A/N: Hey! Sorry for the slow update. I just finished exams. Anyway, please R&R. I love you all. Reviews make me smile.

A Special Place

With everything that had been happening in the past year, Vali and Narfi began to suspect that they were not as safe in the palace walls as they thought they were. The only time they felt truly safe was when they were in the presence of someone they trusted, particularly their parents or each other. The bond between the brothers was growing even tighter because of it all.

One night, when Vali was sure their father was asleep, he stole a spellbook from his personal library and went to Narfi's room, knowing his younger brother would still be up studying. As soon as Narfi read the title of the book, The Power of Blood and How to Use It, he frowned. What was Vali up to? This was one of the books Loki had forbidden them to read. It dealt in very ancient, very dangerous magic and Narfi knew all too well about the use of blood in magic. He didn't like were this was going. Still, he watched curiously as his elder brother flipped through the yellowing pages until he found what he was looking for. He held up the book so that Narfi could read the spell.

"This is exactly what we need." Vali said excitedly as Narfi's eyes widened.

"'Pact of the One Life'? Vali, are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am sure about this! I have thought it over extensively. You are my brother and closest friend. If you die, I die. Here." Vali took two identical amulets from his pocket. They were beautifully made with a single emerald hanging from a silver chain. "They are elf make and perfect for what we need." He handed one to Narfi and the younger brother chuckled.

"Bryn made these. You really did think this through carefully."

"Naturally." Vali replied with a grin. "So, what say you? Shall we?" For a moment, Narfi did not answer and just stared between the book, his brother, and the amulets with an expression of uncertainty. If they performed this spell, they would each know when the other was in trouble, but they would have to share each other's pain and fear. Would that include Narfi's frequent anxieties which he only shred with Nörvi upon her insistence? He did not want Vali to think he was afraid or in danger all the time and have to suffer because of it. Still, he did not want to give up the chance to be able to come to his brother's aid should he require it. Making up his mind, the younger brother nodded and took a bottle of golden ink from his tunic pocket. It was an ink used to draw magic marks on surfaces for the purpose of performing rituals. It was designed to evaporate once the spell was cast and did not leave any traces of magic behind so that no one had to know that a spell was even cast.

Removing one of his dark gloves and dipping a finger into the ink, Narfi drew the pattern from the illustration in the book on the floor between them. Vali placed the amulets in the center of the golden markings and drew a simple obsidian knife from his belt. With it, he made a deep gash in his palm, only flinching a little, before handing the blade off to Narfi. The younger brother removed his other black glove and made a deep gash in his palm as well and they clasped their hands together over the amulets, letting their blood mix and then drip profusely onto the amulets below.

"Let fluid of life combine, let the chains of fate bind, for in blood is made a brother, and in destiny made sure to suffer. Two minds, two hearts, one life. Two minds, two hearts, one life..." they chanted in unison and the blood began to seep into the amulets. The gold markings began to glow brighter and brighter until finally they burst into flame and vanished, leaving nothing behind but the amulets, the emeralds winking at the brothers in the candle light. Narfi healed their gashes and took one of the amulets, putting it around his neck and tucking it inside his tunic. It was an unspoken agreement that they would not display these or speak of them to anyone else.

Even though the public had a much higher opinion of Vali and his little brother than they did of the triplets, the two still got nasty looks now and again from people who simply despised anyone who had Loki's blood flowing in him. Vali generally had to deal with more scrutiny than Narfi not only because of his habit of challenging people to duels and fiercely defending Loki's reputation, but also because he had an elven girlfriend. Asgardians didn't generally hold any sort of grudge against Alfar unless one had been rude to them before. That is, until one of them started to be romantically involved with an Asgardian. Then it was positively scandalous.

Vali loved Bryn dearly and nothing anyone ever said could make him think that he shouldn't be with her. She loved him too and had gotten permission to keep studying in Asgard partially because she wanted to stay with Vali and partially because her father was still fuming about her becoming involved with a Son of Loki and she didn't want to go home and face him. The occasional scorn of the Asgardians was preferable ten times over to the wrath of an elven sorcerer.

Vali's family had no objection to Bryn. In fact, they liked her very much. Sigyn almost thought of her as a daughter. Though he would never say it aloud, Loki very much approved of Vali's taste in women. Bryn was clever, pretty, and interested in magic. Perfect for his son. He and Sigyn did what they could to defend their son's choice, but Vali and Bryn still couldn't escape the nasty looks whenever they were in public. For that reason, they usually spent their time together away from the public eye. However, on occasion, they did sit together in places passersby could easily cast their disapproving gaze upon them, but only when they grew tired of their usual meeting places.

One afternoon, Vali and Bryn sat quietly, holding hands by the fountain in the palace courtyard. It was not long after the incident with Vali's elder brothers and the elf girl was there to comfort him. She didn't need to say anything. Just her being there was enough. Then a group of noblemen came by. They stopped and one of them pointed at the couple, smirking.

"Look, it is the Liesmith's son and his little scandal. If you ask me, the man's whole brood is rotten. Let us see...there is the mongrel...the assassin...the hag...this one, the Alf lover...and the coward." As Vali overheard this, he felt himself grow angrier and angrier. Bryn squeezed his hand, begging him to ignore the nobleman's words, but honor was in question and Vali could not let it go. He stood up and approached the man who had spoken.

"I do not take such insults lightly." he said through gritted teeth. The men laughed at him and he frowned.

"What do you plan to do about?"

"Fight me." he replied, as a long, thin rapier of green magic formed in his hand.

"You cannot be serious. You. A child." the man sneered. "Cannot hope to beat me, even with your magic."

"Prove it." Vali growled, the jibe about his age only serving to further his anger. Realizing the young man was serious, the noble drew his sword and his friends backed away.

"You are arrogant like your father, boy." the man hissed as he made a swing at Vali. The dark haired teen parried and whipped his rapier around so quickly that his opponent could not block him in time and created a long, thin, red gash down the man's cheek. Another swing. Vali dodged this time, whirling around to face his enemy's back and cutting off his cape. The noble turned around to pass his blade straight through Vali's abdomen. Vali evaporated and he stared in wide-eyed confusion. A contemptuous laugh came from behind him and before he could react, he found himself flat on his stomach on the ground, his Achille's tendons severed. Suddenly, he felt a foot on his back, pressing him down. "You have no honor. You struct down your opponent when his back was turned." he hissed.

"Honorable defeats are only granted to the honorable." Vali replied, the loathing clear in his voice. The nobleman closed his eyes in anticipation of a death blow, but none came. "I am not going to kill you. That would be too honorable. No, I am going to leave you hamstrung here to wallow in your humiliation, for that is what you deserve." The young man stepped off of his fallen foe and turned to walk away, allowing his rapier to dissipate.

"You are a freak! Just like the rest of Loki's spawn!" the noble yelled after him, but he only grimaced and took Bryn's hand before walking home with her at a swift pace.

A year later, another such incident occurred, but this time, Vali came out of it badly hurt and only barely victorious. He had challenged another sorcerer's apprentice. One that wanted to hurt Bryn. The clashing of their magic left notable marks of destruction to their surroundings. Narfi sensed the danger to his brother's life and came in time to heal him before he passed out from blood loss. Bryn had not interfered. Her skill was with alchemy and runes, not with battle magic. She would have only gotten hurt and she knew what that would do to Vali. However, she did help Narfi bring him home. He was in a bad way and barely awake when they lay him on his bed. Moments after Narfi had begun the process of treating all of his wounds, both Loki and Sigyn came bursting in.

"What happened?" Loki demanded, but he had only to look closely at the nature of his son's wounds to get his answer. He grimaced and looked to Bryn, noticing how shaken she was. She reminded him of how Sigyn was when he returned from war barely alive. "Who did this?" he changed his question. He wanted to know who had done this to his son.

"Rotn, apprentice to Taldr. Well...formerly." Bryn managed to say, reaching out and taking Vali's hand. He went to such great lengths to preserve the honor of those he loved. It was heartbreaking to watch, yet it only endeared him to her more.

"Bryn? Did I get him? Are you safe now, love?" Vali muttered, his barely open green eyes wandering to her. The elf girl could not bring herself to speak and only squeezed his hand.

"Quiet, brother. You need rest. Bryn is safe and you are home." Narfi said, closing up the last of Vali's injuries. Sigyn knelt down next to her eldest son and placed her hand on the side of his face, brushing his dark hair out of the way. She knew he would be alright, but still a part of her feared that she would lose another child. Loki left, saying that he needed to see Thor, looking quite displeased as he went. Narfi left as well, assured that his mother and Bryn would take care of Vali. He returned to his duties with the healers, trying to bury his concern for his brother. As he mended a child's broken wrist, Nörvi approached him, having just finished her own shift.

"You are worried about something." she observed, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nodded solemnly as he sent the boy he had healed on his way. "Will you tell me?"

"Do you know of Bryn of Alfheim?" Narfi asked, taking a deep breath to calm himself a little. Nörvi nodded. "A sorcerer's apprentice threatened her and Vali nearly got himself killed in a fight with him. My brother is growing reckless and it is bad for everyone." The anxiety was clear in his quiet voice and Nörvi gave him a sympathetic look. "I do not want him to suffer the same fate as my other brothers."

"You need some time off. I will speak with my mother."

"No. I cannot neglect my duties here."

"Narfi, trust me. You cannot keep going on like this. Take some time off. Mother will understand." At this, something suddenly clicked in Narfi's mind and he frowned.

"So that is why Lady Eir has been giving me such menial tasks of late. She thinks my abilities are being compromised by my personal life." He seemed almost offended and his hands clenched into fists. Standing up abruptly, Narfi walked swiftly to the door, intent on finding another patient to treat. However, Nörvi caught up to him and spun him around, putting her hands on either side of his face.

"Narfi, please! Let me help you! You cannot keep trying to be the epitome of selflessness. Especially not when you are hurting so much and it is hurting me just to watch you." He could see now that she was on the verge of tears and felt a pang of guilt pulling at his heartstrings. What was he supposed to do? He had not idea how he was supposed to react and he just stared at Nörvi. "Please, Narfi." She was very close to him now. "If you will not do it for yourself, do it for me." Their faces were inches apart and the dark haired teen felt his cheeks grow warm. He reached up a gently pulled her hands away from him. At first, she seemed to take this as a rejection of her pleas, but then he spoke.

"Go and speak with Lady Eir. If she will allow it, I will take leave of my duties here for a while." he said and the girl smiled, nodding happily before going off to talk to her mother.

Even while Vali was asleep, Bryn stayed at his bedside, holding his hand. He looked at peace in his sleep, happy even. The elf girl wished she could take him away from all his pain. He didn't deserve to be treated the way he was, but she knew he would never leave his family and she could see why. They loved him and cared for him and kept him safe when the rest of the world wouldn't.

"I told him not to let people get to him and make him display his anger, but now that I truly understand what happened, I can say that I would have done the same if a man said those things to Sigyn." a familiar voice said and Bryn looked up to see Prince Loki standing in the doorway. She was a little surprised, not having heard the man approach, but she replied calmly.

"Thank you, my lord."

"That being said, I want you to watch over my son. Please try to stop him from being rash in the future. He loves and trusts you. He will listen."

"Yes, my lord."

"Good." Loki said with a small smirk before turning and leaving. A little while later, Narfi showed up, sitting himself on the other side of Vali's bed. He said nothing for a long time and simply sat there with a brooding expression on his face. Bryn did not attempt to make conversation, knowing the younger brother wasn't much of a talker and probably would not appreciate being forced into dialogue, especially with how awkward things were between them. They shared a secret. Bryn had seen Narfi do something after he had come to his brother's aid that she knew he was ashamed of. She had promised him that she would never speak of it to anyone, but as Bryn looked at the guilt in his eyes now, she realized that her promise was of little consolation to him.

Narfi left without a word. He needed to see Nörvi. He had to tell someone.

It was dusk and Nörvi didn't recognize him at first because he wasn't wearing his healer's robe, but Narfi found her at the edge of the forest beyond the gardens and fell to his knees before he could reach her. She ran to him and he grabbed her shoulders, gripping them as if letting go would mean his death. His normally neatly combed hair was now in his eyes and he was breathing irregularly.

"Nörvi...there...there is something I did not tell you." the dark haired young man managed to say. Nörvi reached up and brushed the raven locks out of his eyes, revealing the torment in his stormy orbs. "I...I...I..." Narfi struggled to get out what he wanted to say, but the girl patiently waited for him to say it. "I killed someone. The man my brother fought with." For a moment, Nörvi was shocked, unable to believe that Narfi was capable of such a thing, but she kept her head.

"How did it happen?" she asked calmly.

"I do not know what came over me. I saw them both lying there, half-dead, and I just...it was like something turned off inside me. I could not bring myself to save the person who had hurt my brother. I turned my back on a dying man when I could have saved him." He could feel the tears coming now, but he did not want to cry in front of Nörvi again, so he held them back.

"Narfi, that is perfectly understandable. No one will think you did the wrong thing." It amazed her that he could feel guilty over the death of a vile man who had personally wronged him. She had never met anyone who valued life as highly as he did. "Think of how many lives you have saved. You have done more good in the short amount of time you have been alive than many can say they have in an entire eon. If one wretched man dies because he does not deserve your help, then it was the Fates that killed him and not you." Nörvi said, once again holding Narfi's face in her hands. His breath slowly returned to normal and in the dim light, she could see the look of comprehension on his face.

"You truly believe that?" he asked softly, his grip on her shoulders loosening considerably (in the back of his mind, he wondered if he had been hurting her). She smiled back at him as if it was a silly question.

"Of course. I would not have said it if I did not." she answered. "You are the kindest, most gifted person I have ever known. And quite attractive as well." The girl blushed at realizing what she had just said. "I-I mean-"

"Iaminlovewithyou." Narfi suddenly blurted out in an incoherent slur. He was now quite pink himself.

"Sorry, what?" Nörvi wasn't sure at all what he had just said, but it had sounded like something that made her stomach fill with butterflies. For a moment, Narfi struggled to repeat himself more slowly, but finally he got it out.

"I am in love with you." The words rolled off his tongue before he could think.

"Good." was all the dark haired girl could think to say before crashing her lips with his. Narfi let out a surprised groan and they both fell over. His brain seemed to go on autopilot as he began kissing her back.

It did not take long for Narfi's family to notice that he was much more cheerful than he used to be. Once Vali was back on his feet, he did a little investigating and quickly discovered that his brother had finally admitted to himself that he had romantic feelings for Eir's daughter. He felt like giving Nörvi applause for figuring out how to get Narfi to open up. Of course, Vali shared everything he had learn with his parents and Bryn, much to his little brother's embarrassment, but at least he could be more open about having a girlfriend now.

When news of what had happened with Vali spread through Asgard, the open insults seemed to disappear. Loki told him that he and Thor had had something to do with it, but he never explained how. Vali wasn't complaining and for a time, Loki's sons' only troubles were missing their elder siblings.

A/N: I guess I should warn you that things are just going to get really depressing from here on out. For those of you who know the mythology, you know why. By the way, I created a tumblr blog for Vali and Narfi called vali-and-narfi-lokison. If you're interested, don't hesitate to check it out, even if you don't have a tumblr. Vali and Narfi need more love. Shameless advertising aside, I hope this chapter was up to snuff, even though there wasn't much Loki or Sigyn in it. Please review. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate every one that I get. Thanks! ~T.Z.