When the doors to the hall slam shut behind us, Veers rounds on me, her face livid. "How could you say that?" she exclaims. "He-he-he –" she gesticulates for a moment, the words lost to her in her anger. Then she lunges at me, her hands connecting with my shoulders in a violent shove.

I stagger backward, caught completely off guard. But before I can hit the ground, someone behind me grabs my arm and steadies me. "Easy, kid," Valkyrie says, but she doesn't release my arm. Instead, she reaches out and grabs Veers, refusing to let go of her even when she tries to jerk away. Despite the Kree's strength, the Asgardian is strong enough to maintain her grip.

Sometimes, I forget Valkyrie once was a revered warrior.

"With me," she commanded. "Now." And without further comment, she marches us off, away from the door and the others. Hela and Ronan glance after us, their eyes narrowed, expressions guarded, but no one moves to stop us.

Valkyrie walks us down the length of the hall, her gaze focused straight ahead. Veers and I hurry along on either side of her, the former Avenger still gripping our arms hard. When we reach an empty room, she thrusts us inside and slams the door behind us, barricading it with a bench she drags over from the table in the center of the space. Then she looks at each of us in turn. "Anyone mind telling me what that was all about?"

Veers glares at me. "I can't believe you said all that!"

"I have a good reason," I say defensively. "I assure you of that."

Veers crosses her arms. "Then enlighten me, Loki." There's venom in the way she says my name.

I glance at Valkyrie, who nods. "You might as well, kid. You've got us all asking questions after that speech."

I sigh, running my hands through my hair. "All right. All right! Thanos spoke to me, before we left Asgard."

Just saying that changes the atmosphere of the room. Veers tenses up, her expression going from angry to a mixture of angry and disbelief, and Valkyrie presses her lips together tightly, like she expected this outcome but still was hoping against it.

"What did he say?" the former Avenger asks me.

"That I upset the Balance," I tell her. "By both Veers and I winning, we upset the Balance. But I suppose he blames me."

"Probably because of the illusions," Valkyrie says grimly. "Without you pulling that stunt, one of you would have had to die for sure."

"Anyway, Thanos told me that I had to repair the Balance," I continue, turning to Veers. "He told me I must convince the galaxy that I am in love with you, Veers. On top of that, I must remind the districts that we live under his rule. If I don't succeed...he kills me."

I see the anger flood out of Veers' muscles, her features. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I just look at her. Because I didn't think you would lie for me? "I didn't think to."

"That's your problem," Valkyrie points out. "You don't trust each other anymore. You did once, I know that for sure – if you hadn't, both of you never would have made it out of the Contest. But you've got to trust each other again. Whether you really love each other or not, you have got to trust. This is all you got, from here on out. You'll never get to move on from each other."

"I know," I say quietly. "Veers and I will have to be together forever."

Veers bites her lip as I look at her, wondering if she's going to speak. She's looking down, at her shoes, and then suddenly she looks up at me. "Why didn't you tell me? You need two people to make a couple, Loki. If I had known....I thought you were being a jerk out there! I...." She trails off, a guarded yet concerned expression on her face. I'm fairly certain I can predict what her next words were going to be.

I could have played along, had I known.

But she wouldn't have, I know it, and that is why she stops herself.

Even though I was acting out of fear for my life, Veers still can't justify what I said. It doesn't matter if she can't justify it, though; I can.

I lift my head, expression hardening. "Does it matter, what I said out there? In the end, does it truly matter? I can't take it back, and you can't apologize for it. I said what I had to in order to save myself. Can you truly fault me for that, Veers?"

Veers glowers at me, her lips pressed firmly together. "Yes," she says at last. "I can fault you for that, but that doesn't mean I have to let you die for it."

I swallow the fear that had begun to creep up my throat. I know I can't do this without her. "So you will join me in the lie?" I ask.

Veers bites her lip, then nods. "Do I have a choice?"

"No," Valkyrie says, surprising the both of us. "Neither of you have a choice. Thanos threatened you, Loki, but who knows? He might kill Veers as well if you fail. You can't make an example out of a widow who won't weep, so there's no point in letting Veers live if he kills Loki. You might as well just kill her, too. For yes, Loki is the one who engineered the illusions, but Veers allowed him to do so. Veers is complicit in upsetting the Balance, and so Thanos will most likely kill her when he kills you."

Veers and I look at each other, absorbing Valkyrie's words. Both of our lives seem to be on the line now. The rationale makes sense, though; I didn't singlehandedly overthrow the Balance, after all. I did it because of Veers, and because I needed a spectacular exit to my run in the Contest of Champions if I was ever to equal my brother Thor. But that is beside the point here.

"Then why didn't Thanos explicitly threaten me?" Veers asks finally, glancing back to Valkyrie. "Why just Loki?"

Valkyrie's mouth twists. "I think he was thinking that Loki would want to save his own skin more than you would want to save yours."

Ouch. That stings.

But I never claimed to be a hero, did I? No, I did not. Yet the respect that is shown one has been given me, again and again. I like it, but being a hero means being selfless. I'm not ready for that yet.

"But we both wanted to live in the Contest," Veers says. "As you said, it wasn't just Loki who upset the Balance. Yes, it was his magic, but I was just as much a part of it." She looks at me, her gaze still slightly wary. It will take much for me to win back even a part of her trust and respect after what I said tonight. "I was in on the entire plan. Doesn't that show me as willing to do what it takes to save my life?"

That is a good question. I look to Valkyrie, raising an eyebrow as I wait for an answer.

She's silent, looking at the two of us as if she's debating about replying at all. "You are right, Veers. Your scheme needed two people to work. But it would not have been an option at all had Loki not had his mother's talent."

All right, Valkyrie's got us there.

"And your own behavior tonight also proves my point," Valkyrie continues. "Loki said what he felt he needed to – Veers, all you wanted to do was jump in and make a mess. Which one of you tonight appeared more concerned about the consequences of Thanos' wrath?"

Veers glances down as I lift my shoulders slightly. She is right there, too.

"From now on, you two need to work together," Valkyrie tells us. "Both of your lives are at stake, even if Thanos didn't explicitly threaten you, Veers. I know you don't see eye to eye on how to handle this, but you're going to have to come to some sort of agreement. From here on out, it's the two of you, as a couple, forever. Get used to confiding in each other."

And with that, Valkyrie marches out us out of the room and turns us over to Selvig and Darcy.

It doesn't take long for Selvig to dust off my clothing and make it look fresh and neat for the evening party, handing me a suit coat for me to slip on over my white shirt. The Yggdrasil pin is fixed to the lapel.

Vanaheim always hosted the smallest gathering out of the twelve districts, leading some to grumble that it should be renamed as the twelfth and most disappointing district and Asgard should be moved up to the eleventh spot. But for reasons unknown, a switch isn't made.

Well, the official reasons are unknown. I bet Thanos keeps Asgard at the bottom of the rung because of the symbolism. One of the foremost realms, now squashed beneath his rule like an ant beneath a boot.

I step out of the small dressing room I had been assigned, Veers exiting hers moments after. She's dressed in the sleeveless white shirt with the gossamer layered over it and the white slacks she wore at her first interview, her hair pulled back tastefully into a bun but with a hint of messiness. The look states casual elegance, practical beauty.

"Why is she wearing that?" I ask Darcy. "Veers wore this at the interviews last year."

Darcy nods. "I know, genius. That's why she's wearing it. It shows how we're not creating new outfits for every appearance – it makes her look more accessible, more down to earth, since she's not wearing something new and sparkly every time she steps out onto a stage."

I smile inwardly at Darcy's "down to earth" comment. She has no idea how true it is.

But when I think about it, the whole strategy makes sense. Selvig dresses me in Midgardian suits, Darcy gives Veers Midgardian clothes. Instead of making us look exotic, playing us up as Asgardian and Kree, we're made to look...normal.

Well. Normal to Midgard, anyway. Perhaps not always to the rest of the galaxy. But Midgard does host the largest number of districts.

With Veers' arm through mine, we enter the main hall, walking past Vanaheim's leaders and the Children of Thanos toward the main dais. The mentors and stylists walk before us, leaving the supposed best for last.

The event commences, with an elaborate feast I no longer have much appetite for. I make a show of eating, and so does Veers, but both of us aren't hungry. There's too much weighing on us, from our possible deaths to our unwanted lifelong commitment to each other.

It's a relief when the blur of feasting and dancing is over and we are ushered back to the Statesman. I immediately head to my chambers and lock the door, abandoning my suit coat over the back of a chair as I loosen my tie. Then I sink onto my bed, head in my hands.

Everything flashes through my mind, from the speech to Veers and I dancing after the feast. She had felt stiff in my embrace, but we had both did our best to play up our being a loving couple. This is going to be the rest of my life.

It sprints through my mind, what happens next. Veers and I will continue our courtship, eventually becoming engaged, getting married, starting a family....and then the entire thing will begin again, with our children being eligible to be contenders, just as we were.

I don't know how long I sit there before I hear a knock at the door. Lifting my head, I frown at the door as the knock sounds again. I stand and unlock the door to see Veers standing there, wearing her wraparound tunics.

"I can't sleep," she states.

I haven't tried to sleep yet, but I know it will be a futile effort. "And?" I say, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Wanna fight?" she asks, cocking an eyebrow at me. "The rear chamber has plenty of room."

But when we head back there, there are two beings guarding the area. "You aren't permitted access," one of the guards states.

"Why not?" Veers demands as I frown at the guards. They hadn't been there earlier, when Hela had spoken to Thor and I.

"It is the order," the guard replies, not deigning to explain what the order is or who gave it.

A little unnerved, I carefully turn Veers and walk with her back to our quarters. "I suppose fighting is no longer an option," I say quietly, stopping at her door.

Veers wraps her arms around herself. "I know."

We stand in silence for a moment, and then she steps into her room. I watch her go, before turning around and heading back to my room, to face yet another sleepless night.