I'll post the three chapters on three days :)

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER VIII : Crossway

[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something has been following him since his arrival in Jotunheim so they decide to take a different path than the original one. Eisa talks about herself and after realizing that there might be more to this story than Loki first thought and that Eisa was just a victim, he promises to bring her back safe and sound in Asgard.]

Jotunheim, fourth day of Loki's mission

Loki glanced behind him when he heard a gasp and saw Eisa sliding against the rocks. His hand shot out and he grabbed her arm and steadied her before she could fall from the climb. She breathed heavily to calm herself, her chest lifting up and down as she glanced down at the rocks on which she would have died if he wouldn't have caught her. She glanced up with a thankful gaze; her green eyes were a dark pine shade, shining in fear.

She was sweating and breathing hard, her whole body shaking from the exhaustion and cold as they were climbing up that side of the mountain. Unlike the path they were following half a day ago that had a 'safe' way of travelling through the mountains to reach Utgard, the detour they were using now was much more dangerous. They had arrived at the foot of this mountain in the afternoon and had been climbing its sharp side ever since – now it was the middle of the night.

"Rest a little, it's more stable here." He said, leaning against the side of the mountain and still grasping her arm.

She leaned as well, holding as steadily as she could against the rock when they were standing on a platform just a few inches wide. One wrong move and they could fall down. She firmly squeezed her eyes shut under his calm gaze despite the wind whipping against them.

"H-how long until.. until.. we arrive wherever you want us to be?" She asked with a shaking voice, opening her eyes once again. She blinked and flushed lightly when she realized how close they really were, only a few inches from each other. Close enough to feel his breath on her skin when he replied.

"I'm not sure, it's too dark to be able to tell. But we can't rest here, it's too dangerous. You'll sleep as soon as we get there," he said, the hissing wind almost making it impossible to understand his words.

"Why is there so much wind? The mountains on the other side of the range we walked by today didn't have that much wind!" She screamed so her voice would cover the whistling gusts.

"We're getting closer to the Storm Giants, that's why!" He exclaimed loudly, frowning lightly at his dark hair whipping his face, "The weather is changing and this cold wind meets hotter air further; it creates a lot of storms and cyclones!" He explained, giving a quick nod to a point in the distance.

Eisa shifted her gaze but the only thing she could see was a stormy dark grey column between mountains hiding the stars and sky. After staring at it, she saw some lightning running through the wall of clouds. She shivered and got closer to the rock if possible.

But she only approached the Prince instead; he glanced down at her and his lips parted slightly when he realized that he was still holding her arm protectively. She guessed his thoughts and avoided his gaze while he let her go, making sure once more that she was stable.

"Let's keep climbing," he said suddenly, already turning around and taking support on the rocks and sharp edges to continue his ascension.

She swallowed, staring at him and his dark capes flying around his body before following him.

It took several more hours for them to reach some stable platform with closing walls that almost made a cave. Eisa fell on her hands and knees and stumbled forward to hide from the wind, her heart hammering, sending shocks in her whole body while her head was spinning terribly – she couldn't tell if it was from the violent cold gusts of wind, the exhaustion or the emotions.

She looked up at Loki, still looking royal despite his slightly messed up raven hair. He ignored his hair and only adjusted his outfit, pulling at his sleeves then looking around to check their surroundings. There was nothing in that little cave but a wall and if they wanted to go to the other side of that mountain, they would have to keep climbing and go back down on the other side. But right now, all Eisa could think of was that she was able to lay down and sleep without being scared of falling off the wall.

Then she shivered and surrounded her body with her arms, trying to keep the warmth with her.

"Aren't you cold?" She asked in disbelief at the cool he showed, "I thought Asgardians were sensible to cold?" She continued, tilting her head slightly and shivering another time.

He looked at her, looking surprised she would speak – or just ask something so trivial.

"I've never been much sensible to the cold. My brother is much more, though with the years, he tends to feel more heated than not with his constant desire for fighting and beer," he said with a light voice, "Get up, we're still not here yet," he said.

"Wha— I can't climb anymore! I need to sleep, Loki!" She exclaimed, not knowing how she managed to get up to stand a little away from him, "I won't reach the top of the mountain this night, let's keep going tomorrow morning but let's rest for a while..!" She said, sounding almost desperate as her limbs kept on shaking.

"Oh, but we're almost there," he said with a grin before walking towards the wall.

She sighed, wishing that he would walk into the darkness, hit the wall and fall on his back but he didn't. He lifted up his hands and touched the wall, brushing its surface almost softly, his long pale fingers almost shining under the moonlight. Eisa shivered again at the sound of his skin against the wall, another wish taking over her body but much different from the first.

She focused again when she saw the green seiðr illuminating the hands of the Prince. It shone brighter and brighter until it seemed to merge into the stone. Then the green light disappeared and came back, running through the whole wall, filling intricate patterns and lines. Loki, grinning like a mad man, took a step backwards and admired the seiðr that illuminated the delicate lines from the huge illustration slowly appearing thanks to his green energy. Eisa gasped when she recognized runes and symbols she knew, mixed with others, much more powerful and dark, all of it intricate with lines and drawings. Then, the magic occurred and a heavy sound resonated around them.

She looked back at Loki expectantly as the patterns still shone in a bright green, as bright as his eyes when he turned towards her, smiling mischievously. He offered her a hand and she took it excitedly, smiling back at him as they moved towards the stone.

She hesitated and tried to pull away when he walked straight in the stone but when she closed her eyes to avoid the impact, she didn't feel anything. She frowned as their steps kept advancing even if they should have hit the wall by then. She blinked her eyes open then realized they had arrived somewhere else. She stopped breathing; lifting up her head and gasping at the endless ceiling of the huge cave they had advanced into. She could see rocks, sharp edges and caves that could hide just about anything. Some lost fires were giving a dim, dark light around them, just enough to see where they were stepping. She turned around and saw the fading green lines as the wall returned back to being made of stone.

She looked back at Loki who was still grinning, his eyes filled with mischief and pride.

"So? Did I impress you?" He asked, tilting his head in the most seductive way.

Her heart missed a beat and her fingers tightened around his just enough for him to feel the heat pulsing from her body to his.

"I do hope.. you'll impress me even more in the near future, Loki…" She murmured, her eyes gleaming brightly.

He growled before grinning and giving a nod towards a recess that would protect them in some way.

"Come, we need to rest. We have a long way to the other side tomorrow." He said, pulling her behind him.

"Do you really want to sleep?" She asked, passion bubbling inside of her.

"I don't want you to complain about being tired because I kept you awake." He replied with the same tone. He took some fire that was burning at the edge of a torch and he threw it in the middle of the little cave so they could have fire before settling down, their skin finally parting away despite the warmth it left.

They were both exhausted, but neither of them wanted to sleep. Eisa was too excited for that and she kept staring at him with bright eyes and a huge smile.

"That was some amazing magic…" She finally said, cutting the silence, "I've never seen anything like that before! Just how powerful are you?" She asked, barely taking in breath of air from her excitement.

He chuckled, an elbow on his lifted up leg, looking back at her intensely.

"You have no idea what my true power really is…" He murmured with a smirk.

She licked her lower lip, trying not to jump in excitement and ask him to explain the magic spells that were on this rock and how he managed to get them into this huge cave.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around the place.

His lips tightened just enough to show his nervousness despite his smiling and calm expression. He leaned backwards against a wall and looked around as well.

"This place is everywhere and nowhere at the same time," he said.

She raised her eyebrows and her green eyes became a bright green, silently urging him to say more, her curiosity almost killing her.

"There are numerous passageways between the Nine Realms but this place is one of the most powerful, darkest and dangerous of those passages: it links all Nine Realms together, some way or another."

He leaned forward, lowering his voice to continue, his excitement obvious in his eyes despite the dark vibration of his voice.

"The legends say that some of the most ancient and dangerous creatures live here, some say it's a direct way to Helheim. It's a place so powerful and important that even the Midgardians are aware of its existence: in all of their myths and legends, they talk about a place hiding such dark and ancient powers. Some say it's a labyrinth, others say they're caves hiding dragons and treasures, and others talk about catacombs haunted with ghosts and dark magic…"

She tried to keep her heart from beating at his dark words despite his confident excited smile.

"I didn't know you were interest in Midgardians' cultures…"

"I'm interested in all cultures. The Midgardians are weak, but it doesn't mean they aren't interesting. They are aware of the existence of those passages and all the dark promises and choices it offers them." He replied with a simple shrug, "In all cases, it is always a crossway." He concluded, his eyes gleaming as he looked back at her.

Her eyes widened in shock and her lips trembled, trying to find words. She gathered her courage as she understood where they were and why Loki was grinning so darkly and mischievously. Her heart hammered in her chest almost violently in sudden fear and her voice almost didn't waver when she spoke up, her voice barely higher than a whisper.

"This place.. a crossway…?" She breathed in disbelief.

He tilted his head on a side with shining eyes and a foolish grin.

"The Crossway?!" She shrieked, her breathing becoming hard from the fear rising in her chest.

"It'll take us to Utgard in no time!" He exclaimed lightly, "There are even legends saying that time stops when we are here. And nothing without a very powerful magic and rare knowledge could enter this place! Even the All Father can't come in! We're safe from that thing that was following me and we'll get to Utgard in time."

Her lips trembled and her whole body shook as she leaned forward, trying not to slap him or throttle him.

"Safe?! Are you mad?!"

"I consider myself more of a genius," he replied with a cheeky grin.

"Why would you take us to one of the most dangerous places of all Nine Realms?!" She exclaimed, not believing how calm he was about the whole situation.

"It's safe if we don't get in the wrong places and make the wrong choices." he simply stated.

She gave a hissing mocking laugh at that, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yeah! Of course! How foolish of me?! This place is literally.. the.. the dump of all dark energy, creatures and magic of the Nine Realms! It's made to make you go mad and to the exact places we don't want to go to!" She yelled, not caring anymore that he was a Prince.

"I have a plan," he said.

She didn't have any more words to yell at him, or even the strength to argue and kill him – especially when he gave his innocent and proud puppy face like now…

Everyone in the Nine Realms knew about the Crossway: the place being the crossway of all of the Realms, where everything dark, forgotten or cursed was sent to. It had openings in every single Realm and she heard stories about people going through those portals unknown and invisible to even Heimdall and never coming back. Some say that the last of the Dark Elves were hiding in those infinite meanders. It's even said that the Crossway would be the place where the ice of Niflheim met the fire of Muspelheim – or that it is the place also known as the Ginnungagap, filled with Ymir's flesh…

She shivered of terror at the mere thought of all the possible creatures haunting this place…

"We can't stay here…" She breathed, frightened.

"Don't worry, I have a plan," he repeated, clicking his tongue in annoyance at her lack of faith.

"What plan?! What kind of plan can you have coming into a place so disastrous and.. and..! Dark! Even the Dark Elves would run away from this place! We can't stay here, we can't survive here and even less reach Utgard alive!" She exclaimed.

He rolled his eyes and she couldn't help herself from finally punching him in the arm. Hard. He almost stumbled down at the strength she put into that punch and he stared at her, not knowing if he should be impressed or insulted by her move. But her red cheeks and her panicked gaze shook him and he sighed, realizing that with the legends surrounding the Crossway, taking her in without at least reassuring her a little, was just going to lead to some unfortunate events he wanted to avoid.

"You remember when I told you that I was interested in all cultures?" He asked, sounding almost soft.

His tone seemed to move her because she calmed down and stared at him, more curiously than angry or scared. Something told him she was more curious about this side of him than what he had to say, but didn't mind for the moment.

"I found something, a powerful weapon and magical item that will guide us through the Crossway to the destination of our choice all the while avoiding the dangers of this place. It will hide us from creatures and will hide most of its darkest paths from us," he explained before leaning forward lightly, his eyes bright in the darkness, "We can get safely to Utgard, I promise you." He said with a voice so confident and firm that she didn't know how to react.

She had seen him annoyed (and annoying), angry, proud as a peacock, mischievous… But she never saw him with such an honest expression as if he wanted her to trust him…

"Now, if you are scared, I can get you to safety. But that would mean climbing down the mountain all over again and then leaving you in Jotunheim to come back here alone," he said with an earnest and genuine expression.

She stared at him, her heart beating madly even if she wasn't quite sure if it was from fear or his expression. She swallowed hard, thinking of all the creatures hiding in this place but.. she had never seen Loki so.. honest and almost.. caring for her safety…

Maybe she was curious about the secrets of the Crossway, maybe she was curious about Loki and this new side of him showing little by little now that his shield had started to fade away… But she swallowed and lifted up her chin slightly, wanting to appear proud and confident even if her eyes were gleaming in fear, but mostly, in a weird curiosity she couldn't ignore anymore as she looked at the Prince…

"Well… I can't leave the Prince alone and unprotected in such a place now, can I?" She said hesitantly.

He grinned as an answer and perhaps they both imagined it, but their eyes reflected the same intense curiosity for each other.

Some explanations: I love Compared Mythology and I thought about the fact that there were many common points between Norse mythology and others. There isn't a single myth in any mythology talking about a "Crossway" in any way. BUT, as Loki explained: there are myths talking about labyrinth (Greek mythology, Labyrinth of Solomon in Christian mythology), dragons and caves (mostly Norse, but also Greek, Celtic, etc.) and manya others that can be linked to each other in some way. The fact that in Norse mythology the World-tree, Yggdrasil, has Midgard (the human world) in its center and that all places are connected to each other guided me to thinking about a place that would be some sort of center of links and passages to all realms - even some unknown. In this chapter, I also mentioned the Dark Elves - we know from Thor The Dark World that they were "sleeping" in their spaceship, but with legends among the Nine Worlds, I wanted to add a little wink to the movies.

Niflheim was one of thee two primordial realms, the other one being Muspelheim, the realm of fire. Between these two reals of cold and heeat, creation began when its waters mixed with the heat of Muspelheim to form a "creating steam". In the notheren part of Ginnungagap, the primordal void, lay the intense cold of Niflheim, and to the southern part lay the equally intense heat of Muspeheim. The cosmogonic process began when the effulgence of the two met in the middle of Ginnungagap. Ymir is a primeval being (a cow) born of primordal elemental poison (the "creating steam" from Niflheim and Muspelheim) and the ancestor of all Jötnar (=Giants).

If it's not clear, don't hesitate to ask me any question :)

NEXT CHAPTER : "GOLDEN THREAD"

Yours Truly,

May