Bringing a person back to life was no easy feat, as Hela made sure to tell Loki multiple times. She would have to find Natasha's soul, and find an already vacant body to put it in, though Loki was in luck: adults were easier to find. Loki was against that, however, demanding that she simply be put into a babe that had hardly started its life, but even then the goddess of the dead was skeptical. To find an empty vessel, unharmed, with those specificities would take some time, and much work with the fates. Loki simply stared at her, his gaze dark and resolute. Under it Hela nearly quaked, assuring him she would do the best with what she could find. It was on that note that Loki left, his pace swift as he walked through the black halls of the underworld. Even those souls who had not been sent there by him knew to avoid him at all cost, each spirit practically falling over themselves to get out of his way. Just because they were dead did not mean that he could not hurt them further, and the taste for vengeance had not yet left the prince's mouth. He wanted the head of the beast that had done this on a platter, wanted his pound of flesh, and their body rendered limb from limb as they watched him inflict more pain than imaginable on them. And then, when that was done, he wanted to personally escort their soul into the deepest levels of the underworld so he might invent some personal torture for them himself. He cared not what other favors he had to pass out to get it; he wanted his damn revenge.

It would have to wait, however. As he made his way back to Asgard, traversing the same pathways that had once led him from the shining citadel to Midgard, he had the briefest of premonitions of what was waiting for him at the end of the walk. The guard would have been alerted to bring him before the Allfather, and Thor would likely be with them. The blundering idiot; he would get what was coming to him as well for keeping Loki from Natalia, whether through guilt or through physical suffering the blond-haired imbecile would pay. First, he supposed, he had to suffer what consequences the Allfather thought necessary. Loki's teeth gritted together as he approached the end of his journey and, as expected, found a trio of guards and his brother waiting at his bedroom door. None had caught sight of him yet, and how easy would it have been, he thought, to slip through them. But no, it was better to suffer and get whatever humiliations the Allfather deemed necessary out of the way. Then, and only then, would he be left alone to plot his revenge, and scour the earth for his Natalia.

His appearance in front of the group took the guards by surprise, pointing their spears immediately in Loki's direction, but it was Thor who ordered them to lower their weapons.

"Brother . . . tell me you have not done what atrocities you are accused of." His blue eyes were wide, pleading, until they were met with the sight of the blood that still caked Loki's hands, now blackened.

Loki said nothing, though his chin rose in defiance. If that was not proof enough for Thor then he supposed the imbecile was far less intelligent than Loki had ever hoped.

"Why?" Thor asked, stepping forward to take his brother's hands in his own. Loki pulled them from his strong hands.

"Because I loved her, and those swine allowed her to die. And you forced me to stay here." Let him feel the guilt that Loki's heart had been mired in. "Now, I believe the Allfather wishes to see me; that is why you have all been sent, is it not?"

Thor nodded, swallowing hard as he searched his brother's eyes, begging for the slightest tremor of remorse. He found none.

"Then let us not keep him waiting. You know how our father can get." The words were acid in Loki's mouth, and without so much as another word to his brother he stepped towards the throne room where Odin would likely be waiting. The real question was how many others would be there, Loki thought over as Thor trailed behind him, looking more like a hurt pup than a jailor. Loki knew that his rejection stunned and hurt his brother, but he the dark-haired man was not in any sort of position to care. What did it matter to him that Thor's feelings were hurt, when as they were wasting time Loki could have been tracking down those who hurt his Natalia, or even better he could be searching for her. Hela had promised it would take some time, but perhaps fortune would smile on him.

To Loki's surprise the throne room was nearly empty when they appeared; only Frigga and Odin were waiting for their sons. His mother ran up to him, her eyes wide and disbelieving as she looked at her youngest son, searching his face as she raised one hand to cup his cheek.

"My son, what has happened to you? Are you hurt? Why have you not been taken to the healing room?" she asked, demanding an answer now from the guards, and from Thor, who cowered beneath her glare. "You should know better than to parade your brother around like a criminal if he has been hurt!"

"Mother, I am fine," Loki assured her, his voice cool and level. It brought her attention immediately back to him, her brow furrowed as she processed that the blood was not his own.

"Frigga, you have seen that he is well, and now I must ask that you leave this matter to myself and our sons." The Allfather had stood from his throne, his one eye trained on Loki. The gaze would have left any other Aesir trembling, but Loki's resolution was strong. It was wise of Odin to send Frigga away and keep it between the men of the family, he realized, as the king did not trust Loki not to try and poison any others against the Allfather's ruling. The man knew all too well of his son's ability to sweet talk his way out of nearly any problem, and the influence on any who would be listening in would be too great to ignore if Loki was given a full audience.

The corners of Loki's lips twisted up into a cruel smile. 'Well played, father.'

But Frigga wasn't leaving without a fight. "I demand to know why you have brought him here? Loki, what happened? Were you attacked?"

"Tell her, Loki." Thor said, his own voice hardening. "We all wish to hear what happened from your mouth-."

"Frigga, leave." Odin's voice rose above his eldest son's and rang with such finality that none other dared to speak a word against it. Instead Frigga's eyes, resentful and furious at her husband's decision, stood on her toes to kiss Loki on the cheek before allowing herself to be escorted out of the throne room. The guards left with her, and the resounding boom of the door shutting behind them was enough to send goosebumps up Loki's spine.

The two brothers were beckoned to stand in front of the throne, Thor standing alongside his brother, as the old man in front of them stared the pair down for some time.

"Loki, I trust you understand why you have been brought here before your brother and I."

"Oh, am I in front of the future king of Asgard, as well? Allow me to remove myself as his equal, then." Loki bit, stepping backwards from the red and silver figure at his shoulder. Thor's expression was hurt but Loki continued on. "Please, go stand up next to father. It's where you belong, Thor."

"Enough, Loki." Odin's voice was resolute. "And answer my question or I'll bind your magic to you and force you to the truth."

Loki gritted his teeth together. "Yes. I know why I am here. I slaughtered a village." There was no sense in denying it.

"Why?" It was Thor who spoke, though he had already been given an answer. Loki's expression turned disbelieving. Was he so thick that he did not remember?

"I told you once brother, but for our father's sake I will repeat it: the woman I loved was murdered, in her bed, and allowed to rot there like a pig who had just been slaughtered. She was robbed, and raped I suspected based on the amount of blood that not only had pooled around her chest but stained the bed around her hips. I exacted my revenge on the townspeople for doing nothing to aid her or to take care of the body. Though I had made my presence known on more than one occasion as her companion none stopped to tell me what had happened. I was not about to let her memory be insulted by such actions."

"How long have you been with this mortal?" Odin asked, his face as blank as ever, though Loki could detect the slightest sliver of irritation in his voice. Good, Loki wanted him angry.

"Long enough to know that I loved her."

"You do realize that there are laws set in place that forbid humans be taken as consorts."

"Yes, I do. I however was not aware that only the eldest son of the king was allowed to break rules forbidding others from meddling within the mortal lives, nor that taking trips to Midgard were only allowed so long as one was born first. I shall have to consult the laws once more, Odin king."

"Loki-."

"No, Thor. Answer me this: why are you congratulated for being a hero if you broke laws to even get to Midgard? There was nothing but your pride and vanity that led us to Midgard in the first place; the only reason any good was done was due to the frost giant being found. Had that not been the case, would you still be punished?" He asked, his face turning livid as he called his brother out. He turned his fury to Odin. "When was the last time THOR was punished for his transgressions and rule breaking? And you, father. How many mortals have you brought to your bed whilst on Midgard?" He demanded. "How many battles have you began with a thrust of Gungnir? Why is it Loki Odinson who is left to be blamed and scolded for his actions when those of my predecessors have not set a standard befitting the kings of Asgard?"

"Because it is neither Thor nor myself who decimated an entire village on behalf of one human whore."

Loki snarled his fury, spear suddenly in hand when Thor pulled him back. "Brother, think now," Thor hissed.

"Do not call her such things!" Loki yelled, ignoring the surprisingly wise words coming from Thor. Thinking and words be damned-he wanted to hurt someone. Preferably Odin. Yet it was Thor, the thunderer, that held him back, restrained him from unleashing just what fury Loki could possess. They thought him weak when it came to fighting? He would show them how strong a sorcerer could be.

But it didn't come to that. The sorcerer was instead sentenced there and then to a crime he found far worse than what he'd imagined. When Thor had committed a crime that even the Allfather could not overlook he was locked in the dungeons for a few weeks, then released as if nothing had changed. The same fate could not have been given to Loki, of course, because as the Allfather had explained "a precedent had to be set."

That evening he was dragged down to the dungeons where no one could hear his shouted protests. His wrists were clapped in dwarven steel manacles, as were his legs, cementing him to the chair. A strong guard held his head straight as an older woman came forward with a sewing needle and a spool of golden thread that glinted as if it were on fire.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, voice rising in his fear.

"Locking up your tongue," the woman murmured as she began to thread the needle, one eye closed and the other focused hard on the thread in her hand. Loki thrashed, trying to break out, but the iron was cutting into his wrists and draining him of his energy. It must have been transfused with a spell, because by the time the woman was ready his body had nearly gone limp. At least for that moment it had. She sat just in front of him, cold, wrinkled fingers prodding at his lips as she pressed them hard together. Loki whimpered, but didn't truly start screaming until the needle pierced his skin and pressed through his lower and bottom lip with one swift push.

The work was not long to the woman's credit, though Loki's face was tear stained and his whole body was shaking from the adrenaline still pumping through his veins. For some time he was left there, a sobbing wreck, as the guard and old woman disappearing to likely inform Odin what had been done. The manacles had bitten so deeply into his skin that he had started to bleed, and he'd not stopped thrashing enough to give them time to heal, leaving them to slowly bleed down his wrists, ankles only protected by his high boots. While he sat there, shoulders hunched and head bowed, he thought of Natalia's smile, her laugh, the way her eyes danced when he told her of the glories and wonders of Asgard, singing the praises of his family as though he were a trained song bird. And he was. When the glamor and the magic faded all this place came out to be was a sort of prison, a cage that one could only escape if they were the highest born in the land. Not even a prince of Asgard has the right to what he wanted unless he was THE prince of Asgard. So his thoughts turned to revenge; revenge upon Odin, upon Thor, upon the whole, bloody shining citadel.

If there was one thing Loki knew how to do best it was mischief and revenge.

His lips had remained sewn together for three months, during which he spent most of his time exiled to his room, always plotting and scheming. He was dehydrated and starving by the end of the first month, and Frigga did her best to reason with Odin. The Allfather would hear nothing of the sort, instructing the healers instead to do their best to keep him alive. Loki refused the treatment up, not wanting any help of the Allfather's. Only when his own magic began to wane did he accept any sort of assistance. That was all part of the lesson of course. Humility. Learning how to ask for help, and how to accept it, and his initial refusal was granted with another month added onto his sentence.

All the while he kept his eye out for Natalia. He caught sight of her while scrying one night, and would have cried out in his joy if he could have. He made to leave that evening; use of his lips or not, the least he could do was at least go out and see her, protect her as best he could. He'd hardly made it to Midgard using the old pathways when his body collapsed, exhausted and weak from weeks of not eating; the magic had destroyed what little strength he had saved up. It was Thor who found him there, in the small alley in a country called Ireland, and luckily for Loki as the next day the city he'd traveled to was sieged.

Natalia was killed in the fight.

He wept openly at the news, Frigga holding him tight against her as she stroked his hair. He'd tried pushing her away, but his body was still too weak and was beginning to betray him. If this was what the Allfather had wanted, his son broken and weak, well, he'd gotten it.

Three more times he managed to track down Natalia, though each time he never got more than a glimpse of her, or a whisper of her name sent to him likely from Hela with a hint towards her location. But he never seemed to get there in time, either held up by some asinine request of Thor's that kept him busy for some hours, after which she had disappeared, or else he could practically feel the Allfather's gaze on him, checking that his youngest was not leaving again. Loki gritted his teeth and snarled his fury at that. He wanted to babysit Loki? Fine. Then he wasn't about to make it easy. He learned how to cloak himself, how to protect his actions from the meddling eyes of the Allfather and Heimdall. He got so good at it that he learned how to sneak up on the gatekeeper, how to hide from Huginn and Muninn, and most of all he got better at lying until he could say, with the most innocent of faces, that no, he hadn't gone to Midgard for most of that day. He adapted, he grew,. he got stronger and the fight within him grew. The skirmish had ended the moment Odin ordered him to stay on Asgard to the detriment of Natalia; now the war began.

The day of Thor's coronation dawned bright, and all previous trespasses seemed to be forgotten for that one day. The scars on Loki's lips and wrists had healed, and he'd put on a good face when he met with his brother in the back room.

"Never doubt that I love you," he told Thor, smiling as Thor reached out to rest his hand on the back of Loki's helmet. It had gotten easier and easier to fake them as the days had led up to this one, and beneath his grin Thor's face seemed to lose its nerves. Somewhere in the back of Loki's mind he registered what he said as the truth, but after all weren't the greatest lies always based in some sort of honesty? The great irony of it all, he supposed.

Loki left Thor to mull over his own thoughts while the green-clad prince wound his way through the many passageways of the throne room, all built to allow the kings some privacy before meeting with the crowds. They worked just as well for Loki as they did for the rulers of old, allowing him time and space to check on the opened passageway he'd left, allowing a small group of Jotuns safe passage into Asgard. They were making decent time, despite being so wary of their surroundings, and he was surprised to see that one of them was quite small. A runt by their standards. His fists clenched at his sides before he waved the image away. No matter; they'd all be dead before long. Loki was counting on the Destroyer to see to that.

It had gone nearly to plan; the Jotuns having shown up at the last possible moment had made Loki nervous, but when the Allfather had slammed the base of Gungnir into the floor Loki took off with his brother to investigate. What they saw was a surprise to the blond man, but Loki was smiling inwardly while to all others his face remained blank. Good, the Destroyer had done what it was supposed to. Nearly. A sniffle and quiet sob sounded from the corner of the room that neither Thor or Odin seemed to pick up. It was left to Loki to investigate, and what he found was a young woman with shocking red hair and bright blue eyes staring up at him. Her small body was trembling and he felt his heart drop when she opened her lips to beg him not to hurt her. How had she avoided the Destroyer? Or the Jotuns? And could it really be?

"You're safe," he murmured, dropping to his knees beside her as he extended a hand to her upper arm. She shied away from his touch at first, blue eyes unsure as she stared at him.

"W-who are you?"

"Prince Loki Odinson," he murmured. How had she even gotten here? He asked her as much when she'd stopped hiccuping, though her voice was so soft he had to lean forward slightly to hear her over his brother and father's shouting match.

"All is well? They broke into the weapons vault! If the frost giants had stolen even one of these relics-."

"I got lost-I was looking for the coronation and I've never been here before," she whimpered. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you my prince. Please forgive me." She bowed her head. He tipped it upwards.

"I have a truce with King Laufey."

"He just broke your truce!"

"There is nothing to forgive, my lady. You are terrified and it is understandable; you have just avoided a group of monsters. Come, allow me to escort you to the healing room. They will wish to ensure you are in good health and have not been hurt." He offered her his hand, and she slipped her tiny, pale one into it. She felt surprisingly cool to the touch, likely due to the frost that had settled in on the ground around them.

"What is your name, my lady?"

"Natascha, my prince."

His heart nearly jumped through his chest.

He was terrified to leave her at all, even when Thor called on him to help on their adventure to Jotunheim. He'd nearly ripped his brother's head off at the suggestion, but to do so or act too strangely would only draw attention to them. So he played it off, told Thor that he needed to check on their guest's health before he could follow them, saying that he needed at least ten minutes. Though Thor was loath to give his brother the time, he agreed and disappeared back off towards the Warriors Three and Sif, all of which had also been recruited. 'Just like old times,' thought Loki before he made his way back into the healing room. Natascha was quiet as the medics worked on her, testing to make sure that she was not very much hurt. She had a few scrapes and bruises but nothing too serious. They all seemed to agree that she was lucky enough to not have died from being in such close proximity to the monsters; none of the guards had been so lucky, but Loki didn't want to hear that right then. He took her hands in his once he got close enough and pressed his lips to her knuckles.

"Will you wait for me to return then have dinner with me? I wish to get to know you further."

She looked taken aback by his forwardness, and for one heart-breaking moment Loki was forced to remind himself that she had no idea who he was, what they had done, or how she had felt for him those decades ago.

"If it would please you, my prince, then I would be more than happy to."

His face split into the first real grin he'd had for ages, joy seeping bone-deep. "It would please me very much, my lady. Thank you."

He hoped he could trust her to be safe in the hands of the healers. If not, well, once more there would be hell to pay.

But the trip to Jotunheim had not gone as they'd planned. Laufey had been wary of their tricks and when Fandral had gotten hurt they'd had no choice but to retreat. Not that Loki's mind was on the wounded warrior. One of the Jotuns had grabbed his arm and Loki's throat had nearly closed in his surprise and fear, terrified and waiting for his body to reject the cold of the Jotun's skin except instead of withering it adapted. Under the Jotun's hand his skin began to turn a pale blue, leaving both of them stunned as they watched it travel up his arm. He'd taken advantage of the Jotun's stunned look to plunge his dagger into the man's blue flesh, then turned to watch it shift back to its normal pink hue.

Now, walking back to his room, he could still feel the cold biting into his skin and could still see the blue creeping past his arm, infecting his flesh. Loki trembled.

To make matters worse now Thor was banished. Any other time Loki would have rejoiced but, as much as he hated to say it, he wanted his brother then more than ever, wanted the stability of his brother's idiocy and the ability to fall back on his brother in times of trouble. Particularly when Loki was in trouble. His mind was so full of thoughts of blue skin, and frost giants, and a banished brother that he was taken aback when he saw Natascha in his room, staring expectantly up at him from the bed.

"You told me you wanted to see me later, so I just let myself in and waited here," she murmured, rising to curtsey. He waved it away, forcing himself to smile.

"That's very nice of you, Natascha but I'm not really in any mood to entertain-."

"What's wrong?" she asked, frowning as she moved to stand closer to him. He shied away from her touch. He was a . . . well, he didn't know what he was right then and there, but it wasn't good, and he didn't want to think about the possibilities of hurting her. Not now that he'd just gotten her back. She studied his face with a look he'd only ever seen in his mirror, and before he could fully register what she was doing she put her hand on his forearm. She smiled and before his eyes he watched her skin turn blue until she was the same hue as the small frost giant he'd allowed into Asgard.

She'd lied to him. She'd tricked him. And as she touched him, his skin began to change, too, until he was as blue as she was.

The shock he'd felt before was nothing in comparison to what he felt now, but though he didn't pull away from her he still gaped. How was this even possible?

"I heard of what happened when you when to Jotunheim, and based on your expression I assumed you had discovered it." Natascha said, voice quiet. She pulled away from him, her skin changing back to normal, and his followed suit.

"How did you even know-."

"Laufey knew that his son was stolen by Odin, your king, when they reclaimed the casket. I was sent along with the other men to find out who it was, and he had told me of his suspicions that it might have been you. Not many can wield magic as you can; it is not a strictly Aesir trait."

Didn't Loki know it. How many times had he been laughed at and tormented as a child for being a sorcerer, not a warrior? How often had Odin told him to put his spell books down and learn how to fight with a weapon, not just his words and his spells? Warriors went to Valhalla, the king had reminded him time and time again, blue eye staring him down. Thor had insisted that the Allfather was simply trying to help, but Loki had always known, though it was in the farthest reaches of his mind, that he was different. Now it all made sense. All those years Odin had simply been trying to avoid the truth of his actions that . . . that Loki was.

No.

He swallowed hard and felt his breathing grow shallow. Natascha moved closer, trying to envelop him in her arms. He let her, let her hold his trembling body as he tried to process it all.

"You need to talk with Odin," she murmured in his ear, and Loki nodded. Yes, he did. As much as he despised Odin at that moment he needed to speak with him. And what better way to get his attention then head down to the weapon's vault? It was that that Odin seemed to treasure most, aside from Thor of course.

"Loki just tell me what happened." Natascha's voice was pleading as she watched him pace back and forth, back and forth as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. It all seemed a blur though he could remember their conversation very clear. Laufeyson. He'd come back here after having seen Odin to the Healing Room and learning that his father-No, Odin. He had never been his father-had fallen into the Odinsleep. Frigga had been at the pair's side within the moment, alerted by the guards of what had happened to the king, and Loki had held the distraut queen as they'd walked back to Odin's chambers. There, still in a daze from seeing the old man looking so weak and vulnerable for the first time, he'd been presented with Gungnir. He was king. These were the facts, yet they hardly seemed to matter.

"You're my son. I wanted only to protect you."

"The King-Odin-he's fallen into the Odinsleep," he murmured to the confused Natascha, whose eyes had gone wide. For her own safety she'd stayed in her Aesir skin, something he'd have to ask her about. He'd heard before of the Jotun's learning how to cast illusions, but hers must have been incredibly powerful to remain in that state for so long. Then again, so was his.

"Why, because I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night?"

"Oh. So, you are king now then?"

"Yes." King Loki. My King, that was what Frigga had called him after she'd calmed down, and had insisted that this transition be kept as smooth as possible for the sake of the realm. She was so strong, Loki realized, stronger than any of the others. Stronger even than Thor, though he must have gotten some of his strength from his mother. His mother. Again Loki felt his heart strings being pulled, and he stopped beside his desk to clench the hard wood of the desk.

"It all makes sense now why you favored Thor all these years because no matter how much you claimed to love me you couldn't have a frost giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!"

And yet there he was. King Loki Laufeyson, ruler of Asgard. The shining citadel was his. Natascha's mind seemed to be on the same track, though he could hardly make out what she was saying. Something about a stronger truce with Laufey.

"He is your father, after all."

My father. Loki licked his lips, eyes searching out hers. "Could you arrange such a meeting, if I were to bring you back to Jotunheim?" Would the king even want to see his son, or be interested in such a pact? It would certainly improve relations between the two worlds, and that was what the realm sorely needed. Natascha's lips spread wide and nodded.

"Yes, I can do that, my king." She murmured, rising to stand in front of him. He felt his heart leap into his throat and he shook his head.

"Do not call me that. I did not wish for this crown, nor do I like its weight on my shoulders," he murmured. He'd never been after the throne. No, he'd simply wanted peace. Solitude. And Natasha. He smiled at her and brought his lips to her forehead. Instead, she raised herself on her toes to press her lips to his, taking him by surprise as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He responded with fervor, holding her close to him, and for the briefest of moments she stopped. Fearing he'd offended her he pulled away.

"What is wrong?"

"Have we . . . I get the strangest feeling that I, but no that's not quite it. It is almost as if. . . but that's surely impossible. I've never met you before in my life." She was rambling, her expression confused as she dragged one hand slowly down his cheek, blue eyes confused.

He kissed her again, holding her even tighter. Even if she never remembered, as Hela had predicted she wouldn't, this sort of deja vu, he supposed it could be called, was better than nothing. He was grinning when he finally pulled away, lips swollen and eyes bright.

"Don't worry. I feel the same," he promised, his forehead pressed against hers. A soft hum of contentment left her lips as she smiled and relaxed in his hold, neither wanting to move before they absolutely had to.

For some time things were happy, and Loki woke many days to find a smile on his face and Natascha in his arms. They spent most days together, wasting time as she taught him how to gain control over his Jotun powers over ice both in and out of his true form. It was surprisingly difficult work, though he set to it like a madman, always wanting to show her just how accomplished he could be. Vanity would be his downfall, after all, though she never seemed to mind that he enjoyed showing off. If anything she encouraged it, eyebrows rising playfully as she wondered aloud whether or not he could do something (and he always did.) He did his best to split his time between the throne and Natascha, but the latter always ended up winning out.

As he'd asked, she was able to get him a meeting with Laufey, and a few days past that the pair of them made it to Jotunheim. Laufey king was an imposing sight as he sat on his throne, eyeing the pair of them. Natascha's skin changed blue as she dropped to her knees to pay him the respect due, while Loki simply bowed his head.

"Perhaps letting the Allfather take you was not a poor decision after all," said the Jotun king as way of greeting. Loki's smile hardened.

"I do aim to please, Laufey. I have a proposition for you now."

"I will hear you."

Oh, good of him to say so. "I will conceal you, and a handful of your soldiers, and you can slay the Allfather where he lies. After that, I only ask for an iron-clad peace treaty between Jotunheim and Asgard."

"Why not kill him yourself?" the Jotun king asked, leaning back in his seat as he stared down at his diminutive son, his expression almost bored. "You are in position to, and surely the glory should go to you for masterminding this operation."

"If I wish to keep ruling Asgard, I cannot simply kill who they assume to be my father, can I?" It would forever remain a mystery, he supposed, as to where he'd gained his intelligence if his father was so dim witted. It was the very basis of politics that one did not murder that who came before unless one intended on usurping the throne. Loki very much did not want his people to see him as such; it would get him mutinied before he could blink; the Asgardians had very strict rules about honor, after all. "Besides, with Odin out of the way and a treaty between the two of our realms I can offer you so much more."

The king sat forward on his seat, red eyes taking Loki in as though for the first time.

"I can offer you the Casket of Ancient Winters."

There was a pause, filled by the howling wind and the rustling of the king's foot soldiers as they stared up at their king. Loki was smiling, Natascha had hardly moved from her kneeling position, and Laufey's face was stoic.

Then. "I accept."

Plans were made, and after the next twenty-four hours the Allfather would be dead, Loki permanently on the throne, and Asgard and Jotun would be allied by Laufey and his true son. What was more Loki admitted to the king to having convinced Thor never to return. His father grinned at that, pleased at the exile of the "golden brat."

"Though I'd have liked to kill him myself, too."

"Perhaps you will get the chance." Though Loki doubted it.

The king's gaze turned to the small Jotun at Loki's side, complimenting her on a job well done. Only then did she raise her head, her face practically glowing in her pride, as she thanked him. "I do my best to be of use where I can, Laufey king."

"And you have done magnificently, Natascha."

They took their leave soon after that, neither wishing to garner attention by Loki's prolonged absence, and with one final look back at his father Loki and Natasha made their way back to the Bifrost site. If only the plan could have been that easy.

"What are you thinking of my king?" Natascha asked, running her fingers through Loki's black hair. The coolness of her skin was a comfort to the heat that resided from their lovemaking, and he smiled as his eyes caught hers.

"Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

He laughed, never having been accused of that before. It was a strange sentiment to hear leave her lips, stranger when he looked into her face and saw red eyes staring back at him. They were kind, however, and filled with-was it love? He did not know how to classify it, only that he wanted more. He tilted his head upwards to capture her lips with his own, cupping the side of her face with his hand.

"That I want this to never end," he murmured against her lips when he finally pulled away. "That I love you."

Her breath hitched in her throat, and when he looked her in the face he was happy to see that she was smiling. She pressed her cold lips to his forehead, murmuring that she loved him as well before relaxing at his side. One of his arms, now blue in her hold, wrapped around her waist to pull her body to his. It all seemed too good to last, and yet . . . and yet he could only pray that it did.

Heimdall had been frozen solid, the Destroyer sent to kill Thor and the Warriors Three for interfering, and the Frost Giants had made it into Asgard. Laufey was gloating all the while they strode down the rainbow bridge, claiming how he would have liked to "redecorate" the golden citadel to usher in the age of a new king. Natascha smiled up at him, eager to listen and to please when she could, but Loki remained silent. Laufey could say what he wished, but this was his . . . well, it had been his home for as long as he had ever known. As gaudy and excessive as it was Loki loved in its own way, and so he kept his mouth shut. The plan had to go off without a hitch, didn't it?

Loki was absent as Laufey made his way into the royal chamber after two of his personal guards went ahead to take care of Frigga; two of his men went to take the casket. The guards had been warned not to harm her, though Loki knew she would put up a fight, and Laufey had rolled his eyes at his son's request but agreed. Frigga was not his concern, anyway.

From in front of the closed doors Loki listened, heard Laufey crow to the sleeping man

"It's said you can still see and hear what transpires around you."

Something inside Loki's chest twisted, and he kissed the top of Natascha's head and ordered her to stay there. She looked up in confusion but nodded. She could do that, she supposed, though the question of what he was about to do stayed on her lips. It wasn't her place to ask, not at that moment, so she instead turned her gaze to watch. All other Asgardians had been forced to leave the palace, so it was not as though they were about to be interrupted.

The doors burst open and Loki found Laufey about to slice Odin's throat open, an ice dagger held tight in the man's blue hand. Summoning Gungnir, the king of Asgard pointed it at his father and shot a beam of light at the giant, sending him toppling to the floor, flipping over the headboard to look at his son. His red eyes bled betrayal as he formed his lips to speak. Whatever those last words might have been Loki would never know as a moment later the giant was obliterated, disintegrated into dust.

A cry of betrayal and anger came from behind him, taking the king off guard as he whipped around to stare. Natascha's eyes were wide, horrified at what had happened, and just behind her stood one of the guards that had been sent to reclaim the casket. The blue box had been set down to one side as the man's red eyes took in the situation. Before Loki could order them to stop a snarl of anger left the giant's throat as his arm became encased in ice and it was plunged into Natascha's unguarded back.

She screamed, or maybe that was Loki, and the light left the small Jotun's eyes almost instantly as her body slumped to the ground.

"Traitor!" the Jotun yelled. "You seek to kill your own father-you dishonor your own people by this betrayal!" His large hands picked up the now forgotten casket and pointed it at Loki. The king hardly seemed to realize what was happening, his eyes blank as they stared at Natascha's limp body. The blast of ice he expected never came, as there was another shout from behind the Jotun before the familiar clang of Mjolnir rang in Loki's ears. He hardly noticed, his feet taking him instead to where Natascha's blue body laid, pulling her into his arms before Thor could reach either of them.

"Loki-what are you doing?" He snarled, fury rising through the blond man's voice. "Face me."

No. How could he ever face anything? He'd just seen his love murdered-again-and did nothing to help her-again. His heart sank, and as he turned on his brother he found Thor comforting Frigga, explaining how Loki set the Destroyer on Thor and the Warriors Three. Frigga's eyes were wide and terrified as she looked at her son-no, at Loki. She was not his mother, and the sooner he came to terms with that the easier it would be. Loki's eyes narrowed and the moment that Thor began to cross over towards him he aimed Gungnir at the man he'd once called brother and blasted him out of the room.

Odin slept through this all.

On horseback Loki made it to the Bifrost in what felt like no time, the staff still at his side, and when he stepped into the golden chamber and struck the base of the mechanism with Gungnir it sprang to life underneath him. The power surged through the golden room, filling it with a strange light as the sound of the machine whirring filled his ears.

"The Jotuns must learn to fear me just as they feared you."

"That's pride and vanity talking, not leadership-you've forgotten everything I've taught you-about a warrior's patience."

"While you sit and wait the nine realms laugh at us! You would stand giving speeches while Asgard falls!"

"You are a vain, greedy, cruel boy!"

Yes, he was. But his vengeance would be swift, absolute. Those monsters had taken from from him what was his, and once more those who had stood by and done nothing would pay the price for those who had been foolish enough to take his love from him. The branches of Yggdrasil stood out, ice-white, against the now dark gold of the room, and the Bifrost's power kept building and building, tearing into the harsh exterior of the realm, ripping Jotunheim to shreds. Not that he cared. When had those people done anything but bring him pain and suffering?

Thor came to stop him moments later, glaring at Loki. "How dare you lie to our mother that way?" He demanded. "Loki you must stop this madness."

"Why?" Loki's voice was a growl as he whirled around to face the angered thunderer. What did he know about madness? "What is this new found love for those monsters?" He stepped down from his pedestal to stand before his brother. The Bifrost seemed stable enough, and he summoned his staff to him once more, pointing it at Thor. "You, who would have killed them all with your bare hands."

"I've changed."

"So have I." In more ways than he knew. He struck Thor with his staff, watching as it cut his cheek. "Now get out of here and let me finish. You know not what you interrupt." He had been robbed of his vengeance before when the Allfather had ordered him to stay on Asgard rather than track down the fiends that had murdered Natascha before. He would not be slighted by fate again.

"I will not let you do this, brother!"

"I'm not your brother-I never was."

"Loki, this is madness."

"Is it?" He was hardly aware that he was hissing the words now, his body trembling as he moved closer to his brother. Thor, to his credit, didn't back off, though Loki could see in his eyes that he was worried for what Loki had become. For what had happened to the trickster that the blond had once known. "Is it?" he demanded again. "They deserve it-they killed that which I love, and I will destroy them all for their sins."

"You can't kill an entire race."

"Why not? Have you some new found love for the frost giants?" His lips spread into a grin, maddened by the paralleled situations. What had happened on Midgard to change him so? The Thor he knew would have joined in-Hel, he would have gone to the planet himself to dispose of the beasts himself.

Loki and Natascha included if he ever found out what they were.

"I've changed." Thor's voice was solid as he replied, his blue eyes even bluer in the strange light.

"So have I." Loki pushed his brother back. "Now leave. Go back to your mother and pretend you did not see what the king of Asgard is doing. It will not be long now before Jotunheim is nothing but a husk of a world, once home to a disgusting race of monsters."

"I cannot let you do this, brother!" Thor would not be swayed, stepping closer to bring his hands to his brother's shoulders. Loki ripped away from them, slugging his brother in the stomach. It made the god double over, his blue eyes shocked. Never outside the training room had Loki struck him before as he had done that day.

"Leave!"

"No!" With a cry Thor threw himself at his brother, Mjolnir aloft and ready to crash into Loki's head, before the sorcerer's staff came up to block it. While Thor had the advantage of brute strength he lacked range and the speed that Loki had in spades, yet they knew each other's tricks. The fight spilled backwards onto the rainbow bridge, neither brother willing to relent, and Loki all the while screaming at his brother that he had to do this. He had to avenge her, to get back at the Jotuns for what they had done. Thor didn't understand-couldn't understand. What had he ever lost, after all? When had the golden boy of Asgard ever suffered the crippling reality of losing that which he loved? Never.

Their fight spilled out onto the bridge where Thor struck Loki down. The black-haired man hung from the edge of the rainbow bridge, crying out for Thor to help him. The blond looked down at his adopted brother, and Loki saw the decision play through his brother's eyes. The Bifrost was still destroying Jotunheim, but the bridge was beginning to crack from the weight of the beam. If Loki calculated it just right . . .

He let go of the bridge moments before Thor could reach out to him, feeling himself drop further and further until the water that was just beneath the bridge crashed around him. Thor's scream echoed in his ears before the water drowned it out. He allowed the water to carry him to the end of the Bifrost, which was beginning to fall as the bridge finally gave way under what looked like Thor's hammer. A black hole opened up, and as Loki came to the end, to the falls, the last thing he saw was the black hole that had become his destination.

Then nothing but the inky blackness of the cosmos and Natascha's voice in his ears.

A/N: These characters are not mine, they belong to Marvel. Thank you all so, so much for those absolutely amazing comments and reviews-they are the sweetest, and they really helped me get my butt in gear when it came to writing this. Thanks again!