Loki, the Prince of Two Realms

by Death's Scribe

Time has passed and Loki has come to accept his Jotun heritage. His family is safe and all is well. But with a historical Jotun delegation called by the new Frozen Realms King, can Loki bring his two worlds together or will unforeseen forces rip his whole life apart?

8. Chapter 8

Hi Guys!

I'm back and with less of a wait this time around.

Thanks for all the reviews, favs, fallows and just plain reading this story still. I love hearing from you guys and they give me a lot of motivation to keep going with it.

Anyway lets not waste anymore time. On with the chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Cheers!

D.S

Disclaimer: I do not own Thor or the Avengers or any other of the many Marvel properties

8

The beings who found their place on the skiff fell into an awkward routine as they made their way through the skies of Asgard. Thrym had taken over the tiller, using his inherit Jotun strength to steer their course through the winds, which rocked the skiff as they passed through cloud, keeping high and away from any prying eyes from Asgard's outer villages, which were rapidly disappearing below.

Helblindi was not far from his councilman, engaging him in hushed conversation. Loki had overheard a few snippets, mostly ideas for what they would do once they reached Svartalheim and Malekith, figuring out a strategy. Then there was Thor and his Midgardian.

Loki, himself had decided to keep towards the bow of the skiff, enjoying the way the clouds parted before them, but he was very aware of Thor and his Midgardian not too far from his position, heads bent together as they talked. The Midgardian had listened to their plan quietly, nodding at parts though for the most part she frowned, glancing at Thor as King Helblindi outlined their ideas to attack Malekith in his own realm so the fight would not be brought to any of the other realm's doorstep. Once done, a plethora of questions had been the Jotun King's reward, one's he had politely answered, though after more than an hour had somehow found an excuse for himself and escaped to where Thrym had taken residence at the tiller.

Loki had kept his distance, leaving Thor to the fate of answering the Midgardian's many questions, content to try and lose himself in thought. As the skiff scudded through another white and grey mass Loki pondered their destination.

The Great Remains was a place that none dared to tread, not just due to the wild seidr that gathered in the area, but the history of the place. Asgard itself was not always as small a realm as they currently were. Eons passed they were once part of a larger land mass, said to rival the great plains of Alfhiem with their size. But due to a planetary catastrophe only a small portion of the realm could be saved. For the people of Asgard to survive, the seidrwielders of the time had seared a section of Asgard away from the original, enough to house those that remained and flee before the whole realm could be destroyed, thus creating the planetoid that Asgard now was, or at least that was how the story went.

The Great Remains is said to be where the seidrweilders had broken the planetoid from the main land mass, and in doing so they had had to carve right through Asgard's inherent seidr, ripping it free from the old land to convert it into a new smaller form. Loki had not understood some of the intricacies behind the idea that other seidrweilders had hypothesised had been done to achieve such a feat. The actual theory and spells lost to time. But suffice to say, wild seidr gathered at the Great Remains, along with all manner of strange things and the Asgardians avoided the place which only exacerbated the issue.

Loki shivered, more of the thought of what the seidr would feel like than actual cold. He had always been sensitive to seidr flow, he hoped he would not be overwhelmed when they reached the Remains, he needed to be focused.

"It's beautiful up here." Loki stiffened, shying away as Thor's Midgardian came to stand beside him, looking out at the clouds.

"It's just a collection of ice and water droplets," Loki said, which for some reason made the Midgardian laugh.

"That's true, but still, clouds are fascinating and very beautiful, you could almost believe we were flying."

"We are flying, the skiff has been enchanted by seidr with a simple flying spell and the engines have been imbued with sedir to power the spell, so the caster need not be with the skiff at all times for it to run," Loki grunted as the Midgardian, Jane, turned to him, eyes wide and sparkling.

"How does that work? Seidr, that's what you call magic right?" Loki shrugged. "Amazing. How long have you been able to use seidr? Is it a common practice, how did your people first discover it? Do you really believe that it's magic? I mean magic is simply science that we don't understand yet and it's a little silly to think magic -"

"Seidr is in everyone and everything," Loki said coldly. "It makes up all within the Nine Realms and Yggdrasil, along with the beings within her branches. Just because your primitive species does not understand it, does not mean that it does not exist." Jane faltered, flustered.

"I wouldn't exactly call myself primitive, we have a lot of up-to-date technology on Earth now. Some surprised Thor when he was there, he didn't even know what a toaster was. It's a -"

"I know what it is. It is a device in which Midgardians use to partially bake a piece of bread that they then can consume with butter, jam or some over flavoured condiment." Loki sent Jane a withering look. "I am not my brother, and do not appreciate being spoken to as if I am a simpleton."

Jane frowned, Loki's dismissive and harsh attitude difficult to ignore. "I was only trying to explain."

"An explanation I did not want nor need, though it seems to be a common trait with Midgardian's. Always getting in the way and causing trouble and pain for others." Jane flinched and Loki felt a swell of vindictive pleasure at the action.

"Look," Jane said, stepping closer. "I know that you're upset with what happened to your mother."

"Don't you dare speak of my mother," Loki hissed.

"I would feel the same but that doesn't mean you should take your anger out on me." Loki stilled, turning to pierce the Midgardian with a fierce glare that she flinched from. The rage twisted the Young Prince's features into something sinister.

"Shouldn't take it out on you?" Loki said, tone deceptively calm. "I shouldn't lay the blame for my mother is near death at your feet? If you hadn't come to Asgard, if you hadn't decided to poke your nose into something that you had no understanding off, just because you believe yourself to be entitled in your pursuit of knowledge, which you do not deserve." Loki stepped closer, delighting when Jane took a hesitant half step back. "You are the reason that Asgard was attacked, you are the reason my Brother has had to lie to my Father, just so that he could save your life, along with many on Asgard that would die if Malekith is allowed to attack again, or Norns forbid claim the Aether from your lifeless corpse. Aye, that is what will happen to you if the Dark Elf manages to get his hands on you," Loki said as Jane paled. "He'll rip it right from your body and merge it with his own, bringing about the destruction of the Nine Realms. So really, the entirety of Yggdrasil has you to blame if they are wiped out. Just because you had to indulge in your curiosity, you brought calamity to everyone. So really, you should be thankful it is only my distain that you are facing."

Not waiting for the Midgardian to gather herself enough for a response Loki left. He wasn't sure where he was going, the skiff wasn't small, but he wanted to be as far from the mortal as he could get. He hadn't meant to get so angry, but her presence was just something he couldn't stand. He stomped to the upper deck, stopping when he made it to the stern of the skiff so he could see the trail of seidr they left in their wake as the skiff moved through the sky. It was soothing to watch the blank expanse of sky rapidly moving, it allowed Loki to reign in the fury that was making his limbs tight with tension, he'd even curled his fingers into his palms, indents marring his skin.

"You shouldn't let her rub you that far the wrong way. Reacting in anger never turns out well." Loki startled at the voice, but he really shouldn't have done. The stern was where Thrym had made his home. He was alone, King Helblindi having moved into the inner private quarters with Thor, for the no doubt delicate discussion between the two royals. Loki felt a fission of annoyance at being left out, but it didn't last as he caught sight of Jane, looking out of the bow of the skiff, hands wrapping around her shoulders.

"I'm not angry." Thrym laughed.

"You could have fooled me," the Jotun said, red eyes landing on the mortal before flicking back to the Young Prince. "Not that you don't have a reason for it, but it is best that you don't allow it to cloud your thinking."

"It won't."

"Really? Then we would be able to trust you with the mortal's protection, to stay behind with her and ensure that she is not taken by Malekith?"

"Of course."

"Even if it meant you could save your Mother by abandoning her?"

"I…" Loki stopped himself, a sick feeling welling in his stomach at the idea of having to stay with the Midgardian, at being responsible for her and knowing, deep within his heart that he would leave her to Malekith if it meant that he could save his Mother from her fate. Thrym sent him a sad smile as he adjusted the tiller.

"'Tis not something to feel ashamed of Young Prince, but it is something that you should be aware that is within yourself. It is best for every being to know themselves; it's stops them from making mistakes, from having regrets."

"You speak from experience?"

Thrym huffed, "I have many regrets, all of them due to my own lack of foreknowledge of my emotions, of what I was willing to sacrifice at the time, only to realise exactly what I had given up and unable to take it back."

"You think I would regret …" Loki nodded at the mortal and Thrym shrugged.

"I cannot say, only you can know that about yourself. One thing I can say however is what would your Brother think of your decision to abandon a being that he has deemed he wishes to love?" Loki turned his eyes to the rough wooden boards of the skiffs deck. Yes, what would Thor think if he knew his little brother was capable of thinking that he would rather see his love dead if it meant that their Mother would live. Would he be disgusted? Horrified? Would he think him a monster? "Now, now, don't let your thoughts spiral so," Thrym chuckled, surprising Loki with how gentle he sounded. "You haven't done anything yet."

"But I'm thinking …"

"Thoughts are simply ideas until they are put into conscious action. No one can judge you for your inner thoughts as they are your own to do with what you will. All any being can judge you on is your actions. That is all any being can do in the end." Thrym turned to look at the darkening sky wistfully.

"Is that why many beings in the Nine fear the Jotun's, because of their actions?"

"The Nine Realms have a right to judge whatever they please and yes, the actions of the Jotun's and Jotunheim have not been the best. We have collected many debts and committed a terrible sin." Thrym grimaced, large hand gripping the tiller, making the wood creak. "A sin we will all be judged for when it is time to walk the Great Plain into the arms of Lady Winter."

"Sin? What sin? Do you mean the invasion of Mid -?"

"While the invasion of Midgard was ill advised it is not something that I would call sinful. War happens Prince Loki. This … we do not speak of it, we cannot. The shame … it is unbearable, but we bare it, as we should. King Helblindi has made strides for us to make amends, to try and atone but it is one area I feel in which he will fail."

"Why?" Loki asked, stepping closer, even as Thrym's shoulders hunched, and he turned further away. "What could be so terrible that -"

"Have you ever killed a child Prince Loki?" Loki reared back as if struck, the horror of the question causing him to pale.

"N…no."

"What about your Father? Your Brother? Even your Mother? Do you know if any of them have killed a child? A babe?"

"No! That would be horrendous, disgusting, no one would even contemplate doing -" Loki froze, eyes widening as he stared at Thrym, taking a hesitant step back as the Jotun turned red eyes of him. "Y…you can't mean …"

"They were not all children, at least most of them weren't. Not that it is much comfort or makes the sin any less great if they were all grown."

"You killed babes."

"Not by my own blade, but I did nothing to stop their deaths. I spoke not for them; in fact, I turned away as it was easier that way. Easier to let them die than it was to stand up to a man I once respected as a brother in arms and King, who had turned into a power-hungry despot that would sooner see the destruction of his Realm then bow before his own pride."

"You're talking about King Laufey? What did he do?"

"He -"

"Thrym!" the barked command made both startle. Loki spun, finding King Helblindi marching towards them. He eyed the pair of them before his gaze fell on Thrym who flinched under the hard stare. "Prince Thor and I have discussed likely co-ordinates for the portal. We will need to navigate the Great Remains with care."

"Why so, my King? Surely a tracking device on the skiff would pick up any residual seidr in the area and lead us right to it."

"You would be right if pre-spelled devices such as those worked in the Great Remains," Helblindi said, sighing at Thrym's confused look. "Prince Thor has been explaining it to me. Apparently, the Great Remains are mysterious and seidr tends to act funny in the area, many things do."

"That's true," Loki said thoughtfully. "Pre-spelled devices tend to cease around the Great Remains, it's why many Asgardians moved from the area, along with the taboo of the place."

"What about the skiff, isn't that pre-spelled?" Thrym asked.

"The skiff will be fine," Loki said. "The mechanisms are simple and the seidr uncomplicated to keep it in flight. It shouldn't be interfered with too much, though some have said steering can become a problem." Thrym nodded and Loki turned to look up at Helblindi. "How do you and my brother plan to find the portal then if we cannot use the tracking devices."

"I had hoped you might have a suggestion Brother," Thor said, approaching with an arm around Jane's shoulders, who shared an uncomfortable look with Loki before fixing her eyes on the Jotun King with fascination. "You are far more adapt with the arts of seidr than I."

Loki hummed in thought. It was true that his understanding of seidr was likely the most advanced within the group, that didn't automatically make him an expert. He still had plenty to learn with really only having his basics mastered. "It will have to be something simple. I doubt I will be able to pull off a complexed working on my own and the seidr of the Great Remains will be likely to interfere with a working of that magnitude and complexity."

"Why do we need seidr anyway?" Jane asked. "I mean, it sounds as if it's some sort of energy, don't you have machines that can trace that?"

"Seidr is not like any other energy in Yggdrasil Lady Jane," Helblindi said before Loki could jump down her throat for the poor comparison she had drawn. "Seidr is life, a life force that some are able to utilise more than others. We all carry the lifeforce to use seidr, however some will never be able to draw that potential out and use it in a way Queen Frigga or Prince Loki do."

"Aye, King Helblindi is correct," Thor agreed, much to the shock of everyone gathered. "I make use of seidr when I wield Mjolnir, though it is not something that I can consciously do on my own without the hammer as a conduit."

Jane frowned, "what do you mean Thor?"

"His lightening," Loki said, unable to keep the sneer out of his voice. "Did you really think that all just came from Mjolnir?"

"The lightning originates from the hammer," Jane said.

"No, it goes through it," Loki argued. "If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed that Thor's lightning travels through his body, he has to have some resistance, as even Asgardians would feel pain if they were struck by lightning, or do you believe Thor is just immune." Jane flushed and Loki felt a vicious thrill of pleasure.

"Brother," the quiet admonishment is enough to quench the thirst Loki had to humiliate the mortal further. The plea hidden in the words was obvious and Loki didn't have the heart to crush Thor's infatuation, no matter how ill-advised it may be.

"With all that said, it doesn't help us find the portal that will take us to the Dark Elves," Helblindi interjected. Loki furrowed his brow. The Jotun King was right, even though they were in the right area, with all the ambient seidr in the air, it will make any working go haywire. Even if Loki tried to work around it, his seidr would not be enough to counteract that of Asgard itself.

"So, I just don't try to counteract it," Loki muttered, the seeds of an idea starting to form.

"Brother?" Loki waved away Thor's enquiry, a hand coming up to cup his chin, one finger tapping slowly as his mind worked through the problem.

"If I can't counteract it and any act of seidr will cause a reaction, then I can't use seidr. So, what does that leave?" He could perform a reverse summoning ritual. No, he didn't want to run the risk of landing in a situation they could not control, or Norns forbid, bring the Dark Elves and Malekith to them by accident. Runes could be a way forward; they didn't relay on as much seidr and could be layered to create complexed workings for those who would normally need a proficient seidr wielder to perform. But still, the use of seidr was too much of a risk. So that left … "Tracking!" Loki exclaimed. Startling the adults who had fallen into quiet mutterings between one another.

"What tracking?" Thrym asked.

"Tracking seidr," Loki said, shaking his head. "It's so simple. Why didn't I think of it before?"

"What do you mean tracking seidr, Young Prince?" Helblindi was looking at him, red eyes soft and inquisitive.

"All seidr wielders are taught to feel seidr," Loki said. "It's one of the first things we're taught when we start to learn. It's mostly to help us understand how our seidr works and connect to it, but, with time and training, you can enable yourself to feel other people's seidr, or those of objects."

"How can that help us find a portal?" Thor asked.

"Portals are made up of seidr. It's an organic process that no seidr wielder has been able to recreate successfully," Loki explained. "Mainly because it's a mixture of seidr coming together from the Realm it's appearing in and the one its connecting to."

"It has its own scent," Helblindi muttered, understanding dawning as he gazed at the little Prince with a sense of wonder.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thrym asked.

"The seidr of the portal will be compromised of two different Realms," Helblindi said. "It will feel different than the natural seidr of Asgard and we have a way to track that." Helblindi nodded at Loki, who smirked as Thor gapes at him, and his mortal appears stunned.

"Can you Brother?"

"Aye, Mother taught me herself," Loki tried not to wince at the words, them coming so naturally. Thor sucked in a breath but didn't comment further.

"How will you sense the … seidr?" Jane peered closer at Loki, frown prominent as she studied him. "Do you have to chant something? Is there an incantation?"

"Only a fool would use an incantation to sense seidr," Loki sneered. "Any competent being knows that seidr sensing only requires concentration and silence," the Young Prince added before Thor could add whatever inane comment was about to come from his wide-open mouth.

Thrym snickered and Helblindi ducked his head. Thor shut his mouth, then rose an expectant eyebrow. Sniffing, Loki moved to the bow of the skiff, positioning himself so he could look off into the desolate distance. He could already feel the tingle of powerful seidr, no doubt originating from the culmination of energy that the portal was, however the blanket of Asgards ambient seidr made it difficult to distinguish, it being wrapped up within it. Closing his eyes Loki allowed himself to fall into a familiar meditative state. It was something that he had struggled with in his early years. His mind was a constant whirlwind, ideas, thoughts, feelings. It had taken his Mother sitting him on her lap, her hands on his shoulders as she talked him through meditation, calming the storm of his mind so he could allow his seidr to reach out to his inner self. Though his Mother was not with him now, Loki swore he could feel her hands, her warmth and the breath of her words against his ear.

Let yourself sink. Do not think. Do not feel. Allow these things to wash over you. They are meaningless. Your mind should not focus on them.

Loki's breath slowed, his emotions settled, and his mind calmed. He could feel his seidr at the edge of his awareness, ready and willing to assist in whatever endeavour its master wished. But this time Loki ignored it, allowing his inner self to reach outwards, being careful not to draw on any of the seidr which lingered in the air. He didn't want power, he just wanted to feel, though it was tempting. Loki could feel the raw, unrestrained wildness of Asgard's sedir. It whizzed around him, coaxingly, encouraging him to reach out and take. The workings he could perform. The power that would be his to command, even as it ripped his own seidr apart and would leave him nothing once it was done. With his eyes closed he could no longer see the Great Remains, though his darkened vision was filled with colour. Deep in meditation Loki always found it easier to associate seidr with colour. Some seidr wielders preferred scent as it was less obtrusive and made it easier to stay in meditation as it was less distracting. Loki's preference for colour was yet another thing that marked him different, even from his fellow seidr weilders.

The dominant colour which surrounded Loki was gold. It sparkled and glowed around him, swirling chaotically as Asgard's seidr lay heavy in the air. Loki pushed though, trying to wade through the mass but he was finding it difficult. It was only as another tempting lick of power slithered down his right side that he noted a grey spot. It was barely visible and could easily be mistake as one of the numerous flecks that streamed from the golden glow of Asgard's seidr, but Loki felt it's energy. Dark, sorrowful. It did not belong. Reaching out a hand Loki tried to pull the energy closer, as it inched towards his inner self, he noted another, bigger piece further away, this one mixed with some of Asgard's golden seidr.

"Turn east," Loki ordered. He felt the skiff alter course and as it did so another mixed seidr nugget made itself known. "Keep on this heading."

Loki tracked the pieces as the skiff moved forward, noting the size, some so small that they were hardly noticeable, while others were bigger, the mixture of golden seidr and the grey silver making it hard to tell which was which. It was as they gathered pace that Loki felt something stir ahead. He shivered and gasped as an assault intruded into his meditation. Stepping back, he was grateful for the hand that steadied him, though was surprised to open his eyes and find King Helblindi looking down on him in concern.

"Is all well?"

"Aye, I was just startled. I think the portal is close."

"I'd say it's here," Thrym inclined his head and Loki looked up as they rounded one of the shorn off mountains to come face to face with the swirling vortex that made up the portal to the Dark Elves domain. It was not a ferocious looking thing, merely a distortion in the air that would have easily been overlooked if no one was paying attention. But Loki could feel the seidr. It was like an inferno. Boiling with rage as the two opposite seidr signatures came crashing together, creating a unique seidr that both belonged and was alien at the same time.

"Is that it?" Thor asked.

"Will the skiff even get through there?" Jane added. "It doesn't look big enough for an adult to go through."

"What you see is only the external workings," Loki said as he locked down his own seidr, not wanting it to be pulled into the portal along with all the other seidr which linger in the air. He turned to Thrym, "drive the skiff through."

Thrym nodded, hand gripping the tiller to direct their flight. The skiff was buffeted, winds created by the suction of the portal as they drew nearer straining the seidr navigation. Loki worriedly gripped the sides. It would take a great deal to pull the skiff off course, the spells woven into the material making it respond better in all weathers along with feeling the intent of the pilot, making deviation or flight errors minimal. For the portal distortion to cause this much disturbance showed Loki how powerful the seidr was.

As they came closer Loki's hair whipped about his face, the skiff creaked and Thrym place his other hand on the tiller to steady them. A vicious gust of seidr empowered wind had Loki stumbling, only for a large hand to clasp his shoulder, stopping him from slamming into the side of the skiff.

"Careful," Helblindi rumbled, pulling the Young Prince away from edge, stepping in front to shelter him from the worst of the distortion. Loki felt an instant cold of the Jotun Kings hand, penetrating through his cloths before fizzling to a pleasant sensation as the ice reached his skin. Hastily stepping away, Loki nodded at the King as the skiff breached the portal and control was wrenched from Thrym's hands.

They all rocked forward, the skiff controlled by the flow of seidr as it exited Asgard and into Svartalheim.

"Wow," Jane mumbled, and Loki had to bite his lip to stop from commentating on her awe-struck expression. It wasn't as if he hadn't studied the theory around portals. They were an area of seidr that was highly researched and captivated most seidr wielders imaginations. Mainly to the number of limitations it presented and the challenge. Travelling between Realms was something that had been lost to time. Of course, there were artefacts and those, like Loki who were able to travel at will on the branches of Yggdrasil, but creating a portal was something that had been lost to the ancient times. The Bifrost was the only known construct that remained of those times and was a source of great curiosity across the Nine Realms, one that Asgard guarded jealously. However, Loki had to admit there was something beautiful about a naturally occurring portal. Unlike the external working, all could feel and sense the internal structure of the portal. A long expanse of swirling colours, primarily gold and dark silver, the seidr of the two realms, but Loki could see several others, creating a collage of colour that was difficult to focus on. It twisted around them in a tunnel, guiding the skiff forward and through space. If Loki was to liken the working to anything it would be what the mortals called a drill. It was a crude concept, but the seidr of the two Realms essentially mixed, drilling between the physical and metaphorical space between them, allowing both organic and inorganic matter to pass though, though not always unscathed with how the skiff listed recklessly from side to side, despite Thrym's strength.

"Hold on to something," he called, and the skiff lurched to the right suddenly, the calm before the storm of seidr causing all to fall into a false sense of security.

Loki was thankfully able to tuck himself low and towards the side, saving him from the worst of there backlash. Helblindi and Thrym were not so luckily. Their larger frames making it impossible to stay away from the buffeting winds created by the swirling seidr. Thor and Jane had retreated to the lower deck, Thor pushing Jane's back to the mast so that his own more robust frame could take the brunt. That isn't to say that Jane was spared. Her hair whipped around her head, tugging and pulling as though the seidr wanted to rip it from her head.

Thrym grunted as he wrestled with the tiller, ensuring that they remained on track, even as the portal did it's best to beat them back.

"How long will this last?" Thrym asked, breath puffing out.

"Portals can last from anywhere between seconds to hours," Loki called over the wind.

"Let us pray from the former," Thrym groaned.

It was jarring. The seidr of the portal doing its best to throw them off course. Loki wasn't sure what would happen if they connected with the swirling seidr that surrounded them. Possibly be transported to another part of Yggdrasil, though that was not something Loki would be willing to risk.

"Ahead!" Thor's shout directed the bedraggled groups gaze, following Thor's pointed finger. It was small, hardly noticeable but ahead of them a rip has appeared in the sky. It reached the top of the seidr vortex and down so far that the bottom was indistinguishable. It was black, so dark that Loki's sight couldn't penetrate it, though the seidr that circulated around it was calmer, with a stronger flavour of Svartalheim.

"Sail for it," Loki said, clinging tightly to the side as the skiff did its best to dislodge its passengers.

They kept a steady course, Thrym's hand keeping the skiff settled and unable to fly away into the unknown. The gap grew larger, and Loki could see the twinkle of what could be stars beyond. Just as he felt the ambient seidr around them begin to lose its ferocity something came hurtling from behind them. Loki couldn't be sure what kind of beast it was, it was passing by so fast that he was unable to see anything but two large appendages and what appeared to be dark wings spread out across its back. It cut across their path, having not come from the Asgardian side of the portal, rather sucked in from elsewhere in a frenzy that had it squealing. It was not there more than a second, it hardly should have caused any disturbance. Only as it passed through the seidr portal one of its flailing legs caught the skiff, dislodging Thrym's hard fought hold on the tiller, sending it careening off course.

Loki felt the seidr reclaim them, ripping them from the portal exit. They floated briefly, caught in the combatting forces of energy, each wanting to tear them apart in their own way. Then they were lifted, racing higher, the sail almost hitting the swirls of seidr that would send them anywhere.

Unthinkingly Loki locked one hand around the side of the skiff, hoping that would be enough to keep him anchored. He reached out with the other hand, summoning his own seidr to cast the strongest barrier he could. The spark of green emerged just before they could hit the portals vortex tunnel, bouncing them off and down.

They were not back on course, though they were out of immediate danger. Relieved Loki recalled his seidr, only to find it caught in a spider web of Asgard's and Svartalheim's. They toyed with it, as though intrigued by this new intruder, then the seidr of Svartalheim latched on and started to pull Loki's sedir from him. The shock of his sedir being stolen had Loki crying out. His stomach crunched and he felt as though his entire body was being squeezed tight. He couldn't catch his breath.

He was barely aware of the shouts around him, though the ice-cold touch that came to his shoulder was a brief reprieve for the fire that was coursing through him. Loki's distress must have been broadcasted through his seidr as it thought to pull itself away from Svartalheim's. He could feel how Asgard's stilled and then tried to tug him away, but with them being so far removed from Asgard's side of the portal, it's seidr didn't have nearly as much power as Svartalheim's. It was like his was being devoured. Loki could barely hang onto his seidr. He gasped, already able to feel a portion taken, fuelling Svartalheim's continuous attack. He felt it paused when a pulse of foreign seidr came from within him. Loki would have normally been furious at the way the limiters placed by his Mother blocked his seidr, but in that moment he could do nothing but sob in relief at the reprieve it gave him. Though it would do nothing in the long run. Eventually Svartalheim's seidr would break through and if allowed would take more of his own, all of it, which could potentially leave Loki a husk, not just lacking sedir, but his life as well.

"Got yourself into a sticky situation," a voice whispered in his ear. "With all the progress this version of you has made it would be a shame to end things here."

Loki felt a foreign sedir merge with his own. The shot of power had tears escaping his eyes and he howled. However, the boost gave his flagging seidr what it needed. Already slippery his seidr wrenched itself from the grasp of Svartalheims sedir, helped by Asgard, the foreign sedir and the protection his Mother's limiter granted him. Loki didn't even think about recalling it, his sedir already retreating to his being, to nestle deep in his core, safe from any others that wished to separate it from its master. Loki collapsed boneless, the tension from before bleeding strength from his physical body and not just his seidr. He blinked his eyes open to see King Helblindi leaned over him, eyes wide with worry, cold hands holding Loki's much smaller frame.

"Prince Loki? Prince Loki? Thrym, get this thing under control!"

"Aye my King," Thrym called.

Loki felt the skiff come under control, the shouts of Thor starting to blend away as King Helblindi spoke to him, his words nothing but white noise in his ears.

As his vision faded, Loki thought he saw over the Jotun King's shoulder, perched on the side of the skiff, the old Norn. A grin cracking her face, sending wrinkles rippling across the surface. It was her chuckled that followed Loki into unconsciousness.

---

The pleasant heat of a fire greeted Loki's return to consciousness. It was followed up with the realisation that he was wrapped in something warm, and he could no longer feel the dip and roll of the skiff beneath him. Startled but unable to do much, Loki opened his eyes. Needing a moment to reorientate, Loki noted how dark it was, the fire he had been laid by, sending shadows creeping far into the distance. The familiar scent of ozone lingered under Loki's nose, and he was able to move his hand enough to grasp at the comforting warmth of Thor's red cape that had been wrapped around him, though he was still too disorientated to be able to see where he was.

"Oi, he's moving."

"Loki?"

It took all of Loki's self-control not to be sick as hands came to his shoulders, turning and lifting him at the same time so he could be laid against someone.

"Loki, are you well?"

Instead of the snappish retort he would like to give all Loki managed was a groan. He was able to focus his sight enough to make out Thor staring down at him. His elder brother's eyes were pinched with worry. It was the first time that Loki had even noted the wrinkles that were starting to form around Thor's eyes and mouth. Now, his Brother was by no means old. If he was Midgardian, he wouldn't be considered past his thirties. But it was revealing for Loki to notice how his Brother seems to have aged, especially within the last year or so.

"Is he ok?"

"I believe so," Thor said, looking over Loki's head, which Loki somehow was able to twist to follow. He was right that he'd been laid out beside a fire, the crackling flames giving him warmth and light to see the large shadows of Thrym and King Helblindi sat on the opposite side. The smaller form of Thor's Midgardian was closer, though she was laid, much like Loki, back turned to them as she slept.

Loki shifted, placing a hand on Thor's chest to push himself up further, only to feel a shot of pain through his chest. He hissed.

"Careful Brother," Thor murmured, as though speaking to a frighted mare. "You have been unconscious for over an hour; we feared you would not wake."

"I am well."

Thrym scoffed. "You most certainly are not," he rumbled. "Though I can not ken the injury, one does not simply remain unconscious for no reason."

"What happen Young Prince?" King Helblindi asked.

Settling himself so Thor was taking most of his weight, though it appeared he was sitting himself, Loki frowned. "The portal was made up of sedir. When I used my own seidr to stop us from colliding with the vortex it noticed me." Loki shivered and couldn't resist wrapping an arm across his stomach. "The seidr of Svartalheim tried to take my seidr."

King Helblindi chocked, though Thrym and Thor frowned.

"What do you mean?" Thor asked.

"The portal was created by the clashing seidr of Asgard and Svartalheim. It was chaotic and any other foreign seidr, mainly the natural ambient seidr of the Great Remains is what helped to keep it open, adding fuel. When I used my seidr it was picked up and the seidr of Svartalheim tried to take it from me to continue to fuel itself." Loki shook his head. "If it wasn't for an influx of seidr I wouldn't have been able to rip free. It would have taken my seidr, I would have …" he didn't finish but Thor didn't need him to. A large hand came around his shoulders to plant itself firmly on his shoulder, squeezing tight. Even Thrym and King Helblindi looked even more grim, their azure faces darker in the shadow of the fire. "Where are we now?" Loki asked in a hopeful bid to divert attention. "Were we able to pass through the portal?"

"Aye," Thor grunted. "We passed through unscathed, though we had to activate the skiffs atmosphere stabiliser."

"The stabiliser? Why?"

"The condition of Svartalheim is not conducive for life," Helblindi said. "Though we could breathe the air, it was difficult, and the Midgardian suffered the most, even with the Aether inside of her."

Loki nodded, that explained why Jane was currently asleep. Even though the Aether was powerful, even it couldn't change a host body so much that it could withstand the atmospheric effects of a planet.

"You stayed on the skiff until you were stabilised enough?"

Thrym nodded. "It settled the air for us, not that it is much help. In the time we have been here I have seen nothing but barren land. The sky is so thick with fog if the sun does rise here, I doubt it will make it through to give us any light at all."

As his Brother and Helblindi made quiet agreement, discussing the state of the planet in greater detail, Loki took the chance to look around. Though the fire did not give much illumination for distance Loki could make out jagged rock formations, along with a sand desert that stretched out into nothingness, only broken by the rocks that were scattered, as though shattered and left where they lay. At the distance Loki could not be sure on their size, though he was sure that while some small and easily scalable, Loki noted a large shadow that took up what was visible of the horizon, rivalling the famed mountains of Nidavellir. Craning his neck back to stare at the sky, Loki had to agree with Thrym's words. The cloud was so thick he would think it was the middle of the night, though it was dark, Loki could distinguish a red tint to the colouration. He wasn't sure if it was a factor of the atmosphere disturbance, but it did nothing to ease Loki's fears. The air was heavy, and Loki was glad that Thor and the Jotun's had had the forethought to use the stabiliser. Skiff stabilises were for emergency use. They allowed the residents of the skiff to be protected while the seidr working adapted their internal structures to temporarily be able to breath previously unhabitable air. It was a piece of work whose creator had not been native to Asgard and found the air hard to breathe. They hadn't even been from any of the other Realms, instead out in the deep cosmos of space, having washed up on Asgard due to travel issues. They had lived out their life on Asgard, an unfortunately short one due to not having the same physiology as the Asgardians and so was not able to ingest a golden apple and extend their life.

"So, what do we do now?" Loki asked.

"Rest," Thor rumbled, squeezing Loki's shoulder. "You and Jane are injured, and we need to be sure that we have everything in place before we approach Malekith."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"You don't need to know that."

"Thor."

"Do not argue with me on this Loki," Thor said, his tone stiffening and drawing Loki's green eyes up so he could glare at his elder Brother. "It is enough that you are here, I will not have you interacting with Malekith if I can help it."

"But -"

"You will have another duty, Prince Loki. A far more important one than dealing with Malekith."

Loki turned his focus from Thor to Helblindi, hunched over the fire watching the two brothers with a shadowed expression.

"What do you mean?"

"King Helblindi, I said -"

"It is better that he be in place where we know what he will be doing and with a focus, so he stays out of trouble," Helblindi cut through Thor's protest. Loki felt those red eyes settle on him heavily. "You will come with myself. I will destroy the Dark Elf ship, but not before a search. There may be a cure for Queen Frigga within."

Loki stilled. How could he have forgotten such an important detail. Wasn't this his soul goal for wanting to come on this quest in the first place. The memory of his Mother, unmoving within the soul forge, his Father's lonely form beside her came to his mind and his stomach clenched painfully. How could he have forgotten?

"I do not like the idea of you endangering yourself with out me there my King," Thrym scowled.

"It is best that you accompany Prince Thor," Helblindi disagreed. "It would not do for myself and Thor to be seen together during this. The alliance is already being looked at with scrutiny before all this began, we cannot afford any of the other realms to doubt our word."

Thrym grunted but didn't protest again. Loki looked from one blue face to the other but neither gave him any clues as to what they were speaking of. It burned that he hadn't been included in whatever planning had taken place while he had been unconscious. Did they forget who was the one to bring them here. Thor would not have even been able to leave the Realm Eternal without his help and now they were not even going to fill them in on their plan?

"We should rest for a little longer," Thor said, pulling Loki closer so that he was lain more against his chest. Loki wanted to wrench himself away, demand the explanation that was being kept from him. But the warmth of his Brother's body heat and his already exhausted seidr left him struggling to keep his eyes open. Soon they were closed, and Loki slept.

---

He was roused with a rough shake and hands coming under his shoulders to lever him to his feet.

"Come, it is time."

Loki allowed himself to be manhandled onto the skiff as he reorientated himself. He could make out the huge shape of Thrym at the tiller. Helblindi was perched on the bow and Jane loitered near the door which led to the interior cabin, blue dress swaddled in a blanket around her shoulders. Thor pushed Loki the rest of the way on to the skiff, ensuring that he is steady on his feet before nodding to Thrym who activated the skiffs engines, hovering them in the air so they could sweep across the desolate landscape.

Loki had thought he had an idea of the landscape from previously, but he had vastly underestimated the utter devastation that had swept over Svartalheim after the last war. Thrym had been right to suspect that the sky would not lighten. In fact it hadn't changed, casting the world into shadows that made it harder to see how life could have existed on this planet. Sand and rock were all that remained of what once was lush green land. Loki didn't know much about Svartalheim before the war of the Dark Elves, accounts differed on a lot of things. Some called the Dark Elves a species that excelled in the intelligent arts. They were bright, innovative and pushed their Realm with technology unlike the others of the Nine who remained with seidr as their primary power source. Others said that the Dark Elves were the most primitive of the Nine. Preferring to live in isolated tribes with no one true leader among them. That only having changed with the war, with Malekith somehow uniting the Elves to create one fighting force which fell to ruin at the hand of Bor. Loki wasn't sure which to believe, most likely it was a mixture of the two, but all could agree that Svartalheim was the most beautiful of the Nine Realms before the war. Its green and luscious foliage was how it made its name with the other Realms that made up Yggdrasil. They traded rare plants and roots that had the greatest of medicinal properties, for good or evil. Trees larger than even some of the grandest buildings of Asgard had dominated the skyline here once upon a time, now all that remained of that wonder was sand and rocks. The bright blue of the sky, once home to the smallest of the stars of the Nine Realms but cast a pleasant steady heat across the Realm for all of the solar year was now obliterated, lost in the trampling of war, probably never to be recovered along with its people.

"We should be coming upon Malekith's ship soon," Thrym announced, startling the group who had all fallen quiet in thought.

"How do you know where to find him?" Jane asked, having pulled herself from the cabin door to stand beside Thor, still sheltered by his larger bulk as the wind whipped around them.

"Malekith had ships when he came to Asgard," King Helblindi explained. "From my understanding before the attack on Asgard, no one had seen a Dark Elf ship since before the war. That implies there must be some sort of power source that has kept the ship functional here in the years no one has seen one."

"And how does that help us?"

Helblindi smirked. "If Svartalheim is anything like Jotunheim the only power source available to Malekith will be his Realms core."

"But that could be anywhere.' Helblindi shook his head.

"All Realm cores are protected and are central to the Realm in which they dwell. There is a reason the central city of Asgard was built where it was. The same is said for Utgard. The ancestors knew that localising their power around the core of the Realm was the best way to stay alive." Helblindi shook his head, looking out at the passing devastation. "I read many stories of the fall of Svartalheim, all mention their great city, hidden by many barriers, both physical and of sedir. It is said it took the Asgardians months to penetrate their defences, chipping slowly until finally the walls fell and the descended on the Dark Elf army. The records are unclear as to what exactly happened."

"Grandfather faced Malekith there," Thor added, tone solemn. "He had hoped to simply confront the elf and see things through. Unfortunately, Malekith was not as willing to only face Grandfather. He called for the destruction of the evacuation ships that were supposed to take his people to safety. Grandfather could do nothing as the civilian ships were brought down upon his army."

Loki's eyes widened and even Thrym curled his lip in disgust.

"He killed his own people?" King Helblindi asked. Thor nodded.

"From Grandfather's account he said he could hear the screaming well after the last ship fell from the sky. The ground shook and the sky opened and rain poured. Grandfather described it as if the heavens themselves were weeping."

"The realms core was probably shattered with the loss of its children," Helblindi mused shaking his head. "Realm cores need life to sustain themselves and keep the planet alive."

"Is that what is happening to Jotunheim?" Loki asked.

"Jotunheim's heart was placed into the casket Young Prince," Thrym answered. "It is from the separation that the planet is dying and so slowly the creatures and people are. While the circumstances are not the same, they will both have the same effect in the long run."

"It probably didn't help that the one to kill the Realms children was one of its own," Helblindi explained. "As I'm sure you are aware Prince Loki, Realms have a way of being more sentient than some are willing to believe."

Loki paused, thinking of the way Asgard's seidr seemed to recognise him when he was trapped between it and Svartalheim's. How it had pulled back and even tried to help him by tugging him away from danger. He smiled and nodded.

"How can a planet be sentient?" Jane asked. "Surely there would be readings that we -"

"Most realms don't like to make their presence felt unless they need to," Thrym cut her off, as he slowly stood to peer over the bow. "You best all prepare now. There's a ship on the horizon."

Surprised Loki rushed to the bow, peering out into the destruction of Svartalheim he was just able to see the familiar shape of a Dark Elf ship, moored into the middle of a sea of sand, surround on all sides by craggy cliffs that reached up into the sky as though begging for salvation. Loki curled his fingers, digging his nails into his palms as he watched the shadow disappear behind the cliffs as Thrym brought them down to land out of sight. He would get to that ship. He would find something to save Mother. No matter what it took.