As the Quinjet flew toward Puerto Rico and the mysterious haze Loki skimmed the papers in his hand. Yeboah had made an extensive list of possible brides and the amount of information was somewhat overwhelming. This former princess came from a country with a valuable export, this female politician would strengthen his hold over the United States, this duchess came from a rebellious country that might be assuaged by having one of their own in a position of power. All of the women had something to offer politically and all of them were simply a fact on a paper in Loki's mind.

Not a one of them stood out as interesting or even agreeable as far as Midgardian women went. There were a few that seemed decent, but none of them really stood out to him. He sighed and put the papers down, looking out the window as they came closer to the area of the haze.

o*o*o*o

Lusca yawned and stretched in her large bed, wrapping up in the sheets and snuggling down against the pillow. She had many things to do that day, but a few more minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt anyone.

A sweet island breeze blew in from the open window and golden sunshine glinted off every surface in the room. The young woman smiled to herself but was quickly shocked out of her bliss by a loud banging on the chamber door. Jerking up straight she called for whoever it was to enter.

"My queen!" A guard said, bowing quickly, "It is you neice."

Lusca slid her legs off the bed and into a pair of slippers that were waiting for her. She grabbed a bathrobe and pulled it on hastily to cover her sleeveless nightgown.

"What now?" The queen asked, following the guard out of her bedroom into the sitting area just outside it, "What has happened?"

"Ma'am, she has vanished. Her room was empty this morning and she cannot be found in the palace. We've sent out men to check the village for her, but so far nothing has turned up."

"Raeni often disappears with her friends. She may have gone into the jungle, or the falls."

"Shall I send men to those places?"

"Yes," She nodded, "And when they find her have them bring her straight back to my office. That girl is has been causing far too many problems lately."

The guard smiled softly. "Perhaps it is just a phase?"

"I hope so." Lusca ran her hand through her tousled black hair and dismissed the guard to do his duty. She sighed heavily and walked back into her bedchamber and over to the closet. Taking out navy slacks and a matching blazer and grabbing a white blouse she got dressed for the day. Glancing at herself in the mirror briefly and dusting on a bit of makeup, she headed out. She stopped at the door, turned back, and snatched her tiara off of its resting place, twisted her hair into a bun, and jammed the jewelry on top of her head.

When one found out that their niece - the princess - was missing, one usually did not take such a long time to get ready. However, Princess Raeni going missing was almost a daily occurrence. The sixteen year old made it a habit to cause the palace guards as much trouble as possible. Her aunt, the queen, was growing weary of Raeni's little adventures. She wasn't worried about the girl getting lost as she had been raised on the island and knew every inch of it. She wasn't worried about the princess coming across a dangerous wild animal or even getting hurt. None of the nature posed a problem, but Lusca had a feeling deep in her gut that Raeni was going to get into trouble someday. Trouble that would be too deep to get out of, even for royalty.

"Councilor Agwe, how is the harvest coming?" Lusca asked her advisor when she spotted him on the way to her office.

"Your Majesty," He bowed and began walking with her, "The harvest is going well, we've produced double the amount of last year."

"Marvelous!" She smiled and nodded.

"I hear your niece has gone missing again."

"Mmm," Lusca rolled her eyes, "Sometimes I feel like I ought to bring back arranged marriages so that I can hand over the responsibility to someone else."

Agwe stared at her in shock. "We haven't had an arranged marriage since-"

"It was a joke, Councilor."

"Oh!" He laughed and the queen blushed. She'd never been very good at telling jokes. No one ever expected a monarch to have a sense of humor and they seemed surprised whenever she tried to make a jest, which was often.

"The guards are looking for her now and when they bring her back I am going to have a talk with her. I know she can care for herself, but she makes the guards' jobs so much harder and she needs to learn how to have respect for others."

"There is a reason you are queen and she is not." Agwe noted.

Lusca winced. On her precious island of Lyron the government was a traditional monarchy for the most part. When one king or queen died their children or next closest relative took over, however if the island did not pick that person as the next ruler then they could not become king or queen.

The previous ruler was Raeni's father, Lusca's brother, and he was one of the best kings Lyron had ever had. He'd ruled firmly but justly and the people loved him. His one flaw was that he loved hunting a bit too much and as a result was killed in an accident with a wild boar. The next in line for the throne would have been the young princess, who was six at the time, but the island had declared from her birth that she would not be queen. So, Lusca's second oldest brother took control. At the time no one had known that island had not chosen him either as he hid it well. The result of his rule was drought and poverty. For two years he led the island into hard times and nearly allowed for them to come to ruin. His reign came to an end when it was revealed that he wasn't chosen by the island. Not wanting to relinquish his throne, the king had given fight and eventually been captured and locked in a hidden prison. Lusca had been placed on the throne at age sixteen and she'd ruled since.

The issue that the island approved of her, but not Raeni had upset the princess for some time and set the girl against her aunt. Every time Lusca told her niece to do something Raeni did the opposite. Whenever there was a formal event to attend Raeni showed up half an hour late, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Ceremonies were mocked, honored nobles made into jokes, and Lusca herself was disobeyed in every possible way without committing treason.

The queen said stay, Raeni ran off. Lusca said look presentable, the princess wore her PJs. If the right path was specified then the left would surely be the one taken. Somedays it went beyond simple teenage rebellion. Raeni had a habit of hanging out with the troublemakers on the island - those few young adults who were less than happy about the government.

Still, Lusca couldn't bring herself to punish one of her only living relatives. As a result of the queen's leniency, the princess ran wild.

"Have a good morning, Councilor," Lusca nodded, heading for her office, "Be sure to let me know about that knew agricultural project you have in mind for the swamp!"

"Will do, my queen, will do," The older man winked, "We'll be growing our own water-celery soon!"

The queen stepped into her office and noticed that the window had been left open. It was not particularly odd, taking into account the warm weather and balmy breezes, but it still seemed off somehow. Lusca shrugged and looked out at the brightly colored village homes. Her people milled about the town, some clearly searching for the princess, but others more concerned with the fruit at the market.

"Raeni, where are you now?" Lusca sighed.

Much to her shock, a low voice answered her from somewhere in the room.

"She is closer than you might think."

Spinning around, Lusca spotted a tall, pale man with dark hair and green robes. She tensed, immediately recognizing him. Her eyes scanned her desk for any form of weapon and finally settled on her letter opener. After being swept off the desk, the small dull knife was grasped in a shaking hand and pointed at the man.

"How did you find this island? Why are you here? What do you want?"

He held up his hands and smirked in amusement. "So many questions and we haven't even been properly introduced yet!" His green eyes sparkled with some secret only he knew.

"I know well enough who you are." Lusca inched toward the open window, but when the man flicked his hand and the sound of slamming behind her she knew that there would be no escape that way.

"It would be impolite of you to leave before you've told me your name."

"And if I tell you then you will go?"

"No, but it is fun to tease you."

"Not fun for the both of us, I assure you." She could easily shout for help and a dozen guards would come running, but she didn't know what this man was capable of and wasn't eager to find out.

Chuckling once more, he moved to her side in the blink of an eye. His arm snaked around her waist and he whispered into her ear. "Never fear, I've already learned all I need to know from your lovely niece."

Lusca's heart froze, yet her blood boiled. Raeni.

o*o*o*o

1 Hour Earlier - Mirak Beach, Lyron

Princess Raeni sat on the warm sand, knees pulled up to her chin, long blue hair blowing wildly about her, and tears leaving tracks on her cheeks. The ocean waves crashed gently on the beach and seagulls squawked from above.

"Boys are so stupid." She mumbled, sniffling and swiping at her nose with her knuckles. If Vin hadn't broken up with her - in front of all their friends - then she'd be exploring the caves right now and having fun. But no, her idiot boyfriend had decided that he didn't want to date her anymore, just because she was the princess and he was "through" with the monarchy.

After Vin had broken her heart her so-called friends had turned their noses up at her and shoved her from their group. Raeni had run. She hadn't even looked where she was going, she just ran. Somehow she ended up at Mirak Beach, one of her favorite places on the island. Her father had brought her here when she was little and they'd talked about her mother and imagined living in the clouds.

That was long before all this nonsense with alien invaders and her friends deciding Lyron should nix the island royalty and lose the protection shield. They'd heard about the peace all over the rest of the world and they wanted Lyron to be part of it. They wanted to be under this Asgardian's rule. And, so she didn't lose her friends, Raeni told them that she agreed.

Now everything was screwed up and she was all alone. She couldn't go home yet - her aunt would be furious at her for leaving the palace without escort. The "prestigious" Queen Lusca wouldn't even care that Raeni had her heart crushed into a million pieces. She'd probably just ground her.

"Stupid aunts. Stupid royalty. Stupid island," She picked up a seashell fragment and hurled it toward the sea, shouting, "Stupid boyfriend! Stupid aliens! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

The seashell she'd thrown didn't splash into the waves as she'd expected. The fragment hit something unseen and a cry of surprise was uttered from the same direction. Raeni jumped in surprise and wondered if one of the island's grand magician's had finally mastered invisibility or if this was just her imagination. When a person shimmered into view she could only hope that it was the latter.

"I realise you weren't aiming for me, but still, I can't help but feel offended," The person said from a floating and alien looking chariot.. He looked just like the guy on TV, the one who had taken over the planet. He also looked rather irritated, "Might I inquire why a young girl is sitting on an island that shouldn't exist chucking seashells at invisible kings?"

"You…" She scooched backward on the sand and grabbed her bag, which had been sitting nearby, "You're that, that… guy from New York!"

He gave an overly dramatic bow and landed his vehicle on the beach. "Always a pleasure to be recognized. Loki of Asgard, King of Midgard, you?"

Raeni knew better than to exchange words with a maniac like him. He'd killed millions of people in the past six months and she wasn't about to be added to that total. So, she turned and ran as fast as she could. The jungle path wasn't far off the beach and the village was only a half a mile down the path. She had to alert the island.

Before she could go more than ten feet she found herself face to face with the Asgardian. As she skidded to a stop and then tried to turn he grabbed her bare shoulder and held her firmly in place. The sickening grin never left his face.

"What is this island called?" He asked.

"I'm not going to tell you anything!" Raeni declared.

"Then you are of no use to me and I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you," A golden scepter was in his hand in a flash and the blade on the end was held up to her throat, "Can't have you sounding the alarm, now can I?" He moved to strike.

"Wait! Wait! The island is called Lyron!"

"Very good. Can I know your name?"

"Raeni," She jutted out her chin proudly, "Princess Raeni."

"Are you in charge then or do you have parents?" Loki asked, eyebrow raised.

"My parents are dead, but there is a queen - my aunt."

"And what is she called?"

"Lusca."

"You're very suddenly full of answers. Why so eager to 'let the cat out of the bag' now but not earlier?"

She shifted her weight and considered screaming for help. There was no one near enough to hear her. "I don't want to die, you said you'd kill me."

"How was this island hidden from the satellites? Why does no one know of it?"

"I don't know specifics but I do know there is a shield run by…" Raeni hesitated. No outsiders were ever supposed to know about the barrier.

"Magic?" He guessed, "Yes, I had a rather difficult time breaking that shield, but it did come down eventually."

"You broke the shield?!" She gasped, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Yes. This Lyron is not hidden from the world any longer."

"No!"

"Don't be childish, I just told you that I did," He glanced at the jungle briefly, "My only question is this: how do the Midgardians here have magic when it would seem no one else in the realm does?"

"I don't know, we just do." Raeni shrugged, wishing her own magic wasn't so unpredictable. If she could pull off just one spell she could get out of there. Just one.

"Does everyone here wield magic?"

"No, but most people."

He straightened and released her shoulder. "Remarkable. Not another soul on the planet who can and now a whole island full!"

Raeni inched away from him and toward the jungle, but he shot her a warning look. That stopped her in her tracks.

"Lyron doesn't want anything to do with you. You should just go before the queen finds out that you've been here," The princess suggested, "Cause when she does find out she will not be happy!"

"I thank you for your concern, child, but I can handle one angry woman." He chuckled.

"Are you sure? She won't just be angry. She'll be furious - especially when she finds out you threatened to kill me!"

"It won't be much of a problem, I assure you," He examined his scepter, "Now please do shut up. You have been cooperative, but your voice is irritating."

"Hey…"

"Is for horses, what of it?" He snickered.

"What are you going to do?" Raeni pouted.

"Why, have a chat with the queen, of course!"

o*o*o*o

Present

Loki found what he had seen of this island to be quite interesting. When he'd broken the barrier he hadn't been expecting much, but the tropical island was a pleasant surprise. The girl on the beach had really been a great help in getting the basics and now that he was in presence of the island ruler he could find out more about his new property.

"My niece?" The queen rasped, squirming under his arm, which was still draped around her, "What do you know of my niece?!"

"Raeni is fine, before you ask. In fact, see for yourself," He gestured to the corner of the room and lifted the invisibility he'd placed over the girl, "Not a scratch on her."

"Raeni!" The young queen jerked toward the princess, but Loki held her in place.

"Hold on, I didn't say you could have her back."

"What do you want?! Why are you here?"

"Why wouldn't I be here? I am the king."

"Not on Lyron you aren't!"

"I've conquered the whole planet, Lyron is part of this planet. Unless you want all of the Earth's military might crashing onto your shores, then I suggest we have a chat, Your Majesty."

The woman took a deep breath, glanced once more at her niece, and pulled away from his grasp. Turning her dark brown eyes on him, she nodded.

"Very well. Even though you've broken into my home, trespassed in my country, and kidnapped the princess I am willing to listen."

He raised an eyebrow mockingly. "I feel so honored."

Lusca shakingly sat down at her desk and gestured to one of the fine chairs on the other side. "Please, take a seat."

"Gladly," He made himself quite at home and stared at her, "How long have you been queen? You hardly seem old enough for the position from what I know of Midgardians."

"Eight years or so. From what I've heard that means I have seven and half more years of experience being a monarch than you. Feel free to ask for tips sometime." She said, feeling a bit of confidence. He glared in response.

"And your niece's age?"

"Is that an important factor in this discussion?" Lusca asked politely.

"No, I just thought I'd break the ice a bit."

"I'm fifteen!" Raeni chirped.

"I can already sense the magic in her, but not in you Queen Lusca," Loki commented, examining her, "And from I've seen, most of the people on this island have blue hair while yours remains black. I suppose it could simply be a fashion statement, but am I correct in guessing it has something to do with abilities?"

Lusca sighed, not feeling much like giving him a full explanation. She felt like calling the guards and having this alien thrown in whatever dungeon they'd taken her brother to. However, a queen often had to do things that she did not wish to, and those things had to be done with a smile. So she grinned as kindly as she could.

"How observant of you. Indeed, I possess no magic. Lyron decides its rulers at birth and the ruling royalty is never to have such powers at their disposal. The mark of magic in our people is blue hair."

"So when you say Lyron decides the rulers, you mean the actual island and not the people, right?" He asked curiously, "That is an interesting concept."

"As a ruler already has the power of the law and the power of respect from the people, we believe that they do not also require the abilities to control such a force." Her smile never wavered. This was information taught to her in her school days and she knew the speech well. She'd often gone and spoken to the young ones of Lyron about magic and why she had none.

"And I suppose this would make it hard for your people to accept me, a powerful sorcerer, as their ruler, would it not?"

Lusca didn't tell him that many of the teenagers and young adults on the island had already decided that they wanted to take down the barrier and join the rest of the world in submitting to the man before her. She didn't mention that her own niece considered it a good idea. Instead she shook her head with an apologetic smile.

"I'm afraid they would never allow for you to hold absolute power over our island."

"That is too bad," He sighed, "I was hoping there would be no bloodspill on you beautiful land."

"There need not be." Her perfect smile dropped for a moment and Loki could detect that she would do anything to keep her people safe and out of his control. It was admirable, to be sure, but it would also be irritating in his quest to rule the entire planet.

"Oh?" He propped his feet up on her desk, making sure the sand on his boots dripped onto some official looking papers, "I see no other way."

"There is always a way to avoid violence. It may just take the appearance of the more difficult course."

"Like allowing a more powerful monarch to take control, for instance." He commented with a smirk. She looked away and smoothed her jacket irritably.

"If it is the only way to prevent violence then yes. However, I fear that particular option will only lead to more pain for everyone involved," The young queen met his gaze again and forced another one of those diplomatic smiles, "While we look for the correct course to take I invite you - only you, none of your men - to stay on Lyron in the royal palace as an honored guest." Anything to get him away from her this moment. She needed time to think and make sure Raeni was okay.

"If you really think we can come to an agreement on this matter, my queen," He shrugged, mischief in his eyes, "I would quite enjoy spending time here."

"Wonderful. You will be introduced to my advisors and the people by the end of the day. I look forward to future discussion of our future alliance." She nodded, rising and gesturing to the door.

"I am not a fool." He commented, staying seated, feet still on her desk.

"Pardon?" Her smile dimmed.

"There are guards on the other side of that door, all trained in magic. Perhaps more than I can handle, perhaps not. I'd prefer not to find out," It was his turn to grin diplomatically, "You'll personally escort me to whatever room I shall be staying in."

"Very well." Lusca answered stiffly. Leading the way, stepping by Raeni and squeezing the girl's shoulder comfortingly, she opened the door and stepped into the hall. The guards jumped to attention and their hands wandered to their weapons when they saw Loki behind her. She shook her head at them, but they continued to glare at the other man. They had not seen him enter and he was not an islander, both things that made him highly suspicious. "Guards, if you would please check on the princess, I believe she is in a bit of shock." The men jumped to comply.

Lusca began leading her potentially hostile guest to the residence part of the palace in silence. Before long, Loki hooked his arm with hers and it seemed as if he was taking the lead. He took her to a balcony door nearby and stepped out with her. He closed the door behind them and the queen saw him seal it with magic.

"I apologize for the detour, but I wanted to speak to you without the whimpering princess listening in."

Lusca glanced at the ground below. They were above a fairly cushy looking bush, should she need to jump and run. He saw her worried look and sat casually on the cement railing.

"Don't jump. I would only follow you."

"Forgive me, but I am rather uncomfortable with this situation. Perhaps we ought to have this conversation with my board of advisers present. I trust their opinions very highly and would prefer for any further information to be given in their presence." She would have continued but he lay a finger over her lips. Her brow furrowed angrily and she swatted his finger away.

"Calm down, I promise I will behave in a gentlemanly way, if that's what you're worried about." He smirked and she blushed.

"No offense, but I don't know you and this is improper. We ought to just go inside and have this conversation," She attempted to open the door, but as expected it didn't budge, "Please unlock the door."

"I thought you would like to be the first to know that your protection shield has been taken down. I'm afraid I exposed you on my way in. Well, first to know besides the princess anyway."

Lusca gasped and clutched the door handle for support. "The barrier is down? How?!"

"I told you, I destroyed it," He shifted positions slightly and cocked his head, "How long has Lyron been hidden from the rest of the world?"

"You brought down the barrier?!" She took a few panicked breaths, trying to calm down, but her heart was about to beat out of her chest at the news and she began to tremble, "By the volcanoes!" Breathing was becoming harder and harder and her vision was beginning to swim.

Loki looked vaguely concerned, but on the whole uncaring. "I'd prefer if you didn't pass out."

"In all of our history I am the one weak link to let this happen to us?!" She pulled at her hair, loosening it from the tightly wound bun she'd put it in earlier. She didn't even notice when Loki pulled the tiara from her hair and began examining it.

"It's entirely my fault, but then again, when I conquered this place I was going to do it anyway," He peered more closely at the sapphires set in her crown, "It would have happened sooner or later so don't blame yourself too much."

Lusca finally got control of her breathing again and glared at him. Having no other outlet for her anger, she raised her small fist and punched him in the face. It barely phased him and probably did more damage to her hand than his face, but it felt good to get out some of her irritation.

"I'm not certain if that was supposed to hurt or not. Regardless, I am offended by the effort," He continued to examine the tiara, "Are these gems imbedded with magic?"

"How dare you? How dare you come to Lyron and crush our barrier?!" She raged. He smirked slightly.

"Don't lose your composure, Majesty, it is unbefitting a queen."

Lusca gaped at him and turned around so she wouldn't have to see his smug face. She took a few deep breaths and smoothed her jacket. Taking her hair in hand, she wound it back up again and plucked her crown from his hands, placing it back in its rightful position. Spinning around to face him, she attempted to school her features into another polite smile, but couldn't quite manage. The result was at least professional, if not ladylike.

"I apologize," She said, trying not to grit her teeth while she spoke, but failing, "I do not know what came over me. Please…" Pursing her lips for a moment and glaring at his never dimming smile, she swallowed her pride and forced herself to continue, "Please forgive my outburst."

"Ah! There she is. The cordial queen once more," He leaned so far back on the balcony railing that Lusca hoped he would fall. Unfortunately his balance was not that poor, "I accept your apology," He gave a near imperceptible wink, "And I am pleased to find that there is more to you than all of the diplomacy."

"Thank you for alerting me to the situation with our barrier," She nodded, though her fists were bunched tightly, "If you would please unlock the door I can finish showing you to our guest quarters."

He gave a mocking bow. "Your wish is my command."

The door opened and Lusca felt a bit safer. She mulled over his words. If her wishes truly did command him then she would wish him far, far from her island. As far as the reaches of the universe.

A/N: Thanks for reading! If you feel like it please leave me a review or favorite or follow (or all three if you are feeling really ambitious). See you in the next update! :)