Stolen Stars:

Chapter Twelve

After I have travelled so far

We'd set the fire to the third bar

We'd share each other like an island

Until exhausted, close our eyelids

(Set Fire to the Third Bar – Snow Patrol)

0o0o0o0o0o0

"What purposes have you here, Asgardian?" a rebel snapped. None of them had moved, but kept their bows nocked and swords at the ready. Asgardians were, after all, known for their combatant skills and individual ability to take on whole armies.

"Nothing that we can't negotiate, I'm sure," Loki said smoothly, though his body was still tensed for a fight. They had to know Rose was only mortal in any case. By all appearances it was an even match.

"If it is for your Aesir wench, there is nothing to negotiate," the Vanir barked, conjuring twin flames over his hands. "Surrender now."

Loki scowled, his mind racing for an out for himself and Rose. This really hadn't been a good idea.

"I'm afraid I—" He was cut off by Rose's hand on his shoulder. She had a warning in her eyes, and with a flash Loki saw what she had in mind. Ah, well that is certainly useful, he thought as he nodded slightly in consent. "Very well."

He dropped his knives in surrender and kicked them away. Immediately there were hands and ropes on him, but he did nothing to resist. Loki did, however, shout in protest as Rose was shoved roughly to her knees. Rose shot him a silencing look and he bit back the urge to strangle their captors.

"Bunch of savages," he heard her mutter under her breath as the two of them were frogmarched towards the camp.

The rebels had set up makeshift tents of hide and branches, obviously designed for camouflage and to be taken down in a hurry if necessary. The fires were dim, and produced no smoke—magically sustained. Loki felt the tingle of wards as they passed through the outer boundaries. The men stopped their work to glare at Loki and Rose as they were dragged by.

Loki knew of the pockets of rebels in the Nine, and even organized reconnaissance in this very realm back when he was a prince. The Vanir, even as amateur magicians, were hard to track when they wished not to be found.

The two of them were brought to the center, where a man was discussing something with a short old woman with a scroll.

"Comrade Gryr." The leader of the band that had captured them addressed the man and bowed his head in respect. "We found this Asgardian and a Midgardian mortal approaching the western border. We suspect they were planning to free our current prisoner."

Gryr stared wide-eyed at Loki, and Loki knew with a silent curse that he had been recognized.

"Loki the traitor? Well, this is a bounty," he finally chuckled before turning his attention to Rose. "And I'm sure the lady will have some worth to her as well."

The Vanir reached out a hand to brush her chin.

"Don't touch me," Rose growled, jerking away violently. Loki's blood boiled at the ugly gleam in the Gryr's eye, but he said nothing. There was no use antagonizing them.

"There is no magic on them," Gryr announced casually. "I see your father took your strength from you, as well. Isn't that a pity?" He waved over one of the others. "Cage them both. Separately, of course. I will interrogate them later."

Loki hid his satisfaction as they were moved away from the center of the camp. In any case, he would have very much like to choke Gryr with his own intestines.

The cages rippled visibly with magic, and Loki recognized some of the runes. He was suddenly apprehensive about Rose's plan. These were not wards to be trifled with; these were dangerous and unstable. This is why he hated amateurs. Wards not properly layered, like these, were akin to the nuclear warheads humans were so fond of.

"Don't let the bars touch your skin," Loki warned Rose in a low voice. One of the rebels let out a dry laugh.

"He's righ'," the woman drawled. "One brush and you'll be sizzlin' like fried boar."

Loki was careful not to touch the bars himself as he was thrown in and locked up. He watched Rose anxiously as she was also shoved in her respective cage. She was cautious, though, and kept her ground directly in the center. The doors were locked behind them, and the rebels left them. Apparently they believed the wards were deterrent enough.

"Loki, is that you?" a voice called out. It was Sif.

"Where are you?" Loki called out, unable to locate her.

"Look behind you."

Loki did, and he saw Rose do the same. He spotted a pit a few yards away. A grate was positioned over it, and the air above it rippled with the power of wards.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked.

"I'm fine. Those overgrown rats just roughed me up a bit. You should see the rest of them," Sif replied, sounding defiant. "Did you idiots really just get yourselves captured?"

"You do realize we were trying to free you, right?" Rose said. . "Still are, in fact. You could be a little more grateful."

"How did you manage to get out of the palace anyway?" Sif asked, her tone pointedly suspicious. Loki and Rose shared a look of exasperation.

"Odin sent us after Thor and the Warriors Three," Loki stated evenly. He'll get flack for the lie later. "He thought the two of us could try getting through the back while Thor attacked them head-on, distracting the camp long enough for us to spring you. I suppose we were a little off on the timing…"

"No kidding," Sif muttered. "So what? Are we supposed to just sit here until Thor destroys the camp?"

"No, though we will have to worry a little more about being interrupted," Rose lowered her voice, and looked around worriedly before speaking again. "Loki, keep an eye out."

"What are you—?"

Rose had brought out her metal wand again and was fiddling with the buttons.

"Rose, no," Loki rasped in panic. "You don't know how many levels of runes there are. It will rip you apart if you don't do it right."

"What else do you expect me to do?" Rose murmured back, her glare making Loki irritated. "I can get us out of here—"

"And straight into oblivion," Loki finished.

"I've already got us through wards," she protested. Loki rolled his eyes, but it only sparked her ire. "I'm not gonna let us rot in here and be potentially used as body shields when Thor does come."

"Loki, if she got you two through the wall, I would assume the woman knows what she's doing," Sif called out as quietly as possible. Loki wordlessly wished for her to shut up. Rose stared at him expectantly, her wand still in hand and ready to use on the locks. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, pulling the ends sharply as his mind raced.

"Alright," he conceded finally, throwing his hands in the air in defeat. He fixed Rose with a glare. "But you have to listen to me, Rose. You try to remove the wrong ward at the wrong time and you're dead. Let me watch, and I'll tell you what to do."

He stared at Rose in earnest, praying that she wouldn't be stubborn about this one thing.

"Fine," she whispered, moving towards the lock. Loki took a deep breath, and moved closer to the side of his cage so he could examine her work. He made sure to keep a good handswidth away, for safety's sake.

"The top rune is the yellow one—it has sharp edges, three prongs," he directed. "Yes, that one. Now, it's engaged to—"

"Dispel outside forces that might meddle with the lock, got it," Rose muttered, peering at the readings on the metal wand.

Loki blinked in surprise. Only master magicians are trained to interpret runes. His curiosity was piqued.What a strange, unique little device…so many uses…

"Got it!" Rose repeated as the yellow rune glowed and then dissipated. Loki kept a sharp eye on the stability of the rest. They seemed fine, so he let out a breath and explained the layout of the rest. It was tedious, and they had to pause when one of the rebels passed by, but eventually all of the runes were deactivated.

"Check it for any invisible runes before you try the latch," Loki said. Rose obeyed.

"Nothin'," she said, flicking the wand—sonic, that's what she called it—over the lock. "Okay, I'm gonna try it, and then I'm getting you out—"

CRACK.

At first Loki feared that the sound was of the wards igniting. But when Rose stumbled out unharmed and another thunderous shake of the earth followed, Loki realized their unwitting back-up had arrived. Shouts of alarm went up around the camp, and he saw people moving away from their immediate vicinity.

"About time they showed up," Sif said as Rose went over to Loki's cage. Loki kept watch again as she disengaged the wards.

"Well, I suppose my brother is good for something," Loki muttered over the distant battle cries and the rumble of thunder. "Be careful, Rose."

"Oh, he is your brother now, is he?" Rose remarked, but taking more care with the wards.

"Will you two hurry it up?" Sif hissed.

"Hold your garters, I'm nearly done," Rose said, expertly flicking at the tiny console. With a victorious laugh from Rose, the lock sprung and she yanked the cage door open. In a moment of weakness, Loki reached out and squeezed Rose's wrist gently. She stared at him intently for a second. To his dismay he saw only confusion and barely stifled hurt in her face before she moved away to the underground pit where Sif was being held.

Loki couldn't help but feel his heart twist as he watched the blonde woman. Perhaps it wasn't the best of decisions to antagonize her about the past. It had been fifty plus years for her, after all. And there was no indication that she stayed to help him for any other reason than her ridiculous sense of altruism.

And still she tried to get him out and working on a somewhat normal basis. Taking painstakingly difficult means, even. She didn't have to sit motionless in a chair for what had at first been minutes to hours to wait for him to pluck up the courage to take her hands that first forenight. Rose had absolute control over his mind at that point; she could have rearranged his memories. She could have stripped him of his fury, his thirst for violence and revenge. She could have made this take longer—the headaches were not the only indications that Rose tried to take too much on at once. Her nightmares had gotten worse with the constant contact with his poison.

And now this, putting her life at risk to prove a point. To prove that he could help and fight to protect Asgard's interests. This was only the peak of it, too. He didn't like it. He didn't like that despite all evidence to the contrary—she refused to believe he would always fall. It was his nature. He didn't like that he would eventually disappoint her.

And he especially didn't like that she just might be strong enough to prove him wrong.

Loki stood silently over Rose's shoulder as she worked, unable to do anything except make sure she kept the pattern of disengaging the wards constant. The sounds of fighting were dying down. As expected, of course. Thor was nothing if not proficient on the battlefield.

"Just one more," Rose murmured. "There." She lifted the grate as Loki reached in a hand to help lift Sif out.

"Thank you," the warrior said sharply, obviously still unsure if she should trust her rescuers. "Now are we just going to stand here? Because I think there's a fight going on and I'm itching to get a blade into one or two of these accursed rebels."

Rose made a face, but Sif had darted out of sight before she could comment.

"Might as well," Loki muttered, reaching into his boot to retrieve the hidden shears he had stashed there.

"Excuse me?" Loki fixed Rose with an exasperated look. He didn't have time for this.

"The only way to our people is through the front lines," Loki explained slowly, as if speaking to a child. "The fight's going our way at least, we just need to get to Thor. Like you said, if the rebels get their hands on us unarmed again then we can be used as shields, or ransom. It's the only way." With a sharp tug, the shears separated and he handed one to her. "Follow me, and do not be afraid to use that to save your life. Or mine, for that matter."

"I am not afraid," Rose protested, obviously offended. But she did take the blade. Loki forced a charming smile, and was rewarded with a halfhearted smirk.

"Onwards," he encouraged, turning to follow where Sif had run off.

They hadn't taken more than a few steps out of the prison area before Loki was jumped from behind. Sapped of strength as he was, Loki was able to throw the Vanir on his back before Rose gave the rebel a swift and debilitating kick to the head.

"Nice," Rose appraised. Loki nodded sharply and they moved on towards the center. Loki spotted Sif, who had managed to find herself a broadsword and was using it quite effectively against the few rebels that were left.

"Sif!" Loki barked in warning before flinging his own blade at the throat of a rebel about to bring down a blade between the Asgardian's shoulders. The black-haired woman turned to see Loki saluting her mockingly before he joined Rose in heading for the front lines.

"Loki!"

The shout drew his attention to the far edge of the center encampment where Thor was dispatching two rebels with Mjolnir. The prince's attention, however, was on him. Loki gave a cocky wave before ducking an arrow that had been aimed for his head. With a whistle, another blade flew from behind him to embed itself in the archer's chest. Loki whipped around to see Rose scowling grimly, her hand empty.

"Thank you," he said.

"Any time," she replied before grabbing his arm to drag him over to the Asgardian front. "Now let's get out of target range, yeah?"

"What are you doing here?" Thor exclaimed, letting Volstagg take over as he strode over to Loki and the Midgardian.

"Releasing Sif," Loki answered calmly. "Isn't that what we're here for? While you were busy beheading Vanir, Rose and I were springing the Lady from her cage. I'll take some gratitude if you are willing to give it."

"Why?"

"We thought you could use some help," Rose said. "Loki has experience in this realm and its magic, and I had the tech to back him up." She flipped her sonic for emphasis. Thor examined Rose and then Loki, confusion and relief warring in his expression.

"I am grateful for your assistance then, Loki," he said finally. "And yours, Rose. Though I must warn you that Odin will be very…unhappy to hear that you escaped watch, if he's not ripping apart Asgard already in your absence."

"Yes, well, easier to beg for forgiveness than permission, isn't it?" Rose piped in. Loki cocked a brow at her, secretly pleased to have someone on his side who wasn't scared out of their wits at the thought of Odin's wrath.

"We shall see," Thor said, not looking convinced. "Let us round up the rest of these scoundrals who dared test the might of Asgard, and then we will speak with the All-Father."

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Where is the infernal machine?" Odin demanded.

"Where you cannot have access to it," Rose replied, her heart pounding as the king glared down at her.

"You broke your sworn oath to stay inside these walls! And you, Rose Tyler, you betrayed my trust and aided a branded traitor of my house to escape from his guard! How dare you abuse my hospitality, and insult my authority by using forbidden methods to enter a warzone in our neighboring realm. It was irresponsible, reckless, and stupid!"

Rose winced as Odin's shout echoed through the hall, but she stood her ground. She didn't dare spare a glance at Loki, who was stiff and silent beside her. Rose swallowed and waited. This was it.

"However…"

She let out a breath at his tone, and watched as the fury in Odin's face quieted to stern stoicism.

"You and Loki returned the Lady Sif safely to our people," the All-Father conceded. "It reduced the number of causalities in our fight against the rebels who wish to destroy our society. You were not asked to do this, and so this show of amity will not go unrewarded." With a thud that made the entire palace tremble, Odin slammed the base of his staff into the ground as he stood.

"Loki, for your service to Asgard, I return your strength." Without another word, he pointed the staff at Loki, and something massive shot through the room, making Rose stagger backwards to keep her footing. She looked at Loki, who was breathing heavily and had his hand over his chest.

"And my magic?" Loki rasped, looking like he just got a massive shot of adrenaline. Rose could see the raw desire behind his question, but Odin shook his head.

"Your magic will be withheld until such a time which you earn it," he replied. Loki looked unhappy at the prospect, but did not counter it. Odin then turned his attention to Rose. "And you, Rose Tyler."

"You're not gonna hit me with an earthquake too, are you?" Rose asked nervously. Odin had the humor to crack an amused smirk.

"No, not quite." He reached out for her hand and gently laid something heavy and metallic in it. When he stepped away, Rose brought the object up to examine it. "The seal of the Aesir, and of the house of Odin. No matter where you go, what trouble you may be in, Asgard will hear your call."

"Thank you," Rose said quietly, her thumb brushing over the engraving of a raven in the silver medallion.

"Your service is not yet over with us, I know," Odin told her, "but I hope you see this as an extension of our gratitude for what you have done for Asgard and for my family. I will overlook your possession of a TARDIS once more, but I will ask you not to use it again, nor in any case allow Loki access to it. This is my final warning."

Rose bowed for the king, finding new respect for the man who—by all accounts—could have locked her and Loki up forever.

"Certainly, your Highness," Rose said.

"And Loki," Odin said, turning again to the trickster—who still looked shell-shocked. "I expect you to keep in line as well. Do not make me regret my decision."

"Of course," Loki replied solemnly. Satisfied, Odin dismissed them both.

It seemed like another perk of saving the realm's best female fighter was being unattended by four guards at a time. Loki and Rose walked to the east wing in silence. Rose couldn't help but glance at him, though. She couldn't help but feel like he was carrying himself differently.

"Are you okay?" she finally asked, stopped as they reached the fork in the hallway. Loki paused as well, taking a few seconds before holding her gaze.

"Yes, I—feel a bit more like myself," Loki said, her voice soft and thoughtful.

"Good," Rose said shortly. She bit her tongue, wanting to say more but too much of a coward to make the effort to. "Erm. Night, then." Before Loki could say anything more to her, she scurried off to her room.

Stupid, really. You can't just stay like this to him forever. He was a jerk, but he doesn't have to apologize. You're a grown woman. Forgive and forget.

But she knew she couldn't. Even after he fought with her and worked with her side by side to rescue Sif. Did that make her a bad person?