Ella's dreams had seemed more vivid as time went on. She had found herself almost able to conjure up Loki as soon as she drifted off to sleep. It had been odd to begin with. She had found it completely strange that she had been able to do that and their conversations were so vivid and real. It was almost as though it was like previous time. It was as if New York had never happened. It was like he had not died in the Dark World. She spent her days running around Asgard, trying to keep the Kingdom together and coming up with new initiatives for how to improve on things.

"The strange part is that father keeps his distance completely," Ella informed Loki one night in her dream. They were walking along the stone path in the garden that eventually led them to the waterfall. "It is almost as though I have complete control over Asgard. All he seems to care about is hiding in his Throne Room and coming up with new ideas that don't really help the rest of Asgard. Do you know that he had been plotting to put on a play?"

Loki's lips twigged upwards as he kept his face from his sister, climbing over a large stone with ease as Ella stood on the other side of it, climbing gingerly up it, holding her skirts in her hand. Loki held his arms out and helped her down the other side, feeling her fingers clasp onto his shoulders as he lowered her to the ground.

"And what play is this?" he asked from her.

She dropped her arms from his shoulders as he took her hand, placing it into the crook of his arm and continuing forwards. She shook her head and tilted her head back, looking to the night sky as they heard the noise of running water enter their ears.

"It is ridiculous," Ella said and Loki frowned. He had thought that his idea had been grand. Perhaps it was too bold? "He wants to put on a play honouring you. He wants it to be about how you saved us in the Dark World. I think he is feeling guilt over the way he treated you. It is either that or he is going senile."

"Why would you say that?" Loki teased her. "I think that a play to honour me would be rather touching."

"And a statue of you at the entrance of the palace?" she questioned him once more.

He shrugged again. "There is a statue dedicated to our ancestors," he commented.

"Yes, but they are not over seventy feet tall," she responded dryly. "I do not know what he is thinking. I do think that he is making some questionable decisions. It is not like father. I wonder if there is something off with him."

"Nonsense," Loki replied as they peered down into the pool of water, the waterfall in the distance humming loudly. "I think that he is, as you say, trying to make amends for what happened."

"Perhaps," Ella said, but she was not entirely convinced. However, she did not want to admit to that. Instead she took a seat on a rock, her feet dangling off the edge as Loki sat next to her, watching her smooth out the blue skirt to the dress she wore. Her hair was hanging loose around her face and she looked concerned.

"What is it?" Loki asked and she glanced to him as he sat down next to her. "I know when there is something wrong, Ella. I can read you like an open book."

"It is Thor," she admitted, expecting him to sneer at the name of their brother. But he did no such thing. Instead he simply nodded and laced his hands together on his lap.

"And what of our brother?" he asked from her.

"He has found himself on Midgard," Ella said. "The Avengers needed his help. They asked him to help them with some HYDRA base. Apparently they have the sceptre that you had been using for mind control. He has gone to help them take it back."

Loki nodded. "So my sceptre ended up with some just as evil people as those who I worked for?"

"I suspect so," Ella said, "but you do not talk about who you were working for much, Loki. You have barely told us anything about them."

Shaking his head, Loki had no desire to tell her about them. He had only meet the creature they called the Other twice before. He had not set eyes on Thanos and he had no desire to. Ella moved her hand to rest on top of his and his eyes went back to hers as she offered him a sad smile. He could hardly return it as he moved his hand to her hair, tucking it behind her shoulder and letting his thumb run along her jawline. How could he tell her what that creature had taunted him with?

"You want to rule? You will rule, but you should know that failure comes with a price…perhaps not your life…but the life of that sweet, sister of yours. The one we know you still look in on. The one we know we can hurt you with. We could snap her like a twig in front of you and you would be powerless."

"They cannot hurt you now," Ella said to her brother and he knew what she meant. She thought him dead.

"I was foolish to join them," Loki said. He hated admitting that he had been wrong. But he had been. He had been naïve to think they could help him. "They are dangerous, Ella. They are so very dangerous and you…promise me you will never come near them. I mean it."

He was not joking and she knew that. She moved to grab hold of his cheeks in her hand, holding onto his cold skin while he stroked her hair softly and slowly, the motion almost soothing her.

"Who were they?" she urged from him.

"I only had dealings with one of them. He called himself the Other. He worked for someone else…someone much more dangerous than he was. He worked for Thanos," he said to her.

Ella's brow arched. "Thanos?" she asked from him, his name triggering something in her mind. "Was he not the one who was banished from Titan? He…he suggested genocide of half his planet, did he not?"

"The exact same one," Loki informed her.

Ella frowned then, dropping her hands from his cheeks. "But what did he want? Why did he want to help you conquer Midgard? Something feels odd about this, Loki. Surely you can see that?"

Loki nodded. "At the time I only saw what I wanted to," he admitted. "I saw a man who was offering to help me gain power, but now I worry. I worry what it is Thanos plans. But he is so quiet, Ella. There have been no musings from him in the Nine Realms and so long as Asgard remains safe then that is all that matters to me."

"But that is not the point," Ella pointedly declared, moving from Loki's hold and shaking her head. "The point is that we are bigger than just Asgard and you should know that, Loki. Whatever it is this Thanos is planning could be dangerous. We cannot just sit back and not explore-"

"-That is exactly what we should do," Loki interrupted, wondering why he had even divulged this information with his sister. "You cannot go and start investigating this. You do not know what you will find or what could happen. It is too dangerous."

"I disagree," Ella said stubbornly.

Loki groaned and shook his head. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Why do you have to be so caught up in hiding from helping people or stopping something bad from happening?" she retorted.

"Because I do not care about helping people," Loki said to her. "What have peopled ever done for me, Ella? The only thing I care about is you," he said in a deep voice and Ella watched him as he stood up, hands on his hips and he began pacing, his drapes flowing behind him as he made the movement back and forth.

"I do not believe that," Ella retorted to him, remaining sat on the rock. "I believe that you care for Thor, no matter how much you claim otherwise. I also know that you care for our father. He was the one who raised you and while he did make mistakes, he loved you and you loved him. You care for more people than you care to admit."

"You think so?" Loki challenged her and she finally stood up, hands on her hips.

"I know so," she said convincingly to him, refusing to back down. Loki remained mute as she continued. "It is easier for you to think that you only care for me because I have always been the one who has been the first to forgive you for everything you have done. I have always been the one you came to when you needed someone…the one you turned to…"

"And do you wonder why?" Loki questioned from her.

"No," she replied, "because we have always been close, Loki. We have always been like this and you…I always want to see the good in you. You just make it so hard for me to do that sometimes."

Loki gulped. "I do not mean to." He said earnestly.

"I know," she sighed.

"I want you to understand, Ella, that all I want is to keep you safe. It is all I have ever wanted."

"I know," she said again and stepped towards him once more, her fingers moving to his cheek and stroking it gently. "But you need to realise that I cannot just sit idly by. That is not me, Loki, not anymore."

Loki knew there was no point in arguing with her. Instead he wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her to him. She closed her eyes and dropped her cheek to sit on his shoulder. Loki ran a hand along her back and dropped his chin to the top of her head. He closed his eyes and swore silently that he would do everything he could to keep her safe.

…

Loki snuck into Ella's room in the early hours of the morning once she had stopped dreaming. He bent down and sat on the edge of her bed. She had her covers halfway down her body, just covering her waist. Her nightgown was creased on her form and her hair was a complete and utter mess. Loki stroked her hair from her face and moved his fingers to her temple. Using his magic, he erased any memory of her previous night's dream. She would not remember what he had told her about Thanos or the Other. She would remember nothing.

He stood up to leave her to rest before he changed back into Odin. He went about his business for that moment before hearing that Heimdall had sent for him. He had urgent business for him to take care of. Loki sighed, but he travelled along the Rainbow Bridge, passing Ella as she went about giving a tour of the palace to some children from the orphanage that she had taken upon teaching for one hour a week. Odin smiled to his daughter as he passed by and she beamed back. Loki was certain then that she had not remembered what they had spoken of. His magic had worked.

As he moved over to where Heimdall resided, he felt the air shift. He demanded for his guard to wait for him at the end of the Bridge and he carried on alone. Once he was there, he saw Heimdall stood in the middle of the dome, hands holding the sword he wielded.

"You have done well to deceive me until now," Heimdall spoke.

Loki had suspected this day would come. Heimdall was all seeing. He could only hide himself for so long.

"Well, they do not call me the God of Mischief for nothing," he retorted on that point and finally dropped his façade, appearing as himself. "However, I cannot have you-"

"-Your sister mourns for you still," Heimdall interrupted Loki and he saw him look at least slightly regretful at that. "When she goes to her chamber at night, I see her crying. She cries for you. She cries for her mother."

"I am here for her now."

"No, you are not," Heimdall responded. "Thor mourns you also. Your father is on Midgard. I have located him. I will give you the benefit of telling them why you did what you did, but make no mistake, you will not get away with this."

Loki sighed and began pacing. "I am afraid that I cannot let you do that," he said. "I have come too far. The lie runs too deep. I have what I want here. I rule Asgard. I keep Ella safe…I keep her safe and I keep her with me."

"She will know the truth one day. You cannot do this forever."

"And I will be the one who decides when it ends," he responded.

"Unfortunately I cannot let that happen."

"Then I suspect we are at an impasse," Loki said and suddenly had his daggers in his fingertips, prepared to fight for as long as he had to.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!