The sun was just rising on the horizon when the pair set off on their journey. Neither of them had slept particularly well that night, and Freya stifled a yawn as she locked her front door. It was a strange feeling, for she had no idea if she would ever see it again, and it was with a tinge of sadness that she put her keys away. She knew that there were no guarantees that she would return here, but she hoped that she would. Loki had been quiet as they had worked their way through the building, and she wondered if he was just as apprehensive as she was. They had no plan other than to find Thor and hope to work out a way to repair the damage when they got there. Other than that, they had no clue as to what else they could do. After all, Freya was no warrior, and Loki had already proven that he was no match for Thanos. The pair needed help, and Freya could only pray that they would be successful, for she refused to believe that she would never see her family again.
With one last look at her home, Freya braced herself for what lay ahead, and set off on the first leg of the journey. Loki had decided to shape shift into a young man with brown hair so as to not be recognised, though his eyes remained green, and he wore his signature colours in the form of a green hoody and black jeans. He also carried a rucksack, for Freya had split the load evenly between them. The young woman had packed enough supplies to last them a few days, and she had spent much of last night finding everything that they would possibly need, which had impressed Loki as he had no idea that she would be so prepared for the trip so quickly.
"Ready?" He asked as they turned out of the car park.
"As I ever will be." She replied as she led the way.
Nothing could have prepared them for the carnage they witnessed that morning. The roads were littered with crashed and abandoned cars, while many of the shops had been looted. Fires still burned in some places, and they tried not to dwell too much on where the wind-blown ash had come from. She was already emotionally weak, and she knew that it would not take much to break her, so she focused purely on the horizon and hoped that things would get better. Loki, having sensed her unease, started talking as they headed through the town, and she was rather grateful for the distraction. Things did begin to ease off as they reached the countryside, for there were fewer cars and more greenery, but the chaos still remained. Though there was less traffic, there were still abandoned vehicles, and she was grateful that their route followed public footpaths through fields rather than the main roads.
"Here seems like a good spot for a rest." Freya announced a little after midday. They had been walking for hours, mostly in silence, and both were feeling a little tired. Freya's feet hurt, for she hadn't worn her hiking boots in ages, and she could feel a blister starting to form on her right foot. Her back ached from carrying her bag, and she was feeling rather drained from everything that she had seen. She still felt angry with Loki too, for he was partly to blame for the devastation, and he had kept the truth from her until it was too late. He had sensed this, for he had done his best to stay quiet and keep his distance as they travelled, but there had been points where she was glad for his company as it had kept her distracted. With a tired sigh, she sat down on a fallen tree and retrieved a sandwich from her bag.
"I don't think I have ever walked so much in my life." The God of Mischief complained as he joined her.
"We humans don't have the luxury of the Bifrost." Freya pointed out, while he grimaced. "I say we rest for an hour, then keep going until it gets too dark to continue."
"And then we'll be in London?" He asked hopefully.
"No, but if we keep up the pace then we should be there about this time tomorrow." She explained as she checked the map on her phone. Her heart sank every time she looked at the device, for there were no messages or missed calls, and it just reminded her that she was alone.
"And you're sure that there is one of these sanctums in London?"
"Well, I can't say I've ever visited one, but the internet says there is, so I'd say I'm ninety percent sure." She shrugged while Loki frowned. "It's worth a shot. I'd rather get there and find that it doesn't exist than…" She faltered as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.
"One way or another we will get to Wakanda." Loki assured her. "We will fix this Freya, whatever it takes."
They were slower in the afternoon. Although lunch had re-energised them, they were both tired and footsore, and at one point Freya had stopped as she felt like she could go no further. She looked distraught, and it had taken some coaxing to get her on the move again. The God of Mischief knew that time was of the essence if they were to reach Thor before he moved on, and so he was determined to keep them both going, even if grief threatened to overwhelm them. He was also dealing with the knowledge that the disappearance of half of the universe was partly because he had taken the Tesseract, and it had cost the lives of his friends. He still had not mourned properly for the loss of the Warriors Three and Odin, let alone those lost in Ragnarok and its aftermath, and he dearly hoped to be able to go through the proper rituals when he reunited with Thor. He had no idea how his brother would deal with the knowledge that Loki had survived, but he hoped that he would be forgiven. He was so lost in thought that he did not notice that Freya had stopped until he walked straight into her, and then the smell of fire and burning flesh filled his nostrils. It was a smell he had wished to forget, and his eyes fell onto the wreck of a plane in the middle of the field they were walking across. The signs had stated that there was an airport nearby, but neither had even entertained the possibility that they would come across such a horrible scene. The smoke was thick and acrid, and Loki urged Freya into a quick walk until they were a safe distance away from it. Only then did the reality hit them, and the young woman fell to her knees, sobbing like a child.
"We need to keep moving." He told her after a moment, for he was keenly aware of how close they were to the crash, and he wanted to put as much distance between them and it as possible. He too had done his best to ignore the devastation as they travelled, but even he was struggling now.
"I… I can't…" she sobbed. She looked as helpless as a babe, and her eyes were begging to go home. "I can't do this…"
"Yes, you can." Loki stated calmly as he knelt in front of her, having half expected this to happen at some point. "You've got this far, and we have a job to do, so I need you to get up and keep going."
"But…" she frowned, then took a deep breath and dried her eyes. "I suppose I…" she pulled herself together, and took his offered hand. He gave her a sympathetic smile, and she returned it, before taking another look at the map.
"Where there's a Wilkes there's a way…" She whispered to herself, almost hearing her dad say it. It had been his favourite phrase whenever Freya had reached a point of giving up on something when she was a child, and it had since become a bit of a family motto.
"Shall we?" He prompted, and she nodded.
They continued for two more hours, but by this point Freya was exhausted, and it looked like it was going to rain at any given moment. Finding a suitable spot, she set about pitching the tent and smiled sadly as she remembered the last time she had used it. Her university course had sent her all over the country, and this tent had been her home for weeks at a time during the summer months while she was on digs. She missed it somewhat, and wondered if she would have the opportunity to go on another.
"Are you just going to stand there and watch? Or are you going to be useful?" She asked, annoyed, as she realised that Loki was leaning against a tree, his bag at his feet.
"I am being useful." He pointed out.
"Oh? And pray, tell me, just how exactly are you of use right now?" She was not in the mood for arguing, and she knew he was also quite tired.
"I'm supervising." He shrugged, and she bit her lip, resisting the urge to throw something at him. "Besides, it seems that you have it all in hand."
"Then you can get a campfire going so we can have something for supper." She told him as she struggled with the poles.
The clouds burst just as Freya finished hammering the pegs into the ground, and she cursed as she was soaked through before she reached the shelter. There had been much swearing as she put up the tent single-handedly, and her mood had not improved with the weather. Loki had at least done as she asked, for there was a fire nearby and she had no doubt that magic must have been involved for the flames were seemingly unaffected by the rain. The Prince did not seem to mind the rain so much, but as he came into the tent he tutted at the state of them. Without a word he placed a hand on Freya's shoulder and within a few seconds she was warm and dry again.
"Thank you." She gave him an appreciative smile. As much as she had not forgiven him, he had at least made a decent travelling companion.
"What do we do now?" He asked as he dried off their bags.
"Wait for the storm to pass." She replied as she started to set up their beds for the night.
Although neither had been up late last night, Freya had woken just before dawn to the sound of birds chirping in the trees nearby. It had not been the comfiest of nights, especially as the tent was rather small for two people, but she was glad for what little rest she could get. Loki was still asleep, and she had no wish to wake him, for she needed just a little bit of time for herself. She had put on her boots and coat before going for a short walk away from the camp, and she admired the colours in the sky as the sun began to rise. Only once she was a safe distance away did she sit in the grass and cry. She knew that everyone grieved in their own way, but Freya had barely had any time to register her loss before they had hit the road, and since then she had witnessed such devastation that she knew would stay with her for the rest of her life. She also knew that she had to be strong, for she had no idea what the next few days held in store, and yet she could not take much more. "Tears are not a weakness." She could hear her mother say, and she smiled sadly at the thought of her parents. She knew that they would not want her to be so upset, and she was going on this journey to bring them and her sister back. Regardless of how she felt, Freya knew she had to keep going for their sakes. She couldn't just give up now. Not after she had come this far.
"I will see you again, whether you come home, or I join you." She told the field, but the only response she got was the sound of a robin twittering away in the branch above her.
The sun was almost up by the time she returned to camp, and she was more than a little surprised to find that everything was packed up and ready to go.
"Breakfast?" Loki offered as he handed her a cup of tea.
"I never had you down for camping…" Freya admitted as she took a sip. "You seem almost natural."
"I spent many of my younger years travelling with Thor and going on adventures. We'd camp if we couldn't find anywhere else to stay." He shrugged as he pointed to food. Freya happily dished herself up some porridge and tucked in.
"I suppose you managed to persuade people to let you stay with them?"
"We had ways and means." He shrugged, and they shared a smile.
"Do you think he'll be happy to see you?" She asked after a few moments, and he sighed.
"His last words to me weren't kind, and I did attract Thanos' attention…"
"You did give up the Tesseract to save his life." She pointed out, and Loki could not help but smile, for Freya was still the same woman from ten years ago really.
"My last memory is of him hugging me." He admitted quietly, and Freya gave a sympathetic smile.
"You may have your differences, and you might not always see eye to eye, but he does love you."
"Evidently you haven't spent much time with him." He said sceptically.
"Be that as it may, I know first-hand what siblings are like." She pointed out. "I know that the first thing I'll do when I see my sister again is to give her the biggest hug imaginable."
"I sincerely doubt that I will have such a reunion."
"You might be surprised." She said as she finished her breakfast, before noticing that he was staring at her. "What?"
"How is it that you are still so optimistic?"
"Because all hope is not yet lost." She told him, dearly clinging onto that thought.
