Prologue
I see a blast of white light is so powerful that I can almost feel the magic of the bifrost as it fades. Are they ok? I wonder, my fingers twitching as I gaze out the window. When the light fades I see that only half of the bifrost remains and I can't suppress a small gasp of astonishment. With a closer glance I notice two people standing at the end. And neither is Loki. Please let him be ok. I think, silently begging for my father to live. Please.
"Leren." I'm not sure how long until I hear a knock on my door but when I do it's as if it snaps me out of a dream. Or possibly a nightmare. I think, turning to see Thor. Oh great, Thor. I think, a bit of annoyance striking me. "I'm sorry." Is all he whispers. he doesn't explain why he's sorry but as I glance out the window once more I know what he's talking about.
"Was there anything you could have done?" I ask hoarsely, not turning back to look at him.
"If there was I would have." He murmurs quietly. Something about the way he speaks or maybe the way he's standing so still unnerves me and I push away the feeling of dread and try to focus on Thor's drastic change instead.
"What happened to you?" I say. "I've only known you for a while and you seemed so..."
"Oblivious? Arrogant? Rude?" Thor says. "Yes, I know. Being on Midgard changed me." He says thoughtfully, a hint of regret in his tone.
"I'm sorry Loki made you do that."
"Do what?" He says, confused.
"Destroy the only way you could ever see her again." I say simply. I turn back around to face him, trying to hide the strain to my voice and to hold back the tears that I know at any moment will spill out. Thor says nothing and stares out the window for a bit before taking a deep breath.
"We can rebuild." He says quietly. "I'll see Jane again one day. And Loki." I nod and turn back towards the window. "Why do you care so much about Loki? He wasn't your true father and you only knew him for a few days." Thor's question surprises me and I feel a lump forming in my throat as I realize he doesn't know. "If you don't mind me asking, who is?"
"He was." I miserably.
"What?" Thor says. "That's impossible..." He gazes at me as I turn back around, astonishment in his pale blue eyes.
"Loki is my father." I say again.
"Who was your mother?" He says, still sounding a bit bewildered.
"A Midgardian named Katheryn." I sigh. "They didn't love each other... my mother said I was an accident." I mutter grimly. Thor takes a step towards me, examining me.
"No life is ever an accident. I can't believe..." He stops, a simple smile spreading across his face. "At least there's some good news after all of this destruction." He sighs. I don't smile back, shocked at how he could be so happy just to have me when his brother and his love have been torn from him. "He does know about you though, right?" He says after a while.
"No." I sigh. "I should have told him." I say, a hint of anger to my words. "I should have told him... maybe he wouldn't have done what he did." I growl. "This is my fault, I shouldn't even be on Asgard right now. My brother probably thinks I'm dead and I miss him."
"You have a brother?" Thor gasps.
"He's not Loki's." I say with annoyance. "He's my half brother, we were born of the same mother."
"Oh." Thor says, disappointment in his tone.
"How can you not be sad about Loki right now!" I say, turning back to him. "What's so special about me?" I add with a snarl.
"You're special because you're his." Thor says. "And I am sad. Loki was my brother but having you... it's like a piece of him is still here." I bite my tongue, wanting to yell so many harsh things at him before I realize he's sort of right.
"But I have nothing." I hiss, sadness replacing my rage once again. "All I have is memories, and even then only of three weeks. I've lived nine years of my life not knowing who my father is. Do you realize how hard that is?" I say miserably. Thor opens his mouth to say something but seems to realize that he's always had a father. "You had a father and a mother. My mother was cruel and she hated me because of Loki. Then the moment I actually do meet my father he's gone."
"I'm really sorry." Thor sighs. "I don't know what I can do to help you." I lower my head and sit down on my bed as Thor leaves. "At least he's happy now." He says, closing the door. But what about me? I think, turning back to the window. Why can't I just be happy for once?
Chapter 1
I sigh with frustration as the snake vanishes, leaving a puddle of wine where is had lain. Why can't I do this? I think. It's been about a year since Loki fell into the abyss and Frigga has been teaching me magic to keep me occupied.
"Try again." She says. "Focus on the snake, not the wine." I take a deep breath before locking my eyes onto the wine puddle that has spread along the cobblestone path and raise my hands up a bit. Come one... come on little snake. I think, feeling a flicker of hope as the purplish liquid shifts into silver and white scales. I then focus on the snake as it becomes less and less translucent but at the last moment it vanishes once more with a splash.
"Why is it not working?" I say with frustration.
"Patients, Leren." Frigga warns. I sigh and nod.
"Sorry." I say. "I'll try again." I raise my hands again, this time focusing on what the serpent should look like and not on the wine. I notice Thor gazing over the gates at the people of Asgard and make the translucent body of the snake slither towards him until, with a white flash, it turns into a 'real' snake. Not entirely real, just in the physical world at the moment. I smile and watch as the snake twines itself around Thor's ankle and lets out a hiss.
"Oh, you figured it out." He says, smiling as the snake vanishes once again into a puddle of wine on his boot. "White, not green... interesting." He says with a nod. I turn back to Frigga who gives me an approving nod as well. Thor turns and makes his way back to the castle. I wish Loki were here to see it. I think sadly. I push the thought away and turn back to Frigga.
"Is there any other things I can learn?" I say.
"Pick up that stick." I obediently pick up the small stick that was resting on the cobblestone. "Now, focus on something else like a rock or Mjolnir or anything and try to make the stick look like it." I nod and lock my eyes onto the stick. After a moment a ripple of white light spreads around it and it turns into Mjolnir.
"Yay, I'm worthy." I say, hoisting the hammer to the sky. Frigga lets out a small laugh and shakes her head.
"I think that's enough for today. You can practice the snake some more tomorrow." I give her a nod of thanks and leave her, and the stick, in the courtyard.
I sit down on my bed and watch as the light fades from Asgard. I'm still a bit confused on how the whole light and dark occurs while there is not star to light the planet and about what happens to the water that flows off the sides of Asgard and why the ocean never runs dry but everyone I ask laughs at me and jokes about how I act like a Midgardian. I laugh back at them and say 'Well maybe I am' which makes them laugh harder but it hurts... because I really am.
I curl up under the covers of my bed and close my eyes, preparing for the next day of my goddess training. That too I don't understand. I think with a sigh. At least Odin will proclaim me a goddess when I'm finished. I wonder what I'll be. I think, allowing a smile to cross my lips.
The next morning I'm woken by Thor who is roughly shaking my shoulder and muttering my name. I'm confused, on two accounts. One, why he's here and two why he would be confiding in me if something were wrong.
"What do you want." I mutter.
"I think Loki's alive." My eyes widen at Thor's words and I'm suddenly awake. "Get dressed and meet me in the courtyard."
Chapter 2
"What do you mean Loki's alive?" I say suddenly, skidding to a stop beside him.
"I spoke with Heimdall, he said that he's seen sightings of Loki but he's using some kind of magic that prevents him from seeing him." Thor explains. "He said he saw Loki fall and that he landed in a strange place called Sanctuary. He said he saw no more than that."
"We need to find him." I say. "If we can find him we could bring him back here, are you sure he's alive?" I add desperately.
"I'm fairly sure." Thor says, doubt edging his tone.
"We have to try." I say. "Is there any other way to get to earth?" I ask. Thor's eyes light up and he nods.
"Odin could conjure me there." He says. "But it will take some convincing." I nod, hope burning inside me for once since Loki was lost. But now... maybe he's alive, and if he is I'll have a father again. "I'll go speak to him." Thor says, hurrying back towards the castle. I stand, the same hope still whirling through my thoughts as I gaze at the bifrost as it's slowly, but steadily, repaired.
"Have you seen Thor?" It's been three days since I last saw the thunder god and he's no where to be seen. Frigga stands before me as I practice creating the silver snakes. I haven't actually realized Thor was missing until now but now that I do I might as well ask Frigga.
"Hmm..." She says, a thoughtful look on her face. "No, I haven't." She says. "Maybe he's out in the square." After my training for the day I make my way back to the castle to look for him and maybe ask Odin where he could be. After a while of searching I sigh and begin looking around for Odin. I find him sitting on his throne, looking troubled and I hesitate before presenting myself.
"Odin?" I ask. He looks up as though he didn't notice me and nods, allowing me to speak. "Do you know where Thor when't off to?" I ask.
"Yes, he's gone to Midgard to deal with Loki." Odin sighs. What? I can feel the shock as though a cold slap in he face. He just left me here? I'd expect that from me or Loki but... Thor?
"Is there any way I could go there as well?" I say, a hint of anger in my tone. Odin looks up at me and I can see that his eyes have a touch of distrust about them. He doesn't trust me does he. I think with frustration.
"It's to dangerous for you. You're but a child." He says, his pale blue eyes betraying the fact that I'm right about the distrust.
"You mean it's dangerous for your precious Thor, don't you?" Odin sits a bit taller, looking shocked that I'd defy him like that. "You don't want two Frost Giants on Midgard, it's far to dangerous isn't it?" I hiss. "Well what about Asgard, was there too many here that you had to get rid of one? Well, you said he just slipped but there must have been something you could have done, wasn't there?" I snarl.
"Silence!" Odin booms, snapping me from my rage. "You will not go to Midgard, final!" He spits. I immediately regret my harsh words but anger is still bubbling up inside me.
"Fine!" I yell back, whipping around and marching back to my room. I slump down on my bed once more, muttering curses and glaring out the window. How could he betray me like that? I think, my thoughts returning to Thor. Would it have been so difficult just to allow me to join him? I could have helped! I think, knocking a glass of water that was resting on my nightstand over. My hand throbs from the impact and I wince, lifting it up to look at it.
I can see the jagged points of my hand bones spiking out from under the skin, it doesn't hurt unless I put pressure on it though. The bifrost will be repaired soon. I realize. Then I can think of something, I'll escape here... I'll find him myself.
Two more weeks pass until the bifrost is repaired and almost immediately I make my way down it towards the place where Heimdall resides. I see him, staring at me even from that far away and the moment I set foot on the golden part of the bridge he's in a slightly defensive position.
"What can I do for you today, Leren?" He asks. He shouldn't know what I'm planning, not since I never said it out loud.
"I was just wondering where Thor is." I ask, innocently.
"Ah, Thor." Heimdall looks off into the distance, his golden eye sparkling and in that moment I shift behind him slightly and use a new spell I learned to hide myself from his view. Then I make an illusion of myself standing where I had been and gazing at him just as I had been. "He is in New York it seams. It's a place on Midgard but I assume you'd already know that." He says with a nod.
"Yes, New York." I move my lips ever so slightly, commanding the illusion to do the same. "Thank you Heimdall." I whisper again. "And I'm sorry." The illusion tries to kick Heimdall but as I suspected he reacts to fast and slices it in half. The moment he realizes his fault I've practically ripped the sword from his grasp and jammed it into the stand. He lunges for me but I've already been sucked into the swirling rainbow lights, his angry yell chasing me as I go. New York!
Chapter 3
In a matter of seconds I'm standing in the middle of tall grey buildings. I expect people to see me but instead there are thousands of purple human like beasts screeching and battling around me. I see people in strange outfits battling them and one of them seems to notice me. He's a man in a spangly red white a blue outfit with a matching shield. Oh boy. I think as he locks eyes with me. I have to shove most of the strange creatures out of my way as I try to escape but one of them manages to slam me against a cement wall, aiming a sharp knife that seems to be connected to his arm at me.
"This was not a good idea." I mutter, trying to wrestle the alien off me. I manage to throw him off of me but two more replace him, screeching and clawing at me. Why don't I get a weapon yet! I think, knowing that I can't make any knifes or even a shield appear. One of the aliens is torn from me and the other I manage to throw off once again but I'm grabbed by something else.
"What are you doing here, kid?" I see the red, white and blue man staring at me. "This is no place for dress up!"
"I need to find someone, two people actually." The man seems to notice my robe and the golden crown that Odin recently gave to me that has two much smaler horns on top like Loki's.
"Are you one of those god guy's siblings?" He says.
"Uh... I'm one of their daughters?" I say.
"Thor's I hope?" He says warily.
"Loki." I mutter with a half smile. At once the man holds his shield up to my face and continues to hold me against the wall.
"You a threat?" He says.
"That depends..." I say vaguely.
"I'll take that as a yes, you're coming with me." He says, half dragging me through the crowd.
"I don't see anyone forcing me." I say stubbornly, fighting his grip.
"I suggest you don't mess with me, little miss." He says, a dangerous look in his blue eyes.
"Do you not know who my father is?" I snort. "Or my uncle? The man that blasts everything in sight with lightning?" The man hesitates for a moment.
"Yes, do you know who I am?" He says. I shake my head.
"A wannabe super hero I suppose?" Relishing the look of annoyance in his eyes.
"I'm Captain America, and you are coming with me." He repeats firmly.
"No." I say, trying to hold my ground against the bigger man.
"Don't push it, sister." He warns.
"I'd come with you but your oldie puns are killing me." I say, grinning as he struggles for words.
"Just come along." I shrug and follow him, thinking maybe he could lead me to Loki. He fights of a number of aliens as we walk until he, once again, practically drags me up the stairs of a massive building. He sits me down in a chair where another man is standing and points at me. "You, stay here. Tony, can you watch this girl?"
"Steve, I'm not the right guy for baby sitting." The man named Tony says. He also has a red costume but it has gold instead of white and blue. Captain America, or as Tony calls him, Steve, grins at him and races back down the stairs. "Hey! Steve, I swear, if you don't get your spangly little but back up these stairs-" He stops when he notices that I'm listening with an amused grin. "So... who are you exactly?"
"Leren." I shrug. "That man thinks he can just sit me here and expect me to stay, well-"
"Are you one of those Assberg people?" Tony says, cutting me off.
"Asgard." I correct. "I just came from Asgard but no, I'm not Asgardian."
"Well, if you came from Asgard shouldn't you be Asgardian?" I decide not to get too complicated and instead just shrug.
"I'm from earth but when I was nine I when to Asgard because I found out I was Loki's daughter." He clicks a button on his suit, revealing his face. "That's a strange looking beard, Mister." I say, enjoying the cautious way he lifts his hand to his mouth and mutters 'we've got another one'.
"So, since you're related to Loki... we're not going to let you leave." Tony says.
I don't think that's your choice." I say, standing up and lifting my hands up.
"Oh boy, here come the magic knives." He mutters, pressing the button on his chest again.
"Magic knives?" I say with a laugh. "I don't do magic knives. I'm eleven idiot." I let my hands fall to my sides once again and stare at him, looking amused as he points his hands at me, preparing to blast me with something. "But... I can do this." I imagine Steve's blue outfit and grab a fork from off of the counter that is in front of me. I use it to shift into the man's shield and focus the rest of me on shifting into Steve himself. "Catch me if you can." I mutter, turning and practically throwing myself out of the window. But not really... While he was distracted I instead hid behind the counter and made an illusion of myself leaping out of the window.
"Get back here." He growls. I watch as he flies out of the window after the illusion but when the glass shatters in front of him he stumbles in confusion seeming to realize that I'm still there. He turns to see back into the house and I wave at him as he falls. I then make a dash for the door knowing that he'll probably be back looking for me.
"Crap!" I hear him yell as I make my way down the stairs. "Witch is gone, I repeat, the witch is gone." I hear him add, probably to some other person. I grin to myself and slide all the way back down the stairs since I don't wan't to get trapped in the elevator. I didn't realize how stupid humans are. I think as I reach the bottom floor. I should go home. I realize. This wasn't a good idea. Before I can plead to Heimdall to bring me back three men and a woman approach me. One holding a massive camera.
"Can you spare a second?" I cover my face, shielding it from the camera's.
"No, sorry." I say quickly, trying to shuffle past them.
"Just one moment miss!" One of them calls after me as I run. I duck behind another building and again, before I can say anything another person ducks into the ally as well. He turns towards me and the moment he see's that my crown even remotely resembles Loki's helmet points an arrow at me. This one's a bit smarter. I think.
"Who are you?" He says, not taking the arrow from me.
"I see you've noticed." I sigh, pointing to the crown.
"So I'm right? You're related to the man who killed Coulson?" He says, a bit angrier.
"I don't know who Coulson is." I say, raising my hands to the air, this time submissively. "But I'm sorry if my father hurt him."
"Your father?" He growls, eyeing me.
"Loki." I mutter. "But, hey. I didn't get to choose my parents." I say quickly. He still doesn't shift his aim from me and his dark expression doesn't change. "I'm half Midgardian if that changes anything."
"What's Midground." Why can't any of you pronounce the simplest of words. I think with a bit of annoyance.
"Midgard." I correct him. "It's the Asgardian word for Earth. This place." I indicate to the buildings around us. The man shifts slightly, lowering his bow a tad and nodding for me to go on.
"Tell me why I shouldn't just let this arrow fly?" He says, raising the bow again once he sees that I've noticed he'd lowered it. I open my mouth, assuming an easy answer will come to me but nothing occurs.
"Well... I haven't killed anyone." I suggest. "I bet you've at least killed one. But, for the greater good." I add a bit of mockery to voice and he doesn't move still. "A stubborn one aren't you." I say lightly.
"I can be." He says brusquely.
"But other than that, no reason really. Shoot me if you want but when they find that arrow shaped hole in my skull and they trace it back to Katniss Everdeen over here.." I pause. "What do they do with people who kill children again?" I see him hesitate again but he still doesn't lower his weapon. "Oh come on, what does it take to get you to drop the frickin' bow?" I hiss. Anger flashes in his eyes and he pulls back the string.
"Like you said, for the greater good." Light's blind me and I find myself swirling further and further away from New York. I can almost feel the arrow piercing my skill but it doesn't.
At the same moment in Clint's perspective**
"Like you said, for the greater good." I growl, pointing the bow at the girl before me. I let the arrow fly just as a burst of light is thrust down on her. In a matter of second the mysterious young girl is gone, leaving behind only a single dark brown hair that I spot on the ground. It takes me a moment to comprehend what just happened and when I do the first thing I do is pluck the hair gently from the ground.
Lets see if I'm right or if I was just imagining that her crown looks like Loki's helmet. I think, tucking it carefully into a tiny pocket on the front of my shirt. I head back towards the fight, nailing a Chitauri in the head as I go. If she is Loki's, we might have a whole nother problem at hand.
Back in Leren's perspective**
I clench my eyes shut and when I open them I've been grabbed once again. I don't fight it this time because I know it's Hiemdall and when I see that I'm back on Asgard I know I'm right.
"You are in a lot of trouble." I hear him growl. I let out a sigh as he pushes me down the bridge and towards the castle. When we reach the end I expect him to shove me off of the end and onto the ground but instead he lets me go, allowing me to make the jump myself. "I hope you have something to say for yourself." He says once I've turned around. He doesn't grab me again but the cold anger in his eyes says enough.
"Sorry." I mutter, looking at the ground. "I just... Loki's alive and Odin and Thor said I couldn't go see him. Thor betrayed me." I say, glancing up. Heimdall's gaze softens a bit but he still doesn't look completely forgiving. "I understand it's your duty to watch over the bifrost and to prevent people like me from doing stupid things like that. I was just upset." I say. Heimdall nods slowly, seeming to decide something.
"Seeing that you caused Asgard and Midgard no harm I'm going to let this one slide." He pauses. I allow a smile of relief to spread across my face. "But it better not happen again." He warns, seeing my reaction.
"I promise, I won't ever do something like that again." I vow, dipping my head to him. I look back up and the moment our eyes meet I know that we'll share a deep connection for so long as we both live. "I promise." (Foreshadowing...)
Chapter 4
I yawn as I do the same snake trick with the wine for what feels like the thousandth time. I'll do something else eventually, Frigga just wants me to practice this thing with the snake. I make a silver snake appear easily and watch as it coils up and hisses before with a wave of my hand it vanishes. I turn to Frigga who nods and smiles, as usual, and beckons for me to do it again. I sigh and repeat the trick. I need something interesting to happen. I think.
"Tomorrow I'll show you something cool but it's rather difficult." So far Frigga has shown me how to shape shift, change the shape of another object, create illusions and heal myself as well as others. She's also shown me how to create snakes of course.
"Can you tell me what it is so I can try to figure it out on my own?" I ask hopefully, eager to get rid of my boredom.
"Alright." She sighs. "At least I have an eager apprentice." She says with a smile. "I've never seen Loki actually do this and I've never done it myself, besides practicing, but it is sort of like giving someone a nightmare. You must touch their forehead or the back of their head and from there, with enough practice, you can access all of the dark memories and things that they fear." She pauses. "I'll show you how it works." She takes a pace towards me and touches my head lightly. At first nothing happens but then there's a memory.
"Leren." My brother says. "I... I kinda was playing with your tower thing and it broke." I look up from my book and follow him as he leads me to our room. "But you can make it again, right?" On the floor there lies hundreds of splintering and snapped popsicle sticks.
"How did you manage to break it that much?" I gasp angrily.
"Well... I thought that since you built it once you could do it again so I smashed it." He says with a wry smile. "You can, right?" Astonishment and anger take control of me and I use one of my feet to hook Aiden's legs out form under him. He falls to the floor and lands on his bottom with a thud. "What was that for?" He yells, getting back to his feet and glaring at me.
"Why would you possibly think that would be a good idea?" I yell back. "That took me weeks to build, Aiden!" He glares at me for a moment longer before aiming a blow at me. It catches me on the shoulder and I stumble backwards with a gasp.
"You can't just trip me and not get hit back!" Aiden says triumphantly.
"I tripped you because you smashed my homework!" I snarl, striking him with the back of my hand. He falls once more and this time hits the wall and slides down in shock. He raises his hand tentatively to his face and winces at he touches it. He stares up at me, his brown eyes shiny with tears. I feel myself soften, the tension in my body loosened as I gaze down at him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hit you." Aiden glares back up at me, coldness in his eyes and gets to his feet.
"If you shouldn't have, why did you?" He snarls, stomping away.
"Aiden!" I call after him, starting for the door. I stop as he slams it behind him and gaze after him. I thought we would always be close. I think. What if this happens again... what if we're not even friends after a while? Fear fills my thoughts. Aiden I swear I will always be here... and if I'm not... I don't want to think about what happens if I'm not so I push the thought away and instead slump to the floor and stare at the ground.
I stumble backwards with a gasp and I can see Frigga gazing at me. That felt so real... like I was reliving that moment. I think. I guess she knows my fears now... of being torn away from the people I love. Of somehow hurting them. Frigga watches me, as though seeing how I will react.
"That is a very dangerous skill. It can take the greatest fears of any being and resurface them, sometimes causing catastrophic reactions to the creature at hand." She warns. "Once you learn this skill, it is only to be used for emergencies, this should never be any sort of prank or silly trick because the other being will not find it funny at all."
"Ok." I nod. That is scary. That memory wasn't even that bad, I think I even over reacted when that actually happened. I think.
"If you want to try this on someone, ask me. Never try this on someone else without practice." Frigga adds.
"Alright." I say.
"And that should be enough for today, tomorrow we can practice this." Frigga say. "For now you can go do what you please." I smile to her and bound down the halls and down some stairs into my room. I sit down and gaze out the window, as usual, still silently hoping something interesting will happen. Suddenly I hear a ruckus coming from somewhere down the hall, mostly shocked mutters and some hostile growls, and leap off of my bed.
I push open the door and speed down the halls until I've reached the throne room. There I skid to a stop and watch as two guards with chains attached to their arms follow someone into the room. At first I think nothing of the man in the front until I notice the green and black patterns on his robe and that his hands are both locked together and being held back by the two guards behind him.
"Loki." Frigga says, looking slightly worried.
"Hello, mother. Have I made you proud?" Loki says with a grin. Yes, that's him. I think
"Please, don't make this worse." Frigga murmurs.
"Define worse." Loki says with a tilt of his head.
"Enough! I will speak to the prisoner alone." Loki turns his attention to Odin, a glint of hurt in his blue eyes, probably that his father would address him as 'the prisoner'. Frigga nods and leaves the room reluctantly.
"I really don't see what all the fuss is about." Loki laughs.
"Do you not truly feel the gravity of your crimes? Wherever you go there is war, ruin and death." Odin hisses.
"I went down to Midgard to rule the people of Earth as a benevolent god. Just like you." Loki says matter of factly, a sharp edge to his words.
"We are not gods. We are born, we live, we die. Just as humans do." Odin says calmly
"Give or take 5000 years." Loki mutters to himself.
"All this because Loki desires a throne." Odin sighs. Loki's playful gaze intensifies and his tone changes when he speaks.
"It is my birthright." He says.
"Your birthright was to die as a child. Cast out onto a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in you would not be here now to hate me." Odin snarls. Loki glares at him defiantly.
"If I am for the ax, then for mercy's sake, just swing it." He hisses. "It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just ... I don't love them." He adds.
"Frigga is the only reason you are still alive and you will never see her again. You will spend the rest of your days in the dungeons." Loki freezes, an astonished look on his pale face.
"And what of Thor? You'll make that witless oaf king while I rot in chains?" He says, blue eyes flashing with malice.
"Thor must strife to undo the damage you have done. He will bring order to the nine realms and then, yes. He will be king." Odin says vaguely. Loki says nothing as the guards pull him backwards but keeps his eyes locked on Odin until he's forced to turn around.
I back away before anyone notices me and sneak to the dungeon where I know Loki is being kept. I pass by a few cells, each with interesting looking creatures that I'd never seen before, until I reach one where I see him. He's not facing me though, his eyes are fixed onto another cell with four strange looking men.
"Why." I say finally. He turns towards me, surprise flashing in his eyes when he notices me. "Why did you have to do that?"
"Do what, destroy a worthless part of Midgard?" Loki says, oblivious to my actual meaning. I stare at him for a while, waiting for him to understand but he doesn't.
"I don't care how many realms you destroy, I wouldn't care if you destroyed Asgard for gods sake." I say. "I just want you to take me with you next time." I pause. "Or at least tell me you're planning to fall into a void!"
"I wasn't planning on it." He mutters. "And, from the looks of it there won't be a next time." He says, glancing around his tiny box like space.
"So you're not going to even try to escape?" I breathe. "What honer is there in that?"
"I will not leave unless someone tells me I can. What is the honor in escaping? If I do, I will live the rest of my life struggling for each scrap, begging for every morsel when I could have at least remained a prince." He says, gazing at me. "I'd rather die a prince then live a scavenger." Of course there is some truth to his words but something else plagues my thoughts.
"What am I to do?" I say.
"You have Thor still. Ask him to adopt you." He says. "There's nothing special about me."
"I don't want Thor." I say. "He's an arrogant oaf and stupid at that. I'd be glad to be called your daughter even if every being in the universe hated your guts." Loki's eyes flash with something, maybe surprise, maybe admiration or maybe I'm just imagining things but there is something there.
"And I thank you for that." He sighs. "But for both of our sakes I'll remain a prince until I either become a king or draw my last breath. I will accept nothing less." I let out a sigh and nod to him.
"I'll visit." I say, turning around and heading back for my room.