Not exactly the picture of an elven princess, am I?" She asked out-loud, in English, though still seemingly more to herself than anyone else.

She was right, indeed, no one who laid eyes on her would ever believe her to be an elven princess and especially not one who was once almost queen… with her shoulder length hair, let down with no adornments at all, light skin with the lightest of tans, and dressed in a brown jumper with pink and green diamonds, dark-washed jeans and dark-leather flat-soled boots. On her waist a silk-bag where I knew she kept the black-jade dizi Loki had gifted her when she was younger, as well as the healing vials he'd prepared just for her, in case of an emergency. (I'd later learn Ylva had with her a pack with a week's worth of clothes, a coat and some food, all she deemed necessary for her sudden trip).

"You are who you are." I said simply.

"Yes, I am." She agreed, her eyes finally fixing on me. "Hello Sif, mellon nîn (my friend)…"

"My friend." I replied in turn with a dip of my head.

"I would say I've missed you… but that wouldn't be exactly true, would it?" She added with just the slightest hint of humor.

"Missing might or might not be the right word for it." I conceded. "For as much as I have, indeed, missed the parts of you that were missing, I've been so glad that you were around, that you came back to him…"

"I always meant to do so." She replied immediately, with great intensity. "It just took longer than I ever expected it to."

"He's still waiting." I assured her. "Even if he doesn't know it."

"I know." She nodded, then turned over her shoulder, to look at the other two, still staring at her. "I know all you wanted to do was save him, but if you only knew how much he hurts…"

"Who are you really, my lady?" Lady Frigg asked, intrigued. "You're not Aesir."

"No, I am not." Nightingale nodded, shrugging off the cloak and handing it to me to return to Ylva with a smile. "I was born human, mortal, you call us midgardians." Then, before Thor had the chance to say anything she added. "But my soul is more…"

Neither royal had the chance to demand any further explanations, or comment anything at all, for right then Nightingale turned her full attention to the magically locked doors before us, placing both hands on them as she spoke:

"Let me in Fintalëharyon." She called softly, her voice gaining a melodic quality. "Let me in."

She began humming then, just a bit, very softly. And as if just that were a password of some kind (or perhaps it was just her voice), the doors opened, and she strode right in, without the slightest hesitation, letting them close behind her.

xXx

No one ever knew exactly what happened inside Loki's apartments that night, though Sigyn did inform me that a call for enough food for at least two people had been sent to the kitchens around lunch-time. The servant was allowed to place it in Loki's receiving room, but no further. Also, a message had been sent to the Queen which had put her at ease. I myself got no message until I saw Loki himself in the evening.

Lady Frigg insisted on us all dining together, family and Thor's closest friends (apparently I counted as family, even if the Allfather hadn't yet acknowledged the blood-sibling matter); she hoped Loki and Nightingale would be joining us.

She was right. We were all sitting by then, food was on the table but dinner hadn't started, as the Queen kept hoping. Thor looked like he was about to lose his patience when there they were, standing at the entrance to the private dining room: Loki, in his more casual clothes of green linen and black leather, boots and not a single piece of armor; while Nightingale was looking quite different than she had the day before: in a princess-style sleeveless, floor-length gown of the palest lavender, with a straight neckline, white sash around her waist and white flats on her feet; her hair was down once again, perfect dark-auburn curls falling around her shoulders. Different from her past life as she might be, in that moment she truly did look like an elven princess.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Allfather demanded, harshly.

Against all my hopes, no one remembered Tinúviel at all, and King Odin really did not like the fact that a foreigner had slipped into Asgard without his knowing (it was only going to get worse when he found out she was mortal…). But neither Nightingale nor Loki gave him the chance to work himself into anything, nor anyone else, for before anyone could get on their feet, or even said a word further, Nightingale herself gave a step forward, directed a brief but dazzling smile at me, as if wishing to convey all her thoughts in one single look, then she closed her eyes, took a breath… and began singing. And what a song it was! The likes of which hadn't been heard in Asgard in nigh on nine centuries! The shock was enough that no one moved, they just listened:

"Time is a river that flows endlessly

And a life is a whisper, a kiss in a dream"

"Shadows dance behind the firelight

And all the spirits of the night remind us:

We are not alone"

"Tomorrow: a sun soon rising

And yesterday is there beside us

And it's never far away"

It was the first time the Nightingale's voice had been heard in Asgard in almost a millennia, and certainly the only most of those present that day could remember. And from the very first verse it became very obvious that even if she'd been reborn in a mortal body, her voice still held the same incredible power it had in the past. I'd heard her before, but aside from Loki, no one else had. I could see all their expressions, going from surprise to confusion, fascination to something else I couldn't quite name (and I wasn't trying too hard, it would have meant paying less attention to the perfect song and the beautiful voice singing it and there was no way I was going to do that).

"If you listen to the wind you can hear me again

Even when I'm gone you can still hear the song

High up in the trees as it moves through the leaves

Listen to the wind, there's no end to my..."

"Love is forever a circle unbroken

The seasons keep changing; it always remains"

"Spring will melt the snows of winter

And the summer gives us days of light

So long till autumn makes them fade"

It didn't hit me until she was at the end of the chorus, but the song Nightingale was singing, it was Tinúviel's last song! Except the princess had never gotten the chance to finish it, her life slipping from her before she could and in that moment… she was giving the song new life, her own, announcing who she was in a way probably not many would understand. Though I did, and by the way Loki wouldn't let go of her hand, his eyes never straying from her, I knew he did too.

"Remember the sound of laughter

We ran together through the meadows

Still we thought our hearts could break"

"If you listen to the wind, you can hear me again

Even when I'm gone you can still hear the song

High up in the trees as it moves through the leaves

Listen to the wind and I'll send you my love"

There was a shift, I did not know when it happened exactly, but suddenly I understood what the looks in everyone else's faces meant: they remembered. It was impossible to know if it was just the song, though I was relatively sure they had not known before their arrival to the dinning room. Then again, Loki had known, something had happened the night before that made it so he knew (and I was really, really not going to ask what, it was none of my business!). I was just happy for the two of them, that they were together, that they knew (and hopefully everyone else knowing meant no one would be trying to separate them, or something else equally insane).

"Listen to the wind where the sky meets the land

I'm not really gone I've been here all along

High up in the trees in the sound of the leaves

Listen to the wind there's no end to my..."

"Time is a river that flows to the sea

And a life is a whisper, a kiss in a dream."

When the song came to an end no one said a word for what seemed like forever. It was so quiet I could almost believe I could hear every breath and every heartbeat of all of us. It was Loki who broke the silence, as he stepped forward, one hand still holding Nightingale's and addressed us:

"I present to you Silbhé Arianna, daughter of Sebastian and Aislinn, named Nightingale by myself, of Midgard; reincarnation of Princess Tinúviel of Alfheim and Asgard. Goddess of Compassion. My consort and match."

xXx

The rest of the week was so different from the past nine centuries, in ways I could have never imagined possible. I may have always hoped for Tinúviel's return, may have imagined that her return would make things better, not just for Loki (who of course was the main reason for me to wish for that) but for us all. Yet I never stopped to think what would happen, how things might be better, exactly. And I had a feeling that, even if I had managed to imagine something, it'd have never been close to what actually happened.

It began that first morning. As soon as she finished the song, Nightingale rushed to where I had just managed to get on my feet, throwing her arms around me and hugging me tight.

"Oh sister-mine!" She cried out with a bright smile; then she got close enough to whisper in my ear. "Thank you, for keeping him safe for me."

"I did it for me too." I admitted just as quietly. "He's my brother after all."

"Yes, he is." She agreed.

When she let me go she turned towards Loki's family. The steel in her eyes told me those weren't going to be very nice conversations.

I wasn't privy to them, which was just as well, they were private matters between Nightingale and each of them (and perhaps Loki), and no business of mine. Later on we did talk more:

"I know they did it to save him." She murmured as we sat together in Loki's private sitting room. "I know that, if they hadn't done it, Loki probably would have kept pushing until someone finally killed him; and it's not that I wanted him dead, because I never wanted that but… I just…"

"You don't like that he suffered, either." I murmured in understanding.

"They don't understand." I murmured softly. "What it is, to have a match, to be half of a match… the bright light that you share in your love, is as great as the darkness that swallows your whole when your other half is gone. Living without one another… it's torture. Every breath, every beat of your heart, with your soul reaching for another's, for someone that isn't there anymore… it's a torture that never ends." She sobbed lightly. "That didn't end when they erased his memory, when they erased everyone's memory. Because the bond doesn't just exist in the mind, it's in the body, the heart, and our very souls… He might not have remembered me consciously, but his heart and soul did. And wasn't that worse? Missing something, hurting, and not knowing why? The worst part is that in forgetting, they no longer knew that he was hurting at all. So not only he was left in torment, but there was no one to help him, no one even knew he needed help at all!" Her tone softened as he added. "No one but you." She smiled at me through her tears. "Oh Sif, sister of my soul. I will never be able to thank you enough. I know not what would have become of my match if it hadn't been for you. But I'll be forever grateful for the choice you made. For being the Keeper of our Memories…"

"I don't know what would have become of me either." I admitted, though what I did know was that I probably would have become someone the current me wouldn't have liked very much. "I will never regret the choice I made."

Truth was, I hadn't understood back then, how bad it really was for Loki. I knew the absence of Tinúviel hurt him, I knew that forgetting wouldn't end that grief, and that he deserved to have someone on his corner; it was why I made the choice I did. I just never expected it to be as bad as what Nightingale had just described. It made me wonder about my own match, The one Lady Thenidiel had told me about that day, so many years prior, the Soldier, the one who'd find me. I had felt him a few times through the years, in London, in France, the US, Russia… but I'd never found him, not yet. It wasn't time just yet, but it'd come, one day, I believed that. And when the time came, however easy or hard it might be (and I had a feeling it would be very, very hard) I wouldn't be alone, I would have my blood-brother and my new sister with me.

At the end of the week plans were made. Nightingale couldn't stay in Asgard, she had a life on Earth, a family, and she refused to give them up. Loki had no problem whatsoever, he already had a cover identity on Earth (as did I for that matter). And then Thor made one proposal neither of us saw coming (not even Loki).

"Why not make ourselves known?" He asked.

"What…?" None of us knew quite what to say to that.

"We've all heard Loki's, Nightingale's and Sif's stories about Midgard." He explained. "It's not the primitive realm we were lead to believe, the world it might have been a thousand years ago. Also, judging by some of the things they've said, they are already growing used to those different than them. And experimenting with forces beyond them… are we really going to wait for there to be some great tragedy, for them to go to war against another world to reveal ourselves? Wouldn't it be better to step in now, make ourselves known, show them we're their allies, rather than wait and hope they won't see us as even more enemies in the middle of a disaster?"

His speech made so much sense… I couldn't believe it.

"Brother, that made so much sense… are you sure you're alright?" Loki asked, cheekily.

Thor smacked him in the arm in response.

It was the truth though. It was yet another demonstration of how much things had changed, into how they should have been all along. In that moment Thor was acting like a crown prince ought to, like someone who was ready to become king one day. It was almost funny how the belief of the contrary had been what had started the whole mess… perhaps that was how things were meant to be all along. Perhaps the 'storm' as Thenidiel termed it was always meant to happen, so the truth might be revealed, so everyone might have a chance at becoming who they were really supposed to be…

Even the Three were better than they had been! Granted, Fandral was still a shameless flirt, Volstagg still ate enough for the rest of us put together, and Hogun still wouldn't stop being grim… but they no longer dismissed Loki, no longer saw him as being less simply for being the second born. That was a hell of an improvement, in my book.

"I think it's a good idea." Nightingale's declaration brought me back to the matter at hand.

"Can it really be done?" Lady Frigg wanted to know. "Without causing great panic or chaos?"

"There will be chaos, regardless of how we handle things." Loki deadpanned.

"But if we do things right, it will be controlled chaos, and no need for any panic." Nightingale added, after throwing a quick glare at her match, who just chuckled.

It was astounding, the ease with which Loki smiled and laughed, simply the ease with which he held himself, so differently from how he'd been; so much that even those who might not know him well enough were able to see something had changed.

"What are you planning my Nightingale?" Loki inquired, curious.

"Aunt Kathryn warned me, when I passed the half-dozen languages that I needed to be careful, because certain people would become interested in me for that reason alone." She explained. "Government organizations would want me for my talent with languages. And then there are my studies. I'm the best at what I do, about to graduate at a very young age." She exhaled. "I've been getting calls, from several of those organizations, they're interested in me. They promised me all kinds of working opportunities if I sign with them when I finish my studies in two weeks. Most of them are small fish for the kind of thing Thor has in mind, but one…"

"One…" Loki repeated, probably having an idea of what was in her head, even if the rest of us hadn't the slightest idea.

"SHIELD." She clarified. "They specialize in… protection, I guess you could say. They deal with the kind of stuff the rest of the organizations wouldn't know what to do with: enhanced, metas, that kind of stuff. They have a very interesting history themselves." She made a pause, pondering. "I could agree to an interview. That would give us our in."

"And if they don't like what you have to say to them?" Ylva wanted to know.

With Nightingale back, she'd gone straight back to her old post, as her bodyguard and head handmaiden. I suspected the two of them, and perhaps Loki, might also be working on a way to convince the King to let Fenrir go…

"Then we get out of there." Nightingale said simply.

"And if they don't let you go?" Fandral pressed.

"I'd like to see them try." There was no way to miss the challenge in Loki's voice, or his eyes, as he said those words.

I didn't doubt him for a moment, none of us did. It was something else that had changed with the final breaking of the old enchantment, everyone remembered the truth about Loki, what he was truly capable of, no one even thought about dismissing him, or seeing him as less anymore.

"You could try some alliances too." Helena suggested.

Of course, with Nightingale, and all the memories back Helena had made her way back to Asgard. She wouldn't stay in the Realm Eternal, she had her duty to her own realm, her people, after all; but she had promised to visit more often, spend as much time as possible with her parents, and even with the rest of the family. I knew she must be overjoyed that her father's eyes no longer shadowed when he looked at her…

"I know a few people in Midgard, in the magical community." She offered. "I'm sure they would help if we asked them to."

Loki and Nightingale nodded, liking that plan too.

Plans were made then. The Allfather had to go into the Odinsleep, he'd been postponing it for too long already and could do it no more. Thor had asked not to be named King for the time being, the return of his maturity also allowed him to see that he wasn't ready just yet, he asked instead that his mother be Regent, and he be allowed to shadow her, so he might learn more about Statecraft, finally. He also announced that, when he was finally ready to take the crown, Loki would be his Crown Whisperer… just like they'd planned so many years earlier.

Loki, Nightingale and myself were officially tasked with making 'first contact' with SHIELD, then Helena would be joining us to meet with the leaders of several magical groups. If anything went wrong then we'd call in reinforcements if necessary (I could only hope it wouldn't come to that, but would be ready in case it did).

So many plans being made, such eagerness we all had for the future coming our way. I hadn't felt so hopeful in centuries!

xXx 3rd Person POV xXx

Nick Fury, the Director for the Strategic Homeland Intervention and Logistics Division (better known as SHIELD), stood in the entrance of one of his top-secret bases, one of the bases he'd worked on himself, which even the top-boss, Pierce himself, knew nothing about; it wasn't that Fury was a distrustful bastard but… well, he was a distrustful bastard, and it had saved his life and the lives of his people more than once, so he wouldn't be changing that any time soon.

That didn't change the fact that the very world seemed to be tilting on its axis, and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it just yet. Just the week prior his 'one good eye' as he liked to call one of his most trusted agents (the one that did not have the rank of SIC officially, but everyone treated and respected as if he did anyway, because they knew Fury enough to understand the truth even if it wasn't written down) had gone on his annual tour visiting recent graduates whom he believed would be good assets for their organization. One of those people had been newly-minted Professor Silbhé Salani. Fury had no idea what they were supposed to do with a girl that had specialized in things like Literature, Mythology and History… SHIELD dealt with real monsters! Not those in books. Then again, she was also well-known for being fluent in nearly a dozen languages, and had a gift such for them he'd no doubt she'd be able to double that number in the next decade. People with the ability to pick up things like that, to absorb knowledge… they were rare, and most were too egocentric for Fury to be willing to deal with them more than sporadically (read: Tony Stark). So perhaps that had been where the interest lay.

What he certainly hadn't expected was what stood before him that very moment. Aside from Coulson himself, there was Professor Salani. Her new husband: Dr. Hvedrungr (because apparently when Coulson approached her the man had announced his new wife wasn't going anywhere without him. Fury would think it to be mere possessiveness, not a trait he usually accepted, but by the stance of the man in that moment it was quite clear that the possessiveness was only part of it, he was protective. He clearly did not trust either Coulson or Fury himself, and that was why he'd insisted on being there, to protect his wife. No idea how a Doctor in Cultural Studies was supposed to protect anyone from people with the kind of training agents like themselves possessed, but at least it was clear the man wasn't a complete idiot.

They both waited until Coulson was finished with his usual speech, Fury knew it forwards and backwards, no need to pay attention to it at all. The only reason he was present was because he was curious about Dr. Hvedrungr's presence, what the man might say. Did he want to work for SHIELD himself? Or was he just trying to make sure his wife would be safe? Since Fury doubted she'd be more than an analyst there was no reason to believe otherwise… And then came the moment when the world tilted on its axis, and it was all the girl's fault (and she was most definitely a girl, not even out of her teens yet!)!

"I know that look." She stated, and she was looking at Fury, not at Coulson.

"What look?" Coulson inquired, taken completely by surprise.

"The look that says, you're boring, this is all boring." She stated bluntly, never taking her eyes off the Director. "Would you like for things to get interesting Director Fury?"

"And how might you be able to achieve that, Professor?" Fury actually arched a brow.

He hadn't expected to be addressed, and in such a way. He was curious about it.

"I know SHIELD seeks to protect, the people, the world, from threats both within and without." She stated. "I've been told that several times by now. What I'm curious about it, how much do you actually know about the 'without' part of that statement?"

"Huh?" Coulson was taken so much by surprise Fury almost smirked, almost.

"Travelers, from beyond our world." She clarified. "How much do you know?"

Coulson looked like he was about to sputter, had he been a lesser man he probably would have. Fury himself would have believed it all to be a joke, except for the look in the young professor's eyes: she was completely serious. Also, looking carefully at her eyes, Fury couldn't help but think they looked like the belonged to someone older than nineteen… much, much older.

"I have a feeling you intend to instruct me on the matter, professor." He wasn't even joking, which was probably a first for him.

"Have you any idea why I studied the topics I did?" She asked in turn. "I'll give you a hint, it wasn't just simple curiosity. For had that been it I could have done all the research in my free time and dedicated myself to other studies. No, I did it because from the time I was fourteen I hoped one day I would be here."

"Here, here? Or a metaphorical here?" Coulson asked straight out.

"Right where I'm standing at this very moment." She answered evenly. "You can consider me an… Emissary of sorts. You can consider us both that."

"And who do you represent, exactly?" Fury tensed, suddenly very aware that they hadn't the slightest idea of what the two before them were capable of.

They'd only done the most basic background research on them, after all, the girl was a potential analyst, nothing more; and the man wasn't even that. The only reason they were in one of the top secret bases was because Fury refused to show anyone into one of his bases when he hadn't actually invited them. The Playground was an old base, hadn't been used in decades, and it's not like either 'visitor' had known where they were being taken… or did they? He suddenly wasn't sure anymore. There was a lot Fury suddenly realized he did not know, and if there was something he really, really hated, it was not knowing things.

"Asgard." They both stated at the same time.

As if that were some kind of signal, the two before him abruptly shifted right then. The Professor had been standing in a simple dove-gray skirt-suit with a black top underneath and black ankle-boots; there was a shimmer, after which she was left wearing a pale-lavender sleeveless, floor-length dress, white sash and slippers of the same color. Beside him the Doctor too had changed, from the black suit and tie he'd been wearing along with a white crisp shirt, to a mix of green silk and black leather reminiscent of the vikings…

"Who are you?" He demanded, a hand on his gun.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The 'Doctor' was practically hissing.

Fury saw how one of his hands began subtly glowing green as he made it very clear that if the Director so much as raised his gun, the results wouldn't be in his favor. And if there was one thing Fury hated even more than not knowing things, it was being taken off guard (then again, one was pretty much consequence of the other so…).

"We intend you no harm Director Fury, Agent Coulson." As the Professor spoke, Fury couldn't help but believe her, there was something about her voice, about her words…

"Who are you?" Coulson repeated the question.

"We are exactly who you know us to be." She went on. "I'm Silbhé Arianna Kinross Salani-Hvedrungr, recently graduated Professor of Mythology, Literature and History; and he's my husband: Luka Hvedrungr, Doctor in Cultural Studies, come from Europe." She made a pause, head tilting to a side as she went on. "We're also more…"

"I am Loki Odinson, God of Mischief and Lies, second Prince of Asgard and future Head Advisor to Crown Prince Thor." The 'Doctor' took over the explanation. "And beside me stands my match and consort: the Lady Nightingale, Goddess of Compassion and Devotion."

"You're not human?!" Coulson gasped.

"He's not." The Professor/Nightingale clarified. "As for me… I was born human, but my soul is more, and I've embraced that, allowing me to become more." She made a pause, as if giving time for the two men to get their heads around that information, then went on. "We've been sent here by Odin Allfather and Crown Prince Thor, to act as Emissaries. A long time ago, Midgard, what we know as Earth, depended on Asgard to thrive. That's where the Norse mythology comes from, mostly. Though not all of it is true. A time came when the Allfather decided to pull away, to let our world exist and evolve without outside influence, and now…"

"You do not intent to conquer, do you?" Coulson inquired, tense.

Loki snorted, and even Nightingale giggled slightly.

"No, we're not here to conquer anything." Nightingale hurried to reassure them.

"The Stars know I love this Realm, but it's way too chaotic, can you imagine trying to conquer it? We'd never be done!" Loki cried out theatrically. "Not in a hundred years."

"That's probably true." Nightingale agreed, before turning back to the agents. "No, we have no intent to conquer. That's not what this is about. Times have changed. A thousand years ago it was decided that Earth wasn't ready to exist on the same level as the rest of the Realms, humans were too unprepared for that kind of thing. But things have changed." She exhaled. "We believe that, sooner or later, humans in general will find out that the universe is much bigger than most would expect, and that humanity is not all the intelligent life to exist. We decided we'd rather you find that truth out in peace, rather than in the middle of a conflict."

"That is probably a good idea." Coulson admitted slowly. "What do you intend to do exactly?"

"Well, that would be up to you, probably." Loki shrugged. "After this meeting we intend to make contact with several groups we've identified, gifted. And then… who knows?"

"We live here." Nightingale stated. "We're a pat of this world, and we won't stop being that. We wish to help. If there is some kind of emergency, some catastrophe where our skills might be of us, by all means let us know, send us there."

"We're not your toy soldiers." Loki stated, very seriously. "But we're here, indeed, to help."

"How much help can two people be?" Fury scoffed.

Nightingale snorted.

"There's not just two of us." Loki clarified. "There's five, we're here representing us. As for what we're capable of… I'm recognized throughout the realms as the most powerful Sorcerer to exist. You can imagine I'm capable of quite a bit. As for my wife, she's an empath, and capable of wielding my magic when necessary." They did not say that part was a new development and they were still working on it. "We also represent three others: my blood-sister: Sif, Goddess of War, and she does make honor to her title. As well as the Lady Ylva, second in command of the Valkyries, and her match: Fenrir, the Demon Wolf."

Coulson blinked, seemingly doing his best to process what had just been said.

"It is clear that you both need to think about things." Nightingale stated serenely. "Take as much time as you need. When you decide, you know where to find us."

She smiled at them one more time and then, as she took her husband's hand, the two vanished.

Even as the two disappeared they knew what the answer would be. Because as distrustful as Fury might be, he was also very pragmatic, he knew Loki, Nightingale and their team could be an asset in the days to come. Tony Stark may have been the start with his 'I Am Iron-Man', but it wasn't the end, not by far. And one day their world was going to need protectors like Loki and his group.

So they'd wait for Fury to wrap his head around everything that had just been revealed, for both him and Coulson to be ready to accept what was already obvious to some. It was okay, they had time. In the meantime Helena had already arranged meetings with the Ancient One (the leader of the Mystic Order), Piper Halliwell (the head of the Halliwell magical family) and Muse (one of the three leaders of the Secret Circle Coven). And that was just for a start, Nightingale's Aunt Kathryn knew Professor Xavier, the leader of X-Men, and had offered to arrange a meeting. They'd see what else came afterwards.

There was time, for them to do all the things they dreamed of. They'd live together, make lives, fight to protect those they loved. Eventually they'd be there to help Sif too, when her 'Soldier' made his appearance, finally. Until then they'd build their lives, and the Nightingale would sing:

"A thousand years, a thousand more,

A thousand times a million doors to eternity

I may have lived a thousand lives, a thousand times

An endless turning stairway climbs

To a tower of souls

If it takes another thousand years, a thousand wars,

The towers rise to numberless floors in space

I could shed another million tears, a million breaths,

A million names but only one truth to face"

"A million roads, a million fears

A million suns, ten million years of uncertainty

I could speak a million lies, a million songs,

A million rights, a million wrongs in this balance of time

But if there was a single truth, a single light

A single thought, a singular touch of grace

Then following this single point , this single flame,

This single haunted memory of your face"

"I still love you

I still want you

A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves

Like galaxies in my head"

"I may be numberless, I may be innocent

I may know many things, I may be ignorant

Or I could ride with kings who conquer many lands

Or win this world at cards and let it slip my hands

I could be cannon food, destroyed a thousand times

Reborn as fortune's child to judge another's crimes

Or wear this pilgrim's cloak, or be a common thief

I've kept this single faith, I have but one belief"

"I still love you

I still want you

A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves

Like galaxies in my head

On and on the mysteries unwind themselves

Eternities still unsaid

'Til you love me"

---

I don't want to give too much away regarding the next and last set of AUs just yet, but I'll tell you this: we'll be shaking things up. If you've gotten too complacent with Nightingale as you've known her thus far... you'll be surprised. I also hope you'll enjoy those AUs too. And for the one clue I'm leaving you regarding the first in that last set of AUs (and I'd love if you would write and tell me what it makes you think): what if the cancer had killed Nightingale when she was 14?

See ya then!

Please don't forget to like/kudo, review/comment!