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Disclaimer: I only own original characters, the rest belongs to Marvel.


Chapter 12 – Up in Smoke

Dead.

Kiera tried to understand this word. It was astounding how this one little word could turn a person's world upside down. It meant loss, grief, pain, loneliness. It meant Loki was gone.

Kiera should have known this was all too good to be true. After her terrible childhood her welcome in Asgard was surreal and amazing. She had discovered things and places she had never known existed, learned how to do magic, and had found people who truly loved her. Loki had become her best friend and she found that she loved him. For a brief time, she even believed he loved her too. Everything had been perfect.

It had only taken a matter of days for everything to crumble. In one afternoon, war had broken out with Jotunheim, Thor had been banished, and Loki had begun to pretend she even existed.

And now he was dead.

But he could not possibly be dead. He was standing in front of her not hours ago. Sure, he was being a huge jerk, but he was there, and she still cared about him. She had hoped that he would see reason. Now there was no hope because he was dead.

He was dead.

Kiera struggled to wrap her brain around it all. A million thoughts zoomed through her mind. She shut her eyes hard and then opened them, hoping everything would be back to the way it was. Instead, her eyes found Niva, whose eyes were filled with compassion and helplessness. Kiera then looked over to Jadef, who was staring at the wall. It was true. Loki was dead.

It did not make sense.

"…Are you sure?"

Jadef rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Yes, I am afraid it is true."

"Wh-what happened?"

"We do not know yet."

"Then how do you know for sure?"

Niva put her hand on Kiera's shoulder. "Kiera, we heard directly from Thor. I am so sorry."

"But…Thor…he could be lying…you know, trying to get revenge for…"

"Kiera, I assure you that Thor was genuinely mourning for his brother when I spoke to him, Jadef said.

"But, he can't…I don't believe you! Then Thor's lying! Putting on an act!"

"Kiera," Niva said gently. "You know as well as I do that Thor is incapable of telling a lie."

Jadef cleared his throat. "I know how difficult this must be for you, Kiera, but - "

"No, you don't know!" Kiera stood up and hurled a fireball across the room. It missed the fireplace, knocking a decorative vase to the floor. The pieces shattered across the floor. "How can you possibly know what it's like?"

"Kiera - "

"No! You don't know what it's like to have only one friend in the entire world! You can't tell me he's dead! You can't do that! He's not dead! He's not!"

"Kiera, please – "

"STOP IT! Just stop talking!" Kiera threw her hands over her ears and shut her eyes, trying to block out the horror that was flooding her mind.

"Kiera," Niva said, standing up and stepping toward her, "please listen for just one moment - "

"STOP LYING TO ME!" Kiera shouted and ran out the door. She blindly stumbled through the corridors, not caring that she was in her nightdress. She did not even try to wipe the tears away that were cascading down her face in a waterfall.

She bolted out the door of the palace, darting toward the stables. She ran to the first stall and fumbled with a saddle, tossing it clumsily over the white horse's back. Hands shaking, she leaped onto the saddle and miraculously managed not to slide back off. The horse seemed to sense the urgency of the situation and stayed perfectly still as Kiera got situated on his back. Then the horse sped up gradually until it was at a full gallop. The ride was smooth and fast. Kiera urged the horse to go faster down the bridge to where Heimdall was. He would surely tell her that everything was fine and that Loki was still alive. That this was all just some big mistake.

As she approached the end of the bridge, however, something was very wrong. Heimdall was nowhere to be seen. The golden dome-like room at the end of the bridge was gone. The bridge was splintered and cracked, dropping suddenly into the nothingness below. Kiera lurched backward and the horse skidded to a halt, whinnying in fear.

Kiera slid off the horse's back. Trembling, she dropped to her knees at the fractured end of the bridge. Gripping the sides, she looked down and saw nothing but blackness. Kiera could not breathe. She bowed her head over the abyss and let her tears fall into the endless void.


The following morning, Kiera carried a fresh pile of linens to Thor's room. She had resorted to complete numbness, knowing that if she thought about it too much the reality of what had transpired would fill her with grief again. There was still a glimmer of hope that this was all a horrible dream. She entered Thor's room and was shocked to see him standing by the window, gazing out at the courtyard. She was used to his room being empty and immediately regretted not knocking first.

"I'm sorry," she said, setting the linens on Thor's end table. "I'll leave these here and come back."

Kiera turned to leave but cast one look at Thor. He had turned to look at her. His eyes were filled with sorrow.

"Thor, I'm…sorry."

He turned to look back out the window. "I am as well, Kiera."

It was the first time Thor had ever called her by name. Kiera made her way back to the door.

"I would also like to apologize for my arrogance," said Thor, causing Kiera to stop. "I did not treat you or the people of Asgard with respect. It was wrong of me. And now it has cost me the woman I love and my brother."

Kiera could hear the pain in his voice. "Can I help?"

Thor stood still for a long time before answering. "I single-handedly tore my family to pieces. I led my friends into Jotunheim to prove myself a worthy king. My father was right – I was vain. I know that now."

Kiera turned back to face him. "How did it happen?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

Thor did not stop looking out the window. "Heimdall was able to open the Bifrost and allow me to return to Asgard. I found Father still deep in Odinsleep with my mother and Loki at his side. He tried to lie his way out of admitting he had tried to kill me and destroy Midgard. Then he blasted me out of the room, trying to dispatch me while he destroyed Jotunheim. I tried to stop him, but the Bifrost had been open for some time already by the time I arrived. I tried to make him see reason, but he was determined, angry. There was no way to stop the Bifrost from destroying all of Jotunheim. The only option was to demolish the bridge."

He paused, glancing toward where Mjolnir stood on his bedside table. Kiera braced herself for what she knew was coming next. Thor took a deep breath. "With Mjolnir I destroyed the bridge, cutting off contact with Jotunheim and the rest of the Nine Realms. The force of the blast would have cast us both into the abyss if not for Father. He grabbed hold of me, and Loki and I had hold of both ends of his staff. And…"

Thor bowed his head, unable to continue.

"And what?"

Thor closed his eyes. "And he let go."

Kiera felt sick. "What?" she whispered.

"There was nothing I could do," Thor said, rubbing his temples.

"Thor, I don't know what to say."

Thor let out a bellow of frustration and smashed his fist into the window, shattering it. When he pulled his hand away, bits of glass stuck out of his hand and tiny streams of blood ran down his knuckles.

Kiera ran to Thor's bureau and pulled out a thin cloth. "Here, let me take care of that."

Thor slumped against the wall and allowed himself to slide all the way to the floor, uninjured hand covering his face. Kiera had never seen him like this. Thor was normally confident and almost brutish. She was not used to seeing him so broken and vulnerable. She knelt down next to him and began bandaging his large hand, pulling out stray flecks of glass as she went.

"You mentioned a woman?" Kiera said, changing the subject. She was not sure she could manage hearing more about Loki.

"Yes," Thor replied, wincing slightly as Kiera pulled out a particularly stubborn piece of glass. "Jane Foster. I must admit I underestimated Midgard. Your realm is filled with wonderful people."

"Tell me about her."

"Jane Foster…well, she is exceptionally intelligent, kind…never mind. She is lost to me. We are cut off from Midgard."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, Kiera tied the bandage in place.

"Thank you," said Thor.

Kiera looked up at him. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Thor shook his head. Kiera stood up and started for the door.

"Kiera."

Kiera turned back around.

"Yes?"

Thor stood up and crossed to her, placing his uninjured hand on her shoulder. "I know you too have suffered through all of this. I am sorry to be the cause of it. I hope you can one day forgive me."

Kiera returned a smile that did not reach her eyes. She turned and left the room, feeling as though she and Thor would finally be able to understand each other.


A year passed in a fog. Kiera hid in the safe place in her mind where nothing was wrong. Perhaps if she pretended Loki had never existed then the pain of losing him would not plague her. It was easier this way.

She found it was much easier to talk with Thor these days. They avoided any topic involving Loki or Midgard, but they were able to start a new friendship they had never had before. On the other hand, lessons with Jadef became increasingly more difficult. Kiera's magic was lackluster, only manifesting itself when she thought about Loki, which only resulted in tears, anger, and bitterness. Avoiding thinking about these things caused her magic lessons to suffer dramatically. Jadef understood and did not press the matter. Some days he would simply let her skip lessons. She would use this time to go on walks or ride the horses with Sif. Sometimes she would go find Thor and just talk.

Slowly, everyone began to heal. Nobody could erase what had happened, but eventually a new reality set in. Kiera even found herself feeling happy again. Finally things were looking up once more.

That is until Thor burst into her room one evening.

"Thor, knock first, I'm in my nightgown!" Kiera shouted, pulling the covers over herself.

"Kiera, I have come from speaking with Father," Thor said, pacing the room feverishly. "According to Heimdall, a strange happening occurred in Midgard involving the Tesseract - "

"Wait, the what?"

"The Tesseract," Thor explained, still pacing. "It is a lost ancient Asgardian artifact of immense power. It opened a portal from another realm and according to Heimdall, a being crossed realms through it."

"So…there are ways to travel between realms again?" Kiera said, confused. "Does that mean you can see Jane again?"

Thor stopped pacing and turned so he was facing her. "Kiera, Heimdall believes that the person who traveled to Midgard was Loki."

Kiera stood up, not caring anymore that she was in her nightgown. "Loki?"

"Yes."

"But…Thor, Loki's dead."

"Kiera," Thor said, gripping her shoulders tightly with his bear-like hands, "when Loki fell, when the bridge broke, the Bifrost was still open. There is a chance he fell into it and emerged safe at the other end."

"But, wait, if he was able to travel between realms, then why did he go to Midgard and not come back here?"

"I highly doubt my brother would wish to face Asgard after what he attempted to do to Jotunheim or to me. However, now that we know he is alive, unfortunately, he must pay for his crimes. I am supposed to bring him back to Asgard."

"But how are you going to get to Midgard without the Bifrost or the Tesser…thing?"

"The Allfather has ways of accomplishing these things. It will take a great deal of power, but he will be able to open the passages between the Nine Realms enough for me to travel to Midgard."

Kiera stopped to think. "Thor, do you think Loki will ever be…can he ever be himself again? I mean, if this is true and it actually is him…"

Thor sighed. "I do not know. But I must go soon. Father wants this over and done with as soon as possible so as not to cause further damage."

Kiera sighed, trying to understand everything Thor had told her. "Well, be careful."

"I am a son of Odin. There is nothing to fear."

"The last time someone said something like that I lost my best friend. I can't lose you too."

Thor took Kiera's hand. "I am sorry. But I am quite confident that the next time you see me I shall not only be in one piece but I will also be in possession of my brother."

Kiera smiled. "Go on then. And please be careful."

Thor kissed Kiera's hand before striding out of her room. Kiera stood there for a long while, thinking that if Thor truly did succeed in bringing Loki back she was not sure she wanted to see him.


Kiera was on her knees, leaning off the bridge and clutching Loki's hand. He was hanging off the edge, dangling precariously over the abyss. His hand began to slip. She looked down into his eyes and saw that he was laughing. "You will never understand." His eyes transformed from green to blazing red. He let his hand slip out of her grasp and he fell, laughing. She screamed and screamed…

Kiera woke up screaming, sweat pooling on her forehead. She opened her eyes and saw that she was still in her room. She tried to calm down, but the more she tried the more her dream haunted her. She knew there was a possibility that Loki was alive, but she could not forget the heartache she had endured when she had believed him dead. Kiera blinked away tears, closing her eyes and trying to fall back into a dreamless sleep. If she ever did see Loki again, she did not know if she could ever forgive him.

She thought she heard the door creak open. Usually, nobody disturbed her at this time of night, but with the way things were happening lately she would not be surprised. She sat up and looked around, but saw no one. Thinking it must have only been her imagination, she rolled over and pulled the covers closer to her chin.

Then the hairs on the back of Kiera's neck stood up eerily, as though she were not alone. She opened one eye slowly, scanning the room. Her eyes settled on a figure that had not been there before. She sat bolt upright, her eyes wide. The figure towered over the end of her bed, its eyes staring at her. Its skin was coarse-looking, and tinged red.

"Who are you?" Kiera demanded, terrified. "What do you want?"

The figure smiled a sinister smile and promptly set itself on fire.


2013 EDIT: Added a bit more filler. This chapter flows much better now, in my opinion.