Hello! So, another chapter. A little longer than previous one. Thank you so much for the reviews and follows! You make me want to write more! I hope I will update soon again, but I may have a little writer's block...we will see. Anyway, leave a review and enjoy! :)

Let me know if there are some spelling or grammar mistakes.

I own nothing but my OC and plot.

XIV

"Where do you think you are going?"

"Out!" Milla screamed back while she was trying her best to flee Emma and get out to the gardens as fast as possible. Unfortunately, she still wasn't in condition to walk quickly and it took Emma only a few seconds to find her and shut the door right in front of her. Milla let out a frustrated sigh. "Come on! You can't keep me away from my own gardens!"

"I can. You should be in bed, you are still not strong enough to walk around. Have you seen yourself lately?" Emma crossed arms on her chest and nodded towards a mirror across the room. Milla didn't want to look, she was well aware of the person that would be staring back at her. Someone pale with messy hair and dark eyes, skinny and covered in plaster and bandages and fading bruises. Someone who was so weak that walking from her room to the entrance door made her vision blurry and her head dizzy. But she looked anyway and frowned in disapproval.

"I am sick of that bed. You made me dislike my own bedroom." Defeated, she turned around and walked back to the living room. There was no way Emma could force her to go back to that place. There was nothing to do but looking at the same ceiling and walls and furniture and view out of the window. She tried reading, but concentrating was too hard. Most of the time she spent sleeping and after a while, even the touch of sheets was uncomfortable. And the worst part was being alone all day. Her only companions were thoughts and that wasn't exactly the company she needed. The dreams were bad enough.

Emma went after her again. "Let's go to the porch then. I'll brink some tea and cookies."

Milla smiled. The girl had been taking such a great care of her that sometimes she felt like a little girl, ill in her bed with her mother always by her side. She wasn't allowed to move, Emma brought everything to her bed, stayed to chat with her every time she could and helped her whenever she was too weak to move to the bathroom or change clothes when the bleeding started again. It had been three weeks since they came back home, but she hardly remembered the journey and the first week home. Afterwards, Emma and Johnatan told her everything- that she was tortured and then stabbed by a magic dagger and they have no idea how she was still alive. It was probably thanks to the magic in her. That Johnatan found her there and killed all of them. And most importantly, that they were all safe at last. It was over and Milla could not be more revealed.

Despite all that, there were times when she had to think about the warehouse. About the look in Sarah's eyes when she told her all those horrible things. Seeing girl she once loved and later hated being so broken, she never thought it would be a sight that would haunt her. She didn't care about death of Noel nor Sebastian, they were nothing to her, cruel people without whom the world became a better place. But Noel's word remained in her memory "Reckless." Was she really like that? She didn't use to be. She used to be careful, staying in shadows and outsmarting people. Yes, Sarah being alive was something she could not expect, but what was she thinking when she walked to Sebastian's house without any protection? She thought long and hard about that when pain didn't allow her to sleep. And all answers she came out with sounded equally stupid. That she was looking for adventure. That she lived too long anyway. That it was only a matter of time till she make a mistake. But there was one answer that scared her the most. For a brief moment there, tied to a chair and beaten up, she wished it was all over. She wished there would be no waking up in the morning only to get up to half-empty house and pushing sadness away. No more pretending to be fine when all she wanted was curl to a little ball and cry herself to sleep, to not feel anymore. She wanted it to be over, so she didn't have to lie anymore to the only people that she loved and they loved her back. So she wouldn't have to remind herself that the person she loved was gone and was never coming back.

"I made lemon tea, if that is fine. It's too bloody hot for black one." Emma pulled her out of her thought and it took Milla two heartbeats till she realised what was going on. She was still too weak to even control emotions that were showing on her face. Even if the girl saw it, she didn't say anything.

"Great, thank you." Milla smiled. "Do you think I can repaint my room?"

"It is your house, do it if you want. Remember when you got drunk with Andrea and created an abstract painting covering three of four walls in the living room?" she took a chair right next to her and fixed her eyes on Milla.

Laughing hurt, but she couldn't resist. "I remember waking up next morning on the floor and forgetting my headache while I was laughing till I lost my breath. We kept those walls for some time, didn't we?"

"Who wouldn't? It was a masterpiece of three-year-olds."

Silent fell and they were both smiling at the setting sun and sipping tea. Milla was thinking about the way Emma was always trying to make her laugh even though she knew it hurt with four broken ribs and a hole in the stomach. But there was something that she was keeping away from her, but she was not sure. Maybe she was only paranoid and assumed that everyone had a secret. Emma told her a hundred times that she worked too much and one day, it would affect her personal life. Maybe this was the breaking point.

"You know what I still don't understand?"

"What?" Emma told her everything Milla asked about. But she always had new questions, because she was overthinking and reliving it over and over again.

"How did I get home? There was no way I could survive being carried all the way back."

"You weren't. John told me you were still half awake so he asked you if you could get home and somehow, you did. You appeared unconscious and bleeding heavily and the rest you already know." She put the cup on the table and hugged her knees. "You know, you should stop thinking about all that and move on. It happened and there is nothing to be changed."

"Strange. One would think I would remember using last bits of the magic."

"Well, you were half dead. It's understandable."

"But are you sure they are all dead?" she asked with a sign of fear.

"I am sure, if you don't mind me answering." Another, deep voice joined their conversation and both girls jumped from their seats. Milla let out a silent cry of pain and fell back to the chair. Emma hurried to her, but Milla waved her away. It was easy to forget how badly injured she was. Weak.

"Fuck, Aaron, you should be ashamed to sneak into house of dying," Milla said between broken breaths. Thankfully, at least the stitches didn't rip open again.

"You are not dying, don't be overdramatic," Emma frowned at her when she realised everything was all right. Except spilled tea.

"Forgive me, I never meant to scare you ladies," Aaron bowed a little and then walked to Milla to place a kiss on her cheek, and then on Emma's. He didn't wait for invitation and sat down, taking a cookie and smiling happily.

"Go on, say it," Milla roll her eyes when she realised that the smile never reached his eyes.

"Say what?"

"That I look horrible and should be in my bed."

This time, it was an honest laugh. "Yes, darling, you look terrible. But I see you are in too good mood to spend time alone in your bedroom."

"Thank you!" Milla looked at Emma, happy to have somebody on her side for once.

Emma smirked. "How come we didn't hear you coming?"

"The door was half-opened," he replied and took another cookie. Emma frowned, she probably forgot to close it when she went after Milla.

"And what brought you here?" Milla asked with curiosity. She hoped for something interesting, some news about world. This life in isolation was starting to be too boring.

"Mostly, I wanted to see how you are doing, of course," he studied her for a while and she didn't mind. There was no way she could hide her condition from a trained Guardian.

"As you can see, I live. For now."

"Well, yes. But the last time I saw you, you looked like a goddess." He could tell her that he was her in that red dress a night before she was nearly killed. But that way she would know, Felix was with him and Emma made herself clear that Milla may never know that he was there. He exchanged a look with the girl and she almost invisibly nodded.

"I'm sorry. Maybe next time," Milla sighed and sipped her tea. She was obviously tired but struggling with it. There was no way she was going back to that room before stars were shining.

"And then, tell you the news," he continued. That caught even more of her attention. "To your question, they are dead. We found three bodies in that warehouse and the premises was closely watched and searched. Dead."

"Good. Continue?"

"After the news of their death was spread to the world, their little organisation fell to chaos. No leader, no mind to tell them what to do. I'm pretty sure, it's all over."

"Better. But sadly, King and Queen are still dead."

"True enough. But it won't happen again."

"Hopefully. Anything else?"

"Well, one thing," Aaron licked his lips and looked at Emma for approval. She was just as confusd as Milla, so he was on his own. But this had to be said, and he was sure Milla was strong enough to hear this. And he was pretty sure she would kill him if he kept this for himself.

"I'm listening?" Milla raised her eyebrows when he was silent longer than necessary.

"You should know this," he took a breath and looked to her eyes. "Felix left Guardians about four weeks ago. He didn't say where he was going, but it looked like he had no intention to come back."

Milla didn't move nor say anything. She was looking at Aaron like it took her a while till she understood the meaning behind those words. But in fact, she understood more than enough. He finally left the realm. Said the words at the right place and went back home, to Asgard. She could be dead now, or in prison, or the King. He could be fighting or laughing with his brother, but she will never know. There was no way he would be coming back once he found his place there. Loki was lost to her. Gone. Milla smiled.

"Thank you," she said almost in a whisper. "Now if you excuse me, I should go back to bed. I'm not as strong as I though."

Emma stood up to help her, but she waved her hand. Milla noticed the sadness in her eyes. She managed to climb the stairs and walk to her room still with smile on her lips. But the moment she sat down on her bed, she smile faded and tears filled her eyes. She let out a sob and then curled to a small ball and hid under blankets. She was weak. He was gone. So weak. So alone.

Dark and cold and wet. A smell of rotten flesh made him cringe his nose, but that was the only movement he could do. Loki was laying on the ground, hundreds of sharp rocks were stabbing him to his back, but he couldn't move nor stand up. Not because he didn't have the strength, but because there was some energy holding him down. The more he struggled, the more pressure he felt on the chest. He couldn't even move his head to see what is holding him down. Either way, there was nothing but pure darkness to be seen and nothing but deafening silence to be heard. He wasn't sure if his eyes were even open.

Minutes passed, maybe hours, or maybe days, weeks. There was no way of finding out. For some reason, Loki could not think. Every thought slipped through his fingers like sand and afterwards, it was impossible to remember what was it about. He felt like he was loosing his mind, but then, he forgot. He knew there was something important to do, to know, but then, he forgot. Once he felt like he was falling, but hen he forgot how it felt. Everything and nothing was in his head at the same time.

And then he saw images. Colours, every shade of every colour an eye could catch. It was beautiful. He felt tears burning in his eyes and little smile spreading across his face. No he was not sure if the emotions were right. Should he like it? Or be afraid of the intensity of the light after so much time spent in darkness? Should he be relieved or intimidated? Suddenly, he heard her. Or him. He was not sure, but the sound of words he could not understand was so beautiful, so sweet, as a gentle hand he barely remembered playing with his hair. All he wanted was to reach to the noise, but he could not feel his body anymore. It was like he was flowing on the void. Calming. Eternal. And then he forgot and saw the darkness again.

Many times it felt like he was finally released, but if he tried to move his limbs, he could not. So after a few attempts, he gave up. And waited. After all, he had waited all his life for something. For his turn in a game, for appreciation, for the right time. It seemed useless now. Unimportant, just like something he had to do, but forgot.

At last, he thought he was dead. And after that, he hoped he was for this was far more agonizing than actual life. Weak. Cold. Alone. Forever.

"Welcome back to life, Prince of Asgard." The voice echoed around, the words pounded in his head and for the first time, he actually felt his heart beating. But nothing of that made sense.

After some time that felt like another eternity, he figured out that moving is possible again. Painful. Every muscle was on fire and every joint was screaming of pain. It took him forever till he stood up by only a strength of his will. It didn't last long till his knees gave up and he fell on a hard ground again. His lungs were not working well either. It was so easy to close his eyes and to think about the colours again...only that he couldn't remember them.

"I am Thanos," a deep voice continued when Loki forgot about him. His eyes shot open to see no one. "And that is all you need to know now."

Finally, a figure appeared from Loki's right side. It was hard to focus his vision, but he noticed a tall, masculine figure with dark skin, enormous head and hypnotizing lilac eyes. Something told him, he should get out of there, but muscles didn't obey him. "What do you want?" he managed to growl and lost his breath again.

Thanos laughed. "I saved you, Prince. Caught you falling through the void."

"Should I thank you for that?" Loki managed to look around him. The muscles were more stiffen than he thought. Everything he saw was dark and made of rock. Except the sky, or better said, a plain space. A bit of a panic attacked his mind as he realised that the only possible way of escaping this place was falling back to nothingness. And he was not even sure how to do that.

"I never expected you to," his voice was too loud, every word felt like a thunder in Loki's head. "You will repay me later, Asgardian."

"And what if I won't?" He had no intention to have any connection with this...what was he? A creature, not from any realm he knew, powerful enough to control the space around this place. Loki had no intention of finding out more. Was there a way out?

"You will." There was no place for doubt in his voice. "You will be useful."

"For what?"

"Nothing to be concerned about now." The creature took a few steps towards Loki and no matter how brave the prince wanted to be, a fear cut through his body with its sharp blade. It was strange to feel again, all the emotions seemed a lot intense than he remembered. Actually, it was hard to remember when was the last time he felt anything at all. "Now tell me. What does your heart desire?"

"Nothing you or anyone could ever give me," Loki lied. In fact, he had no idea what he should ask for. There was nothing he could think of, nothing he could remember he once wanted.

"Oh I am sure we could find something," Thanos laughed and looked back to the void as if he saw something interesting there. "What about life? Family? Love?" he named the basic wishes he had heard for thousand times by now. "Or is it death?" he looked back at Loki. "Because that is the only wish I can't grant you, Price of Asgard."

Loki kept looking at him for a long while. At least it felt like a long while, the time had lost all meaning. Why was his memories so blurry? Why could he not remember what happened before and most importantly, how did he get here? There was this little voice in the back of his head, but it was like it was speaking another language Loki didn't know. He was only sure that he had to geo away from here even if that meant a lot of pain and killing. He killed worse before, didn't he?

When he said nothing, Thanos continued. "I see your thoughts. You can't defeat me. You are weak, your mind is weak, Loki Odinson. Or Laufeyson? Whichever you prefer." He turned back at him and watched.

And the sight was exactly what he wanted. Correctly used words cut deeper than any knife ever could and Thanos didn't have to use his powers to see the pain on Loki's face. He remembered. All of it at once and the intensity of that pain and disappointment almost blinded him. All this time he was trying to forget how he felt when all of that happened. And he could, somehow, he managed even before the fall and now...it all came back.

Am I cursed?

No.

What am I?

You're my son.

He felt the despair again when he realised the truth. That Odin took something more. Him. Loki struggled to make sense of it, and tears burned in his eyes once again. The feelings were a lot more intense than before.

Laufey's son...You took me for a purpose, what was it? Tell me!
I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance, bring about a permanent peace... through you.

No matter how hard he tried to stop thinking about it, he couldn't. There was some force, forbidding him to stop. Thanos. Enjoying the torture.

So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me. You could have told me what I was from the beginning. Why didn't you?

You are my son. My blood. I wanted only to protect you from the truth.

Because I am the monster parents tell their children about at night? It all makes sense now. Why you favoured Thor all these years. Because no matter how much you claim to "love" me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the Throne of Asgard!

Thor. His brother, Thor. There was s place in Asgard, far behind the castle where no one except their parent would go to look for them, where the brothers used to spend hours. Thor taught Loki how to walk barefoot on the grass there and he laughed when Loki fell and started crying. They played tag, only the two of them running through fields of green. Thor taught him how to hold a sword there and they practiced for long hours, mostly laughing than fighting. Loki was better at bow shooting and helped Thor to find his gentle side while loading the arrow. That was a challenge that had never been accomplished. When Thor got his Mjolnir, he used to practice while Loki read his books and often tried his magic to spoil his brother's effort. Sometimes their mother or father came to make sure they were not wasting any time when no one was looking. But Loki always knew when they were coming, so no matter if they slept, exhausted from the endless hours of training, or were only sitting and looking around and talking, they always stood up and took their swords for another while. Afterwards, they fell to the ground laughing. They ate and drank and talked, shared secrets, although Loki never told the full story. Father taught him not to tell the biggest secrets but unfortunately, by the hard way. Sometimes they stayed during the night and Loki was showing Thor the stars, naming them and dreaming about other realms. Loki was the first to know when Thor was in love or angry or desperate or sad or happy. He had always been able to read him so well. It was their place, place without quarrels, where Loki put aside his jealousy and Thor his pride. They were kings there. Loki and Thor. His brother. Best friend.

Is the throne really worth what you've done? What you would become?

I never wanted the throne. I only wanted to be your equal. Now fight me!

I will not fight you, brother.

I am not your brother. I never was.

Loki, this is madness...

His head was spinning and he only felt a burning inside his chest. He tried to curl in a ball as a little boy, but he couldn't move again. His breath was shaking and he shut his eyes tight. All Loki wanted was to go back, but where?

"Stop," he breathed, fighting new and new images of the past. Faces of all he killed were staring him in the eyes and reaching for him, for his death. He saw disappointment in mother's eyes when she realised what he had done. "STOP!" he screamed.

"Are your memories making you uncomfortable?" Thanos purred as if nothing was wrong. Loki's mind was clear again, although he was shaking and sweat was falling down his spine. "Making you weak? Vulnerable? All those emotions, worthless."

"What do you want?" Loki asked again, lifting his eyes to see his.

"I want what you want, Prince," Thanos leaned forward until his face was only inches from Loki's. "I want to make you a king."

A heavy silence fell. Doubt filled Loki's eyes. This didn't make sense. "Why would you want me to be a king?"

"I will give you Midgard if you do something for me."

"Midgard?" he asked confused. "Why Midgard?"

"Isn't it Odin's and Thor's favourite place? What would be a better revenge than ruling those weak, petty humans? After all, they were made to be ruled. "

Loki thought about that. Yes, all that time, he was trying to find a way to stole Asgard's Throne, but what if that was not the answer? What if being a king on Midgard was the first step? A war would start. All asgardian forces would come there and leave his home realm almost unprotected. Loki didn't care about humans, it was not concern of his if the planet would be destroyed. Besides, Odin would never allow that. "How?"

There was a smile slowly spreading on the face of Thanos. "I will give you a Chitauri army."

"What is there for you?" A suspicion came back to Loki's voice.

"Tesseract." He said loudly. "You bring it to me."

The plan sounded so easy it was almost impossible to believe it. Too good to be true. "And what if I refuse?" he said slowly. Loki instantly understood that no was not an answer, but he wanted to know.

"Well, let me show you what happens if you agree."

In a heartbeat, Loki was not sitting on a hard stone anymore, but standing in an enormous room covered in gold and green and blue and red. Columns looked like the ones in Asgard, the ornament had different shapes and behind him, there was a throne. A simple one, covered in black and silver. There were no walls, only porches and he could see gardens as beautiful as those in Asgard. He was not wearing his dirty asgardian clothes, but something different, similar to clothes Milla gave him the day of the ball. Milla. Oh God, how could he forgot about her? How could he think about all of his past but didn't remember her? The woman he fell in love with. The one who made him forget about the Throne for a while. He took a deep breath to overcome another wave of pain.

He heard a laugh coming from the other side of the room. The doors opened and a little figure ran through them. The child could be no older than three, with black hair, dressed in similar clothes that Loki wore as a child. Somehow, he knew the little one was a prince. He ran directly to him which confused him even more, but he didn't move.

"Tag, you're it!" the child screamed in his high voice as he hit Loki's knee and ran back where he came from. For some reason he could not tell, after the boy was a few meters in front of him, he moved to his direction. He knew he had to. The prince was laughing louder and louder every time he looked behind and saw Loki coming.

They were almost at the door, when Loki noticed a silhouette of another person walking in. "Who is chasing you, young man?" a soft voice echoed through the whole place. Loki looked up and saw her. His heart skipped a beat and he froze on the spot. Milla looked ravishing. Somehow, she was even more beautiful than he remembered, but then, that last time he saw her, she was pale and half dead. She wore dark blue satin dress and the colour made her face lighten up. Her wide smile made him happy as well. He longed for that sight for a long time. Her hair was shorter and she...she was pregnant. Loki couldn't stop staring at her.

"Father!" the boy said, pointing at Loki. That was, when she looked at him. When their eyes met, his confused, hers joyful. She raised one eyebrow, just like he remembered.

"Well that is very rude, Felix," she said to the boy while still looking at Loki. "No one should be better than a king." She looked down at the child who suddenly looked sad.

"But mum!" he said silently. Loki noticed his big beautiful green eyes. His son.

"But I admit that princes could have some advantages." She added and mussed his hair and the boy laughed again.

Loki was watching it all with a great amazement. He found himself taking the last steps that separated him from Milla and before he knew it, he held her in his arms again. It was all the same except the big belly between them. It didn't matter. She looked at him a little bit confused. "Are you all right, Loki?"

Her hand found his cheek and for the first time in a long, long time, he smiled. He took her hand and kissed inside of her palm. "I have never been better." He muttered. Everything was the way it should be. Finally, something felt right. He leaned to her and then their lips touched, there couldn't be a happier man in the universe.

And then he was back in the dark on the hard ground with only Thanos standing and smiling to his face.

"Enjoyed being a king with a woman you love as your wife, a heir and another child on the way? Is that the life you would choose? Or do you still thinking about saying no?"

Before Loki could answer, he was in a different place again. A lot different. Everything was in flames and people were running and screaming. Someone covered in black as well as creatures called Chitauri were killing everyone in sight. Chaos everywhere. Loki fell to the ground to escape one of the flying arrows.

And that was when he found out where he was. Right in front of Milla's house. Well, what was left of it. The building was only a ruin now and a part of it was on fire. There was no time to think, he ran inside, full of adrenaline, but also great amount of fear. He saw Johnatan lying on the ground, bleeding and dead, Emma right beside him, pale as death. He felt tears in his eyes, but he ran further.

A big explosion threw him back. The house was gone, as well as everyone who could be inside. "No," Loki whispered, incapable of movement. Not until he heard a scream and he knew whose it was. He turned around.

Milla was fighting two of the men, a blood trickling from her hand. She kicked one of them and turned around with a dagger in her hand, stabbing the other right to his heart. He fell, dead. But the other had better balance than he expected and he hit her. She had a torn lip when she stood up again, but that was when Loki was already running towards her. She blocked another try and hit his throat. The man backend and she threw a dagger at him. She hit him right to the heart again.

She looked around, waiting for another foe, but saw only Loki. She rushed to him, another dagger already in her hand. "Where is everyone?" she asked, her voice thick with fear. Loki wiped away blood from her lip and said nothing. Milla understood and her lips started trembling. She clutched shirt as if she was looking for a strength to stand. He held her for a little while. She was shivering with fear. "We can't fight them, Loki." She whispered and looked back at falling kingdom.

"Then let's go. Away." He said back, holding her tighter. She looked back at him, confused.

"There is no way to go. All other realms are destroyed."

That shocked him. There was no time for anger nor fear now. More men ran their direction and they had to fight. Milla parted from him, waiting for the attack. Loki watched her as she moved quickly as a snake and fought like a lion. But then, five more were attacking him and he had to defend himself. One illusion, three fast moves and more magic killed them quite easily. But it lasted longer, than he thought. When he looked back, Milla was no longer fighting, but lying a few meters away from him. "No," he murmured again.

She was still alive, but barely breathing. It was a lot worse, than when he saved her from Sebastian and Sarah. She had a sword wound and loosing too much blood too quickly. She was barely looking at him. The light from her eyes was fading. But despite all of than, she lifted her hand and touched his cheek. And smiled.

"Don't you dare meet me soon," she muttered, he barely heard her. A tear fell from his eye.

"Don't leave me then," he whispered back, stroking her hair. "Don't leave me." There was so much need in his voice. So much pain. He knew it was too late. He couldn't save her.

She never said anything more. Loki screamed with so much despair.

Loki was back again. It was all just a dream. Just a illusion Thanos created for him. But it was so real. He was still trembling and still felt her hot blood on his hands. He still smelled the burning air around and heard people screaming. But it wasn't real.

"And that happens, if you disagree. Your choice, Prince."

Loki looked up at him, tears constantly streaming down his face. "What do I have to do?"