Loki began writing. He carefully crafted his letter, using his most formal, polite writing and hoping that the word had not reached all the realms that he was completely insane and should just stay locked up for the rest of his life. Of course, he also continually hoped that this hint of freedom was not a false hope that would lead nowhere. He knew that it was a distinct possibility that it might, but he tried to tell himself that somewhere he had a place to be, and it wasn't in the cell.

Brynja visited as often as she could and Loki asked if anyone had responded every time. Nothing came. She could tell he was having difficulty handling the unknown. She asked the guards to notify her if any letters arrived so she could be present when he opened the letter.

In the middle of the night nearly half a year after he sent out his first letter, someone knocked on the door to her quarters; she tossed on her purple robe and answered, "This had better be important."

The guard nodded, "You asked to know when a letter came for Laufeyson. One has arrived. Should we deliver it tonight or wait for the morning?"

She stepped into the hallway, "He would want to know immediately. Let's go now."

They walked through the passages in silence, the letter in the guard's hands. Upon arrival at the cells, she stood outside the barrier while the guard banged on the wall until Loki woke. The guard shoved the letter through the same slot that opened in the barrier for the delivery of meals and announced that he had a letter. Loki staggered to his feet, still half asleep, and picked it up. It was as he turned that he noticed Brynja.

Loki sat next to the barrier and she perched on the stool beside him as he opened the letter and read it quickly, "No. They say no." He dropped the letter to his knees and sighed.

She pressed her hand against the barrier where his shoulder touched it, "We knew these were coming."

He stared at the letter, bitterness in his voice, "I know. Every rejection is one less hope of leaving this cage."

"Hold out hope, Loki. There are other realms."

Loki looked up at her, wishing he could feel her touch, "Thank you, Brynja. Thank you."

She smiled, "Now get some rest. Tomorrow is another day."

He nodded and rose, as did she, and he went to his bed, leaving the letter on his desk. She bid him goodnight and he returned it. She returned to her own room and fell in bed, exhausted and wondering what Loki's mood would be like in then morning.

After breakfast, Brynja went to check on Loki. He was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands when she arrived.

"Loki? Did something else happen in the last few hours?" she asked.

"Another letter."

"And let me guess-"

He finished her sentence, "Another no. Two by letter, one by default. Three other realms without possibility, an additional one I did not bother writing to. Tell me, Brynja, why did I ever hope this might work? That I might see the sun or feel the touch of another person again? This is just Odin's idea of a cruel joke, one way or another."

Brynja sighed, "Loki, hope is something we do by nature. To lose hope may give you relief from disappointment, but it makes the future so much more bleak. Hope is why I fled to Midgard the first time, hope is why I put up with living in the walls and wearing this purple drapery every goddamned day. Hope is why after every defeat, you still tried again to prove that you are as good as your brother and tried to earn your father's respect, no matter how far from grace you fell in the process. Hope is why I agreed to sign my life away if you screw this up- hope that you are deserving of one more chance and that you'll make good on your promises."

Loki still did not move from his desk, but his voice was angry, "Does it really look like I'm going to get the chance?"

"You might."

He shook his head, "You aren't helping right now. Leave me be before I say something ridiculously stupid."

She nodded and stepped back before she turned and left. He glanced at her as she disappeared down the hall and realised that he was no longer as solitary as an oyster, to use a phrase from one of the books Jane had sent with Thor, but rather was starting to depend on Brynja's company and to miss her when she was gone. He also realised that he deeply wanted to know what it would be like to feel her hand resting on his shoulder in comfort, or her fingers laced with his as she sat close beside him. He shook his head to clear it of the thoughts, but they lingered.

It did not take long for more letters to arrive. Brynja tried to meet the guards when she could at Loki's cell, but they did not always tell her when they delivered the post. She found out about the next two when she went to see Loki after dinner. His plate was on his desk and he sat picking at it.

"Loki, what's wrong?"

"Do you have to ask, Brynja?"

She shrugged, "Just thought I'd be polite. More letters?"

He dropped his fork on the plate, "Yes, and both of them no."

"Did you write to Svartalfheim?" she asked.

"No, not there. The last time I was there it was rather...unpleasant."

"Well being impaled would leave a bad impression on me, too. What about Jotunheim?" Loki did not answer for a moment and Brynja could tell that he was trying to keep from saying something that he would probably later regret, "Spit it out, I can take it."

"Jotunheim- because I'm one of them, so that's where I belong? A cold, cruel monster who deserves to return to where he came from, to go back to be sacrificed on the rock where my father left me to die?" he was angry and bitter, but the edge on his voice was a little less biting than Brynja thought it might have otherwise been.

"Do you feel better now?" she asked.

"Not really," he answered.

Brynja returned to his question, "And the answer is no, not because you happened to be born to Jotun parents. If you wrote to them and they haven't answered, you've still got one letter coming that could be a yes."

"Or a no. Most likely a no."

Brynja nodded, "It could be. But it also might not be."

Loki thought out-loud, "Maybe all of the rulers met and talked this over. They decided together that I was not welcome in their realms."

"Perhaps. I know Freyja doesn't want to risk war against Odin, she told me she put that in her letter. She really is sorry she can't say yes and accept you to Vanaheim. It wouldn't surprise me if the other rulers did meet, though- they'd want to know what risk they were taking on by letting you come live with them."

He tossed the letters on the floor, "A risk. Just a risk."

She sighed, "Yes, a risk. But never 'just'... 'Just' is such a horrible little diminishing word."

He went back to picking at his dinner. Brynja bid him goodnight. He did not answer. She set a small book of poetry where the guards would see it to deliver to him and returned to her room to get some sleep.