THE GRIM DUNGEON way down below in the glamorous castle of Asgard was devoid of sounds and action, the silent almost unbearable in its victory, but if nothing else, it gave Nova Amodei the chance to read some of the old, frailed books she had managed to earn from one of the guards — no doubt, he had an eye for the prisoner, and whilst she couldn't genuinely care any less, she had still flashed her wildest smirk when speaking to the guard, in the justified hopes of it being her worth her while eventually. Besides, flirting with the men on Odin's payroll was the most fun she could squeeze out of her new life of a wild animal reduced to a tamed pet, and rather that than basking in the self-loathing caused by the fact that this was most likely the only way she'd ever be in the castle.

          Should anyone ask about her current situation, she would have simply described it as utter boredom, but despite being sick of sitting in her cell hardly 24 hours later, she was keeping her cool and radiating outer peace no matter what stormed within — the lack of hope, the loss of possibilities now that she was locked up with the future hardly shining any light on ever escaping. Instead of weeping bitter tears and letting her walls crumble, she kept stacking bricks one by one until the full armor surrounding her cold heart would be complete; a mission she had taken on since childhood. She was scarily calm, her time spent by reading through the books, slender fingertips softly turning the pages, no words coming out of her mouth and her eyes tightly stuck on the words scribbled across the fragile paper.

          The deafening silence was torn apart when the big, heavy doors at the top of the stairs opened with creaking and huffing, followed by the familiar clink of chains as another prisoner was being led down to the cells. The amused, low laughter that echoed throughout the carved walls sent chills down Nova's spine, her eyes lighting up as she let her curiosity get the best of her. Quietly, she shut the book before climbing up and taking slow steps to the golden window to see who was being dragged to her company. Sure, there were a few prisoners other than her, though she suspected their crimes barely reached her level, but for the most part, the life she had chosen was one of the lonely sorts.

         The sight of five guards surprised Nova, her dark eyes gleaming with interest as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched the group circle a nimble but looming figure. Truthfully, she was almost a little insulted — her presence had required only two guards — but she couldn't help but let out a breath of understanding when her stare locked with a wicked one, swimming with shades of blue and green as the maliciously smiling man was walked past her cell and towards the one beside hers.

         Well, she certainly hadn't expected to see Loki Laufeyson, the infamous God of Mischief, not so much a brother of Thor but an integral part of the Odinson family, nonetheless, yet there he stood, guilt barely weighing on his proud shoulders as the guards removed his chains.

         Attentively, Nova trailed from one of the windows to the other, keeping her gaze fixated on the dark-haired man who was guided indoors without a word. She had heard tales of him, the rumors, and once, she had even made it close enough to the castle to catch sight of him and his brother. It had been easy to tell which one of them had been granted the privilege of the throne and which one desired it nonetheless, and she supposed that they had that in common.

         "Waiting for a knight in shining armor?" Nova disrupted the newfound peace in the dungeon once the guards had fled the scene, her back meeting the wall before she sat down and followed Loki pace back and forth his cell, hands sealed behind his back and his entire presence so terrifyingly eerie and unbothered. It wasn't until her words hung in the air that he halted, head dipping down as he snorted at the snarky remark, yet he didn't even try to fight the amused smirk on his lips when he turned to her with narrowing eyes. Shrugging innocently, Nova draped one of her long legs over the other, and after glancing down at the smooth skin and straightening out her black dress, she faced him with a new and improved grin.

         "Do I appear to be a damsel in distress?" he fired back with a voice so suave that Nova couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow and sweep her tongue across her bottom lip. "Take no offense, but you, on the other hand...", he added with a taunting tone before she had even managed to respond to the first comment, his eyes scanning her before proceeding his aimless stroll. Forcing a dry laugh, Nova was unsure if he was referring to her already ghastly appearance — even after one night, her eyes were more dull than anything, her skin paler than usual and her physical strength draining — or just the fact that she was a woman. But to her, being imprisoned only meant that she was no damsel, and she most certainly wasn't looking for a knight.

        "I take full offense", she retorted back, a deep breath filling her lungs as she rolled her head back, "it didn't occur to you that maybe I deserve to be here?" Even though she could catch his gaze from the corner of her eye, she didn't turn to him, but instead, lifted the book she had been reading and picked up where she had left off with a poor attempt at paying attention when she could feel Loki's icy look observing her intently.

         "My apologies", he hummed quietly, deep in thought as he studied the brunette, "I have faced my fair share of determined women—", breathless and intrigued by the dangerous aura radiating off of Nova, who was quick to interject with a tired look.

        "Trust me, I'm on my own level", she assured, her lips pursing in a cold smile before she returned her gaze back to the book — Loki, however, was unable to tear his attention away from the sharp, divine features that made it easy to conclude she was of Asgardian descent. Frankly, she was more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen, but knowing that attraction was a weakness and a deadly trap he couldn't afford to stumble on, he took in a hasty breath before turning away with a mess of thoughts controlling his mind and drowning every shred of sensibility in him.

         Peace never got to land in the thick air between them when Nova was already clearing her throat, much more preferring company and taunting over the endless silence. "And what could the son of Odin possibly have done to earn an eternity in the dungeons of Asgard?" she questioned innocently, but she didn't even try and hide the mockery bleeding through. She managed to pull a chuckle from Loki, and that, along with the velvety voice he freed got Nova to lift her gaze again.

         "I am not a son of Odin, dear", Loki spoke matter-of-factly, and after finding a seat next to the golden wall where he was the closest to Nova, he continued. "I have committed unforgivable crimes. I attempted to rule to Asgard as the king this realm deserves, and when I was stripped of that opportunity, I traveled to Midgard and tried to lead their kind", he explained, arms dangling over his knees as he rested his head against the wall and smiled dryly. "You wouldn't believe the hilarious bunch of caricatures that stopped me."

        Closely listening to every word that lingered in the quiet space, Nova leaned closer to the wall, hardly avoiding the buzz of electricity as she hummed softly. She didn't need to know who he was referring to in order to relate — she, too, had once been surrounded by people hoping to be a complete community and spread kindness, whereas Nova had been left to get familiar with the shadows. She recognized happiness as nothing more than an illusion, and rather than trying to play hero to those who never deserved it, anyway, she had settled for the title of a villain.

        "Fair enough", Nova piped up with a shrug and swept her tongue across her lips while observing Loki, just like he was observing her, both of them intrigued by the other. It was a collision of two strayed souls of despair and hunger for power, both outcasts and seeking not only vengeance but appreciation.

        Frankly, after hearing about Loki's desire to rule and sit on the throne he had already had at his fingertips once, Nova couldn't help but silently praise whatever superior powers had never taken her under their wing, but now seemed to give her a second chance. Because if there was ever a way for her to ever take the crown, it was surely with the help of Loki.

        "What has led you here, then?" Loki finally returned the question Nova had poked with, and with a dark chuckle, Nova grabbed her book yet again and simply shook her head in response.

        "Story for another time, sweetheart", she replied nonchalantly, drawing her attention away from Loki who did the same after a snarky roll of eyes, but even if they no longer spoke, neither could wipe away the pleased grins on their lips.

        Indeed, Nova was certain she would have plenty of fun with him.

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First chapter is finally here! I know it's taken me forever to get this fic started again but honestly, I forgot I began rewriting this. But, hopefully I'll get more out soon :) I did miss Nova an awful lot!

Thank you for reading ❤️