A few minutes of silence after the girls had their epiphany, Delilah was adamant that everyone at least tried eat something to help them cope with shock. Renesme barely even picked at her food at first, then eventually decided she was too tired to eat and pushed the entire bowl away. Delilah ate most of hers and Jennie ate a fair amount of hers too.

But Christie's stomach was still churning relentlessly - she was so anxious and so on edge, but she genuinely didn't understand why. So many missions, so many outcomes, but this one is what was leaving her with sweaty palms?

One thing she knew for sure was that she absolutely hated the senseless lack of control she was experiencing. Her emotions had never been more vibrant and loud, and it was annoying her more and more every second because she just couldn't switch it off. Now her vulnerability was starting to show.

"Honestly, ladies, let's just go to bed. I think a good night's rest will do us well. The noise from the palace has cooled down a little so hopefully we'll be out and back to work by tomorrow," Jennie muttered, abruptly interrupting Christie's thoughts as she bustled about and collected the plates to stack them on top of each other.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea too, to be honest," Renesme swiftly agreed. She leapt up and grabbed one of the blankets provided from the corner of the room, laid it out on the sofa and snuggled herself into it as deep as she could go. Jennie and Delilah followed suit and laid their own blankets on the floor, generously leaving Christie with the only other sofa.

As if her comfort made any damn difference to just how dire this situation was.

"Goodnight ladies, take peaceful rest," Jennie attempted to smile up at them to keep the positivity up. "May we all see the morning."

"Have a peaceful rest Jen, and may we all see the morning," both the girls gave their quiet chorused response before falling asleep. Everybody was at peace. Well, everybody but Christie of course.

'Peaceful rest' my ass.

Whilst the girls were snoozing away, Christie lay on that wretched sofa and honestly didn't sleep a wink, despite how exhausted she was. She put that down to the overwhelming emotions rather than physical tiredness. But she was so adamant to see what was happening outside that cellar, that she forced herself to stay awake until she was sure the girls had all fallen into the deepest sleep. Then she took her chances and quietly slipped off of the sofa, grabbed her long white hooded shawl from the hooks on the wall and tiptoed outside the cellar, pulling the door until it softly clicked shut behind her.

Easy enough.

She threw up her hood so that it drowned out her face and tied up her coat, as the rest of the palace was quite chilly, before sprinting straight up the stairs to Loki's quarters. Taking a deep breath she knocked on his grand doors, praying that he'd be in so she could relax - but he wasn't.

Now she was even more concerned than before.

She tiptoed through the dark hallway as silently as she could, trying to slip her way out of the main palace gates, but they were guarded, locked and barred shut. Of course they were - how could she be so stupid? Security was still tight with the looming threat of Frost Giants still hanging above everyone.

So Christie spun on her heel and took a route that Jennie had once showed her instead, down a series of stone steps and through the iron back gates where the deliveries of raw meat, fruits and vegetables arrived once every few days. She gently pushed the rusted side gate open and slipped her slender body through the narrow gap, thankful that nobody was manning it. Once she was officially through and officially out of the palace grounds, Christie took a deep breath, hitched her dress up and began to run. She bolted blindly through the dark cobbled streets of Asgard before somebody could spot her and dragged her back to the palace. She roughly knew where to go, she had been shown around enough by the person she was trying her hardest not to think about. The bitter air slapped her skin and sank into her lungs as she sprinted past all the locked houses and shut market stalls, straight towards the Bifrost, panting hard. Her breathing only began to regulate again once she eventually set eyes on the gatekeeper stood at the end of the long, glittery, rainbow-like platform that held him.

"Miss Annerledes," he boomed with those friendly golden eyes once she finally reached him. "Why are you out of the palace?"

"H-Heimdall, I don't suppose…y-y-you know…where Loki is at all? He's n-n-not in his room," Christie panted shakily, clutching her chest. But before Heimdall could respond, he was interrupted.

"HEIMDALL! Where are my sons?" came the familiarly dark and authoritative voice from behind Christie. She immediately spun on her heel to see Odin mounted on his grand horse, clopping across the platform to where she and Heimdall both stood.

"Sh*t," Christie hissed, aware that she was breeching the rules by being out of the palace without a chaperone…whilst the palace was on high security.

Oh, if Jennie could see her now.

"Sire, they told me that I am forbidden to say," Heimdall began. Christie craned her neck and stole a quick glance behind him to see five horses grazing, no doubt awaiting their masters' return. One of those horses Christie recognised to be Loki's, a beautiful black stallion called Wizzfire. He was just gorgeous, and she'd be able to spot him from anywhere.

But if he was there - then Loki was…where?

That was when her palms began to sweat as her eyes flickered between Odin to Heimdall in desperation, now totally bewildered as to what was going on. Not much happened in that palace without Odin's authorisation so now she was totally thrown off. Odin took one look at the poor girl and immediately knew that she was both tense and confused, and all that did was confirm that she had nothing to do with whatever was had happened.

"Heimdall, if you do not answer me immediately, I shall have you banished without question. Do not bestow that choice upon me," Odin growled again.

"Yes, sire. They've gone to seek justice in Jotunheim-" Heimdall finally admitted. Christie had no idea where that was or what that meant but she hated the sound of it.

"Loki went as well?" she clarified quickly before she really freaked out.

"Yes, Loki has gone with them also," Heimdall confirmed gravely.

"I am going to retrieve them all before they either die of stupidity or live a fool," Odin grumbled, his whole face swiftly clouding with anger. "Annerledes, back to the palace immediately!" As frightening as Odin could be, there was absolutely no chance of that happening - Christie simply wasn't having it anymore, whether she blew her cover or not.

"Um….sire, with all due respect, I think I should go with you," she argued her point quickly. "I'd much rather be there than the palace and I think there's something you should know about Loki."

"Which is?" Odin challenged her sharply, looking directly at her. The sudden change of tone threw her off a little but she soldiered on regardless.

"When I was in hiding, one of the serving girls found something in a-"

"NO! We must leave, we're running out of time, jump up!" Odin suddenly barked, holding his hand out for Christie to take so that she could mount his beast of a horse. She quickly did as she was told before he could changed his mind. "Now, we must move! Immediately!" Heimdall heard the urgency in his voice and opened the bifrost without another word.

"But sir, it's-" Christie rushed out.

"You wanted to come along, did you not?" Odin muttered as his horse began to make his way towards Heimdall who had finished preparing the portal.

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing!"

"No sir, I really need to tell you about Loki," Christie tried again desperately, feeling herself grow frustration at his blatant adamance not to listen.

"Now's not the time…and why are you out of the palace?"

"All one in the same story, sir! I came to tell you-"

"Tell me another time," Odin briskly decided, before entering the massive whirlpool of colours in front of them without warning.

…

Meanwhile, Jennie heaved herself awake from the nightmare she was having. She sat up and threw her duvet off her with a screech, absolutely drenched in sweat and her heart racing double time. Delilah opened her eyes groggily and Renesme yelped at the sudden influx of noise, snapping herself awake as well. "WHAT THE HELL JEN?" she snapped irritably. Jennie continued panting with wide eyes, her hand trying to steady her chest.

"A-Annerledes, she's gone!"

"What do you mean she's gone?" Delilah spluttered, now sitting up straight in the darkness.

"Guys, just hang on," Renesme whispered in a timid voice, standing up and blindly feeling around the room walls for the lights. Soon there was a click, and a comfortable orange glow lit up the cold room. The girls looked around them, but as Jennie said, Christie was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh noooo," Jennie wailed. "What is she doing? It still might not be safe out there! Girls, we must go and find her immediately!"

"She must be out there looking for Loki - I knew we shouldn't have read that godforsaken book," Delilah groaned before leaping up to fetch their cloaks. "Come on, let's leave."

"Wait, are we going right n-now? It's so dark outside!" Renesme stuttered in pure fright. She clearly wasn't the bravest girl in the universe, usually adventures weren't really her thing.

"Yes, NOW, Ren! We must find Annerledes, NOW! She might need our help, and we're going to be there in case she does," Delilah spelt it out firmly but comfortingly as she chucked Jennie and Renesme their cloaks.

"Yes I understand that, Delilah…but it's also pitch black outside and we still haven't been given the all clear yet! The Frost Giants could literally be out there roaming the streets. We could be killed in an instant, who will be much help to then?!" Renesme exclaimed, catching her cloak and hugging it close to her chest.

"Oh Renesme would you get a grip for once in your life?! What if Annerledes is already DEAD?" Jennie shouted at her, absolutely enraged. "We have no time for your pathetic quips of fear, can't you see that?" Renesme fell quiet and dropped her gaze to the floor, those freckled cheeks flushing red as the two girls tried to think of a plan.

Guys let me know if you'd like two chapters a week? More than happy to do that if so! x