You remained seated at the table, still staring at Loki. You were truly going to go to Asgard with him? You knew that at some point in your life you had been there – the very name gave you a sense of familiarity. But no matter how hard you tried or all the many different ways you thought about it, you had no memories of anything in Asgard, save for the general knowledge of where it was and who may have been there.

    “So when are we going to Asgard?” you asked Loki as you stood slowly from the table. Though you weren’t looking at him, you could feel his intense eyes watching you.

    “Now.” He answered.

    You turned quickly and stared at him, surprised. “Now?” you repeated. “As in right now?”

    Loki smirked at you. “Why not? Were you not the one who wished to start your petty quest as soon as possible?” he questioned. “There is no time like the present.”

    You hesitated, looking away from him. Yes, you were eager to get to the bottom of what all was going on in the Abyss and with the stars, but part of you just wanted to back to your room and crawl under the sheet and relax. Was that so terrible of a desire? You looked back at Loki. “Will you at least give me ten minutes?”

    Loki nodded slowly and with a smirk leaned against the wall. “Go on then,” he waved his hand at you. “Ten minutes.”

    You turned and walked down the hall quickly, running your fingers through your hair. With a sigh you entered your room and closing the door, jumped onto your bed and lay still, staring at the ceiling blankly. Why did you feel such a sudden reluctance to go to Asgard? You knew you had been there at some time in your past, but how were you to remember if it was a pleasant visit or not?

    The thought crossed your mind that you might not be able to even go to Asgard. You thought back to being in the Abyss with Loki, and your attempt to get to Asgard then. You had been focusing as hard as you could, but it seemed as though something not of your own will made you change your thought of direction, which is then what sent you back to Midgard. What might happen if you tried again? Would you be sent to another realm other than Asgard? You feared the thought of winding up in a place like Jotunheim.

    Ten minutes. You had ten minutes to gather up the courage to go back out and leave with Loki. At the very least there was one good thing (though it was trivial) that would come from this – you would have to hold Loki’s hands in order to transfer magic. His slender fingers had such a gentle touch that you found wonderfully fascinating. You lifted your hand into the hair and examined the silvery scar on your palm. There was more to Loki that met the eye.

    As the minutes slowly passed, you thought of what you would do once you were in Asgard. Loki had said that Asgard was the place to begin your search, so you would not simply be leaving as soon as you arrived. You were hopeful that Loki might help you, but in reality that did not seem likely. Loki showed little interest in everything that was going on, and once you returned to Asgard he would no doubt leave you to yourself.

    That was something that you weren’t looking forward to. As odd as it might have been, you enjoyed Loki’s company. Whether it was by your loss of memory or not, you so often had the feeling of being alone. There were no friends, no family you could go to, and though you weren’t about to claim Loki as a friend, he was better than nothing. Besides, there were few people that could bring out the rather sarcastic side of you, and yet Loki’s taunts and manipulative words seemed to light a fire within you. You felt alive around him. You didn’t want that fire to die out.

    You glanced at the alarm clock on your nightstand. Your ten minutes were over. With a sigh you pulled yourself up and went to the closet, digging out a pair of sneakers and a black hoodie and putting them on. After taking one last glance around your bedroom, you opened the door and walked back out into the hall.

    Loki stood in the same place as when you had left him. He smirked as he watched you. You avoided his gaze as you adjusted your hoodie, pulling your hair out from underneath it. “Are you read yet?” he asked.

    You barely have a nod as you tied the laces of your sneakers tight.

    Loki paused and studied you intently. He could see that you were not in your normal spirit. “Frightened, __________?” he asked.

    I shot him a wicked glare as you crossed your arms. “Of course not!” you snapped. “There are just a few things on my mind at the moment.”

    “Such as?”

    You paused. You would have to be very careful with what words you chose, or else Loki would know exactly what you were thinking. “What awaits us in Asgard?” you asked, since that was about the only things you felt you could ask him without revealing all the doubts in your mind.

    Loki shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle,”

    Your raised an eyebrow at him. “Somehow I don’t quite believe you.”

    Loki gave you a slight smirk as he stood up straight. “We will not be harmed when we are there, if that is what you are thinking.” He answered. “If you keep quiet long enough for me to ‘explain’ what has happened, all will be fine. Understand?”

    Though you were still skeptical, you had no choice but to trust Loki. He knew the entire goings on of Asgard better than you did, for the moment at least. Trusting him was all you could do for now, but you knew to at least be wary of him. “I understand.” You replied.

    Loki grinned as he stepped closer to you. Instead of grabbing your hands as he had done in the Abyss, he simply held his hands out to you, palms up. “Ready?”

    With a slow sigh you nodded and slid your hands into his.

    “Remember to focus,” he reminded you. “I do not wish to end up anywhere but in Asgard.”

    “You aren’t the only one,” you muttered, still keeping your eyes down. A firm squeeze from Loki implied that he had heard you. You looked up at him, staring placidly at his blue/green eyes. “I’m ready if you are,” you said.

    Loki nodded, and immediately you could feel his magic enter your body, adding to your own energy that you then transferred to him. As you transferred each other’s magic, you realized that you were able to gauge Loki’s energy against your own. You hadn’t noticed this in the Abyss, but as you quickly thought back, you remembered the same feeing even though you hadn’t been able to identify what it was. Loki’s energy was strong, but it was noting compare to yours. This was not to say that you were completely stronger than him. You could feel that this was only a small portion of the full potential energy he could have, and at his fullest strength he would no doubt have been at least ten times as powerful as you. It was an incredible feeling to know that such power was within this one man.

    As your magic increased, you closed your eyes and focused on one thing – Asgard. You would not lose concentration as you had in the Abyss. Whatever happened, you would only think of the place you wanted to go. You felt the temptation to lose focus as thoughts crept into your mind as cracks in a wall, but you ignored them as best you could.

    Suddenly, you felt the magic reach its climax as Loki and you were being transported between worlds. You felt him pull you close, his arms reaching around your shoulders, thought he was careful not to lose contact with you. Instinctively, you wrapped your arms around him and held on tightly, your head pressed against his chest. You could hear the strong beat of his heart as he bowed his head, his lips nearly touching your other ear.

    As quickly as the magic reached its peak, it ceased, and you felt Loki and yourself falling as the wind whipped through your hair. You forced yourself to open your eyes and saw that you were falling – but you were now in a completely different world. Amid all the confusion you could not tell where you were, but you prayed it was Asgard.

    A second later you hit the ground in a similar fashion as you had when landing in Midgard, thought this time, you were on top of Loki. The moment before impact you had once again closed your eyes and kept them shut until you were sure that you were no longer falling. Slowly (and somewhat reluctantly) you pulled your arms away from Loki and lifted your head, and you smiled. You were in Asgard.

    You lay near the edge of the Rainbow Bridge, a few yards away from where it had been smashed by Thor’s great hammer. Your eyes followed the bridge towards the city, where in the center you saw the palace. A sense of joy filled you, for you were happy that nothing had gone wrong in getting here this time.

    Loki moaned softly and opened his eyes, staring up at you, somewhat displeased. “Traveling between realms you may be able to do, but you must work on your landings.” He said bitterly.

    You smirked at him. There was some fun in seeing him so annoyed. “And who’s to say this was my fault that we landed so terribly?” you replied. “It was most likely your fault.”

    Anger flashed through Loki’s eyes. He knew you were only taunting him, but it still irked him as much as if you had been seriously blaming him. “It was not because of me,” he replied through gritted teeth. “Now would you care to get off me?”

    You smiled as sweetly as you dared at him. “Oh I don’t know, Loki.” You replied slowly as you leaned so close to him that your lips nearly touched his. “I find this to be a rather…comfortable position.”

    Loki stared at you in surprised silence, seemingly at a loss for words. He glanced at exactly what “position” you were in. Lying on top of him, your legs lay one either side of him, so that if you pulled yourself up you would be sitting on his abdomen. His arms were still around you, though somehow they had moved lower and were now around your waist. He looked back at your face, staring deep into your eyes. “I-“

    “Loki!” a low voice called out and interrupted him. You both turned to see two men coming towards you. Both were tall and very well built. One had dark skin, black hair, and golden eyes. This, you knew, was the great Heimdall, guardian of the Rainbow Bridge and Bifrost. The man next to him had blonde hair and blue eyes and a neatly kept beard. Of course you knew him as well. Thor, prince and future king of Asgard, not to mention that he was Loki’s brother.

    Taking advantage of your momentary distraction, Loki grabbed you by the shoulders and pulled you off of him, standing quickly. “I did not think you would come as quickly as you did, brother,” he said to Thor with some distain. “Or that you would even come at all.”

    Thor ignored Loki’s words and looked at you, as you slowly sat up. “I would think you would at least remember how to treat a lady, brother,” he said to Loki as he held out his hand to you. “I apologize for his actions,”

    You took Thor’s hand and smirked. “All his actions or just the one?” you asked.

    Thor gave me a slight smile. “What is your name?”

    “__________,” you replied.

    Thor glanced from you to Loki. “And where are you from?”

    You shrugged. “I don’t know.”

    Thor raised an eyebrow as his attention turned to Loki. “You have a bit of explaining to do,”

    Loki tilted his head up slightly. He did not appreciate being treated like a child. “I will explain what I must at the proper time,” he replied bitterly.

    “Father will want to hear this as well,” Thor said as he turned slowly and looked down the bridge where two horses were waiting. You and Loki followed after him. Thor mounted the lighter horse and looking down, held out it hand to you. With an awkward smile you accepted his hand and he pulled you up in front of him.

    You were somewhat surprised by this and you could feel your cheeks becoming red. You glanced back at Loki, who with a glare at myself and Thor, mounted the darker horse and took hold of the reins. From there, you made your way along the bridge to the heart of Asgard – the palace.

    It had been a bloody battle, to say the least. Countless soldiers from each side had been killed all over the palace. The chance of finding survivors among the carnage was unlikely at this point, but soldiers were still sent out to search. The people still wanted the hope that all had not been lost.

    Hope. It was such a weak sentiment. What good was hope in a time like this? Hope would not get them anywhere with retaliation. Revenge, anger, that was all one needed. But Thor is ever hopeful…and pathetic.

    Loki strolled down what was once a grand hall in the palace, taking little notice of the desolation around him. He had wanted, no needed, to get away from the screaming and crying of those who had survived. Their screams were aggravating to him. It probably would not have bothered him so much if he had caused their screams…

    In the silence he looked around, trying to remember how the palace looked before the attack. Even he had trouble remembering what it once was. Tapestries that once hung along the walls had been ripped down. Tables, chairs, vases, broken doors, and other various items were strewn across the floor in a disheveled mess. Blood covered everything.

    Loki took his time walking. He was in no hurry to return to Thor, who always kept him under close watch. For as long as he could, Loki would enjoy what little freedom he had, even if that meant walking through a place like this. He enjoyed the solitude and the silence of-

    He stopped abruptly, his boots squeaking on the smooth floor. There was a sound, like a quiet scuffle nearby. Had it been anyone else walking, the chances of them hearing a noise were few, but Loki’s sense of hearing was keen. He looked around carefully, his blue-green eyes scanning every inch of the mess before him. Where had that noise come from? Someone was here…

    There it was again! A quiet sound, this time accompanied by the softest of whimpers. The sound came from his right, where a door had been smashed. Loki peered at it curiously. He could barely see the room behind it, and even in there he saw that everything was destroyed.

    Loki took a step back and crouched down, looking through the splintered wood into a small alcove that had been formed in the wreckage. What he saw in there surprised him.

    At the far back of this little alcove was a child. She was a young girl, and could not have been more than six or seven, possibly even as young as four. Her long red hair was messy and hung over her dirty face. A torn, bloody tapestry had been pulled around her, most likely by her own doing. Her pale skin was very dirty, but Loki could see a few streaks from where her tears had walked away the dirt.

    How could anyone, much less a child, have survived the attack here? Loki wondered. The invaders had been ruthless to kill everyone in sight. So why spare a child?

    The girl stared at him with terrified eyes. He couldn’t blame her. She had no doubt witnessed more terrors in a few hours than most ever saw in their entire lives, and Loki wasn’t exactly a welcoming sight added to that. His black hair was long and disheveled from months without care, and his clothes were hardly clean. This girl had good reason to fear him.

    Despite the private satisfaction that people still feared him, Loki felt pity on this child. He knew what it was like to be frightened and alone.

    On his hands and knees with his hair falling into his face, Loki gave the girl a soft smile. “Hello,” he said gently, trying his best not to frighten her any more. “You can come out now,” he reached for her hand.

    The girl whimpered again and shifted farther back, just out of Loki’s reach.

    “It’s alright,” Loki said gently. “The battle is over; you can come out.”

    The girl continued to stare at him silently, her eyes wild with fear.

    Loki sighed, frustrated. He should just leave this girl here. Eventually she would come out or someone else would find her. It wasn’t his responsibility to take care of her. He was not her king…

    And yet, he couldn’t leave her. He thought of just getting up and walking away, but found that his body would not move if he tried. Even the thought of leaving sent pangs of guilt through his mind. Of all the times for his conscience to work, why now?

    Loki shifted to a more comfortable position, so that he was basically lying on the ground. He rested his hand on the ground. “Come with me,” he urged gently. “You will be safe with me.”

    “You’re a monster,” the girl whimpered, a tear trickling down her cheek.

    Loki hesitated, surprised that such a young girl would know who he was and what he was. He didn’t really care anymore. Everyone knew what he had done in Midgard. Everyone should fear him.

    He started at the girl silently, trying to control the rage and pride that fumed within him. He needed to get this girl out of there.

    “Yes,” he replied slowly, being careful what he said. “But I will not harm you. You will be safe with me.” He reached out further with his hand, but the girl only shrank back further.

    “You kill,” she replied. “You lie.”

    “Please,” Loki urged, a certain desperation in the tone of his voice. “I swear on my life I will not harm you. But it is not safe to remain here. You have to trust me.”

    The fear in the girl’s eyes faded, showing the gentle innocence of her youth. “You swear?”

    Loki nodded, holding out his hand as far as he could. “I swear,” he repeated.

    Slowly and hesitantly the girl moved. She uncovered the tapestry she was wrapped in and shifted her legs. Loki could see that her once lovely dress was now little more than bloody rags on her. He also noticed a cut on her leg. It was not deep, but it still bled somewhat.

    The girl crawled forward and grasped Loki’s hands, her small fingers curling around his. Carefully, he pulled her out and took her in his arms. Her small arms locked around his neck as she buried her face against his neck and began to cry.

    Loki stood, holding her close. “You’re safe now,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head gently as he tried to comfort her. He carried her down the hall and through the silence. He knew that once she was in the arms of a healer, he would probably never see her again. How was it that a simple, helpless child could unlock the compassion in the heart of such a monster as he? Perhaps somewhere in Loki there was still goodness, even if it was difficult to see.