"I received your letter." Astra said from behind him. Loki had been sitting near the stables as he was the day she left. There were few places that Loki frequented and she knew them all.

He turned around to see her, rising quickly to hug her. "You have returned!" He exclaimed throwing his arms around her.

She stood with her arms at her sides at first, wanting to still be angry with him, but she could not stay mad. She pulled her arms around him, "I am. Did you think I would not?"

He stepped back from her, his head down "I did not think you would want to be my friend any longer."

She shook her head, "I will always be your friend, Loki." She gave him a slight smile.

He looked back to her, "Why are you sad?" He asked noticing how her smile was not as bright as it usually is.

She sighed, "I may have to leave Asgard. My grandmother is not well and my mother says it is our duty to care for her." She played with her hands.

He gave her a confused look, "Why does she not bring her back to Asgard?"

"Grandmother does not wish to leave Midgard. She says that is her home now." She made her way past Loki and sat in a pile of hay.

He stood unmoving for a moment, his mind trying to understand what she was saying. Finally he turned to her, "What of your magic? Does she not wish you to continue to learn?"

She laughed, "Loki, my magic is no better now than when we started."

He rushed to her side, "You are better! You have to ask her to let you stay! You would not be alone." He grabbed her hand as if he were willing her to want the same thing.

She gave him a small smile. She did not wish to leave him either, but she knew better than to let silly ideas cloud her reality. She was not telling him everything, she and her mother had only returned to get a few of their belongings. In three days time they would be returning to Midgard. Permanently. "I will miss you, Loki. And Frigga. And All Father. Maybe even Thor."

He shook his head, "Why do you make this sound like goodbye? Even if you do have to leave, you can come back once your grandmother is well, right?"

She shrugged, "I guess, but that depends on mother. What if she likes it there? What if she wants to stay on Midgard? I do not wish to live there. The humans are not like us."

He stood quickly, pulling her hand and bringing her to her feet. "There must be something we can do!"

"Loki, there is nothing to do." She looked around him to see her mother approaching, "Mother?" She called her attention, dropping Loki's hand in the process.

Grendi made her way over to her child, "There you are. I have been looking everywhere for you." She stopped just before the two. "Prince Loki, would you please give me a moment with my daughter?" She smiled at him. Judging by the look he had, she had told him of their coming move. He left them, however much he did not wish to.

"I am sorry, mother. I wanted to say my goodbyes. I did not know how long you would be with the Queen." Tears brimmed her eyes. She did not want to cry, to make her mother feel bad about what needed to be done.

Grendi sighed, "I only wish you would have waited." She sat on the ground in front of Astra, motioning for her to join her. Astra did so. "As you know, I went to tell Queen Frigga of our coming move to Midgard." Astra nodded, the tears now breeching her eye lids. "I have made the decision to accept her offer of having you stay here while I am away. To continue your studies." In her heart she knew the royal family could care for her much better than she could. While she wanted Astra with her, she must try to give her the best life she can.

Astra's eyes grew wide. "I could never stay without you, mother! I do not wish to leave but I would not wish you to go without me. You are my mother!" Tears flooded her face. She could not bare the thought of not having her mother in Asgard with her. She was her only family. "Mother?" She whispered, "Do you not want me to go with you?"

Grendi took a deep breath, tears filling her own eyes. She pulled Astra to her, holding her tightly. "Of course I want you with me, darling. I could never think of life without you. Your life," she paused, water spilling now from her eyes. "Your life will be much better here. I will always be your mother, but as your mother it falls on me to know what is best for you. This is the path I have chosen. I will visit you often, and I will think of you more so."

Astra sobbed into her mothers shoulder, holding her so tightly she would never be able to leave her. "I love you, mother."

Grendi made sure to spend the following days with Astra. They did not speak of what would come when she made her leave anymore. Astra had accepted the decision, though she was not as happy as she thought she would. She was happy to have the time with her mother that she did, but she did not want her to leave. She could not decide which would have made her more sad, leaving her mother or leaving Asgard.

The first night without her mother was the worst. She could not sleep, she could just sit and stare at her walls. She lived in the palace now, a notion that seemed unreal just a few months ago. She could not decide how she felt about the situations she found herself in. After several hours, she snuck out of her room and down the hall to the royal chambers. The Einherjar did not stop her when she made her way to Loki's room.

As soon as she approached his door opened. He stood in the doorway as if he had expected her to come. In truth he had, though he had wanted her to stay, he felt as though not going was hurting her more. He wanted to provide some comfort for her, but he could not decide how to do so. He had been preparing himself to go to her fearing she would be crying alone.

She entered his chambers, closing the door quietly behind her. When she turned she looked to Loki. He stood in the middle of the floor, his arms open to her. She ran to him, his longer arms enveloping her. "I had been standing there for thirty minutes." He joked in an attempt to make her laugh. She began to cry, harder than she had cried before. He held her for a long while before he motioned her to lay down. It did not take her long to fall asleep once she was in his bed.