a/n: Please enjoy and feel free to review! (I don't own Marvel)

Loki sat in the throne room, disguised as Odin. He had been in this disguise for several months, now. No one had discovered it was him except Odin himself, who he had delivered to a home on Midgard. With Thor and Odin gone, he could do what he wanted. He already had a statue built to him and a play about his heroic sacrifice. It was amusing to watch the people of Asgard mourn him and speak of how great he had been. How naïve they were.

"My king, you have a visitor." Said Skurge, the knew gatekeeper. Loki knew that Heimdall would eventually discover that it was him, so he accused him of treason and banished him. But Heimdall had disappeared. He wasn't sure where, but it did not matter. As long as he did not interfere and Thor did not find out, he felt no need to worry.

"Who?" Loki asked in Odin's voice, boredly twirling Odin's staff.

"They said it's a surprise." Skurge answered. Loki was somewhat intrigued.

"Very well. Send them in." Skurge nodded and left to go get the visitors. Loki sat up straighter on the throne, to appear more kingly. He cleared his throat and waited to see who it was. There were two of them. Loki couldn't see them quite right at first. The eye patch was incredibly annoying! But then, they came into view. He did his best to contain his shock, but it was hard. He thought he would never see her again. Karnilla.

Karnilla knelt before him. She gave him a smile. "Odin. It has been a long time, old friend." Loki resisted the urge to snort. Karnilla hated Odin, though Odin did not know. She had told Loki herself. So, her calling him old friend, was obviously her trying to smooth things over.

"It has been quite a while, Princess Karnilla." Loki greeted slowly. He was trying to figure out why she was here. What motive could she possibly have to show up here.

"Queen, actually." Karnilla corrected him. Another surprise for Loki.

"Queen? Really? Erland and Gunnar..." He trailed off.

"Ah. Erland and Gunnar both passed away to Valhalla." Karnilla was still smiling. "An unfortunate accident." Here, Loki actually snorted. That was unlikely. More than likely she killed them. He wouldn't put it past her. He heard the rumors from Thanos that she had destroyed an entire city for him. She was definitely capable of murder. It wouldn't be that surprising either, given that she hated them both.

Karnilla caught his snort. Did Odin find their deaths amusing? That was odd. He never struck her as someone who would laugh at death, even if he hated the person. Something was definitely off about him. She couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was the loss of his son.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Loki said, feigning sadness.

Karnilla waved it away. "It was a long time ago. I'm past it." Then, to test her earlier theory, she added, "And I'm sorry for your loss. Loki. It's a shame. I remember him as a child."

Loki nodded. "Yes."

"I saw the statue you built of him." Karnilla smirked. "He would've loved that."

"He died bravely. We should honor him." Loki defended himself. He could tell she was making fun of him. And even though he was Odin right now, he didn't like it. Almost like she knew it was him, the way she was looking at him and the way she talked.

"Of course." Karnilla said with a bow. "But, let's get to business. It has been years since the alliance between Nornheim and Asgard was broken. I have come to re-extend the offer of an alliance, if you'll take it."

"You want to re-ally yourself with Asgard?" Karnilla gave a slow, singular nod. "Why?"

"I always thought that the alliance back then was clever. I also thought it was stupid when it was broken off. And what with Jotunheim acting up again, I thought it in the best interest of my people." Karnilla explained. She studied Odin's face carefully, but he betrayed no emotion.

Loki considered her proposal. Unlike her, he knew the minute the alliance was broken why it had been broken. He also knew that now, she would feel no need for the engagement, so there was no worry there. Besides, he was dead. She couldn't get the engagement if she wanted it. But, he also suspected that she might be up to something. Why had she come now? But he wasn't Loki. He was Odin. He was certain that Odin would take the bait. "Alright." He stood up. Karnilla walked closer to his throne. "We can be re-allied."

"Excellent!" Karnilla exclaimed delightedly. "My people will be pleased."

"Will you stay for dinner?" Loki asked. In the old days, they always had dinner together. It's what Odin would offer, he told himself.

"I think we shall." Karnilla said, gesturing to herself and Balder. He had stood faithfully behind her the whole time.

"Then I shall get you a room to get ready in." Loki said. He snapped his fingers and one of the guards came to his side. "Get this woman and..." He eyed Balder carefully. He felt a tiny pinch of jealousy. Then, he got angry at himself. He hadn't thought about Karnilla in years. Why would he feel jealous? He brushed away the feeling. "And her pet to a pair of rooms."

Karnilla grinned. Balder looked mildly offended. "Thank you, old friend." Karnilla winked and turned to follow the guard to the rooms.

Loki froze where he stood. She had winked and called him old friend. Did she already know? Was he that easy to read? No, she couldn't possibly know. He was worrying about nothing. He turned back to his throne, and sat down.

K*K*K

Karnilla wandered the palace. She had spent hours, looking around, asking questions. According to the guards, Odin did nothing but sit on his throne or go outside and watch his plays. So, nothing productive. With some anger, she had found nothing suspicious in the palace. There was only one place she hadn't looked. It was so obvious, she cursed her stupidity for not checking sooner. His bedroom.

She used her powers to open the door. It was a well kept room. Very neat. Very tidy. Nothing under the bed. Nothing hidden in the drawers. She dug around for a while, and came up with nothing. Working hard to fight back her anger, she looked underneath his bed covers. She found some pajamas. They were not his size. She held them up. They were more the size of a young man. Then, she recognized them. They were Loki's.

She put them down, with a smirk. There was no way he fit in these, but he wore them to bed. She remembered one guard telling her that at night, Odin demanded to be left alone. That no one was to enter his chambers until morning. She grinned now. She had found him. Odin was Loki.

Now that she knew his secret, she couldn't stop smirking. Of course he was alive. It was just like him. She sat down on the bed, knowing that he would return to his room moments before dinner. She would confront him, see what he was up to.

K*K*K

Loki walked down the halls quickly, wanting to return to his chambers. Being Odin constantly was exhausting! It was good that he had nights to be himself again. But he had to be careful. He always told the guards not to bother him. As he approached his room, he snapped at the guard not to bother him. Then, he pulled open the door, changing his appearance as he went, and slamming the door behind him. Then he froze. There was someone on his bed.

"Prince Loki." Karnilla smirked at him. "Very clever. They told me you were dead. I'm impressed." She admitted. "You've hidden yourself well." Loki felt he should've known that she would find out. That she would want something from this. "You know, this explains a lot. Like why Odin is doing nothing when Jotunheim starts attacking other realms. I had several suspicions, but never did I see this coming."

"What do you want, Karnilla?" Loki demanded. He was cursing himself internally. How could he let someone find out so easily?

"Want?" Karnilla said. She stood up and picked up something from the ground. She began tossing it in the air. "I don't want anything. How boring is that? I don't want anything." She lied to him.

"Yes you do." Loki said. He wasn't in the mood for her games right now.

"What makes you think that?" Karnilla asked boredly.

"You wouldn't be here unless you wanted something." Loki reasoned. Karnilla chuckled.

"Good point." She admitted.

"So, what do you want?" He asked again.

Karnilla came closer to him. She stood close to him to whisper in his ear. "You know what I want?" She whispered seductively. Loki caught his breath. He should've thought she would want that. His hand twitched near hers.

"No. That's why I'm asking." Loki muttered back.

"I want..." Karnilla leaned closer to him. Loki didn't move, unsure what to do or say. "In." Karnilla finished. She took a step back, grinning at him. "I want in." She repeated, still grinning. She was having so much fun with this.

"You... What?" Loki asked. He had not expected this turn in the conversation. What did she mean, in? What was she talking about?

"I mean, I want in. What else would I mean?" Karnilla said.

"You want in on what?" Loki asked, starting to get annoyed.

"I want in on whatever it is your doing about Jotunheim." Karnilla explained.

"I'm not doing anything about Jotunheim." Loki said, confusedly. Why would he do anything? He literally had been sitting here forever, doing absolutely nothing.

"Well you should be." Karnilla yawned. She sat back down on the bed and lie down. "What makes you think Jotunheim is going to ignore you?"

"I..." Loki trailed off. He wasn't sure, now that he thought of it. Would they dare attack Asgard? They hadn't been acting up until recently. He had been silent for too long.

Karnilla grinned. "Exactly. So, do you have a plan?" She asked, forcing herself back up into a sitting position.

"I don't have a plan." Loki admitted. "Why do you want in on my eventual plan?"

"I'm a queen. I need to think about my kingdom too." Karnilla explained with a yawn.

Loki nodded, though he knew she was lying. She must've had another reason. He would have to find out. Then he sighed. "Fine. I'll let you in. Will you swear not to tell anyone about this?" He gestured to himself.

Karnilla jerked her head slightly with a smirk. "Come on. Would I ever?" She stood up and began to walk past him. "I'll see you at dinner. And I expect to hear your plan soon." She sang the last bit. Then she left with a wink.

"Oh don't worry." Loki allowed himself a grin. He already had a plan developing in his mind. "You will."

K*K*K

Dinner was quiet. They didn't speak much. They had some kind of soup for dinner, which happened to be Loki's favorite. Karnilla enjoyed it as well, but she was not focused on the meal. She was trying to think of what Loki might have planned. She knew him. He wasn't stupid. He would come up with some sort of plan.

Loki watched Karnilla carefully as she took slow spoonfuls of soup. She would be key to his plan. He just hoped that she would think it was a good plan. And that he could trust her. He also was hoping that she, like him, no longer worked for Thanos, because if the rumors were true, she still did.

Karnilla caught Loki staring at her. She smirked and raised her eyebrows. Loki rolled his eyes at his old friend. She was so ridiculous. He couldn't help but notice the change in her. She was still a trickster but now she had more... What was the word? Pep? It was a bit odd, considering what it was rumored she did.

Balder, meanwhile, was watching both of them in confusion. Why were they being so quiet? And why was she playing little eye games with him? He never got the impression that Karnilla particularly liked Odin. Now Odin leaned over to her and whispered something to her. Karnilla grinned her trademark grin and nodded. Odin gave a nod as well, but he looked more tired. What was going on between them?

A pretty young maid came to clear up their mess. "Ah, thank you Sigyn." Loki said to the young girl. She blushed and nodded, before running away. The young maid had caught Loki's eye a while back. He wasn't sure why he had been distracted by her, but he was. She was very pretty, but he hadn't noticed her till now. She was slender and tall, with long blond hair and bright brown eyes. Almost the same shade as Karnilla's... He shook his head to snap himself out of it.

Karnilla noticed the attention Loki gave the young girl. She ignored the little twinge of jealousy she felt, pretending it wasn't there. Instead, she stood up, winked at Loki/Odin, and excused herself. His earlier words echoed in her head. "Meet me here at midnight. We'll talk then."

K*K*K

Loki walked into Odin's chambers, changing into himself as he went. Karnilla was lying on the bed again. "What are you doing? I said meet in the dining area, not here." He protested.

Karnilla examined a nail. "Calm down. I thought it would be easier to meet in here." She boredly said.

"That's beside the point." Loki deadpanned. He had his reasons for not wanting to meet in a bedroom. "How did you even get in here? I lock the door."

"Has it really been that long? I'm a sorcerer too, Loki." Karnilla tapped the side of her head sarcastically. "And if it really bothers you that much, we'll go to the dining area." She said with a roll of her eyes. She grabbed Loki's arm and transported them to the hall. "Is that better?"

Loki gave a nod. "Yes. Now, this plan will depend entirely on you."

"Naturally." Karnilla replied. "But why do you say that?"

"Because I ruined any possible trust between Asgard and Jotunheim." Loki explained. "Now-"

"Hang on. Now I'm curious. How'd you manage that?" Karnilla interrupted.

Loki sighed. "I'll tell you another time. Suffice it to say, I killed their king."

Karnilla smiled and gave a small laugh. "Oh, very good."

"Anyways, any possible trust between us is ruined. But not between Nornheim and Jotunheim. My idea is to have you betray their trust this time. You go in there and make an offer they can't refuse. Once their trust is gained, we wait a few days, before attacking." He waited for her reaction.

Karnilla gave a nod. "Simple. I like it. Now, when we attack, are we wiping them out completely, or just a few to send a message?"

Loki thought on it. "Just a few to send a message should do." Karnilla sighed.

"Oh alright." She shook her head, sounding disappointed. She held out her hand to Loki. "I'm in." Loki stared at it, as though it had teeth. And it did. Trusting Karnilla was a gamble. "What, do you want me to spit on it? Shake it." She instructed. Loki hesitantly grasped her hand and shook it twice. "Excellent. When do we start?"

Loki watched her face closely. She was too similar to himself. It scared him. It was almost certain that she would betray him. But he didn't have time to worry about that now. "We'll leave after breakfast. We'll need to come from some other way then the Bifrost. They'll know we're of Asgard, otherwise. I have a ship we can fly there."

"Alright. Then I'll see you at-" Karnilla's words were cut off by nearby footsteps. She looked back at Loki. He was still Loki. "S***." She whispered. Then, to Loki: "Do you trust me?"

Loki scoffed. "No." Why would she ask a stupid thing like that.

"Good." Karnilla said. She took a quick step closer to him and kissed him hard. Loki was so shocked that he did nothing. This move pushed him behind a pillar so he was hidden from sight. She didn't stop until the guard called out to them.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He asked. Karnilla broke away, breathless.

"Oh sorry!" She gave a breathy chuckle and ran a hand through her hair. "I thought no one was in here."

"Who is that?" The guard asked.

Karnilla gave a wave of her hand. "Oh, no one. He's too drunk to tell me his name." Loki was impressed with how well she was pulling off this lie. She forced a look of concern on her face. "You won't tell anyone, will you? I swear, I'll go to bed right now, like a good little girl." She begged.

The guard thought a moment. "Alright. I won't tell King Odin if you go to bed now and uh, if you don't, uh, kiss any of the other guards." He hesitated before speaking up. "And uh, you back there! Get back to work."

"Yes sir." Loki called out in a disguised voice.

Karnilla feigned a sigh of relief. "I will. Thank you so much." The guard gave a nod and left. Karnilla fave an actual sigh of relief. She turned to Loki. "Well," she grinned, "goodnight." She started to walk away.

Loki grabbed her arm. "What was that?" He asked.

"What do you think it was? It was a distraction." Karnilla replied.

"I think," Loki began, "given our past, it was a little more." He had been hoping that that particular topic wouldn't come up, but here they were. And he didn't want it to happen again. Right?

"Oh, don't flatter yourself. I would've done it if it was Thor." Karnilla said. Then, she began to wipe at her lips. "Although, that does disgust me quite a bit more than it does with you." She admitted, to be fair. Even though it was a lie. Not the Thor part, but the kiss didn't disgust her.

"Is that right?" Loki asked. He wanted to be absolutely sure.

Karnilla sighed and rolled her eyes. "What do you want me to do? Take it back?"

Loki gave a noncommittal jerk of his head. "Kind of, yes."

"Very well." Karnilla said. She took a step back to him and kissed him again. "Have it back." She smirked and walked away before Loki could stop her. "See you tomorrow!" She called back to him.

Loki watched her retreating figure. He scowled in frustration, turning back into Odin. That girl was going to drive him mad before the day was out tomorrow. And it would take more than a day to get to Jotunheim by ship. Loki rubbed his face with the heels of his hands. It was going to be a long trip.

K*K*K

Karnilla wandered the halls, taking the long route back to her chambers. She had consented to spend the night here. As she meandered down the halls, she convinced herself that what she did was purely for a distraction and nothing more. Now, she just needed to convince Loki. She turned the corner and bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" It was the blond girl from dinner. Sigyn, Karnilla thought her name was. Karnilla watched her pick up the laundry she had folded, not bothering to help. To her surprise, she saw pajamas. Loki's pajamas. She knew. Unless she was stupid. The thought made Karnilla angry, for some reason. How could he let her know? She was no one. It would ruin everything. "I'm so sorry, Queen Karnilla."

Karnilla gave a stiff nod. "Maybe you should look up more." She suggested coldly. Sigyn flushed bright pink.

"Yes of course." She murmured before scurrying off. Karnilla walked off again.

When she made it to her room, there was someone sitting on her bed. But it wasn't Loki. It was Balder. "Where have you been?" He asked sternly.

"Thought I'd take a midnight stroll." Karnilla said airily. Then, she smirked. "Why, were you worried about me?"

"Yes. I was." Balder said. "I don't like the way King Odin looks at you. So, I don't think a midnight stroll was wise."

"I don't need your protection." Karnilla sneered.

"I know." Balder said tiredly. "That's why I love you." Karnilla stared at him in shock. He had been waiting years to tell her this.

"Excuse me?" Karnilla asked.

"I said, that's why I love you." Balder replied calmly. "I know you don't want to hear that, but I can't not tell you. I've loved you since your father promised us all those years ago." He stood up. "I understand what I am to you. I just thought you should know." Karnilla was still in shock. Nobody loved her. And she loved nobody. Much less, Balder. He was a nobody. Just her advisor, when she wanted one.

On the other hand, this gave her a chance to prove to Loki and to herself that she felt nothing for him at all. She called out to him. "Balder. Wait." Balder stopped. She took a step towards him and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "Goodnight." She said sweetly, disgusting herself.

"Goodnight." Balder said in a daze. Then, he walked out, smiling to himself. Karnilla shut the door and gaged. She was wrong. She hadn't been disgusted earlier. This was disgust. Wiping at her mouth, she tried to push both men out of her mind.

K*K*K

Loki was in his room, waiting for fresh clothes. From Sigyn. The only one besides Karnilla who knew that he was still alive and that he was here. There was a knock on his door. "Enter." He told her. She opened the door and placed the clothes on his bed. He got the feeling that she was a little scared of him. Not as much anymore. She allowed herself to linger in the room today. He turned to her. Here was a chance to tell Karnilla to back off once and for all. To prove to her and himself that he felt nothing for her. He walked over to the girl and kissed her gently. She was shocked, needless to say. But she didn't protest. Loki broke away quickly, and looked into her eyes. Those brown eyes that reminded him so much of Karnilla's. He shook his head in anger. "Sorry. That was a mistake." He dismissed her.

Sigyn walked out, recognizing her dismissal. Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. How was he to survive these next few days?

a/n: Thanks for reading! So yeah, this chapter focuses a lot on relationships. That's not supposed to be the main focus of the story, so the next chapter will mention it a little but try to move away from it. Until next time~