The wind had engulfed me the second I stepped out of the ship, twisting my body around and my hair ripped from of its braid. I tried not to remember the last time I free fell, tucking my knees into my chest so I could realign myself. The wind stung my eyes and I had to squint to see at all, a blur of colors filled my vision but I still straightened out my legs, landing on the ship beneath me on my feet.

I nodded my head, impressed at Thor's plan and blatant deceit. When I saw that Loki was laying on the ground, rolling and groaning, I had to stifle my laughter with the palm of my hand. I saw Fandrall steering the ship, the winged aerial chariot skimmed the waters of Asgard, just below detection of the guards that prowled the Rainbow Bridge to the Bifrost. "I see your time in the prisons has made you no less graceful, my Lady," Fandrall called at me, turning his head to the side briefly to meet my eyes. I grinned, "I only wish I could say the same for Loki here," I snorted, stepping aside as Thor landed next to me, Jane in his arms.

"You lied to me," Loki said, not angrily. Thor nodded and Loki narrowed his eyes into slits. "I'm impressed," He snickered.

"I'm glad you approve Loki. Now do as your promised, take us through your secret passageway," Thor grunted, gently easing Jane onto a few blankets. With a growing smile, Loki stepped forward and gripped the steering mechanism, his bounded hands making it no less difficult, Fandrall glanced at Thor and Loki uneasily but said nothing about the trickster that may be leading us to our deaths. I was almost one hundred percent sure that's not the case. Almost. The ship whirs and whines as he pulls the golden rod one way, the ship making a sharp turn and water sprayed through the air, brushing my skin and moistening my hair. Not long after, a few other ships began to tail us, amber beams of light shooting from the cannon and hitting the water around us. I grunted as water sprayed through the air, obstructing our view momentarily but Loki didn't seem to have a problem with it. "Fandrall," Thor ordered, turning to the golden haired warrior that stood there with a rope wrapped around his palm.

"Right," He said, stepping onto the edge of our ship. A wicked grin spread across his lips, his golden breastplate shining in the Asgard light. "For Asgard," He said, no ounce of hesitation in his voice. He turned and winked at me, before jumping off and using the momentum to swing himself under our ship, his feet skimming the water as he leaps through the air and lands on one of the ships behind us. He knocked out the participants with ease, nodding toward us one final time as he took control of their ship.

Loki made a sudden sharp turn, yanking my attention to what lay before us. Staring at the mountain ranges that littered Asgard's waters, I see a narrow pathway in between that barely looked large enough to hold two people at once, and Loki's eyes were set on it with determination gleaming in those emerald pools.

"Loki," Thor warned, the same uneasiness that I felt growing in his tone. Loki smirked, "If it were easy, everyone would do it," He said, pushing the rod forward and allowing the aerial chariot to gain speed, accelerating toward the passageway at an alarming rate.

"Are you mad?!" Thor yelled over the wind that grew louder with each second that the ship gained speed. "Quite possibly," Loki replied, his smirk never leaving his lips for a moment. My stomach flipped and I went to hold onto Jane, and it looked as though Thor had the same notion seeing that he beat me to her.

The wind howled and my heart stopped beating, I held my breath as the loud screeching of the ship was drowned out by the intense sounds of the water below ramming against the approaching mountain. The sides of the chariot suddenly slammed into the narrow passageway, barely giving us enough room to continue our flight. The metal wings screeched in resistance against the stone, I resisted the urge to cover my ears as orange sparks danced through the air and the contact. The sparks quickly became streaks of light, orange growing into purple and blue and yellow, all so bright I had to throw my arm up to shield my eyes. With a loud bang, the stone passageway quickly became nothing but time and space.

I'm not sure if Thor and Loki felt the same thing I did, but time seemed to slow down in that space between realms. Stars outside the Bifrost-like light panned around me in slow motion, and for a second, I felt this unfamiliar tug in my bones. Something that called me toward another realm, that beckoned me across Yggdrasil toward some other place I had never been to.

Home, this foreign instinct in my body told me. In a completely other direction that Midgard and Asgard. I reached out toward this feeling, toward where it called me,

then all of a sudden, in a burst of light, the ship was breaking through this barrier. The ship skidded across the ground, sparks ignited at the contact of the ship against the rocky ground of Svartfelheim. After a deafening screeching sound I realized at this point, Jane wouldn't survive the crash that followed. I threw my arms out, using the invisible force of my magic to raise the ship off the ground, allowing it to continue forward. Thor looked at me and nodded towards me in gratitude, lightly laying a hand on Jane's shoulder as she laid on the floor of the ship, hair whipping in the wind.  Thor pulls the blanket that was laid on her over her shoulder, stroking her hair fondly.

Loki squints his eyes toward Jane, turning his nose up in disapproval. "What I could do with the power that flows through those veins," he muttered, green eyes blazing at the idea. I shook my head, not wanting to acknowledge the power hungry glint that shown in his eyes.
Thor sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and pursing his lips. "It would consume you," Thor said, I turned toward Loki to see his reaction. He angled his head toward Jane, raising his brows. "She's holding up alright," he shrugged, then pointed glance in Thor's direction. "for now." He finished. Thor snarled at Loki, shifting in front of the woman he loves. "She's stronger in ways you could never understand," he snapped, narrowing his eyes into slits. I made a point to take a step back, not wanting Thor's anger aimed at me in any way.

"Say goodbye," Loki told him, his voice breathless and full of pain. When I looked at Loki, I saw the emotion that shined, I felt his anguish course through me and I couldn't help but wonder what he could be thinking. "Not this day," Thor promised him, again stroking Jane's hair, longing glistening in those blue eyes. Loki shrugged, a sneer playing on his lips that didn't reach his eyes. "This day, the next, a hundred years. It's nothing," he ground out, I saw Thor flinch at the mention of Jane's mortal lifespan. "Loki enough," I intervened in reprimand. He didn't even glance at me as he continued. "It's nothing, it's only a heartbeat," Loki stood up suddenly, staring at Thor he kept looking at Jane. "You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you prized will be snatched from you," Loki seethed. Thor finally stood, glaring daggers at his brother. "And will that satisfy you?" He demanded, making me jump a little at the silent death threat in his words. Loki only grinned. "Satisfaction is not in my nature," he told Thor. "Surrender is not in mine," Thor snapped back.

I wonder if they even remember I'm here.

Loki's next reply told me enough of what they remember of my presence. "The son of Odin," he breathed, shaking his head in dry amusement. "No, not just of Odin. You think you alone were loved of Mother? You had her tricks but I had her trust," Thor snarled, balling his hands into fists as he took a step toward Loki. I flinched at Thor's words and I saw the hurt flash in Loki's eyes. Anger, pure fiery rage appeared in his expression where that mask of cold amusement once was. "Trust?" He seethed, as if the very idea was ludicrous. "Was that her last expression?" He half shouted, voice raging. I could still feel some of his emotions, and when they white-hot blasting fury shot through me I almost fell backward, I stumbled back and gripped the edge of the ship, placing a hand on my chest.
"Trust?" He repeated. "WHEN YOU LET HER DIE!?" He growled, another flash of anger and I swayed on my feet, trying to sort out my emotions with his so I might do something.

Thor took  another step toward Loki. I wonder if Thor noticed the tears that glistened in Loki's eyes, wonder if he saw the open wound in his heart. I fought the urge to touch his arm to calm him. "What help were you in your cell?" Thor spat, disgust rolling off of him. Loki laughed dryly, pursing his lips. "Who put me there?" He asked quietly. "WHO PUT ME THERE?!" He screamed, Thor shoved Loki down onto the ground pushing his chest. "Stop!" I yelled, gripping Thor's shoulder and pulling him off of him before he could pummel Loki. "Stop this, you two are acting like children!"  I shoved Thor away from Loki by his chest. Thor indeed looks at the fist he had raised, ready to unfurl into his brother's face. With a solemn sigh, he nodded. "She wouldn't want you two to fight," I said calmly, Loki's ragged breathing turned into dry laughter.

"She wouldn't exactly be shocked," he said, his expression lightening a small bit. Thor's lip tugged, and I thought he might smile, but then he sighed and that pained expression returned to his face. "I wish I could trust you," He breathed, turning away from him and gazing out across the realm. I didn't miss the pain that flashed in Loki's eyes as he at last looked at me.  He didn't break eye contact with me as he took a step closer, and in that sea of emotions I felt from him, I felt regret. "Trust my rage," he told no one in particular.

He took another step forward, coming to me side behind Thor. I stared right back at him as he told me in my mind, "Do you trust me?" He asked, I saw the pain in his eyes and I smiled softly at him. "With my life, Loki."

He looked away from me, but I didn't miss the ghost of a smile that played on his lips.