Loki woke you early the next morning. You would have grumbled at him for waking you, but you saw how anxious he was, so you got up to get ready for the day. You really didn't have much to do, since Loki was doing all of the work. You just had to stay awake and go with him to Asgard. Nothing major. "Are you ready for this?" you asked him. He seemed really nervous.

"No, but we must do it anyway," he replied, sounding as nervous as he looked. He used magic to change your clothes into outfits better suited to Asgard. A swishy elegant awesome blue dress for you with a golden braided cord belt, and a green tunic and black leggings for him. "Will you assist me?" he asked, holding out his hand to you as he summoned the spell book to the other hand.

You smiled up at him and placed your hand in his. "Of course. What do you need me to do?" You'd do anything you could to help him.

He held the spellbook where you could see it. "Recite the words with me and imagine the portal opening," he instructed easily. "We will do the spell together." That sounded difficult and beyond your skills, but you took a deep breath and nodded. He had been teaching you to use the magic from Asgard, though it really felt more like remembering something you'd forgotten than learning something new. With the soulbond, you had gained a lot more than just his powers, you'd also gotten all of the learning he'd acquired in 500 years of studying. It was just a matter of digging through everything you'd been given to find what you needed. You recited the words together and you pulled your magic into it, focusing on the portal you needed to make. It flared to life in front of you once you finished the last word. "Very well done, darling." His voice was full of pride. "You opened it on your own," he added with a smirk.

"You lied to me?" you demanded. Loki never lied to you. He'd sworn you the truth.

He shook his head. "I did no such thing," he replied innocently.

You glared at him. "You said we would do it together," you reminded him sourly.

"And so we did. I simply did no use any of my power," he explained.

You rolled your eyes at him. "That is really close to a lie, Trickster," you grumbled at him, but laughed anyway. He vanished the spellbook and placed your arm on his so you could walk through the portal together. You appeared on the other side in Loki's suite in the palace on Asgard. The portal snapped shut behind you. Loki steadied you as you stumbled, shocked at the drain of power the portal took.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"I just haven't done any spells that big before," you reminded him, but nodded to reassure him. He nodded and gave you a minute to collect yourself.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked.

You shook your head. You weren't at all ready for this, though you'd been preparing for days. "No, but it needs doing," you replied.

Loki sighed, he was nervous about this, though he tried to hide it. "That it does. Time to face the music."

With that, you left the safety of Loki's suite and headed straight for the throne room. It was still strange to have the servants bowing to you as you passed. It was stranger that they weren't only saying 'prince' to him in greeting, but were also addressing you as 'princess'. Loki had to stop you from stopping to greet and chat with all of them. Or to stop and tell them you weren't a princess. It was hard to tell which. Two of the guards opened the doors to the throne room for you and announced your presence.

You were beyond grateful in that moment that Loki had spent so much time prepping you for what was coming and what was expected of you. You took the prescribed steps into the room, until you were standing just below the thrones. Loki dropped to one knee in front of his parents. You dipped into an extremely low curtsy that it took a week of work with Loki to master. Apparently, when he was bored or felt like it, he would shift to female form for the fun of it and go to balls, so he knew exactly how to move and act in the dresses of Asgard. It was a great help to have someone who knew how to do what you needed when you had to learn it all.

"Father, Mother, I come with an announcement," Loki started, still on one knee, his head bowed. You knew he hated being on his knees in front of Odin. You knew he hated showing any submission to anyone, but he was a prince of the realm and would play his part.

You were so incredibly grateful that this speech was his to make.

"Rise and make your announcement," the king ordered. This Odin was very different from the one in the movies. But then again, Loki's story was different than the movies and myths portrayed.

Loki rose, and took your left hand, helping you to rise as well. "I have not only found my soulbond, but she has accepted my proposal and graciously agreed to the binding," Loki announced, loudly enough for everyone present to be able to hear. There were cheers from those gathered. Frigga jumped off of her throne to come hug Loki, and then you.

"I am so glad for you, Loki," she told him with true affection, hugging him and kissing his cheek. "Congratulations, darling. Though I wonder why you could not have waited to have the ceremony here?" she asked.

Loki looked sad, remembering you dying in his arms. "It was as you said, Mother," he replied softly, not wanting his words heard by everyone. "Thank you for preparing me for that moment or the love of my life would have been lost to me forever," he added as he wrapped an arm around you to pull you tight to his side, as if he was afraid for your safety. As if he were afraid to lose you. "When I was a child, Mother had a premonition. She insisted that I practice the ritual words every day for years, until she was sure I could recite them properly, at speed, in duress. She said it would be important, but would not tell me why. I know now," he explained for your benefit.

"Leave us!" The king ordered everyone who wasn't family. They all vanished from the throne room in moments. "I demand that you show me how this happened. Now." Odin demanded of Loki. You saw Loki flinch from that tone and knew then where Loki's bruises on his heart had come from. Maybe the movies weren't so wrong after all.

"Darling, you do not need to stay for this," Loki told you gently. He didn't want you rewatching your own death. "I can have one of the servants direct you to the library..." he suggested.

You shook your head. "I'll stay by your side," you replied. You didn't want to leave him, especially not to face this again. He took a couple of steps back, pulling you with him and summoned an illusion in front of you. It was an image of you sitting on the couch in the common room back home. It looked like a movie, the quality was so good. You didn't know how he did it, but he used the illusion to show the attack on the compound, how you'd shoved Loki out of the way of the bullets and taken them yourself. You saw his horror and grief as he ran to your side, watched as you faded in and out of consciousness. You heard all of his speeches, his demanding you to stay with him and not die. He then recited the words he had been spending all week making sure you had memorized. He'd also made you learn the response, aka your lines.

"You did this just to save her life!" Odin roared. You flinched back from his tone as did everyone else. "You spit upon our traditions and culture just to save the life of some mortal you met on your travels," he continued, throwing more verbal darts at Loki and you.

"That is incorrect, Father," Loki replied, his voice calm and disinterested. You knew better. You knew that calm wasn't real.

"Enough, Odin," Frigga spoke up. Her voice was soft and calm, but it still stopped Odin cold. "I saw these events many years ago. This was foretold and it was the correct course of action,"

Odin hesitated. "You are certain?" he asked. He still wanted to be angry at Loki. You took Loki's hand, trying to be reassuring.

"I am."

"Very well," he finally said. "Though I cannot say I am pleased with your decision. If your Lady Mother does not object, then I shall not either. In a week's time, we will have the proper ceremony." He announced. With that, you were finally able to escape. You bowed and curtsied to the king and queen again before you made what was hopefully a graceful exit from the throne room.

The second you were safely out of the throne room, Loki wrapped you in a tight hug. "I am sorry about him. We have never seen eye to eye. Please do not let him get to you," he whispered. You had a feeling it was more for his benefit than your.

"We'll be fine, Loki," you told him.

"Congratulations, brother!" Came the booming voice of Thor. The hulking man wrapped both of you in a hug and lifted you off of our feet. "Let me see," he demanded when he set you down. He grabbed Loki's hand to look at the pattern of magic. Loki growled and tried to pull his hand back, but you saw it was a ruse, he was really pleased by the attention. You laughed in response to their banter. Thor turned to you and took your left hand, which you gladly let him do. "Welcome to the family, little sister," he bid you and kissed your knuckles. You smiled up at him. He was such a gentle caring soul. He would make a great king one day.

"Uncle Loki!" you heard Torun's voice call from down the hall as she came pattering over on tiny toddler legs. Thor's daughter was adorable with long blonde hair and a warrior's build, even as a toddler. Thor pulled you out of the way before you got trampled by the toddler intent on seeing her uncle. Loki grinned and scooped up the toddler, swinging her around so she giggled.

"Hello Rune," he greeted her toddler warmly, settling the youngster on his hip. "How have you been?" The two of them babbled for awhile as Sif, Thor's wife joined you. For all that she was a warrior, she was also a court lady, though she tried her best to hide it.

"Welcome home, Loki," she greeted him with a smile. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Lady," she told you formally.

"It is 'Sister' now, not 'Lady Y/N," Thor corrected with a grin. Sif gave him a smile in return.

"Of course," she replied and went to go kiss her husband. She reached out and took your hand after she had. "Come. I'm sure our Loki has neglected to eat in his excitement to come home," she grinned at Loki.

"That...may... have been the case," he admitted, looking sheepish.

"Shame on you, letting your soulbond go hungry," Sif scolded.

"Shame!" giggled Torun.

"Yes, yes, shame on me. Might I have my beloved back now so we might remedy the situation?" Loki asked with the tone of exasperation you knew he didn't feel.

You yelped and giggled when Thor grabbed you around the waist and threw you over his shoulder. "You will have to come get her, Brother," he laughed. He was so gentle and kind that you couldn't even be mad, or uncomfortable with him. Plus you knew him from his time in the tower. You reached a hand back for Loki, but Thor stepped forward before Loki's fingers touched your. "Come, Brother, our friends are waiting!"

"Thor!" you laughed and slapped his back, hoping he'd put you down now that his game was over. Apparently it wasn't over yet.

"Apologies, Sister, but you know he will just skulk off to the library and not see all of his friends if he does not have proper incentive to join us. You are our insurance that he will come play with us instead of just his books,"

"Thor!" Loki called as he followed you, but he was laughing too. Any of you could have stopped the game at any point. Loki and you both had enough magic. "You best not hurt my soulbond," Loki grumbled at his brother. Sif had claimed one of Loki's arms and was keeping him a pace or so behind Thor. Torun was bouncing between the two pairs, laughing and giggling. She was left with a nursemaid and playmates and the rest of you continued on your merry way to where their friends all waited.