Anja took in a deep breath, eyes wide as she peered back at the dark head that was above her. He had fallen out of nowhere, and she had been taken by complete surprise. Peering back at his gaze, something she had felt a very long time ago shot through her body.
For the briefest moment she was safe.
That was, of course, before the dark magic that was within the being on top of her rang out, and she sprang into action. Legs wrapping around his waist, she took him off guard, rolling him off of her before she sprang back to her feet.
A small chuckle behind the pair of them rang out, and she turned to see Fandral with a smug smile on his face.
"I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki," the warrior god sneered.
As the words passed from Fandral's lips, Anja peeked back as the man who, once he had regained his own bearings, seemed intent on staring back at her. His posture was tall, still proud despite the shackles that bound his wrists. And the magic within him…
Perhaps it had simply been her experience with the dark magic of the Aether… but now… whoever this was… he had her on edge.
Except for his eyes… where the rest of the prisoner's posture and stature radiated darkness… his eyes were what had her transfixed. Pale jade irises, rimmed with emerald… But they were permeated with sadness.
"Anja?" he whispered. His eyes did not sway from hers, but the tenacity tugging at his spine was enough to keep her in the same state.
Just as she was about to ask how he knew her name, the aura of the Thunder Prince came into her senses.
The next sight that crossed her vision was that of Prince Thor's. He was holding a young woman in his arms, with hair the same color of Anja's. But that was where the likeness ended.
Licking her lips, Anja made herself ignore the tall dark man, looking back at Fandral. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing a bit as the impact from the fall registered a faint pain in her lower back. Hand going to her back, she turned back to Fandral.
"Can you tell me what this is all about now?" she asked quietly.
Fandral licked his lips, looking to Thor as the Crowned Prince set the mortal woman down. Thor gave a faint nod. "We are going to the Dark World. From there we will attempt to regain your memories and cure Jane of the darkness that is within her."
Anja nodded slowly, eyes falling in line with the unconscious human. "Malekith is there…" she said quietly. "I cannot promise that I will have control of my actions in his presence…"She glanced back at the dark haired man who had not taken his eyes off of her since he had gotten up.
"Of course you won't," he said with a roll of his eyes, taking a step closer. He was inhibited by Thor's great arm, stopping him from walking any closer to Anja.
Thor watched her carefully, gaze passing between the two as she spoke. He wasn't given a chance to reply before a shot fired into their ship from behind. Falling to the ground, Anja rolled her eyes in irritation. How many bloody times was she to fall over on this godforsaken piece of-
Her train of thought was broken as an icy hand bent down to help her up. Even bound in the shackles he was wearing, the dark-haired prisoner was able to help her. He held her steady, hand curling around her left bicep and hauling her back to her feet as the sight of a few of the palace guards on a speeder behind them caught her eye.
But it was the flash of a dull gold band on her rescuer's left ring finger that left her dumbfounded. For she had seen it before… just as she had seen his green eyes…
Images of a dark room, silk sheets, a weight on top of her, and chilly hands resonated throughout her system, and she let out a little gasp before pushing his hand away.
Looking back at the direction the boat was taking, she let out a little squeal to realize that they were headed straight for the mountain chain that dominated this side of the waters of Asgard.
*o*O*o*
It wasn't her.
It couldn't be.
Loki let out a little breath as she turned away from him.
"Fandral, you're turn," Thor boomed, settling Jane at the bow of the ship. Loki watched as Fandral nodded.
"Right. For Asgard," he said, taking hold of the rope and moving towards the back of the ship. Anja took over on the steering, and Loki automatically moved closer to her.
"You might want to let me handle that," he murmured, spider like fingers stretching out to push hers away from the steering. She stiffened, looking up to meet his gaze.
"No. I have it," she replied pointedly.
"Lady Anja, I believe it is Loki's turn to take over. He is the only one who knows the way between realms."
Anja looked back at Thor, then to Loki. His hand was still on hers, and she closed her eyes briefly as gentle fingers slipped beneath hers to take control of the hover craft.
She sucked in a breath as Loki pointedly looked away, jaw clenching as he focused on the task ahead of him.
She steered herself away from the end of the boat, this time walking towards the bow where the mortal was. Crouching down, Anja's silver gaze roamed over the water.
A signal was calling to her, pulling at her mind. It was a something strong enough for her own powers to be drawn to it, throbbing like the beat of the rainbow bridge that they were speeding away from. Only this portal… this portal was beating at a much slower rate. It was old- older than the bifrost, she would imagine.
And it was coming from in between the mountain pass that the speeder was headed straight towards. Perhaps that was why panic did not seize her as it did Thor. She steeled herself, latching onto the railing of the speeder. Just because she was not panicked did not mean she was stupid. She would need to hang on.
She hardly spared the mortal woman a second glance, situating herself securely as the passage between the realms came.
There was a blinding flash of light, a short feeling of weightlessness, and then the sarcastic trilling of Loki's voice as she looked up and found the boat in the waste lands of the Aether.
"Ta- daaaaa"
*o*O*o*
Loki couldn't help the smirk that was on his face. The wind in his hair, the thrill of mischief for the first time in… he didn't even know how long.
He was free- despite the bonds on his wrists, he was free.
The baffled expression on Thor's face only made his smile heighten, and he looked to Anja to see if he had garnered the same reaction from her.
There was something other than a pleasant surprise written on her face though… that he could tell.
She was breathing deeply, chest rising and falling with each swift breath. She looked like a bird in a cage, the way she could have taken off at any moment from fear.
"This… I… I'm not safe here," she whispered. It barely made it to Loki's ears, but he did not bother to go up to her. He was still in control of the ship, and he also did not want to exploit such weakness in front of his brother or the mortal.
Loki looked back at her, and she met his gaze for the briefest moment before looking back to Thor with concern.
"I know," Thor replied. "But I fear it is the only way to retrieve your memories… and to save Jane…"
Anja wrinkled her nose a bit, looking down at the mortal who was finally starting to come to.
"Whatever you say," she said finally, crossing her arms and wrapping her cloak further around her shoulders. She turned away from the pair of princes, facing the bow of the ship once more. "But I fear this will only get us killed…"
Malekith was not forgiving… Nor was Thanos… If either of them discovered who she was with… She was as good as dead.
But for that moment, she let out a sigh, eyes closing as she forced herself into a meditative state.
Ugg. Short and shitty… I'm so sorry! I have huge plans for the end of this but… It's like pulling teeth to get there! But at least we know how Loki reacted to her yeah?