Frigga promised to have Surtur's crown locked away in the vaults, while Soeren took Sophie to Midgard.

Loki, where are you? Sophie thought, focusing on communicating with Loki directly in her mind.

Midgard.

I figured as much. Where, exactly?

Odin requested I meet him in Norway, Loki thought back to her, an image of a grassy plain by a cliff flashing across their mental link.

Oh, shit.

Her mental walls weren't closed in the instant it took for shock and dismay to flash through her, so he heard that. When he replied, he seemed agitated.

What? What is it?

No, Sophie thought firmly, shaking her head even though he couldn't see it, That's not something for me to reveal to you.

She shut her mental shields firmly, locking him out of her mind and away from further involuntary thoughts. The last thing she needed was an image of a dead Odin to pop up in her mind and for Loki to see it before he could hear it from the man himself and say a proper goodbye. Still, he would be devastated all the same. She had to hurry. She wanted to be by his side when he learned of his father's impending death. With her direction, Soeren got them to the right place on Midgard in time. When they emerged in their corporeal forms in Norway, after the brief adjustment period to the sudden light and sounds being thrown into sharp relief, Sophie noticed a man dressed in blue with a red cape facing off against Loki.

"What's this?" Sophie asked, stepping forward to stand beside Loki, "What is your name, mister...?"

"It's 'doctor'," the mystery man replied, "Doctor Stephen Strange."

"Well, not anymore, surely," Sophie commented lightly, her eyes flicking up and down his body, taking him in within an instant.

His blue eyes focused intently on her face, a startled look flashing through them.

"What?"

"What?" Sophie asked, brows arching, "Have I given offense? My apologies if so."

"No, it's just...you're the second person to say that to me upon introduction."

"Oh. Who was the first?"

"My teacher. How...why do you say that?"

"Well, your hands are trembling. It's very subtle, but still, I can't imagine you can practice the way you used to. Your clothing is blue, also, which is the color of healing. But the red of your cape is the color of alchemy, the most scientific branch of magic. This suggests to me that you are a healer that prefers to heal with science, but due to some accident involving your hands, you can't."

"The color of a person's attire hardly says anything about them," Loki said skeptically.

"Nonsense. Your preferred color, Loki, is green. That's the color of wort-cunning, plants. I'd expect you to wear orange, which is the color of conjury, illusion, street magic, sleight of hand. Tricks, in other words. But doing the unexpected is also ironically exactly what's expected of you, so green does suit you better. I prefer dark purple. The color of royalty, the cosmos, and the arcane arts."

They only stared at her. Looking around at them, Sophie shrugged innocently.

"You must be Sophie of Midgard," Strange said.

"I am. How is it you know me?"

"My teacher told me about you. She warned me specifically against trying to go against Loki, because of you."

Loki and Sophie exchanged a quick glance.

"I'm honored?" Sophie said.

"Look, why is it exactly you're here?" Loki asked.

"Well, I've taken your actions on Earth into account and weighed them against my teacher's words," Strange explained, "I've decided she made a good judgment on both of you. I've come to formally extend my offer of aid in the pursuit of peace on this planet. We probably could have used your help dealing with... never mind. It's solved now. But going forward, I hope we can work together to protect Earth."

"An intriguing offer," Loki replied, "I shall give it due consideration and present my response presently. Until then, we have pressing business to deal with. I hope you will excuse us?"

"Certainly," Strange answered, inclining his head, "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

His eyes shifted to Sophie as he said this last part. Sophie smiled at him, but said nothing. Loki slid his hands into his pockets as Strange turned and drew a circle of sparking, swirling golden light in the air. Through it, an image of another place appeared. Once he stepped through this circle of light, the portal closed behind him. Sophie's head had tilted to one side slightly as she watched this. For a few moments, she and Loki stood in silence, side by side.

"Did you see what was around his neck?" Sophie asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah."

"Well, at least we know the location of another one. I'm betting that's the Time Stone. The Guardians still haven't found the Soul Stone, or at least not that they've told us... so there's still one unaccounted for. But that can wait."

"How considerate," a voice said suddenly.

They both turned to see Odin standing behind them.

It's certainly not for your sake, Sophie thought, though she kept it to herself.

"What is this about?" Loki asked.

"I'm dying," Odin said simply.

Silence. Then...

"What?"

Sophie closed her eyes briefly at Loki's tone. He sounded heartbroken. His voice had actually cracked.

"You will be King of Asgard in a few moments," Odin said, "I had to hasten here to tell you, I have failed you, my son."

Sophie's brows shot up, but again, she said nothing. She was in a supportive role here, not a combative one.

"She is coming," Odin continued, "My life was all that held her back, but my time has come. I cannot keep her away any longer."

Playing the pronoun game, Sophie thought with profound irritation, Ding!

"Who are you talking about?" Loki asked.

"Goddess of Death. Hela. My firstborn."

Sophie's jaw didn't drop, but her lips parted slightly. Your what? She thought, staring at Odin as if he'd suddenly grown an extra head. Maybe he'd finally gone senile. Or maybe she was finally going deaf.

"Your what?" Loki asked.

"Her violent appetites grew beyond my control. I couldn't stop her, so I imprisoned her, locked her away. She draws her strength from Asgard, and once she gets there, her powers will be limitless."

Sophie's hazel eyes narrowed into slits.

And you're just saying something about this now? She wanted to scream at him.

"I'm sorry," Odin said.

To Sophie's surprise, he turned to her abruptly, and looking straight into her eyes, spoke his next words plainly.

"And you should know it was not I that informed your Lord Vidar of your affliction. I've allowed him refuge in Asgard, but that was the extent of our interactions."

Sophie's mouth tightened. They never did find out who was behind that fiasco, come to think of it. Soeren was too busy guarding her to be her spy, and what spies she did have didn't have his talents. Still, she hadn't given up on finding the culprit that ultimately slipped Vidar that morsel of intel. Staring back into Odin's eye, Sophie nodded inclined her head grimly, acknowledging his words and accepting them as being truthful.

"You've chosen your love well," Odin added, turning back to Loki, "She is... truly worthy."

Sophie's brows were now arched so high, she thought they might disappear into her hair. Odin was looking at Loki when he spoke his final words.

"I love you, my son."

With that, his body transformed into golden specks of light that rose into the sky and soon vanished from their sight. Loki's eyes were wet with unshed tears, so, once again, Sophie bit her tongue. But she wasn't feeling the least bit sad at Odin's death. The only reason she didn't scream 'YES!' and dance a merry little jig was out of respect for Loki. No matter what he said, that was still his father, or he wouldn't be near tears now.

Yes, very sad, Sophie thought, Anyway...

There was still the matter of Odin's last confession. That with his death, the very pissed off Norse Goddess of Death was coming for them. With that realization, came the fury.

That fucking coward, Sophie thought, He literally waited until the last damn second to drop that fucking bomb. Fuck you Odin, you're an asshole and a shit dad, and I'm glad you're dead.

"Sophie," Loki said suddenly.

She looked at him, only now noticing her hands were curled into fists so tightly that her nails bit into her palm and Mjolnir's wrapped leather handle creaked with strain. She also noticed the rumble of distant thunder and on coming dark clouds that cast the formerly sunny grassy cliff into shadow.

"Right," Sophie said, shaking her head to clear it.

A glance to the side made her turn. A figure was stepping out of a blooming puff of simultaneous darkness and light. Sophie would bet good money that it was Hela. She and Loki immediately changed into their armor, sparks of lightning and a flash of green signaling the abrupt shift of clothing.

"So he's gone," Hela said as the portal closed behind her, "That's a shame. I would've liked to have seen that."

It certainly gave me a sense of personal satisfaction, Sophie thought grimly.

"You must be Hela," Loki said, "I am Loki, son of Odin."

Sophie spared him a quick glance. That was the first time she'd ever heard him refer to himself that way. Whether he did that because of sentiment in the face of his father's very recent death, or because he was establishing himself as one worthy of the Asgardian throne, Sophie couldn't tell.

"Really?" Hela smirked, "You don't look like him."

"Perhaps we can come to an arrangement," Loki added, ignoring the jibe.

"Ah, you sound like him though," Hela sighed, "Kneel."

"Beg your pardon?" Loki blinked.

In spite of the situation, Sophie fought not to smile.

How do you like it now?

"Kneel," Hela repeated, conjuring a sword out of thin air, or maybe from her person, if the stories about her were accurate, "Before your queen."

The absurdity was too much.

"I don't think so," Sophie said.

She knew what had to be done. This woman was dangerous. If she could be eliminated before ever reaching Asgard, perhaps they had a chance. Sophie threw Mjolnir. To her surprise, Hela caught it. To her astonishment, it would not return to her hand when Sophie bid it to.

"It's not possible..." Sophie whispered, staring at Hela.

"Darling, you have no idea what's possible," Hela said.

Sophie's eyes widened with fury as the nickname made the other Loki's wicked smirk flash through her mind. And here she thought she was over PTSD from that particular event. Before she could really think about it, however, Hela's grip tightened on Mjolnir, and the hammer shattered and broke into several pieces. A blast of lightning emanated from Mjolnir as the pieces fell to the ground. Sophie let the energy wash past her, but her legs trembled as her breath caught in her throat and her heart wrenched at the sight of the broken hammer. It was like she was looking at her severed arm...

But Loki's eyes were on Hela. While Sophie stared, jaw agape, at the broken pieces of Mjolnir, Loki saw Hela don a helmet and conjure weapons from thin air. This, he realized, was the time for a hasty exit.

"Nope!" he exclaimed suddenly, grabbing Sophie.

There was a flash of light, his magic, and suddenly the scenery around them changed. Loki pushed Sophie into a wall in her private chambers on Alfheim, pressing his body against hers to keep her pinned.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Sophie screamed, "LET ME GO!"

"Stop!" Loki shouted back as she writhed and fought his grip wildly.

"Loki, she's stranded on Midgard!"

"I know! Heimdall wouldn't have opened the Bifrost to us with her there. She's too great a threat to Asgard."

That wasn't what she meant, but she was too hysterical to calmly explain herself. Instead, she shouted back at him.

"And when she can't reach it, what do you think she'll do? SHE'S GOING TO TAKE IT OUT ON THEM!"

Loki's mouth thinned even more than usual.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Sophie went still then. She stared into his eyes, and hers filled with tears. He knew. He knew what that meant. He was willing to let them all die. Sophie couldn't breathe. Her heart felt like it was being driven into with a thin, hot knife.

"No," she whispered.

She began to shake her head, slowly at first, and then more rapidly.

"NO!" Sophie screamed suddenly, "LET ME GO, FUCK YOU! LET ME GO!"

She thrashed against him with renewed vigor. With a furious shout, she bashed her forehead into his nose and brought her knee up, straight into his groin. Loki grunted in pain and stumble back a step, releasing her. Sophie held out a hand for Mjolnir without even thinking about it. In an instant, she remembered it was gone, and a fresh pang of grief washed through her. Snarling in rage now, Sophie kicked Loki in the face, sending him sprawling across the stone floor.

I don't have time for this, she thought.

Her vision sharpened suddenly, her hearing enhanced. She was now hyper aware of the weight of her clothing and the scent of her own perfume. She felt energy thrumming through her veins like the rushing rapids of a river. Looking up at her as he picked himself up off the floor, Loki's eyes widened, his face turned bone white.

"Sophie – " Loki began.

But the fight was over as quickly as it started. Without a word, Sophie dropped low while turning away from him, sweeping his legs from under him with her right heel. With one revolution, she was standing again with the left leg forward. A quick spin, and her right leg came around in a wide upward arc, her right heel striking his temple. Sophie shot him with a long, hard blast of lightning as she finished the revolution. That did it. Loki dropped to the floor, out cold. Sophie wasn't even breathing hard when her senses returned to normal. It had taken her no more than a second to do that to him.

"I'm not sorry," Sophie told his unresponsive body.

After all, she had promised never to lie to him. She left him lying there and ran from her quarters. That run was the fastest she had ever run in her life. Sophie ran so fast, her surroundings actually blurred around her, morphing and running together like a melting painting. She barreled onto one of the speed class ships, sprinting through the passageways until she reached the control room. She got her breath back as she powered up the ship and began course to Midgard, as fast as the ship could go. Which was insanely fast, but still, she chaffed at the delay. It gave her time to think over what she was going to do, and worry about what state she would find Midgard in when she got there. As she feared, a large swath of Norway had received the brunt of Hela's anger. Sophie was surprised to see Strange and a few others trying to fight her. It wasn't going well, by the looks of things. Impatient, Sophie activated the external speakers on the ship so that she could speak, and Hela would hear her.

"Hela! Desist your rampage immediately! And please don't attack me, it would be a shame to damage your only hope of getting off this planet. Doctor Strange, you can stand down. I'll take it from here."

Sophie carefully landed the ship, reflecting that it was a good idea she'd been taking piloting lessons for a long time now. The fight on the ground stopped while Sophie disembarked the vessel and approached everyone.

"I thought Loki was supposed to be here to prevent this sort of thing," Strange spat.

"Loki is incapacitated at the moment," Sophie responded calmly, "Please, you can go now. Hela and I will be off Earth and out of your hair shortly."

Noticing a patch of shadow moving across the ground towards her, Sophie spoke under her breath, barely moving her lips.

"Evacuate Asgard to a safe spot where I can land the ship. Keep them hidden. I'm about to pull some crazy shit."

The shadow moved away from her again, and Sophie took a relieved breath. Strange was staring at her, as if he was trying to decide if he should leave, as she'd said, or to ignore her and stay. Sophie stared back at him until he nodded once, glanced at Hela, and departed with his comrades. Sophie put on a pleasant smile as she looked at Hela again.

"My apologies, I didn't get to introduce myself earlier. I am Sophie Dáinndottir. Wave-Rider, Truth-Speaker, Storm-Maker, Starlight-Wearer, Älfeneel-Slayer, Devourer of Cupcakes, The Unbroken, Wizardess Extraordinaire, and Queen of Alfheim."

Hela looked to be a mixture of confused and intrigued.

"There is no need to bother the good people of Midgard any longer," Sophie continued smoothly, "It is passage to Asgard you seek, is it not? I am here to provide it."

"Really? Smart woman," Hela commented, striding towards her.

Sophie only smiled and gestured politely for Hela to step onto the ship.

You have no idea, bitch. I'm going to kill you for hurting these people.

Sophie piloted the ship to Asgard, but took her sweet time about it. She wanted to take as long as possible without Hela getting suspicious. The longer it took, the more Asgardians were saved.

"I knew your father, you know," Hela commented idly, strolling around the control room behind Sophie, "Stubborn man."

"He made no mention of you," Sophie replied, "He must have thought Odin locked you away for good. Rather irritating how Odin's solution to everything seems to be to ignore it. I can understand your eagerness to return to your home."

"You didn't comprehend that earlier."

"That was before you broke my hammer, and I realized there are some fights one simply cannot win. In those cases, it's best to stop fighting the tide and work with it instead."

"Wise words. But your man doesn't feel the same. I admire a woman with her own mind. Perhaps you would make a fitting addition to my inner circle."

"I would be honored," Sophie smiled, "Such an occasion seems a toast would suit it nicely. If you have no objection?"

"Certainly not."

Sophie halted the ship and left the control room. She went to the galley to find a bottle of alcohol, then returned to the control room with it and two glasses. She and Hela both drank to their new partnership. A few hours later, Sophie remarked she was getting hungry, and how inconsiderate it was of her not to offer her guest aboard her ship a meal earlier. Would Hela care for sustenance? She would, as it happened. Sophie once again halted the ship and went to prepare a meal for the two of them.

In the middle of dicing garlic, Sophie cringed as she felt a ferocious attack on her mental shields. The feel was familiar, so, believing she knew who was on the other side, she opened the barest crack.

SOPHIE!

Wincing, she shut her mind away again. Loki was awake, and he was pissed. Carefully, Sophie sent him the current location of the ship. I'm in the galley. Be quiet when you appear, I'll explain everything. Loki appeared in front of her in a flash of green light, his expression murderous.

Our first fight, Sophie thought, wondering if she should be sentimental or trepidatious, This is the worst possible time for it. But we need to have this talk.

"Be quiet, Hela is just a few decks above, in the control room," Sophie whispered.

"Is that supposed to quell my rage?" Loki hissed.

She could tell he wanted to shout at her, but was restraining himself.

"You think I'm happy about this?" Sophie shot back, "You're not the one that has to dine with her."

"Why? Sophie, I understand you want to save Midgard, but in doing so, you doom Asgard!"

"Yes," Sophie said seriously, "And I'm sorry, but Loki, it has to be done."

He made to turn away, perhaps to storm the control room and confront Hela, but she grabbed his arm.

"Loki, stop, and think. If she's this strong, and once she reaches Asgard, she's unstoppable, then the only solution is to obliterate Asgard. That's the only sure way to kill her. Remember that vision? I thought at the time how I've never been able to stop one of my visions. Now I realize why. It's because this is how it has to be. This is meant to happen. It was never about stopping Ragnarok, it's about causing it."

"But –"

"I already have Soeren explaining to Frigga. He's going to help get everyone to a safe location. I'll dock the ship somewhere close, and Soeren will help Frigga get everyone onto the ship while I distract Hela. We can save the people, but not the place."

Loki didn't seem too thrilled about this. Sophie tightened her grip on him.

"I need you, Loki," she said, staring into his eyes, trying to make him listen, "While they're helping everyone escape, and I'm distracting Hela, you're the only one left to make sure Asgard is thoroughly destroyed. You have to be the one to put Surtur's crown into the Eternal Flame. You have to make my vision a reality."

"So...you're wooing someone powerful that you intend to betray later?"

"Yes."

Loki kissed her suddenly, full of fire and passion. After a moment, he pulled away slightly, resting his forehead against hers.

"Norns, I love you," he breathed.