"Do you forgive me, Beautiful Boy?" Loki looked down at the girl and scanned the area for the cat. "She is locked inside, Genevieve, that is." Trusting her somewhat, Loki swooped down and perched not too far away from her on the wall, looking around again to ensure there was no sign of the feline. "I've missed you."

Aurora's words startled him. He looked back at her, shocked into forgetting that he was supposed to be a simple raven, but in doing so, realised she seemed very upset.

"My…well, she's not even my mother; she always said she was, but…" Tears fell from the girls eyes in quick succession. "It was all lies."

Loki did not know how to react. It was clear the maiden's heart was breaking, and it was he that was entirely at fault for such.

"I knew it, is that odd; to think there was something not entirely right about something?"

Though it was not strictly the norm for a common raven to not only understand but answer such a question, he shook his head as a response, after all, it was true, Aurora had stated before she did not feel she had a true friend, bar him, who, irony of ironies, was actually simultaneously her closest confidante and the one she should despise most.

"I just…I do not know what to do. According to her, there is an evil sorcerer bent on my demise, which is why my parents sent me away. Why would anyone kill someone they don't know? I never harmed this person, yet they want me to die. Apparently he was angry at my mother, so he wanted me to suffer, she rejected him and…"

Loki saw red. LIES! All lies, sent out to soil the child's mind against him. With a large flap of his wings, he lifted into the sky and left a very upset and confused Aurora behind. He knew in her existence, he was the monster that hid in the darkness, he was well aware of such; there was no denying it; however his reasons had some validity, under all the injustice. But they had told Aurora bare faced lies, ones he could not even defend himself from. He wished then he had forced her mother to suffer even more. Her previous actions cause him to despise her, now he downright loathed the mere thought of the foul loathsome common wench.

He flew and flew, through a few of the realms, taking the longest possible route he could back to Asgard. Aurora's heartbroken face and her tears, reminiscent of diamonds, flooded his mind, no matter how much he tried to force the image out.

When finally he landed on the balcony that lay outside his quarters he morphed back to himself and walked back inside, not paying any heed to the world around him.

"Well that makes sense, we have not seen hide or hair of you, it seems we should have been looking for feathers instead." Thor was sat on a chair in Loki's bedchambers, watching his adoptive brother pensively.

"Get out." Loki snarled, not the least bit interested in anything Thor had to say.

"I must speak with you."

"With regards what?" Loki's words barely made their way through his gritted teeth.

"Aurora Frederickdottir."

Loki was not looking at Thor when the older man stated the name, but he found himself pausing momentarily nonetheless. Not wanting Thor to think his actions peculiar, he turned around and shrugged. "The name does not strike me."

"King Frederick's daughter."

"Is that the brat's name, I thought you said it was a boy." Loki feigned ignorance.

"The second one is, I am referring to the poor one you cursed. You would think when you condemn a being to a half existence you would have the decency to learn their name." Thor growled.

"If you have not noticed, I never even learned her mothers." Loki shrugged. "So what of her?"

"She will celebrate, or I should say, she should be celebrating her seventh hundred names day soon. I have no doubt her ascent to adulthood has been tarnished somewhat by a sense of impending danger." Thor glared at Loki.

"Get to the point Thor, I am not in a gaming mood."

Thor's lip curled at his brother's dismissive manner. "What need I do brother, to convince you to consider lifting the curse, to spare the girl?"

Loki frowned. "What is your motive for such an offer?"

"Does there need to be a motive for everything Loki?" Thor challenged.

Loki circled him for a moment, eyeing him carefully. "None pleads so greatly for no reason," Loki stated before a thought came to him. "You never married." Thor's brow furrowed. "And let me guess, Frederick thought it apt to offer her up to you like a lamb to sacrifice, now he has his heir. Though you are her Godfather, are you not?"

"Loki."

"My, my Thor, so noble of you, so selfless." Loki's words dripped in sarcasm. "Perhaps you could try and see if your selflessness would be enough to awaken her if she pricks her finger on a chalice."

Thor sighed. "I think we both know that would not work Loki."

"Do you love her in any manner Thor, though how could you? You are never even around her, how can you even know her, much less love her?" Loki snapped. "I cannot alter the curse you fool, so you will have to try and find some poor being to be your wife in some other way. Now get out." He ordered.

"Cannot or will not? Why must you cause others to suffer needlessly Loki? How does doing something so horrid give you such pleasure?"

Anger surged through Loki as Thor spoke. As with the words Aurora had said, they were entirely wrong. He never took pleasure in the anguish of others, he merely did not wish to suffer alone. "It would appear I did the brat a favour. I saved her from being reared in the presence of deceitful and loathsome parents and I saved her from being forced to marry your greying old ass." He snarled. "Now I told you already, get out."

Thor said no more and left, shaking his head as he did so. Once Thor had exited, Loki used his seidr to lock the doors, before allowing it fling the furnishings across the room in anger and anguish. He had tried to lift the curse, but it had been cast specifically so it could not be lifted, he had designed it to be so. There was no way he could save Aurora from the fate he had condemned her to. With none around to witness, he leant against the nearest wall and slid to the floor, sobbing as he thought of the beautiful maiden that had unknowingly stolen his heart, his beautiful Aurora.

X

Loki could not look at his reflection in the mirror. Aurora now knew of him, and he knew there was no manner in which she could not hate him to the very core of her being. The lies she had been told meant he could not even try to explain himself.

Her names day was all but bearing down on her. It was as though time had sped up the closer it came. Had it not been for the fact that it had been Loki himself that had cast the spell that secured the infinity gem, he would have thought that someone had used the time stone to hasten time.

Thinking of how he left Aurora, the sheer heartache at seeing him leaving her on her features, he decided he had to say goodbye to her, even if just from afar. He knew it would be torturous to do so to himself, but he decided that he was deserving of the pain he knew it would inflict. Walking to the balcony, he morphed himself into the raven for what he knew would be the last time and took flight.

Below him, at the training grounds, Thor watched the black bird fly off, away from the palace, to places he knew not where.

When Loki arrived at the cottage, he perched in the same oak tree as usual. Seeing the deplorable Genevieve locked inside, he swooped down to the wall. There was no sign of Aurora around. The cottage itself was clearly still inhabited, but there was no sense of the girl whose smile was as bright as the sun itself.

"Looking for someone." Loki turned to see Edna standing behind him. The old hag still had some of her old tricks, she stood knowingly, her arms folded across her chest and her forefinger tapping on her arm. "You think that I would not sense you. The only thing more potent than your seidr's aura is the stench from that black heart, rotting from within your chest."

Loki glided off the wall to the ground, changing back into his true form as he did so. "I would say it is good to see you Edna, but even I cannot pull off that lie."

Edna sneered at him in response. "What do you want with the girl Liesmith?"

"What is it to you?"

"She is my charge."

"Aye, and what a fine guardian you have been, tell me, what was the point of the lies you spouted to her, of her parentage. I think you know as well as any, how that fared with me, and the lies of me; making it that her mother was not the lying wench she was."

Edna's face paled. "You have spoken with her."

"What can I say, I am nothing if not meticulous in my work," Loki grinned.

"What did you poison her mind with?"

"I did not say anything to her, why would you…She has fled." He realised, the old woman's face telling him he was correct. "I warned you, did I not, lies only causes such things. As I stated previously, such a stupendous guardian you have turned out to be. My mother was right, you are not one to care for young."

"Frigga was not your mother."

Loki glared angrily at the woman. "She may not have birthed me, but she only lied to me of my parentage as an act of love, not as a duty, that is why you were only ever second to her, she was a far greater being than you could ever wish to be, because she had strengths you cannot fathom; and to this day it irks you." He sneered, knowing he was after striking a sore point in the older woman. "Now, I think I shall take my leave." And with that, he turned. "Do not bother to write." He commented overt his shoulder before changing once more into the raven and flew away.

He could sense Aurora was not too far away; she was still very much connected to him through the curse; so honing in on that, he used it to seek her out. Flying for some time, finally, his keen eyes fell on something of note within the trees and he went to investigate. Landing on a tree branch; he was relieved to see the beautiful maiden he had been searching for was safe and unharmed atop a beautiful black horse, but the person she was speaking to piqued his interest; Prince Philippe, the first born son of King Bjorn of Alfheim.

Loki was not blind, he could see the keen interest in the young prince's eye, he clearly thought young Aurora to be beautiful, but only a fool could ever think otherwise, and though on many levels it caused Loki to feel deep envy and sadness if a raven could smile, he would. The young maiden, though graceful in matters of poise and grace, was utterly incompetent when conversing with another being, be it due to their likeness in age or the difference in gender, he could not tell.

He had been transfixed on Aurora and failed to notice the prince notice the prince noticing him. "A friend of yours?" He asked, pointing to Loki.

Aurora turned on her horse and looked to where the other youth was indicating to, somewhat worried her guardian was there. She seemed relieved to see it was only a bird until she recognised it was the raven she had seen and spoken to over the years. "I am not sure."

"I do not follow."

"It matters not, I best be going, thank you for your company sir. Perhaps we will meet again." Aurora gave a slight bow and pressed her feet into her steed's sides and trotted off. The prince seemed set to follow her for a moment, but then seemed to decide against it, and turned his own horse and went away, noting the raven was no longer up in the trees as he did.

Loki followed Aurora for a short time before she came to a halt and looked up at him, causing Loki to land in a tree. "Do you spy on me for him?" Her tone, though one of accusation, was more one of hurt and betrayal. Loki cocked his head slightly in question. "The evil sorcerer, the one bent on taking my life, you are here on his demand, are you not?" she asked.

Loki felt as though he had taken a blow of Mjolnir to the chest at her words. He shook his head.

"I do not believe you, you are too smart and you have lived too long; you are his spy. I thought you actually cared for me in some manner like you were looking out for me, but I was wrong, you fooled me as much as she did. I never wish to see you again." With that, Aurora kicked the horse in the sides with her heels and galloped off.

Above her, still in the branch, Loki watched her leave, his wings feeling heavier than lead. A tear falling from his eye as she did.