Aura lay on her side in the middle of the floor. She was curled into a tight ball and stared blankly. Her line of sight following the stream of light coming in from the magically guarded balcony. However, she stayed in the shadows surrounding the beam. All she did was observe the freedom of nature no more than twenty feet from her.

Loki's heart sank, but it never crossed his mind that his beloved wasn't alive. He could see the slow movements of her chest. Shallow as they were. And he could see the liveliness of her charcoal hair as it danced with an unseen breeze. This was what pained him most.

Although her skin kept its pale elven hue, elements of her fire giant form made themselves known. Black horns protruded form her head then dove back over her skull. The semi-spaded tail wrapped tightly around her.

He had been there. Caught between forms. It was excruciating, two sides of the body fighting for control. Two sides of the mind demanding dominance. He hoped she hadn't been this way long. It exhausted every fiber of the being. It was its own form of torture. Especially when experience with one of the forms was minimal.

Quiet strides carried him to her. He sat cross-legged on the floor, not wanting to tower over her. He desired nothing more than reaching out a hand for comfort. Wanted to pull her into his arms and assure her everything was okay. Hold her close, never letting her go. But he refrained from any such actions. He didn't feel right touching her until she gave him permission for it. "Aura?"

She startled, suddenly aware of his presence. Weakly pushing herself up, she leaned in the opposite direction of him. Kept her face shrouded in her ethereal hair. "Please don't look at me."

His heart continued breaking. Not because she refused his vision; because of what happened to her. He inclined his head and shifted so his back faced her. His jaw set. This shouldn't have happened to her. Why did this happen to her? If only he could've...no. He couldn't wander down the rabbit hole. That wasn't the reason he was here.

Should he be here? His mother wished he would speak with Aura, but Heimdall said the incident happened only a few weeks ago. Which wasn't very much time for a nightmare that could take a lifetime to recover from. "Would you rather I leave?"

No response.

He swallowed the building knot in his throat. Searched the floor and ran his hands over his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't meant to intrude." He rose. But he only made it one step.

"Please stay."

Loki stopped at the faint request. He lifted his gaze to the ceiling so he wouldn't look over his shoulder. "Only if that's your wish."

"Please."

His cheekbones emerged as he continued clenching his jaw. The more he experienced this, the more his lost art of necromancy appealed to him. He returned to his previous position on the floor. Instinct told him to kill the one responsible. He dabbled in the dark arts before; he could do it again. No. Simple resurrection was too good for the cretin. He needed something much worse.

Scolding himself, he straightened his posture and rested his hands on his knees. Inhaled a long breath. He had been over this. Aura was his first priority. Not revenge, justified as it may be. His gaze fell. But he was at a loss for what to say. At a loss for what to do. He wanted to help her without pushing her out of her comfort zone. Gods knew she needed comfort.

Silence ensued.

He rubbed a palm with a thumb. Allowed a small laugh to break up the gloom. He spoke over his shoulder though his vision stayed in front of himself. "Heimdall is actually the one who released me from prison. Can you believe that? I believe Mother had a hand in it, but Heimdall came to me himself."

Nothing answered him.

"He also told me about you. And how he saved you. I think he knows I'm forever in his debt since he was there for you when I couldn't be."

Aura continued staring outside. "I don't think I have the capability to cry anymore."

His eyes closed. It wasn't that long ago that their roles were reversed. Wasn't that long ago when he found her numb in that blasted Midgardian cold chamber. The thought of the Midgardians curled his lip, but he kept his voice calm. "It's okay if you can't cry. Just as it's okay if you all you do is cry."

She said nothing.

"What really matters is I'm here for you now. And there is nothing stripping you away from me again. If you'll still have me, that is."

"No. I, I can't."

He looked down. Continued playing with the inside of his hand. The pit in his stomach growing. "What can't you do?"

"I can't be with you."

"May I ask why?"

"I've been," her head went into her hands, "I've been taken."

"No." Loki swiveled around and faced her. "Aura, listen to me. You were taken advantage of, but you were not taken. You were not claimed. That man does not own you. I don't own you. Not even Odin or Asgard own you. The only one you belong to is yourself."

Her head shook, and she refused looking at him. "I've been ruined."

"You are not ruined. You—"

"Yes, I have. I can, I can still feel everything. The chains cutting into my wrists and ankles. I can feel his..." Her form trembled. "Everything. I'm afraid to sleep; I see him every time I close my eyes. I've been so afraid of it all. I couldn't do anything. Couldn't summon my fire. Not even when he told me he would keep me there for his use whenever he wanted. I was too scared. I let it happen. This is all my fault."

His breath caught in his throat. She was chained up during it? The cretin planned on keeping her bound as his personal toy? He blinked several times, suppressing a rising surge of magic. The cretin's name was all he needed. Once he had a name, he could do unspeakable things to a deceased soul. His fingertips pressed into the floor. "What happened was not your fault, by any means. I understand you were afraid, but it was not your fault."

"Yes, it is!" She stood on her feet in an instant, glaring at him with solid black eyes. Charred tears of the past streaked down her face. Her hands clenched at her sides. "I ran away from Thor and the Warriors Three. I trusted a stranger when I have been warned against it multiple times. I believed he helped me. I willingly gave into fear because I am weak. That is my fault." She faltered. Her arms reached out for balance as she stumbled a couple of steps.

Loki moved onto his knees. Caught her descent. He couldn't let her fall to the floor. He helped her sit back down then gave her space. His voice soft. "You haven't eaten, have you?"

Aura twisted at the waist so she wouldn't face him. She braced herself on the floor with both hands. Her tail tried lashing, but it dropped, limp. She hung her head. Floating hair occasionally revealing her miserable resignation. "You shouldn't care for me any longer. I've ruined everything, and I'm willing to live with it."

"You haven't ruined anything, love."

"Love? I can no longer be loved."

"Yes, you can. I'm not—"

She glowered over her shoulder, cutting him off. Abyssal eyes swirling like twin black holes. "Don't you understand anything I'm telling you? I ruined us, ruined any chance our future had together. I've been taken. We can never be married, and it's because of me. I couldn't stop it."

He frowned. "Aura...that's not how that works. People not agreeing to marriage is the only thing preventing marriage." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Flustered by his own words. But he didn't know what else to say. His silver tongue failed him. She didn't need lies or flattery, but he could at least attempt some form of eloquence.

Her head hung once more. She gradually collapsed to the floor. Left her body motionless. "Everything has been taken from me."

His brows knitted. "Aura." He reached out a hand. Withdrew it. "Aura, I'm right here. I know I've been taken away from you before—many times—but I'm here right now. I've been brought back to you."

"How do I know you're not a fragment of my imagination?"

"Have you seen me before today?"

A pause. "No." Another pause. "Maybe I haven't gone crazy until today. Maybe you aren't real. Your outfit has changed."

He glanced down, chuckling a bit. It never took her long to notice when things were different with him. "You're right. It has changed. I streamlined it a little. Made a few adjustments. I have to keep it interesting. You wouldn't want me falling out of the latest fashion trends, would you? I'm too pretty to look ugly."

There was the slightest hint of a giggle.

Loki grinned. Elated he could offer her any kind of happiness during this time. "I heard that laugh."

She quieted.

He laid down beside her. "It's okay to feel broken. It's okay to be happy, too. The only thing I want is for you to be happy." His gaze rested on the floor, and he traced a nonsensical design. No, not nonsensical. It was an ancient binding rune. A binding rune powerful enough for tying souls to the material realm. "If that means I need to leave you, I will. You've tried pushing me away many times. Perhaps I should've listened to you. But if you tell me what's best for you is me leaving, I will do it."

"You would?"

His eyes squeezed shut. A jack knife pain coursing through his chest. "Yes. It would hurt worse than Hel, but I will do whatever's best for you."

"What would you do if you left?"

He exhaled a long breath. "You've seen what I look like when I'm broken."

Her eyes searched him from behind the safety of her hair, and her voice could barely be heard. "Like in the prison?"

"Yes. In the prison."

"I've," she huddled into herself, "I've said many things over the years, but I've never truly wanted you to leave. I've just known that you could do better than me."

"Aura, I nearly destroyed an entire Realm for you. If I thought I deserved someone else, I wouldn't have done that."

"Is that why you were imprisoned?"

"Sort of? There's a whole list of reasons why I'd be arrested."

"Why did Odin order Thor to sew your mouth shut?"

Loki shrugged a shoulder. "After I left you with Mother, I attacked Odin with the intent of killing him. However, I acted too impulsively. I wasn't in the right mind, and I paid the price for it. It's a mistake that won't happen again."

"Queen Frigga made me stay in another room, but I felt this strange darkness. One I've never encountered before. Was that Odin? It was so cold."

"No. That was," his gaze dropped, "that was me."

Aura's charcoal brows knitted. "You? Loki..."

His name echoed into the far reaches of his mind. It wasn't disappointment, wasn't anger. Her voice carried a deep level of concern and empathy when she said his name. A level of fear. She rarely used that tone with him. But it was a tone that stayed with him always. Made him strive to be better for her. Even though he consistently failed miserably.

"Can you show me?"

Blinking, his vision snapped up. "The darkness? I'd rather not."

"No. Your true self. I want to see."

Oh. She meant that. He lowered his eyes. Part of him hoped she hadn't remembered what he looked like the two times she saw him in the cell. Dropping the illusion he could keep up even while unconscious, he revealed his scars.

She tentatively placed a hand on the burned side of his face. "Didn't this happen when I was sent away?"

"Yes. It was the first time I directly challenged Odin. The first time I fought against him. He made sure I wouldn't forget my erroneous ways."

Black tears spilled onto her cheeks. "I wish I had done something. I could've prevented you from being in pain."

"Aura." He wiped away her tears. "What would you have done? We were adolescents at the time. I didn't possess much skill with my magic. You only knew of your healing. Even if you could summon your fire giant form, how would that have changed anything? Odin had the capabilities of killing us both instantly."

"But—"

"There are no buts. If anything happened differently, one of us, if not both of us, would be dead."

She nodded. Gaze flickering back and forth over him. "What about the other ones?"

He hesitated. "The other what?"

"The other times I wasn't there for you."

Loki sat up. Taken aback by her statement. Shouldn't he be the one saying that to her? He searched her. Her worry for him was one of the many reasons he kept the mask in the first place. She shouldn't have the same anxieties about him like he held for her. Then again, it appeared the illusion didn't make a difference in preventing that.

Aura pushed herself into a sitting position. "Please?"

One of his eyes squinted. "Very well. But know this is in strict confidence. I don't want anyone knowing. Especially Thor. I don't need that discussion."

Her hand found one of his. "You can trust me."

He snapped his fingers, and he appeared only in trousers.

She inhaled a sharp breath. Examining the myriad of marks on his torso and arms. "Where did all of these come from?"

"Various places. This one is obvious." He pointed toward a crackling scar over his breastbone. "Thor did this with Mjolnir. Accidentally. I deserved it."

"It even looks like lightning." The tips of her fingers brushed over the raised skin.

He involuntarily twitched under her light touch. "It was back when he first received the hammer. I purposefully angered him. I wanted to see what his new-found powers could do. So, I kept pushing him. Poking and prodding, like I do. He finally had enough and shocked me pretty well. I think he cried for two days afterwards, the meathead. What he still doesn't realize is the power came from him. Mjolnir is just a conduit. A focusing agent."

Her head tilted. "Thor doesn't need Mjolnir?"

"At the moment, yes, he does. It's all psychosomatic. His powers are his own. If he was allowed to figure out how to use them without the crutch Odin so lovingly bestowed upon him. But you didn't hear that from me."

"Why would Odin keep Thor from his actual abilities?"

"Fear. How dare the son become more powerful than the father. Anyway. I acquired this one," he gestured at a prominent gash along his left side, "in a rather hilarious manner. Thor, Sif, the Warrior's Three, and I were returning to the palace from an outer mountain battle. It was the second time they let me fight with them. We were successful and celebrated as we rode along a steep path. Volstagg was in a particularly good mood. He punched my shoulder, which knocked me off my horse and down the cliff. I had just proved I could kill a troll by myself; I wasn't letting them think I couldn't handle rocks. I covered it with an illusion and carried on. I almost passed out from blood loss when we reached the palace."

His chuckling blanked her face. "I don't see how that's funny. Did they not know you were hurt?"

He continued his amused laughter. "I didn't tell them. What would I have said? I didn't expect any kind of praise, being the newest member of the party, so Volstagg's enthusiasm startled me so much, I fell off my horse and hurt myself during a tumble? Of course not. Sif and the Warrior's Three are not easily impressed. I had to earn my way into that party. Being Thor's younger brother didn't ease my case. But I find the whole situation humorous."

"You baffle me sometimes."

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't." He motioned at a circular mark in the center of his right shoulder. "This one has a match on the other side. Took a spear straight through."

She traced the circle. "Another comical story?"

He shrugged. "Training. Mother was teaching me unarmed combat. Five Einherjar against me. They were wearing me out, and I needed to do something. She didn't tell me I couldn't acquire their weapons. I let one sink their spear into me. I shouldn't have ripped it out, but I did, and I used it. Needless to say, the only foe I didn't vanquish that day was Mother."

"Queen Frigga must've been really upset when that happened."

"Believe me, I heard about it for a long time. I didn't think I would be allowed to train anymore. She surprised me the next day by taking me on herself. And she was not afraid of exploiting my injury since I wouldn't let her heal it."

Aura looked around his shoulder, at the opposite end of the spear scar. Gasped when she saw the rest of his back covered in slashes rimmed with blackened skin. "What are all of these strange marks?"

Loki's eyes fluttered. "They're from when I was on Thanos's ship. Experimentation was a fun form of torture he liked using. I would...rather not discuss those."

Settling back in front of him, her soulless eyes softened. She took his hand again. Dragged her fingers up his arm, over permanent lesions. "What about these?"

"Those, well, those are from me."

Her brows furrowed. "From yourself?"

"It's no secret I've had a knack for testing my limits. Even from a young age. I prefer knowing what I am and am not capable of."

"I remember finding you unconscious in the garden once. We were but children. I remember being scared because I thought you were dead. When you woke up, you brushed it aside so easily. There were also a couple times you came to me because you didn't want Queen Frigga knowing. You've always claimed it as necessary, but I've never liked it."

His head fell. "I-I know. I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you ever let Queen Frigga heal you? Why do you hold on to these?"

"They're my stories, my experiences. Proof of the good times, as well as the bad. I don't want anyone taking them away from me. The ones from Gungnir and my mouth remind me of Odin's power. The one from Thor reminds me of his. And so on."

"Why do you need reminders when you continue provoking them?"

He smiled. "I do, don't I? But in a strange version of my logic, if I don't forget what was done to me, I'll keep others from suffering the same fate. It's not always, exactly, seen, but I do try to help others from being unjustifiably punished." His head bobbed back and forth a bit. "Midgard was an exception, I'll admit..."

Aura reached up. Brushed her thumb over the holes around his lips. "I wish you hadn't put yourself through that fight with Odin."

"I would do it a thousand times over again if need be."

Her expression saddened. "I wasn't worth it then, and I'm not worth it now."

Loki took her hand and kissed her palm. Held it against his face. "You are more than worth it to me. You know I don't lie to you. I mean every word I say. I would do it a thousand times over for you. I would relive every moment of the Titan's ship if that meant I could stay with you."

"But why? I don't understand why. I've never been anything more than a slave. I've always been weak. I can't control my fire. My healing is useless in most circumstances. I cry all the time." Fresh tears leaked, and her head returned into her hands. "I'm doing it now, and I can't stop it. I can't stop anything. I couldn't stop anyone from hurting you. I couldn't stop myself from hurting Midgardians. I couldn't stop Nafni from hurting me. I'm too weak."

He deftly hid a glowing flash within his gaze. There it was. The name. Nafni. But it was a name simply meaning "name." Most likely, Nafni wasn't the cretin's real name. Which could pose a problem. Soul spells typically required the soul's birth name, or the name the soul identified most as. Nafni was a simple cover, nothing particularly identifiable. But it was a start. A good start. One that would never leave the back of his mind.

"Aura. Aura, look at me." He waited until he could stare into her black orbs. "We've had this discussion many times. And we'll keep having it until you realize how strong you are. Do you honestly think I'd allow someone I deem weak to influence me? Do you think chaos is understood by the weak?"

She rubbed away tears with the heel of her palm. "I don't know what you're asking me."

"You're one of the few people who understands me without me explaining myself constantly. You see me for what I am, and," he smiled, almost breathlessly, "you don't care. You accept my darkness. You keep me from falling into the darkness. I'm aware I don't make the best decisions when my wrath is kindled, but if I was perfect, I'd be way too powerful."

A slight grin crept across her face.

His smile warmed. "One of the things I admire most about you is your ability to face the evil of the universe and still choose kindness. Not only with me but with everything. You've experienced some of the worst things the universe could throw at you, yet you still put others' needs before your own. You could be selfish—and I think you would have every right to be—but you aren't. You're a virtuous balance to my cynicism. I suppose every demon needs an angel."

Aura placed her hand over his heart.

He looked down. Lifted a quizzical gaze.

She stared into the multi-faceted emeralds of his eyes. "You're not a demon. I know you, and you are not a demon."

"We both know I can be."

"You can take the form of one. But in here," she pressed harder for emphasis, "you are not evil. Misguided with your wrath sometimes. But not evil. I've never seen you as a demon."

"Just as I've never regarded you as weak. You are gentle and generous and caring. But you are not weak."

Her hands retreated back to her own chest, and she turned her head away. "I still wish I could've done something." She lay back down on the floor. "I've never felt so helpless in my life."

Restoring his illusion and clothing, he repeated her action. "You know you can't stop every bad person from doing every bad thing? Even when they're right in front of you. Not everyone cares about what's right and what's wrong. Not everyone will listen to you. They're not me." He flashed a grin.

She lifted her eyes. "I suppose you're right."

He pondered for a moment. "Do you remember the snake incident?"

Her nose crinkled. "Which one?"

"Fair. Back when we were in Mother's school? She took us out to the gardens one day, and you found a snake. Can you recall?"

"The one sunbathing on the path?"

Loki nodded. "You were observing it when a handful of other kids found it. What did they do? They took advantage of a smaller lifeform and abused it."

"I pleaded with them to stop, and they wouldn't listen. They were trying to kill the poor thing. It wasn't doing anything wrong. It just wanted to be warm."

"Exactly. Then Thor and I beat the living daylights out of those kids to show them what their actions were like. I don't think we had any problems with them afterwards. But what did you do? You ignored them, immediately rushing to the snake's aid and nursed it back to health."

Her head sunk between her shoulders. "With Queen Frigga's help."

"You cared for the snake until it could return to the garden. And you protected it so fiercely after that, it honestly made me jealous."

"Jealous?"

He rubbed his face with a hand. "This is rather embarrassing. I saw how much you and Mother cared for that creature, and I wanted to be cared for the same way. That's, I can't believe I'm admitting this, that's why I started turning into snakes, really."

She giggled. "I thought it was to trick Thor."

"Well, it most certainly devolved into that. Those were good times. But it originated from my need for eternal attention."

"You don't constantly need attention. There are times you like being alone."

One of his brows rose, and he flipped his hair over his shoulder. "That's a lie, and you know it. I am the greatest attention whore that's ever lived, thank you very much."

Aura giggled again. Her horns and tail disappearing.

"Are you going to argue with me?"

She scooted closer to him. "No."

"Mm-hmm. That's what I thought." He propped his head up with a fist. "Sometimes, you have to remember you're the snake. Sometimes, you have to care for yourself until you can return to the garden. There'll be evil people along the way, but you deal with them, move away from them, and heal yourself."

"So...should I move away from you?"

His eyes sparkled as he feigned offense. "I beg your pardon? I thought you said I wasn't evil."

Her cheeks reddened. She hid herself in her arms. "I'm sorry. That was a bad joke. I'm so terrible with jokes."

"No, it's good. See, you haven't been ruined. You've got your own mischievousness, and it's still there."

She peeked through her arms. "I'll never be as mischievous as you, though."

"I'm afraid not, love. That's my specialty." His head tilted. "I've long wondered what you do with my powers, though."

Aura mused. "I'm not sure." Her face scrunched with thought. "What could I do?"

"Let's just say, anything you want."

"Make fire butterflies."

Loki chuckled. "You can do that with your own powers."

"I can?"

"Of course. It's simple flame manipulation, really. I'll show you how. You'll have to think of something else you would do with my powers. What is it that you want most?"

"What I want most, I don't need magic for." She cuddled into him. Buried her head in his chest. "I just want you. When I was on Midgard, when I was with Nafni, all I wanted was you."

His chest swelled with a delighted breath. He learned most of his higher magic for her. To find her and bring her out of banishment. Even when he sought power, he wanted her more. He kissed the top of her head.

She looked up. The white sclera and deep blue irises returning. "Is that okay?" She paused when he didn't respond. Continuously searching his gaze glistening with unshed tears. "What's wrong? Is everything okay? I didn't say something wrong, did I?"

He tucked her charcoal hair behind her ear. "You are so beautiful."

"Are you sure?"

"I am quite sure you're the most beautiful maiden I've ever seen."

"I don't think that's possible. Queen Frigga is more beautiful than I am. So is Sjofn. And many other women I've seen both here and on Midgard. I'm nothing—"

"You are everything. I'm not letting you speak so harshly about the one I love."

Her eyes fluttered. "Are you sure you can love me. Even after what happened to me?"

"Of course. Aura, this is what true love is. It's unconditional. It looks beyond darkness, looks beyond scars, looks beyond the past and toward the future. There are plenty of ways you could break my heart, but—"

"What?" Her eyes widened. "How? Shouldn't you tell me, so I know what not to do?"

He waved it away. "Don't stress about it. I was merely speaking. I more than trust you because I know you."

"Do you, though? We've spent so much time apart. Do we really know each other anymore?"

His brows rose. "It's true we've both experienced quite a bit since we last spent quality time with each other. How about this? You and I could always have a private dinner and find out how much we still know about one another."

She nodded. Eyelids becoming heavy. "That sounds very nice. Is later okay, though? I'm incredibly exhausted, and I'm not sure why."

"It's because you haven't allowed yourself rest. Let's get you on the bed."

"No. I like the floor."

"Aura, you're not a servant anymore. You can sleep on a bed."

"I'm comfortable here."

He shook his head, moving to get up. "Very well. I'll let you rest."

"No." She clutched handfuls of leather. "I don't want you to leave."

"I'm not sure how appropriate it is—"

Her eyes watered. "Please? I don't want to be by myself anymore. I can't be by myself anymore. It hurts my heart too much. I have unsettling thoughts when I'm alone. I need, I need you. Need you to help me keep the real demons at bay. I know nothing can harm me when I'm with you. I won't tell anyone, if you're worried about getting in trouble. Please..."

Loki's brows knitted. She was so anxious at the prospect of him leaving. He understood her unspoken concern. She was afraid she wouldn't see him again. He settled back on the floor. Wrapped an arm around her. "I'm not worried about getting in trouble. If anyone says anything, I'll turn their tongues into lead."

She buried herself in his embrace. Not releasing the lapels of his green and gold overcoat. She trembled, her voice quiet. "Please don't leave me alone."

He smoothed her hair. "I won't. I'm staying right here." He kissed the top of her head once more. Continued stroking her hair, watching it fade into its normal trio of colors as she fell asleep. Listened to her rhythmic breathing. His head rested against hers. A small smile on his lips. She still felt safe in his arms.

Any doubt washed away. She would require more time for healing, but she was one step closer. A peace settled over him, a resolve. He wouldn't let anything take her from him. Nothing in the universe would come between them again. He already made the promise to himself, but he would make it again. Would make it a thousand more times.

After too much time, he found her. Yes, they were separated once again, but he had found her. He never gave up hope they would be reunited once more. That hope helped him persevere the Titan. Helped him survive himself. Was it sappy? Yes. But it was also the truth, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He found a home for his heart with her. Couldn't chaos deserve love, too?

The universe might think otherwise, with the trials it made them endure.

And yet, through it all, through the pain and suffering his beloved faced, she still felt safe in his arms.