The moment she got back to her room she found that the cell phone she'd left behind was ringing furiously and it appeared that she'd missed a total of twenty-two calls. Most of them from the same number. Lusca sighed and answered the device.

"I'm fine, Azacca!"

"Lusca! I've been calling you since I saw what happened on television!" The councilman exclaimed, relief filling his voice, "Why haven't you answered me?"

"I left my phone at the tower," she grumbled, "Calm down, will you? I am alive and well."

"You were nearly killed! Do not tell me to calm down, after the broadcast ended I still did not know more than the fact that you avoided the first bullet! How was I to know that you survived any more attacks?"

"I am not asking you to calm down, Zac," Lusca said crisply, "I'm ordering you. I can't talk with you when you're like this."

"Lusca!"

"Zac."

"Yes, my queen," his voice was still filled with anger and worry.

"Everything is fine. The sniper got away, but Loki is-"

"Probably the one who hired the sniper in the first place!"

"No," Lusca flopped down on her bed and kicked off her uncomfortable shoes, "He did not as far as I can tell."

"Lusca, are you really, truly well?"

"I am tired, trapped in a foreign country, engaged to a dictator extraterrestrial, and I am worried about Lyron. Regardless, I am well," she cut him off before he could ask anymore questions about her, "How is Raeni?"

"You didn't hear?" Azacca asked hesitantly.

"Hear what? The only news I get from Lyron is from you."

"Raeni and that boy you dislike so much stole a boat and left the island. No one has heard from them since."

"What?!" Lusca sat bolt upright.

"Agwe is so busy dealing with running the place that he could not stop her. I sent some special operatives after her, but they have not reported back yet."

"When did she leave?!"

Lusca felt a panic attack coming on. Her niece, her only sane, living family member had vanished out into the great big world and Lusca was stuck in New York going to fancy parties and being flirted at by the self proclaimed king of the world.

"On Monday-"

"Yesterday?"

"Last Monday…"

"A week!"

"Lusca, I have done everything I can to find her but she and the boy seemed to have been planning this for quite some time. I suspect they are using magic to hide themselves."

"Raeni is not well in control of her magic. She could not-"

"But the boy has used his powers to sneak into the palace many times. He could easily hide them from our special ops team."

"If that boy is found," Lusca snarled, "I will have him locked away with my brother, so deep in prison that everyone shall forget of his existence!"

"I'll make a note of that."

"Keep searching," she ordered, "I will ask Loki if he will spare a few men to do the same."

"You don't need to bring him into the matters of our island. He doesn't care."

"No, but he was the one who told her she could go. This is his fault. Perhaps he will take pity. Besides, there have to be some perks to being engaged to the ruler of the Earth."

She hung up, brushed her hair, put her pinchy shoes back on, and went to find her fiance.

Loki was video chatting with Romanoff. Barton had told him that she might know something of the metal armed man so Loki had called her up. Given the terrible lag in the video feed, he was starting to regret sending her to Russia and he considered bringing her back just to hunt down this sniper for him.

"So you are saying the description sounds familiar to you?"

"Yes - bzzzzt - him the -bzzzzt cackle - Soldier."

"The what Soldier?"

"Yes."

"No, what do they call him?"

"Bzzzzt psssssshhh - Soldier.

"Just Soldier?"

"No!"

"Then what?"

"Winter -hisss psssshh - Soldier."

"The Winter Soldier? That's rather dramatic."

"I've met - bzzzzzt - gave me - cackle hiss," And she lifted up her shirt a little to show him a scar. Loki raised a brow, assuming this Winter Soldier had shot the woman. It was hard to tell what was being said.

"Perhaps I shall have you shipped back to tell me about it in person," He said, hanging up and rubbing his forehead tiredly. He sent a message to a man called Jasper Sitwell. This gentleman had been particularly helpful in getting Loki and SHIELD information he needed. The king requested any and all information SHIELD might have about the Winter Soldier. When he'd finished writing the message he had to stop himself from jumping in surprise. Lusca had entered the office without him knowing and was staring down at him.

"How in the nine realms did you sneak in here?" He asked, gazing at her curiously.

"Loki, Your Majesty, whatever you would like me to call you," she put her hands on his desk, "I need to ask a favor of you."

"Oh?" He smirked, "Well, you ought to know that I do not do favors. If you want me to do something for you then you'll have to do something in return."

"Whatever you want," her gaze intensified and Loki didn't think he'd ever seen her like this before, "I would sell you my soul if you can help me."

"Careful what you wish for," he sneered, "What could possibly be worth that?"

"Raeni. She's gone missing."

Loki quirked a brow and allowed her to explain the situation. When she was done she took a seat across from him and stared him down while he thought.

"Well? Will you help me?"

"Yes, but I require two things from you."

"Anything."

"First, you must stop any and all communications with Azacca," He said sternly, "I will establish some other way for you to communicate with Lyron, but it will not be through your ex-lover."

"Fine. What else?"

He was surprised how quickly she agreed to the first condition.

"I will tell you that when we find Raeni. I'll send out agents immediately and hopefully we can find her and that idiotic boyfriend of hers within the week."

"Sooner than that," Lusca snapped, standing up and walking away, "Or I will be forced to go after her myself. And I doubt you want rumors flying of the rogue queen of Lyron."

"No I do not," Loki chuckled, shaking his head. She wasn't going to like the second request. Not one bit. But then she shouldn't have shown her weakness. He'd been trying since he'd met her to get her to crack and show some backbone, but she was stubborn. So far the only thing that got her to do anything interesting was when Raeni was in trouble.

A/N: Thank you for being patient while I've been slacking! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)