(Author's note: I'm making a switch to more Ragnorak type speakingness. Will edit previous chapters later. Love you, bye.)

...

For a moment, Aldrif was paralyzed, still trying to halt the swing of Mjolnir. Monsters began swarming down from the cliffs above them, up from the canyon behind them. She spun to see them, leaping, closer and closer but her hand stayed stretched toward her brother.

He was yelling her name. Annoyed at first. By the time she noticed she was holding him in place, he sounded a bit nervous.

She let go.

Her shadow snapped back to her in an instant and shot out her opposite hand to stab a Jotun lunging at Loki. A moment later she realized it was just an illusion but she was already dodging under another's swing and wondering if the shadows could form a sword and a shield.

A thought for later.

Another Jotun.

She jumped back, black shadows broke his spear of ice. She drew her sword and swung as it lunged at her. Her shadow lengthened into a whip, then a snake. The princess swung desperately-she had to get rid of this one, she couldn't see who it was that was trying to get close to her, she couldn't fight anyone else, she couldn't tell if it was one of her friends, was that the canyon behind her?

She had a moment of vertigo.

The shadows disappeared.

The Jotun's face was inches from hers, growling.

And then it was gone, tackled to the side, thrown off the edge.

Aldrif let herself breathe as she took in the chaos. She was separated from the chaos but she could see well enough to know they weren't winning. She stood ready, watching the back of whoever had saved her as they struggled to their feet.

There was Thor. No one could get near him.

Sif was fine.

The warriors three fought near each other. Hogun yelled something at her when he saw her looking, a warning, but her eyes were flashing to Loki's illusion.

Except a Jotun grabbed the illusion.

She knew what happened when a Jotun touched you.

"Loki!" The princess took two desperate steps forward and then… it occurred to her to look at her rescuer. Because an illusion couldn't have tackled that Jotun. Because her friends were all being overwhelmed by hundreds of Frost Giants.

And sure enough.

It was a Jotun beside her.

Staring at her with its hands in the air.

Aldrif gaped at it.

Squinted.

"You!"

"Wait. Wait, let me speak." Its voice wasn't scared, though it was hard to tell through the crackle of ice and crash of fighting around them. It was thin for a Jotun-what made it recognizable as the one who had fled. Still bigger than her.

"You broke into Asgard!" Aldrif sheathed her sword and formed the blades of shadow around her hands again. "Who sent you?" Pointless question. "Why does Laufey want to fight us?"

"Because he thinks we can win." The Jotun shrugged, hopeless, towering two feet over her. "But we can't."

Aldrif shifted from one foot to the other. She looked back toward Loki, already back in the fight. Strange… But it was probably his illusion. She had to find him. They had to get away so that Heimdall could open the bridge.

"Why did you help me?" Aldrif demanded, not even bothering to look at it. At him.

"I'm trying to help my people."

Aldrif's arms were starting to grow heavy. She looked back to the battle to find that the Jotun had noticed the lack of action between her and the former thief. Several were starting toward them and not all of their eyes were on her.

"What would you have me do?" She stepped toward him. "You should swing at me, by the way."

"If you can," He suddenly leapt at her, ice clanging against solid night and then she was inches from another blue face. At least this one meant to be friendly. "Make peace between our people. We only just started coming back from the edge of extinction."

"That might be tough. Most of your friends don't seem to mind rekindling things." Aldrif shoved him off and he fell back, inches away from the edge of the icy cliff, a sickening crunch coming from the ground where he landed. "Sorry. Should have warned you."

"It's fine." The Jotun glanced at the fight. It was growing closer; both sides were starting to take notice of them. "And you're looking at Laufey's army. Are all your people soldiers?" He struggled to his feet. "You have magic. You can find me again and we can show Odin…" Red eyes turned frustrated as he realized he was almost out of time, he couldn't finish convincing her. "Will you try?"

"Your name?"

He swallowed. "Kolbite."

"I'll see what I can do." One less Jotun trying to kill her, right? And there was going to be a fight when they got home anyway. She countered a few more of Kolbite's strikes and then turned one of her shadows to face the incoming soldiers. "Unless I die." She observed lightly.

Kolbite's inhuman face fought off a smile. "Understandable."

He stepped back, apparently waiting for the backup to arrive.

Aldrif found her family gathered together, ready for the Bifrost, waiting for her. She caught sight of Loki holding Thor back, waving for her to hurry. They were to her right, along the edge of the same cliff. A shield of shadows and a few seconds of sprinting and she'd be there.

The princess gathered her energy, shadows gathering toward her from the ground, eyes turning blacker as the Jotun grew nearer. A second for each of the twelve running toward her and then she sent her shield blasting forward, knocking each of them to the ground with the same sickening crunch as when she'd hit Kolbite.

Except this time the crunch continued into an echo.

And then a long crack appeared where her shield had hit the Jotun.

Where it had hit the ground.

"Wait… no."

Aldrif had enough to time to turn embarrassed, matte black eyes toward her brothers. before the ice split in two and took her, Kolbite, and twelve very angry Frost Giants down with it.

And she got to watch the light of the Bifrost take all her friends home.

...

Author's note:

I had to make up a name. it might change. let me know what you think but of that name specifically ;)