Chapter 7

Warning! Contains information from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Loki didn't want to risk having the boat recognized so he went through a portal he found on the other side of the planet. It took four days to get there, but it was well worth it. The portal took him to a planet he had gone to many secretly many times in his youth. It was an isolated planet beyond the dark. It was a light filled place with jungles and rivers and beauty.

"What in Hel's name is this place?" Aadya asked him.

"It is a planet that was created by a celestial." Loki replied boredly.

"And a celestial is….?"

"A celestial is a very powerful and immortal being." Loki said signaling the end of the conversation.

"It's nice…will we be found?" Aadya asked.

"No we will not be found it is beyond anyone's reach." Loki said through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed by her mistrust in him. I mean Hel, a little faith would be nice. Of course he didn't exactly trust her, so maybe he could forgive her. Wait…What!? He didn't forgive he took revenge on those like her. Keep it together Loki; if she annoys you again, slit her throat.

"HEY!" Aadya shouted.

"What!" Loki asked suddenly coming back from his abstract thoughts.

"You spaced out there for a minute." Aadya told him.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize you cared so much about me." Loki said with a smirk slipping his mask easily back into place.

They got settled in to the glorious palace that sat atop an over-look. They had connecting rooms. This was uncomfortable to Aadya, but to Loki it wasn't a surprised at all. The palace seemed to have a mind of its own and Loki was quite used to the strangeness of it.

Loki looked out from his balcony at the splendor. He was acquainted with Ego, and was welcome. He knew of Ego's secret plots and while he didn't help Ego, Loki said he would not hinder as long as this place could be a safe haven when he needed it.

The next morning Aadya woke with a start from a dream that had kept her in a fitful sleep. She walked into the bath-room and washed her face. Aadya looked into the mirror and stared at her face—more like her eyes—for what seemed like hours. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul; they also say that a soul has some light in it, but all she saw was never ending darkness.

Oddly enough Loki was thinking the exact same thing about himself. Staring in the mirror and wondering how he could possibly be in this situation. He was a bastard, abandoned prince who had escaped from prison along with a mysterious—what he only assumed to be an assassin—pretty…uh petty girl. Loki decided to go and check on the girl only to make sure she was still asleep, and then to see if his "Old friend" was around.

Aadya decided it would be best if she made herself presentable and then go see if what questions Loki would avoid answering today. She stood under the hot water; she was already clean, but she needed this small moment to herself. As she dressed she thought of the past two weeks and how she had gotten into this mess. She was with the disgraced liar prince and on a planet that made no sense as to its existence. Loki peered into Aadya's room and heard the water running in the washing room, so he backed away and went to wander around the palace.

Loki went to the observatory; he had always liked this room the best, and though he would never express this sentiment aloud; his face in this moment alone expressed his wonder. Loki looked over to Asgard and felt a slight pang in his chest as he gazed at his former home.

Aadya wandered around the palace half looking for Loki and half snooping. She came across a room full she could only assume to be an indoor jungle. As far as she could tell the room spanned almost a mile in all directions. The vines, flowers, and grass would be impressive in itself but the most amazing thing was the lake that existed within the room complete with a waterfall winding throughout the room. Everything seemed surreal and impossible seeming to become translucent as it stretched out over a mile. There were benches carved into the towering trees that grew next to the lake. She decided that since she would probably never find Loki without a map she sat by the lake and watched the exotic fish that swam without a care.

Loki could sit and watch the stars forever if given the opportunity. He loved the colors, the cold, the never ending space, and the possibilities that existed within endless light in darkness. What neither Loki nor Aadya realized is that they were sitting right next to each other. Even though they were the only beings on the entire planet and the planet was immense; the palace itself was made up of interlacing dimensions. So the separate rooms that Loki and Aadya thought they were in were actually one connected large room. Loki didn't even know about this, and as he claimed was extremely intelligent. Ego was a Celestial he could break the laws of the universe—of course there is always a price when doing so—if he so wished.

Aadya sat there for an hour, and Loki sat in the observatory for two hours. Finally, though, he arose and went to track the girl down. Aadya almost fell asleep while sitting in the serene place, but was interrupted when the sultry and smirk induced voice of the liar resounded next to her ear.

"So you do have a warm side." Loki told her after slipping in.

"I do not and don't sneak around I am liable to kill you." Aadya told him

"It would be an accident; I wouldn't hold that against you." Loki said

"Of course it would look like an accident." Aadya Said with a slight smile on her face that never reached her eyes.

Loki made a gesture with his hand so that she would move over giving him enough room to sit down next to her. She found this annoying because there was a bench directly across from her.

"It is beautiful here." Loki said suddenly

"Yes it is, though it seems rather impossible." Aayda replied

"Not if you understand the way this planet works." Loki retorted

"Hmph."

"You are rather annoying and surprising." Loki told her

"Now there's a combination I've never heard." Aadya responded

"Do you have an on/off switch for talking?" Loki asked her

"No." Aadya said matter-of-factly

"Well than we will have to do something about that." Said Loki

"Really and what did you have in mind?" Aayda said dryly

Loki leaned in slowly, took her face in his hands, and gently kissed her. Aadya was momentarily surprised, but then reality caught up with her and she shoved Loki away.

"What the Hel do you think you're doing?" Aadya practically shrieked

"Shutting you up." Loki told her

"And you thought that was the way to do it?" Aadya asked darkly

"Well I didn't think you would appreciate your mouth shut with magic." Said Loki

Aadya left in a hurry and went straight to her room to yell at the walls by herself.

Why had he done that? He didn't mean to do it. It just happened. It was not what he had intended. He was just sitting there and then the next thing he knew he was kissing her. It wasn't that he didn't dislike kissing her; he assumed she was a better kisser when not taken by surprise. Hel, he would have been surprised if she had done it to him, but the question remained. Why had he kissed her?

In her room Aadya was asking similar questions. Why had he done that? What the Hel had just happened? This just didn't happen to her, ever. She was an assassin; she was supposed to be prepared always. This had taken her by surprise, completely and indisputably surprised. She was never surprised even when she had been kissed before suddenly, never surprised, ever.

Loki was still sitting there by the lake lost in thought. At least I played it off as nothing after it happened. Yes, I did that right. Of course I should probably…NO! I will just forget about it and pretend that this never occurred. Yes that will do.

Meanwhile in her room, Aadya decided to forget about it and pretend that the entire scene never happened.

Loki was at Aadyas' door. He knocked twice and waited for a few seconds. Aadya didn't answer so he walked into the room. The door had been locked, but with a simple wave of his hand Loki unlocked it. As he stepped in Loki noticed that the room was completely spotless; not a thing out of place, but Aadya was not in the room in fact, he couldn't sense her anywhere near him. He ran out of the room and out the palace door. He sensed her walking ten miles ahead of him. He began to teleport as far as he was currently able to. The teleportation to the planet had left him weak, but he was still able to teleport a few miles at a time.

Chapter 7 ½ An escape or a trap?

He had escaped the iron clutches of Malektih. He was still (unfortunately) on Svartlheim, with no clue as to how to get off it. He had heard tell of the secret portals from his father after Loki fell, but he didn't know where they were, and he didn't think that wandering around until he may stumble across one was a good idea. He called out for Mjolnir hoping. After what seemed like forever, the hammer came to Thor's call and took him to a nearby mountain top. He asked Heimdall to take him home and finally he felt the familiar pull of the Bifrost bringing him back to his home.