It had been so long since Loki traveled on the Bifrost that he had forgotten the adrenaline rush that coursed through your body. The sensation of hurtling swiftly and weightlessly through space. He imagined Rona beside him, the wonder that would spread over her face. When he came out on the other side of the gate, Heimdall watched him with a knowing gleam in his eye.

"Welcome home."

Loki paused, wondering how much exactly Heimdall had seen of what happened on Midgard between him and Rona. He nodded without responding and headed off down the Rainbow Bridge. It did feel good to be breathing the clean air of his home realm, unpolluted by the chemicals that Midgardians so blithely pumped into their atmosphere. He only wished Rona was could experience it with him.

He had barely left and already he missed her, the feeling so strong his chest ached from it. She seemed to live in his mind now, infiltrating every thought. Somehow he had to convince his father to let Rona join him in Asgard. And then...then he would show her all the wonders that his realm held

He found Odin waiting for him in his chambers. Loki came to an abrupt halt when he walked in, subconsciously straightening his posture. His father gestured for him to shut the door.

"Father. You wished to see me?"

Odin began to pace the room. "There are stirrings throughout the realms. Our enemies are plotting against us. I need you here."

"But, Father, I hoped to return to Midgard..."

Odin cut him off, shaking his head firmly. "We must be united in defense of our kingdom. It is too dangerous for you to leave this realm."

Loki felt a growing dread, the sense of Rona slipping away from him. "But I have...unfinished business."

Odin studied him with his one good eye. "Is this 'business' the reason you did not return with your brother?"

Loki hesitated. He had been sure Thor would have told their father about Rona, about his younger brother's foolish involvement with a mortal. "There's a woman."

"A Midgardian?"

Loki nodded. "I would like to bring her here..."

"Impossible."

"But Father.."

"No, you cannot indulge in these childish diversions while the safety of our realm is so precarious. Forget this foolishness. Forget about Midgard. And the woman." Odin strode from the room without waiting for a reply.

His words left Loki breathless, as if they'd wrapped around his chest and begun squeezing unmercifully. He had promised Rona that he would come back for her and now it seemed he would have to break that promise. Odin likely wouldn't change his mind, certainly not any time soon. Years might pass before Loki could even speak to Rona again, and the whole time she would be left thinking he had lied to her.

The one person in all the realms he'd sworn to never deceive.

"Come, Brother! Join us in our revelry!" Thor thumped a goblet of wine onto the table in front of Loki, waving around the room with his free hand.

Loki smiled thinly. "Forgive me, but I don't feel very revelous."

Thor frowned. "You have been home for weeks, why do you still mope so?"

Loki didn't bother to answer. It had been weeks, day after tedious day of life continuing as it always had for everyone but him. He lived in a haze of misery and hopelessness and long sleepless nights.

Thor crossed his arms over his chest, one eyebrow lifting. "Might it be something you left behind on Midgard?"

Loki scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. What could there possibly be for me there?"

Thor shrugged. "Perhaps that lovely young Midgardian woman."

At the mention of Rona, Loki's stomach twisted, the pain sharp as a knife. It seemed years since he last saw her, instead of only a few weeks. And what must she think of him? If she thought of him at all.

"She has probably forgotten all about me by now. Midgardians are fickle creatures, you know." He rose from his seat, his long green cloak flapping around his legs as he strode out of the room. Thor followed closely behind him.

"Loki, you have not been yourself since you returned. Something must account for this change."

Loki sighed. "You would not understand, Thor."

"I am your brother."

Loki shook his head in frustration. How could he possibly explain to Thor what knowing Rona had done to him? How an insignificant mortal woman had possessed his soul? Thor would laugh in his face.

"You seem to have very strong feelings for this 'fickle creature.' You haven't fallen for a mortal, have you, Brother?"

Loki stared at him, willing himself to say no. But with Rona's face filling his mind he could not bring himself to do it. He turned away. "It does not matter. Father will never let me return to Midgard."

Thor chuckled. "Now that certainly doesn't sound like the Loki I know. Since when have rules ever stopped you?"

Loki turned with a frown to see Thor grinning at him. "Are you encouraging me to defy Father? That is not like you, Brother."

Thor shrugged. "What good are your tricks if they do not keep you from getting caught?"

Loki sat in the darkness of his room, staring out at the stars. Thor's words kept rolling around in his head. For once, his brother had recommended stealth over brute force. And he seemed to have a point. But to openly defy Father? That wouldn't win Loki any points in their brotherly competition. Father hadn't been lying when he talked about stirrings of unrest. There was talk of the Frost Giants' growing dissatisfaction with their position among the realms. Even worse, Den Vakre, a dark goddess that Odin imprisoned centuries ago had escaped. Powerless in her true form, she needed a host body to use her magic, but that just made her more dangerous. She could be anywhere. Anyone. He should stay and help protect the kingdom from all impending threats.

But Rona. He longed to see her again, to touch her. The weeks he had been away from her had been utter agony for him. And who would protect her while he was so far away? There must be something he could do.

A knock at the door made him straighten in his chair. He lit a lamp beside him. "Come in." The door swung open slowly and a young Asgardian warrior stepped in, glancing around the room nervously. Loki frowned. "Yes? What is it you want?"

"I overheard your conversation with your brother. About the girl."

Loki's face darkened and he rose from his chair, taking a step forward. "It is not part of your duties to eavesdrop on matters that do not concern you."

The young man bowed his head. "I would like to help."

Loki shook his head. "How could you possibly help me?"

"You wish to return to Midgard, yet your father has ordered you to stay here." He raised his head. "What if you could do both?" He smiled, a cold, devious smile, and Loki took a step back, his eyes widening. As if staring into a mirror, he watched the young man's form become a copy of his own.

Loki's eyes narrowed, his voice a menacing hiss. "Den."