I really didn't want to write this chapter. It's been over two years since I first started writing this trilogy and it's difficult to let go of them now. Of course, I will have to go back and edit everything (God, give me patience...) but it's not the same as being in these characters' heads and writing their stories. Either way, I couldn't just keep the final chapter to myself. So, here it is. The last chapter in Freyja's story. There will be an epilogue, but I'm not sure if I can write that out today. Then again, I probably will. So, I hope you enjoy this part and hold on for a little while longer for the very last part. Thanks to all.

Song of the Chapter: To Build A Home ~ The Cinematic Orchestra

Special thanks to Sarah, who suggested the song. It's perfect.

Chapter 20

Welcoming Farewells

"They say if you love someone, you should let them go to see if they come back. But if you really love someone, you shouldn't ever let them go."

-Anonymous

Loki sat in the middle of the gardens of Asgard, tampering with an orb of ice he had conjured. It had once been an exercise in magic but it only served as a poor distraction that morning. He let the ice melt away, the water slipping through his fingers, imagining the sensation was similar to what was going on as he hid away in the gardens. Just that morning he had believed things might begin to smooth out and turn out better in time. Now everything was slipping through his grasp once more.

"Loki?"

He didn't look up as his brother walked towards him, voice tinged with surprise. Thor stopped when he stood before the younger prince, looking for all the world as if he knew nothing of what was occurring around him.

"Where have you been? What is this I hear about the Vanir leaving Asgard? Where is Freyja? Loki, what-"

Thor stopped as Loki looked up at him, his face clear of emotions but his eyes filled with muted sadness.

"Loki…"

"Freyja and I journeyed to Vanaheim this morning," he said, voice low. "As it would seem, Thanos was unable to kill everyone in the Realm. Freyja must return to Vanaheim as her people need a monarch to aid them in their return."

"You were in Vanaheim?"

"Yes."

Thor furrowed his brow, "I see no reason you cannot go with her if she allowed you to join her before."

Loki sighed, "The Queen of Vanaheim is meant to set an example for her people as well as lead them. A queen married to a Jotun would cause dissent among the people. She must go alone."

"But I do not-"

"DO YOU NOT SEE?" he yelled, leaping to his feet. "It is over! Freyja will leave for Vanaheim and lead her people! And I – I shall leave, as well."

"Where do you plan to go?" Thor demanded, a mix of hope and despair in his voice.

"To Jotunheim," he answered. "Perhaps I may find answers there."

"There are no ways of traveling there," Thor protested.

"I may be able to charter a ship," he mused. "The Vanir have many."

Thor's heart fell, "You would truly leave?"

Loki put a hand on Thor's shoulder, a gesture he had not done in a very long time, "I cannot stay here, Thor. With Freyja and the Vanir gone, Asgard will remember their enmity towards me. I must go."

Thor nodded slowly, though he did not want to agree. He knew his people would need much to change their views completely. The Realm simply wasn't ready yet. Loki put on a false smile for both of their sake and dropped his hand.

"I should prepare for my departure."

"I will help," the golden prince announced.

Loki stopped, "Thor…"

"No. I will not see my brother of without saying a proper goodbye."

Loki hesitated for a minute before nodding. There was no reason he should not allow Thor – his brother – to say farewell. Truthfully, he found it a small comfort in what was happening.

"Thank you."

Freyja stared around her chambers, feeling numb to everything around her. She had returned to her rooms to pack her belongings but had found she had nothing of necessity to bring. Her armoire was filled with Asgardian armor and gowns, none of which would be suitable for the queen of Vanaheim. Her furnishings would all stay, as would the tapestries that hung on her walls. Only a few trinkets from her hidden cupboard at the foot of her bed were worth taking.

In the end, it had only served as a reminder of why she was sifting through her things to begin with. She collapsed onto the chair by the desk, placing her head in her hands. Just that morning, everything was beginning to look prospective. Freyr's burial was meant to bring her closure, but had made the opposite effect. How was it that everything could spiral out of control so quickly? Kenna's appearance, the killings, Thanos controlling her brother, Freyr's death, and then knowing she had to return to her Realm to lead her people.

For the faintest of instants, she wondered if she could elope with Loki but almost immediately dismissed the idea. Without someone to lead them, her people would fall into chaos. They deserved a better fate than that after such a long state of instability. And her aunt, Nerthus, could not take the throne as she had given up her claim and the delicate magic interwoven within succession would not allow her to reclaim it. She could not break any laws as Queen, which called for the end of her and Loki's love affair.

Freyja closed her eyes to keep from crying. She had wept far too much recently and she refused to shed any more tears. It would do no good if her people saw their queen crying on the first day of her arrival. So much time had passed since she last used the apathetic mask she had made under her father's gaze that it felt wrong to use it again. It felt foreign and uncomfortable on her features.

A knock on her door broke through her thoughts and she quickly regained her composure.

"Come in," she called, closing the chest she had filled with the few belongings she would take.

She glanced up to see Sif walking in, a sad smiled on her face as she looked around the room.

"So the rumors are true?"

Freyja nodded once, "I'm afraid so."

"It still seems surreal to believe there have been Vanir on your home Realm while we all believed them to be dead," the warrior said.

"It does seem strange," she admitted. "Even more surprising that I will be leaving Asgard. Never did I think I would return to Vanaheim, much less to rule it."

Sif sat down in an armchair across from her, "I believe you will be a brilliant queen, Freyja."

She shook her head, "I'm not nearly ready for this."

"And admitting that makes all the difference. Vanaheim could never have a better person to lead her."

Freyja glanced at the floor, wishing that was the foremost problem on her mind. However, Sif had always been a perceptive woman and noticed the change in the princess's expression.

"That's not what concerns you, though. Not entirely."

She looked up at Sif, "I have failed, Sif. Failed my father in being an obedient daughter, failed my brother in protecting him from my mistakes, failed my people in finding the truth, failed Loki in every way and, in doing so, failed as goddess of love."

"But you succeeded in saving Asgard, slaying Thanos, protecting Midgard, and saving our lives many a time," the shield-maiden pointed out. "Look at all you have done for us. Is it not time to do something purely for yourself?"

"That would be selfishness."

"And not doing so would be wrong. You cannot neglect yourself simply because it is what is best for the majority."

"My people need me."

"As does Loki."

Freyja winced, but Sif pressed on.

"I admit, I've never been fond of the trickster. By Odin, I would never speak with him if I could manage it. But when you and he are together, it is different. You do not bring out the best in each other, by all rights. He may very well bring out the troublesome streak in you, actually. But it is as if you…complement each other. It is similar to viewing the stars from different perspectives. He is still himself and you yourself, and yet you both are different. You're both happier when together. I have no doubt that you two could live happily in Helheim if you wanted."

"Of course we could. Hel is Loki's daughter, after all."

"That is not my point."

"I know, Sif," she sighed. "But I cannot be with Loki if I am to do this."

"You will be Queen. Can you not change the laws?"

"Being Queen requires I have an heir. Marrying Loki would make our children halflings."

"Which you are yourself and yet you are one of the kindest people I know."

"I was a different case."

"Is it not your people's belief that no being is born wholly dark or fair? That the nature of a person depends solely on their actions?"

Freyja paused, musing over the prospect.

"Perhaps in time, I could change the laws. But not now. My people need stability and such a drastic change of the law would counteract that. Let us speak of lighter topics, Sif. I don't wish our parting words to be unhappy ones. Have you thought of names for your child?"

"I'm not sure. I never thought of such a thing before."

"Do you hope for a boy or girl?"

Sif shook her head, "It does not matter to me. I just worry how he or she will behave. Besides, surely you can see for yourself."

Freyja gave a wry smile, "I could, yes, but I'd rather not. The future is nothing if not troublesome. I've seen enough trouble to last many lifetimes."

"Indeed," Sif conceded. "So what are your plans?"

She shrugged, "Return to Vanaheim, restore the cities, rewrite the laws my father created, and bring Vanaheim back to its former standing."

"Will you return?"

"To Asgard? Of course. I will visit as often as possible."

"You had better," she said in mock seriousness.

The two smiled and Freyja stood up and walked around the desk. As she pulled the chest towards her, something hit the floor with a sharp ring. Sif stood up, glancing at the crumpled pile of cloth on the floor.

"What is that?"

Freya knelt to pick it up, pulling a crystal bell out of the folds, "It is the gift Verdandi gave me."

"One of the Norns gave you a gift?"

"She said to break it when my resolution falters."

Sif raised her eyebrows, "It must be fairly important if Verdandi believed you needed it."

"What do you suppose it is?"

"I haven't the faintest idea," she noted before glancing around. "I'm going to miss you, Freyja."

Freyja smiled, embracing her friend, "I will see you again."

Sif lingered for an instant before letting go, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Sif."

The door closed behind the shield-maiden with the finality of Valkyrie landing on a battle field. Left with no distractions, Freyja returned her attention to the bell in her palm. With a deep breath, she placed it on the ground and, thankful she had chosen to wear her riding boots, brought her foot down slowly. The crystal gave a slight keening noise as it broke and Freyja found herself falling forward through darkness. A voice rang through the black as she tumbled head over heels.

"You wished for reassurance, Princess, and you shall have it. There is only one road you may take at the present."

Freyja suddenly found solid ground beneath her feet, colors swirling together to form an image of a Vanaheim hall. She watched as an image of herself dressed in black knelt before Nerthus. The false-her had her fingers wrapped around the base of Ariolo while Nerthus kept a hold just below the sapphire. Tendrils of silver and copper auras flared outward as the air crackled with the power of ancient magic.

"But from there, you have many paths to choose from."

The room seemed to fold in on itself, sending Freyja falling once more. As she turned, she caught glimpses of voices and images. Some of them were her own memories while others were unfamiliar.

"You and Loki have been bound, your fates intertwined, since the day you awoke him to magic. No matter what path you choose, you and he will meet."

She saw a glimpse of her and Loki walking along a beach in Vanaheim, both slightly older than what they were now. He grinned at her and she smiled in return, looking at each other as if they had not seen the other in many years. But, as soon as she reached out for it, it was gone, replaced by a vision of them at a wedding ceremony, both younger than they had been in the previous scene.

"Loki has become a hero and his name will not fade from the legends your descendants shall tell of these times."

She saw a group of young Vanir crowding around an older woman by a fire, listening as she spoke. The woman created shadows and outlines with her aura, illustrating her story as she told it. Freyja immediately recognized one of the shadows as Loki.

"Renascentia caused many changes, signifies a rebirth of all. The laws of your people and the rest of the Realms are not excluded from this."

She saw Vanaheim rebuilt, its streets teeming with a mix of Vanir, elves, Æsir, dwarves, and even a few humans. A child ran out of one of the many houses lining the road, his hair an unusual brown that looked oddly human. In the doorway, stood his parents: a Vaniric man and a woman of Midgard.

"Nothing lies ahead to stop you, Princess, except the principles of your Father. He holds no control over you nor over the Realm. You know the truth of morality."

Memories surrounded her. She saw herself saving Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three on many of their adventures. There were memories of her watching Hel, Jormungand, and Fenrir. She even caught glimpses of her talking Loki and Thor out of trouble when it was not at fault. The final ones were those of her fighting Thanos on Earth.

"There is nothing to hold you back except yourself. Much is in store for you, you simply must look at the possibilities. There are no wrong choices to be made now. Just one."

A seemingly Asgardian child ran past her then, blurring the memories as they changed to a castle of titanium and crystal. Black curls fell around his face, contrasting sharply against his pale skin and bright blue eyes. Ash was smeared across his face and the edges of his eyebrows were singed, but he grinned happily in a manner that she was all too familiar with. He ran to a vision of herself in a simple cobalt gown, yelling words that made her eyes widen.

"Mummy! Mummy, look! Father taught me how to control fire! Look!"

He opened his hands to reveal mantis green flames dancing around his fingers. The false-Freyja smiled.

"That is-"

"MUMMY!"

Both she and her doppelganger looked up to see a younger boy, this one with straight black hair cropped relatively short.

"Mummy, sister won't leave Father alone so we can have our lesson!"

Before the false Freyja could reply, a little girl came in. Her hand was clasped in Loki's as she tugged him towards the group.

"Mummy! Why can't Daddy teach me how to control fire?" she asked, still trailing Loki behind her.

Loki smiled apologetically as the false-Freyja shook her head with a smile.

"Only one decision, Princess," the voice said, speaking over the conversation in the vision. "When will you choose to make this reality?"

The floor fell away and darkness swallowed her up once more. When her surroundings solidified around her, she was in her chambers once more. She glanced around in surprise, lifting her foot to find the crystal gone and only a scrap of parchment left behind. She picked it up and unfolded it, eyes falling one a single rune in her language. Spero, hope.

The scrap of parchment fell from her fingers as she walked briskly out the door and down the hall. She had expected many things to come from Verdandi's gift, but what she had received was far from her guessing. It seemed odd that the little visions had struck such a chord with her but she wasn't going to question it. If the Norns were certain her future was bound to Loki's, she was not willing to argue.

She barely paused to notice that the door to Loki's chamber had opened without protest or hindrance as she rushed in.

"Loki, there is-"

She broke off as she looked around his sitting room. Most everything in the room had been cleared out and sat barren. The books that had once lined the walls were gone, leaving empty shelves in their place. The desk had been cleaned of parchment, inkwells and quills. If it weren't for the black velvet curtains and green-accented furniture, it would have looked the same as any of the empty rooms throughout the palace.

"Loki?"

An Einherjar stepped out from the bedchamber, taking off his helmet as he did. He was barely more than a boy, but Freyja knew the stories of others like him. He wasn't the only one to be a part of the Einherjar without having reached adulthood.

"Lady Princess," he stuttered, eyes wide as he saw her. "I was not expecting you."

"It would appear not. Where is Loki?"

"Prince Loki left a little before I arrived. I believe he was off to tell Lady Frigga goodbye."

"Goodbye?" she echoed blankly.

The boy nodded fervently, "King Thor mentioned a trip to Jotunheim. I don't believe Prince Loki is returning."

"Jotunheim?"

The guard glanced around as if looking for something before turning his worried glance to Freyja, "Yes, I did say Jotunheim. Lady Princess, are you feeling ill. You look a bit…ill."

"Did he say how he was traveling to – ah, the ships. You'll have to excuse me. There is somewhere I must be."

"Of course," he called out as she walked back through the door.

Freyja stopped short as she walked out into the corridor, wondering just where she was going. It was unlikely that he was still saying farewell to his mother, so he would be somewhere in the city in search of a ship off of one of the Vanir returning home. Which meant that he was running through the streets of Asgard and, in turn, making her search much more difficult than before.

She cursed her luck, walking briskly down the quickest path she knew that led to the city. The streets were bustling with Vanir making to leave and their Asgardian neighbors trying to say their goodbyes. Freyja turned in circles, trying desperately to look around in case her luck might return. She knew the location of every hold which kept the ships many Vanir used to journey to Asgard, but they were scattered across the city like leaves in the wind.

Glad of her choice of trousers and a tunic, instead of a dress that would hinder her, she took off through the crowd in the direction of the nearest hold. Many of the people in her path stepped out of her way as they saw her running closer. Past shops and bakeries, she ran through the cobblestone roads towards her destination. It took no more than ten minutes to reach the place on foot, but she found it empty of all except for two children.

They were Asgardian, by the look of their eyes, and both turned to look at her as she ran in. A boy of about twelve and his little sister, both of whom stared at Freyja with interest.

"You're Princess Freyja," the boy whispered.

She nodded, thinking carefully about the next closest hangar, "Yes."

"Are you looking Prince Loki?" the little girl asked. "Are you going to marry him? Mama says it would be row-manic."

"Romantic, not 'row-manic'," the boy corrected, voice quiet. "And what did Papa tell you about asking questions you shouldn't?"

"Actually, I am looking for Loki," she said. "Did you see him, by any chance."

The boy shook his head, "He was not here. We would have seen him."

"Eylia left with her parents," the little girl announced. "Is Prince Loki leaving, as well? Is that why King Thor looked sad?"

The brother turned to look at his sister with the same expression of surprise on his face as Freyja.

"You saw Loki?"

The girl nodded, "He and King Thor were going towards the Bifrost."

She kneeled down to look at the girl, "Thank you. You've been most helpful."

The girl gave a toothy grin and Freyja smiled in return, reaching for the Tesseract pendant as she stood up. She looked down in surprise as she realized she had left it in her chambers. She could either waste more time summoning it and using it to teleport herself to the Bifrost or run the way and pray she arrived in time. Both were time consuming, but she decided on the first.

The second she held the Tesseract in her hand, Freyja immediately worked on traveling to the Bifrost. Heimdall didn't so much as blink she appeared before him. But, then again, she wasn't entirely certain he ever blinked, much less moved any part of his face besides his mouth.

"Good Heimdall, would you be so kind as to tell me where Loki is? I was told he walked in this direction."

"Prince Loki has gone to the Illead shipyard."

"Thank you," she replied, using the Tesseract once more.

She supposed it was a bit rude to leave so suddenly, but Heimdall would understand her hurry. She wasn't certain how long Loki had been in the shipyard and didn't want to lose her chance. However, the second her surroundings solidified around her, she saw Thor gazing skyward. Following his gaze, she saw a ship disappearing into the distance. She exhaled sharply, spirits falling as it grew too far to be seen.

She was too late. She had missed her chance.

"Freyja?"

She spun around to see Loki in his usual leather tunic, cloaking in a fur-trimmed coat. He held a small trunk in his hands, practically forgotten as he stared at her with wide green eyes. Freyja threw her arms around his shoulders in relief.

"I thought you had gone."

"I have yet to find a ship," he answered automatically as she stepped back.

"How could you even think of leaving without a farewell?" she demanded, anger rising as her relief faded.

"We've had far too many farewells as it is, love," he answered, voice quiet. "It was better-"

"To leave without telling me?" she asked. "I would have been furious."

"It seemed the best option at the time, leaving."

She sighed, "When does it not?"

"Freyja?"

Both turned to look as Thor approached, a mix of shock and hesitation on his face.

"Thor, could you perhaps give us a minute or so?"

Thor looked from Freyja to Loki and back before nodding. Though his brother might say he was not observant, he knew when a potential fight was looming not so distantly. He mumbled something about checking for available ships before walking off. Freyja returned her attention to Loki.

"Don't do this," she breathed.

"I have no home here."

"And I have no home in either Realm, but perhaps we can make one for ourselves."

He frowned in confusion, "You would leave your people without a queen?"

She shook her head, "My people need me. But I need you."

She leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me to Vanaheim."

He shook his head, "You know as well as I that my coming to Vanaheim is forbidden."

"Is it?" she asked. "Nerthus had no qualms with your arrival this morn. The Realms are changing, Loki."

"Your people will not accept me."

"They believe you to be a hero for saving my life. They would never spurn you."

"And what of the halfling laws?" he asked.

"What of the halfling who will sit upon the throne? Am I any different."

He sighed softly, "I don't want to make you choose between your people and me ever again, Freyja."

"Then don't," she whispered. "I know you have never wanted a crown, but I ask you anyway. Will you come with me to Vanaheim?"

He was silent for a minute, thinking through the entire problem rationally. There was nothing more to be said, so Freyja waited for him to reply. And when he met her eyes once more, she knew his answer.