Hey everyone! Sorry for leaving you hanging last chapter. As much as I hate reading cliffhangers, I love writing them. Irony abounds, I suppose. XD Looking back on these stories, I've realized I've left a few gaping plot holes that I hope you'll forgive me for. I can't always explain how everything works in my head. Anyway, I'd like to thank Marvel-Tolkien Fangirl beforehand for suggesting remedies for several problems I've run into while planning this story. I'm not sure if I've used any yet but I will in future chapters and would hate to forgot to thank her. Also, thanks to VengefulRaptor for taking the time to add this to your favorites. I'll just stop now before I lose your interest. Enjoy!

Song of the Chapter: Where is the Edge ~ Within Temptation

"In time we hate that which we often fear."

-William Shakespeare

Freyja stood petrified to her spot as the woman, Kenna, sat up in her bed. The healer put his hands out, unwilling to touch her, as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"You should lie down," he said quickly. "We do not know the full extent of the damages yet."

"I am perfectly capable of deciding whether I can stand or not," she snapped. "I do not require any aid."

Freyja, acting on an impulse, took hold of the Jotun's arm. Kenna jerked out of her grasp, snarling in protest.

"Do not dare to touch me, Asgardian."

"How much do you know of us?" she demanded. "What has Thanos told you?"

"What right have you to question me?"

"I have every right," she replied just as sharply, bristling at Kenna's tone. "My brother lies ill, possibly dying. My world and race was almost completely destroyed by Thanos. I have spent the last millennium in a self-inflicted Hel to keep anyone else from getting hurt. Do not dare presume that I cannot question you on what has occurred."

"Just who do you believe yourself to be to speak to me in such a way?"

"I am Freyja, Princess of Vanaheim, daughter of Njord and Astrid. Now answer me, what do you know of us?"

"Do you think me a fool? You bear no Royal's Mark. Why should I believe your lies when your words go against you?"

The air began to crackle with the energy of restrained magic, sparks occasionally leaping from Freyja's fingertips. Mixed in with the anger she felt at the Jotun's blunt insubordination, fear of what Kenna meant and anxiety at what the other halfling could take away simmered away under her skin. Ice formed around the woman's hand, sharpening to a wicked curve.

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?"

"Let us test out your words, shall we? A Vanir would know magic."

Kenna suddenly charged Freyja, causing the few healers who had come to see the source of the disturbance to leap back. A blade of silver energy formed in Freyja's hand, her arm going up in an arc to block the blow. Kenna's eyes widened slightly in surprise but she immediately regained her composure and sliced downward towards her stomach.

"A Vanir would never fight back," Kenna snarled.

"As opposed to allowing you to kill me?" Freyja demanded, parrying the Jotun's blows. "Not likely."

Freyja backed away as Kenna advanced, both keeping up with the other. Healers moved out of the way as the two slashed and lunged at the other. Jumping backwards onto one of the cots, Freyja used the height to her advantage. Kenna ducked, lunging towards Freyja's legs. She flipped over the Jotun woman's head, taking both of her hands before pushing her against the mattress. Kenna struggled as Freyja melted the ice dagger, screaming out in rage.

"Kenna!"

All eyes turned to the bed across from the two women where Freyr was struggling to sit up, eyes wide in horror.

"Freyja, stop!"

She stared at her brother for a second, not understanding. Kenna had attacked her, and yet Freyr was telling her to stop?

"Freyja," he said slowly, voice hoarse. "Stop, please."

Freyja let go of Kenna's wrists and backed up, never once looking away from her brother. Before she could ask him if he was alright, Kenna leapt onto her. Her head hit the floor painfully, a fist connecting with her cheekbone.

"Kenna, no!"

Freyja struggled underneath the weight of the giant, unable to get away.

"Kenna! She is our sister!"

Kenna paused to look up at Freyr, fist raised.

"Please stop. For me."

Kenna grit her teeth but stood up. Freyja, surprised at the Jotun's compliance, stood up carefully. Wiping the blood of her lip, she walked towards her brother's cot. He leaned back against the pillow as she took his hand in hers.

"Do not touch him," Kenna snapped, pulling Freyja away.

"Kenna, it is alright," Freyr said before Freyja could reply. "Freyja, this is Kenna. She was with me after the destruction of Vanaheim."

"So I've determined," she replied, glancing at the woman out of the corner of her eye.

Freyr gave a weak smile, "She was quite helpful."

She raised her eyebrows but didn't contradict him.

"Alright!" one of the healers called. "Everyone who is not needed must leave."

"I'm his sister," Freyja and Kenna said at the same time, causing the two to glare at each other.

"Out."

Freyja spared Freyr a last glance while the healer and Kenna argued on the subject of staying. Freyr gave her a reassuring smile, but she couldn't help feel slightly betrayed. She knew what the appearance of Kenna meant. She was another halfling, a warrior due to her Jotun blood. She grit her teeth as she thought of what role Kenna would play. Was this the price Verdandi named or was it simply preordained fate?

Thor, Erland, Jormungand, Hel and Fenrir stood waiting for her outside the doors to the Infirmary.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked softly.

"No," she answered, not looking at him. "I'm not."

Kenna walked through the door before he could ask why, obviously told that she was fine. Hel's eyes widened, Jormungand cursed in Norse, Fenrir inhaled sharply, Thor jumped back with a hand on Mjolnir, and Erland simply looked faintly surprised.

"Ah, so that is what was to occur," he breathed

"Freyja, is she-" Thor began.

"I am standing here," Kenna snapped.

"But Thor was addressing me, was he not?" Freyja retorted venomously, causing the others to stare at her in shock. "Not my half-sister with Jotun blood."

"You act as if you are do not have mixed blood running through your own veins when you have Asgardian eyes."

"I do not have Asgardian eyes," she muttered. "Do not presume to know who or what I am. I can assure you that your assumptions will be wrong."

With that, she walked away from the group. Freyja needed some air. No, she thought to herself, she needed a way to turn back the clock. She had just received all that she could ask for. Her brother had returned, she was accepted by Thor and Loki's family, she had a makeshift home, Thanos was gone forever, but she would now lose it all. That much was promised with Kenna's appearance.

She could feel her own fear, like cold fingers trailing across her skin in search of a good hold with which to pull her under. She needed someone to talk to, but there was no one to voice her anxieties to. No one but herself knew the prophecy, the few Vanir who had known were dead. It was only told when necessary, so Freyja could not utter it aloud. She was alone.

Or rather, she mentally alone. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she ran straight into a familiar leather-cloaked chest. Loki caught her by the arms before she could fall backwards. A worried look crossed his face when he saw her expression.

"Is something wrong, love?" he asked. "I just heard they found Freyr. Is he alright?"

All Freyja could manage was a strangled sob, unable to form words through her terror and shock. She hadn't noticed she was shaking until he held her still.

"What happened?" he demanded, panic in his green eyes.

"They found her," she whispered.

"Her?"

"She meant me."

Both Freyja and Loki turned to see Kenna walking towards them, black hair swishing back and forth slightly as she walked. Freyja felt her anger rise, mixing dangerously with her fear.

"Did you follow me?" Freyja asked.

The Jotun shrugged, "You looked as if you might faint. Also, Freyr cares for you, and I loathe seeing him hurt."

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Says the woman who is pale as a sheet," she retorted. "Besides, I came to ask you questions."

"You would not answer my own and yet you expect me to simply give you what you please?"

"Your questions were irrelevant-"

"In your eyes only."

"- Thanos spoke of a prophecy."

Freyja stiffened, wondering in the back of her head how Thanos knew, "What do you know of it?"

"Prophecy?" Loki asked in confusion, but both ignored him.

"He simply stated that he would not kill Freyr and I because we were key to some prophecy."

Searching Kenna's eyes for any sign of a lie, Freyja forced her apathetic mask back into place, "The prophecies of my people are none of your concern."

She turned to walk away, aware of Loki's shock at her cold answer, but Kenna grabbed her shoulder to pull her back.

"As we share the same father, we share the same people, which makes it my concern."

"It pertains to my family and you will stay out of it," she growled.

"Our father-"

"YOU ARE NOT OUR FAMILY!" she yelled. "Despite whatever Thanos forced you and Freyr through, you will never be our family. According to our laws, only legitimate or claimed children are considered family, and you are neither."

"Father did not know of me as my mother had divorced him and returned to Jotunheim before she knew of me. By our laws, all children, illegitimate or otherwise, are considered family."

"Firstly those are your laws, which have no jurisdiction within the Realm Eternal nor anywhere else beyond Jotunheim's borders. Furthermore, Skadi's marriage to Njord was neither sanctioned nor wanted by either party. You are the product of the consummation, nothing more, nothing less, and as such you will stay out of family matters."

Freyja knew it was cruel, she knew it was offensive, as well, but it was the truth and she would not allow the Jotun to pry into things which were relatively unrelated to her. She could see the outrage in Kenna's red eyes but turned away and walked down the hall before she could retaliate.

"Freyja!" Loki called after her.

She widened her stride, knowing she would not be able to think clearly if she spoke to him now. He continued to follow her, exasperation clear in his aura. She could feel his mental presence attempting to look into her mind, but she had thrown up her mental barriers the second Kenna had interrupted them.

"Freyja, stop!"

She opened the door to her chambers, slamming it closed behind her. Ignoring her silent warning, he opened the door and locked it behind him. She turned to the window as he uttered a silence charm. Although she could not see him, she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her skull.

"Are you going to explain to me just what is going on?" he asked, continuing only when she remained silent. "First I hear that Freyr has been found yet you come to me, looking as if you've seen your father's ghost. Then I find out that a Jotun woman was found with Freyr, one with the Mark of the Vanaheim royal family, no less. And lastly, without any warning or reason, you begin to talk to her as if you've never met something so foul. You've never treated anyone in such a way, even when they deserved nothing better. Just what has gotten into you?"

She knew it was true and that he deserved to have an explanation, but the words died on her tongue.

"Why do I feel as if there's something you aren't telling me?"

She continued to gaze out the window, willing him to leave her be.

"What is this prophecy that she mentioned and why do you react in such a way to the mere mention of it?"

As his hand fell on her shoulder, she flinched away.

"Why are you not acknowledging me?" he asked, voice soft. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I can't," she breathed.

"So this is the boundary of your honesty? A meager prophecy told amongst your people?"

"It is neither meager nor told to anyone. The only people who know of it, excluding Thanos and the Norns, were four of my people. Three of those four are dead. And soon there will be none."

"Freyja, love, nothing is going to happen to you. I won't allow it."

She laughed coldly, "You won't have a choice in the matter."

"You cannot say that with full honesty."

"Even if it is to do with the prophecy itself?" when he didn't answer, she continued. "You asked me once what 'Renascentia' means. It is the name of the prophecy, 'The Great Rebith'. It includes the royal children of both Asgard and Vanaheim, but revolves around me.

"'There will come a time when all seems lost. The Nine Realms will face threats that will change the very perception of reality. War will loom in the distance as the realms fade away one by one.

"The dawning of the end shall be marked by the evanescence of the Elder Race. The heavens will weep and blood will paint the once paradise. A green-eyed serpent shall escape the shadows and change the fate of the All-Father's pride.

"'When all seems lost, the daughter of the sea and Princess of peace shall fall for the sake of the Realms. A warrior with blood of fire and earth will rise in her stead, marking the rebirth of all. On an ivory throne, the halfling shall sit, ushering in an era of prosperity for every being in existence.

"'The serpent and phoenix shall share the crystal kingdom, allying the realms unlike ever before. No facet of existence will remain the same. All shall greet the change that comes with Renascentia'."

She turned to face him, "You are the green-eyed serpent. The Elder Race was my people. When you allowed Jotuns to enter Asgard, you changed Thor's fate. All that remains is an occurrence that causes all to seem lost, for it will mark my death. Now do you understand? Are you satisfied with this information?"

He stared at her blankly, "So you will die to prevent Ragnarok?"

"Yes. And you shall rule beside the phoenix, who is unknown. When I am gone, Kenna will take my place."

"When did you learn of this?"

"I was told when I was twelve, shortly after I was tasked with guarding the Tesseract and all of its secrets."

"So all these years, you knew you were destined to die?"

"Yes."

"What were – Why did you never tell anyone?"

She closed her eyes, "It was my burden to bear."

"You have simply resigned yourself to this…this torture? How – how have you been able to be content, knowing this looms over you at all times?"

"I've always lived in the present, Loki," she answered, looking at him with world-weary eyes. "I push away as many memories as I can and do not attempt to speculate the future unless I cannot help it."

"When did you plan to tell me this?"

She shook her head sadly, "I did not want to hurt you…"

He looked slightly betrayed at her words, green eyes gazing at her with a perplexing mixture of grief and anger. He looked out the window, unable to hold her gaze any longer. She watched as his eyes fluttered closed, dark lashes almost brushing against his cheekbones. His jaw clenched and when he turned to face her once more, there was fiery determination in his green eyes.

"No," he growled.

"No?" she repeated, confused.

"No," he echoed, stepping towards her. "As of late, I have been giving in far too much. I will not sit back and watch as fate steals you from me. If death craves you so desperately, it had better be prepared for a battle."

He took her by her shoulders, "You may have given up, but I will not relinquish you so easily. What has become of you that has stolen your fire?"

"I have roamed the Nine Realms out of fear of a man who murdered my people and destroyed my world, I have watched others die for the mistakes I made, I have had everything I believed to be true torn away, I allowed my father to isolate me so much that I fled to a new Realm, and even now, a millennium after his death, his actions continue to spurn me. His very legacy denies me what I want. He never wished to see me with you, and he has ensured that I never will be."

"Shh," he breathed, rubbing small circles into her back.

"And yet, no matter what he does that drives yet another blade through my heart, I cannot find it in me to loathe him. Heimdall knows I pitied him once! Pitied him for the joy he was deprived of, for the emotion he could not feel, for all the pain he had experienced for himself. But what does he do if not retaliate as a snake does its savior? I am a fool to welcome those into my heart when I know I will only cause myself pain."

"No, you are not," he whispered. "I envy you your trust in everyone. My faith in people is fickle, yet you can trust someone entirely without so much as a doubt. It is often your confidence in everyone that inspires them to do things they would not normally dream of."

"So I am to inspire dreams in others while I watch my own die?"

He sighed, "I do not know what to tell you."

"There is nothing to say. I am bound to my fate, as you are yours. It is inescapable."

He shivered at the memory her words had brought up, but she continued without his attention.

"It is the one thing I have lived with and I shall die for it, as well. I only wish I did not feel as if I am being buried alive. My regret is only that I must put my soul on the line for this."

He knew what she meant, the belief that taking one's own life cast one from the afterlife. She would see her sacrifice as taking her own life, as it would be her decision to do so. But, being who she was, he knew she would do so willingly if she thought it would save them. And so he held onto her, not knowing how long he would have the ability to do so. He held onto his greatest hope in his life, praying that it was not torn from him soon.