Goddess of Ice

by sailorpluto1709

Sequel to "God of Fire." It's been fourteen years since we last saw Loki and Charlie. However, a new threat has appeared and is not interested in either one of them. Instead, they are focused on taking their daughter. Who are they and why are they after their daughter? Rated M mainly for caution and possible violence.

35. Leikvig Valdhari

A/N: ... Hey, guys! I know, it's been a really long time since I've updated. I'm not going to lie to any of you. I really just needed to walk away from this story for a time. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT giving up on it. But, sometimes, you just have to shelve a project and work on others to get your motivation and creativity flowing again. Hence why it's been a lot of months. I do apologize for keeping you all waiting and I hope I still have a reading community still.

Well, all that aside, here's the next part. I hope you all enjoy and please do tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Plot and created characters are property of me and my frightening imagination.

Leikvig Valdhari

"What?"

That's pretty much the only response I have right now. The only one that makes logical sense to me anyway. What the hell does he mean that this isn't a recording? I cannot honestly be talking to him right now. Live. And in the flesh. Well, relatively speaking. My eyes fly to the mostly folded up box that this entire fiasco of an interaction is coming from. So, what? That's not just a recorded message but also a two-way camera? How?

Okay, that's not really all that far-fetched considering such devices are basically child's play to the majority of the Nine Realms and even Earth now, but still.

Leikvig chuckles in amusement, sending an absolute shock of pure fear down my spine and ultimately pushing the rest of my confused emotions away. My heart races just a little faster than it was a few moments ago and I force my hands into fists so I don't start shaking too. It seems no matter how hard I fight it, Sigyn's reactions are just going to bleed through whether I like it or not. I just can't allow her memories to control my reactions. This isn't the same man who raped and abused her.

Well, it is but isn't. Ugh. I'm going to get a migraine.

"I assure you, my lady princess," he says, a large grin deepening the lines around his eyes, "we are truly speaking right now."

I can't help but bristle slightly when he uses my title. There's a reason why no one in this palace calls me that and believe me, it took many hard-won years to get it that way. I hate that title. More than I hate being called "lady." I'll at least tolerate that title to an extent. "My lady princess" I won't tolerate at all. No offense meant to the people of this realm, but I'm not some dainty damsel in distress. And being called princess implies that, no matter which race or people it comes from.

The annoyance and mild anger manages to push back my fear and incredulity at this situation so I can actually deal with it. I straighten my posture slightly in my seat, folding my arms on top of the table, leveling my eyes pointedly at the man's face. "Okay, you have my attention," I finally respond. "What do you want?"

"Well, you already know what it is that I want, milady," he retorts with a small smirk.

I roll my eyes. "Look, I'm not going to play this game," I tell him. I lean back in my chair and cross my legs, keeping my folded arms tight to my chest. "You're not going to get my daughter or those blades. So what do you want with me?"

He chuckles lightly. "My, you're a feisty one," he comments, almost sounding fond. "I wonder how it is possible Loki managed to tame you."

Yeah, he's trying to get under my skin. Trying to figure out what makes me tick. I doubt he knows anything about Sigyn so he won't know that his mere voice is enough to drive me nuts and have to fight back flashbacks to a night I never lived. It would probably be in my best interest to not let on about any of my annoyances or fears while in his presence. I bet he's cataloguing all of my reactions, even if it's only a minor eye twitch. He can try all he wants to figure me out, but I'm not going to give him any information about me.

I simply raise my eyebrow at him, choosing not to say anything about his last comment. Apparently whatever my expression conveys is amusing to him because he chuckles again. "Stubborn, too." He clasps his hands behind his back and looks down at the ground. "I must admit my curiosity about the woman brave enough to marry a man known as a liar, deceiver, and murderer. You are proving not to be a disappointment."

Glad to be of service, a particularly pissed off voice comments in my head. I don't say that out loud though, as much as I would love to.

He lifts his head again and for the first time, his expression holds nothing but sincerity and seriousness. "The true reason for why I wished to contact you directly, Lady Charlotte, was to express my regret and apology about any and all of the actions that have been taken against yourself."

I blink, completely taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"I was completely unaware of Lorelei's deep hatred and resentment for your husband," he elaborates, shrugging as if to say Oops, my bad. Kind of displaces the sincerity of what he's actually saying. "I did not realize the lengths with which she would go to personally harm him. Due to my lack of insight, you suffered. I apologize."

The only response I can give him is a very long blink as my mind attempts to process what's going on. The bad guy is apologizing for another bad guy doing bad things? That's not supposed to happen. Why the hell would he feel bad about anything that happened to me? "You'll have to forgive me if I don't exactly understand what's going on right now," I reply, leaning forward to place my elbows on the table again and rub my forehead in annoyance.

"Lorelei attacked you personally," he continues, "against my express orders to leave you alone. I was wondering why it was taking so long to complete the task I had given her. It was only when her ship arrived without her that I had learned what she had done to you." I lift my eyes from the tabletop to watch him as he speaks, my interest finally returning my attention to him. His expression still holds sincerity and regret, but his dark brown eyes are cold. "I cannot imagine what you must have dealt with living as another woman."

"What happened to those people?" I ask, ignoring his last statement entirely.

His eyebrows rise like what I just asked surprised him in some way. "You mean the Skarvi and Siditi? Well, let me just say they served me well."

"Meaning you killed them."

"Well, not right away," he contradicts as if that somehow makes it better. "Some proved to be quite useful to me personally."

My jaw tightens, my stomach churning in absolute regret. While I knew those people were probably dead, I couldn't help but hope that mercy would have been shown. Those people didn't deserve anything they got. My memories may be murky about my time on Lorelei's ship, but I do remember the kindness of Nebula. The men of her race were under Lorelei's control and the women were ordered or coerced to follow her. They didn't deserve to be tortured and killed for that.

"Does that bother you, princess?"

My eyes narrow into a glare. But I don't respond. If the answer to that isn't obvious, this man is an idiot. And the very last thing he is, is an idiot.

He hums quietly, tipping his head back as he stares at me. His eyes are cold and calculating. My heart quickens again, its beat almost painful against my chest. I can't help but feel anxious around this guy and that look isn't helping matters. I know that I don't want this guy's attention on me for too long. But, at the same time, if I can get his attention solely on me, perhaps he'll leave my daughter alone. However, that's a pipe dream and I know that.

He wets his lips, tipping his head downward to stare at the ground. "You are not what I expected," he comments drily, shaking his head. He raises his head again to give me a dry grin. "You are clearly the exact opposite of my pupil. So how is it you managed to steal away his heart?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" I retort.

"Everything," he replies, his expression conveying that I should know that. "I already knew that your abilities would counter his entirely. Many gossip circles in the Nine Realms certainly were talking about the marriage of the fallen Jotunheimen prince to the forgotten and lost princess of Maglubiyet, a small, satellite realm of Muspelheim. It was clear that your magicks were already going to be polar opposites. However, I still expected you to be just like him in order to stand to be in his presence."

I shake my head in minor confusion. "I still don't understand what that has to do with anything we were discussing a minute ago."

He grins at me like I'm a poor confused child which immediately pisses me off. "Loki would hardly care about the deaths of a couple dozen people of a minor race. I expected you to feel the same."

I wrinkle my nose at him. "Are you kidding me?" I whisper. "Loki cared a great deal."

"I do not believe so," he counters, shaking his head. "I believe he only cared about you, milady. And as soon as you and his daughter were off that ship, he would hardly care about the fate of the crew."

I stare at him for a moment, not saying anything. "You don't know him like I do."

He laughs under his breath, shaking his head. "No, Lady Charlotte. You do not know him like I do." He opens his arms to his sides in a gesture that mimics a "behold me" kind of move. "After all, I did tutor the boy for several centuries, long before you were even a whisper of a dream."

"You knew him as a kid. So what? I know him now. And that's what matters."

"Really? Do you not think it would have been remotely possible for him to do something to save the men and women on that ship?" He shrugs one shoulder. "After all, there was time. He could have turned the ship around. He is not ignorant of mechanics nor of piloting ships. So then, why did he not this time?" He raises his eyebrow at me, turning his head to the side in a move that I recognize from several of my own teachers and instructors over the years. The kind of look that tells a student to think on what the teacher just stated, and to think critically about it.

I sigh. "Believe whatever you want," I respond, choosing to give him the reaction he wouldn't expect. "It's not going to change anything."

"Perhaps not," he concedes. "But it does not change one fact, milady. Loki is thoughtful. He is always two steps ahead of everyone else. And he has never had a problem with shedding blood. He proved that today with how easily he dispatched my forces when they captured you. And he proved that ten times over the last time he was in my care."

My eyes narrow. "In your care?"

Surprise crosses his face. "Did he not tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

He blinks a few times, his eyes darting to the side of the camera, focusing on something off-camera. He shakes his head, sighing in disappointment. "Apparently his penchant for secrecy has not subsided," he mutters, crossing his arms. "However, I still expected him to share that time with his wife, of all people."

"Care to share with the class, Leikvig?" I finally cut in his verbal ponderings, getting annoyed.

His eyes dart back to me. He lifts a hand and brushes it through his beard as he stares at me critically. "You are aware of Loki's brief rule on the throne of Asgard followed with his confrontation with his brother, correct?" I nod. "And of his fall into the void, I presume. He happened to land, without a better description, within my care."

"What?" I breathe, completely incredulous.

He shakes his head. "Actually, that's not entirely accurate. He landed first with my benefactor. He remained with him and his daughters for a few days until I was finally summoned. After that, I insisted that I take him. After all, he was my star pupil. He spent several months in my care before my benefactor gave him the means to subjugate Midgard and the task of retrieving the Tesseract. By the time he left, he was more than willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goal." He grins fondly. "But, seeing as you are Midgardian, I assume you are fully aware of his actions."

I don't bother replying, reeling with this sliver of information. I still don't know who this benefactor is, but if he's supporting Leikvig and his experiments, I can assume he's no one good. And Loki was with Leikvig for months? In what capacity?

"Loki was quite the different man when he first arrived," he's saying, still talking regardless of my silent and frozen state. "He was incredibly intelligent as a boy, and frighteningly gifted with magic. However, he was far too enamored with his brother and craved Odin's attention and approval too much to make any decisions to further his own ambitions." He chuckles. "That obviously was not the case when he fell to us."

"What did you do to him?" I cut in, my voice low and quiet. My mind is busy reeling with any and all possibilities, my conversation with Boli and Sif mere minutes ago not helping matters.

Leikvig gives me a slightly offended look. "You believe I would harm my student?" he accuses. He shakes his head. "I simply showed him the truth he was too blind to see. Once he was enlightened about his situation, he was more than happy to follow my benefactor's orders. Did he not tell you any of this?"

No. No, Loki hasn't. He doesn't talk about the time after he fell through the void. The only information I've ever been able to glean is when he talks in his sleep and that's usually when he's having a nightmare. To be fair, I've never asked him to divulge that time with me, either. I don't think I should have to ask. If he wants to tell me, he will. But I can't help but wonder… Does Loki not trust me? What is it about that time with Leikvig and his benefactor does he want to hide from me?

I suppose my continued silence is response enough for the man on the screen. He shakes his head in mild pity. "Well, none of that matters now. He left to retrieve the Tesseract and was caught. I truly never expected to meet him again. Until I heard wind of his marriage to you. I will admit I was and am very happy for him. He deserves to be happy."

"Then why are you trying to steal our daughter?" I ask, rubbing my forehead again. "You do know that will ruin any happiness he has now."

His expression softens just a touch and that small look of regret is back. "And that I do regret," he admits. "However, if I wish to accomplish what it is that I need to, I need her. If that causes him any pain, well…" he trails off, grinning at me. "I am sure he will move on. After all, he has a wife now."

"I am not a baby-making machine, you asswipe," I growl. "Neither one of us will allow you to take her."

He grins. "My conditions still stand, Lady Charlotte. And can I say? I do enjoy your red eyes. Perhaps you should keep them permanently? They really bring your features to life."

"Fuck off."

He laughs. "I look forward with speaking to you in the future, milady." There's a sudden noise, like a chain banging followed by a muffled shout. His eyes dart in the same direction as before to somewhere off-camera. There's far more in that room than what he's allowing me to see. His expression hardens, his jaw tightening in frustration. "I apologize. I must be going now. My latest experiment is getting testy and she really deserves my returned attention." His eyes reconnect with mine and he grins. "I wish you a fair night, Lady Charlotte."

I jump out of my seat so quickly, my chair falls back onto the stone floor with a loud crash, my hands pressing heavily into the wood. He said "she." He has someone. "Leikvig, wait, stop—!"

But the screen has already turned black, the box shut and quiet once more. My blood is rushing in my veins. I can hear it in my head as I stare at the far wall in shock. What exactly just happened here? I lower my head and close my eyes. Now what am I supposed to do?

I don't know how long I stand there, rethinking the entire encounter before there's a quiet knock on the door behind me. I straighten as the door creaks open, pivoting slightly so I can see who it is that walks in. I blink when I see Rhydirr, surprised to find my daughter's guard standing in the threshold. She bows her head to me in greeting. "Islinde and Loki have returned," she announces quietly. "I thought you would like to know."

Wow, that hardly took any time at all. I spare a quick thought to Loki and sure enough, I can feel him much closer to me. From the feel of it, he's back in our suite.

I nod, leaning down to pick up the chair from the floor and return it to its original position. "Thank you, Rhydirr."

"Is everything alright, Charlie?" she asks quietly, her almond shaped eyes conveying nothing but concern as I walk to her side.

I grin tightly, my hand grasping her shoulder as I pass. "No, Rhydirr. No, it's not."

OoO

"You really don't have to follow me back to the suite, Rhydirr."

She laughs quietly beside me. Her hand is resting idly on the pommel of her sword tied at her waist, her other hand twisting a lock of chocolate brown hair between her fingers. "I know I do not," she answers, her dark eyes jumping to glance at me. "However, I would feel more comfortable returning home knowing that you made it home safe yourself."

I raise my eyebrow at her. "Are you saying I need protection?"

"Hardly," she snorts. "And you know that I would never state such. But with the threat over Asgard and knowing that you were whisked away magically once before, I believe in strength in numbers."

"True enough," I concede, focusing my eyes back forward to the darkened halls of the palace. Even though night has fully taken over during some point when I was in the war room, I still can't get over how quiet the palace is right now. Usually it is bustling with activity well into the night. Most are busy within the city, though. There's too much to do to help the injured, let alone fortifying Asgard's defenses in general. "If that's the case, then I expect you to also find a buddy to walk home with."

She laughs quietly. "Yes, my lady."

I give her a pointed look out of the corner of my eye to which she grins impishly at. Honestly. Rhydirr and I became fast friends after she was chosen by the queen to guard Islinde when Loki and I were busy tending to our jobs and duties. She's a very dependable Vanaheimen woman with two grown sons of her own. She has been nothing but respectful to Loki and I and she is one of the most honorable women I know. However, she has a mischievous streak of her own. She agreed not to call me "Lady" after our initial introductions, but she's not afraid to pull out the title when she thinks I'm being silly or ridiculous.

I trust her implicitly.

Her face sobers as we enter the royal wing of the palace, the halls even quieter than the previous ones. "However, I do have a request, Charlie."

"What is it?" I ask.

She pauses in our walk, forcing me to a stop a couple paces in front of her. I turn to give her a confused look. Her face is pointed to the ground, but her hand is gripping the pommel of her sword tightly. "I would hope, in light of Leikvig's horrendous demands, that you will rely more on the Einherjar. And on me." She raises her head, her face set in conviction. "It is true that many still do not trust or respect Loki, but that sentiment is not shadowed on you or little Islinde. Any one of us would gladly give our lives to keep you all safe. I request to help guard Islinde as long as necessary, even if that means it is around the clock."

"Rhydirr—"

"I already have Lord Loki's permission," she continues. "I would hate to see you or him isolate yourselves at such a time. And you both have a penchant for trying to do things on your own. I just wanted you to know that you do not have to do that now."

I stare at her for a few short breaths. Her eyes are earnest as she stares back at me. Finally, a grin pulls up the corner of my mouth as I shake my head. "You know, I never had any intention of pushing you all away," I respond, brushing my hair out of my face. "Besides, I was going to ask if you would be willing to extend your hours a bit with us." I hold up my finger just as she opens her mouth to respond. "But only as long as your sons don't need you first. I'm touched and forever thankful for your commitment to my family, but your own has to come even before us."

She bows her head, her grin subtle. "Both of my sons are warriors now. They do not need their mother protecting them any longer. And they both have sworn the same oath and loyalty that I have. I trust them to stay alive. They understand why I am doing this."

I nod. "Alright. But, for tonight, we'll just continue like we have." I shrug. "I think we both could use the rest. We'll figure out the new schedule tomorrow."

"Agreed." She moves forward to step beside me. "You should return quickly. I doubt Loki would appreciate you disappearing when you said you were going to stay in your chambers."

Oh, crap. I did say that, didn't I? I grimace lightly to the amused laughter of Rhydirr. Well, he can just get over it. I already need to talk to him and if he wants to bother trying to chastise me, it's not really going to work. He knows me better than that anyway.

I nod my head to the side and we both continue walking. My mind drifts back to the war room and the conversation I just finished. I insisted that I take him. After all, he was my star pupil. He spent several months in my care before my benefactor gave him the means to subjugate Midgard and the task of retrieving the Tesseract. That must have been the reason for his odd reactions to everything today. He recognized the Rautichi and he knew what that box was just by looking at it, meaning he's seen it before and I can definitely assume it's from his time with Leikvig and his benefactor. But, if he knew it was Leikvig doing all of this—attacking Asgard and trying to take Islinde—then why was he so quiet about it? Shouldn't he have at least told me? At the very least, a warning about this guy would have been greatly appreciated.

I think that's what's really bothering me about this whole thing. I understand that Loki's time after his fall was a dark time and he has alluded to torture and mistreatment—although never going into detail—and I've always respected his need to keep it to himself. Believe me, I get it. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't have given me a heads up if he had any inkling that this guy was coming after our daughter. He still could have told me about him without going into detail about what happened during that time. Loki doesn't keep those kinds of secrets from me anymore.

When I told Leikvig that I knew Loki now, I meant it. I may have grown up with the stories of what he did to New York and others and I'm certainly not ignorant about what he was like, but it doesn't mean I knew him back then. If I did, there's no doubt in my mind that I would not have married him, or even gotten close to him. Maybe eventually if we were forced into each other's company constantly, but I doubt anything more than friendship would have been born. Hell, I probably would have avoided him. But twenty-plus years does a lot to people, even to someone of an Asgardian race. And Loki did change. He's not as careless about life as he used to be.

That doesn't mean that he's not willing to kill and harm someone if he feels like he needs to. But I don't think he would be so callous as to willingly sign a group of people's torture and death warrants for no reason.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like I really need to know what happened to him during the one time he never talks about. I'm not even sure if he allows himself to think about that time anymore. And I don't need to know just out of curiosity. If this man wants my daughter, I want to know without a doubt what he's capable of doing. Boli and Sif told me, but Loki might have lived it. That makes all the difference.

Tonight is going to be another hard night. We're having far too many of those.

True to her word, Rhydirr accompanied me all the way back to my suite on the second level before offering me a respectful bow and departing back the way we had come. I watch her for a few short heartbeats, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards her and everyone else. If it weren't for all of them, this entire place would fall apart. I don't say thank you often enough.

When I open the door to our suite, I'm met with a peculiar sight: my daughter, sitting in front of the door. I pause in the doorway as she jumps up in excitement. "Mama!" she shouts, barreling into my legs no less than two seconds later.

I laugh in surprise, bending down to lift my pint-sized daughter up to rest her on my hip. "Well, hello, baby girl," I greet, finally walking into the room and letting the door fall shut behind me.

"She has refused to leave that spot since we returned."

I focus my eyes on the man lounged in the chair facing the doorway, his eyebrow lifted at me in mild reproach, a book laying forgotten in his lap. I ignore the look, returning my attention back to my little girl. "Have you, now?" I ask her, grinning crookedly at her.

She nods, grinning wide, her curls bouncing about. "I was waiting for you, Mama."

"Aren't you just the sweetest?" I coo, tickling her belly. She giggles loud, wiggling in my grip and essentially making it hard for me to keep her in place. I end up lowering her back to the floor only for her to run away and hide behind her father's chair, peeking out over the side at me in trepidation. Loki follows her progress, not once helping her in her attempt at hiding from me.

He offers her a small grin when she peeks her mismatched eyes over to him. "I cannot protect you from her," he informs her with a small chuckle.

I cross my arms, giving him an annoyed look. I walk into the room fully and flop down onto the couch, crossing my legs on the cushion and transferring my eyes back onto my daughter. I smile impishly at her. "Aren't you going to tell me about your day?" I offer as a peace offering. If I know one thing about my little girl, she loves to tell stories and this wouldn't be any different. "I heard it was quite exciting."

She nods vigorously, running back over to me. She struggles up onto the couch and wiggles her way into my lap. I wrap my arms around her stomach as she, with much excitement, dives into her day about how her and her cousins were very quickly whisked off to the safe house through the tunnels when she was playing with Maggie. Thankfully, the few hours they were all there was calm and peaceful. All the fighting happened around the city and no foreign forces thought to go to the mountain range. There are actually a few safe houses within the secluded mountains. All of them are out of sight of the city so they, thankfully, didn't have to see the invasion and the subsequent destruction and carnage.

Her story really is nothing more than her and Maggie staying occupied and playing a game of pretend—which she actually relegates to me with a lot of detail—with the twins being forced to join them at one point. That makes me laugh. Those two are slaves to the girls, whether they realize it or not. Once she talks herself into silence, I gather her up in my arms and get to the task of getting her ready for bed. Just because she had an exciting day—well, we all did—doesn't mean she doesn't still have a bedtime. I pause long enough to spare my husband a meaningful look. His expression is serious as he stares back and he bows his head once in clear response and acquiescence to my silent request.

We need to talk.

It takes me about an hour to get her bathed and fully ready for bed. I take care not to skip any steps in our usual routine, even taking the time to read her a quick bedtime story with us both cuddling on her bed. Regardless of what's going—regardless of who is after her and who wants to destroy our family—I refuse to let her life be more interrupted than it already has. I stay in her room until she's sleeping soundly, her breaths even and steady. I go around her room, making sure all of the windows are shut and locked, Loki's enchantments in place. Once I'm satisfied, I dim the rest of the lights fully, leaving her rather unique night light on—it's basically a light that creates thousands of points of light around her room mimicking a starry sky—and leave, making sure to shut her door firmly. I pause a moment, brushing my hand through my curls and taking a deep breath. I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for this talk, but I know it has to happen.

Besides, Loki is going to have a harder time than me. I shouldn't feel anxious compared to him.

I retrace my steps back to the living room, pausing just long enough to scan the room. Loki isn't in his seat any longer, not that I really expected him to be. The only hint I have of where he went is our veranda doorways, left open to the night air. A gentle breeze moves in, billowing the sheer green curtains left untied on each side of the doorways. I steal my resolve and walk towards them. I can't help but pray that my imagination is worse than his reality.

When I walk out onto the balcony, I'm immediately enveloped by the cool night air, the stars and nebula shining bright over the water. Asgard's two moons have already risen, both a waning crescent a few days from new. I tear my gaze from the stunning night sky to look to my left. On the second most white chaise lounge, Loki is sitting. His eyes are locked on the scene on the other side of the decorated balustrade, his left arm propped up on the arm of the lounge. His face is mostly bathed in shadows, the light from the living room playing tricks with the angles of light and shadow. But I notice when his green eyes dart to me.

I small sigh escapes me and I walk quietly over to him. Neither one of us says anything as I settle into the lounge next to him, leaning into his side and curling my legs up next to me. I lay my arm on his thigh, but other than that I keep my head up and my eyes focused on the scenery. "She's sleeping comfortably," I inform him, keeping my voice quiet. It seems only right after the excitement of the day. "You wouldn't think that we were just attacked from how she acted."

A small burst of laughter leaves his nose. "I would not have her act any other way," he replies, his tone mildly amused but also just as subdued. We fall back into a silence, neither charged nor peaceful. We're kind of somewhere between the too extremes. It's clear that we both know that we have to talk, but also it would be a blessing to let ourselves remain this way. Today was emotional enough as it is.

Loki sighs heavily and he finally lifts his right arm to stretch it out along the back of the lounge, my body falling more firmly into him. "What did you manage to learn during your outing, love?" he asks, his voice still as quiet as before.

I roll that question around my head for a moment. At first, it seems like a simple enough question. What did I learn? Unfortunately, it's anything but. I take in a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say first before finally forgetting that plan and just saying whatever comes to mind first. "I returned to the War Room and watched the message we received from him. Boli and Sif happened to find me and fill me in on who he was and what he had done." I nod my head to the side. "At least on Asgard. They also reassured me that no one had any intention on giving in to his demands, which I can't help but admit was reassuring."

I pause, finally tearing my gaze away from the star light reflected on the waves of the ocean to glance up at him. At my look, he turns his eyes down to me. "Did you know that was a two-way video device, Loki?"

A look not unlike stunned apprehension crosses his face and that's really all the confirmation I needed. I look back out to the scenery, choosing to continue before he can ask questions. "After they both left, the device reactivated on its own. Within moments… he was there."

"What did he tell you?" he asks, his tone sounding more like a demand.

"A lot," I sigh. Then I shake my head. "Well, not really." I groan, hanging my head. "Honestly, the conversation was weird. He wanted to apologize to me for all that Lorelei had done to me, which was just ridiculous, mind you. And then conversation shifted to you." I glance back up at him to see that I have his undivided attention. "He told me that after you fell from the abyss, you landed with him."

"What else?" he asks, his voice no more than a breath of wind.

"Honestly? Nothing. Not in regards to your time with him anyway." I shake my head finally, my hand squeezing his knee. "Loki, I know I've never asked and I certainly am not going to force it out of you. But if what this guy—this Leikvig Valdhari—told me was true, I need to know what you know. I need you to tell me what happened when you were with him. He's after our daughter and I want to know without a shadow of a doubt what he's capable of."

If I could describe the emotions swirling in those green eyes… It's almost just like the look Boli had in his eyes when he was telling me of Leikvig's crimes on Asgard: an almost forgotten nightmare coming back to haunt him once again. He clenches his jaw, his eyes finally falling from mine to stare at his lap. His hand is in a fist on top of the arm of the chaise lounge and his discomfort over this topic radiates from him in waves. I don't need to focus on our connection to feel it or know that this is the one thing he doesn't want talk about. But I also know that he knows he can't run from it anymore.

He swallows and finally opens his mouth, but closes it a second later. I don't interrupt as he clearly takes an extra moment to reorder his thoughts. I just sit here patiently. "It is not," he finally starts, his tone halting and quiet, "an easy tale to reiterate, love. While Boli may have informed you of his past transgressions, I can assure you that his current dealings are far worse than any he had done on Asgard."

He pauses again. I tuck my head into the hollow of his shoulder, wrapping my arm around his waist. While my head is leaning against the wrong shoulder, I can still feel his heartbeat and hear his blood rushing through his body. I know how hard it is to share a story of torture and pain. I know how vulnerable and weak it can make you feel. However, the difference between my telling of woes and his… Well, I basically spilled my history in a fit of induced anger by his truly. And he wasn't exactly someone I would allow myself to feel vulnerable in front of at the time. If he doesn't know that he can be both in front of me now, even with all of my mental and emotional problems right now, then I have seriously failed as his wife.

I feel him take in a deep, steadying breath. He lowers his hand from the arm of the lounge to wrap his fingers between mine. At least he's not trying to pull away from me. "After I fell through the void, I truly have no recollection of how long I fell. To be completely honest, love, I did not care if I died, nor did I care where I ended up should I survive the fall. Anything was better than the place I had left behind, even death. The lies, the betrayal, the absolute agony of realizing and knowing that I would never measure up to Thor in the eyes of the only father figure I had was something I truly wished to be without. No matter what fate had in store for me, it was better than remaining on Asgard."

He pauses, offering me a sad grin. "I was truly foolish in that belief and learned quickly to regret it every day since.

"The… individual… who captured me from that fall is the same as Valdhari's benefactor. His name is Thanos. He is a cruel, conniving being that covets power above all else. He had and does use any being that he comes across to further his own end and I was no different. However, it was many months before he found a good use for me and he delegated my… care to a creature called the Other. He oversaw most of Thanos's slaves and prisoners and he takes joy of commanding them and wreaking a vast amount of pain and torture in the hopes of breaking them to his will. A trait he and Leikvig share.

"I was given to Leikvig after several days of less than the best treatement and I will admit feeling an ounce of relief and joy at seeing my childhood instructor. I was aware of what he had done to the people of Asgard in my youth, but that wariness was overshadowed by the relief of seeing a familiar face and he was surprised and happy to see me as well. He was stationed, at that time, within the same system as the Chitauri and Rautichi and was in command of training both groups for battle and combat. It took very little for him to convince me to help in his task although he never explained to me why or what he was training the two races for. So, I began to train the very same race that I ended up leading to invade Earth."

His grip around my hand tightens slightly. I freely admit, I'm a little confused. I was expecting a tale of pain and torture, but it doesn't seem like that's the case. "It doesn't sound like you were a prisoner at all," I mutter, merely stating my observation.

He snorts derisively. "The best way to keep an individual imprisoned, love, is to ensure he never knows he's in prison. Leikvig and the Other were extremely adept at this. I later came to realize the former is also extremely adept at brainwashing. They were already employing such methods on me by the time Valdhari discovered the truth of my heritage.

"Valdhari was still exceedingly bitter towards Asgard and Odin, even though six hundred years had passed from his sentence. He sees his banishment not as punishment for his crimes, but as a forced removal from his research. Due to my own anger and bitterness, it was easy for me to agree with all that he said regarding Odin. He exalted how the man was not a fair one, how he favors certain individuals over others, all things I had thought myself. He came across as the only person who truly understood my pain and convinced me I could forever change Odin's opinion of me for the better as long as I did as was instructed by him and Thanos. He never gave me the specifics of his plans, but I still foolishly believed what he promised and agreed to nearly everything he asked of me.

"However, it did not take long for our partnership to change into one of master and slave. Once my trust in him was solidly established, I told him of my true heritage. I showed him my true heritage. It was in that moment I ceased being his favorite and best pupil. I became his next test subject."

The next silence is a charged one. A full minute passes in silence and I pull my head away from his shoulder so I can peek up into his face. While Loki is always stoic, almost to a fault, to see anything but that standard stoicism now is alarming to say the least. It's not an expression of terror, but that of a remembered fear. A remembered pain. It's the same look I see in the mirror on the mornings when I wake up as Sigyn and I finally fight my way back to myself. I don't like seeing such an expression on his face. Loki is my rock. He's my only stability in a world that is now up in the air as I question my own reality.

I pull away from his side. My sudden movement manages to capture his attention as he blinks in surprise as I adjust my seat into his lap. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, burying my face into his neck. I take in a deep breath of his scent as his arms wrap around my waist. His grip is loose but resolute. "I'm right here, Loki," I mutter into his ear, parroting his own words back to him.

A drawn out sigh escapes his lungs and his grip tightens just slightly around my waist. "This is not easy," he offers as some form of explanation.

I kiss his pulse lightly. "I know. Just take your time."

He nods. I feel a slight tug on my hair and pull out of his neck enough to lean my head against his shoulder. I notice one of his fingers is twisting one of my curls around and around. I still can't get over the length of my hair, seeing as it's still only around my shoulders. Loki seems to mourn the lost length too, but not as much as me.

The silence is much shorter this time around, his smooth baritone interrupting the almost peaceful space between us. "Was it explained to you, love, what he was searching for in his experiments?" he asks.

I nod. "Something about his fascination with the mind and its breaking point," I answer. "What was it that could break a person's sanity and will to live."

He nods once. "Leikvig Valdhari is, first and foremost, a scientist. Even when I was a child, he studied and treated his magic like your uncle would a new experiment on gamma radiation. He has an absolute fascination of the mind and its breaking point with any and all beings and races. When it was revealed that I am actually a Frost Giant, truly a son of Jotunheim…" He trails off, shaking his head. "I learned what true agony is. My days no longer consisted of trainings and building towards a goal of finally pleasing the only father I knew. It turned very quickly into a struggle to keep my mind whole and not allow it and my sanity to break by the methods he would use to torture both it and my body and my magic.

"His methods are cruel and thorough. He has the capability to bring your thoughts—your worst nightmares—to life in front of you. Imagine all of your most hated thoughts, all of your worst fears, and all of your most heinous memories playing out before your eyes on repeat and you having no way to stop it. It may not seem like much, but when you already harbor self-hatred and loathing, it only grows stronger when you hear your own hatred parroted back to you through the mouths of the ones you love most.

" He drags your body through the worst amount of pain imaginable and then proves that it can go through even more. I became the focus of several experiments to create a toxin that would directly attack a person's DNA, love. That which makes you who and what you are. He found new and creative ways to have my very blood turn against me, to boil me from the inside out. You are aware that I cannot be in an overly hot environment for long, not without drastic consequences. He found a way to take away the environment but still have the consequences of such by attacking my very essence as a Frost Giant. I still do not know how he was able to do it, but I can truly say I have never come across such agony as feeling my core body temperature rise to a fever pitch, like my blood was boiling and that I was going to fall apart at any moment. Not before and certainly not since. Nor have I been exposed to every physical abuse he, the Other, and the handlers of the Rautichi could dream up.

"By the time Thanos was ready for my services, I was ready—willing, I should say—to do anything to get away from that white-washed prison. I managed to somehow hold on to my sanity, but my will and hope—if I ever had either when I landed on that wasteland—had been so thoroughly stripped away. When I was taken before Thanos, I knew I was only trading masters. And rather than trusting in my own mind and ability to calculate and devise schemes, I was given the scepter that truly turned me into his slave. I was his tool for power and I knew as such and I had absolutely no means of breaking free. And to make it all that much worse, he gave me the very same weapon he was using to control my mind and will. I had it in my grasp the entire time, Charlie, and yet I could not free myself.

"In all actuality, that has been my existence until only recently. Freedom, as I once said to your family, is life's greatest lie. That was not a statement made to anger them or to pronounce my true motives when I came to Earth; that was my reality. I was an experiment for Leikvig Valdhari, a slave to Thanos and the Other, and it all concluded by becoming Odin's prisoner. Until you came, I had no doubt in my mind that I would live the rest of my days as another person's tool for power." He sighs and shakes his head, his green eyes focusing back on me. "But, that is not the point of this discussion.

"Leikvig Valdhari is a sociopath, love. He cares about nothing more than his experiments and breaking people's sanities, wills, and mind. I am remiss to admit that after six months under his thumb, I was half-way broken. I fear knowing what might have happened to me should he had more time. I have no faith that he would not turn on our daughter should he get his hands on her. He has an ultimate fascination for other races and she happens to be a melding of three. I will never allow him to touch either her or you in his current agenda. Knowing all that he did to me and having a clear idea of the people he stole and tortured during his time here, seeing what he did to both the Chitauri and Rautichi I know of no greater evil than that.

"That is why, no matter what happens in a week's time—whether it be battle or not—he will never take you or Islinde. I refuse to allow it."

I bury my face back into his neck as his hold on my waist becomes nearly vice-like in its tightness. Six months. He was tortured and experimented on for six months. I was only within the grasps of my torturers for two months and I'm surprised I didn't lose my mind. Six months may be nothing but a blip of time for an Asgardian—hell, it doesn't even amount to a full week on Earth if you apply math to the situation—but that's still far too long to be held in a torturer's grasp and not lose your mind completely. It's no wonder he was more than willing to do whatever Thanos wanted of him.

Only to turn around and force him to do it anyway.

I can only hold him as he holds me. Nothing I can think of to say would help matters. There's no such thing as comforting words when you're dealing with torture and abuse. Only quiet understanding. I don't know how long Loki and I remain like this, my face buried in his neck, his hand buried in my hair and nothing but the sound of the waves of the ocean breaching between us. Finally, he releases a suspiciously shaky breath and I pull away so I can look at him. His eyes are shut. I brush my hand through his silky black hair, trying to get him to look at me. He cracks his brilliant green eyes open slightly, but they're still pointed downwards. I lean forward to kiss the corner of his mouth. "We'll get through this," I tell him, trying to infuse my voice with as much reassurance as I can. "He won't get us, Loki."

"No," he replies, his voice as quiet as mine but filled with resolve. "He will not." His eyes dart up to connect with mine finally and it's only in that moment that I realize just how much he doubts his own reassurances. He can't hide all of his fear and that only makes my own rise a little higher. He cups the side of my face and leans forward enough to leave a quick but meaningful kiss on my lips. "He will not get you."

Why wasn't that reassuring in the slightest?