I must say, I'm loving how all of you are fuming over Luciana's arranged marriage. And now I'm going to add more fuel to the fire by giving you this chapter.

Be warned, you WILL hate me.

Disclaimer: All characters involving Thor belong to Marvel, I only own the OC's present in this story. (AND ANY ORIGINAL PLOT LINE FROM THIS DAY FORTH.)

Viveca smirked as she walked into her bedroom, her brown eyes glinting.

Over the course of the week, she had been consoling Luciana, who was still heavily distraught by her engagement. Viveca had done her job though;

She had told her poor sister that her parents had forbid her to see Loki, which was hardly the case. She also said that they forbid her from protesting the engagement, helping to put her elaborate plan in place, making sure to stress the topic to her every day.

It would be an understatement to say Viveca didn't like Loki; she loathed him.

She hated everything about the prince; his childish ways, his irresponsible attitude, everything.

She hated that he, out of all people, was the one to catch her sister's heart. She hated his infatuation with her sister, and she was seething at the thought of her sister taken by him. She knew the minute she protested against her engagement that she had fallen in love with Loki.

Despite her bitterness, Viveca smiled as she plopped onto her bed.

It was only a matter of time before everything fell into place.

Only a matter of time.

Silent tears fell down Luciana's face and onto her pillow as she laid in her bed, unable to sleep.

She still hadn't fully processed her engagement, and still wasn't sure she wanted to. She would rather feel as she did that last morning with Loki; happy and in his company. Instead, she felt the exact opposite; sad and alone.

She was never allowed to see Loki again, she was being forced to marry, and she had to go on the rest of her life with a shattered heart. Nothing, it seemed, would ever go her way. And to worsen her heartbreak, tomorrow she was leaving her home again, but not to go to the palace. No, she was going to meet Ramsay's family, who were quite eager for her to join the clan. Why she had to suffer through all this, she didn't know. All she knew now was that fate was her enemy.

She pulled the blanket over her head and let out a sob, fresh tears pouring from her eyes.

She could run away, but where would she go? To the castle? No, once Odin learned that she had run away from home he'd send her right back, and she'd be in even more turmoil then she already was. She live out her days alone in the forest; living in solitude in a small hut among the shadows of the trees, perhaps with a bird or mouse as company. But no, she'd be too lonely without anyone with her. Despite wanting to do anything else but marry Ramsay, she couldn't be alone.

She heard a tapping on her window but she ignored it, thinking it was just a bird or a branch. The tapping continued to the point where she nearly screamed in annoyance. She ripped the blankets off of her and walked towards the window peering into the darkness outside. What she saw, perched on the tree outside her window, shocked her.

It was Loki.

"Loki?" She said, opening the window. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled at her before climbing into her bedroom, clad in armour complete with a golden horned helmet and a green cape.

"I came to see you," He said as she shut the window. "I needed to speak to you about..." He trailed off as he noticed her puffy eyes and tear stained face. "Darling heart, have you been crying?"

Luciana brought her hands up to her face and wiped at her eyes, shaking her head.

"Darling heart," He said concerned, and he went over and cupped her face. "What's troubling you?"

She shook her head again and avoided his gaze, her grey eyes staring at the floor.

"Luciana," He said solemnly. "Please tell me."

With that, he crashed his lips onto hers and enveloped her in a passionate kiss. Tears continued to flow from her eyes, and he wiped them away with his thumb as he deepened the kiss. She abruptly broke away from the embrace with a sob, and Loki looked at her with concern.

"My-my parents," She choked out, removing his hands from her face. "They-they-"

She couldn't get the words out and she crossed her arms, looking at the ground.

"They what, Luciana?" He asked softly.

She let out a shaky sigh. "They-they've arranged for me to be married to my father's new apprentice."

Loki's heart shattered at her words, and he stared at her in disbelief. She couldn't be engaged, not after what they had been through.

"W-What?" He asked, desperately clinging onto the last hope that he had heard her wrong.

"They are going to marry me off," She said, her voice shaking. "But I don't want to be married to him; I can't be married to him! I'm in love with you."

Loki pulled her into him, and she rested her head on his chest as more tears fell down her face. He rested his chin on the top of her head, and he rubbed her back as she cried. That's all he could do, he couldn't find any words to comfort her.

A silver tongue rendered useless by heartbreak.

Loki sat in the palace garden, his helmet sitting on his lap.

He had stayed with Luciana for another hour before returning to the castle, incredibly miserable.

What she had told him broke his heart. They weren't to be in contact anymore, and she was to be married to Ramsay Talonson, a name he quickly grew to hate. She told him how alone she felt; how she felt like no one in her family even considered her feelings. But there was nothing they could do about it; the wedding was already in process, with no way to stop it.

Loki considered begging with Cyrus and Astrid, but that would reveal that he and Luciana were in a secret courtship, and they could both get into great trouble for it. It was one thing to be in a courtship with someone, it was another to have one in secret between a prince and a sorceress. He didn't want her to be badly affected by it, so he reluctantly discarded his plan of pleading.

"Loki?" The familiar voice of Frigga asked and Loki jumped, but he didn't move from his seat on the bench.

Frigga stepped out from behind some bushes, the night air warm as she walked towards her son. "Loki, why are you out here so late."

"Couldn't sleep," He lied with a shrug.

"Why are you wearing your armour?" She asked, sitting on the bench beside him.

He didn't respond as he looked at his helmet, and she sighed.

"Loki, you do not need to hide your secret courtship with Luciana, I already know."

He was caught off guard by this statement and he looked at his mother in shock and curiosity. "How did you find out?"

"I once saw the two of you come back to the castle in the early morning hours. I saw the kiss you shared, and I heard the loving words you spoke to her." She explained, looking at him sadly.

He sighed and looked down at the ground. "She's getting married," He said sadly, swallowing. "Her parents arranged it."

"I know," She said quietly.

"You knew?"

"Yes, your father and I both did. In Cyrus' letter he said he needed Luciana to be away from home while he settled the arrangements. That's why I was so keen on you telling her your feelings; so you wouldn't go through life regretting that you hadn't."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was not my place. They were personal family affairs that were not meant to be shared, and Luciana was not to know of it."

Loki looked back down at his helmet and sighed. "I love her."

"Loki," She said sadly. "I'm so sorry."

"I-I was going to ask for her hand tonight," He said, clenching his fist.

Frigga's heart broke for her son, and she looked at him in shock. "You what?"

"I was going to ask for her hand. I've missed her so much, and she's only been gone a week. If I can't handle a week, then I know I'll never be able to handle a lifetime without her, that's why I wanted her to be my wife. But that's impossible now, it's impossible. I can't even see her anymore; her parents don't want us to have contact." He paused with a sad sigh. "Mother, I love her so much, and I'll never see her again."

"Oh, Loki. I'm so sorry."

A tear slid down the queen's cheek as she watched her son, who looked utterly destroyed.

"Life isn't fair, is it?" He asked.

"No," She shook her head. "Sometimes it isn't."

Yeah, I'm horrible, aren't I? Hey, being a writer means I have to make some tough decisions involving my plot in order to produce a interesting story.

Alright, carry on...and review.