a/n: Please enjoy! (I don't own Marvel)

Loki and Karnilla- Circus by Britney Spears

Guest- No problem! You weren't rude at all! I love that you were so excited about it. It really makes me happy when people beg me to update! Glad you're enjoying it and hope you like this chapter!

Guest (#2)- I'm glad you're pleased with my updating speed. I'm also glad you enjoy it. I don't plan on abandoning this story. I really lived your idea of a flashback and I was already planning a dream sequence, so I just included more than I normally would. Please enjoy this chapter!

"Would you please just tell me where this one goes?" Karnilla begged, tugging on Loki's sleeve. Loki merely grinned and shook his head.

"I want you to guess." Loki told her. Karnilla huffed and began to examine her surroundings. They were taking another of the secret passages off of Asgard that they had discovered a while ago. She hadn't been through this one before, but Loki had.

"Is it Alfheim?" Karnilla took a wild guess. She really had no idea where they were and she didn't want to sound too sure of herself.

Loki had stopped. Leaning back and forth on the balls of his feet, his tsked at her. "And here I thought you were clever." He mocked her.

"Shut up and tell me where we are." Karnilla said and she shoved him, making him stumble. Loki caught his balance just in time.

"Alright, alright. Keep your shirt on." Loki said. "We're on Vanaheim."

Karnilla's eyes glinted with excitement. "Really?" She grinned because they had never been here before and that meant new adventures. "Never been here before."

"Yes, so they don't know anything about us." Loki said. He turned and gave her that look that he had when he wanted to pretend to lecture her. "Try not to flirt with any kings or princes this time. It'd be great if you didn't get around to all the nine realms. Besides, I don't want to have to pull you away from some random, dangerous king."

Karnilla slapped his arm. "As I recall, I was the one who pulled us from the clutches of the people who would turn us over to Odin by flirting with these kings." She reminded him with a smug grin.

Loki concealed his own grin at her comment. They stopped talking for a minute as the light hit them from outside, temporarily blinding them. They raised their hands to cover their eyes until they were used to the bright light. "Well, Miss Erlandsdottir, are you ready?"

"Always Mr. Odinson." Karnilla replied. They took off, walking through the forest of Vanaheim. Loki had explored this realm before and he knew there was a city just a miles walk through the forest. They could hear the sounds of the city now. Karnilla smiled at the sounds, wondering what sort of trouble and mischief she and her ally would get into today.

They entered the city, on a busy market street. People were shouting, trying to sell things like fish (they were big on fishing), fishing supplies, clothing, jewels, bread, and many other things. In the center of the market was a statue of their great royal family. The king stood taller than anyone else, King Njord. An excellent fisherman, which was why his people were so big on fishing. Then there was his beautiful wife, Queen Nerthus. Standing in front of them was their twin children, Freyr and Freya.

"Such a pretty statue." Karnilla commented. "It would be a shame if something were to happen to it." She said it as casually as if she were discussing the weather.

Loki nodded in agreement, speaking just as casually. "Yes, it would be, wouldn't."

Their conversation was cut off by the sound of people shouting around them and falling to their knees. They glanced around to see the entire market kneeling. Looking forward, Loki saw why they were kneeling. The royal family had showed up. Obviously the statue was several hundred years old, because they all looked older. Njord looked as old as Odin did, as did his wife Nerthus. Their children looked to be a bit older than Loki and Karnilla.

"Kneel before your king." A sudden voice shouted in Loki's ear. Realizing how much they stuck out, Loki quickly knelt down, averting his eyes from the royal family.

Karnilla, however, was stubborn. She crossed her arms and scowled, refusing to kneel. Loki hit her leg, trying to signal to her that the Vanir did not take kindly to this sort of thing. They were a tad more touchy than the Aesir were about the whole worshipping thing. Karnilla did not get the hint, or if she did, she ignored it. "Kneel!" Someone shouted again. Karnilla stubbornly refused.

Loki's prediction was right. When she still refused to kneel, a guard came up to her and grabbed her arms, as if to arrest her. Loki smirked, waiting. He knew that Karnilla could destroy them all if she wished to do so. There was no way they would win this. He waited for the sound of fighting, but it never came. He looked up, and saw that she was not resisting arrest. She was, in fact, complying. She allowed them to pin her arms behind her back and cuff her, a smile on her face. She caught Loki's confused look and shot him a quick wink.

"Take her to the dungeons, for now." King Njord said calmly and commandingly. "She can await her fate there." The guards obeyed, dragging Karnilla away. The royal family continued their walk, brushing right past Loki. Once they were out of sight, the people in the market resumed their positions. Loki stood and brushed off his trousers, wondering what to do. He had to break Karnilla out. It was the only option. He could just leave her here to fend for herself, but he didn't want to do that. The more time he spent with Karnilla, the more time Thor and the others continually pushed him away, the more he found himself liking the young Norn princess.

So, finding her it was. He walked over to one of the market stands, that was selling jewelry. "Diamonds, rubies, and emeralds!" The owner shouted, even though he was a few feet in front of him. Loki looked over his selection and a ring with an emerald and a diamond sitting on top caught his eye.

"I'll take that one, please." He pointed to the ring behind the glass case.

"An excellent choice sir." The vendor nodded at his choice. "Both of these jewels are choice jewels of Queen Nerthus." He grabbed the ring and put it in a small case. Loki concealed a smile. This would work out perfectly.

"Yes, it is nice, isn't it?" Loki commented, taking the velvet box with the ring. "Oh, by the way, you wouldn't happen to know where the palace is, would you?"

The vendor leaned out of his shop and pointed in the direction of the statue. "Just that way, maybe a mile." He said. Loki immediately took off in that direction, without another word to the shop vendor.

K*K*K

Karnilla knelt in the dungeon, her eyes closed, a smile graced her face. She appeared to be praying, but in reality, she was waiting. She knew that someone would come to the door at some point or another. Then, she could break out and cause all the trouble she always did. That was why she allowed herself to be taken.

She wasn't worried about getting in trouble. When had they ever gotten in trouble? Never, was the answer, thanks to her. Loki had only gotten them out of trouble once, because Karnilla was not spending more time than necessary with that stuck up, half witted queen. She was maybe the most annoying person Karnilla knew.

Karnilla's head twitched when she heard footsteps outside her door. She did not open her eyes or move from her position, she stayed completely still. The door was opened and shut, the person didn't say a word. Her smile widened. "How can I help you, Prince Freyr?" She said calmly, finally opening her eyes.

Freyr was an adventurous prince, and one who didn't listen to his father's commands to not go near the prisoner. The prisoner intrigued Freyr and he wanted to know more about her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Freydis, sir." Karnilla answered, her voice small. Freyr fell for her clever ruse. He believed her to be weak and afraid.

"And how is it that you came to our realm?" Freyr asked, pacing back and forth across the cell.

"I don't know sir." Karnilla answered. "I was home one minute and the next..." She swallowed hard and pinched herself hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just miss my home and my family."

"Why did you refuse to kneel when you were asked to?" Freyr spoke softly to her. He was starting to feel sympathy toward this pretty girl. Very pretty, actually. She had such nice eyes.

"I was told to kneel to no one except our king." Karnilla explained, which was true. She had been told to bow to no one except Erland and Odin. "And I was caught off guard and I had no idea what to do.

Freyr knelt down beside her as if to comfort her. "It's alright. I understand. You do not need to be frightened."

Karnilla stopped her fake tears and smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Prince Freyr. No one has ever been so kind to me. And certainly not royalty."

Freyr smiled right back at her. Such nice eyes. "You have such nice eyes Freydis. Eyes fit for a princess." He told her.

"Oh, I don't know about that sir." Karnilla pretended to blush as she ducked her head. In her mind, she was vomiting. Seriously? One pretty girl bats her eyelashes at him and he goes head over heels? This was why Karnilla thought so many royals were so ridiculous. They fell in love so easily and acted like it was a tragedy when they knew all along they could never be with the person they "loved" so much.

Freyr touched her cheek and tilted her head back up to face him. Karnilla resisted the urge to push his hand away. "I know." He whispered to her before pressing his mouth gently to hers. Karnilla kissed him back, but fiercer, and it caught the prince off guard. He was shocked at first, but decided that he liked it.

It was a moment later before Freyr came to his senses. What was he doing? He was a prince and she was a peasant. He didn't even know where she was from. She could be an enemy of Vanaheim in disguise. If he was caught fratenizing with her... He shoved her off of him and onto the floor. Karnilla was so shocked that she didn't do anything to defend herself or break her landing. What had just happened? No one had ever been able to resist her. Ever. So how had this idiot done so? "What do you think you're doing, wench? I am Freyr, son of Njord. The future king of Vanaheim. And you are a peasant. A temptress. How dare you approach the heir to the throne of Vanaheim?" He shouted loudly, as if it was she who had kissed him instead of the other way around.

Karnilla was so shocked that she said nothing. She didn't move from her spot on the floor. During her contemplation, Freyr drew his sword. "Apologize, wench." He demanded, pointing his sword at her throat. She stared up at him defiantly, not saying anything. "Apologize!" He demanded again, louder this time.

K*K*K

Loki snuck through the palace, disguised as a guard. He was slowly finding his way to the dungeons. The palace here was quite large, and it surprised Loki. This was only his second time to Vanaheim and he could barely remember the first. It was that forgettable.

With the ring, he was able to say that he wanted to offer it to the queen as an apology for his hesitation in the market. They believed him and allowed him in the palace. Once he was inside, he disguised himself as a guard and began finding his way to the dungeons.

He had now found the dungeons and he could hear a voice. It was shouting. But it wasn't Karnilla's voice. It was definitely male. He had a feeling he should go to towards the sound of the shouting, so he did. When he opened the door, he saw Karnilla kneeling on the floor, her eyes closed. Prince Freyr had his sword to her neck and he was shouting at her to apoligize. Loki coughed loudly and the Prince looked up.

"Forgive the intrusion, my prince, but the king requests the prisoner's presence." Loki said in the deep voice of the guard. It was almost as deep as Heimdall's voice. Freyr coughed awkwardly and sheathed his sword.

"Yes, of course." He said confidently, now regaining his composure. "My father must give her a severe punishment. Please inform father that this here peasant," he nudged Karnilla with his boot, "thought she would tempt the prince."

Loki nodded. "I will do so, sir." He eyed Karnilla, but she still had her eyes closed and was looking straight ahead.

Freyr nodded. "Good. I must leave now." He dismissed himself and left the room in a hurry.

Loki looked at Karnilla and forced back his urge to laugh and smile. "This way ma'am." He said and he moved over to her to grab her arm. She yanked her arm away and stood up, walking right out the door as if she knew where she was going. Loki allowed himself a wide smile and he followed her out. They walked out the front doors and no one even tried to stop them.

"You can stop pretending now." Karnilla said to Loki. Loki allowed himself to laugh as he changed back into himself, still laughing his head off. Never in all her years had anyone had Karnilla on the ground begging for mercy. Now he had something on her and he was never going to let it go. "Shut up." She mumbled, forcing back her own smile.

"Oh, this is good. This is very good. The Norn Princess can't charm the Vanaheim Prince. He even had her begging for mercy. This has to be what the mortals call Christmas." Loki commented.

They had made it back to the cave now, deciding they had caused enough mischief already. Karnilla turned to her friend and pushed him unto the wall. "If you tell anyone about that, you won't live long enough to regret it." She threatened as darkly as she could manage, forcing back her growing smile.

"Oh, I'm shaking." Loki replied sarcastically. Karnilla backed away and allowed him to stand normally. He began to straighten his outfit. "Honestly, you'll crease it." He pretended to lecture her again and Karnilla rolled her eyes. Loki reached in his pocket and pulled out the ring he had used to get himself in the palace. "Here. You take this."

Karnilla grabbed it and looked at it suspiciously. "What is it?"

Loki rolled his own eyes. "It's a ring, genius. I used it to get myself into the palace. I'm not exactly one to wear jewelry but I know that you are, so I thought you might like it. Keep it as a reminder of this day." He teased her.

Karnilla took it and slipped it on her finger. She was grateful, but there was no way she was going to give Loki the satisfaction of her saying it. "You're an idiot." Was all she decided to say.

"Who's the bigger idiot? The idiot or the idiot who befriends him?" He replied in false wisdom. Karnilla scoffed and shoved him as she walked past him. Loki jogged to catch up with her and shoved her as well. The two friends had a shoving war until they reached the palace of Asgard, where they were required to act more proper. They also didn't want to give their parents the satisfaction of knowing they were friends. They told their parents that they only spent time together because Thor, Gunnar, and the others were stupid and aggravating. This in no way fooled the parents. How could it when they knew they went on long walks together every day and spent all their time together?

Gunnar and Thor were waiting outside the palace when they arrived. Both were drinking mugs of mead with Sif and the Warriors Three. Gunnar was the first to see them. "Karnilla, where have you been? You've been gone for hours." He demanded.

"Just out for a walk." Karnilla answered smoothly.

"There is no way you took a five and a half hour walk. Nobody does that." Fandral commented. All of them nodded in agreement and they all attempted to hide their mugs. Mead was a very popular drink amongst the adults of Asgard and even though they were nearing the age of adulthood, it was still discouraged for the younger ones to be drinking it.

Loki knew all this and he pointed it out. "Drinking, are you? You're a bit young for that."

Karnilla picked this up and shook her head at them in mock disapproval. "Naughty, naughty. Wouldn't want the Allfather to catch you. I hear Heimdall can see all. He'll catch you."

"Are you threatening us?" Thor asked. He was looking at his brother. Alone, Loki was fine. Yes, he liked his tricks but Thor never had any doubt that his brother loved him. With Karnilla, however, he seemed to change. His tricks were less kind and so was he.

"You wouldn't dare." Gunnar said, glaring at them both.

"Wouldn't I, brother dear?" Karnilla said airily.

"Fine. We won't tell anyone about your suspicious behavior if you say nothing about this." Thor spoke up loudly, because it looked like Karnilla and Gunnar were about to get into a fight.

"Excellent." Karnilla said with a nod. "Is dinner about ready? I'm bloody starving." Karnilla walked off towards the palace. Loki nodded at his brother before starting after his friends.

"Loki, wait!" Thor called after his brother. Loki turned to face Thor, making an annoyed expression.

"What, Thor?"

"King Erland and his family are staying the night. Tomorrow, Gunnar, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, Sif and I are going to go hunting. Would you like to come with?" Thor questioned hopefully. He loved his brother and he didn't want their relationship to slip away. "Karnilla would be welcome too." He added as an afterthought.

"I'll have to see. I may be busy." Loki said before turning around and chasing after Karnilla.

K*K*K

Karnilla opened her eyes. The memory had been so real. She could remember that day as clearly as ever. It was an interesting day, that was for sure. In her mind, it was probably the day she first discovered two things. One, that she was not as powerful as she claimed to be and that she had to be more careful. Two, she realized that she cared for Loki. Maybe it was still as a friend at that point, but it was still a huge leap in their overall relationship.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked her from across the room. Karnilla looked up and eyed his face. He was probably showing as much concern as he was capable of showing.

"Yes, of course. Just thinking." Karnilla replied, trying to appear as comfortable as Loki did. But the memory and the clearness of it had unsettled her.

"Good or bad?" Loki asked, as he read a book he had found lying in the trash one day. It was a Midgardian book with multiple stories written in play form in it. It was old English, so obviously an older book. But it was better than the other books he had read from modern times.

"Both." Was Karnilla's reply. It had been. Good because it was a reminder of her friendship with Loki. Bad because it was a reminder of the day she had lost some of her dignity.

Loki put the book down and stood in the center of the room. He nodded to the space in front of him. Karnilla stood as well and moved to stand in front of him. "Need a distraction?" He asked softly in her ear, which made her grin.

"Always." She muttered aloud. Loki wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to her neck. She moaned ever so slightly in pleasure as he continued to do so, on her shoulders, on her neck.

They were interrupted by a knock on their door. Sighing in annoyance, Loki went to go open the door. "What?" He demanded. Karnilla leaned over to see who it was. It was the same woman that had picked her up. The one who still refused to give her her name.

She raised her eyebrows at his tone. "Am I interrupting something?" She questioned lightly.

"Just tell us what you came here to say." Loki demanded yet again.

"The Grandmaster wants us. All three of us. Apparently your friend or brother or whatever he is has escaped along with the big guy." She said and with that she walked away. Loki looked back at Karnilla and they both left to follow after the woman.

The Grandmaster didn't really get angry. He was almost always seemingly calm. And even though he wasn't happy now, he was still his calm self. "My champion is missing and so is tour little friend. Now, I'm not a genius, but I don't need to be. My champion is missing because of him." He explained.

"Grandmaster, if you..." Loki began but the Grandmaster spoke up.

"Whoa, hey. Don't interrupt me." He said. One of his other scavengers handed him a large staff. Both of them had seen him use it to melt people. "What? No. He interrupted me. That's not a melting offense. Just put it back."

"Grandmaster, if you give me time, I can have them back in six hours. Tops." Loki said quickly.

"I could do it in three." Karnilla competed. Loki had a fake smile on his face.

"I could do it in two." The woman said. Loki gave a soft laugh.

"I could do it in one." He replied.

"Good. Well, I don't care what your stories are. Adopted or brothers or friends or whatever the h*** it is. What I do love, though, is this little competition you three have got going. So, get going. Bring them back and then we'll see what I have to say." Without another word, the three of them turned around and left. "Oh, and Karnilla?" The Grandmaster called out as an afterthought. Karnilla turned, but so did Loki and the woman. "Did I say either of your names? No. Get going." He shooed them away and they obeyed. "I don't care whatever it is that you've got going with your little friend over there. You just remember who the boss is here. Right?" Karnilla nodded at him and smiled. She was close enough to him that she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, touching his cheek, all of it in a teasing way. "Now get going. I don't have all day. Tick tock."

Karnilla left, jogging quickly to catch up with Loki. If this was a competition, she and Loki had to win it in a tie. They couldn't afford to lose if they were to progress with their plans. However, when she turned the corner, she saw Loki lying in a lump on the ground, the woman standing over him. She turned and saw Karnilla, who was leaning against the door frame casually. "I wouldn't resist if I were you." The woman threatened darkly.

"Oh, are you going to knock me out as well?" Karnilla said lightly, conversationally. "Well, by all means, don't let me stop you." The woman raised her arm and Karnilla caught it. She moved her thumb enough to catch the tattoos on her wrist. They were the tattoos of the Valkyrie, guardians of Asgard. "A Valkyrie, eh?" She looked over at Loki and tsked. "And here you are, kidnapping the heir to the throne of Asgard and knocking out the other heir. Not doing a very good job, are we?"

The Valkyrie's eyes flashed in anger and her dagger slammed over Karnilla's head, knocking her out cold.

K*K*K

Loki was the first to wake up. Slowly, his eyelids slid open. He carefully examined his surroundings. There was a window to his right. On his left was Karnilla and a dirty kitchen, covered in bottles. He focused his attention on Karnilla. He saw that she was still breathing and he let out his own breath of relief. She was chained in golden chains to a chair. And so was he.

He struggled against the chains a little before he heard voices outside. He relaxed and turned his expression into one of ease. Just in time too. Because at that moment, the Valkyrie, Thor, and the beast walked through the door. "Surprise," he sang mockingly.

Thor grabbed a nearby bottle and launched it at him. Loki didn't even flinch as it shattered against the wall. It woke Karnilla up. She lifted her head and opened her eyes, looking around curiously. "I've missed something, haven't I?" She glanced at the group in front if them and there was only one she didn't recognize. He was looking at Loki in revulsion, though.

"Oh, not much. We've just been chained up and now our dear friends have arrived." Loki explained.

Karnilla seemed to just notice the chains. She hummed. "Well. I didn't know she was into that sort of thing." She said lightly.

"Don't be dirty." Loki lectured her, but he didn't bother to hide his growing smile. Of course she would comment on something like that. It was just like her.

"Well, as lovely as this is, I prefer being out of chains." Karnilla commented. Banner was approaching them, looking at them curiously and in disgust of some sort. "How about you, mate? Mind getting me out of here?" she said sweetly.

"Don't listen to a word she says, Banner." Thor called out to him. "She's even more untrustworthy than my brother."

"Offense taken." Karnilla called back. "But he probably has a point."

Loki was ignoring their conversation. He and Banner both looked at each other closely. "Hello Bruce." Loki greeted in his deep, smooth voice.

"So, you're still alive then? Where've you been?" Bruce asked boldly.

"It varies from time to time." Loki replied in the same tone, but more threatening.

Karnilla seemed to catch on. "Oh, I see. You're the Hulk." She grinned at him. "I'm a big fan," she complimented. Then she jerked her head at Loki. "Not him, so much."

"Shut up." Loki told her sharply. Unfortunately, Karnilla wasn't at all intimidated by him.

"You know, I find it funny that two warriors from Asgard have gotten their a**es handed to them by this Midgardian. It's rather humiliating." She hummed pleasantly.

"You know what I find funny? The fact that you got your a** handed to you by the Prince of Vanaheim." Loki shot right back. "So you can stop talking right about now."

"Sorry. My bad." Karnilla surrendered and if she could've held up her hands she would've. Banner shook his head at the two of them and left. "Any ideas?" Karnilla muttered to Loki.

"Play along. Cooperate. We'll see how it goes from there." Loki muttered back. But deep down, he was sure that they would be returning to Asgard a lot sooner than either had planned.