This is the last chapter of part 1! Turns out writing with a friend goes a lot faster than writing alone, but that kind of pace is still hard. Hope and I are taking a break before we burn out, but there will be a part 2 in a few months.

16: The Great Escape

This thread is the hardest to keep hold of, always a breath from slipping from his hands. It takes all his energy to maintain any control of it and still move forward.

For Loki, Aaravos tells himself, and that becomes his mantra as he pulls. Loki. Pull. Loki. Pull. Loki.

He loses track of the time, of everything except the thread and Loki's name in his mind, until his hands touch the lock.

As Loki works to establish a break into another dimension, he wonders where he should focus his energies.

The primary options are Xadia and Loki's home universe. The former has the benefit of being connected to the prison, the latter has the benefit of Loki having a connection with it.

Loki finds he cannot bring himself to even attempt to picture Xadia. He does not understand what happened, but he knows something made Aaravos's plan go so wrong he almost died. He knows Aaravos misses home, but for now, he does not want to throw Aaravos back into the world that had hurt him so.

Besides, it is clear enough that with all this struggle to break through the walls of this world, he needs a clear vision of where he is going.

"Damn... " Loki mutters. There is only one place in his universe he can picture clearly enough.

Tightening his hold on the thread with his left hand, Aaravos reaches his right up to feel for the runes. "Captura, vincio, praevado."

He winces as he draws the first rune, hoping it will not hurt too much. "Captura."

A shudder runs through him, ice seeming to dance over his skin, prickling it painfully– then it is gone.

That was not too bad. If this is as bad as freeing his moon magic will get, handling it alone will be no problem at all.

"Vincio."

Loki does not want to go back to Asgard. Picturing it almost makes him sick, but it is the only place he can imagine with enough clarity to strengthen his spell, the shining hallways of the palace and the colorful bifrost and the feel of the mist spray on his face as he stood on the bridge.

...The sweat and tears on his face as he hung off the edge, the yawning abyss below him.

Loki shakes himself, the spell falling apart in his hands. He has to refocus, for Aaravos.

This spell does not hurt at all. Aaravos can barely feel its effects, actually.

With a light heart, he casts, "Praevado."

A moment passes, in which he begins to wonder how he will leave this strange dimension, without Loki to guide him back. Perhaps meditating will take him back, or–

Agony blossoms from his core, reaching in barely a second to fill his entire body. He cannot think, cannot breathe. This is worse even than the pain from the first Star spell. He is dying.

Loki is just about to make another attempt when he hears Aaravos gasp in shock and pain. He rushes over to the elf's side before he realizes what he's doing. He wonders if he should rejoin Aaravos to help him, or if this pain will subside like the others.

The pain fades the same way it began, inside to outside, albeit much slower. He realizes his eyes are squeezed shut, and opens them to see Loki next to him. He reaches out a hand, slipping it into Loki's, and squeezes. "I am well now, my starlight. How goes your portal?"

Loki squeezes Aaravos's hand in comfort. "It must have been a powerful pain to bring you back here. Do you need me to go back with you?"

He decides not to say how hard the portal work is. Aaravos needs him more for now.

"Lumen umbra," Aaravos tries, drawing the correct moon rune in the air. When the magic flows easily into the illusion of starlight surrounding him and Loki, he smiles. "No, I have my magic back." He looks up. "My full magic is back, thanks to you, starlight."

Loki takes both of Aaravos's hands, needing to sense for himself the truth. He can sense a greater power in Aaravos than he had felt any time they touched before, but still he asks, "Are you absolutely certain? You know we can use our powers inside the prison, and I do not want to take any chances."

"As certain as I can be," Aaravos responds. He squeezes Loki's hands and stands, careful to do so without pulling Loki down. "Would you like any help with your portal? It cannot be easy, opening a gateway not only to another dimension, but also from one designed to keep people in."

Loki sighs, his heart still racing from concern for Aaravos and his own memories. "The only way I can make a portal is to picture where we're going clearly, and the only place I can imagine so clearly is somewhere I loathe the thought of."

"Is it someplace that has hurt you?" Aaravos asks worriedly. He steps closer, bumping his shoulder lightly against Loki's. "I will be there for you this time, my love."

He pushes down his sadness that they cannot go directly to Xadia. Yes, he misses it, but he is not certain if the spell to restore the mage's life worked, and Zubeia will have to notice the empty prison sooner or later. Perhaps it is a good idea to wait some time before returning.

Loki hesitates at the question, then nods. "Asgard, my…" not my home, not anymore, "the place where I was raised. It is the only place I know well enough to picture clearly, and I also happen to be banished, so that… that is another issue we will run into. Out of one prison and straight into another unless we can move quickly enough."

"I will be there with you and for you this time," Aaravos reminds him. "I will not let anyone harm you again, not if there is a thing I can possibly do to prevent it."

Loki closes his eyes, leaning forward until his forehead is touching Aaravos's. "Yes, yes I know." With a breathy chuckle, he adds, "Hopefully Father has not gotten rid of the railings. It was perhaps the best decision I made during my temporary rule. Then we do not have to worry quite as much about falling into an endless abyss."

Aaravos attempts a smile, for Loki, though what he most wants to do is wrap his hands around the throat of the one responsible for Loki's fall.

He pulls his thoughts from murder. "I can fly, if I am given the time beforehand to paint the correct runes on my arms. When we are free, I will paint them on and maintain them always; then I may catch you anytime you fall, no matter how deep the abyss."

Loki's breath hitches at the thought of someone diving after him to pull him from the fall. Is it possible to love a person more every minute? How much love can one heart hold? Surely Loki must be beyond capacity by now, and yet Aaravos continues to surprise him.

"You wouldn't happen to know any magic that could help ease my nerves?"

Aaravos pretends to think for a moment. "Not magic, exactly, and I am not sure if it would ease your nerves or the opposite, but it is perhaps worth a try." He raises one hand to Loki's chin, caressing his face gently. "May I kiss you?"

Surprised by this turn of events into speechlessness, Loki simply nods. With the go-ahead, Aaravos captures Loki's lips in a sensuous kiss. It overtakes Loki's senses until all he knows is Aaravos's warmth and softness, the sweet caress on his face and the gentle movements of his lips and tongue against Loki's.

After what might be a few moments, Loki cannot conceive of such a petty thing as time right now, Aaravos pulls away, tugging Loki's bottom lip just slightly. Loki cannot help but laugh as his train of thought returns. "You say that is not magic?"

"Not quite," Aaravos laughs. "It requires no runes, nor any connection to a source, after all… but I am glad you think so highly of me." He kisses Loki's forehead. "Are your nerves calmed sufficiently to attempt the portal?"

Loki would not necessarily classify his nerves as calm in this moment, but he feels refreshed.

Aaravos would fit right in with the beauty of Asgard. Loki can picture it now: the lights of the bifrost and the glow of the city behind Aaravos creating a golden halo in his snowy white hair, dancing in the breeze from the waterfall. They could be surrounded by the stars and galaxies beyond; he could bring Aaravos back to the millions of trillions of stars, standing at the brink of all the worlds they could travel to. He can imagine the smile it would bring to Aaravos's face.

"Yes, I believe I can try again, now."

Aaravos slips his hand into Loki's again, twining their fingers together. His stomach flutters nervously, but at the same time, he is eager to see his love's world. "I am ready when you are, starlight."

Fortifying himself, Loki begins the work, funnelling all his power into drilling through the walls of this world, and all his focus onto the image of Asgard. Halfway through, Loki realizes he never ate dinner, or breakfast, or… it has been a while since his last meal or proper rest.

But he is almost there now, and they are working on such a limited time table that he cannot afford to stop now.

Loki opens his eyes and he sees the beginnings of the portal before him, wisps of blue smoke swirling in the space before him. He channels even more of his strength into it, willing it to grow. Perhaps he is imagining things in his focus on the mental image, but he thinks he can see a flash of gold.

Almost there.

Aaravos watches in awe as the air begins to swirl blue. This has to be quite an effort, so he positions himself to catch Loki. Just in case. "It is working?"

Loki grins with pride as the portal expands to his height and width, a shimmering image of Asgard visible as if looking through water. "Yes, yes, just a little more, and we can walk through."

And of course, because Loki is certain the multiverse has a grudge against him, he hears a voice that rumbles through his bones. "Your time is up, and you have yet to fulfill our bargain."

Loki curses under his breath.

"What is wrong?" Aaravos asks, eyes wide in worry. "Loki? Is the portal working improperly, or–" He looks up. "Prison, do not test me now. Do not."

Loki cannot respond to Aaravos, all his energy devoted to the portal. Instead, he glares at an arbitrary spot towards the ceiling. "Do you not sense or whatever it is sentient universes do the portal five feet in front of me?"

It becomes clear that the ominous words resonating through Loki's mind was all the warning he was in for. He doubles over at a stabbing pain in his chest, nearly losing his hold on the portal. Is his vision doubling, or is his hand fading in and out of existence?

So this is what the prison meant when it said he would be destroyed, his very molecules are phasing in and out of order, and it is taking all he is to keep conscious and moving.

The image isn't clear enough… not for pulling someone else with him. They could step through in any manner of close-but-not-quite places.

Loki realizes he will have to stabilize the portal from within it. He has never tried such a thing before, but he thinks he can do it. What other option does he have?

He grabs Aaravos's hand. "Do you trust me?"

Loki is fading from view like mist. Aaravos wraps his arms around him as if that can keep him here, keep him solid. "Of course I trust you, my love. With my life and more."

Loki charges for the portal, tugging Aaravos along behind him. Aaravos stumbles briefly, but runs alongside him into the smoke.

The moment he steps into the in-between, Loki's form begins to stabilize again, but now he has to give them direction before they float aimlessly forever.

There is one last tug at him, trying to suck him back from where he came. "You cannot take the prisoner."

Now that he is not in danger of blinking out of existence, Loki almost laughs. "We agreed I would leave, we said nothing about what I would take with me."

With a final push, Loki and Aaravos tumble from one world to another, onto a crystal bridge alight with all the colors of the rainbow. Aaravos's hand is still intertwined with Loki's, and the former Asgardian prince gets a momentary look at the city he grew up in before the lack of food and sleep, the near death, and the strain of making the portal finally catches up with him.

Aaravos's arms go around Loki, supporting him as he falls. "Starlight! Loki, are you well?" A chill runs through him at the thought that the prison might have caught Loki at the last moment, that they might have been just seconds too late, until he realizes he can still feel Loki's heartbeat. He sinks to his knees, still cradling Loki in his arms, and leans over to brush a few kisses onto his forehead and hair.

He feels eyes on him, and looks up.

Heimdall was witness to many of Loki's antics over the past millennium until the dark prince learned how to conceal himself from the gatekeeper's vision. Still, ever since the true Odin was reinstated as king, Heimdall attempted to check in on the banished prince every now and then. What little he saw was pure chaos, until he well and truly vanished.

Loki is clever, this much is true, and so Heimdall never would have thought him foolish enough to come back to Asgard. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Loki is there, unconscious in the arms of a being Heimdall has never seen before on the bifrost bridge.

Yet another shock, Heimdall would think he has seen every species in the galaxy at least once, and yet he is certain that he has never seen one like the white-haired purple person cradling the trickster. Heimdall assumes a casually defensive stance as he approaches them and clears his throat to pull the strange being's attention.

Aaravos turns awkwardly at the noise, craning his neck to look up at the tall warrior. He looks oddly like a hornless Sunfire elf.

He is very aware of his relatively helpless position, and that, should the man be unfriendly, he cannot do much against him. He takes a breath, preparing to lower himself to begging.

"Please." He meets the man's eyes. "He is hurt, exhausted and too near to death. Please, please help him."

Heimdall sighs. He is not inclined to trust any associate of Loki's, but it seems there is no immediate threat here. "I am honor bound to notify the king of this, but you are lucky. That one's brother is managing things while their father is gone. He will be a little less inclined to throw him in a cell and a little more inclined to see him returned to good health."

Aaravos's eyes flash momentarily before he regains control and looks down, smoothing Loki's hair and gently stroking his cheek. No one will put you in a cell, my heart, he promises silently.

To the stranger, he says, "Thank you." He attempts to stand on his own, but Loki is too heavy.

Ears burning with the shame of asking a stranger, and one he is sure he cannot trust, for help, he says, "I cannot carry him alone. Will you help me to get Loki the care he needs?"

The keeper of the bifrost helps the stranger lift Loki, and they begin their walk across the bridge to Asgard.

WHOO! 83.5k since December, WOW. Thank you all so much for reading this entire heccin' long story! Love you all so much 3